Texas Fish & Game July 2014

Digital Edition

www.FishGame.com The Up Side of

Topwaters

July 2014 | VOL. 31 • NO. 3 | $3.95

Best Texas

Bowfishing Lakes & Rivers

Taking on Tarpon and Sharks from a Small Metal Craft Carp Fishing:

Send the Kids to

Glamor or Trash?

Shooting Camp

Flippin’ for Flounder

Gators in Texas

Coastal.indd 1

6/29/14 8:47 AM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 2

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 1

6/5/14 11:30 AM

OVER 50 FRESH & 2014 SALTWATER EDITION LOCATIONS Available 2500 GPS Now! FISHING SPOTS ORDER NOW www.FishandGameGear.com

www.FishGame.com Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. Texas Fish & Game is the largest independent, family-owned outdoor publication in America.

Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

roy neves PUBLISHER

chester moore EDITOR IN CHIEF

C O N T R I B U T O R S

Joe Doggett Doug Pike Ted Nugent Lou Marullo Matt Williams Calixto Gonzales Lenny Rudow Steve LaMascus Dustin Ellermann Kendal Hemphill Will Leschper Reavis Wortham Tom Behrens Greg Berlocher Paul Bradshaw Capt. Mike Holmes Dustin Warncke Stan Skinner Lisa Moore John Gisel

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR SHOOTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR CONSERVATION EDITOR HUMOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR COPY EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR STRATEGIC ADVISOR

A D V E R T I S I N G ardia neves

VICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR viga hall • NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES tonisha shields • ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 1745 Greens Road Houston, TX 77032 Phone: 281/227-3001 • Fax 281/227-3002

C R E A T I V E elliott donnelly

DIGITAL PUBLISHER juliana seale • GRAPHIC DESIGNER

anna campbell

wendy kipfmiller-o’brien

• •

GRAPHIC DESIGNER DIGITAL ISSUES DESIGNER

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032 Phone 800/725-1134

ACTION SUBSCRIPTION FULFILLMENT

duane hruzek PRESIDENT

TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Content is not to be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: dhruzek@fishgame. com Email new orders to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: dhruzek@fishgame.com.

Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.

Paid Distribution of over 90,000 Verified by Independent Audit

Staffbox-Contents.indd 2

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 3

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Table of

Contents

JULY 2014 Volume 31 • NO. 3

Features

GLAMOR FISH OR TRASH FISH? Carp have lately transitioned from the Rodney Dangerfields of fishing to Rock Star status for many anglers.

COVER: Adventures in Aluminum

26

by Matt Williams

Aluminum boats have served generations of Texas near-shore anglers in pursuit of tarpon, shark and other big game fish within safe reach of smaller craft.

STORY:

20

Story by Chester Moore Cover Photo Courtesy AlumaCraft

ALSO IN JULY:

CAMP FOR YOUNG GUNS Our contributing editor’s youth marksmanship camp incorporates the fun of TV’s “Top Shot” challenges with serious firearms training and strong lessons in values.

28

by Dustin Ellermann

FLIP FOR FLATFISH Using a proven bass technique to tempt flounder at close range in thick cover.

38

by John N. Felsher

Aim Low, Think Big Combine the thrill of hunting, the challenge of fishing and the skills of archery and you get the fastgrowing sport of bowfishing.

STORY:

44

WILD IN TEXAS: GATORS The successful comeback of alligator populations has produced an increase in the number of “nuisance” gators across the state. Here’s a look at how some of them are being dealt with.

by Dustin Vaugn Warncke

42

by Chester Moore

www.FishGame.com 4 |

J U L Y

Staffbox-Contents.indd 4

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 5

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Inside Fish&Game

by Roy & Ardia Neves | TF&G Owners

This Contest Always Ends in a Photo Finish

T

WO OF THE MORE POPULAR FEATURES THAT TF&G has offered since Day One, back in the first Reagan administration, have been our Reader Photo section and our Big Bags & Catches department. People love to share photos of their conquests in the field and on the water and, over the years, our reader surveys have consistently registered these two among the highest-read features in the book.

So it was no surprise that our online Big Bags & Catches photo contest generated a huge response when we introduced it on FishGame.com a little over a year ago. The contest is simple: readers, website visitors and members of our 45,000-plus Facebook fan base upload their fishing and hunting photos to compete for monthly and quarterly prizes.

The photos are voted on by website visitors and the monthly high-vote getters win great prizes in three categories: Freshwater Fishing, Saltwater Fishing and Hunting. Every three months, we tally the highest vote-getters of the Quarter and the top overall fishing winner and top hunting winner receive even greater prizes.

The top Hunting photo prize in the most recent quarterly contest went to Travis Donnaud from Orange. Travis won a $300 gift card from Academy Sports + Outdoors. The Fishing Photo prize for the quarter went to Steve

Contents (continued) Columns

Editor’s Notes 10

Texas Hyenas and Other

Reader Questions

TF&G Editor in Chief

14

Doggett at Large

by JOE DOGGETT

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by CHESTER MOORE

Shore Bets for Bass

Pike on the Edge 16

Listen and Learn

by DOUG PIKE

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

TexasWild 18

Bears, Bears and

More Bears

TF&G Editor At Large

by TED NUGENT

Commentary 19 Incredibly Logical

by KENDAL HEMPHILL

TF&G Politcal Commentator

Texas Saltwater 24

The King of Kings

by CALIXTO GONZALES

TF&G Saltwater Editor

Departments 8 LETTERS 12 TF&G REPORT 12 BIG BAGS

& CATCHES

32 TEXAS DEPT.

OF DEFENSE

40 TRUE GREEN

Bare Bones Hunting 35

In the Heat of the Night...

by LOU MARULLO

TF&G Hunting Editor

Texas Freshwater 36

Bass to Winning Hunting photo

Winning Fishing photo

Proctor of Pryor, Oklahoma. Steve’s entry also happened to be an entry in the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s ShareLunker program, a 13.29-pounder from Lake Fork. He won a Lew’s rod & reel package.

So check out Big Bags & Catches at FishGame.com. Your pictures could end up being worth a lot more than just a thousand words. .

School

by MATT WILLIAMS

TF&G Freshwater Editor

Open Season 48 Flies

by REAVIS WORTHAM

TF&G Humor Editor

Texas Fish & Game is a family-owned business, and the owners welcome your comments and questions. E-mail Roy and Ardia Neves or Ron Ward at ContactUs@fishgame.com 6 |

J U L Y

Staffbox-Contents.indd 6

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

www.FishGame.com 6/5/14 11:30 AM

s

RT

.

Staffbox-Contents.indd 7

6/5/14 11:30 AM

Letters to the Editor Kudos on Column CHESTER MOORE’S COLUMN ON the changes needed in the outdoors industry was spot on (“The Awakening,” Editor’s Notes, May 2014). We have to get back to having a genuine reverence for the resource.

We are certainly at a place where people are either into shoot or plain trophy hunting and somewhere in the mix we’ve lost the respect for nature. Thanks for addressing this.

Phillip Harris THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT the elephant in the room of sport hunting-the disconnect from genuinely respecting nature to hunting. We are in a sad state of affairs when most kids first introduction to any kind of hunting is from a video game. Thanks for being a bold voice.

Kate Johnson

THE COLUMN YOU WROTE ON PEOple losing their respect for nature was right on the money. I have never heard it articulated in such a way but I got what you said and its true.

I was raised if you don’t eat it, don’t kill it and hope the young people of today are getting the same kind of upbringing.

Marcus Williams

Reefs IS IT TRUE THERE ARE REEFING projects being put into Galveston Bay and Sabine Lake?

Joshua Helton Yes, in fact we addressed it in the TF&G Report in the June issue. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Sabine Lake Ecosystem Leader Jerry Mambretti was kind enough to send some images of the side-image sonar of

Bank Fishing Access DO YOU THINK ACCESS TO QUALity bank fishing will ever increase here in Texas?

Stan Anderson Texans have fair access to bank fishing depending on where you live. The Gulf Coast definitely has the best access due to the hundreds of miles of beaches. Some of our bay systems particularly on the Lower Coast have poor access due to their remote nature and the land surrounding them being in private hands. As far as inland areas go, I do know the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is trying to improve fishing in urban ponds by doing stockings of channel catfish and other species.

Do I think access will improve? Probably not. The best thing you can do is heavily research the areas you want to fish using

CORRECTION: A photo was published with the wrong caption in a recent issue’s Fish & Game Photos section. Below is the correct photo and its caption:

Side-image sonar of Sabine artificial reef.

WHITETAIL San Patricio Ten-year-old Wade French of Portland (in the cowboy hat) shot his first deer, a doe, at 75 yards with his brand new .243 while hunting with his older brother Rig and father Chris in San Patricio County.

8 |

1407 Letters.indd 8

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

the new reefing project on Sabine Lake. The site features 145 by 85 feet reef clusters and that is what you are seeing in this photo.

—CM

Google Earth and simply talking to landowners and business owners. You may just find access you were not aware of.

—CM Email Correspondence to Editor@fishgame.com

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:22 AM

1407 ChesterEdNotes1.indd 11

6/5/14 11:14 AM

The TF&G Report Keith Combs, Lake Fork Set Bass Tourney Records ALL EYES ON WERE ON KEITH Combs at Lake Fork’s Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) and he did not disappoint, leading wire-to-wire as he won his third TTBC title.

On the eve of this event, Combs made a statement that seemed insane at the time, it could possibly take a 35-pound or even a 40-pound average per day to win this event.

He was not that far off with 15 bass for 110 pounds, Keith set a new world record for a three-day professional bass tournament.

That’s a remarkable average of 7.33 pounds per bass weighed in.

Actually he shattered the record.

Byron Velvick set the three-day record on California’s Clear Lake 14 years ago by catching 83 pounds, 5 ounces. Combs beat that by 27 pounds but he wasn’t the only angler who surpassed the long-standing high water mark.

The top eight TTBC anglers all beat Velvick’s 2000 catch with 8th place Matt Reed taking 85 lbs. 8 oz.

This is Comb’s third win in the TTBC in the last four years and it will certainly solidify his place in professional bass fishing history and further enhance Combs’s already legendary status in Texas.

Although Combs made his win look easy this week, it was not without challenges along the way. After his Day One haul of 42 pounds, he had a large group of spectator

Big Bags&Catches

WHITETAIL Southeast Texas Sara Rader killed this 10-point buck while bowhunting in Southeast Texas.

and camera boats following his every move. In addition, he was sharing the same areas with two anglers who were also in the top ten after the first day.

This changed his strategy and how he made decisions throughout the day.

“We were covering huge expanses of water by ‘strolling’ (long-lining) so we had to let the spectator boats know where we were headed so they could back off a little as we brought our crankbaits through. The boats out there were great though, you always hear about it how they will go in and fish your areas as soon as you leave, but thankfully everyone was great and left it alone when we left and went to another spot,” Combs said.

Keith Combs rotated through several spots throughout the event and felt that timing was a critical aspect to his win. His toughest challenge was the morning of Day Three.

“I went to where I caught them on Day Two and

REDFISH

BASS

Mid Coast

Houston Co. Lake

Six-year-old Derrick Crumley of San Antonio landed his first bull red (36-inches) fishing with his Dad and Grandpa. He said, “This is the best day of my life.”

Simon Cosper caught these two big ladies on Houston County Lake in 15 feet of water. They both bit on a Strike King 6XD crankbait.

Visit FishGame.com to upload your Big Bags & Catches Photos and Vote for our next Winners 12 |

J U L Y

1407 TFG Report.indd 12

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

PHOTO CREDIT

6/5/14 11:23 AM

didn’t catch a fish. I fished a few different spots in my rotation and caught a good one at each spot and had intentions to hit those areas again, but never had to because my next spot produced a 6-8, an eight-pounder and I don’t know how many five pounders, it was amazing,” Combs said.

His timing throughout the week on his key areas changed every day as the fish moved.

Each hour and each day was different and it required being in the right place at the right time when the fish were biting.

Over the past few years Keith Combs has spent countless days on Texas lakes Amistad and Falcon guiding and fishing for fun, but believes that right now Lake Fork rivals the highest peaks at those or any fisheries.

“Lake Fork is fishing better than any lake in Texas right now and probably the whole country. If anyone is planning a trip to Texas for bass fishing you need to come here to Lake Fork, and you better get here really quick because the big fish are biting,” Combs said.

So, what’s next?

“Everybody has heard of Lake Fork, it is the Texas state record lake and it produced a lot of 16- and 17-pounders back in its heyday. Well, last year they started catching them really good here, and this event proved that it is still the best lake in Texas!”

“I’d love to come back here in the very near future just to do some fun fishing, and I hope they’ll keep having the Toyota Texas Bass Classic here. Lake Conroe has been great to me (where I won my first two TTTBCs), but I want to come back here next year and do this again.”

“Lake Fork is unbelievable! You really never know what you’re going to catch. Every time I set the hook today, I thought it was going to be a 10 pounder. In your mind, there’s no doubt of the potential Lake Fork has on any cast. There aren’t many places we fish on the pro tours where that happens.”

sputtered to an end April 30 with a total of only nine entries.

Low lake levels, unseasonably cold spring temperatures and windy conditions on many weekends combined to limit angler opportunities to catch big bass. But the fish were out there, and those who persevered will be rewarded with replicas of their catches and ShareLunker clothing at a banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center on June 7.

Four of the nine entries were caught by out-of-state anglers, proving once again the tourism value of Texas trophy bass fishing.

The person who catches the season’s largest entry will be named Angler of the Year. If the Angler of the Year is a Texas resident, that person also receives a lifetime fishing license.

—­TPWD

—Staff Report

Sharelunker Season Ends Quietly AFTER GETTING OFF TO A FAST start with three entries in November and December, the Toyota ShareLunker season

1407 TFG Report.indd 13

6/5/14 11:23 AM

Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Shore Bets for Bass

T

HE BASS IS BEST PURSUED IN SHALLOW water. This was the traditional level-wind approach and the longer I fish the more convinced I am that the old-timers are correct. There’s more to fishing than just catching fish.

Three reasons support the shallow approach: First, the shorelines of summer are pleasing places, and this shallow-water fishing often is best early and late, the most inspiring times. Just being there, working close amid the warm, green shadows and surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural bounty, puts you in a positive frame of mind.

Second, you move slowly, either afloat or afoot, repeatedly measuring the potential for the next cast. You are aiming at specific targets rather than lobbing across dreary expanses of open water. This deliberate approach puts a premium on accurate casting—and accurate casting is one of the great satisfactions of serious angling.

Finally, fish rise to the occasion—literally.

Bass in less than 6 or 8 feet of water are inclined to strike on or near the surface. And the swirling blast in a hushed cove is one of the great moments in angling. The surface strike, alone, transforms the average two- to three-pound bass into something special.

Conversely, the tap-tap-tap of a similar bass on a bottom bumper off a 15-foot main-lake point is—well, it’s not exactly boring but you’re not getting the real deal. Remember, they don’t call ’em “bigmouth” for nothing.

Three types of “hard” lures (opposed to soft plastics) have stood the test of time along the summer shorelines. Most important in this shallow-water fishing, each can provide the thrilling visual contact with a striking bass.

The first is the safety-pin spinnerbait. The V-wire contraption with its pulsing skirt and dangling blades looks ridiculous; it is primarily intended for work in stained water amid stickups, reeds, and logs, situations where waiting bass can’t get a good inspection of the target.

The combination of flash and flutter pulls the 14 |

J U L Y

1407 Doggett.indd 14

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

reflexive trigger.

A high rod tip can keep the spinnerbait running on or just under the surface—“waking” as the old pros say. Large blades and a full skirt encourage buoyancy for this near-surface duty.

The waking spinnerbait can be coaxed alongside a clump or tangle then allowed to pause or “slow roll.” The lurking bass that slashes up to snatch the fluttering drop often creates a dramatic flash of gold and green followed by a meaty upwelling of water—very exciting, usually resulting in a confident hook-up.

The great advantage of the snagless safetypin design is that the lure can be chunked into or beyond hard cover such as limbs and brush. As long as the forward motion is maintained and the pauses are timed in open water, the lure seldom snags. Be wary, however, of slimy, stringy moss that can bog the blades.

Spinnerbaits can be effective in clear water (usually the smaller, low-profile models), but a better choice under high-visibility conditions is the floating/diving thin-minnow plug. These realistic, elongated lures made of balsa or hollow plastic are magnificent bass-catchers along the spring/summer shorelines.

The typical lure of this genre floats at rest and dives shallow, approximately one to two feet depending on the model. The most effective retrieve is a stuttered stop-and-go; you allow the lure to float at rest, then with timed rod flips and handle cranks impart short, erratic dives.

Then you stop the forward motion and permit the buoyant plug to rise again—and just as it brushes the surface you flip the tip for another “wounded” dive.

Bass hovering amid nearby shadows have difficulty tolerating this teasing display. The strike usually is fast and hard, a swirling snatch from the side that stirs the surface with a flash and boil.

The thin minnow (especially the “airy” balsa models) can be difficult to cast against or across a gusting wind. A lighter line and a softer tip usually improve performance.

The dangling, exposed hooks are easy to foul or snag, making the lure a poor choice for going inside perimeters of thick cover. Despite these setbacks, the thin minnow is a monster bass catcher, especially over submerged weed beds or along defined edges.

Traditional surface plugs are another “top” F I S H

&

choice for shoreline bass, perhaps most exciting of all. For what it’s worth, the coastal hysteria over topwater fishing for specks and reds evolved from these classic bass plugs.

Three types are available: chuggers with concave faces, slushers with propellers, and dogwalkers with absolutely nothing. As a general guideline, the noisy chuggers and slushers are most effective on a choppy or riffled surface or when the water is stained. The commotion helps attract fish amid poor visibility.

The dogwalkers that zig and zag often are best across calm, clear water. The soft skating motion appeals to skittish fish amid high-visibility circumstances. As a downside to the dogwalker, the practiced cadence of rod tip and wrist can be a bit tedious for the rookie to master. Chuggers and slushers are less tiring, especially when punctuated with the deliberate pauses that bass seem to favor.

This is a general guideline; any floater can draw a strike under any circumstances if an aggressive bass is within reach, but matching the loud/soft retrieve to the existing conditions makes sense for openers.

Most topwater plugs have excellent casting ballistics and rank among the best choices for the pinpoint accuracy that is so pleasing along the shorelines.

The downside to a straight floater is that some fish might strike short. They don’t miss it; they just don’t quite want it. And it is maddeningly easy for even a practiced hand to panic and yank the offering from a jacked-up bass doing its best to get caught.

Other excellent lure types certainly are available, including sub-surface crankbaits and swimming baits, and the many weighted and unweighted plastics (including soft frogs, excellent over mats). But these three are solid choices for visual action amid the long shadows. And, on a given shoreline, at least one of the three approaches should draw a few aggressive strikes.

Regardless of choice, remember that the first and last hours of light are prime during hot weather. An influx of muggy cloud cover always is a bonus—but be cautious of electricity in the air. No bass is worth a bolt.

Contact Joe Doggettl at ContactUs@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:16 AM

1407 Doggett.indd 15

6/5/14 11:16 AM

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Listen and Learn

E

ACH OF US COULD BE A BETTER HUNTER or fisherman or all-around outdoorsman if we were half as good at asking questions as answering them.

I field regular questions by email and on the radio, and predictably by season, from people who are relatively new to outdoor recreation. What rod-and-reel do I need for redfish? What’s the best deer-hunting caliber? How do you pitch a tent?

Each is answered, too, as quickly as I can get from one to the next. I’m flattered that

1407 Pike.indd 16

people value my opinions and smart enough, when necessary, to “phone a friend” if a good answer escapes me.

Adulation that precedes some readers’ and listeners’ questions makes me feel good, but I’m careful never to presume myself to be the ultimate, absolute source on anything.

There’s general knowledge on most things outdoors and post-grad smarts in a few areas rattling inside my head, but I’m not the final say on anything and am comfortable saying so.

To continue my own education, I always try to ask at least one question for each that I answer.

Turns out, my parents and everyone else’s parents were right when they told us that God gave us two ears and one mouth with good reason. Any time you’re talking,

no matter what brilliant thing you might say while your lips and tongue and vocal chords do their ever-loving best to follow your brain’s instructions, you’re not learning. And if you’re not learning, you’re not improving.

It’s been my great fortune in life to meet, interview and share time on the water or in the field with some of the best outdoorsmen in the country—maybe in the world. To a man, each of them answered and asked questions. They cared what I had to say as much as the reverse was true.

A man who has guided hunters to a couple hundred Cape buffalo and lions and leopards in Africa once picked my brain and that of a friend for nearly an hour on how we hunt feral hogs in Texas, then thanked us for sharing information he found somehow

6/5/14 11:18 AM

applicable to his buffalo hunts.

We learned plenty from him, as well, especially some stalking techniques that apply every bit as much to white-tailed deer as they do to big cats. Only the whitetail

“ God gave us two ears and one mouth with good reason.

“ isn’t so likely to hide in chest-high grass, run you down like a dump truck hitting a squirrel, then bite off your head.

The best fishermen I’ve met were no

1407 Pike.indd 17

different. Guides who invited me onto their highly successful boats from Louisiana to Sweden always had questions about how we caught this fish or that in Texas. And from the time I stepped aboard, my questions to them began.

Why do you do that? What made you stop here? What lures do you like? How are you working that one? Have you ever tried these?

Anytime I fish “away” water, I carry a small stash of plugs and soft baits that “should” work and try to start the day with something from that bag. If my lures leave me two or three fish down quickly, I’ll switch to something from the local’s box. If mine are working better, I’ll leave the whole box with my host.

On several occasions up the East Coast, I was told that “topwaters just don’t work on these fish.” And every time, I proved that local captain wrong. It happened with big striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. They hit like freight trains, run a little, then sort of quit—and it happened in South Carolina with redfish cruising the edge of flooded

grass.

After that South Carolina trip, I had to leave an entire box of surface baits. Not my best ones, but the guide who received them didn’t know that. The next week, he sent pictures of four fat reds he’d caught on top.

The information exchange ran both ways.

While he learned to work dog-walking topwaters, I picked his brain for tips on fishing fast-moving water. They get major tide swings there, four to six feet each way some days, and have fine-tuned their techniques to keep jigheads out of the shell, but in front of the fish. Works here at home, too, when a strong tide is washing over a reef or down a jetty.

Any time you’re around any other fisherman, remember to ask questions. Even if the guy doesn’t know much at all, there’s a fair chance he may know something you do not.

Contact Doug Pike at ContactUs@fishgame.com

6/5/14 11:18 AM

Ted’s TexasWild

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

Bears, Bears and More Bears

A

LASKA ACE PROFESSIONAL GUIDE and lifelong master hunter George Faerber and I were making our way back to our Last Frontier wilderness fly camp, rather joyful and perky under the heavy loads of freshly killed barren ground caribou meat, hide and giant antlers. It was September of 1977, and this 26-year-young whippersnapper of a diehard Michigan bowhunter was in heaven.

Slowing down and working up quite the sweat from another long day far from camp, we humped up another mushy lichen ridge eager to end the trek, rest and eat a hearty meal of backstraps.

The large black blob 100 yards out stuck out like logic or soap at a Michael Moore hippie party. I had just killed my first caribou and now lo and behold there in front of us was my first ever black bear, and in handgun range no less.

Unfortunately, after wiggling out of my cumbersome pack, I never was able to align my Smith & Wesson Model 29 sights on the gorgeous bruin, but the mere sight of the beast turned me into a lifelong bear hunter right then and there.

Two days later I was able to Dirty Harry a fine 300+ pound blackie at close range and I was on my way to full-fledged bear hunting addiction and rugsteak adventure that has increased in intensity every year since.

There have always been a lot of bears in North America. Sure, the early settlers did quite a thorough job of seriously reducing their numbers in an all-out effort to rid their new homesteads of dangerous grizzlies, wolves, coyotes, cougars and black bears, but like all those predators, the elusive and 18 |

J U L Y

1407 Nugent.indd 18

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

adaptable black bear dug in and held on to the nucleus populations that would grow into what is today the largest population of black bears in recorded history.

You gotta love that.

My family and friends and I have had the always hair raising thrill of hunting black bears so far in MI, ME, CA, CO, WA, ID, AK, YK, ON, QB, NB, NK, SK, and we’re not even warmed up yet.

We have sat over bait, stalked salmon streams, chased those incredible spirit hounds, and even blundered into a few bears on that rare occasion like that memorable day in Alaska in 1977. Each and every hunt, each and every encounter, each and every bear camp has been nothing short of spectacular, leaving very powerful imprints on my happy memory bank.

As a guy who has never missed a hunting season in 64 years, and hunts more than 300 days most years, I must join most of you in giving the nod of prey supremacy to the mighty whitetail deer. Many of my hunting buddies worship the amazing elk, some the giant moose, while others look at the incredible mule deer as their most tantalizing beast to pursue. I even have friends who live to sneak up close and personal with Africa’s Big Seven; elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, rhino, crocodile and hippo.

But all of them agree that pursuing the bears of the world ranks a serious close second to all our favorite species, and more and more, I am meeting guys who place bears at the top of the list.

As I continue to meet with hunting families on my nonstop travels touring with my band every summer, hanging out with hundreds and hundreds of hunters each hunting season, there is no question that bear hunting is gaining in popularity each and every year. And with good reason; as I’ve exalted so many times before, bears elicit very special sensations and feelings in people, whether hunter or non-hunter.

The mystique that bears bring forth may be mostly historical lore and old wives’ tales, but like that September day nearly 40 years ago, I’ve experienced its power first hand, F I S H

&

and it is indeed a force to reckon with.

The jury is not still out on the fact that these are the best of the best good old days of bear hunting. When I was growing up in Michigan in the 1950s and 1960s, black bears were still basically considered vermin, a bonus critter that one might get a crack at during deer season.

Same went for the top hunting states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York and Minnesota. Nowadays, we can hunt bears in places like Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Jersey where not that long ago there were negligible populations.

We are seeing more and more black bears in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and elsewhere. This is cause for grand celebration and another big salute to the hunting families, wildlife managers and game departments of the nation.

We must increase the pressure on those states that mistakenly ban the use bait or hounds, under-harvest their bears, fail to have an open spring season, or crime of crimes, waste tax dollars hiring government hunters to waste this precious wildlife resource as a liability instead of the asset it is. We have our work cut out for us to demand these common sense upgrades, that’s for sure.

So the Nugents are packing our bowcases and duffelbags and heading once again into bear country, that sacred wild ground whose wildness is confirmed by the presence of those mighty and fascinating omnivorous furballs of tooth, fang and claw beauty and terror. When we put our hearts and souls into being the very best reasoning predators we can be, rugsteaks will be ours!

God bless the bears and God bless the bear hunters.

To join the Nugents on thrilling bear hunts and other exciting hunting adventures, contact Sunrize Safaris at tednugent.com, paul@tednugent.com, or tobynugent@gmail.com.

Contact Ted Nugent at TNugent@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:17 AM

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

Incredibly Logical

A

S IRRITATING AS PIERS MORGAN WAS, now that he is gone, I’m disappointed.

There are several reasons for this, but the most prominent is that I never got a chance to be on his show. Many gun rights advocates have attempted to straighten Morgan out about firearms, but none of them ever asked the questions I would have asked, or made the points I think are most pertinent.

Not that I could persuade Morgan about his errors, but I would have loved a shot at him.

The interview would have gone something like this:

Morgan: Welcome to my show, Mr. Hemphill. Please try to comprehend my funny accent while I act concerned about people I care nothing about.

Me: Great to be here, you blighter.

Morgan: So, Mr. Hemphill, in light of all the horrible mass shootings in America, tell me why anyone needs an assault weapon.

Me: To commit assault, of course.

Morgan: Excuse me?

Me: You can’t commit a respectable assault without an assault weapon. (Picking up pencil) For instance, this is a pencil. If I poke you in the eye with it, it becomes an assault pencil. Anything used in an assault is an assault weapon.

