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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
Don Zaidle EDITOR-in-chief
Chester moore Executive EDITOR
C O N T R I B U T O R S
Joe Doggett Doug Pike Ted Nugent Bob Hood Matt Williams Calixto Gonzales Lenny Rudow Steve LaMascus Lou Marullo Kendal Hemphill Reavis Wortham Greg Berlocher Paul Bradshaw Capt. Mike Holmes Dustin Ellermann Lisa Moore John Gisel
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR BOWHUNTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR HUMOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR WEB CONTENT MANAGER
A D VE R T I S IN G
Ardia Neves
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Dennise Chavez ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Content is not to be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: dhruzek@fishgame. com Email new orders to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: dhruzek@fishgame.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.
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CONTENTS
ter Moore photo: Ches
FEATURES
FEBrUARY 2012 • Volume XXVII • NO. 10
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CRAPPIE FROM THE DEEP When temperatures run extreme, Texas anglers may need to take extreme measures to find big crappie, but in the right spot, they can load a boat quickly.
by John N. Felsher
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TACTICAL TO PRACTICAL
ON THE COVER:
Houston: We Have Lift-Off Our third Ultimate Trophy Quest contest offered a chance to fish with Jimmy Houston in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic Pro-Am.
STORY:
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by Chester Moore
Sometimes, the “cool” factor can make tactical weapons seem more fashionable than functional. But military stye firearms and gear do have a use and advantage in hunting.
ALSO IN february:
by Dustin Ellermann
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RULES OF THE GAME: COASTAL FISHING
Navigating the numerous and nuanced laws and regulations that govern Texas saltwater fishing. The second in a year-long series.
Doggett on Safari STORY:
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A Texan takes on the deep forest nyala antelope of Mozambique.
by Joe Doggett
by Will Leschper
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ULTRALIGHT FLOUNDER
Lease Larceny
You win some, and you lose some, using light tackle for flounder. But sometimes, the light touch is the only way to get them to bite.
STORY:
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by Mike Holmes
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What to do when thieves target your deer camp.
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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
FEBrUARY 2012 • Volume XXVII • NO. 10
COLUMNS 10 Editor’s Notes
THE TF&G GEAR GRAB SWEEPSTAKES
The Last Minute Buck
by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief
by Lou Marullo TF&G Bow Hunting Editor
14 Chester’s Notes
33 Texas Saltwater
by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor
by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor
16 Doggett at Large
46 Texas Freshwater
Texas’ Five Most Dangerous Creatures
Full Circle
by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
One Man’s Trash
Alabama Magic
by matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor
DEPARTMENTS 8 letters 12 TF&G Report 12 big bags & catches
34 NEW! texas
18 Pike On the Edge
department of defense
by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
44 True green
Pride in Our Pigs
20 TexasWild
51 Hunt Texas
by Ted nugent TF&G Editor At Large
by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor
21 Commentary
56 Open Season
by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator
by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor
Prepare Thyself for Spiritual Lift-Off
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29 Texas Bow Hunting
Where Kids Are King
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A Love for the Hunt
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Letters to the Editor Rules of the Game
Tim Sharp and son Dylan, with Dylan’s first hog.
I just finished reading Lenny Rudow’s, “Rules of the Game: Boats,” in TF&G January 2012. In the next to last paragraph a statement is made that carrying a handgun in a vehicle does not extend to boats. Didn’t HB 25 extend that to boats, and go into effect Sept. 01, 2011 for non CHL holders? Jeremy Melvin Via Email
Way to stay sharp Jeremy - you’re right about HB 25. This new law, which was passed as the article was in production, has made it legal to carry your handgun aboard. —Lenny Rudow
Andrea “Andi” Cooper Communications Specialist, Ducks Unlimited in the Army Reserves. Awesome. Thanks for your contributions to a great magazine. Merry Christmas to each of you.
December 2011
Tim Sharp Plano
Howdy, fellas. I am a long time TF&G subscriber. I always look forward to receiving the latest issue each month. Just wanted to let you all know that I particularly enjoyed the December issue. Don, “Inspired Christmas Carols” was a hoot. I’ve always told my wife that my fantasy job would be changing the lyrics to songs. I laughed out loud. Doug, Concerning “Science or Fiction,” all I can say is “amen,” brother. Why is common sense so hard to find sometimes? Uncle Ted, First off, I have been infatuated with you since I first heard Snakeskin Cowboy when I was 15 years old in 1975. Long live good ol’ American guitar based rock-n-roll (which is awfully damned hard to find anymore, by the way). I loved “It’s all about the memories.” Attached is a picture of me and my 12 year old son, Dylan, with his first hog. Shot him a couple of weekends ago in Gunsight with my Remington 700 CDL 7mm-08. He had missed one earlier in the evening and was bummed out. Talk about going from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs when this one hit the ground. We were hunting with one of my best friends who had just returned from a year in Iraq as a Colonel 8 |
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makes it pink doesn’t mean it was “customized for women”! As a wildlife biologist, I was educated largely with men, and I continue to work in the outdoors arena predominantly with men, and I give them the credit they deserve for treating me as an equal. Thanks for hitting the nail on the head.
Honest Lawyers It is rare that I take the time to send a note to an editor regarding an article, much less a response to an article. In the January 2012 issue Jeffry Wiley responded to Mr. Hemphill’s article about lawyers. I must agree with Kendal and disagree with Jeffry. A fundamental problem with society in America today is that we have too many lawyers (attorneys) that have turned our country into a litigious society. It is true that 99% of the lawyers give the other 1% a bad name.
Bob Kosa via email
Don’t Feed the Women I just read your Editorial “Please Don’t Feed the Women.” THANK YOU! As a female that grew up in the outdoors hunting, fishing, and roaming woods and waters – mostly with men – I greatly appreciate someone finally telling it like it is. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I want everything pink! And just because someone
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Trout Lure Basics Kudos to Chester! That is what readers like me want to know. The how to, the when to, and color too. Best article in the Jan issue. We really appreciate the profesional advice you wrote. Keep in mind that all the non- pro fishermen like me, would love to know the basics, the fishing 101’s and the learning to fish is so important. Tons of pretty colored plastics,pretty looking top water lures, and even smelly, pretty looking scented flavored baits, but what is the use if some of us don’t know how to use them, but would love to learn. Very few lure companies will print a very small instruction on how to use their lure. It’s people like Mr. Moore, who hit the nail on the head by sharing his true basic simple ways on how to and when to use artificial baits. Carlos A. Herrera San Antonio
Send Comments and Letters to: Editor, Texas Fish & Game 1745 Greens RD Houston, Texas 77032 Email us at Editor@fishgame.com
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Editor’s Notes by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief
The TF&G Gear Grab Sweepstakes
TenPoint Turbo XLT II Crossbow
MSRP: $999 Features • 13.5-inch axle-to-axle prod • 11-inch IsoTaper Limbs • D-75 string and yoked tunable cables • MRX cams • 12.875-inch power stroke • 180-pound draw weight • 345 fps (with TenPoint Pro Lite carbon arrow)
F
rom frontier days to present, outdoorsmen always pay rapt attention to “land grab” schemes as threats to all we hold dear; and everybody is hypersensitive to the ramifications of a “cash grab.” Effective for 2012, we are offering a “grab” unlikely to ruffle anyone’s plumage--the “Texas Fish & Game Gear Grab Sweepstakes.” Each quarter, some lucky Texas Fish & Game reader will win the draw to receive one of several prizes we are giving away, just because. And we’re not talking cheap Chinese knockoff stuff. Prizes for the first quarter drawing are:
Savage 11/111 Hog Hunter Rifle
MSRP: $513 Features • AccuTrigger • LPA adjustable Sights • Internal Box Magazine • Matte Finish Synthetic Stock • Threaded 20-inch Barrel
• Fusion Lite stock • Pro-View 2 Scope • DFI dry-fire-inhibitor system • 3.5-pound PowerTouch trigger • ACUdraw or ACUdraw 50 cocking unit • Realtree APG finish
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Jefferson Spivey invented the Sabertooth out of need
while living off the land on his historic 4000-mile, seven-month horseback journey from The Pacific Ocean to The Atlantic in 1968. The Sabertooth proved itself indispensable when, in 1984, he rode from Canada down the Rocky Mountains to Mexico, and on all his subsequent wilderness journeys.
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And that’s just the first quarter drawing. We will give away more great gear including Kel-Tec KSG and Baserri shotguns, Minn Kota trollers, and more at the end of each quarter of 2012. To be eligible to win, all you need is a
Sabertooth Knife
MSRP: $275 Features • 12-3/4 inches overall length 10 |
• 7-1/2-inch blade • Integral saw • Blade material is literally tank armor • Finger hole handle • Stitched leather sheath
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working email address and free subscription to the “Texas Fish & Game Daily Newsletter,” which keeps you up to date on outdoors happenings around Texas and the world. For more information and official rules of the “Texas Fish & Game Gear Grab Sweepstakes,” see fishgame.com/GearGrab, then grab your bootstraps and hang on for the ride.
Email Don Zaidle at dzaidle@fishgame.com Email Don Zaidle at dzaidle@fishgame.com Photos: Savage; tenpoint; sabertooth
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The TF&G Report Gulf Invaded by Predatory Shrimp
Photo: Tony Reisinger
Black tiger shrimp–an exotic predatory species growing up to 12 inches long–is invading the Gulf of Mexico and posing a threat to native species.
Black tiger shrimp grow to 12 inches.
“They’re known as black tiger shrimp because of their bright yellow stripes,” said Tony Reisinger, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for coastal and marine resources in South Texas. “They are the biggest saltwater shrimp in the world. They are predatory, aggressive and could carry diseases that can harm native species of shrimp.” Female shrimp are slightly larger than males and can grow to an average of about a foot in length and can weigh almost one pound, he said. They are native to the IndoPacific region of the world. “Black tiger shrimp eat the same type of food as our three, much smaller native species, but as they grow they can also eat the native species, which are the brown, white and pink shrimp. And they prey on small oysters, threatening that industry as well,” Reisinger said. The fear is that black tiger shrimp will
out-compete and possibly displace native species, Reisinger said. So far, there have been 200 official reports of black tiger shrimp in the Gulf. The southernmost find was at Aransas Bay in the Corpus Christi area, some 115 miles north of the jetties at South Padre Island.
TF&G’s Moore Launches Panther Research Project From the thorn and cactus thickets of South Texas to the swamps of Louisiana and the foothills of Oklahoma, people are reporting mysterious wild cat sightings. That is why award-winning outdoors communicator/conservationist and Texas Fish & Game Executive Editor Chester Moore and Terri Werner of Tiger Creek
Big Bags&Catches
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Whitetail buck
Speckled Trout
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Duval County
Port Mansfield
Ryan Peterson, with his best bass ever, an 11-pound monster that he caught while kayak fishing north of Ft. Worth with buddy Jared Matthews.
