Texas Fish & Game October 2016 by Texas Fish & Game

VOICE OF THE TEXAS OUTDOOR NATION

Taking Stock:

Have Fish Been Stocked in Your Lake or Bay?

October 2016 | $3.95

2016

Duck Counts What They Mean for Texas

Open Field Hunting:

Free Range Whitetails

Steve LaMascus on a Quest for the

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Redfish:

Brassy ‘Bass’ of the Coastal Marshes October Lull?

Hideaway Does

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS

(CONTINUED)

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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

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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

TOM BEHRENS GREG BERLOCHER PAUL BRADSHAW CAPT. MIKE HOLMES DUSTIN WARNCKE LISA MOORE STAN SKINNER

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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: subscriptions@fishgame.com. Email new orders to: subscriptions@fishgame.com. Email subscription questions to: subscriptions@fishgame.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 772679946 and at additional mailing offices.

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Table of

OCTOBER 2016 Volume 33 • NO. 6

Contents FEATURES

FREE RANGE WHITETAILS COVER STORY: 2016 Duck Counts

The U.S. Fish & Wildu life Service report on 2016 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations reveals some interesting information on the forthcoming duck season here in Texas. This report provides a detailed rundown of the gains or losses for all of the popular species hunted in Texas.

TF&G Special Staff Report Cover Photo by Chester Moore

Deer managers across Texas are learning that a policy of “letting young bucks walk” increases the number of trophies in the field, and the effect is not limited to high-fence operations.

by Matt Williams BRASSY BASS IN COASTAL MARSHES

Bass anglers fishing in coastal rivers and estuaries often tangle with a different kind of bass – “channel bass” – also known as redfish.

by John N. Felsher

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: THE HIDEAWAY DOE

Bucks that keep an in-heat doe hidden away just as the rut gets going might explain why the so-called “October Lull” could be real.

by Lou Marullo Cast and Blast

The Texas autumn is u loaded with outdoor action, from casting at tailing reds to blasting at clouds of incoming doves. There is something for every freshwater or saltwater angler and every bird or beast hunter.

CALLING THE CHUPACABRA

Our Shooting Editor spins a tall tale about a quest for the chupacabra, a mythical predator that supposedly haunts the wilds of West Texas and Mexico (and the wild imaginations of certain outdoor writers).

by Chester Moore

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by Steve LaMascus |

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Contents (continued)

Inside FISH & GAME

COLUMNS

10 by ROY and ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners

News Flash

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T E X A S

by Joe Doggett

F I S H

Pike on the Edge by Doug Pike

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Nugent in the Wild by Ted Nugent

DEPARTMENTS

Commentary

8 LETTERS 96 INDUSTRY

TF&G Editor At Large

by Kendal Hemphill

TF&G Political Commentator

Bare Bones Hunting

by Lou Marullo

TF&G Hunting Editor

102 TF&G PHOTOS NEW SECTION

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales

Texas Boating

by Lenny Rudow

TF&G Boating Editor

PracticalAngler Angler 100Practical by Paul Bradshaw

TF&G Contributing Editor

101

Texas Guns

by Steve LaMascus

TF&G Firearms Editor

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Texas Tasted

by Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

100 106 Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams

TF&G Freshwater Editor

107 Open Season

by Reavis Wortham

TF&G Humor Editor

www.FishGame.com &

INSIDER

TF&G Saltwater Editor

Email Roy and Ardia Neves at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com 2 0 1 6

Doggett at Large TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

O C T O B E R

by Chester Moore

TF&G Editor in Chief

UR PUBLISHING EXPERIENCE BEGAN IN THE daily newspaper business back in the 1970s. This golden age of print journalism was a good time to get a sink-or-swim education in mass communications. Daily newspapers were the inventors of the 24-hour news cycle. You either learned to work fast and meet the deadlines or you got your rear end chewed off and spat back in your face. The frenetic pace was exhilarating, but there was always a feeling that the work was never quite finished (“It’s ready when it ships!”). Then, when the opportunity to move to a large weekly newspaper appeared, the thought of relaxing to a once-per-week deadline routine was welcome. But the pressure to fill weekly editions with as much content and business as possible essentially meant there was no change in the pace—or grind. Enter TEXAS FISH & GAME, a MONTHLY magazine we spawned from the weekly newspaper. Again, the appeal was for a more manageable schedule where time and attention to detail would be a staple rather than an out-of-reach luxury. And for the most part, the monthly pace has been more compatible with a normal person’s lifestyle. Seven-day work weeks and all-nighters still happen, but they don’t happen EVERY week. The other side of that coin, publishing on a monthly rather than weekly or daily cycle, is that there are longer stretches between issues. In a world that is no longer satisfied with a 24-hour news cycle but now demands an almost minute-by-minute cycle, this can be a bit frustrating. To address this frustrating dilemma, a few years ago we created an email newsletter. Working in tandem with our website, FishGame.com, our Daily Outdoor Briefing newsletter has allowed us to report on breaking news that is too perishable to wait for the monthly editions of the mothership magazine. And now, under the expert design and execution skills of Editor-in-Chief Chester Moore and Digital Publisher Elliott Donnelly, this newsletter has been retooled into a full blown publication in its own right. Monday and Tuesday editions focus on breaking outdoor news events. On Thursday, we pull out all the stops and present a fully loaded edition packed with information that includes original, digital-only content. We’re calling this edition “Texas Outdoor Nation—State of the Nation.” These newsletters contain interactive features not possible in print. We’re producing original videos and scouring the outdoor web universe for other videos and content to package in an exciting, easy-to-navigate email vehicle. This is a true “best of both worlds” scenario. We enjoy a relatively civilized pace that allows the crafting of a monthly publication to as near perfection as we are capable, and behind digital workhorses Chester and Elliott, we are also able to stay in step with today’s minute-by-minute information cycle. You can sign up on our website (FishGame.com/newsletter-registration).

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Editor’s Notes

42 TAKING STOCK 46 TF&G REPORT 46 TEXAS HOT SHOTS

48 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

50 TEXAS DEPT. OF CONSERVATION

54 TEXAS COASTAL FOCUS

64 TEXAS FISHING HOTSPOTS

74 PRIME TIMES

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LETTERS to the Editor Snake ID ENJOYED THE SNAKE ARTICLE very much (“Is That A Water Moccasin?,” June 2016). Maybe it will make folks stop killing every snake they see. Just wanted to interject a few things from my perspective. Having been a fisherman and a hunter for 60 years, I have spent a few hours in the field and on the water. One thing you failed to mention concerning the identification of the cottonmouth which is also true of the copperhead and rattlesnake; when in the water, all of these pit vipers appear to be floating when at rest or swimming. with most of their body being visible. They appear to be very buoyant as opposed to the non-poisonous water snakes. When swimming, only the head and a portion of the neck is visible compared to the pit vipers. Just one more way to ID a snake in the water. Also, elliptical (cat-eye) is the proper nomenclature for the pit vipers. Also, western cottonmouth is the given name; water moccasin, stump-tail, etc are the AKA’s. There is also an eastern cottonmouth and a Florida cottonmouth as well as a southern copperhead and a northern copperhead. I live on a 3,500-acre private lake south of Longview, Texas. I saw a cottonmouth by my boathouse several years ago and guessed it to be over five feet long and I have seen a lot of them but this was the largest. The magazine is the best one around. Keep up the good work.

—Larry Lacewell Editor: Thanks for sharing your heart for wildlife and interest in snakes. We will be doing a special snake ID video series in the spring with our Department. of Wild and actually demonstrating what you are talking about with a snake swimming. On copperheads there are actually three subspecies in Texas. They are the southern, broad-banded and the Trans Pecos—beautiful but at least slightly dangerous.

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From the June 2016 issue.

Small Fish, Big Reward I JUST READ YOUR ARTICLE “Small Fish, Big Reward” (“Doggett at Large,” August 2016)and enjoyed it very much. As a boy 60 plus years ago we very poor and my dad would make boats out of whatever wood he had around the farm. We had nothing but paddles to power them with and nothing but cane poles to fish with and a minnow seine with which to catch some bait. He would fish off the front of the boat with a paddle in one hand (this is called sculling) and a cane pole with a long line on it with a minnow on it in the other, and he would move around trees and docks quietly just flipping those “shiners” as he called them up against the tree stumps and docks. around Caddo Lake. He would always catch a bucket full of perch, crappie and bass and occasionally a really big bass up to 10 pounds and you could not get any more basic and simple than that, but it always worked. He did this up until his death in 2001, but he did finally get a little outboard and jon boat, but never changed his style or method of fishing and

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never stopped catching fish when others did not. He taught me the same style, and it worked. I would put a 20-pound line on with a bit heavier hook than the crappie hook he used, because I lost some really big bass with the lighter hook. Once on Casa Black near Laredo, when I was 18, we caught six fish one day on cane poles and minnows, and I know I lost one I am convinced was over 10 pounds. I can still see it in the air out front of that cane pole and it deep black with blood red gills. Later in life I was able to afford the big bass boats and as I live right between Ray Roberts, Texoma, Kiowa, Murray and Moss Lake I used them for years, but one day I recalled my dad’s method of fishing and decided to go back to it. I purchased a 14 foot jon boat and put a plywood deck on the front of it and a seat right on the lip (one for fishing with my feet in the water for fly and pole fishing and one on the top of the lip for rod fishing) and a trolling motor right by right hand and a 9.9 Mercury motor on the back, and it has three depth finders and two trolling motors. Let me add that I use this method around the marinas at Lake Texoma, and they are all over deep water and out of the wind out on the lake and many of the dock

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owners feed around them and place debris under the docks. I always have good luck up in there, and it is safe and don’t even have to use the big motor. So your article is right about catching more fish on lighter lines and small rods. I saw Bill Dance do a show about this very concept recently and he called it finesse fishing. I was out at Moss Lake a few months back ,and the Gainesville Bass Club guys were coming in at dark, and they were all saying they had not had much luck. When I told them I had caught three bass around a pound, six crappie up to two pounds and a three-pound catfish on my light tackle they all wanted to know what I was doing and how with my little boat. Good article!

able to set up there and get one of these blackbucks. Your love for wildlife shines through and your knowledge on these matters is one of the main reasons I keep going back to the website and magazine. Thank you!

you don’t hear much about but it is a biological fact and is the kind of thing we are doing to try and keep putting out there for the public. We want people to learn how they can make their time in the field more productive and enjoyable while creating a deeper respect for our wildlife.

—Gage Rodgers Editor: Thanks for checking out our new video series. The blackbuck thing is something

Send Comments to editor@ﬁshgame.com

—Dr. Ben Slack Gainesville, Texas Doggett: Thank you for the email on the “Small Fish, Big Reward” column. Most of us started with light tackle and small fish (and those who didn’t probably should have, to teach proper respect for bigger and better things to come). And, in its own right, the light tackle/little fish combo can be a great angling experience. With the right mindset, it’s allrelative. And, as I stressed, no matter where you fish, the small ones way outnumber the big ones. I enjoyed your references to old days in a simple Jon boat. I fished from a wooden boat with a paddle for four summers at a boys’ camp on the Ouachita River in Arkansas, and those memories remain bright, some of the finest. I used a light spinning rod and a Mitchell 308 reel (ultra light) with 6-pound line; never caught a smallmouth (“brownie”) or largemouth larger than two pounds but many fish far bigger have been long forgotten. Thanks again.

Dept. of Wild THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR video in the Dept. of Wild on the blackbucks (http://fishgame.com/2016/08/dept-ofwild-invade-the-blackbuck-antelopes-territory/). We have free-ranging blackbucks come through our lease and we see them on our game cameras, but never on the stands. Now that I think about it, I have seen large piles of dung along a particular treeline but had no idea what it is. Hopefully I will be

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EDITOR’S Notes by CHESTER MOORE :: TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Wild Child

Y FIRST MEMORY IS TWO teenage neighbors bringing over a big cottonmouth they killed in the brushy field down the street. The next thing I remember is sitting with my dad on the docks at the Port of Orange catching croakers and black drum. After that it is watching him catch a seven-foot long alligator garfish at one of our roadside fishing holes. We aptly named the armored beast “Moby” and although it was not a white whale the pursuit of such creatures would lead me to a number adventures throughout my life. From the beginning, I have been obsessed with wildlife. Whether it was big, tall, great or small it has piqued my interest at some point or other and led to an incredibly fulfilling, adventurous and unique life. I was a child of the wild. I was born in 1973 so my formative years were in the ’70s and early ’80s when things were much simpler than they are now. Most of us only had three television channels to choose from. There was no Internet, and you had to go an arcade to play a video game. For those of you a decade or so younger than me, it might seem as if I am describing the dark ages, but this was reality. Being an only child, I spent a lot of time alone and with my parents, and at a very early age my mother read to me. She did this every single day. By kindergarten I was reading at a second grade level. Sports Afield, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and other outdoor magazines were strewn around the house and became reading favorites. Soon though, my parents started buying me wildlife books, two of which stand out. One was from the classic Golden Books line and was simply called Reptiles & Amphibians. The other we ordered from the Time Life series on television was called Dangerous Sea Creatures. I would read the texts over and over again. I stared at the photos imagining myself encountering king cobras, saltwater crocodiles

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and going down in a shark cage like ocean explorer extraordinaire, Jacques Cousteau. During these years you could take a class full of first graders and ask them what they wanted to be when they grew up. At least half would say marine biologist or ocean explorer. Cousteau, who had invented scuba technology, had frequent television specials viewed by millions. Children around the world were captivated by his exploits and that definitely included me. Another major influence was a program that came on every Sunday evening called Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. It was hosted by an eloquent zoo manager named Marlin Perkins and his younger, more adventurous cohort Jim Fowler. They traversed the world in search of wild creatures of all kinds and had amazing on camera chemistry. Perkins would see the animal and talk about how incredible it was to be so close and then send the younger Fowler out to tangle with it. I remember watching them getting super close to Cape buffaloes in Africa, toying with alligators. It was a big deal when Perkins got in on the action as they both wrestled with a monstrous anaconda in the jungle of South America. I used to live sitting in my Dad’s lap, putting together hunting and fishing scrapbooks from his hunting and fishing magazines. We eventually expanded into going to the local thrift shop and wiping out their supply. They sold for a nickel apiece, so dumping out my piggy bank would yield several dozen at a time. They were like gold to me. I would look at the photos, imagine myself pursuing the amazing creatures splashed across the pages and live vicariously through the hunters and anglers pictured within. One of our early finds was a full-page photo of a man with a nice mule deer he took with a bow and arrow. I thought the muley was great, but I was convinced it was my uncle Jackie Moore in the photo. I still have this scrapbook and the guy is an absolute dead ringer for my late uncle. Another favorite was a group of men loading a 15-foot-long black marlin onto a boat. T E X A S

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Billfish were pretty fascinating, and I had never seen one so big. Since that time, black marlins have been near the top of my fishing dreams. Many of the photos were of wild, exotic animals and fish from Africa, South America and Asia, but some of my favorites were animals that I knew lived in our local woodlands. Back in the early ’80s, North American Hunter would have a centerfold of some game animal or bird in each issue. I cut out a stunning photo of a wood duck drake that haunted my imagination every time we would go out to my Aunt Ann’s property in southern Newton County. There were lots of woodies in the creek bottom there, and the thought of shooting one of those beautiful birds inspired me. In fact, simply looking at the mounted wood duck drake that I shot a few miles from her property brings me back to that photo. The scrapbooks helped define my interest in the outdoors. My all-time favorite shot was another North American Hunter centerfold of a gigantic cougar slinking along some rocks in the Sierra Nevadas. We truly hope this magazine gets used for the same purposes. For 25 years through the vision of Roy and Ardia Neves thousands of kids enrolled in wildlife classes have received this magazine to use as an educational tool. On top of that for the last four years we have provided a weekly e-newsletter for teachers that links to pertinent stories at fishgame.com and gives lesson suggestions based on those stories. We want more “wild children” out there. If thumbing through the digital edition on their smart phones or cutting out some of the photos for posters in their room helps, then we have done our job. Stay wild!

Email Chester Moore at cmoore@ﬁshgame.com

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DOGGETT at Large by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor

‘None’ is the Lonliest Number

HERE’S AN OLD SAYING, “Two means one, and one means none.” I believe I first heard it in the Navy. But, regardless of origin, the expression reflects a simple subtraction that all outdoor-oriented enthusiasts should heed. We’re concerned here about backing up the small accessory items that can be important to comfort and success during an extended trip. Several of these replacements might be good insurance even during a oneday trip, but that’s a judgment call. Regardless of the trip’s duration, if the

single item breaks or gets lost, you have a potential setback. Sounds obvious but we often blow it off, thinking, “Oh, nothing’s going to happen.” Polarized sunglasses are a fine example. Virtually all-serious anglers wear them, both for improved visibility and protection from harsh glare or errant hooks. But even the best glasses are fairly fragile. Rare is the hard charger who, with careless handling, has not popped a lens from its frame or snapped a temple—or, for that matter, flat-out lost a pair. You don’t realize how important the shades are until the “one means none” factor kicks in. Then, the shallow-water sight caster really suffers. The extra pair takes up little room in a camera bag or boat duffel, but I remain amazed at how many anglers fail to tote backups on big trips. Glasses also apply in target shooting and hunting, especially upland wingshooting. High contrast, impact-resistant lenses should be mandatory in the dove field or on the quail

lease. A good quality pair might deflect a pellet or turn a mesquite thorn, sparing an eye. The camp flashlight is another accessory worth doubling. Some remarkably powerful compact lights are available, but the darn things have a way of fading when you need them. A puny trickle of yellow glow is not what the pre-dawn duck hunter wants when he is pacing across the black muck of a narrow rice levee. Ditto, for scouting a southeast wind (mild “snaky” weather pattern) marsh blind for active and irritable cottonmouths. Nor is it much help when you sit in a deer stand until dark, then try to thread your way through several hundred yards of thornbrush ridges or palmetto bottoms. Once, stumbling behind a mutinous flicker in Dimmit County, I blundered into a pack of huge feral hogs. The point-blank beasts scattered left and right. In the vague darkness, the smallest looked about the size of a refrigerator. Well, maybe more like a big ice chest. Another time, while spooking without a

You might not realize how important polarized sunglasses are until you are down to “none.”

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light through the pre-dawn Trinity River jungles, I stepped into blank space and fell six or eight feet into a ravine. I was either attempting to go cat squirrel hunting or greenhead mallard hunting. The fall sort of addled my memory. Gangs of squealing hogs and bottomless chasms aside, without a reassuring light you never know if the bogeyman is out there. The best way to avoid these unsettling situations is to have a small backup in your blind bag. To repeat, even the best beams have a knack of going bad—often at inopportune times. Back to fishing, an extra needle-nosed plier (or, for fly fishing, a hemostat) can spare of lot of frustration on a long trip. Rare, indeed, is the veteran coastal wader who has not ham-handed a slippery, splashy unhooking detail and donated a plier to the tide. Pliers fall with a solid “Plunk!” and, being constructed of solid steel, sink quickly from sight. Maybe this isn’t such a drama on a knee-deep flat, but the waist-deep surf wader is facing a lot of foaming, washing uncertainty. Several inadvertent steps or shuffles only add to the problem.

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The no-nonsense pliers usually are carried on a belt sheath; the smaller hemostats typically are clipped to a shirt pocket or wader strap. Either way, they can vanish even without pilot error. I suspect that pliers are the most frequently lost of all fishing accessories. Back to hunting, an extra set of earplugs can spare your hearing—well, at least maybe minimize the damage. The little rubbery twist-in plugs do a reasonable job of baffling concussive noise, but these gadgets are easy to misplace. A backup set can be carried in a vest pouch or jacket pocket. Come to think of it, whether you’re hunting or fishing, earplugs can be a valuable ally against a snoring roommate. Regardless of venue, it goes without saying that the most notorious snorer in camp can plump the pillow, roll over twice, and promptly start honking and braying. You will rue the oversight if the plugs or muffs are missing. Other accessory items that deserve backups include gloves, caps, and face masks. Any in a careless moment can get ripped away by a running boat or plucked from a pocket by thick brush. Maybe you get it back; maybe

you don’t. A bottle or can of insect repellent might run dry. Or, most frustrating, the aerosol nozzle or pump mechanism might break, rendering the canister useless. Ditto with sunscreens. A small personal tube tucked in a shirt pocket can spare a lot of misery. On an extended outdoor expedition, an extra waterproof wristwatch has a place. Batteries tend to fail and bands are known to break. Frankly, I can speak from personal experience on each one of these items. If cost is an issue when outfitting, keep in mind that the backup does not necessarily need to be of the same high quality as the original. The primary purpose of a functional spare is to get you through the remainder of the trip after a bumble or fumble. Sometimes a just a dose of bad luck results in the simple subtraction of “one means none.”

Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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PIKE on the Edge by DOUG PIKE :: TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Squatters Wrongs

ONTEMPORARY HUNTING and fishing gear is great in the right hands. In the wrong hands, though, it affords the lazy and ignorant equal but undeserved access to outdoor resources. Mostly, I’m pointing a finger at GPS navigation, which is built into nearly every hand-held electronic device available today. The technology enables anyone who can play Pokémon Go! To push a button and, whenever they like, return precisely to one place from any other place on the planet.

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That’s a powerful boost to people who can’t read maps or otherwise find their own places to hunt and fish. And it frustrates the heck out of folks who were taught and still think that hard work is always rewarded. Fishermen get burned regularly by others who, as if nobody knew what they were doing, will idle within 100 yards or so of a boat that’s clearly catching fish, stop, then ease away. What they’ve done is stopped directly north or east or south or west of that successful boat, captured the position and saved it to be “moved” and saved in the right position a few minutes later. On the water, it’s easy enough to move to another spot if your favorite happens to be crowded. For duck hunters, though, surprises an hour before daylight don’t leave many reasonable options. Case in point: In August, a listener to my

radio show (Saturday and Sunday mornings on SportsTalk 790 in Houston) called to express his feelings toward people who “poach” other people’s duck blinds on East Texas reservoirs. Granted, the water is public property. And if you build a blind on a public lake or marsh or bay, you run the risk – as he did, and as he discovered – of having opportunistic or lazy or both hunters set their alarms a few minutes earlier than yours and squat your blind for the morning. “We didn’t think you were hunting today,” they tell you through lying smiles. (Translation: We hoped you weren’t hunting today, but if you were, we figured we’d just beat you to the blind and create a situation so uncomfortable that you back off and go somewhere else.) Their decoys are set, they’ve arranged their guns and shells just so on the shelves you and your bud-

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dies built over four boat trips and two sweaty, sticky summer days. And everyone standing there knows full well it’s too late for those guys to gather their gear and leave before shooting time. “I guess if you really want us to leave, we could pick up and go over yonder,” they’ll lie a second time. “Yonder,” of course, is never more than 100 yards away, which everyone holding a flashlight knows is too close for the safe and comfortable execution of two successful duck hunts. The ultimate insult, of course, is their invitation for you to join them – in your blind. So you, recognizing that no duck blind is worth a fistfight, leave. They hunt your spot and laugh about it. Maybe you improvise a Plan B, or maybe you just retreat to a diner for a proper breakfast. That’s a hard lesson for young, enthusiastic duck hunters to learn, but it’s a valuable one. If you’re like me—I had the same experience a couple of times—you learn from it. First, don’t try to build something nobody can find. Remember GPS? Nothing can’t be found, and nothing found is safe from misuse. Instead, learn to build something that appears less desirable or, better yet, is entirely portable. Some old friends who got tired of their bay

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blinds being poached found a couple of ways to dissuade the opportunists. They built sturdy frames but didn’t brush them completely. There was enough “cover” to make the birds comfortable with its presence, but they left gaping holes that left the blinds unsuitable for actual hunting. When my friends hunted, they’d bring a few piles of fresh brush and camo netting to complete the illusion. If you like flooded timber, you already know the advantage of portability. Instead of nailing anything to a tree, however, carrying a lightweight bowhunting seat and a couple of screw-in hooks. Set the seat just above the water line, and add a hook within easy reach to hold your gear and decoy bags (which are handy in the shadows for breaking up your form). I’m a fan, whenever possible, of going to the birds instead of trying to bring the ducks or geese to me. Portability, especially on public property, frees you from worrying about other hunters using your blind. Instead of investing 12 or 18 hours building something elaborate on public land, maybe invest that time marking (discreetly) trails to more secluded areas where you’re likely to see birds under specific weather conditions but unlikely to encounter lazy people.