Morgan: But we’re talking about AR-15s.

Me: Oh. Well, you should have said so.

But AR-15s aren’t assault weapons, unless used as such. Assault is a verb, not a noun.

You need to be clear.

Now, we, in America, don’t need a whiny Limey over here telling us what to do, but we have one. But need has nothing to do with my second amendment rights, anyway.

Morgan: But children are dying because of these rifles. Why not ban them?

Me: What children?

Morgan: Twenty-two kids were killed at Sandy Hook, or hadn’t you heard?

Me: But that school was a gun free zone, so how could anyone have been shot there?

Morgan: You’re an incredibly stupid man, aren’t you?

Me: Yes, but I’m smart enough to know guns weren’t allowed in the school at Sandy Hook. Did that keep those kids safe?

Morgan: What?

Me: Guns were banned there. A guy brought guns there and shot kids. So did the gun ban do them any good?

Morgan: So you don’t think guns should be banned from schools?

Me: You’re an incredibly stupid man, aren’t you?

Morgan: This is ridiculous.

Me: I agree.

Morgan: What?

Me: Banning guns at Sandy Hook didn’t make those kids safe, because they were killed. So how would banning guns anywhere make anyone safe?

Morgan: Are you serious?

Me: Are you? Is your goal to make kids safe from guns, or to keep kids alive?

Morgan: It’s the same thing.

Me: The stupid line again.

Morgan: But guns are killing children.

Me: So you want to save children? Why not ban swimming pools? Five times as many kids drown in pools every year as die gunrelated deaths.

Morgan: But swimming pools aren’t designed to kill people.

Me: No, they’re designed to drown children who can’t swim. The result is the same, only far worse than guns.

Morgan: This is absurd. Swimming pools are quite pleasant to sit beside while having a Dewar’s. They’re made to enjoy, they’re not a device of death.

Me: Tell that to the kids who’ve drowned.

Besides, my guns are made to enjoy. I enjoy them. And they’ve never killed anyone.

Morgan: So your position is to ban swimming pools and put guns into schools. That’s preposterous.

Me: Yes, but it will save kids’ lives. Your way isn’t working.

Morgan: My way is to take the guns off T E X A S

1407 Commentary.indd 19

F I S H

&

the streets. Of course it would work.

Me: How do you plan to do that?

Morgan: First you have to ban these assault rifles and high capacity ammunition clips.

Me: Then what?

Morgan: What?

Me: How do you get these banned guns away from criminals? Once they’re banned, I mean.

Morgan: Police would confiscate them.

Me: From who? The only guns the police can find are the legal ones, the ones never used in crimes. How do you get them away from criminals?

Morgan: This is absurd.

Me: Of course it is. The criminals will still have their guns, the only ones likely to be used in crimes.

Morgan: Eventually the police will be able to collect all the guns used in crimes and, Bob’s your uncle, that will be that.

Me: Are there still homicides committed with guns in England?

Morgan: Yes, but far fewer than in the U.S. Me: So, fifteen years after the total ban of guns in England, people are still being killed with guns. Meanwhile, innocent people are unable to protect themselves. Not working out for you too well, is it?

Morgan: They don’t need protection.

Me: Really? Even though the homicide rate in England is far higher than that in the U.S.? Criminals don’t need guns in Britain, because their victims are unarmed.

Morgan: We’re out of time, and you’re an incredibly stupid man.

Me: You’re half right. Which is pretty good, for a halfwit.

No, Morgan would never bow to logic.

But his pathetic efforts to deny my facts would prove his profound wrongness. Which would be obvious to anyone smarter than linoleum.

Plus it would be fun to prove what an incredibly stupid man he is.

Contact Kendal Hemphill at Khemphill@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

19

6/5/14 11:15 AM

Tarpon, Shark and Other Big Game Action within 20 |

J U L Y

Fea 7-Nearshore.indd 20

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

PHOTO COURTESY ALUMACRAFT

6/5/14 10:42 AM

S

IT WAS A SIGHT I WILL NEVER FORGET. MY cousin Frank Moore and I were cruising across Old River Cove on Sabine Lake in a 16-foot flat-bottomed aluminum boat on a brutally hot August afternoon in 1996.

q

We saw mullet busting all over the surface and stopped to grab our rods and cast into what we suspected was a school of redfish. Instead, a big tarpon busted out of the water and left us in absolute awe.

I had seen tarpon in the Gulf but this was in Sabine Lake and interestingly it was not the only “silver king” incident in the area that year.

There were several tarpon sightings in the lake that year and then the same thing happened a few years later. Tarpon are like that. There are years where there are numerous sightings in the near-shore Gulf and perhaps a couple in the lake and then they aren’t seen anywhere in the area for a few more.

Officials with the state’s Tarpon Observation Network (TON) note that overfishing and loss of habitat have contributed to a significant reduction in population levels over what they once were.

“While current populations are not what they once were,” TON officials said, “a major effort to conserve the species has led to more opportunities for Texas anglers. Each year, typically in the late summer and early fall, anglers target tarpon with some degree of success.”

Aluminum boats have served That means now is the time tarpon start schooling in areas generations of near-shore like the stretch between High Island and Galveston, around big game anglers, as seen in this vintage photo.

Port O’Connor and Port Mansfield.

Safe Reach of Small Boats T E X A S

Fea 7-Nearshore.indd 21

F I S H

• by chester moore &

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

21

6/5/14 10:43 AM

According to TON, most tarpon are often hooked incidentally while fishing for other species, however the tarpon’s habit of supplementing oxygen intake by gulping air (often referred to as “rolling”) can alert anglers to their presence.

“Tarpon are opportunistic carnivores, feeding on a variety of prey,” TON advises.

“Anglers typically use dead or live fish for bait, such as menhaden or mullet, but live crab, live shrimp and artificial baits (including flies) that resemble baitfish or shrimp can tempt a hungry tarpon as well.

“Hard bony plates in the mouth make tarpon difficult to hook, but circle hooks have been found to provide the best hookup ratios. Due to the presence of sharp gill plates, anglers typically use long 80# test or heavier leaders as insurance against cut offs.

Nevertheless, hooking a tarpon and bringing it to the hand is easier said than done, with most hookups resulting in the tarpon winning the battle.”

The best thing about tarpon is they do not necessarily require a huge boat to pursue. In fact I do all of my fishing on the beachfront and jetties from an Xpress aluminum rig.

22 |

J U L Y

Fea 7-Nearshore.indd 22

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

Although admittedly, contact with tarpons is rare for us, another acrobatic oceanic predator is abundant and we catch many of them.

I’m talking about sharks.

Sharks, particularly blacktips and their close cousin the spinner sharks, will put on extremely impressive displays on acrobatics arguably outdoing even tarpon.

The easiest spot to find sharks is around jetties or nearshore oil and gas platforms.

Bring along some chum, such as menhaden oil or throw out chunks of pogey to attract the big fish. Canned jack mackerel also makes great chum, and it is very inexpensive. All you have to do is punch holes in the can and put it in a lingerie washing bag or fish basket tied off to the boat.

Another economical chumming method involves taking a five-gallon bucket, punching it full of holes and rigging weights in the bottom. The bucket should be tied to the boat with enough rope to sink at least 10 feet down. Fill it with fish guts, old shrimp, cut menhaden or any kind of smelly stuff. This will create a chum slick that will draw in sharks from all around.

A few years ago, two of our fine law

F I S H

&

officers, Jimmy Owens and Jason Loughlin invited me out to chase sharks at the jetties.

When we arrived, there were few big ones to tangle with but the rocks were swarming with hundreds of blacktips from two to three feet in length.

We decided to try our luck with topwaters and had a blast for several hours watching the feisty predators, chase and occasionally destroy our Top Dogs and Super Spooks.

If you think you had fun with topwaters, try catching sharks on them. It takes things to a whole new level.

If you want to get purposefully get sharks to come to the surface to hit topwaters, try taking out a pail of wet sand or mud and live glass minnows or finger mullet. Take several of the baitfish, clump them up in the sand, and throw them overboard. The fish will escape at different depths and it will drive sharks crazy. Once they start surfacing you can skip the sand and just throw over the live bait to keep them surfaced.

Fshing jetties has provided some of the most interesting experiences of my life.

There was the time my father hooked into a stingray that weighed well over 200 pounds.

It took him and my cousin Frank Moore on a two-mile ride.

I was in another boat and lost contact with them after we started catching fish. After a frantic search, we approached Frank’s boat to find my dad lying in the bottom, drenched in sweat and Frank now fighting the behemoth that was flapping on the surface.

“What are you going to do with it?” I asked.

“Son, I fought it for two hours, we’re going to eat it.”

That may be one of the greatest answers of all time, and by the way the meat was great.

Nowadays we would not kill such a big ray, but it was hard to argue with Dad’s logic back then.

Many of you have had amazing jetty and other near-shore Gulf encounters as well.

There have been millions of man hours spent chunking spoons and fishing shrimp under a popping cork along these fish super highways.

Don’t think for a second that you can’t enjoy these kinds of encounters in an aluminum boat. You must exercise extra caution in any smaller craft of course but as you can see my adventures have been many.

The first day my schedule meshes with calm winds you can bet I will be there, chasing hard-fighting fish and expecting the unexpected.

G A M E ®

6/5/14 10:43 AM

Fea 7-Nearshore.indd 23

6/5/14 10:43 AM

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

J

ULY IS TARPON TIME IN TEXAS, SO LET’S talk tarpon…

Just so you’ll know: this isn’t a column about how to catch tarpon, or where to go to find them. I’ve written at length about that in past issues. This is a simple discussion about the truly remarkable qualities of a truly remarkable fish. Tarpon deserve special mention because of the mystique that shrouds the fish.

Texas anglers who have gone knuckle and skull never forget the experience. Anglers who never have look forward to the day they do (although they should remember the caution about being careful what you wish for).

I had my first serious encounter with a tarpon in 1995. I was fishing for Spanish mackerel along the Brazos Santiago jetties and having a blast. I had put three of the yellow-spotted speedsters in the cooler and had whipped my silver Kastmaster back out into a feeding school.

It was one of those absolutely magical days endemic to the South Texas coast in August: sunny, slightly humid, soft southeasterly breeze, and clean water to the beach. The kicker was that the fish were biting. What more could I ask for?

What I didn’t ask for was a 6 ½ foot tarpon deciding that a three-inch chunk of shiny metal was just the thing he was hungry for, especially because it was my three-inch chunk of shiny metal he inhaled. Somehow, the tiny #2 treble hook found purchase somewhere in the 150-pound poon’s jaw and I was suddenly fast to a really large, really upset herring. Four hours later, the tarpon finally broke the 20-pound monofilament and disappeared whence he came. He had left me with two badly skinned and bruised knees from repeatedly falling while running up and down the rocks trying to keep up, a bad sunburn because I had sweated away all my sunblock,

24 |

J U L Y

1407 Saltwater.indd 24

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

“

Tarpon can bite like the original Toho Kaiju Godzilla.

“

The King of Kings

and a mild case of dehydration. To add insult to injury, when the 200 yards of line finally relaxed, the brand new Ambassador 6500 that my wife had given me as a wedding present two weeks before, exploded.

That’s what a tarpon can do to you. He can leave you with broken tackle, a broken body, and a broken spirit in a single, violent session. This isn’t the mauling ground-andpound that a big jackfish will do to you when he grabs a topwater meant for trout and redfish. A tarpon will make you look absolutely silly pretty much the way “Pretty Boy” Floyd

Mayweather schools his foes. Much like Mayweather, a tarpon can be right in front of you, and you’ll never get close enough to touch him, or when you finally get ahold of him, he’ll completely embarrass you. The entire time, you’ll count yourself lucky for even having a chance to be in the same ring.

Tarpon can bite like Godzilla, too. I mean the original Toho Kaiju Godzilla. Anyone who saw the 1954 version will remember the scene where Godzilla peers over the top of a mountain and roars, scaring the bejeezus out of everybody. Tarpon will do that.

Once, my wife and I were fishing with Captain Larry Crobett up in the Brownsville Ship Channel for mangrove snapper. Sandie hooked into a big mojarra and was reeling to the boat. Suddenly, from behind me, I heard her yell, “Hey!” Larry and I turned around and saw my wife with eyes the size of coffee saucers.

“A tarpon just came up and took the perch of my hook!” she sputtered. “He just came up F I S H

&

and took it!”

Sandie was very quiet for a while after that. I can’t say I blame her.

The great author Louis L’Amour, writing about the great warriors of the Old West, penned that “you can never tell what an Apache will do.” The same can be said of tarpon. There is no telling what a tarpon is going to do, or when.

While drift fishing on Lower Laguna Madre, I once encountered a vast school of tarpon holding in an eddy of the Queen Isabella Causeway. My fishing partner, Robert Garcia and I tossed cocktail-sized live shrimp at these silver troublemakers for over an hour.

All the poons did was move up, look at the big kicking white shrimp, and roll back off—over and over again. Finally, when the tide slackened, the pod of tarpon swam off and left us frustrated.

Conversely, Corbett and I were once trolling around the North Brazos Jetty for kingfish. We were pulling Magnum Rapalas on long, black-wire leaders, and we hooked one tarpon after another. They’d slam the big plug and jump a few times before finally throwing it back at us with uncanny aim.

Once, one tarpon grabbed Larry’s plug, threw it, and another one nailed it before the line even tightened. If I remember correctly, we didn’t catch a single kingfish that day, but we didn’t really care. Tarpon can do that to you.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Silver King was all but extinct from the Texas Coast. A combination of overfishing, habitat and forage destruction, and other factors had contributed to a population collapse that made a tarpon hookup a rarity.

Over the years, the numbers slowly recovered to the point that tarpon have once again taken a prominent spot among the most sought-after species in Texas.

That’s a good thing, because silver is as good as gold in the Lone Star State. .

Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzalez@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:18 AM

1407 Saltwater.indd 25

6/5/14 11:19 AM

STORY By MATT WILLIAMS THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CARP JUST DIDN’T GET ANY RESPECT. After all, they are bony. They are slimy, and they have funny looking mouths with leathery lips built for scavenging all sorts of junk off the bottom.

26 |

FEA 6-Carp.indd 26

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

GRAPHIC IMAGE: TF&G

6/5/14 10:40 AM

Many sporting anglers I know might put carp fishing with a rod and reel in the same league with snatching bullfrogs off the bank or diving for turtles in a muddy pond.

Neither pastime is overly glamorous.

Also to credit for the carp’s lowly stereotype is the fact they are not highly regarded as table fare—at least not in these parts, anyway. They are rough fish, trashy misfits, the ugly ducklings of the freshwater sea, right?

Not necessarily.

In fact, there is a close knit group of anglers found in Texas and beyond, who are every bit as fanatical about catching these once-maligned junk fish as bass fishermen are about their lordly largemouths—and their numbers are climbing.

They aren’t just catching these buglemouth beauties and throwing them in a bar ditch, either. Instead, they are handling them with kid gloves, photographing them like true trophies and releasing them to fight again.

“It is certainly not as big as bass fishing, but the interest in carp fishing is growing more every year,” says Mukhtar Farooqi, a TPWD fisheries biologist based in San Marcos. “A lot of people are finding out these fish are a lot of fun to catch, and the word is spreading. Even the people in the tackle industry are starting to look it as something they might want to get into.”

ACTUALLY, CARP FISHING ISN’T anything new in Texas. People have been reeling them in and having fun doing it for years.

Back in the 1960s, when I was kid growing up in the Dallas suburb of Garland, my brother-in-law used to take me below the Lake Lavon dam to fish for carp off the rocks. We’d make our own bait by soaking a fistful of Wheaties cereal in water, then mushing it together to form several sticks shaped like King Edward cigars. After a few minutes of baking in the hot summer sun, the bait was plenty firm enough to pinch off a hunk and mold it around a small hook for soaking on the bottom with the aid of a weight.

I can’t remember how many thick-shouldered carp we reeled in off those rocks, but one thing that permanently imprinted on my fishing soul was the tenacity with which the bronze-colored brawlers fight. Latch onto a 10 pounder and you are in for a scrap. Hook a 40 pounder and you had better have plenty of time on your hands, because a fish that

size doesn’t give up easy.

“The way these fish fight is a big part of reason why more and more people are getting into it,” Farooqi said. “Plus, they are fairly easy to get to bite, easily accessible to fish for in many of the lakes around larger metropolitan areas, and you don’t necessarily need a boat to fish for them. Some of the best lakes in the state for trophy-sized carp have great access from the bank.”

Farooqi says big carp can be found in lakes all over the state, but some of the best for large fish upwards of 30 pounds are located within short drive of the state’s capital—Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, Lake Travis and Walter E. Long.

It’s not just the rod and reelers who are going after them, either. Flyfishing crowds are getting into the game as well. Using specially tied flies with catchy names such as Jan’s Carp Tickler and Hise’s Carpnasty, they sight-fish in clear water as carp pluck insects and other forage off the surface.

REVERED AS A SPORT FISH IN Europe for decades, the common carp had its big coming out party in Texas in March 2006. That’s when Denton native Al St. Cyr caught a then-new state record weighing 43 pounds, 2 ounces from the shore of Lady Bird Lake (formerly called Town Lake) on the Colorado River in the heart of the state capital.

The catch couldn’t have been more timely. St. Cyr was competing in the Texas Carp Challenge, a carp fishing derby hosted by the American Carp Fishing Society. Prior to the tournament, the organization took out an insurance policy that guaranteed a $250,000 cash payday for a new state record carp.

The event attracted about 40 competitors from 19 different states and from as far away as England and Romania. Tournament rules allowed anglers to use boats to bait holes or to navigate from one designated fishing hole to the next, but all fishing had to be done from the bank. Most anglers camped alongside their sets and fished for 120 hours straight.

Competitors caught some giants, but none were bigger—or more valuable—than St. Cyr’s giant caught and released from a stretch of shoreline between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35.

St. Cyr’s state record was broken three years later when another angler, K.C. Crawford of Ft. Worth, caught the exact T E X A S

FEA 6-Carp.indd 27

F I S H

&

same fish from Lady Bird Lake while competing in the Carp Angler’s Group annual championship in March 2009.

Comparing photos of both fish, officials were able to identify distinctive scale patterns and markings that helped confirm it to be the same fish St. Cyr caught three years earlier. The fish weighed 43 pounds, 12 ounces when Crawford caught it.

THE INTEREST IN TEXAS CARP fishing has surged dramatically since the late 2000s. This resulted in the formation of several local organizations such as the Austin Carp Angler and Wild Carp Companies of Houston, Austin and North Texas. All of these clubs host tournaments on lakes in different parts of the state.

Last March, the WCC hosted its 3rd Annual Carp and Buffalo Challenge at Lake Fork, of all places. Like most carp tournaments, this one was carried out like an endurance contest, lasting 70 straight hours.

Although carp tournament anglers do sleep during the competition, they never stop fishing. Instead, they sleep in tents alongside their rods. Special rod holders rigged with sensitive alarms sound when they get a bite.

Regardless of where you go after them, fishing for carp is a relatively simple practice to master. They feed at all depths, but bottom fishing tactics rule.

A basic level-wind or spinning reel mounted to a medium or medium action rod will work just fine. Just be sure to use a fairly heavy line (15 pound test is good) and keep all your rods secured within arm’s reach to prevent having them jerked into the water.

Many anglers like to use some sort of prepared dough bait, corn or worms on a small hook. Another favorite is hardened “boilies” in combination with a more specialized “hair rig.” Chumming with grain or range cubes is an effective way to concentrate the fish and stimulate feeding.

If you are in good carp water, you will usually know it pretty quick. Carp generally don’t waste any time nailing a glob of sweet-tasting bait, nor are they bashful about flexing their muscles.

Translation: Never make the mistake of leaving a rod unattended. Do so and you just might gain a little respect for these freshwater ugly ducklings—the hard way.

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

27

6/5/14 10:40 AM

MANY OF MY COMPETITORS ON “TOP SHOT” WERE THERE JUST to further their “exposure” on television, but my motive was to have fun with guns while having someone else foot the ammunition bill.

To me “Top Shot” was an amusement park with firearms, and I was there to play.

After my victory, I wanted to incorporate more marksmanship activities into our summer program at Camp His Way. Our camp program caters to kids ages 6 to 12 all summer long with activities such as horseback riding, zipline, waterslides, challenge course, archery, BB guns, canoeing and the like. For the camp marksmanship upgrade, I started with a new archery and pellet rifle program and then a tomahawk—and even a rock throwing area.

I had mentioned the idea of a Youth Marksmanship Camp to a friend. Shortly 28 |

J U L Y

Fea 1-Gun Camp.indd 28

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

afterward, he gathered a group of supporters to cover the cost of a dozen Savage Mark I and Rascal rimfire rifles. With this equipment available we launched our first weekend Marksmanship Camp in the fall of 2012.

My primary purpose was to have a funfilled weekend for the campers to enjoy marksmanship, competition, safety, and develop strong character and life skills. Just like our vision for summer camp, we believe in investing everything we can into the next generation if we want to witness any change in our nation. Our immoral culture has disintegrated F I S H

&

G A M E ®

beyond anything God or our founding fathers intended, and this is my small way of impacting this generation and changing the world for the better.

Sometimes we have to fight a few brainwashed liberals that foolishly attempt to demonize firearms instead of criminals for evil acts. That small but loud minority wishes to keep everyone away from firearms instead of instructing our children how to shoot, hunt, and compete safely—and defend themselves and our country. So firearms safety is a large focus of the marksmanship camp program.

PHOTO COURTESY MARKSMAN CAMP

6/5/14 10:07 AM

Story by Dustin Ellermann T E X A S

Fea 1-Gun Camp.indd 29

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

29

6/5/14 10:07 AM

Marksmanship Amusement Park

Campers are taught to shoot and throw a variety of weapons, from primative all the way to AR15 & MP5 style.

For these select weekends I set up the camp in keeping with the camp’s mission. We include a short life lesson with every activity.

With archery we highlight famous archers in the Bible and compare sight adjustment with following God’s will. When we play tic-tactoe with throwing knives we compare how if we miss one space, but stick another, it could work out for good down the road. We compare this to God’s promise in Romans 8:28 that He works situations in our lives for good.

With pellet rifles, the young marksmen shoot off of unstable platforms, racing their opponent to knock down the most targets.

We use this challenge to show the advantage of building your life on the solid foundation of God’s Word and principles. Just like summer camp, we attempt to use every moment as a teachable lesson to mold the campers into young men and women of character. We continue these lessons through every competition that weekend.

Unique Challenges

Come nightfall, we continue on to everyone’s favorite activity—shooting targets with a paintball marker while riding down the camp zip-line. We allow the campers to have one practice ride using a Next Level Training SIRT pistol equipped with a Crimson Trace Railguard light so they can see the targets and

‘Top Shot’ Story DUSTIN WAS A CONTESTANT ON

season 3 of History Channel’s Top Shot.

Going in with no competition experience, and very little formal training he bested 15 seasoned competitors for the title of “Top Shot” and the $100,000 grand prize in a series of unique challenges.

30 |

J U L Y

Fea 1-Gun Camp.indd 30

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

visualize where their shot placement would have been.

Then we rig them up once more and let them fly down with an Elzetta light and Crimson Trace equipped Tippman X7 paintball marker.

After 100 yards of flying and shooting, we score each camper so they can compare their performances.

Fun with Firearms

The following morning is devoted to firearms training. We start from shooting benches with .22LR Savage Mark I and Rascal rifles on paper targets at 10 yards. Several campers fire their groups through a hole you can cover with a dime. After this bench time, we won’t shoot at paper the rest of the day, but we will have more reactive targets for the kids to practice on and compete with.

We use the bolt rifles twice more for competitions, once for a steel speed challenge and another for a team challenge. The second event uses ice targets and requires team communication and accurate shooting in order to win.

We try to focus on teamwork the entire time. I ask the parents to step back and allow their youngsters to communicate, lead, follow and cooperate. Sometimes it can be awkward, but if we adults always hover over them they will never grow.

After the bolt guns we start pulling out the “cool guns” that would make California Senator Feinstein have a heart attack. H&K licensed MP5-style .22LR rimfire rifles with The competition tested every aspect of marksmanship from primitive weapons in throwing rocks, knives and tomahawks, and bouncing arrows off of ramps into targets to the most modern firearms like the LaRue OBR, Cornershot and McMillian Tac-50. It ranged from the height of precision by shooting cotton swabs with .22LR to powerful challenges F I S H

&

G A M E ®

fake suppressors and S&W M&P 15 .22LR AR15-style rifles mounted with Meopta 1-4x illuminated optics for team relay competitions.

Then for the finale we pull out two matching red and blue Volquartsen Custom .22LR rifles just like the ones I used during my season of Top Shot to cut cotton swabs in half and hit a golf ball at 100 yards during the last episode.

Now we don’t expect the kids to pull off such a feat as nailing a golf ball at 100 yards so we move to a more comfortable distance of 50 yards. Out of all the camps I’ve hosted, I’ve never had a kid not hit a golf ball.

Usually they are able to move on to the moving steel targets or the smaller disintegrating “Ghost Targets”.

Then for one final challenge we mix up a special low-velocity mixture binary target provided by In The Red Exploding Targets.

Then the campers use the Volquartsen Custom rifles to drop to prone and attempt to detonate their target before their opponent does. You can’t beat an exploding finale for such an awesome weekend.

I know you are thinking “Forget the kids, I want to go!”

We will occasionally run a few adult weekends as time allows in addition to the youth weekends. For more information visit www.marksmancamp.com and sign up for the email notifications to be the first to claim your spot.

including the Hotchkiss Mountain Gun cannon.

Dustin still remains the director at Camp His Way hosting summer kids’ camps, the Youth Marksmanship Camps in the fall and spring, as well as traveling the country speaking at Sportsman’s Banquets and Wild Game Dinners.

l

PHOTOS COURTESY MARKSMAN CAMP

6/5/14 10:08 AM

Fea 1-Gun Camp.indd 31

6/5/14 10:08 AM

Texas Department of Defense Pocket Pistols

O

VER THE CENTURY AND A HALF SINCE Wyatt Earp carried a Colt Peacemaker in his pants pocket on his way to the OK corral, the definition of pocket pistol has been refined a great deal. In 1903, Colt introduced their 1903 hammerless semi-auto pocket pistol in .32 ACP. It is a slim little gun that is a great-concealed carry weapon, but it does not really fit into the pocket pistol category.

On the other hand, Colt had a gun they called the 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol in .25 ACP that was a true pocket pistol. Both Browning and Colt sold versions of the Vest Pocket Pistol. It is small to the point that it

is difficult for me to shoot. The little auto almost gets lost in my big mitts. I recently saw a gentleman carrying one of these little beauties in—you guessed it—the pocket of a leather vest.

Also in 1908 Colt introduced their Model 1908 in .380 ACP. It was for all practical purposes identical to the 1903 .32 except that it was offered in the more powerful .380. The .380 1908 was and is still a viable option for a concealed carry weapon. Cops, gangsters, and U.S. Army officers carried it. Even General Patton carried one on occasion.

If you watch closely you will notice that in the movie Patton, when the general (George C. Scott) and his staff are attacked by German airplanes in North Africa and he jumps out the window and shoots back at them, he is shooting a Colt Model 1903/1908. I have a Model 1908 in .380 that was given to me by my friend, Jay Bute. I seldom carry it, but when I do, I carry it in a pancake holster, not

The Concealed Carry Compromise WHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THEY wish to purchase their first firearm, my first response is “What do you want to do with it?” Home defense, concealed carry, recreational shooting, competition, or hunting will all lead the conversation in different directions. Concealed carry is one of the most popular answers in our great state so we will discuss those options here.