Cade Dugi from Adkins his first trophy buck with his .243 while hunting with his dad and grandpa in Duval County. The trophy buck was a 10-pointer.
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Ryan Bagwell, age 8 caught this 29-inch, 8.5-pound trout while fishing with his dad in Port Mansfield. He caught her on a red and white plastic worm and released her after taking pictures, weighing and measuring her. Photo credit
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Refuge and Animal Planet’s “Growing up Tiger” are teaming up. “Chester and I are friends and every time we get together, the discussion ends up being about all of the reports of ‘black panthers’ that we both hear frequently and cougars and other cats in areas the experts say they do not exist,” Werner said. “Because we both have a passion for cats, we decided to pool our resources and knowledge to see what is really out there.” Moore, who has worked with cats in the wild and like Werner, in captivity, had an encounter 10 years ago that took his interest in mysterious cats to a new level. “I saw a jaguarundi, a relatively unknown species of cat here in the U.S., about 400 miles north of where they are supposed to range. It walked out in broad daylight 30 yards in front of me,” Moore said. That sighting along with other encounters and thousands of eyewitness reports over the years has given him unique insight into the phenomenon of mysterious “black panther” sightings as well as other cat related mysteries. “Terri and I have already begun a twopronged research project. The first is using both our media and personal contacts to solicit reports, game camera photos and other data. The second half involves using motion-sensing game cameras on a long-term basis in key areas to truly see what is out there,” Moore said. “Wildview Cameras have stepped up to the plate and provided us with cameras and we are already excited by the quality of not only still photos but video we are getting. With their support we are one step closer to solving these mysteries.” The public will be made aware of findings through southernpanthersearch.com and Moore’s blog at fishgame.com.
“I was driving down the lane in between the gates and saw this object running in front of me,” Foster said, “Thought it was actually a baby fawn. And then it’s tale swung around and realized holy cow it’s a big ol’ mountain lion!” Gene Naquin, the ranch manager, came out and shot the two- year-old cougar. TPWD warden Jorge Tamayo showed up at the ranch on Friday to investigate. Tamayo said they wanted to make sure
the hunting guides at the business had a hunting license. He said that they received calls that the animal was hit by a car. There were no violations. “Mountain lions have always been here. They’re in their natural habitat, and what’s happening is we’re just getting an influx of people moving into the county. So there’s going to be a higher probability that a mountain lion will be sighted,” said Tamayo.
Mountain Lion Killed in Medina County Hunters on the Nooner Ranch aren’t letting their guard down after a mountain lion was shot north of D’Hanis in Medina County. Misti Foster, a cook at the hunting ranch, first spotted the cougar. She said it was running away from her on a dirt road in between two fences.
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Chester’s Notes by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor
Texas’ Five Most Dangerous Creatures
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few years ago a friend of mine from New York came down to hunt turkey and hogs with me near Brackettville. After a week of very successful hunting and a few close encounters from the Lone Star State’s most infamous inhabitants, he unloaded. “When you come hunting with me in New York, you only have to worry about falling out of your tree stand. Geez, here you have hogs, snakes, bees and all kinds of other nasty creatures. It was hard to focus on the hunt!” In reality Texas has more than its share of dangerous creatures, certainly more than New York, so I put together a list. This is what I consider to be the Top 5 most dangerous things to encounter in the woods in Texas. We will save aquatic threats for a blog at fishgame.com. This list is not based on probability of encounter but a combination of both severity of injury and likelihood of attack if encountered. You might not agree with my listing but there is no denying the danger factor in these five is pretty high.
5. Dominant Boar:
I personally believe the hype of feral hog attacks is a bit overdone in the media even if I did detail numerous attacks in my latest book. Encountering a lone, dominant boar however is a dangerous proposition. I have talked with numerous hunters who have been charged without provocation by big, aggressive loan boars that were seemingly trying to tear apart anything that entered their 14 |
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territory. Hogs are smart and usually do not charge until you are right on top of them and unless you have quick reflexes and perhaps a big gun it might be too late.
single individual and in many instances there would be no place to hide. I personally would rather deal with a hundred rattlesnakes than one swarm of these nightmares.
4. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake:
1. Human Beings:
I used to list the cottonmouth as the most dangerous snake in Texas for its aggressive nature but the more I am around diamondbacks the more I have come to respect them. Many cottonmouths are all bluff but there are enough rattler bites in Texas annually to show these snakes can mean business. And when you factor in that these snakes can get huge and deliver not only dangerous venom but also enough strike force to fracture bones, it puts them on this list. Few people die from snakebite but I have a feeling just about everyone bitten thinks they are going to die as soon as they feel those teeth sink into their flesh.
3. Feral Dogs:
All it takes is one encounter with an aggressive feral pit bull to make me a believer that feral dogs are bad news. Actually I have had two run-ins with feral pits in the last five years and another with a pack of coon doglooking mutts that was equally spooky. No matter the breed, large feral hogs can form large groups and have zero fear of humans. Studies show feral dog attacks are frequent and the animals can show incredible aggression. They are also a menace to other animals as one USDA survey noted they cost Texas farmers/ranchers $5 million annually in livestock losses.
2. Killer Bees:
On the trip described in the introduction, I had a spooky encounter with Africanized “Killer” bees that got me to doing some investigating on them. They are downright scary. And while they rarely go and pick a fight, they like to finish them. I put these so high on the list because an attack usually comes from a bunch of them, not a
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There is no question the most dangerous thing to encounter in the wild lands of Texas and beyond is people. Most of them of course will be harmless but when it comes to raw, destructive force humans are the top of the list. Hunters along the border are rightly concerned about the civil war taking place in Mexico spilling over into their hunting camp. There are meth labs and pot farms in East and North Texas and there is the potential to encounter just plain bad people anywhere out there. And while a statistical study would probably show people encountered in rural areas are less likely to wish you harm than those in urban areas, bad people encountered in the wild have isolation on their side. Encountering people with bad intentions in isolated locations is the reason I always carry out in the woods even when scouting. I will never forget walking down to Boggy Creek near Fouke, Ark with my friend Smokey Crabtree who was one of the stars of famous 1970s Bigfoot pseudo-documentary “The Legend of Boggy Creek”. As he strapped on his .357, Smokey said with his trademark whit, “This gun’s not for the monster. It’s for the people.” He was referring to dangerous elements that sometimes use such remote locations to prey on others and on that day I had no doubt, my famous friend would have defended us whether the “monster” was of the human or not-so human variety.
Catch Chester on the radio Fridays, 6pm on 560 KLVI Beaumont, (www.klvi.com) Catch Chester radio Fridays, 6pm Email himon at the cmoore@fishgame.com on 560 KLVI Beaumont, (www.klvi.com) Email him at cmoore@fishgame.com
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Doggett at Large by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
Full Circle
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he majority of Costa Rican tarpon caught in the ocean off Rio Parismina are hooked on circle hooks baited with four- to six-inch sardines. Well, what does that have to do with anything? I’ll get to that. The same basic technique of rigging a natural bait on a circle hook increasingly is being used for larger fish along the Texas coast; in fact, the circle hook is required for sport fishermen targeting red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas. The 2011-2012 Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunting and Fishing Regulations booklet states on Page 45 under Special Regulation: “Red snapper may be taken using pole and bait, but it is unlawful to use any kind of hook other than a circle hook when using natural bait.” The regulation applies in state waters defined as within 9 nautical miles of the coast; however, federal law beyond 9 nautical miles mandates non-stainless circle hooks for natural baits for all reef fish. The goal is to reduce the mortality rate on deep-hooked fish (either too small or in excess of the daily bag). Frankly, laws aside, the circle hook is the most effective concept for a variety of sport fish — at least when a natural bait either whole or cut is used. Hard-mouthed tarpon, especially, are vulnerable to the in-curved design of point and shank. Now, back to Costa Rica. You can gain more hands-on experience during a good week at Rio Parismina than during several seasons on the Texas coast. Two anglers in a boat with a guide might jump 50 to 100 tarpon in six days of fishing in the open ocean. Mind, these are real tarpon, similar to the ones that concentrate along the Texas coast during summer and early fall. Small ones start at about 50 pounds and fish topping 150 pounds are not terribly unusual. Travel
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fun aside, if you desire a crash course in serious circle-hook fishing, no venue is better than Costa Rica. The lessons learned transfer readily to Texas — tarpon, bull reds, red snapper, king mackerel, all the same. As a refresher, the circle hook was designed by commercial long-line fishermen. The concept differs from the conventional “J” hook because the fish hooks itself as it swallows the bait and swims away. Increasing resistance causes the circle hook to pull from the throat and rotate out and around. This delayed sequence virtually assures a clean hookup in the jaw (rather than deep in the throat). Many expert articles claim that the circle hook almost always catches in the corner or hinge of the jaw. Don’t believe it. When deep-drifting at Parismina, most hookups occur in the front or top of the upper jaw. I suspect many snapper and Texas tarpon hookups are similar. This is because the angle of the deep line is almost 90 degrees, causing the hook to rotate up rather than to the side on a departing fish. The corner-of-the-jaw placement is most consistent on a long-line strike near the surface — the resistance pulls back, not up, as the fish swims away or dives. A good example of the near-surface hookup would be — well, we’re in Costa Rica again. This time on the Pacific Coast, utilizing the “bait-and-switch” with a circlehooked ballyhoo while trolling with hookless teasers for Pacific sailfish. A fin shows behind a skipping teaser and the mate reels close, then you lob the ballyhoo out. The excited sail grabs the bait and the resulting hookup occurs on a long line near the surface, usually as the fish and boat are moving in opposite directions. Bull redfish in the Texas surf are another good example; the combination of a long line and shallow bottom creates the correct angle for a corner-of-the-jaw hookup. Regardless of angle, using a proper circle hook almost is too easy. The best way to ensure a clean hookup when fishing from an anchored or drifting boat (or from a
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beach or pier) is to do nothing. Place the rod in a holder and put the reel in gear but, most important, ensure that the line will slip against a modest pull. Too little drag lacks the resistance to properly rotate the circle hook; too much drag might prematurely pull the hook from the mouth. When a fish hits, don’t be in a rush to grab the rod. Allow it to bend against the running fish. Then lift the rod from the holder and reel slowly, firmly against the slipping drag. Presto— automatic! Above all, refrain from hastily grabbing the rod and sweeping back in the violent strike used to set a conventional J hook. What you don’t want, literally, is a “circle jerk.” This hurried jerk almost certainly will snatch the circle hook from the jaws of a fish doing its absolute best to get caught — a rookie mistake. The angler holding the rod while waiting for a strike can add a measure of hands-on challenge by leaving the reel in free spool. When the fish picks up the bait and moves off, point the rod down the line and lightly thumb the spool. Give the fish a four- or five-second count, then slap the reel into gear and crank against the gathering resistance. Presto — well, unless you fumble-fluster into a major backlash. Free-spooling routinely is used during the bait-and-switch technique when trolling. Thumb/clicker tension is maintained on the spool to hold the bait at the desired distance, but be prepared to slip line when the fish hits. Free-spooling several counts provides the necessary time (or “drop back”) for the fish to swallow the bait and turn against the moving boat. If you don’t rush the sequence or hamhand the drill, the catch percentage is excellent when a circle hook of sufficient size for the bait and fish is used. And the huge advantage is the high-percentage jaw placement — secure for the fight and safe for the release. Email Email Joe Joe Doggett Doggett at at jdoggett@fishgame.com jdoggett@fishgame.com
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Pike on the Edge by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
Pride in Our Pigs
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exans rarely get anything wrong, but we may have blown a tremendous revenue opportunity with feral pigs. Wild hogs in this state are treated barely better than rats. Their harvest is virtually unlimited beyond requirement of a valid hunting license. You can shoot all you want and do with their carcasses as you wish. (The little sows taste great.) Short of grenades and land mines, there aren’t many weapons you cannot use to hunt pigs. There are three reasons hogs have almost
no value beneath the Lone Star. First and foremost is the damage they cause. Pigs root up pastures and fairways and lawns, in all of which Texans take great pride. They destroy miles of good fence every year, too, and what they don’t rip down they burrow beneath. Electric fences work well – until a big boar gets buzzed, winds itself in the wire and snaps the connection. Pigs wreck cars and insurance rates, too. Deer are taller and less dense. It’s sad when a deer gets hit, but your truck or SUV usually sustains minor damage. Hitting wild hogs at highway pace, depending on their size, is like going too fast over a speed bump or crashing into a barrel of nickels. Secondly, we have yet to devise a hunting method that outpaces the animals’ reproductive capability. Try as we might, more
piglets than spent cartridges hit the ground each year. We hunt them hard and often and in imaginative ways, and still their numbers swell. The state’s authorization of helicopter hunting for wild pigs this past September had potential to reduce the hog population but stalled under the price of aviation fuel. Aerial hog hunting sounds fun until you ask how much for that piggy from the window. There are so many pigs now, in fact, that their overflow offspring are moving toward cities as fast as we’re moving away from them. My friend, Jim Murphy, lives in a Sugar Land neighborhood that until recently abutted an open Fort Bend County pasture. His wife and sons were startled one afternoon a few years ago by a good-sized boar that knocked its snout against their
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back door with the persistence of a Jehovah’s Witness. Wild pigs have been documented in full-fledged urban environments across the state, too, such as Houston’s Memorial Park, which is 100 pig miles from any pasture. From nobody knows where, these pigs waddled great distance up or down Buffalo Bayou’s sandy banks to reach that spot and scare the pants off a few early joggers. The third and most critical reason Texans so despise wild hogs is because we failed from the beginning to show them respect, to place any real value on them. A few folks pay to hunt pigs, but nearly as many people are paid to shoot and trap them or otherwise remove hogs from private property.