Done right, temporary cover is highly effective and often will “out hunt” more elaborate, fixed structures. For days when you’ll build something on the fly, pack a machete and a handful of large, plastic zip-ties. That’s all you need to gather material and render yourself nearly invisible to the birds. If the goal is to put meat in the sack, it’s usually better to be sitting on the ground behind a makeshift pile of limbs and grass in the right place than to be comfy and cozy in a fancy blind even 75 yards from where you should be. Hunting public land can be highly productive, even here in Texas where there’s not a lot of it. There’s more to it, though, than big spreads and good shooting. Success on lakes and marshes and bays also requires flexibility and creativity. Big, fancy duck blinds surrounded by 500 decoys are nice, but there’s satisfaction also from hiding behind a some twigs poked into the mud and watching pintails or mallards respond to your call, cup their wings and land among your decoys.

Email Doug Pike at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

9/8/16 5:31 PM

NUGENT in the Wild by TED NUGENT :: TF&G Editor-at-Large

Thank You, Hunting Brotherhood

T’S REAL EASY TO GET CAUGHT up in the whirlwind vortex of this stimulating hunting lifestyle, and well we should. Getting caught up means we are deep into it and therefor dedicate ourselves to be the best that we can be at ambushing our families’ meals while performing our stewardship balancing duties. Did I mention that the hunting lifestyle is perfect? Hunting in its purest form when pursued with all the honesty, intellect and sincerity we can muster is always fun, sport, meat, trophy perfection. It doesn’t get any better than that now does it? But as I fondle all my sporting goods, review my topo-maps, work on foodplots, check trailcams, put out nutritional supplements, trim shooting lanes, practice diligently my aim small miss small disciplines and intensely strategize my plans in giddy anticipation for what I will surely make the best hunting season of my life, I realize just what sort of amazing effort and brilliant minds have gone before us creating this staggering array of kill assist products and technology. We all know that our sacred hunting tradition is always ultimately dictated by what is in our hearts, not by what is in our hands. All the incredibly advanced technology on earth will be of no use to any hunter that doesn’t invest heart and soul thought, woodsmanship skills, animal respect and understanding and genuine dedication to clever, time proven hunting techniques. That being said, we can all celebrate enthusiastically the state of art gear we have at our disposal to assist us in this the greatest of sports. 16 |

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I’ve got a whole bunch of handsome critters on my walls and in my glowing memory bank that were killed with my original old fashioned longbows and recurves zinging heavy 600 grain Port Orford cedar arrows at a blistering 150 feet per second! When I started bowhunting with my dad in the mystical Up North Michigan deerwoods, there were no camouflage clothing choices to choose from. We wore wonderful, heavy, soft, ultra-quiet plaid wool shirts and corduroy pants in earth-tone shades. No one ever heard of a treestand or a commercial groundblind. We just piled up a makeshift groundblind out of woodland debris. And you know what, it all worked pretty darn good and provided a totally fulfilling hunt every time, deer or no deer. As we shiver with excitement in preparation for deer season 2016, I think we can all agree that the state of our sporting goods world is the most exciting it has ever been in our lifetime. So on behalf of all my fellow sporters out here, thank you thank you thank you to all the mad scientists of the sporting goods industry for your relentless pursuit of perfection and creativity, for providing us all with the most amazing sporting goods selection we could have ever dreamed of. You people ROCK! The clothing we have available today is mindblowing to say the least. The average ammo we grab off the shelf is the most accurate, hardest hitting, most reliable ammo ever. All us gun nuts rejoice the astonishing efficiency of modern firearms. Our bows and arrows and broadheads and all accessories are so phenomenally good it is hard to believe anyone could possibly improve on them. But you can bet they sure will! Optics, boots, knives, rangefinders, trailcams, treestands, safety harnesses, groundblinds, calls, scents, nutritional supplements, foodplot mixes, very imaginable accessory or T E X A S

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piece of equipment is available and state of the art. I don’t think I have ever heard a hunting buddy say; “Boy, I sure wish somebody would make…” Say you’re on a trip far away from your hunting grounds but you want to know upcoming weather conditions and wind direction and check your trailcam pictures. No problem. There is an app for all that! “We shiver with excitement in preparation for deer season 2016.”

Let’s all hear it for the wonderment of American capitalism and the quality control driven competition that drives it. Our hunting success will always depend on clever hunting strategies. But it sure is a lot more fun and interesting when such phenomenal quality gear is at our disposal to pick and choose from. A huge Nuge THANK YOU to all you innovators and inventors out there. This hunt is for you.

Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@ﬁshgame.com

PHOTO: TED NUGENT

9/8/16 5:35 PM

TF&G COMMENTARY by KENDAL HEMPHILL :: TF&G Political Editor

Hypocrisy of the Ignorant

MERICANS USED TO BE better than this. Matter of fact, everyone used to be better than this, and Americans used to set the standard. We haven’t always been the smartest or the richest or the most impressive at everything. What we lacked in other areas we made up for in tenacity, persistence, determination, and rugged individualism. Now we seem to be a bunch of whiney, wimpy, weak, scared, timid crybabies. It’s embarrassing. Last year it was Cecil the Lion, among others. People who had never heard of Cecil while he was alive came out of the woodwork to attack Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who shot the lion. People who, if you asked them, would tell you we should all be tolerant of others, demonstrated the epitome of intolerance. They spewed vitriol because they disagreed with Palmer’s choice of recreation. These people hold life in such high regard that many of them advocated death for Palmer. Their ignorance is so refined, so abundant, that they never even saw the irony in their attacks. “Killing is wrong, so you should be killed.” Palmer, and many other hunters like him, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on hunting trips in Africa every year. That money is used for wildlife research, wildlife habitat acquisition and restoration, and enforcement of game laws. Without that money, the animals disappear. This is not speculation; in the African countries where hunting is banned, wildlife is on a slippery, downhill slope toward extinction. In the countries where hunting is allowed and regulated, wildlife thrives. You have to work hard to misunderstand the connection. You

have to spend years fostering the ignorance required to think that a ban on hunting would help wildlife. The most amazing part of this intolerant mindset is that the people who get most angry about hunting, donate almost nothing to help wildlife. Some, no doubt, send a few bucks to animal rights groups. This assuages their conscience and allows them the fantasy that they’re doing their part. What they universally fail to grasp is that a) the little they give is not a drop in the bucket compared to the amount hunters spend each year to help wildlife, and b) the animal rights groups don’t do anything to help wildlife as a whole. What animal rights groups spend their money on is propaganda. Advertisements to attack hunting, lawCaption suits against Safari Club International and other hunting groups, and fundraising to bring in more money to pay high administration costs and salaries. When animal rights groups spend any of their donated funds on wildlife, which is rare, it’s generally focused on individual animals This does nothing for animal groups. Basically, it’s wasted. Any scientist or wildlife biologist will tell you that the welfare of an individual animal is irrelevant to the welfare of the group. You can’t save a species by dealing with individuals. Wildlife experts try to look at the big picture, because that’s the only way to ensure the survival of the group. That’s why Cecil the Lion was expendable. He was far more valuable to the lion population through his death by hunting than he was as a living lion. The ignorant call that a cruel way to look at the existence of a beautiful creature. The informed understand it as the reality of wildlife conservation. The target of the antis, for the moment, is a 12-year-old girl from Utah named Aryanna Gourdin. Eli, Aryanna’s father, enjoys hunting, and is teaching his daughter to be a responsible, respectful conservationist through hunting. They’ve made several trips to Africa during the past five years, and Aryanna began posting T E X A S

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some of her photos to Facebook recently. Ignorant animal rights advocates hate it when that happens, especially when the hunter is female, especially when she’s young. Aryanna was blasted unmercifully by these people who contribute nothing to animal welfare, but hate those who do. She was called ‘sick’ and ‘animal hater’ by people who believe banning hunting would help wildlife. One of the photos showed Aryanna with a giraffe she’d killed, a problem animal that would have been eliminated anyway, had she not shot it. By her actions, the wildlife population as a whole benefitted, and a village was fed. Yet the photo received more than 73,000 comments, most of them negative. Some even threatened the lives of Eli and Aryanna.

A Facebook post typical of the ignorant reactions to Aryanna Gourdin.

How did we, as a nation, become so stupid? When did we become so disconnected from nature that we view the death of a game animal, taken in fair chase and used to feed hungry people, as an unacceptable action? At what point did it become wrong to hunt, and right to threaten the life of a 12-year-old girl? Our nation seems to have lost touch with reality, holding animal life in higher regard than human life. We’ve gone beyond the issue of tolerance, far beyond any question of political correctness. We passed insanity about ten squares back. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. Americans used to be better than this.

Email Kendal Hemphill at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com |

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Giving Deer an open field advantage story by Matt Williams

Eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ON THE CUSP OF another Texas deer season, and all indications are it is going to be a good one in most parts of the state. My guess it will turn into a thriller for a handful of hunters. That probably wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come as much of a surprise, because it seems like every deer season packs plenty of thrills around here. It is hard to expect anything less in a state that maintains the largest whitetail deer herd in the nation.

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Texas also has a rich history of producing big numbers of bucks with large antlers, even in years when range conditions are far from ideal. Everybody has an opinion as to why Texas deer hunting is so great, but no one can deny that hunter attitudes play a big part. Selective harvest, habitat management and supplemental feeding programs have played huge roles in producing more bucks with big antlers. Deer management fever is running rampant statewide. More and more hunters are pampering their whitetails,

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letting young bucks walk so they can reach their genetic potential. Taking does and inferior bucks to help keep populations in check is also important. Antler restrictions now in place in 117 counties across east, central and northwest Texas deserve some credit, too. Antler restrictions were first implemented in the early 2000s by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They are intended to improve the age structure of the buck herd by encouraging hunters to lay off of immature bucks that fall short of meeting criteria guidelines.

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The theory is simple. Letting young bucks walk increases the number of older bucks in the herd. The more older bucks there are, the better the chances of seeing a big guy in the field. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not something that only works behind sprawling South Texas ranches surrounded by tall fences, either. More and more hunters are paying their dues and exercising some discipline on open range these days. It has paid off with some world-class whitetails to shock the imagination.

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Any nice-sized buck is a trophy on free range land. In reality the hunting landscape in Texas would look vastly different if everyone hunted on free range land. There would be far less giant bucks taken and more nice representative deer.

Just ask Mark Lee of Crosby. In September 2013, Lee blasted a spectacular buck in Houston County. That buck scores higher than any free-ranging, Texas non-typical reported in modern times. Fittingly nicknamed “King,” the Lee buck

comes in at 268 4/8 net Boone and Crockett inches with the Texas Big Game Awards Program. TBGA is a hunter recognition program run by the Texas Wildlife Association since the early 1990s. However, the official B&C registry lists

Locating good numbers of does is crucial in hunting bucks on free range during the rut.

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the buck at 259 3/8 net inches. This score was finalized after a special team of B&C scorers “panel judged” the antlers last February at the B&C Convention in Springfield, MO. There have been a couple of free-range non-typicals bigger than Lee’s reported in Texas, both recorded long before the inception of TBGA. Those deer, as listed in the B&C all-time record book, includes the 284 3/8 inch “Brady Buck” taken in 1892 in McCulloch County by an “unknown hunter.” The second is a 272-inch whitetail that was found dead near Junction in 1925. A.J. Downs of Conroe is another hunter who scored big in eastern Texas in recent times. A hardcore bowhunter, Downs arrowed a massive 28-pointer on open range in San Jacinto County in September. 2012. That buck netted 256 7/8 inches after B&C panel judging. TBGA lists the buck at 256 4/8. The Downs buck is the biggest open range archery buck of all-time in Texas. It also is the No. 2 TBGA open-range, non-typical of all-time, as well as the No. 8 Pope and Young non-typical of all-time in North America. Grayson County archer Robert Taylor didn’t set any official state records with the PHOTOS: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

9/8/16 5:39 PM

Texas Bowhunters Can Score Big ALTHOUGH TEXAS RIFLE

hunters always account for the bulk of deer killed statewide, archers are often the ones who connect with the really big boys. But why? That’s strictly a matter of opinion. Conroe bowhunter A.J. Downs thinks several factors come into play. “There is always going to be the guy who goes bowhunting for the first time, gets lucky and kills a big buck. However, the ones who are consistently successful are the ones who do their homework. They pay strict attention things like scent control, set-up and concealment. That’s not to say archers are better hunters. The very nature of the sport forces us to pay closer attention to detail because we have to get close. A

freakish non-typical he killed in Dec. 2012 near Lake Ray Roberts. Still, it would probably rank as the biggest buck ever killed on small acreage—if such a category existed. The Taylor buck is a 44-pointer arrowed on 4.7 acres near Tioga. It comes in at 254 4/8 net, according to TBGA records. However, Taylor’s score took a hit at the 2015 P&Y convention. Panel judges taped the rack at 219 6/8 net, according to veteran B&C scorer Ken Witt of Burleson. Taylor said he ultimately withdrew the Grayson County whitetail from P&Y records following the panel judging session. You won’t find Makayla Hay’s name among TBGA Top 5 All-Time list. However, the impressive 23 pointer she shot on opening day of the 2012-13 general season did earn her the state open range record for youth hunters. The buck also earned a spot in the B&C all-time record book with plenty of room to spare. Taken in Madison County, the Hay buck grosses 213 7/8 and 203 1/8 net. It is the highest scoring buck taken in Madison County in nearly 50 years. There are several more big Texas bucks you won’t see on the TBGA all-time list, PHOTO:COURTESY A.J. DOWNS

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rifle hunter can shoot one from 150-200 yards in a box blind.” Another big contributor, says Downs, is the timing of the season. The early Archery Only season always gets underway a full month before the general season. According to Downs, that means fewer hunters in the woods chasing crafty animals that are inherently wary. “Plus,” Downs said, “The archery season always rolls around at about the same

time we start to see major rutting activity, especially in eastern Texas.” “Mature bucks are more active during this period. They become more visible, more careless and they are more prone to make mistakes that they normally would not make.”

—Matt Williams

A.J. Downs took this 28 point trophy while bowhunting on a 12,000 acre open-range ranch in San Jacinto County in 2012.

mainly because they were killed long before program existed. The biggest of the bunch is a 259 inch 27-pointer killed in 1967 in Frio County by William Brown. The free ranging Brown buck ranks fourth in B&C all-time records for Texas non-typicals. Texas has also produced some outstanding typicals over the years, the biggest dating back to 1963 when Tom McCulloch shot a Maverick County 14 pointer that nets 196 4/8. It’s interesting to note that the state’s No. 2 and No. 3 typicals were killed more than 50 years earlier. The No. 2 typical was shot in 1906 in McMullen Co. by Milton George. It nets 196 1/8. Basil Dailey shot the No. 3 typical in 1903 in Frio County. That deer nets 192 2/8. The highest scoring Texas typical taken during modern times belongs to Steven T E X A S

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O’Carroll. The gorgeous 12 pointer was shot in Shackleford County in 1991 and ranks No. 1 among TBGA Top 5 free ranging typicals. It scores 190 2/8. The No. 2 TBGA open range typical was killed during the 1994-95 season in Donley County by Larry Pancake. It nets 187 4/8. Following Pancake on TBGA’s Top 5 list are Phillip Stringer with a Zapata County bruiser killed in 1992-93, 187 net; Terry Hall, Kleberg Co. 186 1/8, 2008-09; and Brian Sutton, Childress Co., 185 1/8 net. Only time will tell how the upcoming season will shake out. If it goes like most, some true giants will be tagged, many of them by Texas hunters who least expect it. It happens every year.

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Chasing Channel Bass, More Popularly Known as Redﬁsh 22 |

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story &by s o t o h p N. n h Jo r e h s l Fe

ONG AGO, BASS anglers fishing in coastal waters discovered that a different bass sometimes tested their mettle and tackle with powerful runs and devastating strikes. As a result, many switched from fresh water impoundments to brackish water estuaries to tempt channel bass, more popularly known as redfish. Although they changed venues from fresh water to salt, old habits died hard. With thousands of dollars invested in lures and equipment, they simply brought their bass lures and tactics into the new environment and they worked. Redfish feed on many of the same forage species as largemouth bass and often share the same tidal waters. They eat the same forage, so they hit the same lures, often in the same place. “Fishing for redfish is a lot like fishing for bass,” said Stephen Browning, a Bassmaster Classic veteran from Hot Springs, Arkansas, who also fishes professional redfish tournaments. “A redfish will hit anything that a bass will hit,” he said. “I’ve caught redfish on conventional safety-pin style spinnerbaits and many other bass lures.” Anglers frequently catch redfish on topwater baits, spinnerT E X A S

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baits and spoons. Reds also hit jerkbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits or even worms and jigs. Just like in bass fishing, many anglers slowly and stealthily glide along shorelines tossing these lures into cover. Ambush predators like bass, redfish cruise marshy banks, lurk in pockets along broken shorelines, burrow into weed patches or hover near other structure. Frequently, they feed in water less than a foot deep. Often, anglers spot redfish tails, dorsal fins or movement along shorelines and sight-cast to specific fish. “In clear water, we sight fish,” said Greg Watts, a professional redfish angler who won the 2003 Redfish Cup championship with his brother, Bryan. “If we see a redfish cruising, we have about a 50 percent chance of making it bite. In water that’s not as clear, we throw to targets like matted grass, stumps, points, the ends of logs, etc.” In shallow water, topwater baits offer exciting angling action. Making a commotion like a concrete-filled tire dropping into the water, redfish don’t just hit topwater baits; they demolish them with vengeance. Many topwater baits resemble mullets sticking their heads out of the water, a prime redfish food. Some examples include MirrOlure Top Dogs, Rebel Spit’n Images and Excalibur Super Spooks. When jerked, they bob and weave from side-to-side with a scintillating “walk the dog” action.

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Jeff Bruhl shows off some of the bounty from ﬁshing a river estuary. In such places where fresh and salty waters mix, the ranges of redﬁsh and bass overlap and anglers can catch both on the same lures.

Keep working walk-the-dog topwater baits side to side constantly, but slowly. Once it starts “walking,” it usually keeps going with just a little effort. Walk such lures all the way back to the boat because sometimes a big redfish might follow a bait for a long distance. “I started fishing smaller topwater baits after reading a stomach content survey done by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department,” said Capt. Kris Kelley of Coastal Waterfowl and Fishing Guide Service in Seadrift, Texas. “The survey indicated that redfish mostly feed on finfish less than two inches long. I switched to smaller topwater baits and discovered a noticeable increase in blowups.” Around weeds, spinnerbaits or buzzbaits slice through grass more easily than topwater baits or crankbaits. Anglers can work these baits with a stop and go motion or a steady 24 |

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PHOTOS: JOHN N. FELSHER

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Elizabeth Eustis shows off a redﬁsh she caught while ﬁshing the marshes around Sabine Lake on the LouisianaTexas state line.

retrieve. If a redfish holed up in grass noses up to a topwater bait, but doesn’t really hit it, sometimes, a buzzbait will aggravate it into striking. “We use a lot of spinnerbaits when fishing for redfish along shorelines that drop off more than two feet,” said Keith Hartsell, a professional redfish angler from Perryland, Texas, who partners with his brother, Greg. “If we get in deeper structure or if we get into water that’s off color, we throw a lot of spinnerbaits because they give off good vibrations that are good for attracting fish.” In matted weeds, even spinnerbaits or buzzbaits sometimes foul. Thick weeds call for either weedless spoons or Texas-rigged soft plastics. Redfish smash gold or chrome weedless spoons that dance across grass tops like topwater baits.

Redﬁsh don’t normally prey upon frogs, an excellent largemouth bass food, but weedless soft plastic frogs make excellent temptations for redﬁsh hunkered down in thick grassy cover.

For added action, tip spoons with curly tail grubs or pork chunks. With a little flavor added, a redfish might hold onto a bait longer. Throw the spoon to the shoreline and rip it out. As it hits grass, let it bounce along the surface in enticing gyrations. In more open water, reel steadily to let it wobble near the bottom. Texas-rigged soft plastic jerkbaits combine attributes of fast topwater action, the fish-finding abilities of buzzbaits, and the weedless enticement of worms. They closely resemble eels or other natural prey that might slither across the weed tops. Keep the rod tip high and move the bait with the rod instead of the reel. Keep the bait moving or hopping in short spurts. Aggressive redfish may erupt through the grass to attack these baits silhouetted against T E X A S

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the sky. Around the edges of cover, drop a Texasrigged worm or jig and slowly work it over the bottom, just like in bass fishing. Craw-worms often attract redfish because they resemble crabs kicking up mud on the bottom. Most bassers own thousands of dollars worth of rods and lures. At one time or another, a redfish may hit just about any lure in that stash. Just keep doing the same things as for bass, except use heavier line and fish a little closer to the Gulf of Mexico. To book a charter with Capt. Kris Kelley, contact him at Kris@coastalwaterfowl.com or call (888) 618-4868, (218) 352-9753.

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PHOTO: RON ROWAN, CANSTOCK

9/9/16 10:02 AM

T HAPPENS EVERY

doe stood up from her bedding

year. Some hunter hits

place. She had been lying in a

the woods every day

little thicket that didn’t look like

for a week straight to

it would hold any deer at all.

a seemingly deer-free

Then, as she decided she wanted

zone. An area full of

to go for a bite to eat, a huge, and

does, fawns and the

I do mean huge buck, stood up

occasional buck becomes a lonely

and immediately went over in her

place of frustration.

direction. She bedded right back down and, to my surprise, the big

I have heard it called the

boy went right back to where he

“October Lull.” Others might just call it a

was bedded down earlier and lay

string of bad luck. Still, there are

there. Incredibly, the two white-

the seasoned veterans who will

tails were about 70 yards from

blame it on everything from the

me when they totally disappeared

moon to the changing weather

back into the thicket. I knew they

patterns. I have to admit that

were there, but for the life of me I

at one time I was one of those

could not see them at all.

“veterans” who believed that as well, but that changed a few years

mouse went on for some time,

back.

and I couldn’t help but smile as I

It was a warm afternoon late in

watched the events unfold. Every

October when I witnessed some-

single time the doe stood up, the

thing I had never seen before.

buck immediately pursued her.

After hunting all these years with

And every time he headed in her

my bow, I thought I had seen it

direction she would have nothing

all. I was mistaken.

to do with him and he’d just lie back down in the thicket.

The hunting had been pretty

As I sat there, I watched a

uneventful, and I found myself sitting in a hedgerow between two

beautiful eight pointer walk with-

fields that deer liked to frequent.

in 15 yards of me totally unaware

I was comfortable and thought

of my presence. He had smelled

to myself that although the deer

the doe in heat and was looking

seem to have disappeared for the

for her. That was the one and

moment, I was absolutely sure I

only time I saw the big buck leave

would not see any whitetails in my

his girl, and that was only for a

living room, so I was enjoying the

few minutes.

warm afternoon sunshine when it I was looking in the direction

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I could have easily killed that eight-pointer, but the other buck

all happened.