Size

Size is usually the first compromise you might make when deciding 32 |

J U L Y

1407 Dept of Defense.indd 32

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

to carry concealed. This depends on how you carry the pistol and how often you plan to carry. If you just want to “carry” in your vehicle (no CHL required by the way) you can opt for something quite large. If you want to carry 24/7 a larger sidearm might be difficult to conceal or prove uncomfortable. This is why most folks choose to carry a compact or subcompact version. Personally I prefer single stack polymer framed firearms such as the Walther PPS or Springfield XDS where the thin proF I S H

&

| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann my pocket.

The first Smith & Wesson handguns were pocket pistols chambered for the .22 Short.

Smith & Wesson revolvers have long been considered among the best-concealed carry guns available. My mother had a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector in .32 S&W Long, which I now have. It rode in her purse and lay by her bed for more than 40 years. Although it is beginning to show its age, it is still a classy little handgun. It is best carried in a holster, as it is too large and heavy to comfortably carry in a pocket.

In the early 1970s, North American Arms came onto the scene with their tiny single-action revolver in .22 Short. This was a gun that was small enough for pocket carry. My old friend, the late Bill Waldrop, a Texas Game Warden, carried one of these in his pocket every day, like most of us carry a pocket knife. He knew it was terribly underpowered, but said that if things ever got file is more comfortable in an InsideThe-Waistband holster. But obviously a single stack yields less magazine capacity so we have another compromise. If the user is planning to carry in a bag or purse, you will still want a smaller frame, but thickness won’t be an issue and you could choose a double-stacked pistol like a Springfield XD or Ruger SR-9 in the chopped down compact version.

And finally some folks like the small “belly guns” like a Ruger LCP or North American Arms .22 magnum, and while these are easy to carry they are difficult to shoot and compromise the ballistic performance compared to larger weapons.

Continued on page 34 u

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:21 AM

1407 Dept of Defense.indd 33

6/5/14 11:21 AM

Texas Department of Defense to the point where he needed the little gun, it was bound to be better than his teeth and fingernails.

He was right.

Since then NAA has introduced a number of variations on the theme, including one or two that are chambered in the more powerful .22 WMR. The .22 Magnum hollowpoint is beginning to edge up into the serious self-defense category and is certainly better for the job than the .25 ACP. Today there are a large number of true pocket pistols on the market. Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Kel-Tec, and others make small, easily carried semi-autos. Many companies are making revolvers with lightweight alloy or even polymer frames.

These guns, both revolvers and semi-autos are made in calibers that are light-years ahead of the .22 Short and .25 ACP. With modern +P hollow point ammunition the .380 ACP and .38 Special are both powerful enough to be serious self-defense cartridges.

Carrying a pistol in a pants pocket is not

the best way to go for most of us. It is difficult to carry a gun in your pocket without the gun imprinting and being obvious to everyone.

However, a pair of loosely fitted pants makes it possible.

I have a buddy, a former Border Patrol agent, who carries a Kahr PM 40 in his pants pocket all the time. He is, however, six and a half feet tall and large enough that the gun is not obvious in his pocket. With the more tightly fitted jeans I generally wear, I have not found a gun small enoughand powerful enough, to be viable. Also, if you do carry a handgun in your pocket, do not carry anything else in there with it. A car key could easily slip into the trigger guard and cause an accidental discharge.

If you feel that a pocket pistol is the way to go, make sure you have one of sufficient power to get the job done. Something like the little NAA in .22 Short that my friend Walrop carried is not a good choice. It is a last-ditch weapon best carried as a backup to a larger weapon.

Bill carried an S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum as his primary handgun. Neither is a .25 auto a wise choice. Something like the little Ruger LCP .380 is okay; better is the Kimber Solo in the more powerful 9mm. But, as Waldrop used to say, “Any gun is better than your teeth and fingernails.”

—Steve LaMascus

Several popular pistols each with different pros and cons. The slim Springfield XDS, the solid single action 1911, double stack XD Subcompact, and tiny Ruger LCP.

Compromise t Continued from page 32

Caliber The caliber choice might be a subcategory of the size compromise, but it also has to do with personally preference.

The 9mm is xx my caliber t Continued from page answer for most beginners mainly because of its affordability. I’d much rather you be able to send more rounds downrange for your money, so you are better experienced with your firearm than possess something that was a few hundredths of an inch larger.

Story Jump

In the end it’s shot placement that counts. If you can shoot a .380 ACP into the “A Zone” of the bad guy who wishes to cause you harm better than you could fire off a .45 ACP that’s a much better situation for all involved, except the criminal. In the last decade we have seen so much advancement in quality of defense 34 |

J U L Y

1407 Dept of Defense.indd 34

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

ammunition that there is a negligible difference in tissue damage between your common calibers. So again, shot placement and training are most important. Get the largest caliber that you can handle comfortably and don’t worry about the size of the hole measured by fractions of an inch.

Action There are different styles of handguns from single-action revolvers to semi-automatic, striker-fired pistols.

Each has its own pros and cons, but once again in the end its user preference. If you love a double-action revolver, then excellent! Get one that you like and train with it in a defensive manner. Personally I prefer semi-automatic striker-fired pistols, F I S H

&

G A M E ®

but I’m not going to scoff at someone who prefers their 1911 “cocked and locked.”

Holster On a final note, have a secure way to carry your pistol. NEVER just put a gun in your pocket or bag without something covering the trigger.

There are pocket holsters and special CHL bags just for this reason.

Unfortunately there isn’t the “perfect” pistol for everyone. But getting to choose what best works for us individually is half the fun. When we choose a concealed pistol we usually have to make compromises, but find what you are most comfortable with, train hard, and shoot straight.

—Dustin Ellermann PHOTO: DUSTIN ELLERMANN

6/5/14 11:21 AM

Bare Bones Hunting

by Lou Marullo | TF&G Hunting Editor

In the Heat of the Night…

J

ULY IS THE HEART OF THE SUMMER. IT IS also my birthday month, but that is another story. When I think of summer, I cannot help but think of long warm days, fun-filled evenings full of outdoor activities and most of all—fishing.

My grandson and I get out as much as we can and sometimes it seems like it is never enough. I bring my favorite pole and he makes sure that his pole “lucky” is with us on every outing.

I have to admit that he does always seem to have better luck than I do when it comes to putting a line in the water. Maybe there is something to be said about “lucky” after all!

As he reels in fish after fish, I try to convince him that I am not really trying hard. After all, he is my grandson. Put me on a boat with a bow in my hand, and now we are talking.

Trying your luck fishing with a bow and arrow will humble the best fisherman you know. More than not you will go home empty handed, but your belly will hurt from all the laughter at the many misses you will have. That is, if you bring along a friend or two.

This is the time of year when the carp are spawning and are very active close to the surface of the water. It might be a lake or a river. They will be very active in both. It is probably the best month to get out there and try your luck. You will have a lot of chances anyway.

The most common problem one has when trying to bag a fish with an arrow is always shooting over the target. You have to consider the refraction that the light causes in the water when looking at a target from an angle. Even knowing this undeniable fact,

archers instinctively aim directly at the target. It takes a lot of practice, and I can attest to the fact that you will miss many more fish than you get. Hence—the laughter begins!

I once was asked to accompany a friend of mine who hosted a hunting television show. Nathan Jones of Wild Extremes called me out of the blue and just told me he was in my neck of the woods and wanted to know if I wanted to try my luck at bowfishing. I had never been before and I thought it would be fun so I accepted.

To my surprise, when I arrived, there were two boats, decked with lights and three cameramen. I had no idea that he was about to film a television segment on bowfishing.

My wife had no ideaI would be out until sunrise, and I was extremely nervous about doing a TV show on a subject I knew nothing about. I do remember that I was sweating so much I was sure that I made the lake rise three inches with all the extra water my sweat glands provided.

Nathan handed me a recurve bow set up for bowfishing. He explained to me all about the bow and the manufacturer who sponsored his show. All the while I was looking directly at him, I could see the camera next to us documenting everything he said and every move I made.

I stood there and agreed with him about the ins and outs of bowfishing. I should have gotten an academy award nomination for my performance because I really knew NOTHING about it.

It did not take long at all before we were spotting fish everywhere. I would pull the bowstring back and aim at an object in the water that looked like it might have been no more than 15 yards. I smiled for the camera as I released the arrow at what was to be a sure hit.

WRONG! A clean miss! As a matter of fact, I kept missing, over and over again. I absolutely knew that you had to aim low, but I had no idea how low.

My only consolation was the fact that Nathan, who is an expert marksman with a bow, was missing left and right as well. We T E X A S

1407 BB Hunting.indd 35

F I S H

&

both laughed hard for the cameras, but deep down we knew that we had better score here soon or he would have no show.

I recall that I thought to myself “if I hear one more time that you need to aim lower, I might just throw the bow down and jump in the lake myself.” However, I kept my cool and was more determined than ever to master this sport.

Finally, after many tries and many hours (it seemed like that anyway), I pulled my bowstring back on a nice carp and let loose.

Yeah!

My first bow-kill fish, and it was on camera too! What’s more, the host of the show had to congratulate me on scoring before him. Of course now I looked boldly at the camera and started explaining how one has to aim very low at these fish. By the time I finished my two minutes of fame as a fishing guru, I even convinced myself that I knew what I was talking about.

Since that long night, I have gone bowfishing as much as I possibly could. I love it.

You can have conversation with your fellow bow-fisherman, you don’t have to stay completely still to get a shot (unlike any other species I have hunted with a bow). What really is good, is the fact that you never lose an arrow! Simply reel it back in and use it over and over again.

Talk about a challenge. Imagine you are aiming (very low) at a moving target and all the while you are on a boat, constantly moving forward and also rocking back and forth at times. I love it, and so will you.

So go do some fishing this month, but bring your bow instead of a rod and reel.

Most of all remember to be safe and have fun out there.

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@fishgame.co

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

35

6/5/14 11:14 AM

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

O

NE OF AMERICA’S OLDEST AND MOST relaxing past times — bass fishing — is quickly evolving into one of the nation’s fastest growing high school sports. While not as widely accepted as sanctioned prep sporting activities like football, soccer or basketball, bass fishing clubs are forming at high schools all across the country, and they are reeling in new members at a rapid rate. Not surprisingly, hundreds of the student anglers have Texas addresses.

“It’s growing incredibly fast,” says Scott Gibbs of Benton, KY. “Some of these clubs have many as 80 members.”

Gibbs heads up the Student Angler Federation (SAF) with FLW Outdoors, a Kentucky-based bass fishing tournament organization that hosts hundreds of competitive fishing events each year at a range of levels that cater to anglers of all different calibers.

The SAF was created in 2010 through a partnership with The Bass Federation (TBF), one of America’s oldest grassroots freshwater fishing organizations that focuses on junior anglers and conservation. The two organizations are currently affiliated with hundreds of high school bass fishing clubs around the country with a membership that numbers well into the thousands.

Bassmaster operates a similar program under its BASS Nation heading, and other clubs are run independently.

The high school club fishing concept isn’t brand new. The idea was actually hatched about six years ago in Illinois, which is currently one of four states (including New Hampshire, Kentucky and Missouri) where high school bass fishing is sanctioned as an approved sporting activity. Illinois schools alone field about 245 bass fishing teams with a total following of 3,000 to 4,000 students.

High school fishing teams that operate on the club level in affiliation with the SAF

36 |

J U L Y

1407 Freshwater.indd 36

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

“ The high school fishing concept isn’t new.

“

Bass to School

and BASS Nation programs are much more widespread. The schools participate in or host multiple qualifying, open events over the course of a season. This leads up to regional and state championships, which are typically open to any affiliated team that wants to participate.

Student anglers must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in order to compete in postseason events. Annual membership dues are $25 per member, which covers all entry fees and insurance with $1 million in coverage.

Prizes in open qualifying events usually consist of cash for the school club, trophies, plaques or fishing tackle. In championship events, college scholarships and other education-based prizes such as laptop computers are awarded. The SAF’s 2013 High School Fishing World Finals awarded tournament winners $8,000 in scholarship money to the college of their choice.

TBF’s first event in 2010 drew 76 teams from 16 different states. This year, the organization will conduct state championships in 43 states. More than 9,000 students have gone through the program since 2010, according to Mark Gintert, national youth director for TBF. Not surprisingly, the concept has been a big hit across eastern Texas, resulting in the formation of two regional organizations: the Southeast Texas High School Fishing Association and the Northeast Texas High School Fishing Association. The SE Texas F I S H

&

organization currently has 31 high schools and 700 student anglers involved; 25 schools in North Texas.

One of Texas’s oldest high school fishing teams was formed at Lumberton High School in 2009. The Raider fishing team also is among the largest statewide with 81 members, which totals close to 10 percent of the school’s total enrollment.

“East Texas is bass fishing country,” says Bryan Thomas, who coaches the Lumberton fishing team and heads up the SE Texas High School Fishing Association. “I’m not surprised that it has gotten as big as it has, but I am surprised at how quickly it has happened.”

To put the fast growth into perspective, consider that the SE Texas organization is less than a year old, yet the program’s first open tournament in December 2013 drew a whopping 263 teams. That’s a SAF record for entries in a single event.

More recently, Woodland College Park High School anglers Joe Beebe and Will Brady did a little record setting of their own. The team reeled in a five-fish limit that weighed a whopping 32 pounds at the Texas High School Bass Fishing State Championship last March at Lake LBJ. The catch was good enough to take the top spot out of 86 of the state’s top schoolboy/schoolgirl bass fishing teams. Plus, it set a new weight record for SAF events and earned the anglers $5,000 ($2,500 each) in college scholarship money.

With about 1,000 high school SAF anglers now representing dozens of high schools across Texas, Thomas says he sees the potential for even more growth high school tournament fishing.

“That’s only a handful compared to the number of schools that are out there,” he said.

“These kids are the future of a huge industry. They are the ones who will be buying everything from fishing line to bass boats and outboard engines 20-30 years from now.”

Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:16 AM

1407 Freshwater.indd 37

6/5/14 11:16 AM

Fl p

i

for

Flatfish Tempt Flounder at Close Range in Thick Cover story and photos by john n. felsher 38 |

J U L Y

Fea 5-Flounder.indd 38

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

PHOTO CREDIT

6/5/14 10:29 AM

THE ANGLER NOSED HIS BOAT INTO THE THICK CANES, STRIPPED out a few yards of line and held the excess in one hand. Then, swinging the bait toward the reeds almost like using a long cane pole, he released the line, dropping a succulent morsel into a pocket of open water between two grass clumps.

q

The small bait delicately penetrated the water with hardly a splash. The angler let the bait sink a bit, but it never touched bottom only 18 inches below the surface.

Feeling a barely perceptible nudge on the line, the angler set the hook, and an enraged four-pound flounder erupted on the surface in a muddy cloud.

Many bass anglers flip jigs or other plastic baits into thick cover, but this same subtle technique can put more flounders into boats in places like the marshes surrounding Sabine Lake, river deltas, parts of Galveston Bay and elsewhere.

“Flipping for flounders is pretty much the same thing as flipping for bass,” advised Eddie Hernandez who guides on Sabine Lake for Golden Hook Guide Service (409-673-3100, www.goldenhookguide. com.) “Off Sabine Lake, we fish the canes and salt grass. If we find where canes meet the grass, that’s a good spot to fish, especially if it has a little water movement. Also, key on bait. A pod of small shad about an inch to an inch and a half long blowing out of the water means there’s a hungry flounder in the vicinity.”

Flounders often enter extremely shallow water as long as their gills remain submerged enough for them to breathe. In shallow cover, flounders generally face A upstream to wait Soft-plastic for currents to crab makes a flush dinner to good bait for them. flounder.

Supreme camouflage experts, the elusive splotchy brown flatfish bury their bodies under soft muck. With only their eyes protruding above the goo, they watch and wait for food to pass within striking range.

When they see or feel something interesting, they dart from

their silty coating to devour morsels with astonishing speed in a swoosh of mud.

Even when threatened, flounders prefer to hide rather than run. Thinking that nothing can see them with their excellent camouflage, they might allow a boat to float over them, even in very shallow water.

Therefore, many coastal anglers can often sneak incredibly close and target them at point-blank range.

Sometimes, anglers almost need to knock flounders over the head to make them bite.

In their lairs, flounders don’t want to give away their hiding spots to any potential prey, so they won’t move very far or fast to chase down baits. However, even when not feeding aggressively, a flounder might subtly slurp something that almost lands on it.

“Flounders are masters at determining real versus artificial baits and spitting out a lure,” said Mac Gable of Mac Attack Guide Service in Rockport (361-790-9601). “Set the hook at the first tap.”

A skilled flipper can penetrate very thick cover with incredible accuracy, even slipping a bait between individual cane stems or into a pocket next to a grass clump. Sometimes, even the smallest hiding place can hold a huge flounder. A good angler can thoroughly probe just about every pocket along a reedy shoreline or marshy cut.

“I like to fish around the outlets of major bay systems where I see a good mixture of sand and mud,” Gable explained. “I’ll sit there for several hours. If we can catch one flounder, we’ll probably catch several in the same spot.”

Unlike baits thrown from a distance, flipped baits don’t plop in the water, possibly spooking skittish fish. When done well, the bait enters the water with barely a ripple.

In thick cover, a T E X A S

Fea 5-Flounder.indd 39

F I S H

&

fish usually either bites instantly or not at all. Frequently, a fish strikes on the fall. If a lure hits bottom without a strike, pop it up and down a few times before swinging to the next target just inches away. As the sinker bangs the bottom, it sends out vibrations a flounder can feel.

“What works best for me, whether I’m flipping or bait fishing, is to disturb the bottom a bit with the lure,” Gable said. “I like to drag it on the bottom so that it digs in the mud. Flounders react to any disturbances on the bottom and will come to that sound. It looks like something scurrying along on the bottom and flounders love that.”

Use the smallest weight possible. Many anglers use tungsten slip sinkers because tungsten weighs more than lead with less bulk. With a toothpick, peg a slip sinker to the line to keep the weight and bait together.

Barely insert the hook point into the plastic like a Texas rig, to make it weedless.

Anglers can also use similar-sized jig heads.

Some flounder pounders use tiny weedless bass jigs to mimic shrimp or baby crabs crawling on the bottom.

Keep baits small enough that a flounder can gulp them in one bite. Use plastic minnows or curly tail grubs about two inches long or less in natural shad colors or white.

Chartreuse and copper colors can also work when water turns dingy. If anglers start seeing too many plastic tails bitten off, they should go to smaller baits. Small, but chunky, tube baits slip through cover easily and spiral down like dying baitfish as they sink. Some anglers flip live minnows hooked to small jigheads and fish them almost like soft plastics.

“I usually use Gulp! curly tail grubs,” Hernandez recommended.

“Gulp!

Swimming Mullets are also good baits.

Limetreuse is a really good color. We also catch some on Flounder Pounder CT Shads. Sometimes, we tip baits with a piece of fresh shrimp for scent and flavor.”

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

39

6/8/14 3:17 PM

TRUE GREEN

Edited by Will Leschper

Bird Stats Imply Hunters Could Use More Practice A BIRD IN THE HAND MIGHT BE worth two in the bush, however, in hunting, it’s worth at least twice that many.

Hundreds of thousands of wingshooters again will dust off their shotguns and chase after the September staples in Texas that are doves and teal, and with quail and waterfowl seasons kicking off later in October, there will be no shortage of pellets flying through the rest of the year.

That many men, women and children flinging lead and nontoxic shot in a variety of hunting situations, are sure to miss aplenty. However, there certainly also will be plenty of successes, which actually poses what research has shown to be an enduring issue. One that certainly has an impact on conservation.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department figures and federal data compiled since the 1930s, roughly 25 percent of ducks and geese shot by hunters either are lost or fly away wounded. Research 40 |

J U L Y

1407 TrueGreen.indd 40

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

also shows those waterfowl almost always suffer mortal injuries, with less than three percent surviving being hit with pellets Most of those birds become easy pickings for a variety of predators. When you factor in the wounding loss rate to recent average harvest estimates, it means that each year more than three million waterfowl are lost annually in the United States and Canada.

Dove hunting research has shown a wounding loss rate of about 30 percent. Federal estimates show that almost twice as many doves as waterfowl are lost annually. The dove loss figure in Texas, where hunters annually take more mourning and white-winged doves than anyF I S H

&

G A M E ®

where else, would fall between 1.5 million and 2 million, according to those estimates.

You wouldn’t think a pheasant would be able to hide anywhere in the habitats it calls home, but I’ve seen a trio of roosters erupt from a shock of bunchgrass no bigger than a basketball. I’ve also observed the pursuit to find a downed ringneck. It fell among shin-high scrub, but it might as well have been buried up to its eyeballs.

The most daunting quarry to locate after you’ve made a clean kill is a dove, which has a curious tendency of disappearing right in front of you. I’ve undoubtedly spent hours inspecting an assortment of Texas terrain, hoping that I’ll get lucky to find a bird even though I marked the exact spot where it came to rest.

There’s no more sickening feeling for a hunter than walking up to where you thought a game bird fell and not find it. By the same token, there’s no greater delight than picking up said bird, especially if you’ve worked to locate it.

The best thing you can do before any bird-hunting outing is to be prepared for a variety of angles. When it comes to your gear, there’s no substitute for knowing the capabilities and range of your shotgun with various loads and chokes. Most hunters think of turkey hunting when they decide to pattern their shotgun but it can be handy to know how your shooting iron spits out different shot sizes at varying distances for upland and migratory game bird scenarios.

Practice also helps. It will up your odds for success.

Beyond the feeling of guilt that can arise from not finding a downed quarry, Certain rules apply to game bird hunting concerning fallen birds.

Wanton waste rules specify that hunters must make a “reasonable” effort to locate and retrieve all downed migratory game birds, though they may not cross onto private property to do so. Without permission from a landowner, it’s trespassing.

If a game warden PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

6/5/14 11:23 AM

TRUE GREEN saw you knock down birds and not attempt to retrieve them or prove otherwise that you didn’t, they could theoretically count those against your daily bag. If you went over that limit they could cite you for unlawful take and possession of migratory birds.

That type of criminal violation could cost a hunter between $25 and $500 for each bird over the limit and a civil restitution figure also could be tacked on for each.

You also could face suspension or revocation of hunting privileges under the dual aspect that a violation of a state migratory game bird regulation also is a violation of a federal regulation.

—by Will Leschper «TG Email Will Leschper at willleschperoutdoors@gmail.com.

1407 TrueGreen.indd 41

Whitewings Continue to Expand Their Range WHITE-WINGED DOVES ARE here to stay in South Texas, but they also are expanding their range across the state, said Shaun L. Oldenburger, migratory and upland game bird program leader with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“We saw an increase in that popu-

lation again last year, so we expect another increase as white-winged doves tend to find additional urban and suburban habitat available in the increasing urban landscape in Texas,” Oldenburger said. “This population continues to expand in Texas with only extreme northeast parts of the Pineywoods and Rolling Plains not having significant populations at this time. TPWD expects another great year of folks hunting within large to medium metropolitan areas with increasing foraging flights of white-winged doves into agricultural landscapes,,the San Antonio area being a good example.”

—Staff Report «TG

6/5/14 11:23 AM

q

q

“BIG AL” IS THE largest alligator in captivity in Texas and is Gator Country’s big star. He has been in captivity for nearly three decades and is widely known along the Gulf Coast region.

N

O ANIMAL SYMbolizes the marshes of coastal Texas better than the American alligator.

Once an endangered species, the population rose enough to open a hunting season in 1984 and now thanks to solid management by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and private landowners, the alligator is doing wonderfully in the Lone Star State.

In fact, with increasing development and economic activity in region, alligators and humans are having more encounters than ever. Sometimes they find themselves in locations that pose a danger to themselves as well as people and that is where Gary Saurage comes in.

Saurage, owner of Gator Country in Beaumont, is one of several nuisance alligator control officers in the state and

42 |

Fea 2-Wild.indd 42

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

often gets the call when an unwelcome gator shows up.

“We bring our team in and capture the gators and bring them back to Gator Country to be released alive. These nuisance gators can’t be released back into the wild so we put them in with our gators at the park to teach people about these amazing creatures,” Saurage said.

“Alligators are part of the natural order and are key to healthy wetlands.

It can be really easy for the public to get a negative opinion of alligators because if you don’t understand them they look scary and sometimes get a bad rap. That is one reason I remain so passionate about the work we are doing with Gator Country and our Gator Rescue. We get to reach so many people with a true look at these amazing creatures,” he said.

Visit www.gatorrescue.com.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

photo essay by chester moore PHOTOS: CHESTER MOORE

6/5/14 10:22 AM

q ALLIGATORS ARE NOT the only crocodilians at Gator Country. This dwarf caiman is one of several varieties available for the public to see.

q

q

BACK IN MAY, I accompanied their crew on an alligator rescue at the Sunoco Plant in Nederland. It was amazing to watch them meticulously pursue the 10 foot, 8-inch alligator and bring it in alive. Pictured here are Gary and Janna Saurage and Arlie and Jessica Hammonds with that gator.

T E X A S

Fea 2-Wild.indd 43

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

|

J U L Y

“IT REQUIRES a team do it like we do and I have a great one including some wonderful ladies that don’t mind getting muddy and getting hold of the gators,” he said.

2 0 1 4

|

43

6/5/14 10:22 AM

Top Rivers and Lakes for Bowfishing BOWFISHING IS QUICKLY BECOMING POPULAR AMONG sportsmen in Texas as well as nationwide. It combines the thrill of hunting with the skill of archery as well as the sport of fishing.

The excitement of multiple shot opportunities, several species of fish you can shoot, and the flexibility of day or nighttime bowfishing makes it an all around fun sport for everyone.

Bowfishing is legal on most rivers and lakes but it is important to check your Texas Parks & Wildlife Outdoor 44 |

Fea 4-Bowfishing.indd 44

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

F I S H

&

Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulations or call your local game warden to ensure you are following the rules.

The basic gear you need for bowfishing is a compound, lever, recurve, or even long bow, a reel outfitted with bowfishing line, and a bowfishing arrow. Most sporting goods stores in Texas

G A M E 速

COMPOSITE PHOTO: TF&G

6/8/14 3:20 PM

dustin story by vaughn

warncke

T E X A S

Fea 4-Bowfishing.indd 45

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

|

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

45

6/5/14 10:23 AM

46 |

J U L Y

Fea 4-Bowfishing.indd 46

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

PHOTO: DUSTIN WARNCKE

q

carry bowfishing kits and arrows, so getting started is easy.

The least expensive way to build a bowfishing rig is to purchase a used compound bow from a pawn shop or on the internet through websites such as eBay or Craigslist and outfit it with a bowfishing kit.

One of my closest friends and bowfishing mentors, Marty McIntyre, is a professional bowfishing guide and owner of GARQUEST Bowfishing Adventures (www.garquest.com). Marty’s logo is simple, “Saving Game Fish, One Trash Fish at a Time.”

Not all the species you bowfish for are “trash fish”, but the impact bowfishers have on the ecology of a body of water is almost always beneficial to the area. Marty currently holds the world and state record for a largemouth buffalo, weighing in at 81.5 pounds, which was taken out of Toledo Bend Reservoir in the summer of 2011. It goes without saying that this lake is a top bowfishing destination. Since he is based in Central Texas, Marty does much of his guiding on Belton Lake and Lake Stillhouse Hollow. These two lakes offer ample bowfishing opportunities, and I have personally shot many fish with him every trip I have gone on with Marty.

Carp and buffalo are well known as invasive species for game fish such as bass, by feeding on eggs during spawning. I often refer to carp and buffalo as the feral hogs of fresh water. They can be found in most any lake in Texas and offer ample shot opportunities for bowfishermen.

Texas has many power plant lakes located in different parts of the state. Since cooling the power plant keeps the water warm, many of these lakes contain tilapia, which are a great mild-tasting fish. In lakes such as Brauning and Calaveras, located in the San Antonio area, bowfishing for tilapia is excellent. Tilapia is a smart fish with very keen eyesight so I equate bowfishing for them in many ways to turkey hunting. The minute you see a tilapia, draw back and shoot.