My plan:
We begin by talking up wild hogs as prestigious hunting trophies and, as meat, an outright delicacy. We preach with conviction and spread the stories beyond state lines; once the people up North buy in, they’ll tell their friends in other countries.
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Pigs really are clever, after all, and they grow to more than twice the size of native whitetails. They’re dangerous game, too, for slow hunters or those who can’t climb trees, which puts these ferocious animals in the company – work with me here – of lions and Cape buffalo. What if we’d feigned true passion for our pigs, if we spoke of them with reverence and awe? Maybe we command $500 for nonresident pig licenses rather than a handful of pocket change. Maybe we erect pig-proof fence along our state’s border and say we want to keep them in rather than out. We should embrace their powers of procreation, too. Imagine vast herds of feral hogs grazing under the watchful eyes of proud ranchers on big South Texas spreads. Pigs would be easier to raise than cattle, after all. They’ll eat anything, even each other in a pinch, and you can fit several times as many pigs as cows into the same-sized trailer, expecially if you stack them vertically. Maybe we revive the old-style Texas cattle drive…except with pigs. A couple thousand oinking heads and curly tails kick-
ing up dust on the way to the stockyard, a dozen or so pigboys on horseback working the herd and rounding up strays. Let’s rename them “free-range organic swine”, hose ‘em off before we let buyers stand downwind, and charge a premium for the spotted ones. We’ll sell hogs as singles by the pound, offer volume discounts, and throw in a Texas recipe book free with purchase. We won’t even charge shipping and handling; you can’t even buy an onion chopper on television with paying shipping and handling. And then there’s the ultimate value: boartusk scrimshaw. Texas pig, Texas pork, Texas pride. Smells like bacon, and that smells like money.
Email Doug Pike at dpike@fishgame.com
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Ted’s TexasWild by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large
Prepare Thyself for Spiritual Lift-Off
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kay now, take a deep breath and try to relax before going any further in this written testimony of spiritual glory. If you seek just another hunting story, if you are at all pleased by anything status quo, anything predictable, paradigm alignment or anything “take what you can get”, turn this page as fast as you can and get out of here now. I am not intimating by any stretch of the imagination that my fellow writing enthusiasts with which I proudly share these glowing pages of wit, wisdom, intrigue and clearly far better than average outdoor writings could possibly qualify as status quo, same ol’ same ol’ or predictable in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, I am so moved, inspired and humbled by these professional masters of the written word herein that I am compelled to so warn you of what I am about to share with you for the very fact that I am constantly amazed to find myself amongst the front guard of such extraordinary creative thinkers and writers. That being said, I am so dangerously high and stimulated right now in the middle of hunt season 2011-2012, as I throttle into my 63rd year of ultra-high energy outdoor adventure, celebrating yet another “best ever” hunting season of my life, that in an Obama world of condemning excellence and finding fault with being the best that you can be, kowtowing to the far loony left personified by animal right’s geeks and antigun loons, that even in these hallowed pages of tooth, fang and claw natural predatorship and full-on loud and proud gun nut celebra20 |
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tion, I am certain that there are a handful from the lunatic fringe amongst us that are disgusted with me having so much fun and enjoying my incredible hunting life with such blatant joy and happiness as I do. Tuff. I just sent another weighty pallet of pure wood smoked venison jerky to the greatest warrior heroes that ever sacrificed for freedom and good over evil that I am incapable of apologizing for killing so many deer with my trusty bow and arrows. Clearly, you can’t do this in France. Or in California sadly enough. In this truly astonishing target rich environment of unsuspecting and elusive herbivores, my arrows fly true over and over again and again, and the sheer gratification of such projectile management and discipline is how I have always gotten high. It is the most intense natural high there is, to my way of thinking. Just this morning, I again lucked out by winning the always fascinating game of cat and mouse stare-down contest with a handsome butterball 2 year old 7 point Hill Country buck. To take such a wary beast at close range with my sharp stick is compelling enough, but add the cumbersome chore of videoing myself from my Ranch King ground blind, and then witnessing my arrow fletch disappearing into the pumpstation becomes a planet aligning moment of infamy, every time, no matter how many times it occurs. Preparing to shoot that buck, like every target animal no matter how big or small, is an all- consuming, mythical hair raising moment in time, every time. The blood trailing is equally all-consuming, and the end of the trail to the fallen beast, soul cleansing in the most powerful way. The beast is dead, long live the beast in the loins of my spirit. I will keep and cherish the delicious backstraps from this little buck just like I do with so many of my kills, but the rest of the sacred hard earned meat will go to a homeless shelter and local soup kitchen as a gift to my fellow Americans who find themselves on hard times. I volunteered to feed, support, hunt,
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kill, track, drag, gut, skin, butcher and sometimes even cook and serve this most valuable of life giving renewable nutrition as my way of helping out without the wanton waste and entrenched corruption of every government welfare program that completely fails to help the needy, but horrifically, actually enslaves an entire subculture of Americans who have been trained and taught to be dependent. The great society indeed. You see, our hunting lifestyle may very well be the last vestige of humanity the way it was meant to be. Effort has its rewards and people are naturally and instinctively loving, caring and generous. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that no good whatsoever comes about from any government hand out. The government is incapable of accountability and horrific fraud always finds its way into everything they touch. Just the opposite occurs when neighbors help neighbors, because we can see and monitor just who gets what and how it is utilized. Not so with the blindness of bureaucracies and bureaucrats. No good can come from them. Believe it. So all my hunting buddies and I will continue to do what we do, whacking and stacking the surplus of renewable critters for all the right reasons. I have never worked so hard in my life, nor have I ever had so much fun doing it. Perfection is a beautiful thing, and I for one will pursue it with all I got, and then some. Hunt, kill, eat, live. The WhackMaster, Strap Assassin1 reporting for duty. Never over, and never out. I can’t wait for the fall of 2012. No, really Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@fishgame.com
On the Web Get more of Uncle Ted’s writing and music at Email Ted Nugent at www.TedNugent.com tnugent@fishgame.com
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Commentary by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator
Where Kids Are King
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here are probably few law enforcement officers who actually fit the stereotype – sitting around eating doughnuts, drinking coffee, and doing nothing much else. Most of them usually work pretty hard, and stay busy most of the time. But none work harder than game wardens, especially around the beginning of the general deer season in Texas. Eighteen-hour days are the norm. So when Daniel White, who runs the Pam and Dan Ranch north of Brackettville, Texas, told me the local game warden would guide Leret and me on Leret’s opening day hunt, I was a little surprised. I figured a game warden would have too much to do the first day of the general deer season to spend time taking a kid hunting. And I was right. Dayton Isaacs had been busier than a one-armed paper hanger for a couple of weeks, and had been up for nineteen hours the day before, checking hunting camps and answering calls. But he still showed up about 6:30 a.m. to take us hunting. I think Dayton helps with the guiding at Pam and Dan Ranch because he believes in Daniel’s goals for the property. Daniel White is all about helping kids experience the joy of hunting and the outdoors, and making sure their time at his ranch is fun, exciting, and informative. If every ranch manager held Daniel’s views, the future of hunting would be assured. Daniel is working, through offering economical hunts and a kid-oriented atmosphere, to make hunting something every young man or woman would want to do. Dayton Isaacs is a father himself, and shares Daniel’s attitude toward hunting as
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an excellent way for kids to connect with the world they live in. When he showed up on Saturday morning he was pulling an Operation Game Thief trailer behind his pickup, full of mounts and antlers and skins of animals killed illegally in Texas. He brought that trailer just to give the kids at the ranch a chance to see the trophies, as there were four boys there from California with their dads. Leret and I loaded up with Dayton in one of the ranch’s hunting pickups and headed out. We drove about 100 yards back to the main ranch gate, down the highway about half a mile, and back into the ranch through another gate.
Leret with his aoudad.