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This whitetail game of cat and

might have been a new state

of a silo located not far from me

record. He was an absolute mon-

when all of a sudden, a nice big

ster, the buck of my dreams.

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Once a big buck thinks a doe is about to go into estrus, the intensity ramps up tenfold and strange things can happen.

I simply thought I could wait him out as I let the eight-pointer walk. When he saw the big boy coming towards him with his ears back, he decided he would have nothing to do with that doe. He moved on and offered another 20-yard quartering away shot. I passed. Finally, after an hour or so, the doe relented and let the big buck mount her. It was over in seconds. Then she was allowed to graze in peace. Of course he decided to walk in a direction that offered no shot for me. I just sat there with my jaw in the mud as I watched that magnificent creature stroll away. He had no idea at all that he came so close to having a bad day. I went to school that day. I had just witnessed the so-called “October Lull.” At certain times a buck will find a doe that’s near heat and keep her confined and away from other bucks in the area. It might be many days before the doe actually allows the buck to mate. 28 |

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Of course not every buck in the area will keep their does at the same time, but I think it might be enough to bring down the numbers of whitetails roaming the woods considerably. Some bow hunters out there will argue this is just not true. Just recently, I was reading an article about a successful hunt in October. At the end of the piece, the author closed with the line-“What October Lull?” For me, what I witnessed that afternoon gave me all the proof I needed that, indeed, it does exist. It all made perfect sense to me that every year at about this time, I would not see as many deer as I did a week earlier. The rut is brought on by lack of sunlight, so it makes sense that most does (not all) go into heat around the same time. As one comes into heat, the dominant buck in the area will keep her in a location until he mates. Afterward, they will both stay in that small area for quite some time. T E X A S

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You should realize that this is a small window in the whitetail world. It may only be a few days up to a week long, but during the October lull it is hard to find deer movement. For those bow hunters who only hunt on weekends, they may never experience what I am talking about. However, a die-hard bow hunter, one who tries to get out in the woods every day of the season, probably has experienced this October lull, too. We should thank our lucky stars that this will last only a short time. Could you imagine if half the season was gone before we see good deer movement again? That would not be good. The bow season is short enough already so let’s enjoy every day we can out in the woods. If you are one of those hunters that witness this phenomenon remember it will pass.

PHOTO: USFWS

9/9/16 10:04 AM

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PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

9/9/16 11:12 AM

HE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE Service (USFWS) report on 2016 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations reveals some interesting information on the forthcoming duck season here in Texas. Our friends over at Ducks Unlimited note that overall duck numbers in the survey area are statistically similar to last year and remain steady. “Total populations were estimated at 48.4 million breeding ducks in the traditional survey area, which is 38 percent above the 1955-2015 long-term average,” the survey said. “Last year’s estimate was 49.5 million birds. “The main determining factor for duck breeding success is wetland and upland habitat conditions in the key breeding landscapes of the prairies and the boreal forest. Conditions observed across the U.S. and Canadian survey areas during the 2016 breeding population survey were generally poorer than last year.” In fact, the total pond estimate for the U.S. and Canada combined was 5.0 million, which is 21 percent below the 2015 estimate of 6.3 million but similar to the long-term average of 5.2 million. “In light of the dry conditions that were observed across much of the northern breeding grounds during the survey period,” said DU’s chief scientist, Scott Yaich. “It is reassuring to see that the breeding population counts were little changed from last year. “Total pond counts were similar to the long-term average. Hunting season and winter mortality are a relatively small part of annual mortality, so it’s not surprising to see that populations largely held steady. “What’s not reflected in the report is that there was fairly significant improvement in habitat conditions after the surveys were completed,” said Yaich.

tf&G Special staff report

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Mallard counts are important to hunters in the Panhandle and Northeast Texas and this year should be a good one for green heads.

“In some key production areas, heavy June and July rains greatly improved wetland conditions. This could benefit brood rearing and the success of late nesting species, as well as give a boost to overall production through re-nesting by early nesting species. “Watching the changing habitat over the spring and summer this year underscores the importance of two things: First, we must simply accept that habitat and populations are going to vary over time. They always have and they always will. Second, that’s why we need to keep a steady hand on the course of our conservation efforts. “Our job is to steadily make deposits into the habitat bank account so that when the precipitation and other conditions are right, the ducks will do the job that they do so well, which is to produce more ducks and provide us all a nice return on our investments.” We thought it would be important to look at the top 10 hunted species, their counts and how it will impact certain regions of the state. What happens on the Texas Coast during duck season is vastly different from action taking place in the Panhandle. We are not a one size fits all state and looking at duck counts in general really does nothing. Let’s start with mallards. The projected mallard population is 32 |

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11.793 million, which is up one percent from 2015. That means you can expect numbers similar to last year traversing the Central Flyway. This is great news for hunters in the Panhandle, Hill County and Northeast Texas where mallards are abundant. For hunters on the coast this means little since mallards are considered an exciting bonus to any bag. Gadwalls are truly the mallard of Texas. What that means is they are to Texas what mallards are to Arkansas or Kansas in that

they are the bread and butter bird for much of the state. Gadwall numbers are down three percent from 3.834 million to 3.712 million. That’s a small change, especially with the species that is 90 percent above the 1955-2016 long-term average. Gadwalls are abundant statewide but are especially important for hunters on the coast, in adjacent flooded fields and also through north and East Texas. Widgeons are up 12 percent from 3.037 million to 3.411 and that’s good for South

The USFWS 2016 report shows widgeon numbers to have increased by 12 percent.

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PHOTOS: CANSTOCK

9/9/16 11:12 AM

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If lakes and ponds freeze over for extended periods this winter in the Central Flyway, Texans should experience a good duck season.

and Central Texas hunters who commonly take these birds on stock tanks, on Choke Canyon Reservoir and along the Middle and Lower Coasts. Green-winged teal are up five percent from 4.081 million to 4.275 and are at a whopping 104 percent above the long-term average. These birds are important statewide and are probably the number two bird taken behind gadwall on the Upper Coast. Blue-winged teal are down 22 percent from 8.547 million to 6.689. They faced the largest drop of any of the key species, and this has already been felt with the early teal season. Bluewings that migrate through Texas early have increased during the regular duck season over the last decade. They are found in fair numbers along the coastal region. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drop will likely decrease some of these sightings. Northern shovelers (spoonbill) are down 10 percent from 4.391 million to 3.967. Although many hunters do not like to admit it, they often save the day in East Texas and along the coast and rice field areas of the state. This drop will not likely make a big difference. Pintails are down 14 percent from 3.043 million to 2.618. They are actually down 34 percent from the long-term average and this impacts hunters along the coast. Decreases happen but this is one species we want to

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always see hold steady or on the uptick as they live in some of the most endangered habitat of any waterfowl. Middle and Lower Coast hunters can rejoice in knowing redhead numbers are up eight percent from 1.196 million to 1.289. It is not a huge increase, but it is a positive. Canvasbacks are most abundant on the big East Texas reservoirs, on Choke Canyon reservoir and in certain areas on the coast. They went down three percent from .757 million to .736. Although few hunters pursue them in Texas, scaup are up 14 percent from 4.395 to

4.992. They are most abundant on big water in East Texas and throughout any of the reservoirs in Texas. Of course the biggest factor is the weather. We could have a 50 percent increase in mallards in one year and then temperatures in the 50s and 60s throughout the Central Flyway and have a terrible season. However, looking at these numbers gives hunters a chance to compare with what they have experienced in previous years and plan their hunts accordingly.

Long-term declines in pintail numbers are especially troubling because their habitat is more endangered than most waterfowl species.

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PHOTOS: TOP, CHESTER MOORE; BOTTOM, CANSTOCK

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This chupacabra replica, created by taxidermist Matthew Otten of Boerne, was made from a coyote.

OME OF YOU MAY

the itch to hunt another of the Lone Star

and cartridge for this dangerous Texas

remember the article I

Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great game animals.

denizen. To outline the needs of such a

This time I decided on the rare and dan-

wrote a few years ago about my epic hunt for a West Texas jackalope.

Well, after a couple of years I began to feel

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gerous chupacabra.

ral history of our quarry.

Again, the first order of business was the work of figuring out a suitable gun

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weapon we need to understand the natu-

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For those of you who do not speak Spanish, chupacabra is the Spanish com-

PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

9/7/16 1:00 PM

bination of words chupa and cabra that

The chupacabra, mamonus sangrelitus,

was caused by a combination of exposure

mean “goat sucker.” As the chupacabra

is in reality a naturally reproducing muta-

to highly toxic chemicals and the fallout

began to appear in Mexico, the most com-

tion of the common coyote. It originated

from the many tests of atomic bombs. At

mon prey of this animal was the Spanish

in the U.S. State of Nevada, in and around

any rate, since Nevada had almost no prey

goat that is seen in every small village and

what is now known as Area 51.

for this voracious creature, the first of its

ranchito in Mexico.

The best guess is that the mutation

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type migrated south into Mexico.

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The physiology of the chupacabra is such that it is almost invulnerable to any type of projectile, which explains the documented fact that not one, until now, has ever been taken by a sport hunter. The animal is almost hairless and the skin is thought to be composed of a combination of titanium and plutonium, thus explaining the bluish color so often described by its observers. I intended to take my chupacabra by using a predator call, so the range would be short, less than 3,000 yards. For this reason I decided on the standard varmint caliber of .224. However, to penetrate the super-hard hide a heavy, extremely hard projectile at moderate velocity was indicated. I figured a 220-grain bullet at around 4,200 feet per second should get the job done, so I began my quest for the right gun and cartridge. I tried a number of different combinations but eventually decided on the 4 ¼-inch fourbore British Express cartridge necked down to .22 caliber. The rifle was a hand-built, greatly strengthened Walkenshaw Fabrique Mk XXII action with a 42-inch Flashenrore barrel. The entire rig, with a 6.5 to 36X Waffenglas Vertigua scope, tipped the scales at a modest 60 pounds. The load I eventually settled on was a 220grain spitzer boattail of depleted uranium over 235.3-grains of Hodgdon’s Universal Clays sparked by a CCI Magnum primer. Chamber pressure is only around 350,000 psi. I had the bullets made by having 20mm cannon bullets turned down on a lathe. The bullets were spent rounds picked up in Iraq and shipped to me in packages disguised as cigar boxes by Ahmed Nebelwurfer, the halfbreed, Iraqi black market arms dealer. Sighted in an inch high at a hundred yards the bullet was only two inches low at 2,500 and four inches low at 3,000. That gave me a trajectory that would allow a dead-on hold to as far as I was likely to shoot. Now I was ready for the hunt. I had access to a small ranch of 142,000 acres near the little town of Miranda City, right in the heart of chupacabra country. I am a pretty good varmint caller, but this time I wanted the best. So, I conned, er, persuaded my old varmint-calling buddy, Wyman Meinzer, to do the calling while I did the shooting. I gave Wyman my custom four-shot revolver in .470 Nitro Express for defensive purposes, in case one of the feisty chupaca38 |

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Could this be the “chupacabra?” Virtually every mysterious canine is considered one these days.

bras decided to charge. The 500-grain, metalcased bullet at 2,100 feet per second might not kill it, but it might turn the charge and give me a chance to put in a killing shot with my rifle—I hoped. Just after deer season we met on the ranch, put our duffels in the bunkhouse and settled down to relive old times until the next morning. Wyman and I have been friends since the fifth grade, so we have plenty to talk about. Some of the stuff we did is so weird and so secret, we can discuss it only between us, so the time passed quickly. The next morning we were in the pasture before daylight. We were set up to call by the time the sun began to hemorrhage across the eastern horizon below the shaggy mesquites. I sat down on a handy patch of prickly pear while Wyman picked a nice, thick cat-claw bush to hide in. He would be using a mouth call that sounded like a nanny goat. Wyman began calling as soon as it was light enough to see. Within a couple of minutes we could hear heavy footfalls coming through the brush toward us. I was all set to shoot when a huge jaguar burst from the brush. Jaguars are illegal in Texas, so I chunked a rock at the beast, and he faded back into the brush. A few minutes later I saw movement. Something was stealthily stalking us. Once again I was ready to shoot when I saw through the scope the head of a big mounT E X A S

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tain lion. This old lion was a hoss. I guessed his weight at about 400 pounds. I had always wanted a life-sized mount of a cougar, but shooting this one would spoil the stand, so again I chased the big predator away with a well-aimed rock. Wyman is a virtuoso with a varmint call, and he was working this one for all it was worth. I was looking in the wrong direction when I heard Wyman whisper, “Steve, on the left.” I slowly turned my head and looked into the eyes of a gigantic chupacabra. It was standing at the edge of a patch of granjeno, its bright red eyes glittering in the morning sun, and its four-inch yellow fangs dripping poisoned saliva like Pavlov’s dogs. The range was only about 400 yards— much too close. If it charged from that range, there was no possible way I could get it in the scope and make the shot before it was on us. I moved the gun so slowly that anyone watching would have thought I was petrified with fear. Finally, I could see the crosshairs in the crease just behind its shoulder. At that point I touched off the rifle. As the rifle roared, I blacked out for a second from the recoil and the pressure wave. Then, I heard a distant metallic sound like a mad major league batter hitting a steel plate with a 10-pound sledgehammer. Still groggy, I struggled to my feet, fighting to get another round into the chamber before the chupacabra could turn us into furry grape PHOTOS: ABOVE, CHESTER MOORE; OPPOSITE, DAVID CLEAVER

9/7/16 1:00 PM

jelly, but there was no need to worry. The shot had gone true. Where the chupacabra had been standing was a hole about 50 feet across and 10 feet deep. A small mushroom-shaped cloud was slowly drifting away on the breeze. Scattered around the crater were shards of blue metal and a few ribbons of intestine festooning the surrounding brush. I had been expecting to make a longer shot. At this close range the bullet, turning up just under 90,000 foot-pounds of energy, had reacted with the plutonium of the beast’s skin causing a small nuclear explosion that completely disintegrated the chupacabra. The blast was later estimated by the Atomic Energy Commission as about 1/10 kiloton. Still, I had done something no other sport hunter had ever done. Our hunt was a resounding success. As I write this, mounted on the wall of my shop is a three-inch square of bluish metal hide, the proof of my conquest. As soon as Wyman gets out of the ICU, I am going to relive this hunt with him. The doctors say Wyman’s eardrum trans-

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Reader David Cleaver submitted this photo of a hairless canine carcass he found in the woods near Austin.

plants are taking, and the flash burns on his face and hands are healing nicely. He should be back to normal—well, normal for Wyman—in a few months. Then we can begin planning our next expedition. I think it’s time that someone brought in

a trophy Texas bigfoot. This time, I think a double-barreled .900 Nitro Express should get the job done.

9/7/16 1:00 PM

Bare Bones HUNTING by LOU MARULLO :: TF&G Hunting Editor

Do Decoys Work?

UNTING WITH DECOYS IS nothing new, but it can be a new way you choose to hunt if you want to have some fun out there

n the field. Hunters been successful for years with decoys. Like many other tricks you may use to bag your game, sometimes it will work and other times it will not. That’s why they call it hunting and not shopping. With everything else a hunter needs to carry in the field, a decoy may just seem unnecessary. Take it from me. When it works, it can bring you a hunt that you will not soon forget. There are many different types of decoys. For just about any species you hunt or fish for, a decoy is available to help bring you success. Some decoys are stationary. Others have some kind of movement. The movement is either caused by wind, or a hidden battery somewhere on the decoy. On a personal note, I have had many successful hunts using decoys. Like most hunters out there, I hunt waterfowl with decoys. Turkey, dove and varmint hunters use decoys as well. But few use decoys when it comes to whitetail hunting.

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What a mistake that is! A good decoy can either bring a buck across a 300-yard field, or it can spook a deer so it hangs up just out of bow range. A lot of your success will be determined by how you set up your decoy. Knowledge of the behavior of the animal you are hunting is important. Early in my hunting career, I had a Flambeau deer decoy that looked as if it was staring in one direction. I was bow hunting and saw a nice eight-pointer at the far end of the field. Once the buck saw my decoy in the field, he walked directly toward it as I readied for a shot. Closer and closer he came when all of a sudden he stopped just out of my accuracy range and got nervous. Not long after that, the big buck turned tail and walked away. He was not spooked—just nervous. I had no idea why until the following week. My friend showed me his decoy that, when set up, looked like a calm doe feeding. It was then I realized my decoy looked as if she was looking at something, and the buck viewed that as danger. I have used Flambeau decoys for years now, and I have to admit that they are my absolute first choice for hunting with decoys. Flambeau has been around for years, and has had much success with not only their deer decoys, but waterfowl and turkey decoys as well. Their Master series flocked Boss Buck is so realistic, the instructions recommend you to be careful in your set-up because other hunters will think it is real. However, that’s not a problem on a private lease where you don’t have to worry about other hunters. Then during the peak of the rut, this decoy will bring in the biggest buck in the area without any hesitation. During early bow season, I prefer to hunt over a feeding doe decoy. It will bring other deer into the field to you, and it looks calm and natural. Flambeau now has, what they call, a grazing doe. Believe me, it looks great. How you set up your decoy is paramount to success. If you are using a doe decoy, you should always set it up facing away or quarterT E X A S

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ing away from you. Any buck that might investigate, will approach the doe from behind. However, if you use a buck decoy, it should be facing you. The approaching buck will walk to the decoy face to face to challenge him. Regardless which method you use, remember to always wear rubber gloves to set up the decoy. I always spray the decoy with a scent absorbing spray. I do not care how excited the whitetail is, one whiff of a human, and he will remind you of why they are called whitetails. In an earlier column a few years back, I wrote about using some turkey decoys to lure deer. I was hunting turkeys out of a pop-up blind and had three turkey decoys about 20 yards in front of me. Two nice does entered the field 60 yards from the blind and immediately looked my way. The wind was right, but something spooked them. They were obviously very nervous. I watched as the two deer continued to stare at the new bush I was hunting from. I thought that I would try some soft turkey calls to see what the reaction of the deer would be. As soft as I could, I yelped a few times. Immediately both deer calmed right down. As a matter of fact, they came well within bow range and had no idea I was less than 20 yards away! Turkeys and deer often are seen feeding close to each other. I am not sure why, but I suspect that deer sense that turkeys are so wary that no danger could be nearby. I think turkeys feel the same way about the deer. Who knows? All I can tell you is that I have frequently seen turkeys and deer together. When I tried my little experiment, it worked like a charm. Hunting with decoys can be a ton of fun. I will admit that a little more work is involved with something else to carry, but when it works, it is so worth it. After all, isn’t fun one of the main reasons we are hunting in the first place?

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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9/7/16 11:49 AM

Texas SALTWATER by CALIXTO GONZALES :: TF&G Saltwater Editor

October, Tournament Finish Line

N OCTOBER, MANY ANGLERS ON the Texas Coast breathe a sigh of relief, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. Sure, October usually means the weather is beginning to back off the blast-furnace heat that bakes anglers, and it means that the bays become less crowded because many sportsmen are turning their attention to hunting. Neither is it because the fishing seems to explode when the weather starts to cool just a bit. No, many along the coast thank their lucky stars that the long string of fishing tournaments almost every weekend from Late May until September are finally over. If you think the NBA regular season is interminable, try keeping track of all the tournaments in Ports Mansfield and Isabel during the summer. Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against tournaments. I’ve been weighmaster at many. Most are for good causes such as various charities or scholarship funds. Ninety-five percent of the anglers who fish in these tournaments are good people. They come to fish, and they see tournaments as a source to contribute to a cause in which they believe. They come to hang out with friends, eat some good food, and maybe even win a few bucks. The problem arises because of the other five percent, who seem obsessed with winning at all costs. Anglers who cut off the drifts of other anglers. Anglers who drop wade fishermen in front of drifting boats. Anglers who act like fools at the weigh-in and make a production about the accuracy of the weighmaster’s measuring stick or scale. Outright cheating. I have seen such examples—and a few I’m sure I’ve forgotten—in the course of 25 years

of attending, competing, and weigh-mastering tournaments. It seems that when even as little as a couple of hundred dollars is on the line, the manners and sportsmanship of some anglers go on ice along with their catch. Before anyone writes a complaint, let me reprat: I have nothing against tournaments— even though the number of events explodes over the summer months. It gets to the point that the weekend angler should stay in bed and wait for— well, October. I am proud to say that I have been associated with many tournaments over the years that sponsor worthy causes—the Willacy County Young Farmers Tournament, the Edinburg Lions Tournament, The Dargel Owners’ Tournament, and the Association of General Contractors. All these tournaments, and several others up and down the coast are run by great people for equally great causes. They encourage anglers to exhibit sportsmanship and character while on the water. Sad to say, some anglers either ignore the admonishment, or they simply don’t care. During one tournament I was working, an angler brought a redfish to the stick that was 28 1/8 inches long on my metal Chek It Stick. I had no choice but to disallow the fish, as per the rules. It wasn’t personal, but the angler made it so by claiming he was being cheated, though the tournament director verified the length. He claimed the fish measured exactly 28 inches on his stick. That was all well and good, but on the official tournament stick, it was 28 1/8. He made a huge scene, big enough that the tournament director called over a constable to defuse the situation. I’d like to say that was an isolated incident, but I’ve seen it happen over and over. While fun-fishing with my wife, son, and Captain Jimmy Martinez, we saw some anglers cut off our drift and set down within 25 yards in front of us. Jimmy and I both spoke up, and the boat operator—another guide—shouted back an obscenity and said, “We’re fishing a tournament.” T E X A S

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Oh, okay. Worse than the bad behavior or the public tantrums is the cheating. At this year’s Texas International Fishing Tournament, an angler was arrested for attempting to cheat at the Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament the week before. Two Texas Parks and Wildlife agents stepped up and arrested the angler as he was trying to weigh-in on a warrant of “fraud in a fishing tournament,” a class A misdemeanor. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. Anyone who has fished tournaments for any length of time can tell you stories of entrants being caught cheating. Some hold prior caught fish in submerged cages, others try trimming tails or “spiking” a redfish to shorten it’s length. Some stuff fish with lead sinkers, ice, mullet, or a myriad of other foreign material to goose a weight. Fish swapping among anglers is another practice of the cheater. How the arrested angler tried to cheat is immaterial. The fact remains that he did. Depending on the amount of the prize money involved, a busted angler can be charged with a full-blown felony. However, most anglers plead out to a lesser misdemeanor. Almost none ever see the inside of a prison cell. Someone once suggested to me that tournaments should be banned from Texas Coastal waters. I think that is throwing out the baby with the bath water. What needs to be done is all a wholesale change in the idea that these tournaments are a way at easy money. Tournaments should be seen for what they are really meant to be. They are a chance for a tight-knit community to come together and have a little fun, eat some good food, and maybe raise some money for a good cause. Then maybe these tournaments won’t seem like a bane, but a boon.

Email Cal Gonzales at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Have Fish Been Stocked in Your Favorite Lake or Bay? 42 |

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PHOTO: TPWD

9/13/16 12:44 PM

Below: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ﬁsheries technicians Steven Hise (left) and Wes Dutter transfer striped bass ﬁngerlings from the hauling trailer to containers on board a boat in preparation for stocking them into Possum Kingdom reservoir.