In some of these lakes, plecostomus, also known as aquarium algae-eaters, grow to the size of small catfish, and are an invasive species that has overrun lakes such as Calaveras. This makes for even more bowfishing opportunities on these man-made reservoirs. Gibbons Creek, Lake Fairfield, and Coleto Creek are also among top Texas bowfishing favorites for power plant lakes.

Many bowfishers travel long distances to

Texas for trophy alligator gars. The main rule to follow for finding lakes with alligator gars is that most lakes (but not all) that have a prominent river system feeding into the Texas Gulf have them. One theory is that many decades ago, gars existed primarily in saltwater and migrated up freshwater rivers, especially during their spring spawning time. Many lakes were impounded on these rivers and bodies of water such as Lake Livingston, Lake Texoma, Corpus Christi Lake, Choke Canyon, Sam Rayburn, and Lake Houston are good examples of this and are great bowfishing lakes for alligator gars.

Long known for its excellent alligator gar fishing and bowfishing possibilities, the Trinity River and many of the lakes impounded along it make for great bowfishing opportunities. The Brazos River is one of Marty’s favorite spots for bowfishing for alligator gars close to home, since it runs through North Central Texas.

Lake Ray Hubbard, Ray Roberts Lake, Lake Grandbury, Lake Grapevine, Lake Worth, and Possum Kingdom Lake rank among some of the best bowfishing lakes for North Texas. Possum Kingdom Lake regularly holds bowfishing tournaments and is a premier bowfishing destination in North Texas. Medina Lake, Lake Amistad, and Falcon are among some South Texas favorites for bowfishing, especially when it comes to trophy alligator gars.

One of the main tactics to follow when F I S H

&

The author with a carp he took while on a bowfishing trip with guide Marty McIntyre

bowfishing during the day or night, is to follow the edges of the lake or flats in the shallower water. Troll slowly, always being on the lookout for shot opportunities. If you are new to bowfishing, keep in mind that the refraction properties of the water make fish appear higher than they actually are. For this reason, I have adopted the saying when I am teaching new bowfishers the sport, “Aim Low, Think Big”.

Most veteran bowfishers don’t believe in using sights, lasers, or any other tools for aiming but, instead, shoot instinctively.

Although I have used a laser sight before, I too choose this method of aiming down the arrow at the fish as I think you can hone the skill of instinctive shooting better this way rather than relying on a sight.

If you are new to bowfishing, or just need some pointers to get better at your game, hiring a bowfishing guide is an inexpensive way to get introduced or brush up on the sport.

Most guides will have all the equipment you need for the trip. Since bowfishing is becoming more and more popular, there is most likely a full-time or part-time bowfishing guide service in your area.

Whatever lake or river on which you choose to go bowfishing, and whatever time of day or night you choose to go out, be safe and have fun out on the water.

See Dustin’s videos and more at www.dustinsprojects.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 10:23 AM

Doggett.indd 17

2/6/14 1:47 PM

Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

A

HOUSEFLY SHOT ACROSS DOREEN’S 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café and rocketed up Delbert P. Axelrod’s nose like a heat-seeking missile. “Archyecht!!!” he explained.

The Hunting Club members responded by laughing uncontrollably, until the fly buzzed our large round table, looking for somewhere to light. None of us wanted the fly to land on anything we were using, especially after it had been, however briefly, in Delbert’s nose.

Doc grabbed the Texas Fish & Game magazine beside my plate, rolled it up and slapped the fly onto the table. He then raked off the gushy remains on the table’s edge.

Horrified by his actions, it took a moment for me to respond.

“Gimme that magazine! It’s brand new, and I haven’t even read the article I wrote in there.” Woodrow shook his head. “You should have used something more appropriate—like a newspaper.”

“How about just using your hand,” Wrong Willie suggested. “Then you could at least wash it. Now we have fly guts where we eat.”

“No we won’t,” the Cap’n said. He wiped up the remains with a paper napkin and pitched it onto the middle of the table.

“You guys are barbarians,” Doreen shouted across the café. She stomped across the floor and threw a very old, very used flyswatter onto the table, barely missing my chicken fried steak. “Use this!”

The horrified Club members stared at the ancient wire swatter. Generations of insect remains were caked in the rusty mesh. Even the handle seemed to be teeming with bacterial and viral life forms.

Shrieks.

Gags.

Nearby women swooned.

Ignoring the carnage, I cut another piece of steak and chewed thoughtfully. “You know, when we were kids, there were hundreds of flies on Grandma’s front porch. We swatted the stink out of them when we could find a fly48 |

1407 Humor.indd 48

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

T E X A S

“ ‘You can’t shoot a fly with a BB gun,’ the Cap’n said.

“

Flies

swatter, but then we became pretty good shots with our BB guns and spent hours shooting them off the boards.”

That statement elicited frowns of disbelief.

“You can’t shoot a fly with a BB gun,” the Cap’n said.

“We did. We got so that we could pick them off at ten feet.”

“You can’t hit a dove with a shotgun,” Wrong Willie argued.

“My eyes were better back then.”

Doreen said. “These flies are driving me nuts in here. You guys need to close the door faster when you go in and out.”

We looked around at the busy café.

“You’re trying to blame your insect infestation on just us?” the Cap’n asked.

“They’re mostly flying around your table,” she observed.

Doc waved one away. It flew toward the window and banged softly against the glass.

Willie reached for my magazine again, but I took it away from him. Instead, he used a book I’d brought with me.

The splat against the glass was satisfying, but the resulting goo on my book was irritating. I removed all reading materials from the table, including the menus, and pointed at the aforementioned disgusting flyswatter.

“Use that.”

“It’s nasty.”

I had an idea. “Hey, I have Trey’s Daisy air gun in the truck. He and I were shooting it at the ranch last weekend. How about I show F I S H

&

you I can hit a fly with it.”

“Not in here!” Doreen shouted.

“Let him!” the crowd shouted. The whole café had been listening to our conversation.

“No!” “We’ll do it outside,” I said. “C’mon.” I led the assemblage into the parking lot and retrieved the air gun.

Money appeared.

Wagers.

We approached a cattle truck; a targetrich environment. Doc pointed at a fly on the ground. “All right. I have money riding on this. Shoot that one.”

I cocked the little air rifle, stalked the intended victim, and aimed.

“Hey! He’s too close!”

The crowd immediately huddled to define the rules. I had to back six feet away. A hush fell over the crowd. I aimed again.

Crack!

“He missed!”

“No I didn’t,” I answered. “Look, there’s a wing.”

Jerry Wayne scratched his beard. “Did you take into account a ricochet?”

I shot another fly.

“Do it again!”

I did. Then suddenly there was chaos in the trailer when a bull went nuts, kicking the slats in the side.

A leg stuck out through a broke slat.

A voice from the other side. “Hey, someone shot the side of my truck! Look at this dent!”

Another voice joined the first. “My side window is cracked!”

We hurried inside. From the safety of our booth, I watched the bedlam in the parking lot. “I remember now why we quit shooting flies of Granny’s porch,” I said, taking another bite of my steak. “The ricochets got us in trouble.”

“Nope,” Doc said, whacking another fly with the swatter. “I’m sure it was the flies that got you into trouble.”

He was right.

Email Reavis Wortham at ContactUs@fishgame.com

G A M E ®

6/5/14 11:17 AM

Coastal Edition

The

D wn side of o T pwaters by chester moore

PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

A SHARK CAGE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN MIGHT SEEM LIKE A strange place to think about topwater plugs, but while watching the crew of our vessel pull a yellow and red surfboard above me, I could not help but relate it to topwater fishing.

Since chumming is illegal where we were diving with great white sharks, surfboards are used to mimic seals in much the same way anglers pull chugC O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 49

ging topwaters to imitate a wounded baitfish. As I waited for the real life “Jaws” to show up, I thought, I hope sharks like yellow, because I can’t see A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

the red on top. Then it hit me: If I could not see the red, could a speckled trout or largemouth bass see the back of a topwater plug?

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

49

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Coastal Almanac Table of Contents GEARING UP SECTION

84

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK • Tides & Prime Times | by tfg

58 SHOOT THIS • Springfield XDS | OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE TESTED • Evinrude, Ter60 TEXAS maCell | SECTION INDUSTRY INSIDER • Xpress TALES • Feral Fire61 Boats | 90 SPORTING power | AND GAME GEAR• Hot New 62 FISH Outdoor Gear | 92 TEXAS TASTED • Ceviche | OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED FISHING FORECAST 93 DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | SECTION staff

by richard fosland

by tfg staff

by tfg staff

by mike holmes

by

by tfg staff

bryan slaven

by tfg staff

49

COVER STORY • The Down Side of Topwaters | by chester moore

HOW-TO SECTION TEXAS BOATING • 10 Boat Han52 dling Tips | TEXAS KAYAKING • Flyrodder’s 56 First Red | GUNS & GEAR • Big 57 TEXAS Game Ballistics | by lenny rudow

by greg berlocher

by steve lamascus

Many times, anglers insist back colors are crucial in lure selection—but are they really?

When would the fish ever see it, and even if part of the back dips into the water, would it make a difference?

This inspired me to venture below the surface to photograph topwaters from a fish’s perspective and to answer my own question: Does back color make a difference?

VISIBILITY: 10 feet PERSPECTIVE: 2 feet away, dead on OBSERVATIONS: This is the lure in its diving position and on the surface. It can be fished in one spot and rise back slowly to the surface. In clear water, the lure had a powerful contrast and the green/black outlines made it visible from as far away as 10 feet.

50 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 50

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

64 65

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST | by capt. eddie hernandez

94

TF&G PHOTOS • Your Action Photos | by tfg readers

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON | by capt. mike holmes

FOCUS: 66 HOTSPOTS MATAGORDA | FOCUS: UPPER MID 68 HOTSPOTS COAST | .

FOCUS: ROCKPORT 69 HOTSPOTS | .

FOCUS: LOWER 71 HOTSPOTS COAST | HOTSPOTS • Texas’ Hot72 TEXAS test Fishing Spots | by mike price

by capt chris martin

by capt mac gable

by calixto gonzales

www.FishGame.com

by tfg staff

Conclusions I believe sound is the main attractor of predatory fish to topwaters. However, even in semi-murky water, certain visual cues likely trigger bites from elusive big fish that make few mistakes. Young fish will strike at anything, but big ones require more convincing.

The back color of a topwater can make

VISIBILITY: 3 feet in green water PERSPECTIVE: 2-1/2 feet away, 2 feet down from behind OBSERVATIONS: This photo was taken on a cloudy day, and the black back and orange belly made a striking contrast. It also put off a very visible reflection.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

a big difference in visibility. Most plugs sit with their heads out of the water and tail end sloping down just below the surface, and when done in conjunction with contrasting colors, gives fish something on which to focus. The surface of the surfboard mentioned at the beginning of the story was CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

u

VISIBILITY: 2-1/2 feet in sandy green water PERSPECTIVE: just in front of and below lure OBSERVATIONS: The clear body and black back create a very realistic look combined with Sebile’s fluid and glitter-like innards. The black back creates an easy point of contrast, and even in less than optimal water conditions, the lure puts off a strong reflection.

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 51

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Texas Boating

by Lenny Rudow | TF&G Boating Editor

10 Boat Handling Tips That Help Catch Fish

S

OME ANGLERS LOOK AT THEIR BOAT as a mere platform they use to get to where the fish are. Others look at it as a true fish-catching tool, right up there in importance with rods, reels, line, and hooks. The ones that see it as a tool are—hands down—better anglers.

Why? Because they understand that certain aspects of boat handling will help you and your crew catch more fish. Accept this concept, use it to your advantage, and these 10 tips will boost your success rate significantly.

1. CONTROL YOUR DRIFT. FISHing from a drifting boat doesn’t mean shutting down the engine, and going wherever the currents and winds desire. There are several means at your disposal which allow

you to direct the boat’s path of travel, so you pass directly over that wreck or drift the perfect casting distance from a feature. Cocking the motor all the way to port or starboard gives you a bit of directional control. On some boats you can get your boat to drift beam-to by tilting the motor up and getting the drive out of the water, or maintain a stern-to drift by keeping it tilted down. Drift can be speeded up by raising a Bimini top, or slowed by deploying a drift sock. You can also gain some directional control by deploying the sock off of a port or starboard spring cleat, instead of a center bow cleat.

2. WHEN TROLLING PAY ATTENtion to speed through the water, NOT speed over ground. If you’re trolling at three

knots into a one knot current, your lures are actually swimming at a four knot rate of speed. This may make give them an erratic motion or, as in the case of some lipped plugs, swim sideways. Conversely, if you’re trolling at three knots with a one knot current, your lures may have too slow a motion.

If you don’t have a paddle-wheel speedometer that reads speed through water, trolling cross-current can eliminate the variable.

3. WHEN POSITIONING OVER structure, zoom in your GPS. A GPS/ chartplotter is invaluable for knowing where you are with pinpoint accuracy, but most people don’t take full advantage of it because they use a scale that doesn’t allow you to see small changes in position. Don’t start with the chartplotter zoomed out, and then zoom it in some. Instead, start by zooming it in as far as it allows. Then, zoom out only as much as absolutely necessary.

4. ALWAYS HAVE “TRACK” ON, and always hit MOB the moment you have

COVER STORY t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50 red, but it stayed totally on the surface and the sharks could not have seen it. With these topwaters, the back was visible.

Another effect of sloping backs and contrast line was a well-defined reflection.

How often have you been fishing a topwater and had a fish strike but miss the plug, even in clear water? Is it possible they could be striking at the reflection?

After this experiment, I have concluded back color and other lines of contrast can be an important factor in topwater fishing success. I would not have thought so a few years ago, but that was before I put on my dive mask and looked at things from the perspective of a fish. While we cannot mimic fish eyesight, approaching a topwater as they 52 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 52

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

VISIBILITY: 10 feet PERSPECTIVE: 3 feet away directly below lure, and 2 feet below/2 feet away OBSERVATIONS: This lure does not have a contrasting back color, but I thought it would be interesting to see an underwater perspective of the red/white contrast on the head since it is such a popular combination in Texas.

From a distance of 10 feet, the (human) eye is drawn directly to the red/white line on the head. It also put off an impressive reflection.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

do reveals things we simply cannot see from our normal perspective.

At this point, you might be wondering if I ever saw a great white shark hit that surfboard. Yes, I did—four times, in fact, and it was life changing.

Comparing a great white’s “blow-up” to even the most powerful topwater strikers such as peacock bass is like comparing a hand grenade to an atom bomb. While watching the great sharks slam the surfboard with relentless aggression, I was totally immersed in the moment, but walked away with motivation to study the topwaters we use here in Texas.

How cool is that?

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 53

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Texas Boating a strike. This will give you a history of where you got your bites. Not only will you ID the hotspot, you’ll also be able to see trends, such as a school of fish moving deeper, or shallower, as the tide changes.

5. WHEN FISH ARE LETHARGIC, try back-trolling. This is, simply put, trolling in reverse. It allows you to creep along half as fast as idling in forward, and when the fish are moving very slowly, it can be the ticket to a full fishbox. This tactic should not be applied, of course, in rough seas.

In that case, slow the troll by tying a fivegallon bucket to a rope, and tow it from a stern cleat.

6. WHEN SEARCHING WITH THE fishfinder, never go in a straight line. Your finder is looking straight down (side-finders excluded) and if you go up a shelf or across a point in a straight line, you’re getting a

very limited snapshot of what lies below.

There could be a mass of fish 50 yards in any direction, which you never see. Zig-zag your way up this same shelf, however, and you may well spot those fish and discover there’s a lot more than you thought at the spot.

7. WHEN PLANNING A SHORELINE attack with the wind blowing up or down the shore, always start from downwind if you have a bow-mounted trolling motor, and upwind if you don’t. With a trolling motor on the bow, it’s easiest to work a shoreline from downwind because the wind will keep the boat parallel to the shoreline as you apply power. Without a motor on the bow, however, the breeze will catch the bow and turn it downwind. You’ll end up constantly fighting to swing the bow back upwind to make progress. Instead, in this case start upwind and use short bursts of power to

keep the boat aligned as the wind carries you along.

8. WHEN ANCHORING, PLAN FOR scope. Many anglers drop the anchor the moment they see the structure they’re looking for on the meter. But it takes some scope—extra line—for that anchor to hold.

In 20 feet of water, a 5:1 scope means your boat may be as much as 60 or 80 feet offtarget when the line comes taut. Plan ahead for it, by motoring upcurrent (or upwind) the appropriate amount, before dropping the anchor over the side.

9. WHEN A FLY-FISHERMAN IS aboard, position the boat as necessary so the wind doesn’t push the fly and line down the boat (and in your direction). Otherwise, you may end up with a fly embedded in your scalp. We’re not even approaching this factor from a safety standpoint. Rather, consider how much fishing time you’ll lose if you have to try and dig a hook out of your skin.

10. DROP OUT OF GEAR AND/OR hit the throttle, when you spot fish lower or higher in the water column as you troll.

Sure, we try to set our trolling lines to cover different depths in the water column.

But quite regularly we guess wrong when thinking about the depth they’re running at.

When you see a number of fish at the lower end of your spread, don’t hesitate to shift into neutral for a few seconds to allow your lures to drop deeper. And if you spot them at the upper end of the spread, goosing the throttle for a moment will force your lures to rise.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com Get more BOATING TIPS from Lenny Rudow’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

54 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 54

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

you may well spot those fish and discover there’s a lot more than you thought at the spot.

7. WHEN PLANNING A SHORELINE attack with the wind blowing up or down the shore, always start from downwind if you have a bow-mounted trolling motor, and upwind if you don’t. With a trolling motor on the bow, it’s easiest to work a shoreline from downwind because the wind will keep the boat parallel to the shoreline as you apply power. Without a motor on the bow, however, the breeze will catch the bow and turn it downwind. You’ll end up constantly fighting to swing the bow back upwind to make progress. Instead, in this case start upwind and use short bursts of power to keep the boat aligned as the wind carries you along.

8. WHEN ANCHORING, PLAN FOR scope. Many anglers drop the anchor the moment they see the structure they’re looking for on the meter. But it takes some scope—extra line—for that anchor to hold.

ALMANAC North.indd 55

In 20 feet of water, a 5:1 scope means your boat may be as much as 60 or 80 feet offtarget when the line comes taut. Plan ahead for it, by motoring upcurrent (or upwind) the appropriate amount, before dropping the anchor over the side.

9. WHEN A FLY-FISHERMAN IS aboard, position the boat as necessary so the wind doesn’t push the fly and line down the boat (and in your direction). Otherwise, you may end up with a fly embedded in your scalp. We’re not even approaching this factor from a safety standpoint. Rather, consider how much fishing time you’ll lose if you have to try and dig a hook out of your skin.

end of your spread, don’t hesitate to shift into neutral for a few seconds to allow your lures to drop deeper. And if you spot them at the upper end of the spread, goosing the throttle for a moment will force your lures to rise.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com

Get more BOATING TIPS from Lenny Rudow’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

10. DROP OUT OF GEAR AND/OR hit the throttle, when you spot fish lower or higher in the water column as you troll.

Sure, we try to set our trolling lines to cover different depths in the water column.

But quite regularly we guess wrong when thinking about the depth they’re running at.

When you see a number of fish at the lower

6/4/14 11:40 AM

Texas Kayaking

Flyrodder Kayaks to First Red

S

EVERAL YEARS BACK, I FOUND myself in a boatless state after my faithful outboard succumbed to a hole in the top of her fourth piston.

She was a trusted and valued member of the family, ferrying us safely across lakes and bays for many years. Sticker shock quickly replaced pangs of sorrow as I priced a replacement engine. After crossing “Robbing Fort Knox” off my list of alternatives, I realized I was going to be without a boat for a few months until a more economical solution crystallized.

Compounding my angst, I had promised to take a friend from Maryland to catch a redfish on a fly rod, and his arrival date was quickly approaching. How was I going to deliver on my promise without a boat? I called Joe and told him to bring his wading booties, as we were going to chase the reds from a kayak.

I picked up my friend at the Corpus Christi airport and we headed north to Rockport. The lack of a petroleum-based power plant might limit our range on the water, but it wasn’t going to dampen our enthusiasm.

Joe has caught dozens of species on his fly rod, but never tangled with a redfish.

With any luck, I would help him achieve his goal. The late summer weekend held much promise, as the wind and weather were ideal for fly-fishing. The only question that remained was whether I could put him on some cooperative fish.

The next morning, the truck headlights danced up and down as we bumped and bounced down the heavily rutted dirt road

56 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC North.indd 56

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

to the bay shore. We donned waders and booties by the glow of the truck dome light, pausing periodically to bat mosquitoes away from our faces. Once properly attired, we slid the tandem kayak off the roof of the Suburban and into the marsh lake, quickly quivering an assortment of rods in their holders. The sulfurous smell of anaerobic life oozed from the marsh mud as we stomped around in the shallow water.

Rigged and ready, we pushed off in the gray light.

Our paddles stroked in unison as we silently made for the skeletal remnants of an old duck blind in the middle of the lake. Four cedar posts sat in a rectangular pattern, some canted slightly to one side.

The water’s dappled surface betrayed the presence of nearby mullet milling about, and we eased over the side of the kayak into the shin-deep water.

Emulating the wading birds that take their meals in the marshes, we took rationed steps, focusing our energy on looking rather than moving. Joe dropped his chartreuse Clouser Minnow near a pod of working bait and retrieved it with a short stop-and-start strip. The water erupted violently as the nose of a redfish streaked forward to crush the faux minnow in its jaws. Joe set the hook and his rod arched with joy.

The fish streaked across the shallows and the handle of Joe’s reel spun faster than a politician in damage control mode. After the initial run, the fish began to circle us, refusing to yield ground. Mats of seagrass hung from the taught fly line like wet laundry. After a determined bout, the red slid to hand and the happy angler could now add redfish to his species list.

We spent the rest of the day doubleblading it through the other marsh lakes, stopping periodically when we came across pods of bait. We took several more redfish on fly and conventional tackle. Joe caught several speckled trout that afternoon, but wasn’t able to catch a flounder for a fly rod grand slam.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

N O R T H

PHOTOS: GREG BERLOCHER

by Greg Berlocher | TF&G Kayaking Editor

p Joe Rosone bagged his first fly rod redfish fishing from a kayak.

We had put the kayak in less then a mile from a major launch ramp, and boats of every shape and size buzzed by us all day long. The fish didn’t seem to mind at all.

Every hour or so, we would make a mental tally of the number of boats that had passed, and tried to guess the armada’s aggregate worth. We stopped counting when imaginary valuation hit $3 million.

Our paddle back to the truck at the end of the day was a satisfying one. Joe had caught his first fly rod redfish. He also got to fish out of a kayak for the first time. Although I replaced the outboard, Joe insisted we go kayaking again on his next visit.

Email Greg Berlocher at ContactUs@fishgame.com.

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 11:40 AM

Texas Guns

by Steve LaMascus | TF&G Shooting Editor

Big Game Ballistics

M

OST OF YOU KNOW THAT NOSLER earned its reputation with the original Partition bullet. John Nosler, the originator of the Partition, found to his chagrin that bullets of that era were not all they should be. In 1946 he was hunting moose with a .300 H&H Magnum.

He stuck a moose with a well-placed bullet (He knew it was well-placed because the moose was covered with dried mud and the impact was obvious), and it ran off, never to be found. This started John thinking about what was needed in a bullet for big game, and the Nosler Partition was the result.

The Nosler Partition is still the flagship bullet in the Nosler line-up, but it is far from the only bullet they make. These days, with computer controlled manufacturing, Nosler has a line-up that will go head to head with any other bullet maker. They are, also, renowned for their accuracy.

Nosler usually doesn’t make mistakes.

However, in my opinion they have made a couple. First, when they introduced the Ballistic Tip it was recommended for use on big game. Sadly, that caused wounded and lost game all over the world. The reason was that the original Ballistic Tip was too soft and too frangible for use on big game at close ranges when shot from high velocity rifles. I did not keep track of the number of wounded deer I tried to track after they were wounded by hunters using Ballistic Tip bullets, but it must have run well into double figures. They were seldom found, because they almost never left a blood trail. Eventually outfitters all across the country began to outlaw the use of Ballistic Tips on their leases.

Nosler took notice of this and redesigned the Ballistic Tip. They ended up with two different designs, one for hunting varmints C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 57

and one for hunting big game, primarily deer. The redesign of the “hunting” Ballistic Tip consisted of a heavier, tapered jacket and a harder, tougher lead alloy core. This caused the bullet to be more of a controlled expansion-type bullet rather than one that blew to pieces when it hit bone. The varmint Ballistic Tip was left pretty much as it was, which is fine for game up to the size of coyotes. Nosler has, also, removed the Ballistic Tip from the lines of higher caliber bullets, such as the .338 and .375.

The second mistake was that they did not advertise the redesign of the hunting Ballistic Tip. Instead they just quietly added it to their line, without fanfare. I think they should have shouted the change from the rafters. The

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

result is that some have still not found out about the change and still do not allow any Ballistic Tip bullets on their hunting leases.

However, even with the redesign of the “hunting” Ballistic Tip, Nosler does not recommend it for use on game larger than deer.

This I got straight from the horse’s mouth, as I called Nosler and spoke with one of their technicians about this very subject. If larger game is hunted, they recommend the similar but bonded core AccuBond. This bullet is tough and the jacket and core are chemically bonded together to get better penetration, higher weight retention, and to keep the bullet and jacket from separating.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

u

57

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Shoot This

Springfield Armory XDS 4.0 NEW FOR 2014 FROM SPRINGFIELDArmory is the XDS 4.0 in 9mm. The XDS 4.0 is actually a spinoff from the XDS 3.3 model guns in 9mm and .45 ACP. The XDS 3.3 guns in both calibers have been best sellers in the burgeoning concealed-carry market.

The XDS 4.0 shares all the same features common with the XDS 3.3 pistols.

These include the Ultra Safety Assurance (USA) Trigger System, and a grip safety.

The XDS also has a loaded chamber indicator, and the Fail-Safe disassembly safety. The grip has the similar texture of the Springfield XDM guns. The XDS

4.0 also comes with the Melonite protective finish on the slide and barrel.

The differences between the XDS 3.3 and 4.0 are minor. The 4.0 has a .7” longer barrel and weighs only 2 oz. more than the 3.3. Both models share the strikerfired system and single-stack magazines.

The 4.0 comes with a flush-fit magazine for concealment that holds 7 rounds, and an extended magazine with grip cap that holds 9 rounds. MSRP for the black gun is $599, and $699 for the bi-tone.

The trigger pull rating for the XDS 4.0 guns is 5.5-7 lbs., which is in the ballpark with most of the other polymer framed guns available. Any defensive handgun with a trigger pull weight of less than 5 lbs. could be considered to be unsafe in all but an experts hands. However, trigger pulls run-

ning in the 7 lb. (or more) range can be too heavy for the novice to shoot accurately.

Many of the folks at SpringfieldArmory are avid shooters, and know how important high-visibility sights are. To address potential lighting problems, the XDS 4.0 comes with a fiber-optic front sight with a red globe insert. The rear sight is a low-profile target grade design, which offers a great combination of sight picture/ sight alignment.

CRIMSON-TRACE LASERGRIP: Lasers and lights are growing in popularity on compact handguns. Not only do they offer a perfect answer for low-light conditions, but they also make it easier for most new shooters to hit the center-mass of the target.

TEXAS GUNS t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57 I have used the AccuBond a good bit and am a true believer. The first deer I shot with an AccuBond was a big South Texas buck that weighed 207 pounds. I shot him with a .25-06 using the 110-grain AccuBond at more than 3,200 feet per second. The bullet hit him in the right side of his chest, just between his shoulder and brisket, as he angled toward me. We found the bullet, perfectly mushroomed, under the skin just in front of his left hip. That is about two feet of penetration. You couldn’t ask for better bullet performance.