There was a feeder maybe 75 yards from the blind, and Dayton had poured a sack of corn out in a long line in front of it, so when it started to get light enough to see we could pick out some does and small bucks taking advantage of the extra rations. The drought has been tough on wildlife all over Texas, and deer are almost to the point of breaking into feed stores at night to get something to eat. And then Dayton said, “Here come some aoudad from the right.” Before we left the house Daniel had told us Leret could shoot an aoudad if we saw one, but I discouraged him, since we were out of deer T e x a S
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meat at home. Plus I didn’t expect to see a sure enough trophy aoudad, and I didn’t want him to shoot a small one. I could see shapes in the semi-darkness, but couldn’t tell much about them, so we waited a while for more light. I took my Alpen binoculars away from Leret and watched the aoudad for a few minutes, and then Dayton said, “One of them is pretty big. No, two of them are big.” There were about six aoudad in all, and when I finally got a good look I told Leret he’d better shoot one of them. I was thinking an opportunity like this might not come along again. When Leret finally got his gun up and aimed, the ram he wanted to shoot had turned his backside toward us, so we had to wait another ten minutes or so for a good shot. Something spooked the animals, and I was afraid they would run off, but Leret’s ram finally turned and gave him a shot. Dayton was saying, “Shoot him. Shoot him now.” He was worried they would bolt, too. Leret finally squeezed the trigger on the Remington model 700 .243 that my dad bought when I was six, and everything started running. I was afraid he’d missed, but Dayton said it was a good shot, and sure enough, the ram fell over after only about 40 yards. And I was finally able to get up off the floor and straighten my legs, with an audible pop from each knee. Leret’s aoudad is indeed a trophy, with 27½” horns, and an impressive beard and chaps. He killed his first deer when he was eight, and I haven’t seen him so happy about a hunt since then, but when we got to his aoudad he had one of those grins where the corners of his mouth met in the back of his head. It was definitely a Kodak moment. Want to make your son or daughter that happy? Give Daniel a call. And ask for Dayton. He’s a great guide. Just make sure you’re all licensed up. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to tie down the chair in the back of the pickup.
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Email Kendal Hemphill at khemphill@fishgame.com |
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USE EXTREME MEASURES IN EXTREME WEATHER by John N. Felsher WHEN TEMPERATURES RUN EXTREME, Texas anglers may need to take extreme measures to find big crappie, but in the right spot, they can load a boat quickly. In both winter and summer, crappie often seek more comfortable temperatures in deeper water. Not as subject to the whims of weather, deep water remains relatively stable all year long. Finding crappie in deep water may more resemble hunting than fishing, but modern electronics can take some of the mystery out of the depths. With some models, especially high-quality side-scan units, anglers can not only find bottom structure, baitfish and crappie, they can almost count the scales on individual fish. 22 |
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“Get a good side-scan depth finder and look for crappie on structure,” advised Ronnie Capps, a seven-time Crappie USA champion. “With a side-scan depth finder, we can find so much more structure and put a bait right down into the structure.” With good electronics, scan creek channels, humps and other places that might hold fish. Frequently, anglers establish brush piles around such places, adding to the attraction in a given area. When searching for fish, many crappie pros use several rods arrayed on holders attached to the bow. With many lines out, they plow a wide swath through prime crappie waters. In addition, multiple poles allow anglers to experiment with various colors, styles and depths. They may rig some with minnows, some with jigs and some with a combination of meat and plastic. They might even rig multiple baits on each line to experiment with more possible color, bait and depth combinations. With such rigs, probe the depths by moving the boat forward slowly with the trolling motor. If the wind blows in the right direction, anglers can drift over a deep honey hole without making alarming
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above that. We drop the line all the way to the bottom and reel it up two turns to keep it just barely off the bottom.” During winter, cold temperatures can make fish sluggish and finicky. Lethargic crappie may examine baits gingerly before striking. Sometimes, finicky fish approach a bait, taste it and leave. If they want it, they might just suck it in gently. When fish turn finicky, many anglers downsize to one sensitive pole and vertically present small baits around deep cover. “When crappie bite very light, I like to hold one rod and vertical jig with a 1/16ounce jig and a half-ounce egg sinker,” said Joey Briggs, a crappie pro. “I use a really small BB split-shot below my egg sinker to keep it from sliding up and down. I put this rig on an 11-foot rod and vertically jig it.” Vertically jigging 1/8- to 1/2-ounce chrome spoons can also produce good results. Small, heavy and compact, a jigging spoon quickly sinks to the bottom even in the deepest waters. As it flutters down reflecting light, it resembles a dying shad. Let a spoon
A Road Runner jighead spinner tipped with a live minnow makes an excellent combination for deep-water crappie.
noise. “Sometimes, crappie want the jigs and sometimes they just want the minnow,” explained Joe Carter, a professional crappie angler. “Sometimes, fish prefer the combination. To fish deep water, we do what I call bottom bouncing. We use a 1-ounce sinker at the bottom of the line and come up 18 inches with a # 2 Aberdeen hook or jig on a loop coming about two inches off the main line. We add a second hook or jig 18 inches
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produce fish in the 3-pound range. “Rayburn and Toledo Bend are both nationally known as very high quality crappie fisheries,” said Todd Driscoll, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department district fisheries biologist. “Lake Sam Rayburn is at the top of the cyclic peak. Toledo Bend is a lot more stable and typically good to excellent.” Just about any lake in Texas, especially
Lonnie Stanley of the Stanley lure company admires a crappie he caught on a Wedgetail minnow at Lake Sam Rayburn.
those in the eastern part of the state, can produce good crappie action. Lake Fork and Falcon Lake also rank among the top Texas crappie waters. Lake Fork produced the state record black crappie, a 3.92-pounder caught by George Ward in April 2003. Other good places to catch slabs include Granger Lake, Lake Texana, Lake O’ The Pines, Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston. Many small lakes in state parks can also provide excellent crappie action.
flutter all the way to the bottom. Frequently, fish hit on the fall. After the spoon hits bottom, bounce it up and down a foot or two to keep it fluttering in the strike zone. Sometimes, finicky crappie prefer smaller, more subtle baits. A soft-plastic minnow imitation can produce excellent results, but small baits take forever to reach the depths. To add more weight to a small lure, attach a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce split-shot about 12 to 24 inches above a 1/32-ounce jighead. Lonnie Stanley, a legendary professional fishermen and lure designer from Huntington, Texas, tips his jigheads with his own Stanley Wedgetail plastic minnow imitation and fishes it around deep brush piles. “The split-shot drops faster than the jighead so it looks like a minnow following the sinker down,” Stanley advised. “As the Wedgetail “follows” the sinker, the tail creates a lot of vibration. Most of the time, the bite comes when the split-shot hits the bottom or a branch and the jighead with the minnow stops just off the bottom or over a brush pile. Fishing with a jighead and plastic is more like bass fishing. Quite often, crappie hover around the top of a good pile or suspend along the edges. I put a buoy marker in the middle of the brush pile and get off about 10 feet on one side. We move up and down the outside of the brush pile and cast the jig into the pile. It’s a killer combination on Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend.” Both Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend can produce huge crappie and lots of them. In January 1985, Fritz Gowan set the Toledo Bend black crappie record with a 3.69-pounder. In February 2011, Claude Gilcrease Jr. caught a 3.44-pound white crappie from Big Bend. Rayburn can also PhotoS: John N. Felsher
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TACTICAL WEAPONS and gear are sometimes referred to as “tacticool.” At times it is just a fashion, fad or selling point. But there is a true use and advantage for military style firearms and gear in the hunting world. Just think about itcamouflage, sniping equipment, rifle accessories, optics and rangefinders can all be used in either military applications or with the everyday hunter. One of my favorite tactical attachments that I like to use for hunting non-game animals (per Texas law) is the sound suppressor. 26 |
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Hunting Applications for Tactical Guns and Gear. by Dustin Ellermann
Photo:: Robert Morgan
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There is a misconception that a “silencer” on a firearms muzzle is illegal, but in fact they are only restricted. It does take a $200 tax stamp, paperwork and 6-12 month waiting period to possess one, but they have a definite “tacticool” factor. I love using suppressors on hog hunts. It’s just so darn comfortable to shoot. I once shot two hogs with a buddy of mine with an unsuppressed AR rifle on the fly out of a moving ATV and our ears were ringing for a good 24 hours. I can’t tell you how much we wished that that rifle was quieter that weekend. A suppressed rifle also makes my toddler sons much more comfortable when I take them on a coyote hunt. No worries or jitters as we put down a varmint, and they get to simply enjoy the quality time. A suppressor will also spook less game in the area to allow for longer hunts and more success without needlessly spooking an entire property. Illuminated scopes and red dot sights also give hunters an optical advantage. Originally designed for military applications in low light combat situations, these can increase your chances of success in the low light minutes of daylight. If you hunt in thick woods like I do, you can still have 15 minutes of legal hunt time left, and peer through
your scope and see nothing but darkness where the crosshairs should be. There are scopes that utilize electronics, fiber optics or Trijicon’s Tritium that will allow you to see your point of aim even in complete darkness. The 1x magnification red dot optics allow more precise aiming and are much faster to acquire than traditional iron sights. This speed proves to be another great advantage in the tactical and hunting venues. Mildot or ballistic reticle scopes are also a feature that manufacturers have marketed to hunters recently. The mildot system in scopes was originally a range finding device inside of reticles that allowed the shooter to calculate the distance to a target, and then in turn find the holdover by scope adjustments or mildot holds. In the past decade we have seen many more scopes on the market that allow the shooter to make longer, more accurate shots with ballistic drop indicating scopes. There are even computerized scopes that have an integrated laser rangefinder that automatically illuminates the reticle holdover inside the scope where your bullet’s point of impact should be at the lased range. Tactical weapons handling skills can also give you an advantage on hunts. In tactical training you are taught to train as you
Dustin while coyote hunting with his son. The photo was taken by his eldest son, Kody.
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fight. When I shoot at the range I always just load a few rounds into a magazine so I force myself to reload. And when I reload I try to do so as fast and smooth as possible, so if my life (or Top Shot prize) relied on my weapons handling I would have an edge. I know that one of the first things that several hunting guides in Africa do is ask you to see you shoot your rifle. They aren’t exactly looking at your accuracy, but they are watching to see if you leave the rifle empty or reload it quickly. In the Dark Continent a speedy reload is a must for survival against dangerous game, and it can also bring in the follow up shot to put meat on the table. During a recent duck hunt with Chester Moore he commented on how fast my shotgun reloads were. Before this I hadn’t put the two together, but it’s true. And firearm handling can make the difference in bringing home dinner or just coming home wet. Taking a firearms training course or even watching videos from instructors can make your reloads more efficient so you can take that duck in the limited time window. Another part of tactical training is 3D targets. Yes we have had 3D targets for years in the hunting section, but how often do we actually think of the internal organs in the third dimension? That’s what several instructors teach in tactical training. They will change the angles of the targets and actually have a water balloon or other object inside it so you have to think exactly where the heart might be. There are 3D archery targets in half of the backyards in Texas, but we need to utilize them as such and stop shooting them broadside all the time. Change the angles so you practice visualizing the kill zone in different ways. This will help you get those quick and clean kill shots in the field in an instant by instinct. One of the coolest and newest opportunities I’m looking forward to is a helicopter hog hunt. Just recently made legal in Texas this will be the ultimate tactical hunting experience. The thought of being able to fly-and-gun just brings an entire new level of excitement. That type of challenge would make me feel like I’m on Top Shot again. I can almost hear Colby announcing, “And Dustin puts down another 300 pound wild boar!” Maybe it’s just the little boy in me that still likes to play army, but tactical equipment can also give you a practical advantage in the hunting world.