REPORT: NEWS 46 u TF&G OF THE NATION Reported by TF&G Staff

HOT 46 u TEXAS SHOTS Trophy Photos from TF&G Readers

DEPT. OF 48 u TEXAS DEFENSE by Stan Skinner and Dustin Ellermann

50 u TEXAS DEPT. OF CONSERVATION

by Will Leschper and Andi Cooper

54 u TEXAS COASTAL FORECAST

HE CAPTIVE REARING

and stocking of fish is of the

utmost importance throughout the United States.

by Eddie Hernandez, Mike Holmes, Mike Price, Chris Martin, Mac Gable and Cal Gonzales

64 u TEXAS FISHING HOTSPOTS

by Tom Behrens, Dustin Warncke and Dean Heffner

The majority of trout and

a big portion of inland salmon fisheries are the result of captive bred and released fish. For example the Little Red River in Arkansas would not have a

78 u SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK Tides and SoLunar Data

rainbow trout fishery if it were not for hatcheries. Hatcheries are also important to Texas fisheries. In fact we recently scoured the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s hatchery database to see just how much stocking was taking place and learned the state’s hatcheries are having a big impact on fishing throughout our state. T E X A S

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9/13/16 12:45 PM

Five-Year Stocking Totals for 10 Major Lakes Caddo Lake (Florida Largemouth Bass): 2,421,309 Possum Kingdom (Striped Bass): 1,843,726 Lake Fork (Florida Largemouth Bass): 2,340,071 Lewisville (Florida Largemouth Bass): 1,003,987 Canyon Lake (Striped Bass): 677,592 Toledo Bend (Florida Largemouth Bass): 2,616,439 Sam Rayburn (Florida Largemouth Bass): 3,587,982 Lake Conroe (Florida Largemouth Bass): 932,825 Choke Canyon (Florida Largemouth Bass): 637,740 Alan Henry (Florida Largemouth Bass): 248,832

An increasing number of walleye are being stocked in Panhandle area lakes.

Musky were once stocked in Texas during a period when many unusual species were released in Texas waters.

Last Historical Stocking for 10 Texas Rivers River systems in Texas do not get stocked nearly as much as lakes and bays. The following are 10 key rivers in Texas and their last reported stockings.

This article will show you stocking patterns and give you an idea on which areas are what particular species. The following are various stocking totals for key reservoirs and major bay systems in Texas. Most of these do not contain the individual stocking information for 2016. Although we have totals on numerous species, we do not have most of the totals on individual lakes.

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2016 Freshwater Stocking Totals Florida Largemouth Bass: 8,957,723 Largemouth Bass: 316,646 Blue Catfish: 988,349 Channel Catfish: 146,866 Bluegill: 427,199 Striped Bass: 2,022,211 White Bass/Striper Hybrids: 5,892,427 Rainbow Trout: 218,289

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Llano River (Guadalupe Bass) 37,491 (2016) Neches River (Smallmouth Bass) 26,310 (1980) Blanco River (Guadalupe Bass) 55,794 (2016) Angelina River (Largemouth Bass) 20,000 (1973) Canadian River (Channel Catfish) 1,500 (1973) Perdenales River (Channel Catfish) 552 (1993) Rio Grande River (Smallmouth Bass) 50,000 (1977) San Antonio River (Guadalupe Bass) 19,741 (2016) Concho River (Florida Largemouth Bass) 1,000 (1986) PHOTOS: PHOTO: CREDIT USFWS

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These baby flounder were representatives of the first-ever flounder stocked in Texas. They were released into Sabine Lake in 2009.

Guadalupe River (Guadalupe Bass-Adult) 186 (2010)

Upper Laguna Madre: 133,940 Lower Laguna Madre: 5,815,979

Five-Year Stocking Five-Year Total for Totals for Texas Bays Southern Flounder in (Redfish) Texas Bays Sabine Lake: 6,278,616 Galveston Bay: 14,499,583 East Matagorda Bay: 5,058,690 Matagorda Bay: 11,820,669 San Antonio Bay: 4,292,922 Aransas Bay: 6,561,379 Corpus Christi Bay: 5,110,734 Upper Laguna Madre: 6,568,393 Lower Laguna Madre: 5,102,097

The total for the last five years is 330,720. The southern flounder program has grown in leaps and bound since its first stocking of 4,335 combined for Sabine Lake and Aransas Bay in 2009 due to the hard work of the crew at Sea Center Texas and other facilities including the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. We will have much more on the southern flounder-stocking program in a forthcoming edition.

Five-Year Stocking Obscure Stockings of Totals for Texas Bays the Past (Speckled Trout) Sabine Lake: 2,964,538 Galveston Bay: 4,437,211 East Matagorda Bay: 4,617,288 Matagorda Bay: 9,615,663 San Antonio Bay: 3,896,983 Aransas Bay: 426,395 PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

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In the past TPWD has stocked some species that (unfortunately) did not take off and below are list of some of those stockings.

in Fryer, Meredith and Wheeler Branch Reservoir. Another 1,331,375 were stocked in Palo Duro Reservoir, Theo at Caprock Canyon, Wheeler Branch and White Reservoir in 2015. Look for a story on the walleye-stocking program in upcoming Texas Outdoor Nation news. Tiger Musky: (Hybrid Northern Pike and Muskellunge) These toothy fish were stocked in 1976-77 in Copper Breaks State Park, Leon, Meridian State Park, Mill Creek Lake, Alcoa, Nocona and Raven. Muskellunge: (Musky) There was a total of 2,785 stocked in Amsted, Copper Breaks State Park and Inks Lake. Nile Perch: Between 1978-84 there were about 80,000 nile perch stocked between Braunig and Coleto Creek with the lion’s share going to Coleto Breek. Corvina: Around 750,000 orangemouth corvina were stocked in Braunig Lake between 1985-86. These Pacific Coast fish look like a giant speckled or sand trout. Peacock Bass: Between 1978-98 around 19,000 peacock bass were stocked in Bastrop, Coleto Creek, Tradinghouse and Alcoa.

Tarpon: 34 total stocked in Braunig Lake 1984-85. Walleye: In 2016 alone more than 3,244,428 walleye fry have been stocked T E X A S

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Trailing Dogs: Controversial Dogs Save Lost Hunts IT WAS LATE IN THE EVENING. As I watched a parade of does come down the Jim Hogg County sendero, the wallop of a .300 magnum sounded off just ahead of me. I could tell it was a hit. There was no echo. Just a thud. I was excited that the gentleman hunting on the stand 1/2 mile away had gotten the big buck he had been looking for. When the rancher picked me up he said the buck had been shot, there was a strong blood trail and then nothing. In the dense south Texas thicket that is a bad thing as there are thousands of spots for

News of TEXAS

a deer to lay up and never be found. Enter a black labrador. After a quick phone call to the ranch next door, a man showed up with a lab that had been trained to trail wounded deer. He called us all off the trail and set the dog on the blood. Within 10 minutes, the 150 class drop-tined buck was found where it had stuck itself in a huge tangle of briar. Chances are none of us would have found it. Trailing dogs are becoming increasingly popular in Texas according to Wendy Hallenbeck of Thistle Ridge Terriers. “More and more hunters and ranchers are wanting to do everything they can do recover their deer, especially those once-in-a-lifetime trophy bucks, and a well-trained dog can make that happen,” she said. Hallenbeck and her husband specialize in game recovery dogs and have a long his-

tory with Jack Russell Terriers in particular. “I started breeding them in 1999 and training back in ’97,” She said. “I sold my first tracking dog in 2008 and trained a few for some guides and bowhunters after that.” Soon a demand for specific traits and training for guides began to build. “We are very serious about breeding for specific traits and training dogs for guides and ranches and the demand continues to grow,” Hallenbeck said. “It’s very rewarding to see people recover their game. I don’t know any hunter who wants to wound and lose an animal, but it happens, and our dogs can help find them.” In the past their dogs have found deer the day after they were hit, and many deer have been found that traveled much farther than most would think possible.

CATFISH

WHITETAIL

Colorado River

Zavala County

Pat Stewart of Montgomery caught this Opelousas catﬁsh on live perch while ﬁshing with his longtime hero and friend, Travis Puls, on the Colorado River near Smithville.

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Schott of Houston got her ﬁrst buck while hunting with her dad, brother and grandfather in Zavala County. The big eight point was taken at 100 yards with her 7mm-08.

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Thistle Ridge Terriers have helped ﬁnd many deer over the last few years.

Although these dogs are effective, they are not actually legal in all parts of the state. For example it is illegal to use dogs to trail wounded deer in Angelina, Hardin, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, and Tyler counties. These were the core counties for deer-dog hunting, which has long-since been banned, but still has a few hunters who pursue them in that fashion.

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, “A person is prohibited from using a dog to hunt or pursue deer in this state. A person who violates this law is subject to a fine of $500-$4,000 and/or a year in jail.” Additionally, a person’s hunting and fishing licenses may be revoked or suspended. Also, no person may possess a shot-

SPECKLED TROUT Laguna Madre

gun and buckshot or slugs while in the field with dogs on another person’s land during an open deer season in the counties listed above. Many law-abiding hunters believe the law is antiquated, and it prohibits them from doing everything they can to find their deer. “The counties where the ban is in place, especially in the southeastern pocket are some of the thickets spots in the state, and it can be hard to find even a mortally hit deer,” said a hunting club manager who requested to remain anonymous. “If we could use dogs under the same guidelines the rest of the state has, it would be a big help to us down here. The people who run dogs illegally are going to use dogs whether we use trailing dogs anyway.” The guidelines he spoke of are that no more than two dogs may be used to trail a wounded deer. A “wounded deer” is a deer leaving a blood trail according to TPWD. The law is not likely to change any time soon, but the interest in using these specialized dogs is growing tremendously. Each year they are saving the day for hunters who want nothing more than to find the deer they pulled the trigger on. More information on trailing dogs is available from Thistle Ridge Terriers at www.thistleridgeterriers.com. —Chester Moore

Colton Crawford caught this gorgeous 28-inch speck while drifting the Lower Laguna Madre with his dad and sister. Proud Papa Grant Crawford could barely hold the camera still enough to take this picture.

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TEXAS Dept. of

:: Self Defense :: Tactical :: Training Tips

by DUSTIN ELLERMANN and STAN SKINNER

:: Gear

Pack Up!

ARMED SELF DEFENSE IS A HOT topic these days, and with good reason. Muggers, rapists, burglars and the whole spectrum of violent criminals are ever-present in today’s society. If that weren’t enough, radical Islamic jihadists are actively stalking us to bring death and mayhem in the name of Allah. We have a choice. Either we can go about our lives refusing to recognize dangers around us, or we can prepare to defend ourselves and loved ones from the possibility of attack. If we choose armed self defense, we need to consider state and local laws and ordinances. Texas state laws are among the most gun-friendly in the nation, and recent open carry legislation has expanded legal carry regulations. Even so, you should familiarize yourself with state law to avoid legal conflict that could lead to criminal prosecution. Having done that, you might already have

ARs for Kids THE AR15-STYLE RIFLE IS THE most popular and best selling model firearm in America. The liberty-hating, anti-gun crowd wishes to brainwash the masses with the lie that the AR15 is a “killing machine made only for war and mass murders.” But the fact of the matter is that the AR15 is a simple, easy to build design that allows us law-abiding firearm owners to customize a rifle to fit our needs. This includes training and teaching our children to use such a platform. At my youth Marksmanship Camp we use the Smith and Wesson M&P15 .22 lr for several team-based competitions and marksmanship training. What makes this 48 |

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an idea of what sort of gun you’ll use for personal protection. If you are a gun enthusiast, you may already own one or more firearms that you intend to use for personal protection. If you are new to firearms and have decided to acquire one for personal protection, you probably need advice on what type of firearm to arm yourself with—and the cartridge it should be chambered for. However either way, it is too early in the planning process for you to make any final choices. For the moment, we’ll set aside the question of when you can legally use deadly force against an assailant. Deadly force is a very important and complex subject that you had best understand thoroughly if are to avoid criminal prosecution and possible imprisonment for using your defensive firearm. However, today’s subject is how to plan for armed self defense. Back to the subject at hand. Before deciding what firearm you need, you must evaluate your personal situation with an eye to the probable threats you might

expect to face every day. This might range from defense of your home to road rage encounters to workplace violence to attempted muggings—or other life-threatening scenarios. Let me hasten to say that whatever you plan, the best possible case is that you’ll never have to use your firearm in self-defense. If, however, you find yourself facing a person or persons intent on doing harm to you or your family, your choice of defensive firearm can make the difference between life and death. Home Security Without exception, a person’s most fundamental need is to feel secure in one’s home. If you have a family to think about, this becomes even more important to your peace of mind. However, this is a much more complex subject than you might think. If you live in a high-rise apartment building, the issues you face are considerably different from someone who lives in a single family home in a suburban neighborhood. If you live on a farm or acreage in a rural area you face a whole different set of challenges in

rifle ideal for smaller kids is the collapsible carbine stock, which allows any size shooter a proper length of pull by simply depressing a lever. I recommend only the S&W M&P1522. I have not been impressed with other manufacturer’s rimfire ARs as of yet. Colt’s has fake fire controls, Mossberg’s doesn’t look like a real AR even from a distance, and the controls are different. Although the H&K 416 rimfire is very solid and accurate, it has a horribly heavy 11-pound trigger.

There are also .22 lr conversion kits for AR15s that you can consider, but I found they do not run as reliably and accurately as a dedicated firearm. The M&P15-22 accepts a standard AR15 fire control group, which allows the user to upgrade if desired. It easily allows the user to hone and polish the sear and hammer or to install an ambidextrous safety. The primary advantage of an exact AR15 rimfire clone is being able to learn the controls. Running a firearm properly is much more than just placing a round where it’s needed. It’s about running the entire weapon system with perfection. This includes loading, magazine changes, safety manipulations, stock length changes, and trigger control. Being able to practice and train on less expensive ammunition will hone the

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defending your home and family. If you live in an apartment, your challenges might range from a quarrelsome neighbor to outright home invasion or burglary. You probably must keep your car in a parking area reserved for residents. Is it well-lit at night? Is there a security presence? If you dial 911, will law enforcement respond in a timely manner? Suburban living in a neighborhood of single-family homes offers a more laid-back life style than an apartment dweller experiences. It also presents new security concerns along with some of those above. An apartment offers the bad guy(s) only one or two plausible entry points—the entry door and a patio/balcony (if present). On the other hand, a single-family home has a number of windows to complicate security planning. In addition, front and backyard landscaping shrubbery might offer concealment for potential intruders. Living on a farm or acreage away from a town or city brings additional concerns. Law enforcement response time will necessarily be longer—maybe a whole lot longer. If you raise chickens or other livestock, you might need to protect your home from four-legged intruders as well as the twolegged variety. In some locales, larger predators such as coyotes, bears—even mountain lions—can threaten humans as well as livestock, especially children. And the list goes on. Turning to armed self-defense outside the

young marksman’s overall skills. Train your young students in the entire loading process. Have them load their own rounds into magazines, practice proper loading of the firearm, all the while being aware of their muzzle and trigger finger. This is how we engrain safe habits. After working with the S&W M&P1522, the youngster will be able to transition seamlessly to a full size AR15 when it is time. Rimfire rifles are great training tools to instill the fundamentals of marksmanship without punishing recoil or the deafening intimidation of muzzle blast. In the case of my seven-year-old who wishes to hunt, I can train him on the rimfire AR, then set up a .300 Blackout on our hog hunt. He won’t experience any intimidation when he presses the trigger. I just have to make sure he is able to deal

PHOTO: DUSTIN ELLERMAN

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home, do you have a long commute where traffic frustrations can lead to road rage? Carjacking might be a problem at convenience stores, gas stations, ATMs, etc. How is the security where you park at your workplace? Do your working hours require you to approach your car after dark? What’s the point of all this? Simply that when it comes to armed self defense, One size—or more correctly—one type of gun does not fit all. Depending on where you live, how much driving you do, and many other highly personal variables, the right firearm for your personal defense might not be what you think. The fact is, that a handgun, whether it is a revolver or semi-auto, has very little going for it as a defensive weapon. Its sole virtue is its compact size. Even that can vary considerably. A .50 cal Desert Eagle is a bit harder to carry (concealed OR open carry) than a .22 rimfire Walther TPH. However, if concealed carry is what you need, you’re pretty much locked into a handgun of some kind. For almost any other purpose, a rifle or shotgun will probably be a better choice. If this sounds like an oversim-

plification, it is. For concealed or belt carry, should you get a semi-auto or a revolver? If you choose a semi-auto, should it be double action? compact or full-size? What cartridge should it be chambered for? What about revolvers? Double action only? What barrel length? Cartridge chamberings? If a long gun better suits your needs, should it be a rifle or a shotgun? If it’s a rifle, should it be a bolt or semi-auto? What kind of sighting equipment? Iron? Riflescope? Red Dot? Holosight? Then there’s shotguns: double barrel, semi-auto, pump. Which type best serves your needs? Is 12 gauge the correct choice? In the coming months, I hope to explore these questions in greater depth with you, our readers. I have some strong opinions on these issues, and you might agree with me—or not. Either way, drop us a line at <rneves@fishgame.com>.I am eager to hear from you. —by Stan Skinner

Kody,10 years old, practices with the S&W M&P15-22, AR15-style, .22 lr riﬂe. The controls are exactly the same as a standard carbine allowing for easy graduation to larger calibers in the future.

with recoil safely. At the Youth Marksmanship Camp we outfit our M&P22-15s with Meopta illuminated scopes. Set at one power, these optics work almost like a red dot with a small amount of parallax. Iron sight training is always recommended before upgrading a kid’s optic.

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Red dots are the best way to train for quick shooting and are always the best choice for low light self-defense situations. Teaching these skills to youngsters might someday save someone’s life. —by Dustin Ellerman

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TEXAS Dept. of :: Edited by WILL LESCHPER

Sharper Shooting Cuts Down on Wasted Birds

UNT ANY VARIETY OF sought-after game bird in Texas—doves, quail, ducks, geese, pheasants or sandhill cranes—and you’ll quickly find out just how much practice you should have put in at the shotgun range. You’ll also find out that even when your pellets find their target, there’s no guarantee you’ll collect that bird. According to figures from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and overall federal data compiled for nearly the past century, roughly a quarter of ducks and geese shot by hunters are lost or fly away wounded. Research also shows those waterfowl almost always suffer mortal injuries, with less than three percent surviving. When you factor in the wounding loss rate to average harvest estimates, it means that each year, more than three million waterfowl are lost annually in the United States and Canada. For dove hunting, research has shown

a wounding loss rate of about 30 percent. Federal estimates show almost twice as many doves as waterfowl are lost annually. The dove loss figure in Texas, where hunters annually kill more mourning and whitewinged doves than anywhere else, would fall between 1.5 million and 2 million, according to those estimates. Doves are among the most daunting quarries to locate after you’ve made a clean shot. They have a curious tendency of disappearing right in front of you, especially if you’re hunting near standing crops or fields recently cut with vegetation littering the ground. The best thing you can do before any bird-hunting outing is to be prepared in a variety of ways. When preparing 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

Org Rallies Support for Conservation

launch of CRPworks.org, a coalition of sportsmen’s groups is rallying conservation advocates who want to see better investments in the CRP. Introduced in the 1985 Farm Bill, CRP once supported 37 million acres devoted to conserving soil, water and wildlife habitat. But Congress has reduced the size of the program to just 24 million acres in the most recent Farm Bill, according to the release. The user-friendly website and advocacy app at CRPworks.org allows supporters to add their names to a petition asking lawmakers to reverse this trend, explaining that “without a strong CRP, the northern

HUNTERS AND ANGLERS WHO agree that the Conservation Reserve Program works for wildlife, sportsmen, and landowners can now show their support for enhancing the program in the next Farm Bill, according to a news release. With the 50 |

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shooting iron spits out different shot sizes at varying distances for upland and migratory game bird scenarios. Practice also helps. Although it might not make you a perfect shot, it will up your odds for success. In hunting scenarios, it’s good to think about shot selection. You shouldn’t risk long shots because the best you’ll accomplish is wounding birds that you never should have pointed a gun at. The ideal way to locate a downed bird is simply to mark where you think it fell, as well as a nearby landmark, even if it’s something diminutive. On the way to locate a downed bird such as a dove, you should avoid shooting at other birds until you’ve found it. I know I’ve been caught up in good hunts where doves seemed to be everywhere, but it also has added to the frustration of searching for one bird after you’ve lost your mark trying to note where another had fallen. Beyond the feeling of guilt that can arise from not finding a downed quarry, there are rules that apply to seeking out fallen birds. Wanton waste rules specify that hunters must make a “reasonable” effort to locate and retrieve all downed migratory game CONTINUED ON PAGE

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plains states would lose much of their duck breeding habitat, greater sage grouse in the West would be at greater risk of population decline, and brook trout would disappear from Eastern headwaters. Without CRP, 40 million sportsmen and women would lose access to private hunting and fishing grounds across rural America.”

Email Will Leschper at WillLeschperOutdoors@gmail.com

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A Year of Conservation Progress

HE TEXAS GULF COAST IS part of the most important and most threatened wintering areas on the continent, and Ducks Unlimited continues working to support the millions of waterfowl that winter here each year. As Ducks Unlimited closed its 2016 fiscal year on June 30, the organization proudly completed more than 6,000 acres of conservation projects in Texas. Projects to enhance public lands waterfowl habitat were completed at D.R. Wintermann Wildlife Management Area, Mustang Island State Park, and Sheldon Lake State Park. In a joint beneficial use project with the Galveston Bay Foundation, DU moved dredge material nearly five miles to restore 50 acres of marsh. DU’s private land efforts continued to ensure the role of the Texas Gulf Coast riceprairie wetland complex as part of the continent’s most important wintering area with more than 4,000 acres of wetland enhancement projects. Through DU’s foundation, Wetlands America Trust, Ducks Unlimited closed one conservation easement that permanently protects 1,200 acres of wetland and wildlife habitat in the Lone Star State. Moving forward, construction on a 200acre moist-soil unit at Anahuac National

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Blue-winged teal are already arriving on the Texas coast and ﬁnding improved and increased habitat thanks to the efforts of Ducks Unlimited and its partners.

Wildlife Refuge began in August. This project is part of DU’s Gulf Coast Initiative and was supported in part by Axalta Coating Systems. DU will soon kick off a project at the J.D. Murphree WMA to enhance about 2,000 acres of wetland habitat through installation of water management infrastructure. Other projects slated for the coming year include enhancements to marsh terraces at San Bernard NWR, and completing quite a bit of survey and engineering work for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for future projects.

Ducks Unlimited is committed to ensuring that waterfowl find abundant habitat across North America. People reap tremendous benefits from DU wetlands conservation work, too. In addition to the enjoyment waterfowl and other wetland wildlife provide, wetlands along the coast mitigate storm surge and support much of the economy.

theoretically count those against your daily bag. If that takes you over the daily limit, you could be cited for unlawful take and possession of migratory birds. That kind of criminal violation could cost a hunter between $25 and $500 for each bird over the limit and a civil restitution figure could be tacked on for each. Also, you 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. It’s rooted in conservation to never take more than your fair and legal share of game, which should be enough incentive for any hunter.