The first animal I shot with the 110-grain AccuBond was a very large wild hog. We didn’t weigh it, but it surely weighed over 300 pounds. I hit it in the neck, just where it joins the shoulder, and it dropped like a stone, with never a twitch.

By the way, I think the 110-grain AccuBond is the perfect bullet weight for Texas white-tailed deer in the .25-06. I have found the 120-grain bullets a bit too heavy, 58 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 58

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

and the 100-grain bullets a bit too light. I prayed for a 110-grain bullet for many years.

Apparently Nosler heard my prayers. Now, if they would make a 110-grain Partition, I could die a happy man.

The Nosler Partition is the go-to bullet for most sportsmen and women who are after serious game. From elk to lions to the massive brown bear, the Nosler Partition is one of the most trusted bullets in the world. If I am hunting any animal larger than deer, you can bet (unless I am testing some other bullets) that my gun will be loaded with Partitions.

They provide deep penetration, the crushing power to break large bones and still penetrate into the vitals of a large animal. The front half is designed to mushroom to the maximum, while the rear half is designed to hold together and keep going. I have never recovered a partition from a deer. Every one I have ever shot was completely penetrated.

The last animal I shot with a Partition was a very old, very large greater kudu. I shot it at about 175 yards, with a wildcat .30-338 Magnum using a .308 caliber, 200-grain F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

Partition at 2,900 feet per second. The bullet broke the left shoulder, crushed the spine, shattered the right shoulder, exited, and headed off across the countryside to bowl over trees and crush rocks. The kudu dropped straight down.

I will not give you the entire Nosler lineup of bullets. You can look it up on-line much easier than I can write it all down here. However, they have an extensive line of bullets that are suitable for everything from packrats to pachyderms.

THIS IS MY WARNING. CHOOSE carefully. Pick bullets that are intended for what you are hunting. If you want Ballistic Tips for deer, choose those intended for deer and not those meant for hunting prairie dogs.

If you are hunting bigger game, choose a Partition or AccuBond. Whatever your needs, Nosler has what it takes to get the job done.

Email Steve LaMascus at ContactUs@fishgame.com A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

groups ranging from 1.47-1.93.

LOAD GROUP VELOCITY

t

t

Barnes 115 115-TAC-XP +P 1.47 1122 Black Hills 115 JHP +P 1.43 1281 Cor-Bon 125 JHP +P 1.48 1247 Double-Tap 115-TAC-XP +P 1.93 1365 Federal 115 FMJ 1.20 1178 Speer 115 GDHP 1.49 1198 *Instrumental velocity measured 10 feet from muzzle with Oehler 35 chronograph *Group size based on 10-shot group at 10 yards

The best group of the defensive ammo fired by the XDS 4.0 measured 1.43, using the Black Hills 115gr +P JHP. The velocity average was 1281 fps.

The best 10-shot group fired by the XDS 4.0 measured a tight 1.20, using the Federal Range and Target 115gr FMJ. The velocity average was 1178 fps.

CT was quick to produce a laser sight for the Springfield XDS 3.3. The P/N is SKU LG-469, and the same unit fits the 4.0 as well. The unit fits under and in front of the square trigger guard. Like other CT models, the LG-469 is adjustable for both windage and elevation.

In testing, the XDS 4.0 proved to not only be accurate with all loads fired, but reliable as well. The XDS 4.0 gobbled up all of the hollow-point loads with nary a hitch. There were no failures to feed, cycle, or eject during all of the test firing. The Springfield-Armory XDS 4.0 would be a great choice for anyone considering purchasing a concealed-carry handgun.

& Target 115 FMJ, and the velocity average was 1178 fps. The best group fired with a defensive load was the Black Hills 115 JHP, which measured 1.43, and had a modest velocity average of 1281 fps. The other five defensive loads all shot well, with

—Richard Fosland

SHOTS FIRED: A sample all-black XDS 4.0 was obtained from Springfield-Armory for test and evaluation, as well as a sample Crimson-Trace laser. While waiting for a batch of hollow-point defensive type ammunition to arrive, the CT unit was installed and zeroed at 10 yards with some Federal RANGE AND TARGET 115-grain fmj ball ammo.

After firing the box of Federal target ammo to break-in XDS 4.0, it was time to test the HP ammo for accuracy. Five great HP ammo loads were tested, consisting of the Barnes 115gr +P TAC-XPD, Black Hills 115-gr +P JHP, Cor-Bon 115gr +P JHP, Double-Tap 115gr +P TACXP, and Speer 115gr GDHP. Targets were placed at 10 yards.

The only strike against the sample XDS 4.0 was the trigger pull, which measured just a whisker under 7 pounds.

However, in spite of the heavy trigger, the XDS 4.0 proved to be very accurate for a relatively compact pistol. Ten-shot composite groups with all types of ammo measured under two inches.

The single-best 10-shot group measured a miniscule 1.20, using the Federal Range C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 59

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ÂŽ

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

59

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Texas Tested

Survival of the Fittest IS CIVILIZATION ABOUT TO fall? Will an alien attack, the zombie apocalypse, or some other unpredictable cataclysm send everyone underground?

Who knows—but most everyone will agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

And one of the most important things you need to safeguard is your right to fish.

The correct tool for this job? An Evinrude MFE outboard.

Evinrude builds 30 and 55-hp M F E ( M F E stands for multifuel engine) outboards in both propeller and jet-drive versions for the Department of Defense, and these powerplants can run on just about anything: kerosene, diesel, multiple jet fuels, and even regular old gasoline. You simply change the fuel setting by flipping a switch.

So when you want to enjoy an afternoon of sustenance flounder fishing months after the electricity has stopped flowing and all the cars have been siphoned dry, you can head for an airfield and get all the fuel you need. Or, a hardware store. Or, a liquor store—when we checked out the 55 MFE at the Miami boat show, an Evinrude rep 60 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 60

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

even said it’ll run on Jack Daniels. (Though after the zombie apocalypse begins, you may feel this is not an appropriate use of the resources at hand).

In such circumstances, of course, it’s important to remain stealthy. Good thing these Evinrudes are painted with black lowreflective paint, and they’re tuned to make as little noise as possible. So you can sneak by biters in the bayou.

Unfortunately, you won’t find an MFE model at your local BRP dealership.

In fact, Evinrude says they aren’t for sale, except to the government. So, why should you even care about these outboards?

First off, a dedicated survivalist with good instincts could probably find a way to get one (cough, cough—eBay— cough, cough) but more important, you should care because much of the same technology Evinrude plugs into the MFEs is mirrored in their E-TEC product line. In fact, the E-TEC fuel system, injectors, and onboard computer are what make the MFEs possible to produce in the first place. And if that technology is what the Navy Seals choose to use, it stands to reason that an E-TEC would be a good choice for you and me, as well—alien invasion, or not.

Repellent Revolution I HATE MOSQUITOES—AND I’LL bet you do, too. In fact, it’ll be hard to find a single person out there who doesn’t hate these incredibly annoying insects. So when word came down to try out ThermaCell, a mosquito repellant that comes in the form of a camping lantern or a flashlight-sized wand, I was psyched. But, how could one of these things keep those bugs at bay?

And, wouldn’t I have to slather up with F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

sticky bug repellant?

The answer to the latter question is easy: no. These little gizmos don’t require you to put a thing on your skin, which is awesome for anglers; the active ingredient in most spray-on bug repellents, DEET, has been proven to repel fish along with bugs. Get some of that stuff on your hands and then touch your bait or lure, and you may never get another bite.

The answer to the first question is a bit tougher to explain. Essentially, the ThermaCELL devices use butane to heat a metal grill, which then vaporizes a repellent called allethrin, which is derived from chrysanthemum flowers. It’s natural, and won’t harm humans or pets. Plus, it’s effective on black flies and no-see-ums, as well as mosquitoes.

Once I fired a ThermaCELL up, it took about 10 minutes to establish its zone of protection. A single unit will effectively clear a 15- by 15-foot area, but you’ll have to recharge the repellent after three to four hours (you know it’s time when the repellentsaturated mat turns white). A single fuel cartridge will last nine to 12 hours.

I give the ThermaCELL a big thumbsup, which is easy to do now that both of my hands are free, because I don’t have to scratch anymore. Plus, the price is great— $20 to $30 will get you started, depending on what model you choose. Check it out, at www.thermacell.com.

—Lenny Rudow

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Industry Insider

INDUSTRY LEADER XPRESS Boats of Hot Springs, Arkansas has announced they have agreed to a third season as a major sponsor of RNT-V on the Sportsman Channel.

Xpress has This season will feasigned on as ture the RNT crew in sponsor for the the new Xpress Tactithird season cal Series aluminum of RNT-V on boat, engineered and the Sportsman designed in cooperaChannel. tion with RNT. “We are most excited to continue this valued relationship and the synergy between our two companies and their other sponsors focuses on doing business with like-minded people, working collectively to achieve like-minded goals, together,” said Vice President Rory Herndon.

RNT-V is produced inside the legendary Rich-N-Tone duck calls manufacturing shop in Stuttgart, AR. RNT-V is a reality-based waterfowl hunting show airing exclusively on The Sportsman Channel, premiering its ninth season on July 5th at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Founded in 1976, RNT Calls Inc. is the country’s largest manufacturer of custom duck and goose calls.

Xpress Boats is family owned and operated by the Herndon family since 1966.

Nearly 50 years ago in an old schoolhouse in Friendship, AR Kermit Bryant’s dream was to develop the original, “all-welded” aluminum boat. Today Xpress operates out of a state of the art manufacturing facility in Hot Springs, AR producing top of the line hunting and fishing boats for just about any application.

Check out www.xpressboats.com and www.rntcalls.com.

C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 61

PHOTO COURTESY RNT-V

Xpress Renews Sponsorship of RNT-V

u

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

61

6/8/14 4:53 PM

Rebate Offered on Iconic Reel THE LEW’S SPEED SPOOL, AN iconic baitcasting reel that helped launch the low-profile craze more than 40 years ago, is the focus of a special consumer

Lew’s Speed Spool

u

rebate offer during a three-month promotional period that ends in July.

The $20 mail-in rebate offer is valid for all four Speed Spool models - SS1S, SS1H, SS1HL (left hand) and SS1SH – and applies to any new reel purchases made at participating retailers during the promotion’s timeframe of May 1 – July 31, 2014. Proof of purchase is required for rebate redemption.

“Already rated the best value in a $100 baitcaster by several indepen-

dent tackle reviews, getting an additional $20 off means that there is no better time than now to get outfitted with Speed Spool reels,” said Lew’s president Gary Remensnyder. “At the $79 after-rebate price, anglers are getting a lot of the same design and technology features found in our 62 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 62

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

high-end baitcast reels.”

Today’s Speed Spools were totally redesigned in 2009 to incorporate the latest in materials and features. The reels include 10 premium, shielded, stainless steel bearings to drive a smooth, dependable performance.

Frames are one-piece die-cast aluminum. Cast control is managed by Magnetic Control Systems (MCS) that use an external click dial to adjust their magnetic brake systems. Reel handles are anodized, bowed aluminum with Lew’s custom SoftTouch paddle knobs.

Complete details about the Speed Spool rebate offer and more information about Lew’s baitcast and spinning reels and rods, including the Wally Marshall Signature Series of crappie products, can be found by visiting www.Lews.com.

SIZMIC-Grub Catches More Fish THERE ARE FEW TIMES IN FISHing when a “game changing” bait comes along but Kalin’s has just created one with their new SIZMIC-Grub, that puts more fish in the boat whether you are a tournament angler or a weekend warrior.

The unique shape of the grub begins with a ribbed bulky front section that disrupts water so fish can “home-in” on it even in cloudy water. At the mid-section a round ball acts as a “hinge” that helps the rear swim-bait-style section pulsate. The combination drives fish crazy.

The new p SIZMICSIZMIC Grub Grub is availF I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

able in four sizes: 2-inch, 3-inch, 3.8-inch and 4.8-inch, so whether a person is looking for slab crappies, stubborn snook, bass, or monster muskies, there is a size that will accommodate any angler.

The SIZMIC-Grub is really a hybrid lure, combining all the key ingredients that get fish to bite.

PHOTOS:

Fish and Game Gear

Landing Pad THE LANDING PAD CONVENIENTly holds any size lures and flies. Don’t stop fishing to fumble with your tackle box.

Peel-and-stick the Landing Pad to any

smooth surface.

Storing wet flies and lures is the fastest way to rust your hooks, so dry them on the

p The Landing Pad (top photo) can be applied to any smooth surface, like a boat dashboard (lower photo).

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Landing Pad and keep fishing. The precut slots firmly grasp any size hooks, and it works equally well with large lures or tiny flies. Ideal for boat consoles, kayaks, canoes, drift boats, coolers, fly tying benches, paddle boards, etc.

Made from super tough, UV-resistant foam, the Landing Pad holds dozens of flies and lures. It works vertically or horizontally. For more information,visit www.deployoutdoors.com, or call 512-8482233.

MeoPro HD Binocular Series MEOPTA USA INTRODUCES THE new MeoPro HD binocular series. This next generation MeoPro binocular line features advanced fluoride HD optics and is available in 8x32, 10x32, 8x42 and 10x42 models.

Assembled in the U.S. at Meopta’s Long Island, NY facility, the new MeoPro series has an updated look and feel. These binoculars are lightweight, extremely durable and offer a brilliant viewing experience. Fluoride HD objective lenses and MeoBright ion-assisted multi-coatings deliver incredible clarity, superior color fidelity and edge-to-edge sharpness, while eliminating chromatic aberration in the most hallenging viewing conditions. A totally redesigned, lightweight magnesium chassis is built to withstand the rugged conditions of the field and, like all Meopta binoculars, the MeoPro HDs are nitrogen-purged and fully sealed for fog-proof, water-proof and shock-proof performance, year after year.

“Our newly designed optical system, combined with SCHOTT® fluoride HD glass and improved ergonomics, makes our new MeoPro HD binocular an exceptional performer,” said Reinhard Seipp, general manager and COO of Meopta USA. “In high-contrast lighting situations, chromatic aberrations are completely suppressed while resolution and clarity are maximized. This new MeoPro HD series offers top level HD performance to hunters looking for a true value.”

The external lenses of MeoPro HD are also treated with Meopta’s proprietary MeoShield abrasion-resistant coating which meets military specifications for durability C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 63

u

MeoPro HD Binoculars

u

cent increase in contrast sensitivity and elimination of all glare and ghost images.

Combine that with unparalleled scratch resistance plus double the sun protection of any other polarized lens, and you get the best sunglasses available on the planet.

That’s why Vicious Vision is truly changing the game of premium polarized vision enhancement.

The glasses are available in four frame styles, four color options and nine lens options, meaning you will find the sunglasses that are right for you. To learn more about what makes Vicious Vision the best premium sunglasses on the planet, visit Vicious-Vision.com.

and surface hardness. Twist-up eye cups feature four click-stop positions to accommodate users with or without eyeglasses and a right side ocular diopter control provides +/- three diopter adjustment for simple individual optical tuning.

All MeoPro HD binoculars work seamlessly with Meopta’s MeoPix iScoping Adapters which are available for the iPhone 4/4S and 5/5S models and Samsung Galaxy S4.

The MSRP of MeoPro HD Binos range from $749.49 for the 8X32 to $1,034.99 for the 10X42.

For more information regarding the entire line of MeoPro HD Binoculars, visit www.meoptausa.com.

Vicious Vision POLARIZED SUNGLASSES ARE more than a fashion statement, they’re serious tools for a serious job—protecting your eyes and enhancing your view of the experiences you immerse yourself in.

Vicious Vision delivers an experience unlike any other. Powered by Xperio UV lenses, these sunglasses offer a 20 perONLINE STORE Shop for innovative, new and hard-to-find outdoor gear at

www.FishandGameGear.com

p Vicious Vision

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

63

6/8/14 4:53 PM

Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez | TF&G Contributor

W

ITH AIR AND WATER TEMPERAtures making a rapid ascent up the thermometer in July, it is a great time to start thinking about fishing the jetties, surf and rigs.

Summer tides and southerly winds will have the green water pushed into the far reaches of our bay systems and that translates into fairly easy pickin’s in and near the Gulf of Mexico. After May, most of our time is spent somewhere south of the Causeway Bridge.

From the Sabine Neches waterway to the 12 mile rigs, it’s just about as close as

“ After May, most of our time is spent south of the Causeway Bridge.

“

Jetties, Surf and Rigs

it gets to guaranteeing something is going to bend your pole. Almost every hungry saltwater critter is within a short boat ride from the Causeway and it boils down to what you want to do. Bring the big rods for sharks, ling, jacks, rays and bulls or the fun

tackle for trout, slot reds, spanish mackerel and flounder.

The topwater bite in the channel and at the jetties can be phenomenal on good, calm mornings. The only problem is that some of the aforementioned species, sharks in particular, have a knack for picking your pocket, $7 at a time, especially at the jetties.

Regardless, I highly recommend throwing tops early if the conditions are favorable.

At the jetties, we like to start at the end and work our way to the boat cut, paying close attention to rock piles and washouts.

When the topwater bite tapers off, switch to soft plastics on ¼-ounce heads. If you catch a few fish in a particular area, work it over good before you move on.

Live baits such as finger mullet, shad and shrimp are also very effective in these hot summer months at the jetties, short rigs and surf. Place a split shot about 18 inches above a Kahle hook, or rig it with a popping cork. Both of these techniques can be very effective when the fish decide to get lockjaw on artificials after the water heats up.

Come see us down here on Sabine and don’t forget the sunscreen and plenty of water.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: McFaddin Beach SPECIES: Speckled Trout/Redfish BAITS/LURES: Live Shrimp, Topwaters, Plastics BEST TIMES: Morning and evenings especially when the tide is moving.

Contact Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com 64 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 64

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Hotspots Focus: Galveston

by Capt. Mike Holmes | TF&G Contributor

July Can Have Dog Days, Too. Deal with ‘Em

W

HEN I WAS A YOUNGSTER I wanted a pack of hounds to hunt with so bad it was an obsession. Unfortunately, our family lived within the city limits of Pasadena, Texas, and I would have nowhere to hunt, even had my parents allowed me to pursue this dream.

An older boy who lived near us had found a solution to this problem, mostly. He kept a pack of beagles, smaller and easier to handle than large hounds, that he used to chase cottontail rabbits in the fields on the edge of town, He couldn’t shoot his game, but had the sport of following the dogs as they followed the rabbits. If I remember correctly, he also sold registered pups, and maybe competed in beagle field trials.

When I finally got my own beagle, it was a pup I found dumped in a big ditch near our home. Before she was fully grown, we moved to the East Texas Piney Woods outside of Buna, Texas.

That little dog and I were in heaven.

We hunted rabbits, squirrels, feral hogs, coons, foxes, and even an occasional bobcat.

She was a true “kid’s dog,” and hunted whatever we found to chase on a given day.

A neighbor who was an ardent fox hunter told me he thought my dog was a “July” hound, from her size and markings.

She was larger than a beagle should be, more leggy, and her colors were not as bright as a beagle. If she actually was of this breed, which was a lesser known foxhound than the popular Walkers, named after the hunter who “developed” the strain. this made the second time “July” helped me learn that an outdoorsman can often make his sport fit his situation.

The month of July is generally no “dog,” C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 65

water.

When I used to shrimp West Galveston Bay, I knew that shrimp moved to the ICW during the warmer hours, also. This is where an angler should fish if he wants to get in a full day on the water. The most action offshore will also be early around rigs, on weed lines, and over structure. When Gulf shrimp season opens, of course, the very best action will be as early as possible around shrimpers “culling” the night’s catch.

A Florida boating magazine I write a monthly column for will not let me use the term “boater.” The owner considers this term to mean an old-style straw hat that was

but can be a warm one on the Texas coast.

Winds are normally brisk early in the month, but begin to drop off after the big 4th of July holiday. A still, hot day in July is not the most pleasant time to be fishing, but early mornings and later in the afternoon can be very pleasant – and productive. Both are good times to fish the surf, and bay reefs and flats can pay off before the heat of the day sends fish to deeper holes and cooler

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

CONTINUED ON PAGE 67

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

u

65

6/4/14 10:54 AM

Hotspots Focus: Matagorda

by Mike Price | TF&G Contributor

I

N 2013, MY WIFE, MY DOG, AND I LIVED on Matagorda beach. Every morning we walked the beach, and of course I was always looking for signs of fish. On July 1 the water was clear with very small waves, and the water temperature was 86°F. There was a current running parallel to the beach

PHOTOS: MIKE PRICE

When the Surf is Just Right

(longshore current) that was strong enough to feel, but later when I went fishing, I found that I was able to stand in one place, so it was manageable. The tide was incoming, and birds were working the first and second guts.

As we walked, we saw a man backing out of the surf dragging a slot-sized redfish, and a lady opening the cooler so that her husband could put his trout in. Another man was hooked up to a small shark and we saw more hooked up fishermen, most with trout, but gafftopsail, jack crevalle, and other species were also chasing prey and taking bait in the surf. As soon as we returned to our house I tucked a net in the back of my belt, grabbed my rod, and headed out

p The author, geared up for surf fishing.

into the surf.

It was not long before I caught a 21-inch trout on a Stanley Wedgetail Minnow.

Every time a wave broke I could see mullet surfing, and birds and trout were eating shrimp in the first gut; it was the perfect morning in the surf. After catching three trout, the tip of my rod broke and as I waded out of the water I noted that fishermen on either side of me were hooked up. When I returned to the surf, a young man who had just purchased his fishing outfit was having the time of his life catching trout. These conditions are rare, but they are what you should look for when fishing in the surf.

The next morning, conditions were 66 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 66

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ÂŽ

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

GALVESTON FOCUS the same except the tide was outgoing.

Consequently the birds were feeding a couple hundred yards offshore. We had some baitfish in the surf and caught a few trout, but it was not like the previous day. July is a month when really good days in the surf are highly probable. Like any other kind of fishing, being prepared and careful planning will give you the best chance of going home with fishing thrills on your mind and fish in your ice chest.

Watch the weather. If the wind is very light, around five mph from any direction except west, you will have clear water.

When the wind picks up to 10 mph, you can still fish the surf without getting knocked over, but it is more difficult to deal with the waves.

To gauge the surf go online to www. matagordabay.com and click on web cam. If the surf is only breaking on the first sandbar, closest to the beach, it is very calm and wading will be easy, but if the surf is breaking on the second sandbar and beyond, standing in the surf and fishing will be a challenge.

Check tidal movement at www.fishgame.com/tides; the closest predicted and observed tide measurements are Freeport and I have found Matagorda Beach tidal movement to closely match Freeport tidal predictions.

If you are satisfied that you can safely stand in the surf and fish, and you have an incoming tide, you just need to get time off of work (I can’t help you with that) and have your fishing equipment ready. After many years of fishing in the surf, this is how I like to be equipped when I walk into the surf: Wear a hat that has a string which goes under your chin or is attached to a clip, sunglasses on a holder, and a long sleeved shirt and long pants for protection from sun, mosquitoes, and jellyfish. Do not be concerned if your sunglasses get wet as the water will dissipate and it will not obstruct your vision.

Use a net that is attached to your wading belt on a short line and shove the net in your belt behind your back. The possibility of a shark going after fish on your stringer is high, so use a twenty foot long stringer to put distance between you and the shark.

Your stringer should be attached with a knot that requires one simple pull to be released.

Put extra lures, line, swivels, and hooks in a fit-in-pocket sized waterproof container like a Pelican 1010 Micro Case with a 15-inch line and clip attached. A lifejacket is a C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 67

t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 65 NOT usually worn on boats. For Texas boaters, however, there are some areas of good news as we cruise into summer.

Bridge Harbor Marina in Freeport is under new ownership and scheduled for extensive revisions, The Pleasure Island Marina at Port Arthur has been rebuilt after being destroyed by hurricane damage, and Bayland Marina in Baytown is also back from Hurricane Ike’s fury.

Although Bridge Harbor is arguably the best port for deep water fishing boats on the Texas Coast, Pleasure Island is on Sabine Lake, close to great speckled trout fishing; and Bayland is a short boat ride from Trinity and Galveston Bays.

THE BANK BITE

winter should keep salinities “normal” into the summer, so all salt and brackish areas will be holding bait—and predator species that seek them. Piers, jetties, rock groins, and docks are good spots.

Go deep or shallow depending on the time of day.

SPECIES: Redfish, speckled trout, flounder, croaker, pan fish.

BEST BAITS: Live bait always gets the first place vote, and a bait suspended under a float can often be drifted into spots a cast might not reach—with less water disturbance in the shallows. For those who like to wave slender sticks in the air (like me), fly rods and calm mornings are great fun.

BEST TIMES: Early morning and late afternoon provide the most comfort, and the best fishing. NEVER forget to watch the tides, however.

Contact Mike Holmes at ContactUs@fishgame.com.

LOCATION: Good rains through the

necessity when fishing in the surf because your situation can change for the worse in a matter of seconds. A tight fitting, inherently buoyant life jacket or an inflatable life jacket will keep you afloat in an emergency and stay out of your way while casting. There are sting rays burrowed in the sand, and because you are being lifted and moved by waves you cannot always shuffle your feet to bump against the wings of a sting ray making it get up and move away. Consequently you may want to wear sting ray boots so that if a wave picks you up and your foot comes down in the middle of a sting ray and its tail lurches up to hit your lower leg with its barb, you are protected. However, some fishermen like to swim to the second or third sand bar and it is much easier to swim wearing lightweight wading boots than stingray boots. Use a standard wading belt with attachments for a needle nose pliers, stringer, and net, but remove the large lure box so that your back is free to stick the net into. Everything gets wet and is forced away from its appointed place by waves; such as your hat, lures, and net, therefore everything has to be attached.

and trout were feasting on them. The bait busting was amazing, and even if I hadn’t caught any fish, it would have been exciting to watch. Certainly an ideal day like this was the time to be fishing the surf, but this situation was unusual. Typically the conditions are more challenging, and being prepared is the key to having a good day in the surf.

THE BANK BITE MATAGORDA BEACH: After passing through the town of Matagorda, take FM 2031 until it dead ends at Matagorda Nature Park. You can park and fish from the beach, pier, or jetty. One of the best producing spots is just east of the pier in the surf. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle you can drive onto the beach from the parking lot and fish the Old Colorado River or the jetties. In addition you can access all 23 miles of Matagorda Beach by taking the beach access road which is a mile back toward Matagorda on FM 2031.

On the same morning in early July I saw millions of sardines, menhaden, finger mullet and other bait fish in the shallow water, and leather jack, ladyfish, spanish mackerel, A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

Contact Mike Price at ContactUs@fishgame.com

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

67

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Hotspots Focus: Upper Mid Coast

by Capt. Chris Martin | TF&G Contributor

T

HE SUN AND THE SAND CAN BE downright hot along our Texas coastal regions in July, but so can the speckled trout fishing. Not everyone heading to the Texas coast this month will be planning a fishing trip to the surf, but experienced and wise anglers who are in the know will make it a point to be along the beach either wading, or fishing from a boat, during the hottest part of the year. I know that if I were given options that included the surf, I’d grab my gear and cool my dogs in the summertime surf while I have a chance to do so.

Just because it happens to be July and the days can be extremely warm doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing any wind this month.

On the contrary, we will probably see a lot of wind this month, and winds that are fairly variable at that. So, when I talk to you about fishing the surf in the summertime, I’m referring to those days which allow not only the brilliant-green waters of the Gulf to reach all the way to the beachfront, but I am also talking to you about those days when the winds and the swells allow you the ability to reach the beachfront, as well. The list of stories out of the Coast Guard station of them having to salvage boats, not to mention lives, out of the surf is way too long, and is not a list you should strive to get your name on. Instead, be smart and just don’t go if you have any reservations whatsoever regarding your personal abilities or the abilities of your vessel. It’s simply not worth the risk.