Photo Kody Ellermann
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Texas Bowhunting by Lou Marullo | TF&G Title
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he days were getting shorter and the nights just a bit cooler. Bow season had finally arrived. Although last year did not offer many hunting opportunities for me, this year seemed even less. I knew that I would have to pull out all the stops if I planned on bringing home the venison. I do not usually write “there I was” stories, but I thought that this time I would make an exception. I do realize that by the time this makes print, the season would only be a distant memory, but I hope you enjoy anyway. My 2011 bow season dreams had all but vanished when I heard that I would have to go out on tour right at the very beginning of the rut and would not return until after it was all over. Needless to say, I had decided that because of the high numbers of whitetails in my area, and the amount of time I had to hunt, “if it was brown…it was down.” That even included any UPS men carrying any packages! Only kidding about that last part! After checking the wind direction, I decided to hunt a stand that overlooked a laneway that was about 10 feet wide and was settled between two thickets. My scouting trips taught me that although the deer liked to stay in the thickets, they would have to cross this “gauntlet” to get to a bedding area. My next question was how do I get to that stand leaving as little human scent as possible. Then it hit me… the only thing to do was to purposely leave my scent and plan an ambush. I know it is very unconventional and for those who are regular readers of this column, it is the exact opposite of what I preach, but I had no other choice and I hoped it would work to my benefit.
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I do not usually write “There I was” stories, but...
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The Last Minute Buck
After arriving at my parking area, I changed into my scent free camo. I sprayed my entire outfit down with some Scent-away from Hunter’s Specialties except my rubber boots. I was ready. Under a blanket of darkness and in the very, very early hours of the morning, I began my trek to my ambush site. I wanted to be settled in well before daylight and give the woods time to settle back down. After finally arriving at the “gauntlet”, I walked directly up the center towards my tree stand.
Although we are told that rubber boots do not leave any scent, I disagree. Usually, I use a generous amount of Scent -away on my boots as well but I wanted the deer to catch a whiff of a foreign odor to slow him down before crossing the 10-yard clearing. I also brought along something that Muzzy calls a scrape attractant that can also be used as a curiosity scent during the early season. When I located a well-used deer trail, I sprayed a little of this scent on some bushes located just upwind of the trail. Safely harnessed in my tree stand, I gazed into the starry sky and waited patiently for the sun to start to peek over the horizon. The turkeys sounded off not too far from where I was perched and for a moment I thought I might have a shot at a nice tom. I heard him gobble 8 different times before he finally flew down and walked in the opposite direction. Why do they always do that? The woods started to wake up and I was entertained for the first hour by two squirrels that chased each other as they stopped only to forage for a tasty snack on the forest floor. Then he stepped out. Although he was a young 6 pointer, he T e x a S
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was good enough for this child! I sat still as he made his way across the gauntlet. I like to keep my bow at the ready at all times. It was in position and resting on my knee, but my right hand was still in my pocket and I didn’t want to make any fast movements. The buck slowly came to the spot where I had previously walked and suddenly stopped to sniff the ground. That gave me the opportunity to hook my release on the string and start to draw my bow. I was wearing my Stealth Vision hat so I could keep my head down and look right through the visor undetected. By the time the cautious deer reached the spot where I previously sprayed the scent, I was already at full draw and waited for the perfect shot. As if on cue, the buck turned his head away from me and sniffed the bush. My 20-yard pin settled just behind his front shoulder and I released the arrow. It was over. I sat in my stand re-living the moment again and again and I have to tell you to have everything fall into place exactly as you planned, will bring a smile to your face. After giving the deer enough time, I climbed down and followed a very easy blood trail. Needless to say, he did not go too far. I filled my tag; field dressed the animal, and had him hanging within the hour. That evening, my friend and I did the butchering chore, and in less than an hour, he was in my freezer. The only regret I have is that my season ended to quickly. By the time I get back to the States, bow season will be finished and the guns will be out in full force. The whitetails will be mostly nocturnal by then due to all the hunting pressure and the woods will definitely be different from before I left. What a shame more gun hunters never get to witness whitetails in their daily routines unaware of the danger that is about to be all around them. Maybe some of the rifle hunters that read this will choose to try a bow next year. I hope so…they will not regret it.
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Navigating the Numerous and Nuanced Laws and Regulations that Govern Texas Saltwater Fishing
TEXAS IS BLESSED WITH A sweeping coastline that stretches from a state border to an international one, and when you factor in the expansive Gulf of Mexico, there is no shortage of a variety of fishing terrain. However, there are few places where anglers are able to simply go out and keep a mess of fish without knowing the regulations, and Texas certainly isn’t one of them. There are numerous nuances to laws, and if you’re not up Rockport fishing guide Ron Coulston measures an oversize redfish. There to snuff on knowing them, you’re setting yourself up for is slot for reds of 20 to 28 inches. Anglers may keep one tagged oversize fish in addition to the daily bag a less than cordial meeting with someone wearing a blue with a proper tag available on a saltwater fishing license. badge. T e x a S
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Online Saltwater Resources TO ENSURE THAT you are in compliance with federal regulations, visit the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s website at: www.gulfcouncil.org. For information on saltwater
fishing in Texas, including bag limits and licensing requirements, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website at www.tpwd. state.tx.us/fishboat/fish. —Will Leschper
Game wardens don’t cotton to the igno- one tagged oversize fish. That fish may rance excuse, so it’s up to you to know what be retained in addition to the daily bag. you’re doing should you be blessed with a However, did you also know you can get a successful day on the water. bonus redfish tag? Yes, for a $3 charge at For example, did you know that when any license sales location, you can harvest it comes to speckled trout, one of the most another oversize fish, but only one bonus sought game fish in our waters, the bag tag is allowed per person per year. There limits vary? Or that there’s a slot limit and also is such a thing as a duplicate redfish you can only keep one oversize fish per day? tag, though an angler may not have in their But unlike oversize redfish, there’s no tag possession more than one of each. needed? Did you know that for flounder, arguably According to Texas Parks and Wildlife one of the better eating fish in our coastal Department regulations, the daily trout bag waters, the bag limit and means and methand possession limit is five fish in the Lower ods completely change for a month? Yes, Laguna Madre. However, unless you know this past year from Nov. 1-30 during the exactly where you are, you could find your- peak of the annual migration of flatfish into self in hot water should you have a limit of the Gulf, the daily bag was dropped from 10 trout, which is the daily bag along the five to two with the possession limit being the rest of the coast. The regulations consider all same. The only legal way to harvest those “inside waters” south of Marker 21 located fish during that period is by pole and line, inside the area known as the Land Cut to fall which means the typically legal and effective within the five-fish framework. Those waters practice of gigging is off limits. include any porThere are a number of reguThis 42-inch ling was a rare tion connected to lations that attempt to protect catch in a shallow Aransas a shoreline on the fish that may be similar and Bay flat near Traylor Island. share many of Measuring fish while wading the same characcan be tough, but having a tape teristics, but truly measure that attaches to your are different. For fishing rod can be helpful. example, some anglers may catch mature Spanish mackerel in and around the same spots as juvenile king mackerel, which can cause confusion and could put you on the wrong side of inside of the area contiguous to the Gulf. regulations. The daily bag limit for king However, in the Gulf the limit is the same mackerel is two fish measuring at least 27 as the rest of the middle and upper coast, inches while the daily bag for Spanish mackwith a 15- to 25-inch slot, and anglers may erel is 15 fish measuring at least 14 inches. keep one fish over 25 inches as part of the It’s easy to misidentify the fish, especially daily bag. if you haven’t caught them before. Main When it comes to redfish, there is a slot things to look for are the lateral lines and of 20 to 28 inches and anglers may keep dorsal fins. A juvenile king mackerel’s lateral 32 |
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line dips compared to the Spanish variety. The dorsal fin of a young kingfish also tends to be lighter than that of a “smack.” While there are state laws on the books, there also are federal regulations when anglers are more than nine nautical miles off the coast, and those frameworks differ in some regards. Did you know that it’s a federal requirement to use non-stainless circle hooks when fishing for reef fish or that it is unlawful to catch red snapper on anything other than a circle hook? Anglers also must have a Texas fishing license and saltwater endorsement to bring any fish taken in federal waters ashore. Fishing on federal waters also differs in that some seasons can be closed earlier or extended. The 2011 red snapper season was only 48 days, the shortest in history due to quotas being met. However, during 2010 there also was a fall snapper framework that spanned three-day weekends opened to fishing in October and November, the result of waters being closed after a massive oil leak in the Gulf. Keeping fish often is the mark of a successful trip, but did you know that should you hire a guide, they can’t keep fish? It was common practice for years among many guides to allow paying customers to take the guide’s limit of fish in addition to what they caught. That meant if a guide took three people out and they had a successful day, four limits of fish hit the cleaning table, even if the guide never picked up a rod. Was it illegal? No, theoretically. If four guys with licenses came back to the dock, were checked by a game warden and he saw four limits of redfish, there’s no way to know that the three paying anglers each caught and kept an extra fish. Was it unethical? No doubt. This precisely is why state fishing regulations were amended to prohibit that kind of activity. “The bag limit for a guided fishing party is equal to the total number of persons in the boat licensed to fish or otherwise exempt from holding a license minus each fishing guide and fishing guide deckhand multiplied by the bag limit for each species harvested,” according to state fishing regulations. The move also was put in place to somewhat help curb overharvest, especially when you consider there are hundreds of guides along the coast who typically find lots of fish consistently since they spend so much time on the water.