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—by Andi Cooper

—by Will Leschper

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Coastal Focus: SABINE :: by Capt. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

Fronts = Shrimp = Fish

INALLY, WITH THE ARRIVAL of October, fall is officially here and we can begin shifting our attention to fishing techniques that go hand in hand with the ever-increasing cool fronts that will begin to blow in this month. High tides this summer have pushed big numbers of shrimp into the marsh, and we should be in for stellar fall on Sabine Lake. Once these fronts, especially the stronger ones, begin to push their way to Texas’s upper coast, and the north winds begin to pull water from the marsh and bayous, the bite in the lake should take off in a big way. The shrimp will finally have the green light

to begin riding the current out of the marsh and venture out into the open waters of the bay. Once there, they will be happily greeted by hungry trout, reds and flounders. This is a continuing process that gains momentum with each new front. The marsh and bayous are constantly being purged as shrimp, and baitfish continue to pour out into the bay with every one of them. As a result, the mouths of the bayous, shorelines and open bay are all excellent places to locate fish. Birds working over schools of hungry predator fish will be tell-tale signs that some of the shrimp have indeed decided to relocate from the marsh and set their sights on the big water. Although chasing birds is not the only option when it comes to having success in October, it is by far the most popular. We have been blessed for many years here on Sabine to be able to fish birds pretty much year-round. January and February have been the only months when we aren’t able to do it. We definitely take advantage of it throughout the rest of the year.

However, the real fronts typically begin to show up some time in October. That tends to raise the bird chasing bar up a few notches. It’s the amount of bait in the bay in October that allows predators such as the Big Three to showcase their dominance in the food chain. We do have shrimp and ribbonfish in the lake during the spring and summer months as well as an influx of shad in late summer. However, it pales in comparison with the number of shrimp and baitfish that pour out of the marsh because of the low tides that come with the stronger fronts. The amount of shrimp in the bay during the fall months is what makes the difference. In the summer there are not nearly as much shrimp concentrated in any particular area. Sometimes we’re lucky to just catch a few out of a school before it’s over. In the fall it is very common to stay with a school for long periods of time, getting bit on virtually every cast. There are also usually several different groups to choose from, so there is plenty of room for everyone. Come see us down here on Sabine this fall. Let’s see if we can’t find some of those birds to lead us to the shrimp that will put us on the fish.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: South Revetment (Pleasure Island) SPECIES: Trout, reds, ﬂounders BAITS/LURES: Fresh shrimp, shad, soft plastics BEST TIMES: Mornings and evenings with tidal movement

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Coastal Focus: GALVESTON :: by Capt. MIKE HOLMES

October is Always a Festival

CTOBER IS ALWAYS AN interesting month on the upper Texas Coast, and can be a very busy one. Hunting seasons for squirrel, dove, and other species are opening— even archery and youth only deer seasons. High school sports have been kicking off weekends for many, and for those with no life at all, professional sports can be viewed pretty much around the clock. Expanding this theme a bit further, the pleasant weather that can be expected with early fall encourages all sorts of outdoor festivals and celebrations. All this is as it should be, and should make a serious salt water angler a happy man— because each of those folks participating in a non-fishing activity this month leaves a gap for a fisherman to fill. This means fewer boats at the ramp or the fuel dock, and smaller crowds on piers, shallow bay reefs, and even on the Gulf beaches. For those who “live to fish,” October can be as good as it gets. Walking down a fishing pier or rock jetty opens up a lot of fish holding water to an angler on foot. Beach fishing is perhaps at its very best this month, and either of these approaches can pay off in pan fish like croaker, whiting, and sheepshead. Legitimate game species such as speckled trout, flounder, and redfish along with true big game battlers in the form of tarpon and heavy sharks are also waiting to be caught. Although tidal streams offer good fishing and ease of access, my bet for doing some “fun fishing” would be the miles of water that can be reached on the bay side of Galveston State Park. A day there can ease the mind from daily challenges, give the body a bit of a workout, and hopefully provide a bit of a sporting chal-

lenge along with a tasty meal for the following day. Before the park was developed, much of this land was private property and out of the reach of most of the fishing public. It holds very good stretches of shallow water that can be waded, numerous small coves, and a bit of marsh habitat—perfect environment for reds, trout, and flounders. Paved roads now lead to most of the area, and nearby are covered picnic areas, restrooms, and camping spots with hook-ups. The state park also reaches across the road and provides the same sort of comfort amenities along the beach. Galveston Island State Park on Galveston’s West Beach is a true Texas treasure, and about as good a bang for the buck as a family—or individual—can find for fishing camping, and just relaxing outdoors in a true salt water environment!

SPECIES: All the favorites will be in attendance. In our favorable Texas fall climate, I can think of no saltwater game or food species that might not be successfully pursued this month. BAIT: Natural baits, live or dead, are dependable and somewhat easier to use, but the joy of October is probably working the surf with soft plastic jigs or spoons, twitching top waters over shallow reefs, or fly casting on open bay flats with no obstacles to interfere with a back cast. BEST TIME: Temperatures for either the air or water should not be much of a factor in October, nor is time of day really critical. What is left is water movement, which is governed by tidal ebb and flow. Watch the tide charts, and pay attention to variations from published tides for the Galveston channel versus back bay locations.

THE BANK BITE

Email Mike Holmes at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

LOCATION: Flip a coin or throw a dart, any place you choose in salt water this month from back bays

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and tidal bayous to offshore rigs and reefs will be holding hungry ﬁsh.

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Coastal Focus: MATAGORDA :: by Contributing Editor MIKE PRICE

Try the North Side

FTER PUTTING MY BOAT on the trailer, I talked with Jim Sides from Palacios Paddle Sports, a kayak fishing guide service. Jim had just put his kayak on his truck after fishing in Carancahua Bay. He had limited on redfish, and fishing on the north side of West Matagorda Bay, he limited on trout. “Fish move to the north side of the bay at this time of year,” he said. It was late October, and my wife and I had just returned from fishing Turtle Bay on the north side of West Matagorda Bay. We had birds working over redfish, which were feeding on shrimp at a spot where an outgoing tide was pushing water out of back lakes. In addition, we found trout in water from four to six feet deep in Turtle Bay, so

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like Jim, we had had a good day. Typically, water temperatures are in the low 80s at the beginning of October and close to 60 degrees at the end of the month. This big change, along with the shortening days, causes the fish to actively pursue food in anticipation of cooler months when crabs, shrimp, and baitfish are harder to find. North winds drop temperatures and, at times, blow hard enough to require prudent fishermen and women to seek the protection of leeward shorelines. On October 18 last year, my wife and I went to Zipparian Bayou on the east side of West Matagorda Bay. The wind was howling at 15 to 25 mph out of the northeast. We fished from our kayaks using the shoreline as a windbreak and, by working at it, managed to catch a couple of redfish. I was going south and I spotted the wake of a redfish going north. I didn’t have time to pull my arm back for a cast and the fish was only ten feet in front of me. I flicked my three-inch yellow Wedge Tail Egret Baits minnow so that it would swim across the

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path of the fish, and the 24-inch redfish went for it. My wife, Janet, had paddled to the east shore of the cove and was drifting out using her drift anchor, when I noticed a big bend in her rod. She landed a 26-inch redfish using a Chicken-on-a-chain Bass Assassin. For several days before this strong wind came up, the wind had been lighter, but still out of the northeast. Mike Miller and Eddie Vacek fished the Lavaca Bay side of Smith Point where Lavaca Bay and Keller Bay meet. This location is close to the far northwest side of West Matagorda Bay. They enjoyed limits on trout each day. East Matagorda Bay can offer spectacular fishing under the birds in October and November. White shrimp use the outgoing tide to guide them offshore where they grow and spawn. Trout and redfish feed on the shrimp from below, while gulls, terns, and brown pelicans gorge from above. When you see this, approach in a manner that will not disrupt all this great feeding activity. Circle to the windward side of the birds, cut your engine, and drift to the action. Of course, you should be respectful of other boats and fishers in the process. Another fun way to fish East Matagorda Bay in this month of temperatures dropping is to kayak the back lakes. I have found redfish, flounders, and trout chasing bait in these back lakes on rainy, cloudy and windy October days. Redfish cruise shorelines in the fall. This is good because you can see their wakes and fins. It’s challenging because you have to get a lure to them without losing it to oysters. I was using a pearl/chartreuse Mambo Mullet from Egret Baits, which had a ¼-ounce factory installed jig, and swam the lure over shallow oysters in about 12 inches of water. A 20-inch red hit the Mambo Mullet and I put it on the stringer. Then a 17 ½-inch flounder hit the lure, and this was soon followed by a 16-inch flounder. But then I got both of the Mambo Mullets that I had with me caught in oysters and lost them. I like this lure because it has a wedge PHOTO: MIKE PRICE

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Mike Price on a good day in October.

tail that creates movement and sound, so you do not have to work the lure. You can just swim it straight over the oysters, but I found that ¼ ounce is too heavy for this situation. So I switched to a pearl/chartreuse Bass Assassin on a 1/16-ounce jig head. It attracted fish as well, and stayed above the oyster reefs. Falling water temperatures and shorter days trigger feeding in the bays and make the month of October a fine time to be out there casting.

THE BANK BITE IN THE VILLAGE OF MATAGORDA, a bridge goes over the Intracoastal Waterway carrying vehicles to the beach. Under this bridge, on both sides, you will ﬁnd places to bank ﬁsh. Most of the time water is moving swiftly, so use a ½ ounce weight or more to keep your bait from moving with the current. Live bait is best, but fresh dead shrimp will attract a bite as well.

Email Mike Price at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Coastal Focus: MID COAST :: by Capt. CHRIS MARTIN

Coastal Spoon Feedin’

ENERALLY SPEAKING, water temperatures begin a slow decline throughout October and November as the total amount of daily sunlight decreases and the number of periodic northerly-influenced frontal passages increases. These cold fronts will push cool, dry air

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masses into our neighborhood. This will tend to gradually moderate until the next frontal passage that’s a little bit cooler than the previous one. As this happens, the feeding activity of the fish often becomes much more aggressive than what we’re used to seeing during the warmth of the past few months. Many believe this aggressive tendency is the result of the cooler temperatures. This prompts an internal clock which tells the fish they must start eating more to prepare themselves for the coming cold weather. Port O’Connor and Seadrift area anglers who see this early aggression are those who fish the many secluded lakes situated in the back country of Matagorda Island. Aside from the lakes, some of the early indications of an aggressive bite are often observed along shorelines closer to major passages such as the Big Jetties and Pass Cavallo in West Matagorda Bay. Other prime places include shorelines adjacent to the Little Jetties at the east end of the town of Port O’Connor. Some 19 miles to the west, the Intracoastal Waterway opens into San Antonio Bay near Turnstake Island. As temperatures begin dropping more rapidly in the upcoming weeks, anglers will most likely be able to find a good trout and redfish bite in places heavily covered with grass and mud. Some of these places are the southern shorelines of West Matagorda Bay, Tres Palacios Bay, Keller Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay, San Antonio Bay, and Mesquite Bay. These southern-most bay shorelines can become mighty productive as the trout and the redfish begin pushing large schools of fish, and sometimes even shrimp, onto the flats in these areas. A lot of the natural baits that the trout and reds will begin herding into shallow waters will be finger mullet and other small finfish, along with an occasional grouping of shrimp. This time of the year, some of the best artificial lures you can have in your arsenal are the gold, silver, or even the copper-colored spoons. Some top-producing spoons in the past have been the Johnson Sprite and the Johnson T E X A S

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Minnow, the Krocodile and Mr. Champ spoons by Luhr Jensen, and the Kastmaster and Sidewinder spoons in the Acme line-up. Anyone claiming to be a seasoned saltwater veteran or an avid coastal angler may have already accumulated an assortment of these spoons. However, for those who may not own any spoons, manufacturers have managed to keep their prices relatively affordable, and many makers even offer them in kits such as the Johnson Sprite Redfish kit. The sunlight bounces brilliantly off the metal body of the spoon, and the spoon resembles many of the different kinds of small, shiny-sided baitfish that the trout and redfish (and even flounders) gorge themselves on. Spoons are very easy to cast with rather good accuracy, even when you have to cast into the wind. The spoon is also versatile. The spoon’s capabilities allow anglers to search for fish in the upper portion of the water column near the water’s surface by simply using a faster-than-normal retrieve. If the angler is targeting fish that are hanging out between the surface and the bottom, the angler can easily pause the retrieve and let the spoon flutter its way to the bay floor. The strike most often occurs as the lure is falling. If you are searching for some of the common bottom dwellers, especially flounder and redfish, then a slow retrieve will bounce the spoon across the bay floor in a very effective method of attracting a bite. Absent of any harsh tropical weather disturbances, cool fronts in October will prove to be good for speckled trout and redfish angling along the coastal boundaries of Texas. Each frontal passage pushes more and more baitfish and shrimp into schooling trout and redfish along shallow, grassy shorelines. This only increases the odds of success for wading anglers. Until next time, have fun out there, and be safe.

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

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Coastal Focus: ROCKPORT :: by Capt. MAC GABLE

Things Forgotten, Things Remembered

HE TRIP I WAS TOLD WAS A special needs trip. I had fished these clients many times before and so I found it a little strange I was contacted by the daughter instead of the gentleman who normally booked the trip with me over the many past years. She said “You don’t know me, but my Dad and brother have fished with you many times and I would like to book a trip for the three of us.” We settled on a date and I covered the usual items required and recommended for a trip with me. The young lady hesitated when I asked how her father and brother were doing. “My brother is fine but my father is having some memory issues. Capt. Mac he doesn’t remember you but he does remember your boat and your guide business name, Mac Attack Guide Service. I must tell you these days we don’t know what to expect and it’s only fair that I warn you that he IS NOT the same man you have fished with over the years. It’s quite possible he will remember nothing of how to fish. I am not sure if you take ‘special needs’ trips and if you would rather not take him/ us fishing my brother and I will completely understand. He speaks about his past fishing trips and seems to recall vivid detail of most all the trips he took with you. He simply states he wants to fish with Mac Attack Guide Service on the grey boat with the old rusty anchor. “Has he been a danger to himself or others” I asked, “since his memory decline?” “Not at all but rather he is more subdued and often will not participate in conversations or activities” she said. “My brother is scared you will have to teach him how to fish all over again.” I laughed and said, “That’s not much different than most trips I have with new clients!” She laughed too. “This is the thing though; the responsibility for his safety and wellbeing

rests with me while on my boat.” “Capt. Mac, he has never demonstrated any violence or outbursts but he may not remember things you have told him just minutes before so you might have to repeat yourself OFTEN.” “Doesn’t seem much different than what I do on most trips,” I jokingly said, and again I could hear her snicker. “Bring your father and let’s see how it goes. If all else fails we can always cut the trip short and come back early.” “Thank you,” she replied with a quivering voice. It’s important to note here that guides often make notes to themselves if they elect to take on clients with special needs, as it can and often does dictate the strategy for fishing that day. After the safety concerns are dealt with,

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the goal comes back to trying to have a fun day catching fish. Most trips like this cancel for obvious reasons: deterioration of the special condition or fear of the unknown, with the latter the main reason. They arrived and had I not known of the dementia, I doubt I would have noticed as the gentleman approached my boat. He seemed to not know how to get onto my boat, so I quickly demonstrated and he said “Thanks Capt. Mac. Two platforms— one moving one not, has always made me nervous.” “I do it most mornings and I still have to watch my step,” I said. We shook hands. “Good to see you again” I said, “but I am sorry I don’t remember your first name (I always called him mister ________ ).” “Well” he gleefully stated, “its ________.” “Ah, yes, thank you for telling me. I almost never forget a face but I am sorely lacking in remembering names!” “I’m sorely lacking in remembering a lot of things these days I am told” he said with a laugh.

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Forecast: ROCKPORT “You help me with names and I will help you with the rest” I chimed back. “Deal” he said. The daughter at this point looked like a load had been lifted but for what reason I didn’t know her brother pulled me to the side and told me to focus on his father and sister, for he knew his way around my boat after the many trips we had taken together. Sounded like a good plan to me. For some strange reason I had the distinct feeling someone was going to get schooled in today’s fishing and it wasn’t the elderly gentlemen in question. At our first stop he grabbed a rod, informed me the reel handle was on the wrong side and asked if we were using shrimp or croaker. Hmmmm! I smiled at the daughter while the son looked on in amazement. When I tell you this gentleman just about cast all the line off my reel, I am not exaggerating. He then handed the rod to his daughter and told me he was going to help her today, as she had not fished much. He asked me to help his son, for, he stated in a loud voice, “he doesn’t really know what he is doing either.” “What are you saying, Dad? I’ve fished with you for years!” “Yeah, and who always caught the most fish?” The young man looked like he was in a game of spades and just got trumped with an ace. First spot—10 fish in the box, 9 of which were caught by the father and daughter team. “Let’s go to that reef where the whooping cranes were,” he said. “Huh? I have no clue what you are talking about” I said. “OFGS” he said, “where the small barge is tied to the post, we caught some reds there,” he said, exasperated. At this point, I’m thinking I will let him drive! His daughter and son just looked at me and shrugged their shoulders. At the second stop, it was much of the same, mostly the daughter and son dancing to their (forgetful?) father’s tune. Oh there were memory issues, no doubt, like a few times he went for bait and forgot where the live well was, or that he was going for bait at all, or that he had caught a 22-inch trout. Once he asked me my name and how I spelled it, and if the hotel served supper, but his level of detail in 60 |

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fishing was uncanny. How I tied my knots, what size hook to use, where to hook the bait, and that he didn’t require a fishing license because he was, in his words, OVER-AGED. The truth is, had I not been told, I would have not known a thing and chalked up any issues to old age-related memory. The reds that day didn’t want to play but the black drum and trout did so we ended up with a good box of fish. It was a good day, a day much different than what I was expecting and MUCH different than his kids had prepared themselves for. I know dementia and Alzheimer’s and the other memory depreciating disorders are indeed real and the above situation, while real, might be the exception rather than the rule. I just remember a time when age-related memory issues were expected and to some degree respected as a graceful sign of old age. Today we have a names for it, we watch for it and God help the person that has that label for truly much will be noticed whether it be real or not. We watch closely those people and things we care about. I hear ticks in my motor that aren’t anything more than bad gas. I went ballistic when my father started limping in his 70’s - little did I know he had sustained injuries to both legs in the battle at Iwo Jima. Truth is he never noticed the limp, just me. After the fish were cleaned the gentleman shook my hand and he handed me some money in the exchange. “Thank you” I said, “but your kids have already paid for the trip.” “No” he said, it’s a tip. You earned it today. I’ve enjoyed fishing with you over the years and I hold many fond memories. See you next time and thank you!” “I look forward to it!” I replied. His daughter came and thanked me as well. As she walked off she turned and said, “What happened out there today? It was like my Old Dad was back.” “I don’t know ma’am, I just told him where the bait was.” ••• OCTOBER BRINGS THE COOLER weather most of us look forward too after a long hot summer. The trick to catching fish is asking questions. Seek those that frequent the waters on a regular basis. When the coolT E X A S

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er temperatures hit it changes the feeding habits of bay fish, including what they feed on. You can learn much, especially from lure anglers. They are a persistent type angler and if you are lucky enough for a successful one to share his or her secret, mimicking their presentation with bait or like-type lures is a great way to get hooked up. COPANO BAY — The LBJ causeway construction is still underway so be careful. On high tide the area close to Turtle Pen is a good place for reds using free lined finger mullet. The LBJ causeway fishing pier is holding some nice sheep head. The key here is braided line and small hooks tipped with squid or shrimp. At the slightest tap set the hook. Sheepies love to hang under and around the bridge and their pilings so target those areas. The deep edges of Hannibal Point are a good place for trout using piggy perch free lined. ARANSAS BAY — Grass Island Reef is a good place for trout using live shrimp or croaker free lined. The outer edges of Ninemile Point just off Key Allegro are a good place for flounder using fresh dead shrimp bounced or slowly jigged off the bottom. Use a light weight, just enough to get the bait on the bottom and if you feel a tap wait just a few seconds before setting the hook. Wades down Blackjack Point are good for reds using finger mullet or cut menhaden free lined.

ST CHARLES BAY — Bird Point has some keeper reds frequenting the area. Cut mullet on a light Carolina rig work well here as do Berkley new penny Jerk Shad. Drifts across Cow Chip still produce reds using soft plastics in new penny and morning glory colors. Some black drum are close to Salt Creek; use live shrimp on a light Carolina rig. CARLOS BAY — If the temperatures drop more than 20 degrees the edges of Carlos Trench are a good place for reds and trout using free lined croaker. Drifts across Carlos Lake using top waters in blue and gold and red and white colors are good for trout and reds. CONTINUED ON PAGE

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Coastal Focus: LOWER COAST :: by Saltwater Editor CALIXTO GONZALES

Legends of the Fall

WO THINGS RECOMMEND October as a prime fishing month for coastal fishermen. First, milder weather and its cooling temperatures make offshore fishing a prime enhancement to the redfish and trout that put on the feedbag during the first sniffs of autumn. Second, fewer boats are on the water because many people are recovering from the previous night’s football game. This is especially true if they stayed up late to celebrate—or forget, are on the deer lease getting ready for opening day, or bird hunting. An angler can get downright lonesome with the dearth of boats on the water during an October weekend. All that’s left is finding a few gamefish to stretch your line. Anyone wanting to try their luck at off-

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shore fishing doesn’t have to run far because the blue water is pushed close, sometimes all the way to the beach. Fish, both forage and predatory, drift in with the clean, clear water. Bonito, kingfish, tarpon, cero Mackerel, Spanish mackerel and a variety of sharks come rampaging in to dine on hapless baitfish. Among the blue-chippers is the big bruiser of the bunch: the ling. It isn’t that hard to tempt these big, brown suckers, either. A chunk of the same bait that makes up the shrimper’s cull will suffice. Pin the bait on the hook, toss it in front of the ling’s nose, and watch him slurp it down. Set the hook, and hang on. If there are no lings around the shrimp boats, it might take a little effort to track one down. The best bet is to hunt some fixed structure, such as buoys and oilrigs that sit just beyond the nine-mile state water boundary. Anyone who has been to the state aquarium in Corpus and has viewed the oil rig habitat knows about the diverse environment under the body of one those industrial

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behemoths. They not only make an attractive spot for amberjacks, snappers, groupers, and pelagics such as wahoo and tuna, but for ling as well. The maddening thing about ling is that they are sometimes surprisingly finicky. I’ve been in situations where they will turn up their broad brown noses at almost anything you throw at them—menhaden, cut bait, live hardtails, dynamite. Over the years, I learned about a great technique that seemed to be strong medicine for the fish in the brown suit—the “Ling Thing.” A Ling Thing was nothing special, really. It was a size 8/0 O’Shaugnessy hook (yes, the same hook used on catfish trotlines) with a white plastic skirt rigged onto it. The oversized eye on the O’Shaugnessy prevents the skirt from coming off and riding up the leader. Onto the hook, he also threaded a large squid, much like you would a soft plastic. The rubber skirt provided both buoyancy and some added action, while the squid provided the prerequisite scent and flavor. The setup would land in the water with very little sound—a plus when fish are spooky—and sank slowly. The skirt would flare out with a twitch of the rod, which made the squid seem alive and ready to flee. Any ling that came up to inspect the bait couldn’t pass it up. I’ve also experimented with both a Gulp! 8-inch Squid or Bait Strip. Both seem to work equally well, as should an Uncle Josh Pork-O. The only problem was that sometimes, a smaller ling than the one you have been focused on would intercept the bait before Mr. Big could bite. If the ling don’t seem to be cooperating, the kingfish usually are. Kingfish may be the largest biomass of pelagic gamefish on the Texas Coast, and these speedy marauders stay within easy reach of the “Mosquito Fleet” of small center consoles until the big cold fronts of November and December push them farther offshore.