Once you have determined it to be safe to maneuver a frontal beach assault, the next thing you’ll need to decide is where to drop

68 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 68

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

“ Just because it happens to be July doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing any wind.

“

Taking the Hunt to the Swells

anchor. I have a couple inputs on where to do so, with the main one being that you pick your spot based on visible signs of fish in the immediate area. What signs? Things like water color changes—murky water meeting clear water—between you and the beach.

Another would be you witnessing bait activity along the beachfront, things like jumping mullet, disturbed pods of mullet, and shrimp being chased to the surface.

An additional thing you can also always look for is bird activity along the shoreline and out among the swells. I know the first scenario that comes to mind for most of

you when I say “bird activity” must be that of diving gulls. And rightfully so, as this is good bird action to find whether you are fishing in the bay or out in the surf. But, bird action in the surf also includes that of herons and pelicans. Herons that happen to be perched right at the water’s edge can be a good indicator of nearby baitfish activity.

Diving, and swimming, pelicans can also point you to game fish activity in clear water as well as in places with a definite transition in water color.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

If your angling preferences include live bait only, then live shrimp and croaker shouldn’t steer you wrong in your efforts toward success in the surf, as both are triedand-true producers on surf-running speckled trout in the summertime. Anglers who prefer tossing artificial baits at their targets, however, can often discover a myriad of opportunities for change and alteration. If the sky is clear, and the water trout-green, I will always attempt my luck at throwing top water baits just because they’re my favorite bait to experiment with. You’ll find me presenting some of the larger Super Spooks, Skitter Walks, and She Dogs (in chrome) on these days when the sky is just as clear as the water.

On cloudy days I’ll offer the same big baits but in bone with either some pink or some orange included. But, if I don’t have any luck on top, I like to revert back to my roots by pulling out some of the more popular colors of my 51MR and 52MR MirroLures — the Texas Chicken, the Widow Maker, and the Tahiti Sunrise.

They are just as effective today as they were thirty years ago. And wire leaders will almost certainly guarantee the fact that you won’t experience a break-off while fishing in the surf, but I like using a short length of thirty-pound test monofilament line instead, and I’ve found it to last just about as long as the wire leaders and I can’t help but think that I’ve received more strikes over the years due to the monofilament being invisible. Just food for thought.

Have fun, and keep grindin’!

Contact Capt. Chris Martin at bayflatslodge@gmail.com or visit bayflatslodge.com

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Hotspots Focus: Rockport

by Capt. Mac Gable | TF&G Contributor

The Art of The Chase

A

S I LOOKED THROUGH MY BINOCUlars at the large slick drifting across St. Charles Bay in front of my house, my eyes caught the flash of a white boat anchored on the far east shoreline.

The young man on the boat was on the bow with his rod almost bent double. The slick no longer held my attention. I was watching the hooked-up angler who appeared to be in the fish fight of his life.

From the distance I was observing, it seemed clear that whatever he was hooked into was not coming to the boat anytime soon.

Time after time I could see the fish stripping line and the angler desperately trying to regain the paid out line. By now I settled into my chair and braced my elbows on the arms so I wouldn’t miss any of the details.

No cable TV channel can match this type of entertainment, and I had the best seat in the house. The fish took the young man around his center console from bow to stern more than five times. I could tell he was using a spinning reel with some sort of dark braided line.

The antagonist (fish) never gave away what it was, and my mind was in lock step with what the angler must be thinking: What the heck did I hook? Will my line hold up?

Did I tie my knots correctly? Will it break off on the prop? What do I do if I run out of line? Will I ever get to see what it is? If I get it close, how do I net it or get it into the boat?

Right then his arms were burning and his heart about to jump out of his chest. Suffice it to say he was gonna hold onto the rod even if it meant getting wet.

The fish must have finally figured out he was not gonna get loose by going in a circle around the boa,t and it made a hard drive C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 69

straight into the middle of the bay. Best thing that could happen, I thought to myself, convinced that deeper water and no obstructions were to the young angler’s advantage.

The fish was running hard now, directly away from port side of the boat and the sweating young angler was stumbling to get around the console and not break his neck in the process. He stood fast on his tip toes with a look that said he wished he could walk on water.

By now I was coaching out loud, my Labrador (named Diesel), thinking I was yelling at him. “Play out some line while you still have some and get off anchor,” I pleaded.

The angler stood transfixed, not knowing what else to do but hold on and hope the fish turned back his way. I could see the rod go straight at a 90-degree angle from the angler and I felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I knew the shiny bottom of the spool was now showing itself. Something had to give, and at the current pace it was probably not going to be the fish.

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

The young man, in a last ditch attempt, extended his arms clutching the outstretched rod trying to gain inches of line back, only postponing the inevitable.

As far away as I was, it seemed I could hear the line break as it separated from the spool and in slow motion watched as the dark braided line separated and launched from the tired angler’s rod and disappeared into the murky water forever.

When this happens, one’s senses are short circuited. It takes several minutes for the heart to slow down. In the meantime a deep sense of loss descends like a warm blanket: What was it?; What did I do wrong?; God must hate me; I will never know what gave me the angling fight of my life; No one will ever know how hard I fought; and, What do I have to show for it?

The young man simply fell to his knees and tossed his rod onto the deck of the boat with his head down. I wanted to cry for him, CONTINUED ON PAGE 70

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

u

69

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Rockport Focus I wanted to reassure him. It is just a fish, it’s just fishing, not life or death, you’ll catch him another day.

Yeah, right.

Not even for a millisecond does that help.

You’ve just lost possibly the fish of a lifetime and while in the coming months and years it will gel itself into a positive memory, nothing at that moment in time helps. Nothing!

After a while the young man collected his gear, hoisted his anchor and made the short trip back to the boat ramp where, still shaking his head, he loaded his boat and drove off. I wanted to talk to him but honestly any words of encouragement or advice would be like spitting in already-stale Post Toasties.

The advice I offer here will probably not be heeded, for in the heat of battle, a person tends to seek his own course, and the grey matter between our ears often fails to contribute. Most of us are not trained to battle really big fish, especially in the bay where fish in the two- to five-pound range are the norm.

How often will the recreational angler hook up with a really big fish? Seldom if ever, and if and when they do, words of advice are usually long since forgotten. That said, I will try to keep this simple, so here goes: HAVE YOUR ANCHOR RIGGED with a quick disconnect so you can get off anchor quickly. A carabiner is good, or what I use is a knot I call a “double wrap half hitch.” It allows me (most of the time) to disconnect with one hand and hold the rod with the other.

When setting your anchor, put a simple large popping cork or floatie on the anchor line close to where it ties to the boat, so after you’ve disconnected the anchor and finished chasing your fish you can recover your anchor. It takes all of 10 seconds to do this and will help you find your hundred-dollar anchor after all the action is over.

Use a Power Pole or equivalent when by yourself. A simple push of the button and you are underway. Never, and I mean NEVER chase a fish by yourself using your outboard motor. This is asking for disaster.

If there are two people (which is the way you should be fishing) then let the fun begin.

The angler on the fishing pole is the chief and the one disconnecting the boat from 70 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 70

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

anchor and driving the boat is the subordinate taking direction.

There is an art to chasing a fish with a boat and only trial and error will make you good at it. The angler will be hollering at you so go slow and base your navigating action on which direction the angler’s line is going.

Why disconnect the anchor? A boat adrift has more give to it than one fixed to the bottom, and your chances of a continued fight with less break offs is much better. If the fish runs with the wind, even better as the boat will drift to complement the run.

I’ve had fish pull me over 300 yards while the battle ensued. Most folks who attempt the chase go too fast and end up working against themselves. The best of both worlds is a trolling motor that allows the chase while fighting the fish. A trolling motor doesn’t spook the monster you’ve hooked like an outboard motor would. Bass fishermen are really the best at this, as they use a trolling motor 3/4 of their fishing day. It’s an acquired skill that takes practice.

This type of fishing is not every one’s cup of tea, and some will not go through the effort of the chase. Their tackle and short term sanity are probably better off, and honestly—such efforts often end with the disappointment of a lost fish even when everything is done right. However, when you land a fish of a lifetime, you seldom remember the effort, but you’ll always remember the chase.

• • • WITH THE HEAT COMES OPPORtunity. Early morning this time of year is hard to beat using either croaker or live shrimp. I like noise as well in my rigs, be it a cork or a free-line rig with a rattler on it.

COPANO BAY - Lap Reef is good for trout using croaker off the deeper edges.

Early morning this same reef can produce some nice red action using finger mullet or cut perch thrown on top of the shallow shell.

The Turtle Pen area is a good place for reds using cut mullet on a light Carolina rig.

There are still some sheep head close to the pilings on the old LBJ fishing pier. Small F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

hooks and squid are the right combination.

ARANSAS BAY - The potholes in front of Mud Island are good for trout using live shrimp and a rattle cork. Drifting in this area works well. Allyn’s Bight is good for some keeper reds using cut mullet on a light Carolina rig. Black drum frequent this area and fresh dead shrimp are good here for these tasty morsels on a light Carolina rig.

ST. CHARLES BAY - Some good trout can be found at the mouth of Cavasso Creek using free-lined croaker. The key to this area is to find the deep water transition and be patient. Twin Creeks is good for a few flounders using live shrimp on a fish finder rig. If you find one, stay put as there are usually more.

CARLOS BAY - On high tide the shell reefs in this area are good for reds using finger mullet thrown on top of shell.

Free lined is best since it’s easy to get hung up in this area. Midday is a good time to fish the deeper water of Carlos Trench using red and white deep running rattle traps for trout and reds.

MESQUITE BAY - The east shoreline is good for trout using Berkley Jerk shad in morning glory and anchovy colors.

Rattlesnake Reef is good for reds using Berkley Gulp shrimp under a bubble cork.

The key here is being quiet and fishing during a high tide.

AYERS BAY - The deeper water mid-bay reefs are holding some trout with free-lined live shrimp the best bet. Wading the east shoreline works well for reds using mud minnows or finger mullet either freelined or on a very light Carolina rig.

THE BANK BITE THE AIRPORT SHORELINE of Copano Bay is good for reds and black drum. For reds, cut menhaden works well and for black drum peeled shrimp is best. Often the menhaden oil will bring the black drum in, so if no reds switch to shrimp for the drum.

Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Hotspots Focus: Lower Coast

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Silver Linings

J

ULY IS A MONTH OF BIPOLARITY. YOU can either sing or curse about Caesar’s month. It can be a feast or famine month on Lower Laguna Madre, a period of epic catches or monumental water hauls. If there has been a long stretch blazing hot, windy weather, the fishing might tail off as the flats become too warm for even redfish and everything backs into deeper water by mid-morning.

Every marine critter in the area seems to take a pause to catch their breath as they ramp up to the full moon of the month, when the crab migration swings online, and the action picks up. Some fishermen in the know, however, take the opportunity to head out to the Brazos Santiago Pass and have a go at the tarpon that seem to be rolling everywhere this time of year.

For years, tarpon was one of the mainstay sport fish of LLM, and they were ingrained in the cultural identity of the communities of Port Isabel and South Padre Island. The Texas International Fishing Tournament and the annual Tarpon Rodeo focused on industrial-sized poons. Every summer, the Brownsville Herald was filled with photos of happy anglers next to large tarpon. The Silver King was truly king of South Texas.

Their numbers dropped off precipitously up and down the coast after World War II, but over the past two decades the silvery fish have been so successful in coming back that Jeremy Ebert of Deer Park, Texas broke the state tarpon record on October 4, 2006 with a 210-pound, 11-ounce behemoth.

He hooked and landed the huge tarpon while soaking menhaden in the surf off the Galveston fishing pier for redfish.

Several years ago, Port Isabel tarpon aficionado Larry Haines hooked into a tarpon C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 71

he estimated at 220 pounds. He fought the monster from the Boca Chica jetties and from Captain Randy Rodger’s skiff for more than eight hours before succumbing to heat prostration. Had Captain Rodgers not broken the fish off and gotten Haines back to shore and medical attention, the story would’ve ended badly.

There are some big fish rolling out there, waiting for the stalwart angler to have a go at them.

A properly equipped fisherman has a shot at latching onto one of the tarpons that cruise the Brazos Santiago Pass. Early in the morning, you can actually see pods rolling along the Boca Chica side of the Brazos Santiago Jetties. These tarpons are not necessarily feeding, but they will take a swipe at a topwater or a one ounce gold or chrome Rat-L-Trap.

Live baiters can try an oversized shrimp, six-inch finger mullet, or palm-sized pinfish fished under a balloon. If you’re hopping the rocks, then you may be well-advised to equip yourself with a large-capacity spinning reel or casting reel and a long medium/medium heavy rod at least eight- or nine-feet long; these fish can wreak havoc on lesser tackle.

Make a long cast out into the current and let the balloon ride the eddies out to where the tarpon are lurking. The balloon will suspend the bait at a predetermined depth (between three and five feet). If the tarpon are about, it doesn’t take too long for one to inhale it.

It takes a great deal of force to sink a hook into a tarpon’s bony jaw, even with the stoutest rod and braided line. Therefore, it’s a good idea to use a circle hook such as an 8/0 Mustad Demon Perfect Circle Hook.

Let the tarpon run with the bait for about 15 seconds, then engage the reel, lift the rod and let the line come tight. The circle hook usually will settle in the corner of the fish’s jaw.

As the day progresses, fishermen who are still working the area should focus on the deeper hole at the end of the jetty. Some tarpons—and a few snook—will still be holding in the cooler depths, waiting for the current A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

to push something edible by their noses.

Again, a live shrimp or baitfish fished deeper in the water column will not last long. Lure fishermen should look to an oldie but goodie, the Mirrolure Series 65M switchbait in red head/white body.

Fly fishermen should not shy away from trying for these kings of the granite. A 9-10 weight flyrod with plenty of backing should work well in most applications. The most popular fly is a white monster called the Tarpon Bunny, which seems to be stiff mojo for tarpon of all sizes. For more information on how to properly equip yourself for jetties tarpon, contact Larry Haines at The Shop (956-943-1775).

Schools of smaller tarpon are always roaming the surf beginning in July. When southeasterly winds push clear water all the way up to the beach, you can actually see the pods of tarpon cruising through the waves or in the guts during high tide.

The great thing about these fish is that they are perfect opponents for the typically equipped surf fisherman who is chasing trout and redfish. A 40-pound tarpon is great fun on a 7-7 ½ foot trout rod with a reel loaded with 12- to 15-pound line. You can fight him from the shore, and if the fish starts a greyhound run parallel to the beach, you can hoof it keep up with him.

These beachbum tarpons will strike the same lures and flies that trout and redfish will strike. If you target them specifically, patterns that include white or red seem to work best, and noisy plugs are very effective. Don’t be surprised if one of these junior thugs sucks down a shrimp under a popping cork, either.

These fish aren’t very discriminating. Jeremy Ebert’s fish showed they’ll even take cut bait.

It may not seem appropriate behavior for so cosmopolitan a fish as the tarpon to slurp down a chunk of cut mullet, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a fisherman that will complain.

Contact Calixto Gonzales at ContactUs@fishgame.com &

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

71

6/4/14 10:55 AM

UPPER GULF COAST

Six-Mile Run for Sabine Specks

by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Louisiana Holly Beach HOTSPOT: 6 Mile Rigs GPS: N 29 46.247

W 93 27.559

(29.770779, -93.459322) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Zoom Flukes and H&H Cocahoe Minnows in glow or glow/chartreuse on 1/4 oz. jig heads CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 www.goldenhookguide.com TIPS: “We go through the boat cut on the Louisiana side of the jetties and run parallel with the coast until you I get to the first rigs that you can see, about six miles from the jetties. I like to start my fishing efforts on the bottom, 16-25 ft. deep. You will find the trout at different levels of the water column. I usually start deep and let the fish tell me how fast I need to work.” Capt. Eddie Hernandez LOCATION: Louisiana Constance Beach HOTSPOT: Beachfront Jetties GPS: N 29 45.563

W 93 34.643

(29.759386, -93.577378) SPECIES: Speckled trout CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 www.goldenhookguide.com TIPS: Hernandez describes the beachfront as having jetties in the surf that run parallel with Highway 82. “They hold a lot of bait and good trout.” Don’t forget your Louisiana fishing license.

LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Sun Gas Wells

72 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 72

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

GPS COORDINATES are provided in two formats: “Decimal Degrees” (degrees.degrees) and “Degrees and Minutes” sometimes called “GPS Format” (degrees minutes. minutes). Examples (for Downtown Austin): Decimal Degrees: N30.2777, W97.7379; Degrees and Minutes: N30 16.6662, W97 44.2739. Consult your manual for information specific to your GPS device.

GPS: N 29 38.932

W 94 48.436

(29.648867, -94.807267) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Marcaccio also recommends Channel Markers 72, 64 and 60. “At the marker the water is about 5-7 feet, and then drops off to 15 feet.”

Capt. Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Exxon C Lease Wells GPS: N 29 40.446

W 94 45.579

(29.6741, -94.75965) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Marcaccio does not recommend anchoring…”Use your trolling motor to work the area around the wells. You can lose a lot of anchors in the underwater structure.”

LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

HOTSPOT: Jack’s Pocket GPS: N 29 44.077

W 94 45.852

(29.734617, -94.7642) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Drift the area. “If you pick up a fish, then come back using your trolling motor.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio.

LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Red Bluff Flats GPS: N 29 35.953

W 94 58.801

(29.599217, -94.980017) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: A 1/4 oz. jig head with soft plastics does the job in the summer. “When you are in 10-12 feet of water throwing up to 5-7 you are not going to expect to get the bait to the bottom. The fish are suspended in the water column.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Halfmoon Shoal GPS: N 29 23.245

W 94 50.039

(29.387417, -94.833983) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Keep a close watch for incoming or outgoing tankers using the Houston Ship Channel. “A ship wake will suck the water down to where you can almost see the shell in the 5-7 feet of water, creates a huge wake…those wakes actually turn into a roll and they can break over on a boat.”

Capt. Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Middle Reef GPS: N 29 30.202

W 94 39.420

(29.503367, -94.657) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 73

TIPS: In off color water, a plum or black is the best color. “The fish don’t really see the color; they pick up the shadow more than the color.” Capt.

Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Redfish Bar GPS: N 29 30.644

W 94 52.387

(29.510733, -94.873117) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Water clarity plays a major role as to whether you use dark colored baits, or light colored baits. With colors such as limetreuse, pearl, or green, the sun reflects through the bait and the fish pick up the reflection.

LOCATION: Galveston/Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Dows Reef

GPS: N 29 38.858

W 94 54.200

(29.647633, -94.903333) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. jig head; favorite colors are Motor Oil, plum or black for off color water; plum/chartreuse, Salt/Pepper with lime green tail for clear water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Start your day early and get off the water early. By 11:00 a.m. it’s going to be hot on the water.

LOCATION: Matagorda HOTSPOT: Beachfront GPS: N 28 38.299

W 95 52.498

(28.638321, -95.87497) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spooks; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT:

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Texas Hotspots Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: “If we have a northwest wind, our surf is perfect. It’ll be just slick, slick, slick.” Capt.

Tommy Alexander

CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: Be on the water early, casting a small topwater, such as the Super Spook.

LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Halfoon Reef GPS: N 28 32.638

W 96 15.362

(28.543967, -96.256033) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: The new oyster reed, part of Halfmoon Reef that TPWD built, should see lots of action this summer.

LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoals GPS: N 28 33.028

W 96 18.081

(28.550467, -96.30135) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: Alexander prefers a darker colored topwater bait early. “It it’s overcast, you might never take the topwater off…throw it all day.” Capt. Tommy Alexander

LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Airport Flats GPS: N 28 27.532

W 96 18.381

(28.458867, -96.30635) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: When wading, it’s better to have “green” water than crystal clear.

LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Cedar Bayou GPS: N 28 03.668

W 96 51.199

(28.061133, -96.853317) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head

74 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 74

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Cleveland Reef GPS: N 28 39.833

W 95 51.701

(28.663883, -95.861683) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz. jig head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: “I’m looking for grass beds, sand bottom and mullet.” Capt. Tommy Alexander LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Oyster Farms GPS: N 28 41.470

W 95 48.521

(28.691167, -95.808683) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Chrome or Clown colored Super Spook Juniors; Texas Chicken colored MirrOLures; Bass Assassins in Salt & Pepper, white/chartreuse or strawberry/white with a 1/4 oz.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

jig head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander, 979-7098242, captalexander@yahoo.com, www.alexanderguideservice.com TIPS: Surface water with a little chop is better than slick water when working a topwater bait.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Buns-Burners on Aransas Bay

by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Buns Hole GPS: N 27 55.314

W 97 06.628

(27.9219, -97.110467) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Anchor up and fish the holes in the grass.

Pop the croaker or perch once in awhile.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Buns #3 GPS: N 27 55.294

W 97 06.871

(27.921567, -97.114517) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Fishing a croaker…”when drifting, keep the slack out of the line, pop the croaker. He’ll (croaker) feel it and will move.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Super Flats GPS: N 27 54.669

W 97 02.196

(27.91115, -97.0366) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: “About the end of July, we start using piggy perch, a lot more hardy bait.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Quarantine Shoreline GPS: N 27 54.733

W 97 03.502

(27.912217, -97.058367) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Hooking a croaker… “hook them in the tail, using # 5/0 Kahle hook, 30 lb. test leader, with 30 lb. test braided line.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Traylor Island GPS: N 27 56.610

W 97 04.263

(27.9435, -97.07105) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Fishing a croaker…”You have to work it… cast it out there, let it sit for a little bit, pop it, reel it up a little bit, and pop it again.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N 27 53.751

W 97 06.679

(27.89585, -97.111317) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Fishing a croaker…”pop it once in awhile, because if not the croaker will get down into the grass.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Spoil off Lydia Ann Channel GPS: N 27 57.410

W 97 03.590

(27.956833, -97.059833) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 75

meat bite, but you want to stay just above, or just below the spine. You don’t want to puncture that or he will bleed to death.”

CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: “Although I fish Traylor, Dagger and other places in Aransas and Redfish Bay, if the wind will allow, I’ll go out and fish the surf.” Capt. Randy Seidel

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: The Rocks GPS: N 27 48.195

W 97 23.040

(27.80325, -97.384) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lined live croaker or shrimp CONTACT:

LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Dagger Island GPS: N 27 50.217

W 97 09.967

(27.83695, -97.166117) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lining croaker or piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Randy Seidel 361-332-1133 seidelfishing@cableone.net www.seidelguideservice.com TIPS: Fishing a croaker…”pop the croaker and they make a noise. That’s usually when you get your bite.” Capt. Randy Seidel LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Corpus Christi Bay Wells GPS: N 27 44.764

W 97 11.141

(27.746067, -97.185683) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lined live croaker or shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Robert Brooks 361-729-7170 brooksfishingrockport@yahoo.com www.fishingrockport.com TIPS: Capt. Robert Brooks uses croaker in the 4-5 inch size. “You can catch fish on the smaller sized croaker, but with a larger bait you rule out a lot of smaller fish.”

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Demit Island GPS: N 27 41.473

W 97 14.166

(27.691217, -97.2361) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lined live croaker or shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Robert Brooks 361-729-7170 brooksfishingrockport@yahoo.com www.fishingrockport.com TIPS: Brooks explains how he hooks his croakers: “Above the spine, below the dorsal the fin, or I will come up underneath the spine, above the anal fin on the bottom. You want to get a deep enough hold on the croaker that they don’t tear off when you throw them, or if a fish plays with them, he doesn’t tear them off. You want to get a deep A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

75

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Texas Hotspots Capt. Robert Brooks 361-729-7170 brooksfishingrockport@yahoo.com www.fishingrockport.com TIPS: The croaker retrieve: “Throw the croaker out, reel up the slack out until you feel the weight of the croaker, then more or less let him do his thing. If nothing is hitting him I’ll raise him up real lightly, not just jerk on him, but flip him up and down, try to bring him up off the bottom about a foot or two and then let him swim back down, settle down.”

LOWER GULF COAST

Mangrove Snapper Fit for a Queen

by CALIXTO GONZALES and TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Queen Isabella Causeway GPS: N 26 05.000

W 97 11.716

(26.08333, -97.195271) SPECIES: Mangrove snapper BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, live finger mullet.

CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish in the shade of the Causeway for some chunky (many grow over 12 inches), feisty mangrove snapper. Free line a shrimp next to the pilings for best results. If you are feeling ambitions, flick a live finger mullet in the same area.

You never know when a 5 or 6 pound fish might try and yank your rod out of your hands.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Penascal Point Reef GPS: N 27 15.973

W 97 25.377

(27.266217, -97.42295) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Skitter Walk topwaters; Saltwater Assassin soft plastics in New Morning or pearl/ chartreuse colors CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Barden 281-636-2675 brandonbarden361@yahoo.com www.baffinprocharters.com TIPS: If the fishing condition includes wind, Barden prefers a loud bait such as the Catch 5 in

76 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 76

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

gold and chartreuse. “Throw it out there, twitch it, get that noise going, give them something to find.”

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Kleberg Point Rocks GPS: N 27 16.371

W 97 36.636

(27.27285, -97.6106) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Skitter Walk topwaters; Saltwater Assassin soft plastics in New Morning or pearl/ chartreuse colors CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Barden 281-636-2675 brandonbarden361@yahoo.com www.baffinprocharters.com TIPS: Look for finger sized mullet flipping across the water. ”Big mullet is not the bait you want to see.” Capt. Brandon Barden LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Spoils GPS: N 27 14.655

W 97 24.843

(27.24425, -97.41405) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Free lined live croaker or live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Barden 281-636-2675 brandonbarden361@yahoo.com www.baffinprocharters.com TIPS: Barden’s popping cork method: “1-2 pops intermittently and then let it sit for 10-15 seconds, pop it once, wait 10-15 seconds, pop it 2 times… repeat the process…a decent pop, but not real hard. If you pop it too hard you are just throwing your bait off.”

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: White Bluff GPS: N 27 14.902

W 97 35.717

(27.248367, -97.595283) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Free lined live croaker or live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Barden 281-636-2675 brandonbarden361@yahoo.com www.baffinprocharters.com TIPS: In July, free lined croaker is going to be the better live bait.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

HOTSPOT: Spoil Island of ICW GPS: N 27 15.095

W 97 24.761

(27.251583, -97.412683) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Smaller Skitter Walks CONTACT: Capt. Brandon Barden 281-636-2675 brandonbarden361@yahoo.com www.baffinprocharters.com TIPS: “’Walk the dog’, with a short pause every now and then, a couple of quick twitches to kind of give it that injured look.” Capt. Brandon Barden.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Mexequita flats GPS: N 26 03.666

W 97 10.613

(26.0611, -97.176883) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Gold spoons; soft plastics in red and white, cut ballyhoo, live shrimp/popping cork.

CONTACT: Captain Carlos Garcia 956-433-8034 TIPS: Redfish roam this broad flat between the old Queen Isabella Causeway and the ICW. Fish the area on high tide (low tide makes this place a parking lot). Gold spoons are the old standby, but a DOA Shrimp or Norton’s Bull Minnow fished under a Cajun Thunder around the potholes is also very effective. Give the cork good jerk, and listen for the “click” when the bait has settled back underneath it before repeating. Live and cut bait are effective if fish are finicky.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Brazos Santiago Pass (bank access via Boca Chica jetties) GPS: N 26 03.934

W 97 09.229

(26.065573, -97.153816) SPECIES: Tarpon BEST BAITS: finger mullet, live pinfish; soft plastics in chartreuse, smoke, Rat-L-Traps in blue/ chrome, black back/gold.

CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Tarpon roam close to the end of the jetties, where they hang near the bottom waiting for something tasty to happen by. Most fishermen prefer casting from the head of the hole with a free-lined or lightly weighted bait. They allow the presentation to naturally flow with the current. A large bucktail sweetened with a bait or a noisy crankbait are good choices if the fish are active. A A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

14-20 pound class rod is a good choice here.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Drum Boats GPS: N 26 10.713

W 97 11.107

(26.17855, -97.185117) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: live bait; cut ballyhoo, topwaters; soft plastics in red/white, New Penny CONTACT: Captain Carlos Garcia 956-433-8034 southtexasredfish200@gmail.com TIPS: Watch for tails or disturbed water. If the late morning and afternoon wind has the water agitated, then you can fish live bait or soft plastics underneath a popping cork while prospecting for these same fish.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Saucer GPS: N 26 28.134

W 97 23.667

(26.4689, -97.39445) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Live croaker; Gulp! shrimp in Nuclear Chicken, Lime Tiger; soft plastics in chartreuse patterns.

CONTACT: LF Outfitters 956-371-0220 www.lgoutfitters.com TIPS: The Saucer is always good for speckled trout during the teeth of summer. Start off in shallow water early in the day, and move back deeper as the sun rises. If the wind begins to pick up around mid morning, then watch either for a color change to form, or look for potholes to fish around.

Trout use these to ambush prey. Live shrimp under a popping cork, or a Gulp! Shrimp under same is a good choice for this area. Don’ be afraid to fish with a Gold Spoon if the opportunity presents itself.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Peyton’s Bay GPS: N 26 24.528

W 97 21.703

(26.4088, -97.361717) SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: live Topwaters; gold spoons, red spinnerbaits; soft plastics in clear/red, red/white, Pearl/red CONTACT: LG Outfitters 956-371-0220 www.lgoutfitters.com TIPS: Pods of redfish can be located in the shallow waters of the area all summer. Fish the northernmost edge on line with the yellow house that is visible during part of the drift, and work gold C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 77

BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Carolina rigs, deep crankbaits, Flukes, Senkos CONTACT: Dannie Golden - Get Bit Guide Service 817-228-5999 www.get-bit.com TIPS: The largemouth bass will be on their summertime spots. Deep water or close to deep water is important. Topwater early, then Carolina rigs and deep cranks will get you bit. I like a popping bait early this time of year. Don’t get in a big hurry with it. Use the crankbait to locate fish on deep rocks and drop offs. After the crankbait bite dies off, slow down with the Carolina rig and work the same area. There will still be some shallow fish on the main lake, around the grass. Flukes and Senkos will still get you bit around the grass. Fish them weightless, concentrating on the outside edge of the grass.

spinnerbaits or spoons. Live bait under a popping cork works well, too. Watch for the terns, though.

Those little breeders will dive-bomb a live shrimp and steal him off your hook first chance they have.

LOCATION: Padre Island Shoreline HOTSPOT: North of Access 6 GPS: N 26 14.000

W 97 16.830

(26.233333, -97.2805) SPECIES: tarpon BEST BAITS: Topwaters in Bone, Bone/ chrome, MirrOlure 51MR in green/silver/white.

CONTACT: Quick Stop 956-943-1159 TIPS: Tarpon hunters can cruise up and down the beach and watch the clear surf breakers.

Pods of 20-40 pound fish swim up and down parallel to the beach in search of forage. The sun illuminates the clear water, and their shadows are easily visible to the sharp eye. When you spot some tarpon working, pull over, hop out, and start fan casting. If a tarpon sees your plug, he’s going to take it usually.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam and Aerator GPS: Dam

N 31 56.094

W 97 12.990

(31.9349, -97.2165) GPS: Aerator

N 31 54.864

W 97 11.652

(31.9144, -97.1942 SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps and Little Georges CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: The Whites are schooling early along the Dam. Run the dam and make long casts using chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps and Little Georges.

After the sun get’s high move over to the Bubbler (aerator) and enjoy fast action on Whites and Black Bass as they move in to gorge on the shad taking advantage of the aerator.

LOCATION: Laguna Madre at Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: East of Marker 151 GPS: N 26 31.890

W 97 23.260

(26.5315, -97.387667) SPECIES: Speckled trout.

BEST BAITS: Gulp! Jerk Shads in limetreuse, pearl. Soft plastics in red/white, fire tiger CONTACT: Captain Danny Neu 979-942-0165 danny.neu.39@facebook.com TIPS: Wade or drift the deep potholes in the area with soft plastics, or your favorite redfish lures to find pods of reds cruising the flats in this area. If you can locate the depth break, wade parallel to it and cast along the break. Watch for trout chasing bait along the grasslines.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

LOCATION: Lake Belton HOTSPOT: Main Lake Coves GPS: N 31 08.088

W 97 28.578

(N31.1348, W97.4763) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, jigs, buzzbaits or poppers CONTACT: Henry Niemiec 254-268-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: Both the air and water have warmed and summer activities on area lakes are in full swing.

For this reason you’ll want to get an early start to

Ray Roberts Bass Park It in the Cove

by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: State Park Cove GPS: N 33 21.695

W 97 02.000

(33.361581, -97.033336) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

77

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Texas Hotspots your day of fishing. This time of the year you’ll find me on the water well before the sun comes up and off the water by about 10:00AM. At this time in the morning you’ll catch bass up in the shallows feeding. My bait of choice is a buzzbait or popper. Move yourself in the backs of coves and work these baits close to the shoreline or anything that is sticking out of the water. The key here is to cove as much water as you can. As the sun comes up these fish will move towards deeper water, stopping on the points leading into the cove you were just in. A spinnerbait works great here, however if you can’t get them to chase it, a jig will always work. Once the sun is up and activity on the water increases, take a break. Recharge the batteries and be ready it hit the water again in the evening. The fish will be doing the same thing, only in reverse order. Evening bass fishing can be some of the best fishing of the year. Good Luck and see you on the water.

LOCATION: Lake Bridgeport HOTSPOT: Methodist Camp Flats GPS: N 33 14.829

W 97 50.541

(33.24715 -97.84235) SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad, prepared punch baits CONTACT: Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service 940-577-0363 Lakebridgeportguideservice.com TIPS: Great area to drift... long sandy flats. Take advantage of the south wind and drift the area using bottom bouncing rigs. Good area for Sand Bass also.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: North Main Lake GPS: N 32 23.111

W 96 11.756

(32.385179, -96.195935) SPECIES: Channel Catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait (any brand) CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish straight down, concentrating on all stumps in 8-16 feet of water. Use 1/4 to 1/2 oz. of weight pegged or pinched directly to the line about 2 to 6 inches above a #6 treble hook. Use chum if available. If not just fish and the bait will serve as the chum. It just takes catching a few fish as the bait washes off in the water.

78 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 78

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Deer Stand Hump SPECIES: Catfish GPS: N 29 55.945

W 96 43.782

(29.93242, -96.72970) BEST BAITS: Stink bait, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Hump is 6 foot deep. Anchor closer to shore and cast back to the hump. Fish will be hanging around the hump looking for bait fish.

Use a tight line presentation with egg sinker.

Water is getting warm now and fish will be away from the shore in deeper water. Use of punch bait is at its very best when the water is warm. Night fishing is good here too as the fish come from deeper water to the hump.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Reservoir HOTSPOT: Fullers Shelf SPECIES: Crappie GPS: N 30 37.422

W 96 03.271

(30.6237, -96.05452) BEST BAITS: Minnows, curly tail jigs in red/ white or black/chartreuse CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Lots of stumps and brush piles in this area.

Experiment with the depth of your bait until you find the bite, moving the depth 8-12 inches each time. Look for shallower bite early morning when water is cooler. A fish light can be very effective at night now that the days are hotter. Small curly tail jigs in red/white or black/chartreuse are good here as is smaller minnows. Do not fish on one stump if the bite slows as another stump 10 feet away may be holding fish.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N 32 23.148

W 97 42.336

(32.3858, -97.7056) SPECIES: White Bass/Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live Shad and jigging slabs in silver and chartreuse CONTACT: Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 http://www.unfairadvantagecharters.com F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

TIPS: Jigging and fishing between 10 to 20 feet down near channel ledges, feeding flats and humps. Bouncing your jigs/slabs off the bottom may get the most strikes. Some schooling action may occur early and late. Keep a Mepps Spinner, Rooster Tail or a Rattle Trap handy for some of this fast and furious action. Granbury’s level continues to be about 10.5 feet low. Access is available for smaller boats at the launch by the Hilton and a private ramp at a local subdivision has extended their ramp. Make sure you call before you head out. Water temperatures are in the upper 70’s/low 80’s in July and continue to rise as the summer progresses LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main lake area out from the dam GPS: N 30 41.976

W 97 20.358

(30.6996, -97.3393) SPECIES: White bass BEST BAITS: slab spoons, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: This is the time of the year to load up on white bass. They can be found schooling all over the main lake from noon to 5 pm. Find the humps and ridges and search these areas with your sonar. When you see the concentrations, stop and jig a slab spoon over the area. If you don’t get a hit, then keep looking. When you find the fish, position your boat directly over the hump and use a slab spoon to jig straight up and down. Bounce the jig a foot or two off the bottom. Another presentation is to drag the spoon just like you would fish a Carolina rigged worm. The whites will keep hitting until they get hooked. Working Rat-L-Traps through these areas is also a good plan. Be sure to stay over the hump. If you go out chasing them over deep water, you will not put as many in the boat. Good luck and good fishing.

LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main lake humps and ridges GPS: N 30 40.866

W 97 22.169

(30.681099, -97.369490) SPECIES: White bass Baits: Slab spoons CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Now is the time to catch white bass at A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Texas Hotspots GPS: N 32 00.372

W 96 12.270

(32.0062, -96.2045) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Small Minnows CONTACT: Royce & Adam Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: Summertime Crappie Fishing on Richland Chambers gets good in July and August. Fish are often found on the Hwy 287 Bridge Columns in 20’-30’ depths and can be caught on small minnows. The early morning low light conditions and night fishing are when most are caught, but often the midday bite during the hottest time of the day can yield some nice catches.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point/309 Flats GPS: N 31 56.460

W 96 07.350

(31.9410, -96.1225) SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Clear Tiny Torpedo or 1/4 oz.

Blue/Chrome Rat-L-Trap CONTACT: Royce & Adam Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: July is the month that the White Bass go full force into a top water feeding frenzy that will last all summer long! Check out the main lake south shoreline from Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point, and the Hwy 309 Flats on the north shoreline. Look for the terns and egrets picking up bait over large schools of Whites.

Sometimes, the schooling fish will literally be chasing shad in 5 to 10 acre size schools. Tie on a Clear Tiny Torpedo or 1/4 oz. Blue/Chrome Rat-LTrap and you’re in business. This is a thrill for Kids and Adults who think like Kids!

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: South Schooling Area SPECIES: White Bass/Hybrids GPS: N 30 19.351

W 96 33.721

(30.32252, -96.56202) BEST BAITS: Ghost Minnows, Shad, Small spoon, Red/Silver slabs, Little George CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com

80 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 80

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

www.FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: If using Shad or Ghost Minnows, anchor in this area and use tight line and #2 Kahle hook.

For trolling use a Hellbender with small pet spoon lure as a trailer. If you locate schools of fish on your electronics, use slabs bounced off the bottom to entice the bite. Late afternoon fish sometimes school on top. Have a Little George rigged and ready if schooling starts as top feeding might not last very long at one time.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Alberta Creek GPS: N 33 57.628

W 96 35.946

(33.960462, -96.599106) SPECIES: Striped bass BEST BAITS: Topwater plugs and slabs CONTACT: Bill Carey 903 660-5989 bigfish@striperexpress.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: This time of year presents topwater fishing at its best! Early morning, several large schools will surface around the lake. These schools of fish can be a mile long and a half-mile wide. Cast Pencil Popper topwater plugs for great action.

After the surface action ends, locate the schools of fish with your electronics. Then, vertically drop slabs and use a fast retrieve. The fish will try to pull the rod out of your hands! Bank Access: Washita Point and Platter Flats.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Island Ledge & McCowan Flats GPS: N 31 55.439

W 97 24.624

(31.92398, -97.410407) SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: 3/4 oz. Chartreuse Slabs from RSRLURES.com CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com, www.teamredneck.net TIPS: The thermocline has set in and the Whites are relating to a reaction strike. Bouncing chartreuse 3/4 oz. slabs on ledges above the thermocline ( 20 feet) has been catching limits daily. In the early morning, look for schooling white bass from island to dam and around the McCowan flats. You can make long cast with the slabs and let them flutter down below the schooling fish and catch the larger ones feeding on what they injure and drop.

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

PINEY WOODS

Conroe’s Catfish Action Stinks

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 26.230

W 95 35.511

(30.437175, -95.591847) SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: stink bait, shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: The catfish will start feeding in the 15 to 20 foot depth ranges most days you will catch a lot of fish in the one pound and a half to three pound range. Bait a spot or two using cattle cubes. Just dump some over on a spot close to a creek or river channel give it about thirty minutes.

Use a #6 treble hook with a sponge and an eighth ounce weight. Get a tub of Primos dipping bait and punch the sponge in until it absorbs the bait.

Drop it to the bottom and wait until you feel either a good strike or any additional weight on the end of the line. Once you feel either, set the hook and try to pull their lips off. Usually the larger fish just feel like additional weight on the line. Good luck and good fishing! Bank Access: Stowaway Marina.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: The Hump GPS: N 30 47.023

W 95 06.589

(30.783716, -95.109812) SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live Shad, 1 ¼ oz. white slabs, spoons, Tsunami Holographic hot pink/gold 4 inch Swim Shad.

CONTACT: David S Cox - Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Bounce baits off the bottom, look for strikes on falling baits. Troll Tsunami Swim Shad behind a #10 jet diver. BANK ACCESS: Beacon Bay Marina.

A L M A N A C

6/8/14 4:53 PM

Granger Lake. They can be found schooling out from the dam in main lake flats and around the humps and ridges. The best time to fish is from 11:00am to 5:00pm during the hottest part of the day. They will herd shad to the ridges to feed on them. Position your boat right over the ridge or hump and jig the slab spoon off the bottom. It has to make contact with the bottom to catch the larger fish. Just hop the jig about 2 feet off the bottom and let it fall with a tight line to feel the bite.

Sometimes, dragging (just like you would fish a Carolina rig) the slab spoon will produce the larger fish. Try these tips and you should put some fish in the boat. Good luck and good fishing.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: North Pipe Lines GPS: N 32 16.412

W 95 29.799

(32.273526, -95.496642) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Crank baits or deep divers in shad color CONTACT: Ricky’s Guide Service 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the areas where the river cross the pipe lines fish slow and hit the drops on both sides of the lanes slowly. Down south work the main lake points as all will produce bass. Fish all your main lake points where you have good drop offs on the ends of them.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: 155 Road Bridges GPS: N 32 08.763

W 95 28.264

(32.146054, -95.471072) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Mr. Minno jigs By Mr. Twister in 1/16th oz. and minnows CONTACT: Ricky’s Guide Service 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Crappie action here has been great. Work your jigs along the edges of the bridge piles and in any brush you can find under the 155 road bridges

BEST BAITS: Danny King punch bait and night crawlers CONTACT: Ricky’s Guide Service 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Anchor up and fish rod and reel on the humps in front of or in the mouth of Ledbetter Creek.

CONTACT: Ricky’s Guide Service 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish along the edges of the grass and along edge of the creek. Also concentrate on fishing all the bends of the creek very slowly.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: South Near the Dam GPS: N 32 03.530

W 95 26.031

(32.058838, -95.433847) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Shimmy Shakers in Blue Herron color by Texas Spinner Bait Company, Mr. Twister Comida worms in Watermelon Red, frogs and buzz baits CONTACT: Ricky’s Guide Service 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 ricky@rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish deep diving crank baits on the points.

Fish diligently and cover all angels of the points, fishing them as slow as you can and making sure all areas of the points are covered.

LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Kates Point GPS: N 33 22.667

W 97 03.209

(33.377786, -97.053483) SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Heddon Baby Torpedo, chartreuse/white slab CONTACT: Dannie Golden - Get Bit Guide Service 817-228-5999 www.get-bit.com TIPS: July is one of the best months of the year to catch a mess of fish. The white bass will be schooling on the main lake. Kates Point is always a great place to look for schooling action. Most of the main lake points and flats will have schooling fish on them. The face of the dam and just South of the marina will as well. A clear Heddon Baby Torpedo is killer on schooling whites. Once they drop off the surface, drop a 1oz chartreuse/white slab down on them.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Down south in the mouth of Ledbetter Creek GPS: N 32 07.400

W 95 28.413

(32.123335, -95.473558) SPECIES: Catfish

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Hwy 287 Bridge Columns

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: North end Kickapoo Area GPS: N 32 16.767

W 95 30.051

(32.279449, -95.500852) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Shimmy Shakers in Blue Herron color by Texas Spinner Bait Company, Mr. Twister Comida worms in Watermelon Red, frogs and buzz baits C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 79

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

79

6/4/14 10:55 AM

LOCATION: Toledo Bend North HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points (Silvia Bend) GPS: N 31 39.024

W 93 49.092

(31.6504, -93.8182) SPECIES: Black & white bass BEST BAITS: Numerous-topwater lures, crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, slab spoons, and plastics CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 www.toledobendguide.com gregcrafts@yahoo.com TIPS: In July the main lake points will be active with plenty of schooling activity for both the Black and White Bass. Typically early morning and late evening will be the prime feeding times. Work top water plugs, Rat-L-Traps, shallow diving crank baits, slab spoons and plastics. Start off shallow and back out to deeper water if needed.

PANHANDLE

Night Fishing for Alan Henry Bass

by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Dam to Gobbler Creek GPS: N 33 03.605

W 101 02.632

(33.060084, -101.043868) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Deep diving crank baits, Little George’s, spoons, and drop shot flukes CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayotn42@sbcgolbal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/norman_clayton.htm TIPS: In July, night fishing with large plastic worms is a great tactic. You can use large crank baits or spinner baits as well. It is fun and very exciting to get a big bass on at night when you can’t see what’s happening until you can get the bass close to the boat. In July during the day, follow the schools of shad to find the bass.

Cruise slowly from the dam area to Gobbler Creek looking for those schools of shad that will lead to the bass. Using deep diving crank baits, Little George’s, spoons, and drop shoting flukes into these schools of shad.

LOCATION: Lake Ft. Phantom Hill HOTSPOT: Main Lake C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 81

GPS: N 32 35.170

W 99 41.711

(32.586164, -99.695177) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows, jigs CONTACT: Lorie & Jason Rohloff, Brushy Creek Bait & Tackle 254-559-1155 texasfishnhunt@aol.com TIPS: Crappie are good on medium minnows and pearl/white and black/silver slab buster jigs.

and RV parks on the water. Also there are cabins to rent too.

LOCATION: Lake Leon HOTSPOT: Deep End GPS: N 32 21.562

W 98 41.169

(32.359373, -98.686152) SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Black Saltys, stinkbait, CJ’s Catfish Bait CONTACT: Lorie & Jason Rohloff, Brushy Creek Bait & Tackle 254-559-1155 texasfishnhunt@aol.com TIPS: Catfish are hiding out in holes where only Black Saltys and stinkbait can draw them. You might try some CJ’s catfish bait available here at Brushy creek in Breckenridge or order over the phone (we can ship it). Fuel and supplies for your trip available at The Barn Too.

LOCATION: Lakes Graham/Eddleman HOTSPOT: Dam areas GPS: N 33 08.080

W 98 37.044

(33.134671, -98.617401) SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Big Saltys, stinkbait, frozen shad CONTACT: Lorie & Jason Rohloff, Brushy Creek Bait & Tackle 254-559-1155 texasfishnhunt@aol.com TIPS: Catfish like being lured from their holes with stink bait or frozen big shad. Black Saltys also seem to be catching on. Call ahead to find out about the boat ramps.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N 32 51.478

W 98 32.10

(32.85796, -98.535004) SPECIES: largemouth bass

LOCATION: Hubbard Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Goat Island GPS: N 32 45.764

W 99 00.499

(32.762738, -99.008317) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: topwaters, deep-diving crankbaits CONTACT: Lorie & Jason Rohloff, Brushy Creek Bait & Tackle 254-559-1155 texasfishnhunt@aol.com TIPS: July is hot here. The fish know it too. Out deep around the sunken bridge and between Goat Island and the Dam are the hot spots. Bass like the deep divers and during early morning and late evening they will hit a topwater like a rocket. Call ahead for info on the boat ramp due to the water levels.

LOCATION: Lake Leon HOTSPOT: Deep End GPS: N 32 21.562

W 98 41.169

(32.359373, -98.686152) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: minnows CONTACT: Lorie & Jason Rohloff, Brushy Creek Bait & Tackle 254-559-1155 texasfishnhunt@aol.com TIPS: Crappie are going deeper during the day and like being fed minnows in about 5-8 feet during early morning and around dusk till about 11 pm. There are several boat ramps to launch from A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

81

6/8/14 4:53 PM

Texas Hotspots BEST BAITS: plastic worms, jig & pig, topwaters, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Dean Heffner, Heffner Guide Service 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: This area is mid-lake still and offers everything the fish need and you can see for a long way to spot topwater action. Bass are good on worms rigged Texas style as well as on jig & pigs, topwaters and spinner baits. Despite the drought, from Costello Island to the dam PK still holds plenty of 50-foot deep water. But be very careful and slow down as the lake has many underwater hazards in the low areas.

BIG BEND

Amistad Bass Like to Rough It

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Rough Canyon GPS: N29 36.31098

W100 58.377

(29.605183, -100.972950) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Pop Rs, buzzbaits, Zara Spooks CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl 830-768-3648 stan@amistadbass.com amistadbass.com TIPS: Fish topwaters from the main lake grass

beds to the backs of the creeks. Zara Spooks are my favorites but Pop Rs and buzzbaits also can be effective. Look for schooling fish throughout the day.

HILL COUNTRY

Stripers Get Low on Buchanan

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Lower End of the Lake GPS: N 30 45.450

W 98 25.056

(30.7575, -98.4176) SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad, slabs, and jigs CONTACT: Ken Miliam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Stripers and hybrids are on the lower end of the lake, close to the dam. In 15 to 30 feet of water holding on rocky structure. Live bait has been most successful but slabs and jigs have been pretty good also.

LOCATION: Lake Austin HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 21.121

W 97 48.356

(30.352010, -97.805938) SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: V&M Wild Thang 8.5, V&M Chopsticks, Picasso Shake E Football, Picasso Shad Walker, V&M Pacemaker Jigs mated with V&M Twin Tail Trailer or Split Tail Beaver CONTACT: Brian Parker 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: This is the time of year to start working the Picasso Shad Walker and V&M Buzz Frog early in the morning as the fish up feeding around the bank edges. Once the top water bite ends, I start working the Chopstick and Wild Thang with a T-rig and C-rig in 10-15 feet. If the water temps start off above 78-80 degrees or there’s a lot of boat traffic, I’ll go from the topwater bite to throwing Picasso Shake E Football with a Wild Thang or a Pacemaker Jig in 15 or more feet of water. The keys to July fishing at Lake Austin are top waters at dawn and dusk then deeper water with jigs, T-rig, and C-rig during the day and night. You can get the V&M and Picasso baits at Fisherman’s Corner in Canyon Lake and Tightlines Premium Fishing Tackle in Killeen to catch big fish.

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N 30 47.864

W 98 23.897

(30.797727, -98.398285) SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad and perch CONTACT: Ken Miliam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Catfish are holding on windy side of main lake points and have been good off the bank using cut shad and perch. Also catching a good number of stripers on cut bait while fishing for catfish!

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Garret Island GPS: N 30 50.525

W 98 24.588

(30.842078, -98.409793) SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs and jigs CONTACT: Ken Miliam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: White bass are on the upper end of the lake around Garret Island area. Fish slabs and jigs in 15 to 30 feet of water.

82 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 82

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/8/14 4:53 PM

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 45.000

W 98 26.724

(30.7500, -98.4454) SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows and jigs CONTACT: Ken Miliam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Crappie catch reports are doing good in 4 to 8 feet of water. Fish white and chartreuse crappie jigs or use live minnows.

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Upper Half of Lake GPS: N 30 50.982

W 98 25.224

(30.8497, -98.4204) SPECIES: Striped Bass, White Bass, Catfish BEST BAITS: Live shad, jigs in chartreuse or white, cut shad CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 83

centraltexasfishing@yahoo.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: Stripers and White Bass fishing is excellent on upper lake ridges. Concentrate on fishing 20 to 30 feet of water. Use live shad or jig slabs or jigs. Eating size catfish are good on jug lines and rod and reel in the early morning using cut shad.

Concentrate fishing in 15 to 25 feet of water near rocky areas. For some middle of the day catfish action, fish in 35 to 45 feet of water near the bottom. Be careful...lake is still dropping.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: North Park Point GPS: N 29 52.290

W 98 12.430

(29.871494, -98.207165) SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Striper jig in white color CONTACT: Capt. Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Trolling this area with downriggers seems to produce the best catches. Set the downriggers from 20 to 40 feet deep and vary trolling speeds.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Dos is Numero Uno for Falcon Bass

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Dos Creeks GPS: N26 55.44252

W99 19.56072

(26.924042, -99.326012) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic worms, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwaters CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish shallow points early with topwater lures and buzzbaits. Once the sun is up, move out to six to eight feet of water and fish the thickest brush with a Texas-rigged plastic worm.

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Sportsman’s Daybook Tides and Prime Times

JULY 2014

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

T12

T4

T11

T10

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

T9 T8 T7

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T15 T16

T6 T17

T3 T2 T1

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T5

T14

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for GALVESTON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY PLACE T1 Sabine Bank Lighthouse T2 Sabine Pass Jetty T3 Sabine Pass T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass T5 Galveston Bay, S. Jetty T6 Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 T11

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY PLACE

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12

Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14

Alligator Point, W. Bay T15

Christmas Pt T16

Galveston Pleasure Pier T17

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY PLACE

San Luis Pass T18

Freeport Harbor T19

Pass Cavallo T20

Aransas Pass T21

Padre Island (So. End) T22

Port Isabel T23

HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:

Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY: AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

12a

AM/PM Timeline

84 |

AM/PM Timeline

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 84

12p

2 0 1 4

12a

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/8/14 4:53 PM

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

TUESDAY

30 «

Jul 1

WEDNESDAY

2

THURSDAY

3

Sunrise: 6:22a Set: 8:22p Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:22p Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:22p Sunrise: 6:23a Set: 8:22p Moonrise: 9:22a Set: 10:33p Moonrise: 10:13a Set: 11:08p Moonrise: 11:04a Set: 11:41p Moonrise: 11:56a Set: None

SATURDAY

4 º

5

6

Sunrise: 6:24a Set: 8:22p Sunrise: 6:24a Set: 8:21p Sunrise: 6:25a Set: 8:21p Moonrise: 12:48p Set: 12:15a Moonrise: 1:42p Set: 12:50a Moonrise: 2:38p Set: 1:27a

AM Minor: 8:17a

PM Minor: 8:39p

AM Minor: 9:06a

PM Minor: 9:27p

AM Minor: 9:53a

PM Minor: 10:15p

AM Minor: 10:40a

PM Minor: 11:01p

AM Minor: 11:26a

PM Minor: 11:48p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:11p

AM Minor: 12:33a

PM Minor: 12:57p

AM Major: 2:06a

PM Major: 2:28p

AM Major: 2:55a

PM Major: 3:16p

AM Major: 3:43a

PM Major: 4:04p

AM Major: 4:30a

PM Major: 4:51p

AM Major: 5:15a

PM Major: 5:37p

AM Major: 6:00a

PM Major: 6:23p

AM Major: 6:45a

PM Major: 7:09p

Moon Overhead: 4:00p

12a

FRIDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:25p

Moon Overhead: 4:43p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:08p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JULY 2014

Moon Overhead: 7:36p

Moon Overhead: 6:51p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:24p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 3:38a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

Low Tide: 12:17 AM High Tide: 8:22 AM Low Tide: 1:49 PM High Tide: 5:09 PM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 85

-0.08ft.

1.30ft.