Photo Will Leschper
1/11/12 10:02 AM
Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor
One Man’s Trash…
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fellow angler came up to me at the new Bass Pro Shops Store in Harlingen, Texas one day to ask me about the content of a recent column. Did he want to know a bit more about some of the most popular redfish lures on the Texas Coast? No. Maybe he wanted to know a bit more about the Wiley X prescription sunglasses I wrote about in my eyesight column? Not a chance. Then, he had to have been curious about other interesting and off the beaten path techniques I could pass along to help him become a better, more successful angler, right? Uh, uh. “Did you really see an old guy keeping piggy perch to eat?” he asked, the tone of incredulity coming through. He was, of course, referring to the anecdote I shared in my December “Hot Spots Focus” column about fishing for panfish when other, more sought after saltwater species aren’t cooperating. It was really an inconsequential story about meeting a Winter Texan couple that was fishing at the White Sands bait dock in Port Isabel for the palm-sized pinfish that congregated around the dock. They were keeping these fish to fry, and the old gentleman told me that the were excellent eating, as good as any bluegill he ever ate. I affirmed that the story was true, and the shopper who had questioned its veracity just shook his head and said, “Man, you have to be pretty desperate to waste your time with that kind of trash fishing. If it ain’t a trout, redfish, flounder, or snook, I won’t even bother.” Well, good for him. It’s good to see a man who knows exactly what he wants to fish for, and that he focuses all his piscatorial energy in seeking out his quarry. From the look of the reel he was buying, the clothing he wore, and the raccoon-patterned tan lines
around his eyes, this gentleman knew his business and was very successful at it. I wouldn’t begrudge the old man and his wife, though. They were using buggywhip poles and gossamer-thin fishing line to snatch their bucket of pinfish from around the docks. A bit of peeled shrimp, a perch hook, and they were set. Whenever they hooked a pinfish, the colorful little fish would put up a stout resistance while swimming in tight little circles. One monster of a pinfish the lady caught—easily 12 inches long—actually peeled line off the tiny reel and made the drag sing. The old couple was having a fine time, and the lady said that they would invite friends over to their travel trailer for a fish fry every week and never have leftovers. As the adage says, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” There is nothing wrong with targeting only the “elite” species of the bay (speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and—on the southern coast—snook). Anglers should, however, realize that there are other fish out there that have their devotees and accept that fact. For every trout and redfish angler who lives for stalking a broad grassy flat and tossing a spoon or topwater at some waving tails, there is an angler who absolutely loves going to a local pier or bridge and catching a mess of hard-fighting and tasty 12-inch mangrove snapper. There is nothing wrong with any of the afore-mentioned pastimes. Each angler is happy with his or her personal treasure trove, even if someone out there turns his nose up at it. Even the lowliest trash can have a moment of luster. Back this past November, my friend Marin Alvarado, his girlfriend Sara Cuellar, my wife Sandie and I were suffering through a slow post-frontal fishing trip. We threw every lure we could find in the tackle box with nary a strike. Finally, while fishing a spinnerbait/Gulp! Grub combo, Marin gets a strike that puts a serious bend in his rod and pulls drag. “Oh, yeah!” Marin shouted as he struggled against the rod, “Now we’re talkin’!” T e x a S
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After a pitched struggle, the fish came to boatside, a 20-inch hardhead catfish. Some of those elite species, by the way, have their detractors, too. While Marin cussed the slimy critter and donned a pair of welding gloves he carries on his boat for just such an occasion, I thought back to a trip 10 years before when Sandie and my 4-year-old son happened upon a giant school of big hardheads. Calito caught dozens of them, happy with the experience of catching a big fish on his tiny Snoopy Rod. My boy still has a soft spot for those ugly suckers, even though he has graduated to bigger and “better” species. Marin? He still hates them. It also important to note that the inverse of the rule is true: One man’s treasure can be another man’s trash. For example, an editor for another magazine, I man I’ve known for quite some time and hold in the highest regard, has a very low opinion of the redfish. In his mind, they are remarkably dim-witted and bumpkinish. I mean, what can you say about a fish that, once spooked and fleeing for safety, will stop and strike at a lure thrown in front of him? Sure, they get big and strong, but like Lenny in Of Mice and Men, they are sorely lacking upstairs. I teach alongside another fellow angler in my high school with absolutely no use for snook. He can’t stand them. “Any fish that you have to work so damn hard to catch, and then you only get to keep one of them isn’t worth the time. I can go to Falcon Lake and catch 50 catfish with less effort. They fight plenty on my tackle, and I can take ‘em home and have fish fry afterwards.” I’m sure there are some snook aficionados who are pretty shocked at my friend’s sentiment, perhaps even offended. I guarantee you he doesn’t care. Those line-sided fish are trash to him. He has his own treasure that enriches him. As do we all.
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Texas Department of Defense Sounds in the Silence
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am often amazed at the ability of people to fail to notice sounds. I guess we have lived in a mostly urban society for so long that we no longer feel the need to listen for sounds of danger, and that our auditory sensors are so inundated and overloaded by the multitude of sounds in our modern mechanical society that
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we simply tune them out, thinking anyone who is cognizant of such sounds to be paranoid. I also suppose that my many years of working the wilderness areas of the Rio Grande River, expecting something bad to happen at any moment, and the fact that I live in the country where I seldom hear any sound that did not originate on my own land, made by me, my family, or my livestock or pets, has conditioned me to listen more intently than my less danger oriented, urban brethren. However, that does not mean that they are right and I am paranoid. In fact, I believe it is quite the other way around.
| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical | by Steve LaMascus Vaughn Granger and I were sitting in a river crossing on the north side of Laredo one cold, dark winter night. We had found sign there a few days earlier that there were loads of marijuana and illegal aliens coming across the river at that point and we were anticipating intercepting them. We had slithered into the crossing just after dark and curled up in a hidden location to await the appearance of whatever was to come. It was a bit before midnight when we began hearing sounds that were not natural to the rhythms of the night. At first we just lay there and listened, but shortly it became
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Texas Department of Defense evident that someone was stalking us. Vaughn and I began moving as stealthily as possible, trying to turn the trick on whatever it was. When we heard them move we would move also. They were moving into the crossing, and we were moving to get behind them. Soon we were in position a few feet from the suspected bad guys, close enough that I could see the glint of moonlight on the barrel of a rifle. I whispered in Vaughn’s ear that they were armed and that I was going to light them up with my flashlight. I drew my old Magnum, hit the switch of the flashlight, and gave the salutation that has been yelled in lonely river crossings and desert tracks for a century: “Inmigracion! No se muevan! Alcen las manos!” This time the order to stop and put their hands up produced the exact opposite reaction and they disappeared like ghosts in a fog, leaving behind only the sounds of breaking brush. I took after one and Vaughn took after the
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other. Shortly I came up with one, who was by that time armed only with a machete. Still a deadly weapon, but not the rifle I had seen. The other bravo disappeared completely. We once had information from an informant that a smuggler was using a particular trail about 20 miles north of Laredo. When we had determined this to be true we set sensors far enough down the trail that we could set up an ambush where the trail struck Hwy. 83. A few nights later the sensors went off. Four of us set up the ambush. I was to make the stop, the other agents were to prevent any escapees. Soon, I could hear the sound of people coming up the trail. When they got to the spot I had selected to stop them, I racked a round in the old Model 870, and hollered in Spanish, “Immigration! Whoever moves, dies!”
The group of illegal aliens was not the big smuggled bunch we were expecting, but a group of about a half-dozen men and several women. When I stepped out from where I was concealed and lit them up with my flashlight, the men were petrified, frozen in their tracks with looks of sheer terror on their faces. The women, on the other hand, were looking around, disturbed, frightened, but in no way as terrified as the men. Wanna know why? It was the shotgun. The men recognized the sound of my pump shotgun being readied for action and it scared the pants off them. The women didn’t have a clue what that sound was. They were frightened to be accosted by a group of men at night, but the sound of the shotgun being cycled held no menace for them. The reason for the above war stories is to demonstrate the importance of sounds. I
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could go on for many pages of like stories, but you get the idea. While in my chosen profession recognizing such sounds was sometimes a matter of life and death, it is also important for civilians, especially those who carry a gun. For instance, you are approaching your car in the driveway of your home. As you reach the door you hear an odd scuffling sound on the other side of the car. What do you do? What you had bloody well better do is draw your weapon and retreat, calling out loudly, “I know you are there! I am armed and will shoot! Come out with your hands up and empty!” Then you circle the car at a distance until you determine the cause of the sounds. If it is the family poodle chasing his favorite tennis ball you are only embarrassed; if it is a knife-wielding robber or rapist, you have just saved your life. The same applies if, as you walk toward your stairs on a dark night, intent on raiding the Fridge, you hear the rustle of stiff nylon on the plaster at the bottom of the stairwell.
How about hearing a “schnick” as you enter the bathroom in the mall? Could it be a switchblade in the hand of a robber behind the door? How many such sounds can you think of that would mean the difference between life and death if you recognized them in time? In one of the first issues of Texas Department of Defense we discussed conditions of readiness. In short they are: Condition White, Condition Yellow, and Condition Red. White means you are completely at ease, unaware of your surrounding. Condition Yellow is alert but relaxed, aware of everything that is going on around you, prepared for danger if it should appear, but not actually expecting trouble. Condition Red is on high alert, expecting danger and prepared to take action. In Red you may have identified a danger source, drawn your weapon, and may be looking for cover from which to evade or engage the aggressor. You should never be in Condition White, that is the normal condition of the sheep of the world. Don’t be a sheep, be a sheep dog. The sheep dogs of the world stay in
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Condition Yellow. This is when you have your ears and eyes open. You know where the possible sources of danger are, where the possible areas of cover for your response are. You are prepared for strife should it rear its ugly head. This means always! Even when you are raiding the Fridge at midnight. Well, keeping your ears -- and your nose for that matter – as well as your eyes open is just part of staying in condition yellow, of being prepared, like a Boy Scout. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that such conditioning is paranoia. The simple truth is that there are many thousands of thugs out there, just waiting for you to make a stupid move so they can rob, rape, or kill you. That isn’t paranoia; it is simple logic and preparedness. Let the idiots depend on the police to protect them. We know better. We know that the only protection you can expect is what you carry with you. Stay alert. Keep your eyes and ears open. Practice often with your chosen handgun.
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LAST FALL, Texas Fish & Game teamed up with U.S. Reel to put on what was indeed the Ultimate Trophy Quest. Scott Bandy of Orange won the drawing, which gave him a spot fishing the U.S. Reel Pro Am of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic with fishing legend Jimmy Houston and Texas Fish & Game Executive Editor Chester Moore. The team took 11th place out of 50 with five fish weighing in at 11.2 pounds. According to Bandy the day on Lake Conroe was an unforgettable one. “To get to share a boat with someone like Jimmy Houston was amazing. He was such a nice guy and has so much knowledge to share. On top of that getting to go to the banquet and seeing people like Kevin VanDam and Edwin Evers was also a thrill,” he said. Houston said he was, “really proud of his team and had a lot of fun with them out on Lake Conroe.” “Jimmy Houston could not have been more gracious and willing to share not only his skills but also his passion for the outdoors. He is one of a kind and it was an honor to share the water with him. We greatly appreciate U.S. Reel for helping make this happen,” Moore said. Houston threw the “Alabama Rig” early in the day. It is currently the hottest topic on the bass fishing circuit.
Moore had the big fish of the day and captured the moment with one of his heroes.
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Scott Bandy and Jimmy Houston are all smiles after Bandy lands the first fish of the day.
Scott Bandy helps Jimmy Houston get his boat on the trailer. Conroe was nine feet low during the tournament.