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On flat calm days, the passes and jetty points around Brazos Santiago and Mansfield are dotted with small boats drifting for the big mackerel. Most of these boats are drifting or trolling with ribbonfish rigs and catch plenty of kings. If you are interested in a true smoker, however, you may want to try to get yourself a large live mullet or a hardtail and drift it on a rig with a balloon or stick float above it. The bigger fish seem to prefer baitfish over ribbonfish (don’t think for one moment that there aren’t some monsters lurking within sight of the shoreline. Readers Anibal Gorena and State Judge Oscar Garcia report hooking into a monstrous kingfish within the Brazos Santiago jetties. They estimate it to have been more than five feet long and weighed in the high 40-pound range). Autumn may mean the end of summer, but it also means that fishing heats up for anyone who wants to give it a try.

Email Cal Gonzales at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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MESQUITE BAY — S Reef is holding some trout; free lined croaker is best here. The northeast shoreline is a good place for reds using cut mullet or menhaden or a light Carolina rig. The west shoreline just off Bludworth Island is a good wade for reds and trout using soft plastics in morning glory and nuclear chicken colors. AYERS BAY — This is a good time to bottom fish for big drum in this bay. The east shoreline is a good spot with a light Carolina rig free lined using cracked crab or jumbo shrimp works best. You may still find some trout on Ayers Reef with free lined croaker the best bait. The shoreline just off Rattlesnake Island is a good place for sheep head using a silent cork and live shrimp.

THE BANK BITE LIVE OAK POINT is a good wade for trout. This area has some big trout this time of year but patience is needed along with a very slow wading technique. Croaker work well here free lined as well as red and gold spoons. Super Spooks in bone color can be good as well on calm days.

Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 captmac@macattackguideservice.com

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FISHING HOTSPOTS Saltwater: n Upper Coast n Mid Coast n Lower Coast Freshwater: n Piney Woods

Freshwater: n Prairies & Lakes n Panhandle n Big Bend n Hill Country n South Texas

UPPER COAST

Specks Cotton to Matagorda by TOM BEHRENS

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.

TIPS: Marcaccio recommends drifting, using soft plastic tails in either Limetreuse, pearl, plum, or Chicken-on-a-Chain along with a quarter ounce jig head. LOCATION: Galveston West Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N 29 15.7549, W94 55.177 (29.2626, -94.9196)

magniﬁcent early. Falling tides are essential.” Capt. Marcaccio LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cottons Bayou GPS: N 28 30.45, W96 12.3816 (28.5075, -96.2064)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: Capt. Critendon says he is ﬁshing a lot of grass and sand bottoms, early in the morning with topwaters, then changing to soft plastics as the sun rises in the sky. LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N 29 30.802, W94 40.581 (29.5134, -94.6764)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Small topwaters CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: “Small baits—She Pups, Baby Spooks, small Skitter Walks in chrome, bone or chartreuse should be

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LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Hodges Reef GPS: N 29 34.963, W94 44.574 (29.5827, -94.7429)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “The key in October is locating and fishing slicks in 4-6 feet of water. The bigger fish will be on the bottom…use a 3/8 ounce jig head and let it sink to the bottom.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Robinson Bayou GPS: N 29 35.0637, W94 34.4947 (29.5844, -94.5749)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com T E X A S

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or small topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “Confederate Reef is 3/4 mile long. Try to be careful to not walk on the shell; walk on the edge. The fish can hear you walking will move away.” Capt. Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston West Bay HOTSPOT: North Deer Island GPS: N 29 16.954, W94 56.223 (29.2826, -94.9371)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or small topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “A lot of people walk along on top of the shell, because it’s easier walking, but it spooks the fish. It doesn’t sound bad to you, but the fish sense the noise with lateral lines along their body.” Capt. Marcaccio LOCATION: Port O’Connor HOTSPOT: Jetties

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FISHING HOTSPOTS GPS: N 28 25.212, W96 19.5439 (28.4202, -96.3257)

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LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N 28 29.733, W 96 14.144 (28.4955, -96.2357)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: “I like to throw a colored bait that resembles needle ﬁsh or glass minnows (light green or almost crystal clear).” Capt. Critendon LOCATION: Port O’Connor HOTSPOT: Coast Guard Flats GPS: N 29 29.6869, W96 27.1009 (29.4948, -96.4517)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: “If I’m working stained water, then I’ll go with a darker color.” Capt. Critendon LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Island Reefs GPS: N 29 45.106, W93 53.307 (29.7518, -93.8885)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout and redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins 409-673-9211 .9782018@sbcglobal.net www.fishsabinelake.com TIPS: October on Sabine Lake is a premier month for fishing under the birds. The Jetties will only have a few trout; redfish are always there.

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FISHING HOTSPOTS BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: Capt. Crittenden’s favorite topwater lure is a Super Spook Junior. In the early morning, when the water is clear, he prefers natural color bait.

MIDDLE COAST

www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: “North winds after a frontal passage makes the ﬁshing a little more difﬁcult. On colder mornings after the fronts I won’t leave the dock until around 10 a.m.” Capt. Gonzalez LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Mustang Islands GPS: N 27 41.5159, W97 11.437 (27.6919, -97.1906)

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Saint Jo Blessed with Flounder by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Pita Island GPS: N 27 36.169, W97 17.1989 (27.6028, -97.2867)

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SPECIES: Redfish and trout BEST BAITS: Topwater artificials CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: “A couple of days after cold front passage, the fish action should be good.” Capt. Gonzalez LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Pringle Lake GPS: N 28 18.984, W96 30.865 (28.3164, -96.5144)

SPECIES: Redﬁsh and trout BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: “It has a ceramic bead about the size of a marble,” continues Gonzalez, “and then a little bead under the bigger bead. The combination of the beads hitting the foam cork makes for a good noise.” LOCATION: Corpus Christi bay HOTSPOT: Shamrock Islands GPS: N 27 45.9679, W97 9.7829 (27.7661, -97.1631)

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SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2244 billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Weather changes: “It will affect the fishing for sure,” said Capt. Freudensprung. “If you know a front is coming, and if you can get out on the water before it comes through, you usually will have great fishing. Concentrate your efforts on the shoreline where the wind is blowing the bait up against.” LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Saluria Bayou GPS: N 28 23.9839, W96 25.1479 (28.3997, -96.4191)

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2244 billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: “Fish the drains using shrimp under a popping cork, drains that are coming out of marshes. Just sit a the side of drain and work a popping cork.” Capt. Freudensprung

SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung 979-997-2244 billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Rigging the popping cork: “I like the Mid Coast cork. It has a weight underneath and swivel. I tie my leader, usually about two feet, and then a number four croaker hook.” Capt. Freudensprung LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Contee Lake GPS: N 28 17.779, W96 33.157 (28.2963, -96.5526)

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LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Rahal Bayou GPS: N 28 18.534, W96 32.499 (28.3089, -96.5417) SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Billy Freudensprung

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9/13/16 12:47 PM

FISHING HOTSPOTS 979-997-2244 billyfreudensprung@gmail.com TIPS: Contee Lake is a location for big trout, while using soft plastics. He likes the Gambler in Chicken0n-a-Chain color and the Paul Brown Big Eye Devils in Plum/Chartreuse. LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Traylor Islands GPS: N 27 56.6849, W97 4.4609 (27.9448, -97.0744)

their chance for flounder in October as the season is closed in November. “You can still fish with rod & reel for flounder, but no gigging.” LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: St. Joseph Island GPS: N 28 0.7279, W96 58.365 (28.0121, -96.9728)

SPECIES: Flounder BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Capt. McPartland’s favorite colors in soft plastics are Pumpkin seed/chartreuse, or any combination of dark or medium colors with a chartreuse tail.

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SPECIES: Flounder BEST BAITS: Gigging CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: Capt. McPartland explained anglers will have

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Dagger Flats GPS: N 27 49.7597, W97 10.6099 (27.8293, -97.1768)

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SPECIES: Flounder BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Jack McPartland 361-290-6302 treblejcharters@yahoo.com www.treble-j-charters.com TIPS: “Drag it across the bottom; don’t bounce or jig the soft plastic. You actually drag it over the ﬁsh, making the ﬁsh react.” Capt. McPartland LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Shell Reef GPS: N 28 12.9319, W96 47.155 (28.2155, -96.7859)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: “I prefer wade fishing because once I find a school of fish I can be more quiet, stay with the fish, and then I can walk away and leave the fish biting.” Capt. Critendon. LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Bird Island Reef GPS: N 28 16.356, W96 44.034 (28.2726, -96.7339)

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Boat Hole Flats GPS: N 27 58.969, W97 14.9989 (27.9828, -97.2500)

HOTSPOT: Badlands GPS: N 27 18.447, W97 25.993 (27.3075, -97.4332)

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: Capt. Gonzalez like the STX Popping Cork. “I like the way it’s made, has a deeper sound when popped, and they’re durable. When you pop it, it’s pretty loud.” Capt. Gonzalez

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Topwater artificial CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: Topwaters early, looking for sand potholes with weeds around the pothole. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Kennedy Shoreline GPS: N 27 15.598, W97 27.6509 (27.2600, -97.4609)

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LOWER COAST

SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Van Critendon 361-648-1886 raiseemuptexas@hotmail.com TIPS: Capt. Critendon says he is ﬁshing a lot of grass and sand bottoms, early in the morning with topwaters, then changing to soft plastics as the sun rises in the sky. LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline GPS: N 27 29.134, W97 21.1079 (27.4856, -97.3518)

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by CALIXTO GONZALES and TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Bafﬁn Bay HOTSPOT: Badlands South GPS: N 27 17.152, W97 25.053 (27.2859, -97.4176)

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: Rigging the popping cork: “If I’m ﬁshing with live shrimp, I’ll use an 18 inch drop and 3/0 croaker hook. If I’m using Gulp, I rig the same way, but use a 1/16 ounce jig head to put the Gulp on.” Capt. Gonzalez LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Arroyo Colorado GPS: N 26 20.266, W97 29.5909 (26.3378, -97.4932)

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: Capt. Gonzalez’s favorite Gulp colors for use under a popping cork are white or New Penney.

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Bad, Bad Bafﬁn Bay Reds

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Nino Gonzalez 361-332-1568 nino@redtailrods.com www.captninogonzales.com TIPS: “In October, we should still have some good schools of redfish around. Bird activity is not the big indicator of fish activity. Look for slicks or sand pocket potholes.” Capt. Gonzalez LOCATION: Baffin Bay

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561

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FISHING HOTSPOTS saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: “We had a really good spring for big trout, and they stuck around for the summer. For the wade ﬁshing angler, they should still be around in October.” Capt. Romero LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Butchers Island GPS: N 26 38.1019, W97 23.149 (26.6350, -97.3858)

hard to ﬁnd and I will start using piggy perch for the winter. When the perch become hard to ﬁnd, then I switch off to Corkies.” Capt. Romero LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Dubbs Island GPS: N 26 43.2409, W97 25.6 (26.7207, -97.4267)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: Capt. Romero says to ﬁsh cuts and sloughs using big croaker, piggy perch, or a big Super Spook. “It it’s a topwater, it has to be big.”

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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Greens Island GPS: N 26 23.5379, W97 19.465 (26.3923, -97.3244)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: Rigging the croaker: “A number ﬁve circle hook, croaker hook. During the summer I use a number four hook because the croaker are smaller.” Capt. Romero LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Marker 45 sandbar GPS: N 26 46.1219, W97 26.8249

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FISHING HOTSPOTS (26.7687, -97.4471)

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TIPS: The chatter weight is available in multiple colors. “My favorite is the smaller weight in a Hot Pink colors.” Capt. Romero LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Rincon de San Jose GPS: N 26 47.154, W97 28.6819 (26.7859, -97.4780)

SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: Capt. Romero uses a chatter weight on his rig. Small or big depends on how deep the water is he is ﬁshing — knee deep, smaller weight. Waist to chest deep, a bigger chatter weight. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Horse Island GPS: N 26 20.3539, W97 20.2489 (26.3392, -97.3375)

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LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Jackson’s Arm and Alligator Bayou GPS: N 32 43.1699, W94 5.4359 u TAP FOR (32.7195, -94.0906) SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: If you let the croaker sit on the bottom, you have a better chance to hooking a big red or trout. Many people like to jerk the croaker too much. If you jerk it too much you will catch smaller trout.

PINEY WOODS SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com TIPS: “I usually set the chatter weight right by the hook, maybe 8-10 inches above my hook. If I’m ﬁshing deep water I will bring the chatter weight down closer to my hook.” Capt. Romero LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Land Cut mouth GPS: N 26 48.6139, W97 28.1399 (26.8102, -97.4690)

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Fork Creeks for Bass & Crappie by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Mouth of Main Lake Creeks GPS: N 32 50.334, W95 33.216 (32.8389, -95.5536)

ONLINE MAP

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits CONTACT: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net www.caddolakeﬁshing.com TIPS: “Fall time is beginning this month and as the water cools the bass will begin to feed much more and school up. Any type baits listed above in light or shad colors work well. Watch for shad grouped up along the grass edges and you will ﬁnd the bass.” LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 26.226, W95 35.508 (30.4371, -95.5918)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artiﬁcials, live croaker and live piggy perch CONTACT: Capt. Rudy “Jawbreaker” Romero 956-226-3561 saltwaterwarriors777@gmail.com

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beside creek channels as the crappie use the creeks to travel to and from deeper water. As the water cools off in the fall the crappie will move deeper for the winter and will be feeding as they go. I use minnows and jigs on my trips. My best color in the fall is Electric Chicken, so try that in your area. It works well on Lake Fork. Some of the areas to look at will be mouth of Dale, Bell, Little Caney and Chaney. Look for the baitﬁsh on your electronics next to the creeks and the crappie will be there also.

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SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows and jigs in Electric Chicken color CONTACT: Doug Shampine 940-902-3855 doug@lakeforktrophybass.com www.lakeforktrophybass.com TIPS: I really like the month of October for crappie ﬁshing on Lake Fork. I will be ﬁshing my brush piles that time of year from 22-27 feet deep. I put my brush

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Pop’R, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Assassin shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: The Black Bass will begin to feed on shad in preparation for the cold weather when they will begin to selectively feed. This is good for us fishermen who enjoy the top water bite. Baits like Pop’rs and buzzbaits will work well on overcast days. If you’re

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FISHING HOTSPOTS on the water this time of year immediately after a cold front (up to the 3rd day after) and it is at daylight or an overcast day, locate the rip rap rock around the lake and start by throwing a small single blade spinner bait at the rocks then retrieving it back at a very fast rate where the bait is waking the surface. This is a very productive and very fast way to catch a number of ﬁsh that will attempt to pull the rod out of your hand. The next thing to try would be a Pop’R, working this bait in the same areas and alternate between the spinnerbait to determine which they want on that particular day. Another tried and true method is the Bass Assassin shad. I rig them using a barrel swivel and about a 10 inch leader to keep my line from twisting. Then depending on what I want the bait to do or how fast I want to work it will determine the hook size I use. If I want it on the surface I will rig with a 2/0 or 3/0 hook. If I want it deeper I will use a 5/0 hook. The way I work it is an erratic fast twitching action. LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Creek Channels, Deep Points and Road Beds GPS: N 32 48.498, W95 36.684 (32.8083, -95.6114)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: “Back of Creeks and Around Creek Channels: Top water lures, crankbaits, spinnerbaits. Deep points and road beds: spoons and A-rigs” CONTACT: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 lance@lakeforkbass.com www.guideonlakefork.com TIPS: Well it’s time for fish to start feeding for the winter. You can catch shallow and deep this time of year. Look for schooling activity in the back of creeks around creek channels. Key to succeed this time of year is to find shad activity. Enjoy the cooler weather and hungry fish! Good fishing all! LOCATION: Lake Livingston

HOTSPOT: The Pocket GPS: N 30 55.662, W95 15.054 (30.9277, -95.2509)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics and jigs CONTACT: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: “Flip docks, lay downs, boat houses and rocks with Charlie’s June Bug 6 inch Gecko and Charlie’s 1/4 oz. Green Pumpkin Swimming Jig tipped with Charlie’s Chunk Green Pumpkin Blue Flake. BANK ACCESS: Public boat ramp at Hwy 19 bridge or Bethy Creek Resort.” LOCATION: Toledo Bend North HOTSPOT: 2x4 Hole

9/13/16 12:47 PM

FISHING HOTSPOTS GPS: N 31 46.6848, W93 49.986 (31.7781, -93.8331)

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PRAIRIES & LAKES

Cedar Docks for Largemouth SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, tail spinners and RatL-Traps CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com www.toledobendguide.com TIPS:” October is always a great time to be on the lake. Not much traffic, the days are getting shorter and the water temperature is starting to fall, signaling that winter is on its way. The fish will start feeding heavy bulking up in anticipation for the coming winter season. The White Bass will start migrating to the north end main lake river channel sand bars. Concentrate on the inside river channel bends. Use your electronics to locate the baitfish. There will usually be plenty of schooling activity in these same areas.”

LOCATION: Bachman Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 32 51.1859, W96 52.014 (32.8531, -96.8669)

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by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Docks GPS: N 32 19.044, W96 10.0139 (32.3174, -96.1669)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: “Fish all docks throughout the lake with jigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Fish 2’ to 10’ and cover everything. Any rocks you ﬁnd in shallow water can be good as well.”

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Small rooster tails and small creature baits (3-4 inches long) CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: Bass are on fire shallow along the banks as shad are running shallow too. Fish in 1-5 feet of water using the bridge for shaded cover. Cast along the banks parallel as the fish are no more than five foot from the banks. At the time of this report, 1-8 pound fish are being caught! LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: Northwest side Main Point GPS: N 29 56.5679, W96 44.0639 (29.9428, -96.7344)

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch Bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Concentrate on fishing timber here in 8-12’ water. Chum around the boat, use tight line and expect very light bite even for big fish. LOCATION: Gibbons Creek HOTSPOT: Employee dock area GPS: N 30 37.602, W96 4.5899 (30.6267, -96.0765)

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SPECIES: Catﬁsh

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FISHING HOTSPOTS BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch bait/perch CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.ﬁshtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Fish concentrating on 7-8’ water next to the lily pads. Use CJ’s punch bait under corks. At night, use perch along pads for yellow cats. LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 41.952, W97 23.22 (30.6992, -97.3870)

LOCATION: Lake Eagle Mountain HOTSPOT: North of Dam GPS: N 32 52.709, W97 28.044 (32.8785, -97.4674)

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slab with a fly 12 in. above it CONTACT: Johnny Stevens 817-597-6598 johnnystevens@1scom.net johnnysguideservice.com TIPS: This area just north of the dam is a series of humps, ridges and ditches. Never seems to be any fish in the bottom of the ditches. Use your electronics and look on the top of ridges and along the slopes. When you locate fish anchor over them and use a vertical jigging method on them. If you prefer to cast to them, use a slab and fly combo and let it go to the bottom and hop it back to the boat. LOCATION: Lake Granbury HOTSPOT: Mid-Town GPS: N 32 26.404, W97 46.977 (32.4401, -97.7830)

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, Rat-L-Traps, Rooster Tails, Road Runners, small Crappie jigs, and top water plugs up to 7 inches CONTACT: Carey Thorn 469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: “In over a month, ﬁshing Lavon, we have hit our limits every trip. The Sandies are going nuts every day on the surface making them easy targets. At the time of this report, they are starting to boil up at about 8:30 in the morning till about 11:30 in the morning. Then they pop up again between 4:45 and 5:45 and go until 7:30pm. We are catching them on the surface even when it was dark. LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Back of Flat Creek Near the Dogwood Point GPS: N 32 12.912, W95 31.548 u TAP FOR (32.2152, -95.5258)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters early (Pop-Rs); Texas rigged worms and shallow diving crankbaits worked near submerged brush near main lake points. White spinner baits and frog imitations have been producing as well. CONTACT: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 unfairadvantagecharters.com TIPS: Look for flats with brush adjacent to deeper water where fish will push baitfish. The backs of sloughs with brush are producing as well. Work a crankbait to draw active fish and follow with the Texas rigged worm in red shad or pumpkin seed color. T E X A S

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ONLINE MAP

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: 1oz Chartreuse slabs from RSRLures. com and Tail Spinners CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: “Watch your graph along the humps and you will see the White Bass stacked up on the edges of the humps. Drop slabs down and bounce off bottom making contact with bait as it falls. Carry binoculars and

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 33 2.646, W96 31.116 (33.0441, -96.5186)

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SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Marabou jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: The crappie are in shallow water this time of year and are being caught in 3 to 7 feet. Some good places to try are in standing timber at the mouth of the river or Willis Creek. They are also in very shallow artiﬁcial structure and brush piles. Use Berkley Crappie Nibbles on your jigs and loop knots to get the best action. Any cover will hold crappie at this time of year and they will be big after feeding heavily on shad all summer. Good luck and good ﬁshing. LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N 31 54.204, W97 12.18 (31.9034, -97.2030)

glass the lake occasionally watching for the herons and cranes that land on the water. The white bass push the bait to the surface and the cranes will drop down and feed. Keep a good distance and make long casts with slabs or tail spinners.“

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Big Eye Jig and Texas Spinnerbait CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201 rick@ rickysguideservice.com www.rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Bass ﬁshing is good mid-lake ﬁshing the back of Flat Creek near the dogwood point. Fish the creek and shallow water around the islands. Best lures will be the Big Eye Jig along the creek and the Texas Spinnerbait around the islands and grass. LOCATION: Lake Proctor HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 31 58.6996, W98 28.4398 (31.9783, -98.4740)

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SPECIES: Hybrid Striped Bass BEST BAITS: RatLTraps, crankbaits, slabs CONTACT: Michael D. Homer, Jr., Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. 325-692-0921 michael.homer@tpwd.texas.gov TIPS: Hybrid striped bass have been stocked by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for many years to support the popular ﬁshery. On the northwest and southeast sides of the island, near the dam, there are humps that hybrids can commonly be found shoaling together. Trolling with chrome or white RatLTraps, deep diving crankbaits, or slabbing may produce a good catch. Heavy spinner baits with similar colors could be effective as well. LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Main Lake Point GPS: N 33 24.257, W97 2.269 (33.4043, -97.0378)

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SPECIES: Crappie, White Bass, and Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: White or silver Road Runners, Picasso Jigheads with white or chartreuse jig bodies. and Pacemaker Jigs with a V&M Wild Craw Jr. or V&M J-Bug trailers in green pumpkin. CONTACT: Brian Parker - Texas Guide Service 817-808-2227 lakeaustinﬁshing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: If you’re searching for White Bass, it won’t be hard to ﬁnd them. Just look for washing machine activity by the spillway and throw a white or silver Road Runner. Pay attention to the size you keep as the Game Wardens will check them. Crappie are hanging out in brush piles between 10 and 20 feet of water. Picasso jigheads with white and chartreuse have been working consistently. Largemouth up to 10lbs have been under the schooling sand bass and in the 15-20 feet of water creeks. Pacemaker Adrenaline jigs with V&M Wild Craw Jr or V&M J-BUG trailers in green pumpkin have produced early until noon.