1.00ft.

1.04ft.

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 5:04a BEST:

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM 9:30 — 11:30 AM

Low Tide: 12:48 AM High Tide: 8:49 AM Low Tide: 2:37 PM High Tide: 6:10 PM

0.05ft.

1.27ft.

0.91ft.

0.95ft.

Low Tide: 1:19 AM High Tide: 9:15 AM Low Tide: 3:29 PM High Tide: 7:38 PM

Moon Underfoot: 5:46a

BEST:

10:30A — 12:30P

0.20ft.

1.23ft.

0.80ft.

0.87ft.

Low Tide: 1:50 AM High Tide: 9:39 AM Low Tide: 4:16 PM High Tide: 9:26 PM

Moon Underfoot: 6:29a

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

0.37ft.

1.20ft.

0.67ft.

0.81ft.

Low Tide: 2:22 AM High Tide: 9:58 AM Low Tide: 4:58 PM High Tide: 11:20 PM

Moon Underfoot: 7:13a 12:00 — 2:00 PM

0.54ft.

1.17ft.

0.52ft.

0.83ft.

Low Tide: 2:58 AM 0.71ft.

High Tide: 10:14 AM 1.16ft.

Low Tide: 5:37 PM 0.35ft.

Moon Underfoot: 8:00a

+2.0

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

High Tide: 1:07 AM Low Tide: 3:46 AM High Tide: 10:24 AM Low Tide: 6:18 PM

0.94ft.

0.89ft.

1.17ft.

0.16ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:21a

+1.0 0 -1.0

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Sportsman’s Daybook

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

TUESDAY

7

8

Sunrise: 6:25a Set: 8:21p Moonrise: 3:37p Set: 2:07a

THURSDAY

9

Sunrise: 6:26a Set: 8:21p Moonrise: 4:37p Set: 2:51a

FRIDAY

10 «

Sunrise: 6:26a Set: 8:21p Moonrise: 5:39p Set: 3:41a

SATURDAY

11 «

Sunrise: 6:26a Set: 8:21p Moonrise: 6:39p Set: 4:36a

12 ¡

Sunrise: 6:27a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 7:38p Set: 5:37a

13 «

Sunrise: 6:27a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 8:32p Set: 6:42a

Sunrise: 6:28a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 9:22p Set: 7:50a

AM Minor: 1:18a

PM Minor: 1:43p

AM Minor: 2:04a

PM Minor: 2:31p

AM Minor: 2:52a

PM Minor: 3:21p

AM Minor: 3:44a

PM Minor: 4:14p

AM Minor: 4:40a

PM Minor: 5:10p

AM Minor: 5:39a

PM Minor: 6:09p

AM Minor: 6:40a

PM Minor: 7:10p

AM Major: 7:30a

PM Major: 7:56p

AM Major: 8:17a

PM Major: 8:45p

AM Major: 9:07a

PM Major: 9:36p

AM Major: 9:59a

PM Major: 10:29p

AM Major: 10:55a

PM Major: 11:25p

AM Major: 11:54a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:25a

PM Major: 12:55p

Moon Overhead: 9:15p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:08p

Moon Overhead: 10:10p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: None 12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:09a

Moon Overhead: 12:08a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JULY 2014

Moon Overhead: 2:09a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 8:49a

+2.0

-1.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

High Tide: 2:33 AM Low Tide: 4:58 AM High Tide: 10:33 AM Low Tide: 7:00 PM

86 |

1.09ft.

1.05ft.

1.20ft.

-0.04ft.

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 86

Moon Underfoot: 10:39a BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

High Tide: 3:32 AM Low Tide: 6:37 AM High Tide: 10:52 AM Low Tide: 7:45 PM

2 0 1 4

1.24ft.

1.18ft.

1.25ft.

-0.24ft.

4:00 — 6:00 PM

High Tide: 4:19 AM Low Tide: 8:15 AM High Tide: 11:35 AM Low Tide: 8:31 PM

T E X A S

F I S H

Moon Underfoot: 11:38a BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

1.37ft.

1.25ft.

1.29ft.

-0.42ft.

High Tide: 5:00 AM Low Tide: 9:24 AM High Tide: 12:38 PM Low Tide: 9:19 PM

&

G A M E ®

1.46ft.

1.28ft.

1.33ft.

-0.54ft.

Moon Underfoot: 12:38p BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:39p BEST:

C O A S T A L

1.52ft.

1.26ft.

1.35ft.

-0.60ft.

High Tide: 6:18 AM Low Tide: 11:01 AM High Tide: 2:57 PM Low Tide: 10:56 PM

+2.0

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM 12:30 — 2:30 AM

High Tide: 5:40 AM Low Tide: 10:14 AM High Tide: 1:47 PM Low Tide: 10:08 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:38p 1:30 — 3:30 AM

1.53ft.

1.19ft.

1.34ft.

-0.58ft.

High Tide: 6:55 AM Low Tide: 11:51 AM High Tide: 4:09 PM Low Tide: 11:45 PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 9:42a

1.50ft.

1.07ft.

1.29ft.

-0.46ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

6/8/14 4:53 PM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 87

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Sportsman’s Daybook

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

14 «

Sunrise: 6:28a Set: 8:20p Moonrise: 10:08p Set: 8:58a

TUESDAY

15

THURSDAY

16

FRIDAY

17

SATURDAY

18

SUNDAY

19 »

Sunrise: 6:29a Set: 8:19p Sunrise: 6:29a Set: 8:19p Sunrise: 6:30a Set: 8:19p Sunrise: 6:30a Set: 8:18p Moonrise: 10:51p Set: 10:04a Moonrise: 11:33p Set: 11:09a Moonrise: None Set: 12:12p Moonrise: 12:14a Set: 1:13p

20

Sunrise: 6:31a Set: 8:18p Moonrise: 12:55a Set: 2:12p

Sunrise: 6:32a Set: 8:18p Moonrise: 1:37a Set: 3:10p

AM Minor: 7:43a

PM Minor: 8:11p

AM Minor: 8:45a

PM Minor: 9:13p

AM Minor: 9:46a

PM Minor: 10:12p

AM Minor: 10:43a

PM Minor: 11:09p

AM Minor: 11:38a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:05a

PM Minor: 12:29p

AM Minor: 12:52a

PM Minor: 1:17p

AM Major: 1:29a

PM Major: 1:57p

AM Major: 2:32a

PM Major: 2:59p

AM Major: 3:33a

PM Major: 3:59p

AM Major: 4:31a

PM Major: 4:56p

AM Major: 5:25a

PM Major: 5:50p

AM Major: 6:16a

PM Major: 6:41p

AM Major: 7:04a

PM Major: 7:29p

Moon Overhead: 3:07a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:57a

Moon Overhead: 4:03a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:50a

6p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:31a

Moon Overhead: 6:41a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JULY 2014

Moon Overhead: 8:22a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 3:36p

+2.0

-1.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

TIDE LEVELS

0

21

Sunrise: 6:32a Set: 8:17p Moonrise: 2:21a Set: 4:05p

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Low Tide: 12:34 AM High Tide: 8:03 AM Low Tide: 1:41 PM High Tide: 6:49 PM

-0.26ft.

1.37ft.

0.72ft.

1.10ft.

0.01ft.

1.30ft.

0.50ft.

1.00ft.

0.60ft.

1.21ft.

0.10ft.

FRIDAY

24

Sunrise: 6:33a Set: 8:16p Moonrise: 3:53a Set: 5:47p

Sunrise: 6:34a Set: 8:15p Moonrise: 5:33a Set: 7:17p

High Tide: 12:01 AM Low Tide: 4:05 AM High Tide: 10:05 AM Low Tide: 5:56 PM

1.00ft.

0.86ft.

1.18ft.

-0.07ft.

High Tide: 2:01 AM Low Tide: 6:02 AM High Tide: 10:34 AM Low Tide: 6:54 PM

26 «

27 l

Sunrise: 6:35a Set: 8:15p Moonrise: 6:25a Set: 7:57p

Sunrise: 6:35a Set: 8:14p Moonrise: 7:17a Set: 8:34p

AM Minor: 2:22a

PM Minor: 2:47p

AM Minor: 3:06a

PM Minor: 3:31p

AM Minor: 3:50a

PM Minor: 4:14p

AM Minor: 4:35a

PM Minor: 4:58p

AM Minor: 5:20a

PM Minor: 5:43p

AM Minor: 6:05a

PM Minor: 6:28p

AM Major: 7:50a

PM Major: 8:15p

AM Major: 8:35a

PM Major: 9:00p

AM Major: 9:19a

PM Major: 9:43p

AM Major: 10:02a

PM Major: 10:26p

AM Major: 10:46a

PM Major: 11:10p

AM Major: 11:31a

PM Major: 11:54p

AM Major: 11:50a

PM Major: 12:16p

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:50a

12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 11:39a

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:12p

Moon Overhead: 12:26p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:57p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 9:36p

+2.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:26p

BEST:

-1.0

BEST:

TIDE LEVELS

1.24ft.

1.14ft.

1.18ft.

-0.27ft.

High Tide: 4:33 AM Low Tide: 9:54 AM High Tide: 11:47 AM Low Tide: 8:32 PM

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

1.32ft.

1.17ft.

1.19ft.

-0.31ft.

HIGH LOW

1.35ft.

1.18ft.

1.20ft.

-0.30ft.

High Tide: 5:38 AM Low Tide: 11:03 AM High Tide: 1:31 PM Low Tide: 9:51 PM

KEY PLACE

1.35ft.

1.17ft.

1.20ft.

-0.27ft.

HIGH LOW

High Tide: 6:01 AM Low Tide: 11:14 AM High Tide: 2:23 PM Low Tide: 10:24 PM

1.33ft.

1.14ft.

1.21ft.

-0.21ft.

-1:31

Galveston Channel/Bays

T2

Sabine Pass Jetty

-1:26

-1:31

T7

Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +0:41

T12

T13

T3

Sabine Pass

High Tide: 6:21 AM Low Tide: 11:23 AM High Tide: 3:12 PM Low Tide: 10:54 PM

HIGH LOW

12:30 — 2:30 PM

High Tide: 6:41 AM Low Tide: 11:40 AM High Tide: 4:01 PM Low Tide: 11:23 PM

KEY PLACE

HIGH LOW

San Luis Pass

-0.09

-0.09

+3:16 +4:18

T18 T19

Freeport Harbor

-0:44

-1:02

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay +5:48 +4:43 Gilchrist, East Bay

1.31ft.

1.09ft.

1.20ft.

-0.14ft.

-1:00

-1:15

T8

Eagle Point

+3:54 +4:15

T14

Jamaica Beach, W. Bay +2:38 +3:31

T20

Pass Cavallo

0:00

-1:20

Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass -0:04

-0:25

T9

Clear Lake

+6:05 +6:40

T15

Alligator Point, W. Bay +2:39 +2:33

T21

Aransas Pass

-0:03

-1:31

Galveston Bay, S. Jetty -0:39

-1:05

T10

T11

Morgans Point

+10:21 +5:19

T16

T17

Christmas Pt

T22 T23

Padre Island (So. End) -0:24

-1:45

Port Bolivar

+0:14 -0:06

Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 +5:15

+2:32 +2:31

Galveston Pleasure Pier -1:06

-1:06

+2.0

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

KEY PLACE

Sabine Bank Lighthouse -1:46

Moon Underfoot: 1:35a

BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

T1

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the T4 Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine T5 the adjustment from the time shown for GALVES- T6 TON CHANNEL in the calendars.

Moon Underfoot: 12:49a

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 AM

High Tide: 5:11 AM Low Tide: 10:39 AM High Tide: 12:37 PM Low Tide: 9:14 PM

KEY PLACE

Moon Underfoot: 12:03a

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM 12:00 — 2:00 AM

High Tide: 3:36 AM Low Tide: 8:29 AM High Tide: 11:06 AM Low Tide: 7:46 PM

Moon Underfoot: None

TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 11:15p

BEST:

10:00P — 12:00A

+1.0

0

SUNDAY

PM Minor: 2:03p

Moon Overhead: 10:01a

+1.0

-1.0

1.11ft.

1.05ft.

1.18ft.

-0.19ft.

AM Minor: 1:38a

Moon Overhead: 9:12a

+2.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

SATURDAY

25 «

Sunrise: 6:34a Set: 8:16p Moonrise: 4:43a Set: 6:34p

Moon Underfoot: 8:47p

6:30 — 8:30 AM

Low Tide: 3:03 AM High Tide: 9:35 AM Low Tide: 4:54 PM

THURSDAY

23

Sunrise: 6:33a Set: 8:17p Moonrise: 3:06a Set: 4:58p

0.30ft.

1.25ft.

0.29ft.

0.96ft.

Moon Underfoot: 7:56p BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Low Tide: 2:11 AM High Tide: 9:06 AM Low Tide: 3:49 PM High Tide: 10:06 PM

WEDNESDAY

22

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Low Tide: 1:22 AM High Tide: 8:35 AM Low Tide: 2:44 PM High Tide: 8:22 PM

TUESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 7:06p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Underfoot: 6:15p

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

High Tide: 7:29 AM 1.44ft.

Low Tide: 12:44 PM 0.91ft.

High Tide: 5:26 PM 1.20ft.

12a

Moon Underfoot: 5:24p

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 4:31p

Port Isabel

1.29ft.

1.02ft.

1.17ft.

-0.04ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

+1:02 -0:42

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION 88 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 88

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/8/14 4:53 PM

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for JULY 2014

28 «

Sunrise: 6:36a Set: 8:13p Moonrise: 8:08a Set: 9:09p

TUESDAY

29 «

30

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 8:13p Moonrise: 9:00a Set: 9:43p

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

31

SATURDAY

Aug 1

2

3 »

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 8:12p Sunrise: 6:38a Set: 8:12p Sunrise: 6:38a Set: 8:11p Sunrise: 6:39a Set: 8:10p Moonrise: 9:51a Set: 10:16p Moonrise: 10:43a Set: 10:50p Moonrise: 11:35a Set: 11:26p Moonrise: 12:29p Set: None

Sunrise: 6:40a Set: 8:09p Moonrise: 1:25p Set: 12:03a

AM Minor: 6:52a

PM Minor: 7:13p

AM Minor: 7:39a

PM Minor: 8:00p

AM Minor: 8:26a

PM Minor: 8:47p

AM Minor: 9:14a

PM Minor: 9:35p

AM Minor: 10:02a

PM Minor: 10:24p

AM Minor: 10:50a

PM Minor: 11:13p

AM Minor: 11:39a

PM Minor: -----

AM Major: 12:41a

PM Major: 1:02p

AM Major: 1:28a

PM Major: 1:49p

AM Major: 2:15a

PM Major: 2:36p

AM Major: 3:03a

PM Major: 3:24p

AM Major: 3:51a

PM Major: 4:13p

AM Major: 4:39a

PM Major: 5:02p

AM Major: 5:27a

PM Major: 5:52p

Moon Overhead: 2:41p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:06p

Moon Overhead: 3:24p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:49p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:18p

Moon Overhead: 5:32p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 7:06p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 2:19a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 PM

High Tide: 7:02 AM Low Tide: 12:07 PM High Tide: 4:50 PM Low Tide: 11:51 PM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 89

2:00 — 4:00 PM

1.28ft.

0.94ft.

1.13ft.

0.08ft.

High Tide: 7:24 AM 1.26ft.

Low Tide: 12:41 PM 0.85ft.

High Tide: 5:42 PM 1.07ft.

Moon Underfoot: 3:45a BEST:

3:00 — 4:00

Low Tide: 12:18 AM High Tide: 7:46 AM Low Tide: 1:19 PM High Tide: 6:41 PM

0.22ft.

1.24ft.

0.76ft.

1.01ft.

Moon Underfoot: 4:27a BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Low Tide: 12:46 AM High Tide: 8:06 AM Low Tide: 2:01 PM High Tide: 7:54 PM

0.38ft.

1.22ft.

0.65ft.

0.96ft.

Moon Underfoot: 5:10a BEST:

10:30A — 12:30P

Low Tide: 1:14 AM High Tide: 8:23 AM Low Tide: 2:46 PM High Tide: 9:24 PM

0.54ft.

1.20ft.

0.54ft.

0.93ft.

Moon Underfoot: 5:55a BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

Low Tide: 1:43 AM High Tide: 8:33 AM Low Tide: 3:36 PM High Tide: 11:11 PM

0.72ft.

1.20ft.

0.41ft.

0.98ft.

Moon Underfoot: 6:42a

+2.0

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Low Tide: 2:14 AM High Tide: 8:35 AM Low Tide: 4:30 PM

0.90ft.

1.21ft.

0.26ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 3:02a

+1.0 0 -1.0

6/8/14 4:53 PM

PHOTO:

Sporting Tales

Feral Firepower packing heat for texas hogs by capt. mike holmes

THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OF A NATIONAL HUNTING AND SHOOTing magazine I picked up had three articles mentioning feral hogs in Texas, all three with photos of the hogs. These were not hog hunting articles; two were evaluations of rifle cartridges, the other of a new rifle/cartridge combo.

These days, the fact is that hunters—and those who sell to hunters from all parts of the country have discovered the feral hog as a worthy quarry. They breed like rabbits, respond well to feeders, and are legitimate “big game.”

Because Texas has more hogs than any other state, most hunters will come to Texas if they plan a big time hog hunt. And Texas makes it even more attractive by having virtually no regulations on hog hunting.

90 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 90

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

Feral hogs, along with the wild European strain and crosses between the two, are classified as “exotics” in Texas—and mostly undesirable exotics, at that. They can be hunted year round, with no bag limits, no or sex size restrictions, and with methods and equipment not generally considered legal for other animals. While most of us are not going to book a helicopter hog hunt, it is now legal to do so, in some cases.

For the average hunter, though, hogs F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

may be shot at night, at feeders, hunted with dogs, trapped, and even killed with knives or spears. There are no restrictions on what sort of firearm may be used, either, although rimfires are not usually recommended for hogs larger than shoats or piglets – and even the popular centerfire .22s can come up lacking in power on a large hog.

I am a strong fan of the .44 magnum cartridge for hogs, with a Ruger Blackhawk revolver in that caliber, a Thompson A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

One shot from this suppressed .44 mag killed both higs — and the bullet still was not recovered.

q

keep the pistol from beating itself to pieces.

My .460 is still a handful to shoot, but has less recoil than my Ruger .44 mag revolver.

The 1911 so rigged uses standard .45 magazines and reloading dies, as the .460 is just a longer version of a .45 case, and uses .451” bullets as the .45 ACP does. Please note, though, that a .460 cartridge will not chamber in a .45 ACP pistol, since these semi-auto cartridges headspace on the rim of the case, and a .45 cannot be fired safely in a .460 chamber.

My area—southern Brazoria County— seems to have quite a few hogs that show a large infusion of European bloodline. These can be recognized by the “fighting manes” of stiff hair on their necks, over-sized shoulders, smaller hindquarters, and larger tusks. Also, the hips slant down sharply from the line of the spine.

Younger pigs of European blood will be mostly tan in color with black stripes and spots, which disappear with age, when they often turn solid black. I have seen hogs exhibiting Euro traits in brown, reddish, and even white with black spots variations, so color alone is not a defining trait. Any wild hog—Euro or feral or a cross between them—will have a straight tail, as opposed to the curly ones seen on the farm. An expert on Euros told me that these hogs would not get as large as a feral can.

The average Texas “woods” hog will be heavier than the average Texas deer, from about 150 pounds to over 300. Many people find the meat more enjoyable and versatile than venison, and the lack of a closed season or other restrictions means they are more available to the average hunter. Most of the state’s Wildlife Management Areas allow limited hog hunting for a minimal cost, and many deer leases allow hunters to pursue hogs year-round. The head of a big boar is an impressive trophy, whether mounted as a full skin mount or European style.

Hogs can be aggressive, and even dangerous, but most people get in trouble with them while hunting with dogs, or by threatening a piglet while mama is around.

Always be sure a hog is really dead before approaching it. If you’e going to keep the meat, get it skinned and quartered and iced as soon as possible. Since most of us handle our deer the same way—or should—this should not be anything new.

Contender single shot pistol, a Ruger .44 magnum carbine, and a Contender with a permanently attached suppressor mounted on a carbine stock all in use for hog shooting.

My reloads for the suppressed .44 are more like .44 Special rounds in velocity – under 1,100 fps – but with a 300- to 335grain bullet instead of the 240 grain normally used in a Special. Either of the bullets I use – a 300 Barnes all copper bullet or the 335 gr Hard Cast lead – will easily shoot all the way through a big hog, and twice now I have killed two smaller hogs with a single shot and still not found the bullet.

Another interesting way to hunt hogs is with handguns. Most shots will be close range, and especially when shooting from a stand with a good rest, you can take careful aim for the shot. A heavy-for-caliber bullet such as the ones I use in the .44 mag can get deep penetration without needing high velocity, so the .44’s and the .45 Long Colt are excellent choices.

Although most “experts” do not think the .45 ACP cartridge has the power to

be a consistent hog killer, a whole bunch of folks – including myself – carry .45’s in 1911 type pistols in the woods, and shoot hogs with them. If you think about it, pathologists say pig flesh is very close to human tissue when testing bullets, and the .45 ACP’s 230-grain bullet is quite renowned as a killer of men.

Something more potent in a semi-auto that DOES have “the power for pigs” is the 10 mm. Designed to offer more power for police and the military than a .45 or 9 mm, the Big Ten pushes a heavier bullet to much higher velocities—such as the Buffalo Bore loading of a 220-grain hard cast bullet at 1,200 fps.

Even more powerful pistol cartridges are available, and right now the best of them seems to be the .460 Rowland. Clark Custom Guns developed a conversion barrel that can be fitted easily to a strong 1911 to produce performance equal to a .44 magnum—but in a semi-auto that holds more rounds and is easier to reload in a hurry. The kit barrel comes with a compensator, and Clark will not sell the barrel without the “comp” —which reduces recoil and slide speed enough to

q

Shooting smaller hogs at night — on the run — with a 1911 pistol can be challenging!

C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 91

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E ®

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

91

6/4/14 10:55 AM

Texas Tasted

by Bryan Slaven | The Texas Gourmet

Mahi-Mahi, Shrimp, and Scallop Ceviche

W

PHOTOS: JIM OLIVE

HAT’S GREEN AND GOLD AND spotted blue? If you are an offshore fisherman, you know it is dorado, mahi-mahi, or as us old timers call it, dolphin. This flashy acrobat is a coveted catch for many offshore anglers.

It is coveted for its aerial antics, speedy

runs, and great beauty at boatside. After the dolphin has been caught and placed on ice to chill, its vibrant colors quickly fade.

However, as a culinary treat, it continues to shine. The next time you experience a hot dolphin bite, bring a few home and prepare them Texas Gourmet style!

Almost every Pacific and Gulf coast state has its own version of this raw fish cocktail, which naturally cooks itself in lime juice.

I learned this recipe from an old native of Acapulco while dining beachside listening to the waves roll in. This recipe combines elements from this Acapulco-style version while adding a touch of Texas flair.

Ingredients

p Mahi-mahi, shrimp and scallop ceviche

92 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 92

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

2 lbs mahi-mahi filets (you may substitute redfish or other firm-fleshed fish) 1/2 lb bay scallops 1 lb shrimp, 21-25 count, peeled but raw 2 cups lime juice, fresh squeezed 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 6 roma tomatoes, cored and diced 1 cup purple onion, chopped 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed well and chopped 3 Tbs serrano peppers, seeded and chopped 2 avocadoes, ripe, peeled and diced 2/3 cup green olives with pimentos, sliced thin 1/3 cup capers 1 Tbs oregano, dried 1-cup tomato sauce 1 tsp black pepper, fresh cracked 1 tsp white pepper 2 tsp Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice F I S H

&

G A M E ®

C O A S T A L

Place the fish, scallops, and shrimp in a large glass bowl and cover with lime juice, reserving 1/3 cup for later use. Cover with plastic wrap, and in the refrigerator, and allow marinating for 8-10 hours or overnight.

Take the plastic off once while marinating and stir the seafood to allow the lime juice to get to every piece, then recover for the remainder of the time. (I like the fish to be firm and opaque; marinating it overnight will achieve this.)

After marinating, pour seafood into a colander and rinse under cold water briefly, discarding the used lime juice. Meanwhile, rinse the glass bowl then pour in the reserved 1/3-cup lime juice and tomato sauce. Add onion, cilantro, chopped serrano peppers, olives, capers, oregano, olive oil, minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, white and black pepper, and Sidewinder Searing Spice.

Stir gently to combine. Add seafood to the tomato mixture. Salt to taste. Chill for two hours. Before serving, garnish with diced avocadoes and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, saltine crackers, or tortilla chips.

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE for many of the seasonings and other ingrdients used in TEXAS TASTED recipes.

Visit FishandGameGear.com A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:55 AM

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

HUNTING

LAKE AMISTAD

SABINE LAKE

SOUTH TEXAS

ROCKPORT / BAFFIN BAY

OUTDOOR SHOPPER HUNTING & FISHING GEAR

2014 EDITION

DFW METROPLEX

LAKE TEXOMA

Over 2500 Fishing Spots (with GPS) on 50 Texas Fresh and Saltwater Destinations

ORDER NOW

Courtesy:

Redfish www.FishandGameGear.com Charters

WWW.FISHGAME.COM C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 93

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

93

6/4/14 10:55 AM

BASS

REDFISH

McKinney

Galveston

Christian Pivarnik, 11, of McKinney caught and released this 2-1/2-pound largemouth at Summit View Pond on a white spinnerbait.

Abigail Palmer with caught this 40-pound redfish caught near the Boat Cut at Galveston.

WHITETAIL

BREAM

Jacksonville

Cypress

Brayden Dear, 11, of Jacksonville shot his first deer , with a Remington .243 while hunting with his Granddady Charles Dear.

Five-year-old Bethany Englishbee caught her first fish while fishing in a small subdivision lake in Cypress with her grandfather, Gene Dollison.

BASS Houston Ryler Smart, 8, of Houston caught this nine or ten-pound bass while fishing with his Pops at Hermann Park

REDFISH

MIXED STRINGER

Boca Chica

Sabine Lake

Jaime Yanez was fishing at the Jetties at Boca Chica while it was windy and raining hard, but he managed to catch this 24-inch red drum with a live mullet.

94 |

J U L Y

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 94

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

Patsy Hudson and Lucas Gautney with the proceeds of a big day on Sabine Lake.

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

C O A S T A L

A L M A N A C

6/4/14 10:56 AM

MAIL TO: TFG PHOTOS 1745 Greens Rd, Houston TX 77032 NOTE: Print photos can not be returned.

EMAIL: photos@FishGame.com

For best results, send MED to HIGH quality JPEG digital files only, please.

No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

SPECKLED TROUT REDFISH

Rollover Don Kernan hooked into this 26.5-inch 6.5-pound spec on a Rat-L-Trap while fishing Rollover Pass. The fish was released. Ed Snyder shot the photo.

Chinquapin It was a great 12th birthday for Brayden McKnight, fishing with his good buddy Toby Nguyen near Chinquapin.

WHITETAIL

CATFISH

Okala

Liberty

Thirteen-year-old Christian Davis shot this nine-point buck at Oakalla with a 243 rifle.

Six-year-old Tristin Minor caught and released seven catfish in a private pond outside of Liberty in East Texas.

DUCKS Sabine Ten-year-old Konnor Pittman of Moss Bluff, La., shot a mallard and a mottled duck on his first hunt at the Sabine Marsh near Holly Beach.

REDFISH Lower Laguna Madre Lando Ochoa, Alethea Cruz, Frankie Herrera and Johnny Watts(not pictured) limited out on redfish in the Lower Laguna Madre.

C O A S T A L

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 95

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

&

G A M E 速

J U L Y

2 0 1 4

|

95

6/4/14 10:56 AM

ALMANAC Coastal.indd 96

6/8/14 4:53 PM