Houston, Bandy and Moore fished with the new Liberty baitcaster, introduced at the tournament by U.S. Reel.
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As a professional angler and a person, Jimmy Houston is one of a kind.
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LAST YEAR I HAD THE BIGGEST five-fish limit of flounder I have caught in over a decade. On the same day I also lost the biggest flounder I have had on my line in the same period and I credit both to the same factor. While targeting flounder for live donation to Sea Center Texas for broodstock (that’s where those five went), my father and I came across an area in the ship channel where there were huge amounts of bait and the water was ultra clear right along the banks. I knew there would probably be flounder there so I started off with my usual spinning rod rigged with 60-pound Spiderwire but got only a couple of bites. None of the fish would commit, so I switched over to eight-pound Stren Fluorocast — which as the name implies is a fluorocarbon line — to see if its invisible properties would help me get bit. It did. 40 |
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YOU WIN SOME, AND LOSE SOME, USING LIGHT TACKLE FOR FLOUNDER by Chester Moore
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Within five minutes I caught a 16-incher and an 18-incher and had several more bites. My father, Chester Moore, Sr., who was fishing with the same braid I was using, only caught one fish the whole trip. He just would not switch over. Normally the braid is our go-to gear for flounder but on this day the high visibility on a day of low traffic in the ship channel had those flounder super line shy so the fluorocarbon made a huge difference. But it also cost me a monster flounder I could have donated to Sea Center. The big fish hit on a pitch I made on the edge of the drop-off right along some rocks. At first, it fought like the others, but when it surfaced and saw us it made a quick run right to some rocks lined with oysters and barnacles and cut the line. With the braid I would have been able to horse that fish in, but on that day I probably would have never seen it or caught the other ones. And for me the most revealing thing was that I did not use the typical four-inch grub but instead connected with this fish on a 2.5-inch Sassy Shad. It was a trade-off I was glad I made despite losing that really big fish. When fish get into what many, including me, call a “finesse” pattern, you have to go with less intrusive gear like fluorocarbon line. Flounder are like largemouth bass in that they get line-shy sometimes in clear water. The water we were fishing on that day was protected from the wind and benefitted from low ship traffic and the lack of run-off. It was not clear by Florida standards or even water found in South Texas, but with my Costa shades on I could see down to the bottom in two and a half feet of water. That is clear for us and when that happens the fish often get into a “finesse” pattern. In 2010, bass pro Mike Iaconelli took second in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Conroe using eight-pound fluorocarbon and tiny plastics to finesse some nice bass around the boat docks. His pattern gave him an edge over the other anglers, but it also cost him the tournament. “I had a huge fish on that would have put me over the top (and earned him $100,000) because of the light line but that is also what allowed me to catch the fish I did end up catching,” he said. And that really is the key. There are times when all fish, flounder included, will not respond to something large and obtrusive
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and only want something tiny and fished in a stealthy fashion. Anything obvious gets ignored. This is key during the late winter and early spring period. I am convinced the reason some anglers have a hard time catching flounder in the spring is they use huge live baits and big plastics when they should be downsizing. I first recommended this in my book “Flounder Fever” years ago and it has become even more important in recent years. During this period flounders feed heavily on tiny menhaden (shad) ranging from the size of a dime to two inches in length. At times flounder can get so fixated on menhaden they don’t really feed on anything else. I have found this especially true when they are surface striking at the really tiny ones so my father and I go to an ultra light setup with a 2.5-inch clear/silver flake/black back Sassy Shad from Mr. Twister rigged on an 1/8-ounce or 1/16-ounce jighead and tipped with a very small piece of shrimp. I fished this on a Fenwick EliteTech River Runner spinning rod with a Pflueger reel and 8-pound Stren Flourocast. Again, such light line will lose you some strikes because of the difficulty of setting the hook in a flounder’s mouth but I found this setup effective when the flounder were only wanting the tiny menhaden. Some anglers might be concerned that using small lures only equals small fish because trout for example switch to large finfish when they reach impressive sizes. This is not so of flounder. While they can eat larger fish as they grow, they are very opportunistic and continually feed on small prey when it is available. An angler can literally convert their crappie or river bass rod over to flounder fishing with minimal adjustments. And while we tend to call any short, light rod and “ultralight” do not use actual ultralight actions for flounder. Light to medium are best because those that act like buggy whips just do not have enough backbone to make the hookset. It can be hard enough on the lights. This kind of flounder fishing is all about feel and presenting the fish something that looks easy and appealing. Be prepared for light bites that feel as if you are pulling the lure through grass. However, also be prepared for the rod to double over when you set the hook. Big flounder sometimes hit light, but never fight that way.
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TRUE GREEN Partnership Formed for Guadalupe Wetlands Environmental organizations operating in and around the Guadalupe River Basin recently formed an historic four-way partnership to work together for the conservation of wetlands and wildlife in the Guadalupe River system.
Cyclops Shark Fetus Found in Gulf of California In a world of Photoshop and online scams, it pays to have a hearty dose of skepticism at reports of something strange–including an albino fetal shark with one eye smack in the middle of its nose like a Cyclops.
rare,” shark expert Felipe Galvan Magana of Mexico’s Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias del Mar told the Pisces Fleet Sportfishing blog in July. “As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.”
But the Cyclops shark, sliced from the belly of a pregnant mama dusky shark caught by a commercial fisherman in the Gulf of California last summer, is by all reports the real thing. Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue, they said last week. It’s unlikely, however, that the malformed creature would have survived outside the womb. “This is extremely 44 |
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Formed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), this partnership includes the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust (GBR Trust), the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), the San Antonio Bay Foundation (SABAY) and Ducks Unlimited (DU), and is evidence of the broad array of supporters who recognize the Guadalupe River as being among the most unique rivers in the country and are committed to protecting the river and its associated habitats. The agreement was conceived in 2009 when Todd H. Votteler, Ph.D., representing both the GBRA and the GBR Trust met with Scott Yaich, Ph.D., director of conservation operations for DU at Ducks Unlimited’s national headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. The purpose of the discussion was to begin exploring a formal relationship regarding cooperative conservation projects in the Guadalupe River Basin. Calhoun and Refugio counties have been identified as priority wetlands conservation areas in the North American Waterfowl Conservation Plan, a plan that has been a major focus of DU’s conservation efforts. After the initial meeting additional steps were taken to explore the possibility of a more formal working relationship, including contacts between DU management and the GBRA Board, and the addition of Todd Merendino, Ph.D., DU’s Texas manager for conservation programs, to the GBR Trust Board. Photo: courtesy Marcela Bejarano-Álvarez
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Photo: University of Queensland
TRUE GREEN The goal of this MOU is to facilitate cooperative efforts in the conservation of important natural resources of mutual concern associated with the Guadalupe River system through the establishment of a formal relationship. With origins in the Texas Hill Country and connections to the major springs of the Edwards Aquifer and to the delta and bays on the Texas Coast, the river system supports an astonishing array of unique natural habitats while providing for the needs of people. “San Antonio Bay is surrounded by priority wetlands. Having an agreement in place with such respected environmental organizations will only help facilitate future conservation projects,” said Tommie Streeter-Rhoad, executive director of the San Antonio Bay Foundation. —by Steve Jester «TG
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Hybrid Sharks Discovered
Colin Simpfendorfer, a partner in Morgan’s research from James Cook University, said initial studies suggested the hybrid species was relatively robust, with a
Scientists have discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks in Australian waters. The mating of the local Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the common black-tip, was an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world, said lead researcher Jess Morgan. “It’s very surprising because no one’s ever seen shark hybrids before, this is not a common occurrence by any stretch of the imagination,” Morgan, from the University of Queensland, said. “This is evolution in action.”
number of generations discovered across 57 specimens. The find was made during cataloging work off Australia’s east coast when Morgan said genetic testing showed certain sharks to be one species when physically they looked to be another. —Staff Report «TG
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Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor
Alabama Magic
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here is a hot new bass fishing rig on the market and it is rocking the bassin’ world like no other before it. Invented by Alabama lure designer Andy Poss of Muscle Shoals, it is fittingly called the Alabama rig. Just how hot is it?
• So hot that it created such a buying frenzy among anglers that there was a fiveweek waiting list just to get your hands on one of the darned things.
• So hot that brisk sales caused the company’s PayPal account to crash six times over a period of 11 days. • So hot that Poss and his wife, Tammy, tripled their workforce and still couldn’t keep up with the demand for a seemingly magical fish-catching contraption that retails for $25 per pop. • So hot that Tammy Poss actually laughed at me when I asked if she could spare an A-rig or two so I could play around with them a little before writing this column. “Give me week or two and we’ll talk,” Poss chuckled. “Right now we’re working 24 hours just to get our orders out. It’s been crazy around here since early October.” That’s when veteran Mississippi bass pro Paul Elias took the Alabama rig to Lake
Guntersville and put a butt whipping on the rest of the field in the Walmart FLW Open. Elias boated more than 102 pounds of bass on 20 fish, roughly 17 pounds more than his nearest competition. He netted a $100,000 payday for the effort. Word of Elias’ magical rig -- one that caught bass two at a time on several occasions -- leaked out in an Internet video after Day 2 of the tournament, making it an overnight success. Once out of the bag, the cat continued to run the following week in the EverStart Championship on Kentucky Lake. Eight of the Top 10 finishers used the A-rig to cash fat checks. At the forefront was Dan Morehead, who grabbed the top prize of $100,000. What exactly is an Alabama rig?
Email Matt Williams at mwilliams@fishgame.com
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Phot: Matt Williams
The Alabama rig
It’s not a lure, but a rig that fishes a whole lot better than it looks. It features a painted plastic head with five wires that protrude from the bottom at downward angles. Each wire has a swivel snap at the end for holding assorted baits. Elias and Morehead relied on swim baits rigged on jig heads to their damage, but I’ve heard reports of guys using Flukes, grubs and even frogs on the rig.
Think of a mini chandelier and you’ll get the picture. At first glance, the A-rig resembles the “umbrella rig” sometimes used when trolling for stripers. The difference is the A-rig is built for casting. The wire leaders keep the baits separated as they swim through the water, simulating a small group of baitfish that have peeled off from the pack. Because it is so new, no one really knows the rig’s limitations. Based on his limited experienced with the A-rig, Morehead thinks it will shine the brightest in situations when bass are running in packs chasing shad. “A lot of people are thinking it is going to revolutionize bass fishing,” Morehead said. “I think that could be the case under certain conditions, but it won’t replace everything. At this point I’m thinking it’s going to be situational. When the fish are suspended and chasing bait, it’s game on. Seeing five baits swimming along side-by-side invokes predatory response that is as violent as I’ve ever seen. It’s like taking candy from kids when they are biting it. They hammer it.”