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Topwater plugs, live shad, and Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-786-4477 bigfish@striperexpress.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: The big fish are on the banks early in the mornings in October. Cast Pencil Poppers and big Chug Bugs for vicious strikes in shallow water. Midmorning change your lures to four inch Sassy Shad on a one ounce jighead. Favorite colors are white-glow and chartreuse fleck. Always keep your eyes on the seagulls. They can locate schools of stripers roaming in open water. Live shad fishing is also is also an excellent way to catch stripers. Locate the fish on the ledges, anchor up and place your bait three turns off the bottom. The best depth will average thirty feet.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Brushy Creek GPS: N 30 20.94, W96 33.2039 (30.3490, -96.5534) SPECIES: White Bass & Blue Catfish BEST BAITS: 3/4 to 1 oz. slabs CONTACT: Jim Walling 940-391-5534 Jimwwalling@icloud.com TIPS: Use your electronics to locate schools of White bass holding near the bottom in 25-40 feet of water. They can be on any main lake point however the one located with these GPS coordinates is one of the best. Once fish are located, use 3/4-1 ounce slabs. Jig the lure near the bottom but keep an eye on your electronics for fish coming up. When this happens, it can be more productive fished a few feet off the bottom. Do not be surprised to catch several Blue catfish while fishing the schools of White bass. It’s just a nice added bonus this time of year. LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Spillway, Deep Channels, and Brush Piles GPS: N 33 24.426, W97 3.1979 (33.4071, -97.0533)

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LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Striper Point / Whitney Hump GPS: N 31 54.834, W97 23.0879 (31.9139, -97.3848)

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch Bait/Crawdad CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Anchor here, chum around the boat, fish tight line on outside of the cane that died when water was high.

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Redfin and Live Shad CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Look for a shallow top water bite at Striper Point and Whitney Hump. Make long casts with a redfin. Retrieve it back to the boat and make it wobble on the surface. When the Striper blows up wait until the rod doubles up with the weight of the fish and THEN set the hook! After the sun gets up back off the points, drift the same area in 18 ft. of water.

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: North Island and Tabletop GPS: N 33 52.068, W96 41.67 (33.8678, -96.6945)

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N 31 58.368, W96 6.99 (31.9728, -96.1165)

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SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Danny Kings Blood Punch Bait CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: If this fall turns out like the last couple of years and the Whites and Hybrid Stripers get tough to find, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check out RC for an AWESOME Catfish bite. Both Blues and Channels will congregate in the timbered areas up the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. You can also find them off the Hwy 309 Flats along the edges of drop offs in 20’ plus water depths. Punch Bait fished near the bottom will result in a nice box of quality Cats ranging from 2lbs. to 5lbs. All you need is the bait, a minimum 15lb. test line on your rod and reel and a # 4 treble hook. Hold on as you’re likely to hook into a slot fish as the Blues have a 30” to 45” slot and must be returned to fight again!

PANHANDLE

Peanut Patch Bass & Crappie by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Peanut Patch GPS: N 32 53.627, W98 30.988 (32.8938, -98.5165)

normal. Look for the fish to be on the 20-40 foot break or contour lines traveling as a natural highway. When you use live bait, try to fish a half-foot above them for more action and better bites. Sandies will be right on bottom, so keep contact with the bottom to throw up a dust cloud as a bait or crawdad would, and they can’t refuse it if hungry. Also, put a second bait about 18 to 24 inches above for two at a time, but you must set the hook on the first fish and let him swim around down there giving another fish time to grab the second bait for two at a time. DON’T use this rig for stripers, unless you take time to put a barrel swivel inline and have strong line in case you get 2 stripers on. They will snap an inferior double rig quickly. LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Peanut Patch GPS: N 32 53.627, W98 30.988 (32.8938, -98.5165)

up action when the cool fronts start the water cooling down. When the water get back in the mid 70’s, the shad and bass will start moving into the backs of the creeks and coves. Check for schooling shad up Big Grape, Little Grape, Ince, Gobbler and Rocky Creeks. The bass will ﬁrst be in the mouths of the creeks, and then slowly work their way to back of the creeks. Start your search at the mouth and work your way back into the creek. Fish Fun-Fish Safe!”

HILL COUNTRY

Buchanan White and Striped Bass

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by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 50.5139, W98 25.326 (30.8419, -98.4221)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Live bait, soft plastics, crankbait, jig & pig CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: This is a great time to catch that black bass of a lifetime, but ﬁsh slow with live bait, a worm, crankbait or jig & pig. Don’t forget that a plain old 60’s type spoon in chrome and or chartreuse will catch these slobs while lying at the base of a submerged LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Mouth of Major Creeks and Coves GPS: N 33 2.6279, W101 3.7379 u TAP FOR (33.0438, -101.0623)

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SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Top water lures and small Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@yahoo.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: White Bass fishing prospects are excellent early morning in the down wind side of lake within the brush that is sticking up. Fish top water lures until 10 am and then switch to casting small Rat-L-Traps. LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 49.572, W98 23.658 (30.8262, -98.3943)

SPECIES: Striped & White Bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, live bait CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: If we still haven’t got hard cold snaps that has cooled water down a lot there is even some topwater action still around but live bait jigs and slabs are the

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Chatterbaits, shaky head jigs with blue worms, shad colored crankbaits, top water lures and Red Eye Shad CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net http://www.lakealanhenry.com/norman_clayton.htm TIPS: “Bass ﬁshing in October will really start to pick T E X A S

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FISHING HOTSPOTS 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: Stripers will be around mid-lake. Watch for top water ﬁsh. Look for seagulls working. Any top water lure will work as well as slabs and jigs for under water lures. LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Canyon Park Point GPS: N 29 53.2559, W98 13.638 (29.8876, -98.2273)

LOCATION: Lake Austin HOTSPOT: Flats and Docks GPS: N 30 19.74, W97 49.584 (30.3290, -97.8264)

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SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Hogies 4” Super Shad Pearl / Black Back CONTACT: Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Look for the Striped Bass to be shallow (20-40 feet). They will be suspending over the river channel and feeding on the point in this area. Fishing the Super Shad close to the bottom produces fish in this area. Tight lines and Fish-On! LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Comal Park Area GPS: N 29 51.7079, W98 14.28 (29.8618, -98.2380)

Generally, just before a front arrives and as the front is pushing in, ﬁsh become more active and feed much more aggressively. This secondary point has deep and shallow water along with brush. The brush extends into the cove and along the bank. “

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: V&M Wild Craw, V&M Wild Thang, V&M Trickster, and Picasso Shad Walker CONTACT: Brian Parker - Lake Austin Fishing 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: This time of year is when the water temperatures start to drop and the bass begin to actively feed. Most of the larger bass will tend to feed on bigger meals so I tie on a Texas Rig with a V&M Wild Thang or Trickster and throw around the docks. I also like throwing a Pacemaker Jig with a Wild Craw on the flats/shallows and work it towards deeper water as the crawfish become more active this time of year going from shallow to medium depth in search of food. Early mornings and late evenings is a great time to throw a Picasso Shad Walker over the flats as well.

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SOUTH TEXAS

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics CONTACT: Teach ‘Em to Fish Guide Service-Barry Dodd 210-771-0123 barry@teachemtofish.net www.teachemtofish.net TIPS: “October is the month that the water temperature finally falls into the 70’s and marks the beginning of the fall fishing season. Bass begin moving from the depths of the lake into shallower water and the catching percentages improve. It is also the time for cool fronts, which are blessings for moderating temperatures but can also produce dangerous winds and storms.

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Freshwater Reds by the Spoonful

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SPECIES: Freshwater Redfish BEST BAITS: Pet Spoon CONTACT: Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com www.sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: “Trolling with downriggers set at 10 to 15 foot deep will produce some good catches of Redfish in this area. Tight lines and Fish On!” LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 28 43.4879, W97 11.178 (28.7248, -97.1863)

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Zoom pearl white fluke CONTACT: Rocky’s Guide Service 361-960-0566 TIPS: The heat is finally over. The water is starting to cool and the fish are biting. This time of year the fish are getting ready for winter. Topwater lures are good choice early morning and late evening. As always I like my Zoom pearl white fluke. Dip it in a little chartreuse while the sun is high for better action. May your bites be big and your fish be healthy.

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Calaveras Lake HOTSPOT: Crappie Wall Flats GPS: N 29 17.286, W98 18.396 (29.2881, -98.3066)

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EXAS OFFERS many great hunting and fishing opportunities beginning this month. For the outdoors lover who likes to do it all there is plenty of chances to hunt in the morning and fish in the evening

or vice verse. A bowhunter scoring on a big doe in the morning on their Llano County lease could easily drive over to Lake Buchanan for example and chunk crankbaits for largemouths or go to the South Llano River and fly fish for Guadalupe Bass. On the coast you can score on doves in T E X A S

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Archery Whitetail The archery-only season for whitetail deer kicks off Oct. 1 For archers, bow season offers two major advantages. The first is getting to hunt deer in the rut (breeding period) which begins in October in certain parts of the state. Whitetails in the southern part of the Pineywoods in particular start rutting in October with heavy activity centered toward the end of the season. The rut offers the best chance to score on a big buck as their defenses go down while they are in pursuit of does. Secondly, it gives those hunters who pursue deer on public land a great chance at targeting prime areas. The National

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Forests and numerous wildlife management areas are packed with hunters during the general season but see relatively few bowhunters. The acorn crop in much of the region should be strong which could keep many deer from hitting feeders. Targeting natural food sources during bow season is often best anyway and is certainly more consistent for taking big bucks. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get big by running straight to a feeder when it starts dispensing corn. This of course is not legal on certain public lands but if it is allowed, then use a little. Otherwise do your best to scout both in the field and using tools like Google Earth to check out travel corridors and food sources.

PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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Bow season starts just as the rut is gearing up in parts of the state.

Set up your blind with the wind in your face and hopefully the deer coming out in front and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be just fine.

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Take time to enjoy the woods. Listen to the sounds of morning breaking as the birds send out their wake up calls and squirrels scurry up the trees. If you choose to bowhunt, it is obviously not just about the kill only. Statistics show a low rate of success for archery hunters due to the challenging nature of the sport. Remember you are being an active participant in nature and let the world’s worries drift away for a few hours. There is great adventure to be had beyond the pavement beginning this weekend.

Dove The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) for the last couple of decades has been doing something that allows hunters to access hunting at an

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affordable rate, especially when it comes to dove hunting. For $48, hunters can purchase an Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH) and have an opportunity to pursue their outdoor passions on more than 900,000 acres of land. The program’s many accomplishments include the following: • Since the first year, the program has found acceptance from both hunters and participating landowners. Participants are enthusiastic. • The program has grown to from 10 units in six counties and 4,375 acres to many times that amount. • Youth hunts were added in 2002 TPWD now offers Youth Only and Youth Adult areas • Numerous leases are available near

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Public dove hunting is big in Texas: 900,000 acres big.

San Antonio, Houston and the DallasFort Worth areas. A new 90-day season this fall means hunters will have 20 more days of opportunity compared with previous years. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is integrating those additional

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days early in the season to take advantage of mourning dove migrating into the state, as well as at the end of the season in the Special White-winged Dove Area to offer more bird hunting opportunities. “Hunters will now be able to take advantage of those northern birds riding early November cool fronts into Texas, without sacrificing days of opportunity early in the season,” said Dave Morrison, TPWD Small Game Program Director. “We’ve also tacked on extra days to the back end of the season in late January when South Texas prospects are still pretty solid. It’s a win-win for dove hunters.” Dove season in the North Zone runs Sept. 1 – Nov. 13 and Dec. 17 – Jan. 1, 2017; in the Central Zone from Sept. 1 – Nov. 6 and Dec. 17 – Jan. 8, 2017; and in the South Zone from Sept. 23 – Nov.

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13 and Dec. 17 – Jan. 23, 2017. The daily bag limit for doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit 45. In the Special White-winged Dove Area, the season runs Sept. 3-4, 10-11, Sept. 23 – Nov. 9, Dec. 17 – Jan. 23, 2017. During the early two weekends in the Special White-winged Dove Area, hunting is allowed only in the afternoon and the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. During the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit is 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.

Ducks If we get a winter, this year should be solid for ducks in Texas. Overall duck numbers in the survey

PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

CAST and BLAST

Duck numbers are down in many cases this year but not enough to make a big impact.

area are statistically similar to last year and remain steady according to officials with Ducks Unlimited.. Total populations were estimated at 48.4 million breeding ducks in the traditional survey area, which is 38

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CAST and BLAST percent above the 1955-2015 long-term average. Last year’s estimate was 49.5 million birds. The projected mallard fall flight index is 13.5 million birds, similar to the 2015 estimate of 13.8 million. “What’s not reflected in the report is that there was fairly significant improvement in habitat conditions after the surveys were completed,” said Scott Yaich. “In some key production areas, heavy June and July rains greatly improved wetland conditions. This could benefit brood rearing and the success of late nesting species, as well as give a boost to overall production through re-nesting by early nesting species.

Redﬁsh Redfish action runs hot and heavy especially around the jetty systems from

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Sabine Pass to Surfside. “A lot of people overlook the bull redfish run of the fall and while it peaks in October, bull reds can be caught throughout fall and winter,” said Marcus Heflin of Christian Surf Fishing Adventures. Heflin said anglers should target deep holes and boat cuts and be aware of tide swings and the presence of mullet. “You typically get the best action when a tidal switch occurs especially on that incoming tide when water that is a little warmer starts coming in from the Gulf. If you find a bunch of mullet you should have reds. If you don’t see them on the surface dolphins are a good sign. They feed on them and are actually a pretty good sign of reds.” A medium to deep running crankbait fished tight to the rocks or a live mullet

fished on a Carolina rig can produce reds up to 40 pounds. “If you can’t get excited about catching reds that size…well…I just don’t know.”

Flounder It’s flounder fishing time. Most of them migrate begin migrating out of the bays and into the Gulf at the end of this month. In the early part of the month target the cuts draining marshes in the bay. The southern tier of bay systems in close proximity to passes and the Intracoastal Canal are key spots to seek flounder later in the month. Look for flats with muddy bottoms close to drop offs and water flowing from canals into the channel and passes for the best results as winter rolls in.

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CAST and BLAST Small shad imitations and curl-tailed grubs tipped with shrimp and fished on fluorocarbon line are the ticket. Natural colors like shad, smoke and salt and pepper are the best when the water is running clear and pink when the water is running stained.

Drag slowly and pay close attention for any kind of pressure on the line. Once it gets cold, flounder often bite very lightly so it is important to be very aware of any strange feelings on the line. If you think you have a strike, count to 20 and set the hook. That might sound extreme but I

Drifting the bay is a great way to score on specks, reds and ﬂounder this month.

have found waiting a long time on light bites makes a difference. If you happen to feel the classic hard “thump” count to five and set the hook.

Speckled Trout Look for specks under the birds during October and November. Diving gulls lead to good catches of trout feeding on shrimp. Throw silver spoons, soft plastics and live shrimp under popping corks for best results. Much like flounder, anglers can find them where mud flats intersect with channels, especially on sunny days as winter arrives. The mud retains heat and baitfish and in turn trout move onto the flats to feed. Swimbaits that imitate mullet are great for fishing these spots because they allow anglers to cover water and still work a good portion of water in a slow determined fashion. If you find fish, it might pay to switch to a slow-sinking soft or hard plastic lure and pick apart key areas like small shell reefs and transition zones from deep to shallow. Also like flounder, big trout hit light so 94 |

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pay close attention and feel free to set the hook on anything that feels unusual.

Largemouth Bass Bass fishing gets overlooked in the fall. And that’s a shame since some of the best bass fishing of the year happens during autumn. Main-lake points and creeks entering the main body of the lake are the important areas to fish at this time of year as they give the fish access to shallow and deep water and hold fair to good amounts of shad. Throw large Beetle Spins and wacky worms during the midday period; fish topwaters and buzz baits early and late. Another viable option is to fish the riprap and bulkheads along some of the big marinas, especially in the evenings. These areas will hold many bass, especially after a front blows through.

L-Trap and boost the retrieve up to medium speed. Sometimes the shad are spread along the shorelines, stacked horizontally instead of vertically. If this is the situation, the bass can be scattered as well. This is a good time to throw a square bill crankbait since you came cover lots of water. If the fish are a little deeper try something in the medium-diving range.

If the water is high as it is on most East Texas lakes due to the epic rains we’ve had use spinners when the shad are clinging tightly to the shoreline. Cast parallel to the shore and work it back at a medium pace for best results

Fall is prime time for bass in Texas.

If the bites don’t come easy, use a slow-sinking lure like a Senko because they appeal to both temperature stunted slow moving fish and aggressive feeding fish as well. Between fronts, look for shad bunched up around the secondary points and start fishing a crank bait like a Bomber 9A with a slow retrieve. If you find fish and they are active, switch to something like a RatT E X A S

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Texas BOATING by LENNY RUDOW :: TF&G Boating Editor

Mate for a Day

AVE YOU EVER WONDERED what it would be like to mate on a charter fishing boat for a day? We find out. I’m squeezing the poop out of a dead fish. Literally. I pinch the fish’s belly between my forefinger and thumb, slide it aft along the unfortunate critter’s underside until green slurry pops out, then dip it in a bucket of saltwater to sluice the stinky goo away. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I should be relaxing in the saloon of the 41’ custom fishing boat Catch 22. I should be enjoying the break from my usual offshore fishing grind, which starts with a two-hour tow to the boat ramp, includes hours of running both the boat and the fishing lines, and ends with a massive

cleaning barrage. I’ve signed on to this trip as a passenger, to enjoy a day of responsibility-free fishing with my 18 year old daughter Mollie. But we arrived at the dock this morning to discover that the Catch 22 was mate-less. Thanks to a difference of opinion between the captain and his assistant just 12 hours earlier, the mate for today would be… me? Rejecting the position wasn’t an option— there was an entire crew of eager, anticipationriddled kids sharing the boat with Mollie and me. When we arrived at the dock, nine year-old Mitchell was gushing with exuberance, bouncing back and forth between the cabin and the cockpit like a ping-pong ball. Eleven year-old Delaney bubbled over with talk of dolphin, whale, and sea turtle sightings. Thirteen yearold Carder quietly inspected hooks, leaders, and lures, trying to absorb every iota of information possible on his first offshore fishing trip. And Albie, the only other adult aboard, did his best to keep the mayhem at a minimum as Captain Mitch and I talked in hushed tones. So instead of reclining in the air condition-

A rigged ballyhoo is the standard bait for offshore trolling—and it’s the mate’s responsibility to rig a dozen or more, every day.

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ing, soon after casting off the lines I found myself wedged into a corner of the cockpit, crouching over a bucket of small dead fish as we crashed our way through the open ocean. Squeezing out the poop. Popping out the eyeballs. Sliding in the hooks. Winding thin copper wire through the empty eye sockets and back around the shank of the hook, to keep it in place.

Zero-Dark-Thirty The mate on a fishing boat normally starts his or her day long before the clients arrive at the dock. The fishbox needs ice, fishing gear needs to be taken out of the cabin and arranged in the cockpit, and provisions for the day need to be stowed. Then the crew has to be welcomed aboard and informed of safety precautions and any boat rules the captain may have established. Casting off the lines, which is usually the first thing we see the mate do when we charter a boat for the day, takes place a solid hour later. I got off easy since I didn’t handle any of the prep work, but still had to roll out of bed at 4:30 in the morning for a 5:30 departure. In most cases, the mate’s wake-up call will come closer to 3:30 or 4:00 AM. Rigging those dead fish into trolling baits took me about an hour and a half. I’m not a pro, so it took me longer than it would have taken a “real” mate to get the job done. And many professional mates would have made the job easier by pre-rigging the baits the night before while on dry land, instead of on a rocking, rolling boat. But even with the ballyhoo on ice, the mate’s chores for the cruise aren’t necessarily complete. After climbing the bridge for a quick huddle with Captain Mitch, I learned I’d need to rig four spinning rods for bailing mahi-mahi, which would be our initial tactic when we reached the blue water. Bailing for mahi is a great way to introduce kids to offshore fishing, since you can see the fish swim up and eat your baits. It’s also one of the most reliable offshore fisheries around. In a nutshell, you pull up close to flotsam or weed lines floating on the surface, toss a few handfuls of cut fish or squid chunks into the water,

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and if you see the mahi swim up and eat those chunks, drop in your baited hooks. Cut fish and squid chunks do not magically appear in your five-gallon bucket—so as mate for the day, I had to start chopping as soon as I was done rigging. The task was complete 45 minutes later, and after a thorough handwashing, I ended up with about half an hour of daddy-daughter time before we reached our destination.

More Blood, More Guts When the captain spotted a weed line and pulled back the throttles, it was again time for the mate to spring into action. I reached bare-

handed into the bucket of fish-gore, threw chunks towards the float, spotted a flash of green and blue and quickly baited hooks for all four kids. I checked all the drags, cast out for those who didn’t yet have the hang of casting, and tossed some more chunks over the side. I watched, I waited, I wanted with every ounce of my being for one of those kid’s rods to bend over. Two rod tips simultaneously went down. Two kids simultaneously shrieked with delight, as the green-blue missiles on the end of their lines streaked through the clear blue ocean. And for a moment, I experienced the reward that comes with being a mate. Not the monetary reward you get from any job, but the glow of satisfaction that comes with

Back to Work

With vivid colors and a spirited ﬁghting ability, mahi-mahi are an excellent target when you have kids aboard.

With no mahi-mahi in the box, no flotsam on the horizon, and four disappointed kids onboard, the captain decided to set out our trolling spread—which meant it was time for me-the-mate to get cracking. I had to un-bait the spinning rods, and swap them out for trolling rods. Each needed a rigged ballyhoo leader clipped onto a swivel at the end of the line. Then each line had to be deployed, with four set on outriggers and two in the corners of the cockpit. Finally, a seventh line was set back in the center and the rod handed up to the captain, to be run from a rodholder on the bridge. With the trolling spread set, one would think the mate could kick back and relax for a bit. No such luck. The captain was ready for lunch, so there were sandwiches to be made and shuttled up to the bridgedeck. Then one of the ballyhoo snagged an errant piece of seaweed, had to be reeled in, shucked clean, and re-set. Another ballyhoo, which the captain noticed was swimming on its side, had to be pulled and re-rigged. While all of this was going on, one by one the kids and Albie retreated to the air-conditioned cabin and fell asleep. No such luck for the mate. No, he had to remain in the cockpit, awake and alert, in case a fish struck one of the lines. When it happened, there was no warning. A rod simply bent from almost vertical to almost horizontal in the blink of an eye. The drag started singing its adrenaline-inducing tune and I started shouting for a kid, any kid, to get out on deck. Carder was the first on the scene, so I handed him the rod then started cranking in the other lines to get them out of the way. I T E X A S

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seeing an ear-to-ear grin plastering the face of a nine year-old. The pay-back you feel in your pounding heart. The reward that most better paying, air-conditioned, desk-riding jobs will never provide. It was a short-lived compensation. The fish crissed, they crossed, the lines became tangled, and one broke. A moment later, the other went slack as the fish shook free of the hook. To make matters worse, no more fish appeared from underneath the weeds and we couldn’t locate any other flotsam in the area. A few days earlier a forest of weeds had topped the ocean waves for miles on end, but the unmerciful ocean currents had robbed us of our sure thing—we wouldn’t spot anything else on the water’s surface for the rest of the day.

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Texas BOATING glanced up just in time to see a six-foot white marlin launch itself out of the water, thrashing its head with an urgency created by the unfamiliar feeling of fear in an apex predator. I shifted my gaze to Carder, and again got a mate’s paycheck. Teeth gritted, eyes bulging, the intense look on his face told me he was well beyond having fun or being excited. It revealed the electrified thrill that people lucky enough to go big-game fishing hope for, the charge that comes from knowing you’re going toe-totoe with a wild beast that hunts for a living. A creature that’s so different from what you see on a day-to-day basis, it may as well be from a different planet. Another part of the mate’s job is coaching inexperienced anglers, and once the lines were all clear I shifted my attention to Carder and the fight. But truth be told, he needed little advice. Fishing for smaller species closer

to home had conditioned him well, and he knew to keep his rod tip up and his line taunt. Mollie danced around the cockpit snapping off pictures, Mitchell and Delaney cheered at the top of their lungs, and Carder drew the fish in close. Soon it was time for yet another of the mate’s jobs: landing the fish. Pictures taken, fish released, adrenaline subsiding, we went back to trolling. One by one the kids quietly made their way back to the cabin, until eventually, I was once again alone in the cockpit staring at a rocking transom, unmolested baits, and endless waves. Oceanic highway-hypnosis set in. Then the captain called down from above, ordering the end of our fishing trip. I cranked in the lines. I yanked off the uneaten ballyhoo I had so painstakingly rigged, and tossed them over the side. I washed, cleaned, and stowed gear for the next hour, all

the while looking forward to a short nap in the air-conditioning. It would be denied—one of the kids had flipped the lock shut on the cabin door, and peeking in through the window I could see they were all sound asleep. I worked for 12 out of the 14 hours we were at sea. I didn’t make a dime. I got slimed. I got bloodied. I ruined my shirt, my pants, and my favorite pair of boat shoes. Thin copper wires poked holes in my fingers, fishing lines cut through my skin, and ballyhoo poop lodged under my fingernails. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat—because no monetary paycheck can match the one you earn by being mate for a day.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

Many anglers, myself included, don’t usually boat a billfish. The marlin is brought alongside, the hook removed, and the fish swims off to fight another day. This being Carder’s first marlin on his first offshore trip, however, we decided to bring it aboard for a photo. And my paycheck got even bigger—an image to remind myself of what it was like to be the mate for a day.

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The Practical ANGLER by PAUL BRADSHAW | TF&G Contributing Editor

Bass for Fun, Cats for Food

HE MOST POPULAR GAME fish in Texas—and basically the entire United States (arguably the world)—is the bass. Entire billion dollar industries (think bass boat) have been built around chasing little green fish because they are fun to catch. But let’s be honest, the origin of fishing was to put dinner on the table, and based on simple math, bass fishing is the least efficient fish to chase to eat. For example, you can keep five bass (of varying length depending on the lake) per day in Texas while you can keep 25 channel catfish. I’m no genius but even I know 25 is greater than 5. So, if you’re looking to feed a couple of people, and aren’t busy bowhunting for deer, I’m going to suggest hitting your local lake for some cats. When I was growing up the only places we had to go after catfish was local stock ponds, most of which were muddy with water visibility measured in inches, not feet. The basic concept for catching cats was to get some very odiferous bait, chunk it out and wait for the fish to find it. Today, major reservoirs have taken over as the preferred catfishing locations, and we’re going to concentrate this article on a specific location on these lakes to find the fish. Hitting rip rap has long been a productive 100 |

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method for putting a limit of bass in the boat, but did you know catfish hang out there too? Most people think of catfish as bottom feeders, only eating dead matter, but they have a lot of the same feeding habits as bass. Bass cruising the rip rap are there to eat the crawfish and baitfish hiding in the rocks, and catfish will do the same thing. Fishing these areas can be tricky. Cracks and crevices are everywhere to hang up. However, there are a few

ways to minimize the loss of tackle, while still staying in the catfish’s strike zone. The fish will be tight to the rocks, so your bait will need to be in close as well. This means using some type of bottom rig, but not something that will wedge in. Yes this can be tricky. So the best way to start is with a weightless setup. Start by tying a barrel swivel to the end of your main line. On the other side of the swivel, T E X A S

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tie on a 12- to 18-inch leader. Finish off the rig with a circle hook. The bait you use is up to you, but I recommend using a cast net to catch some local baitfish. If they are small enough, use them whole. If they are large turn them into cut bait. To fish this weightless rig, simply cast it out and let it slowly sink down to the rocks. The key is to lift the bait back off the rocks after it has sat there for a few moments. This way, the live bait can’t hide, and the cut bait can’t become lodged in a crack. If it’s not sinking fast enough, or floating, add a small split shot to the main line about the swivel. The advantage of the circle hook on this rig is that it is harder to get the point hung on a rock. Also, it’s not necessary to set the hook once the fish hits. Simply start reeling, and it will lodge itself in the corner of the fish’s mouth. If this rig doesn’t work, or you keep losing hooks to the rocks, switch over to a standard float rig. This is the one we all used as kids and is about as simple as it gets. Tie a bait hook (J hook) on the end of the line. A few inches above this add a small split shot. About 24 inches above this add a small float (bobber). On this one, you can use the live or cut bait mentioned earlier or switch over to stink bait or night crawlers. Cast as close to the rocks as you can get and still leave the bait a few inches away so catfish cruising the rocks will see or smell the bait. When the float goes under, set the hook like you mean it and reel in dinner.

Email Paul Bradshaw at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

ILLUSTRATION: PAUL BRADSHAW; CANSTOCK

9/9/16 1:13 PM

Texas GUNS by STEVE LAMASCUS | TF&G Shooting Editor

WAS RECENTLY HELPING A rancher friend thin out the aoudad population on his ranch. He is raising trophy whitetails and the aoudad and wild hogs were keeping the deer away from the feeders. Aoudads are one of the toughest animals I know of, pound for pound. On two trips to the ranch I shot five aoudads, ranging from one small ewe with a broken hind leg to a very large ewe that I would guess weighed more than 200 pounds. The rest were about the size of an average Texas whitetail buck. I fired one shot at each animal. I shot two with a 6.5 Creedmoor using 120-grain Barnes Triple-Shocks at 2,950 feet per second, and three with a .240 Weatherby using 100-grain Nosler Partitions at about 3,250 feet per second (the identical velocity of my .243 Ackley Improved). Every shot produced a dead aoudad. The range here was just over 100 yards, and each shot was placed exactly. As I was sitting in the blind waiting for the action to begin, I picked up a spent .300 Weatherby round from the floor of the blind. Why would such a powerful cartridge be needed to shoot deer (which I found out later was what the hunter was after) that would weigh not more than about 200 pounds for a really big buck? As for aoudad, the largest I have ever seen, dead or alive, was shot by my buddy Todd Tate, using a .30-06 with 165-grain bullets. For a while Todd’s ram was #9 in the records. He shot it running at a bit over 300 yards on a low-fenced (practically non-existent in some places.) ranch in West Texas. He did not need a .300 Magnum. High velocity does two things. It flattens the trajectory of any bullet, and it increases

“ High velocity does two things. It ﬂattens the trajectory and increases the impact energy.

“

Beneﬁts of High Velocity

the impact energy. I can think of places where either or both of these things would be a great advantage, but not in a deer blind where the longest possible shot is almost always less than 200 yards. If I were going to hunt Ovis Poli sheep in Tajikistan, I would want a high velocity rifle in one of the medium magnums, such as the 7 mm Weatherby Magnum, because the shots are often long and difficult. I would want the flattest trajectory I could get, in a gun that I could shoot very well. In Africa the .375 H&H is almost a necessity, but a .30-06 is a great choice as a light plains game rifle, as is a 7mm Remington Magnum. Eleanor O’Connor, wife of the famous Jack O’Connor, once killed, if memory serves, 17

head of African game with 19 shots from a light 7mm Mauser, using 160-grain Speer bullets at about 2,650 fps. If you hunt in Texas, however, with the possible exceptions of elk or some large exotic, nothing more than a .270 Winchester or .30-06 is needed. In fact, one of the loud, hard-kicking magnums might be a handicap for many hunters, because they do not have the time or the place to do the amount of practice that mastery of such a cannon requires. The vast majority of the hunters in Texas fire fewer than 100 rounds a year out of their rifles, often fewer than 40. In this case, a .25-06, .270 Winchester, or my little 6.5 Creedmoor, T E X A S

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is a much better choice. A magnum requires hundreds of rounds in practice to master, and the .25-06 and .270 shoot very flat, indeed. I shoot the big guns a lot in testing and evaluation I shoot them pretty well when I have to, but I almost never feel the need. Occasionally, however, I do. A couple of years ago I was on a hunt for cow elk in West Texas and chose a 7mm Weatherby Magnum. Between load workups and practice, I shot about 200 rounds through it. When I finally got my chance, I killed a big cow elk at about 300 yards with one shot through the lungs. If I had not done the practice I might have flinched and missed the shot, which was pretty long and had to be taken very quickly. In retrospect, I think I could have done the same job with a .270 Winchester. However, I was unfamiliar with the country I would be hunting, so I wanted the extra range and power I could get with the 7mm Magnum. You will notice that even for elk, one of the toughest of North America’s game animals, I did not feel the need for a .300 magnum. The largest deer I have ever heard of in Texas did not weigh 300 pounds. The largest I, personally, have ever shot and weighed, scaled 207 pounds, and I killed it dead as free lunch with a .25-06 and a 110-grain Nosler AccuBond. One shot did the job. The longest shot I ever made on a deer was a mule deer I shot in West Texas. We later used a laser rangefinder to measure the distance at just shy of 350 yards. I put him down with one shot and, again, a .25-06 did the job with panache. So, if you are looking for a new, flatshooting deer rifle, take my advice and leave the big magnums on the rack. They are not needed.

Email Steve LaMascus at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Industry INSIDER New Service a Dream for Sportsmen and Guides DREAM SPORTING TRIPS HAS launched the first service designed to benefit sportsmen and guides alike. Why should fun be hard work? Shouldn’t finding a hunting or fishing trip be easy? If you’re lucky enough to have already found a great guide or know someone else who has, then you’re in a very fortunate position. For most sportsmen, it’s somewhat of a different story. Many sportsmen turn to the internet,

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believing that with its myriad of information it would be the perfect place to find a great guide. The reality is that it’s an experience akin to finding a needle in a haystack. If you rely on general search engines, you not only have to navigate each guide’s

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site to find the information you need, but you’ve also got to be able to compare guides in order to make a decision. Do you choose the guide with the best looking website, the best pictures, or the best-written descriptions? Even if a guide’s website has all of those features, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re in for a great trip. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply go to one place with a broad selection of guides, each having a detailed listing laid out under easy-to-read headings? A place with pictures but, more importantly, reviews so you can see what other people have said about their experience. And then to top it off, the guide’s latest hunting or fishing reports, giving you an even closer look at what to expect. Launched in January 2016, Dream Sporting Trips offers a solution to the problem. The site features a straightforward interface and the ability to search for a fishing or hunting trip by species, technique, or location, allowing customers to easily and efficiently narrow down their searches. Guides’ profiles provide customers with the ability to peruse reports, prices, photos, and reviews. In the event a customer needs more information or wants to book, all contact information is provided so that they may contact each guide directly. Hours of searching to compare sporting trips now takes just minutes. In order for guides to be listed on the Dream Sporting Trips’ online directory, they are charged a flat fee of $399 a year. There are no commissions and 60% of the annual fee goes directly toward advertising for the individual guide. This system was a deliberate design to put guides in a better position where, through Dream Sporting Trips, they can utilize a larger budget and a broader range of advertising methods than might otherwise be feasible. For those

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PHOTO: DREAM SPORTING TRIPS

DreamSportingTrips.com brings sportsmen and guides together.

guides looking to further compete in the market, Dream Sporting Trips also offers a wide range of services that include graphic

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design, advertising, web design, marketing, and sales strategy. The Dream Sporting Trips site’s empha-

sis is on a review system, believing guides should be allowed to compete based on their ability to offer great trips, not on how much money they are willing to spend. What Trip Advisor has been for travel, Dream Sporting Trips aims to be for outdoor sports and leisure. Recognizing that conservation is important to many hunters and anglers, Dream Sporting Trips focuses on integrating conservation organizations into their entire platform. Supporting six different organizations, guides are offered an opportunity to choose an organization upon signing up, effectively donating 10% of their signup fee to the organization of their choice. Run by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic team of anglers and hunters, Dream Sporting Trips’ number one priority is to improve people’s enjoyment of the sports they love while also helping the guides and outfitters who run these trips. To get more information about the service, call (941) 677-2264 or go online to www.dreamsportingtrips.com.

9/7/16 12:05 PM

Texas TASTED by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

Baked or Grilled Stuffed Flounder

3 Tbsp Freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese ½ Cup White wine ½ ea. Fresh Lemon- (juiced) 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Stick Butter 1 ea. large (2 lbs) Flounder-gutted, remove head 2 ea. Roma Tomatoes (cut in half) 1 ea. Yellow squash – sliced thin 2-4 ea. fresh mushrooms - sliced 1 Tbsp Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice

the lid closed while cooking . Place the flounder, brown side up on a cutting board in front of you. Using a sharp boning knife cut along the center bone to peel open the fish, folding the flesh back to work your way around the bones, removing the entire skeleton of bones leaving you with one piece of fish, all opened up. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a foil boat made with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil, then add the flounder. Spoon the cooked stuffing into the cavity and fold the flaps over the stuffing. Place the tomato wedges and mushrooms

Heat the olive oil and the butter in a sauté pan, add the onions, celery, and peppers and cook on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat; add the crabmeat, the breadcrumbs and enough wine to moisten the stuffing then gently add the lump crabmeat and Parmesan cheese. Season with the Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice. Set aside to cool. Place on a preheated charcoal or gas grill, or in an oven at approx. 400 degrees and keep

around the flounder in the foil.

LOUNDER! NO, WE ARE NOT talking about that pudgy fraternity pledge in the movie Animal House. We are speaking of that flat, spotted, strange bottom-hugging fish known as the Southern Flounder. For most of the year, the elusive flounder avoids the efforts of a large number of coastal rod and reel fishermen. However, every fall, the urge to migrate out and into the open Gulf of Mexico, brings this homely critter into areas where those very same anglers can more easily target them. Flounders may not be glamorous, but, one thing is for sure, to quote a well-known TV Chef “Flounders are good eats.” Here’s a recipe that proves that adage. Flounder- gutted , scaled ,remove head and rinse entire fish inside and out thoroughly in cold water Heavy-duty foil ½ lb. Bay Scallops ½ lb. Lump Crabmeat ½ Cup Chopped green onion ½ Cup Chopped celery 3 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped and seeded poblano pepper 3 Tbsp Chopped red bell pepper 2 Tbsp Minced garlic 1 Cup Fresh breadcrumbs 104 |

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Place on the grill or in the oven and cook for 20 to 24 minutes with the lid closed. Remove from grill or oven when the meat is opaque, cover with a loose piece of foil and rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

9/9/16 1:14 PM

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Texas FRESHWATER by MATT WILLIAMS :: TF&G Freshwater Editor

Little Lake, Big Bass

UST IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T heard, Nacogdoches bass angler David Rabalais reeled in a worldclass largemouth at Lake Naconiche back in July. Rabalais caught the 14.12 pounder from the 692-acre reservoir on July 29 after making the snap decision to head to the lake roughly two hours before dark. He and his wife, Diane, had been working a Texas-rigged tequila sunrise worm around some standing timber in about 15 feet water. The line went “bump” and the battle was on. The big fish didn’t come as much of a surprise to a lot of folks, but it came as a total shock to 55-year-old Rabalais, a casual angler who fishes in his overalls and goes whenever he gets the chance. “The next morning when I woke up I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” Rabalais said. “I caught a 10 pounder at Lake Nacogdoches about 30 years ago, but this one was way bigger than that.” Rabalais’ fish is arguably the biggest bass hauled in from a public lake wholly within Texas borders since March 2015 and the fattest summertime fish reported statewide in several years. It also provides a pleasant reminder that all is well at Texas’s newest trophy bass lake. Measuring 26 inches long, the whopper bass ranks as a new lake record for the promising little fishery and is the second lake record caught there in a little over three years. The former record, a 12.54 pounder, was caught in April 2013 by Lane Kruse of nearby Garrison. Built on a pair of spring-fed creeks, Naconiche was impounded in 2009 and has been managed with kid gloves from the get-go. This was in hope that it might one day become a premier destination for trophy bass hunters and, ultimately, produce a state record fish. The lake has been stocked with Florida bass 106 |

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from the very start. This included thousands of ShareLunker offspring and several hundred adult female brood fish retired from the state’s hatchery system. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department electrofishing surveys show those fish have done extremely well in Nacogdoches County reservoir. This is largely because of the lake’s fertile water, primo habitat and an abundant forage base that rates second to none. “Naconiche has got all the ingredients to produce a bunch of big bass,” said TPWD fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll of Jasper. “It’s extremely fertile with great habitat, the Florida bass genetics couldn’t be any better and it has an outstanding forage base. “The threadfin shad in the lake are huge,” he said. “They average more than four inches. I’ve worked on lakes all over the south over last 20 years and I’ve never seen a lake with threadfin shad like Naconiche has. That in itself speaks to the fertility and productivity of the lake.” Another factor that bodes well for the lake and the bass is age. The lake itself has been impounded for only seven years, so the “new lake effect” is still very much in play. Plus, fish that were initially stocked before the lake opened are now reaching the age where a percentage of them should be nearing the 10-pound mark. Some of adult brooders surpassed that mark years ago. “To have big fish, you’ve got to get some age on them,” Driscoll said. “We’re just now getting into that window where over the next 10 years or so we expect to see a bunch of big fish caught. We know there are quite a few big fish in the lake already and there will be more in the future.” Still another big plus is a restrictive limit to protect big fish. Naconiche opened under a five-fish, 18-inch maximum length limit. However, beginning September 1 the lake was placed under an even more restrictive 16-inch T E X A S

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maximum length limit. The reg allows anglers to retain five fish, 16 inches or under per day, but any fish greater than 16 inches must be released unless it is a candidate for the state’s Toyota ShareLunker program.

David Rabalais with his record bass.

My guess is little Lake Naconiche will make some huge contributions to the program in the not-too-distant future.

Email Matt Williams at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Open SEASON by REAVIS Z. WORTHAM :: TF&G Humor Editor

A Halloween Story

HE HUNTING CLUB WAS gathered in the round corner booth of Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café on a stormy Halloween eve. We were waiting for the wives and kids to return from taking the grandkids trick or treating. Our original idea was to spend the weekend getting deer stands ready for opening day, but the rain and Hairy Eyeballs from the spouse changed our minds. The cafe was a good place for us, out of the way, out of the rain, and safe in the hands of Doreen, who had the café decorated for the season. She even ignored our activities in the booth, which was rare. I was sharpening knives for everyone, and it seemed to be the perfect time for that because the customers kept giving me wary looks. Probably something to do with the slasher movies on the television over the counter. Of course it might have been because I’d sharpened four skinning knives, two hand-axes, several lockback knives, two folding knives, and one very old butcher knife we use in camp. Every now and then some wet kids came in, dressed like little ghosts or superheroes. Their parents huddled outside under umbrellas as Doreen and Trixie, who was splendid in her tight witch’s outfit, bent to drop candy bars into the kids’ containers. We watched carefully. You never knew when some kid was going to snitch more than their share. Visibility was zero as rain sometimes blew sideways, and even the car’s headlights on the highway barely cut through the thick soup.

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Condensation ran down the windows. Doc wiped at the glass. “You can’t see a thing out there.” “I’ve never seen a storm like this on Halloween. It’s creepy,” Wrong Willie said. Jerry Wayne made what he thought was a spooky sound. “It’s the perfect weather for Halloween!!! Ghosts!!! The walking dead!!!” Doreen came around and threw a handful of mini chocolate bars on the table. “Quit that. You sound like you had a stroke. Eat these and try not to bother me.” A covey of little kids came in and Trixie knelt to put candy in their bags. Smack! “Owww!” Woodrow rubbed his head where Doreen hit him. “You guys leaned so far over to look that I thought the room tilted. Y’all get to your candy and behave.” Doc sighed. “Well, at least we can go through the kids’ candy when they get here and pick out some good stuff. We can take it to snack on when we get to the deer lease.” The door flew open and Delbert P. Axelrod nearly fell over the little pre-school superheroes. Dripping wet, he staggered to the booth and shoved in beside Wrong Willie. “I can’t believe it. I’m safe!” His face was pasty white, and his hair was plastered to his head. The boy was breathing so hard I thought he had asthma. I thought I needed to check his pulse, which must have been off the charts. “What’s the matter with you?” “I just saw a ghost!” “There were three of them in here just a minute ago, about three feet tall.” “No, this one was real. It must have been the lady of the lake.” Woodrow grunted. “Well it is Halloween.” “No, really. I saw a ghost. It was driving a car.” Doc leaned back. “What happened?” Delbert swallowed half of my coffee, not realizing that Doreen had just filled it. The scalding liquid didn’t faze him one bit. “My truck died down the road from here, and the storm is so bad I was afraid somebody would

hit me. I pulled way off the side and tried to get it started, but didn’t have any luck. “So I turned around and here came a car that slowed down. Man, I was glad to see him, and didn’t want to walk all the way down here in the storm, so I jumped in the back seat. I leaned my head back as the car started to move again and thanked the driver for picking me up. That’s when it happened.” “What?” “I opened my eyes and there wasn’t anyone at the wheel! The wipers weren’t going and car picked up speed and I knew there was a stiff curb coming up. I screamed and just as I did, a ghost-white hand came through the window and the car turned.” A car slowly turned off the highway, the headlights barely cutting the rain. It crunched to a stop in front of the café. “I was so terrified, I couldn’t even think to climb over. The car started going faster and faster and another curve came up and the hand appeared again and turned the wheel just in time. I was screaming and crying, and it kept up until I saw the lights of Doreen’s here. The car slowed down again, so I jumped out and ran inside.” We sat there for a whole minute absorbing the story. Doc broke the silence. “So it was kind of the Lady of the Lake ghost story in reverse.” “No! It was real! It happened!” Another gaggle of kids came through the door, followed by two men who were soaking wet and apparently exhausted. They stopped behind the kids, and when the tallest one saw us sitting at the booth. He pointed a finger. “Look there’s that lunatic that jumped into the car while we were pushing it.”

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BASS Sam Rayburn

WHITETAIL

Larry Peltier caught these two bass, an 8.2-pounder and a 5.1-pounder, while ﬂipping the bushes on Lake Sam Rayburn.

Thirteen-year-old Alice Aitken got this deer on her ﬁrst hunt last New Year’s Day. She was hunting with her dad, Thomas.

Undisclosed

FERAL HOG Friendswood Garrett Leitko of Friendswood was hunting with his uncle when this 200-pound boar hog walked out and was shot with a .30-06, which dropped him in his tracks.

BLACK DRUM Port Aransas Jacob Wagner caught this big drum in Port Aransas on 15-pound test line. It took 45 minutes of ﬁghting and a mile of water to bring in the 56-inch long, 34-inch girth, 74-pound ﬁsh.

BASS Athens Thirteen-year-old, Brooklyn Polk of Allen, caught this nice bass on a white Bifﬂe Bug while ﬁshing at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

REDFISH Bolivar Jackie Holman caught this 39-inch red while ﬁshing in the surf at Bolivar Peninsula in his kayak.

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REDFISH

Montgomery County

Galveston Bay

Daniel, Dakota, and Roger Roberts with a huge boar hog taken while hunting in Montgomery County. The awesome beast tipped the scale at 329 pounds.

Pat Adcock of Spring with a nice redﬁsh from Galveston Bay.

REDFISH Corpus Christi Bay Fourteen-year-old Ethan Garcia of Corpus Christi caught this 28-inch red, his biggest so far while ﬁshing the Packery Channel Bend.

SPECKLED TROUT CATFISH

REDFISH

Rowlett

Rockport

Nine-year-old Logan Mount caught his first fish ever, this nice catfish, while fishing with his grandfather on a pond at Rowlett.

Two-year-old Matthew Landers with his ﬁrst ﬁsh, a red caught on Estes Flats near Rockport.

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Galveston Bay Johnny Walbrick caught this 28-inch, 9+ pound speckled trout, his personal best, while ﬁshing on Galveston Bay. He released the trout to ﬁght again.

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