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Elias didn’t argue that point. He used the rig to target schools of suspended bass roaming around bridge columns and other main lake structure at Guntersville. He rigged his baits on jig heads weighing as much as 3/4 ounce and counted it down from 3 to 10 seconds, depending on how deep he wanted it to run. “That’s the beauty of the A-rig,” Elias said. “You can vary the weight and bait size to suit the conditions,” he said. “It’s hard to say at this point under what types of conditions it will work and which ones it won’t, but you can be bet I’ll be trying it in a variety of situations.” Bare bones, the A-rig weighs only 3/8 ounce. Filled with jig heads and swim baits and it can easily weigh four ounces or more. For that reason, both pros advise throwing it on a heavy-action rod with braided line. The learn more, thealabamarig.com.
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1/9/12 1:54 PM
A Texan Takes on the Deep Forest Nyala Antelope of Mozambique — and Lives to Tell About it. by joe doggett
THE BLAZING SUN OF CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE hung above the sand forest canopy as we slipped through the afternoon shadows to a clump of thornbrush. The hushed vantage overlooked a bowl of bright green grass—the October dregs of a “pan,” or water hole. Zambeze Delta Safaris professional hunter Poen van Zyl toted a set of shooting sticks. He and head tracker Gorchi oozed into the high stubble and I positioned with the .375 H&H Magnum behind the rough trunk of a mesquite-looking tree. We had the wind on the pan. 48 |
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PHOTOS: JOE DOGGETT
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The whole setup was reminiscent of a beauty of the high-horned, heavy-knurled whitetail hunt for a big buck on a South waterbuck, but the gray-ghosting nyala was Texas stock tank—well, if you overlooked at the top of my list. the commotion from a distant troupe of Link hunted with ZDS co-owner/PH baboons carrying on in the high trees. Glen Haldane; they executed several close And it was a hell of a lot hotter. South stalks on buffalo bulls but Link elected not Texas even during record-breaking heat was to shoot (not seeing one significantly betnowhere close to the Zambeze River country ter than one he took on a previous safari). of Mozambique. One 2 p.m. reading during His bag included a beautiful nyala, a suni our stay was 124 degrees. The heat was like antelope unofficially scored as second in the a physical blow. Safari Club International record book, and Mercifully, the temperature moderates world-class bushpig, warthog, and impala. rapidly at dusk and the nights were pleasGregg hunted with Chances can be fleeting antly cool. But you don’t do a lot of midday PH Johan Marais (“LJ”) amid tangles of sand forest hunting under such extreme conditions. The and topped his trip with a jungles; in this case, only a only advantage to the brutal heat is that it great 42-inch buffalo, plus female nyala. knocks the swarms of tsetse flies back into solid sable, waterbuck, the brush. bushbuck, bushpig, and warthog. He had Incidentally, the pestilence is not all several opportunities at big nyala but it ering the sparseness of population. The elusive nyala is one of the “spiralbad—at least for hunting. Domestic animals never came together amid the shadows and horned” antelope. A trophy bull pushing cannot tolerate the bites. Tsetse country tangles—bad luck, there. mean game country, no grazing or browsing You can shoot a Trophy Bonded Bear 300 pounds with white-striped hide, long competition from livestock. For that matter, Claw bullet anywhere in Africa and not mane, and a wide, curving “bell” of ivoryno barking dogs among the thatched-hut hit better dirt for free-ranging nyala than tipped horns is a grand statement. Heavy villages. Oddly, mercifully, humans rarely Mozambique’s sand forest country. To draw lyre-shaped horns taping 26 or 27 inches are infected. a comparison, it’s like the “golden triangle” on mature bulls are considered legitimate Just as well, as the inhabitants have counties for white-tailed deer in deep South trophies, and anything topping 30 is a dropdead monster. enough issues. For example, villages on the Texas. Except there ain’t no fences. Poen, Gorchi, and I sat amid the cooling nearby Zambeze lose between 50 and 100 Mozambique (formerly Portuguese East people per year to crocodiles and hippos. Africa) is located along the southeastern shadows and watched the open pan and the Perhaps because of that attrition rate the life Indian Ocean coast above South Africa. dark perimeter. I was ready for something expectancy in the region is approximately The country suffered a dreadful civil war big to happen. Nyala are not easy; the jungle 40 years. which ended about 20 years ago; the region cover usually is thick and the chances often This was wild country and we had again is stable and the fabulous pre-war are quick. But you might luck-out and turn plenty of it. During 10 days in the bush game populations are rebounding with a corner and bump into a big one—as we I did not see the first power line or paved astounding success. Small wonder, consid- did while slipping on foot to check a pan the road. Our concession, or coutada, covered more than one million acres. That’s a lot of dirt—and attending wildlife—for three hunters. Rounding out the 10-day safari were Houstonians Link Smith and Gregg Pratka. The expedition to Africa was Link’s third, my second, and Gregg’s first. Their licenses included variDoggett with the trophy ous species of “plains 29-inch Mozambique nyala game” plus Cape buftaken off shooting sticks with falo. I killed a fine bufPH Poen van Zyl following a falo eight years ago in long belly crawl. Zimbabwe, and had no wall space for another big “dagga boy.” My primary aim (literally) was to take four coveted species of antelope: nyala, sable, waterbuck and bushbuck. I was successful with each. You’ve got love the jet-black sable, with the long, curving scimitar horns, and you cannot help but be impressed with the burly T e x a S
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nyala bulls and several lighter cows We commenced, bunched single-file on trailed from a rim of brush only 75 hands and knees. Poen, with the sticks, was yards away. Poen shook his head. in the lead. I was just behind and Gorchi All young. trailed my boots. The nyala was unaware; it Now we had a problem; prime dipped its head to feed or drink in the pan time was on the horizon and we stubble. were handcuffed. No way to move The first 50 yards were slow and steady without alerting the close parade of then we ran out of screening brush. Poen Sable antelope is another eyes and ears. turned his head, lifting his eyebrow in quesof the great trophies of the Then Poen made a smart deci- tion. Still too far. I shook my head, panting. Zambeze River region of Mozambique. sion that marked him as an excellent Poen made a sinking motion with the professional hunter. Staying hidden, flat of his hand. We started belly crawling first afternoon. he made several soft clicking noises, through the knee-high grass. If you just A magnificent bull stood in the trail, not enough to panic the animals but suf- completed Team Six SEAL training, a staring dumbly at 50 yards. “Yes,” hissed ficient to create unrest in a land of lions and 75-yard belly crawl, just whizzing right the young PH. Gorchi was several steps out leopards. along, wouldn’t break a sweat; I was 64, a front. He dropped flat, clearing the field of Two or three bulls stared then paced fair jogger, but no crawler. Mozambique, at fire as I raised the rifle. But the spell was back into the brush. The remainder of the that moment, was “no country for old men.” broken before I could shoot. (Must admit, group followed. They didn’t “bust;” they But I felt strangely exhilarated. This was some reluctance about shooting above a simply retreated. Big difference—a sketchy the real deal with no blind chairs, game feedprone companion; Africa or no Africa, situation averted by a head’s-up move. ers or gate keys. ingrained field safety says “No!”) The ethereal shafts of yellow and gold We inched forward; I slid the rifle ahead, The bold-striped nyala wheeled, instantly faded and calm gray settled across the pan. keeping the muzzle angled away from Poen, swallowed by the tangles. it was perhaps the Then, on the far side of the opening, a lone and slithered forward with each push. I felt most beautiful big-game animal I ever have nyala bull stepped clear. The profile was rawness on knees and elbows. seen. No whitetail ever vanished so fast. Poen stopped. The nyala at “Too bad,” sighed Poen. “Easy 28; a real 120 paces had turned to face us. shooter.” My cheek was pressed into the The second afternoon I muffed a similar damp grass, as low as I could go. bull standing at 150 yards amid an open ally I took several deep and calming in the sun-dappled jungle. I was a bit slow breaths. The prone PH nodded. getting onto the tripod sticks and the nyala He raised to his knees and disappeared a heartbeat before I could fire. in one clean motion spread and “Damn!” Poen and I chorused. Gorchi planted the sticks. I stood, stiff spoke softly in Zulu; whatever he muttered legs bumbling, lower back achdidn’t sound overly complementary. ing, and thumbed the safety as So, on the third afternoon, about an hour the stock of the .375 settled into by vehicle over dirt roads from the Coutada the padded cradle. The Leupold 12 base camp, we sat and waited. Africa or scope was turned to its Doggett, left, and Zambeze Delta Safaris PH Poen Texas, ambush is a better tactic than fast lowest setting for quick van Zyle after a long stalk through Mozambique’s draw—unless you are very, very good with target acquisition and sand forest; the hunting concession covered more an off-hand rifle. Most of us are not. superior light-gathering than one million acres with no fences in sight. The evening was turning soft and capability. shrouded. Strange bird sounds added to the The crosshairs found the cenbaboon arguments. I studied a scaly lizard boxy, the sweeping, curving horns unmistak- ter of the shaggy chest and, at once, the rifle scurry along the tree trunk and admired the able. boomed with an orange flash. The nyala clean lines of the walnut-stocked Remington The animal was standing broadside sprang sideways, made several flailing leaps, Safari Grade. The .375 H&H is the clas- about 250 yards away. Poen scuttled crab- and crashed in a heap, transfixed by the sic all-around caliber for Africa; yes, an like through the tall grass to my position. 300-grain bullet. Gorchi was pounding my adequate deer rifle works well on most plains “Do you feel good about the shot?” He back and Poen was shaking my hand. game, but the big bores just look good over whispered. Yes, I was extremely proud. It was an old there. “No, I don’t feel good about the shot,” I bull, a gorgeous trophy with 29-inch horns. Besides, the next corner in wild Africa hissed. “The light’s not good and he’s way The nyala ranks with the Zimbabwe buffalo might face not a trophy nyala but a poacher- the hell out there!” as one of my finest hunts and, from start to wounded buffalo or elephant. That’s some“Well, this is a very good trophy. Let’s finish, the experience answered every promthing to seriously think about beyond the crawl. If we get close enough for a shot, I’ll ise that Africa ever made. fenced game ranches. kneel and place the sticks and you stand up Gorchi nodded low and left. Four dark with the rifle. Get on him fast.” 50 |
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Hunt Texas by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor
A Love for the Hunt
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f there is anything that drives the memories of a hunting experience deeper into a person’s mind, it is a “first-time” event on the hunt. That holds true for dogs, too. They may not be able to talk but they have a way of letting you know that their minds can be filled with first-time memories, too. Just over a year ago, I watched Raven, a then two-year-old black lab owned by Steve Barber of Arlington, make her first goose hunt on a dry Haskell County peanut field operated by Stanfield Outfitters of Knox City. It was obvious from Raven’s excitement and hard work as she retrieved her first real goose it was not just something she never would forget but also something that would help build her retrieving skills for future hunts. Two months ago, I watched Raven again experiencing at least two other “firsts” on goose hunts with the Stanfields. Haskell and Knox Counties provide a mecca for goose hunting action which was enhanced this season by drought conditions that forced many area peanut farmers to plow their inferior peanuts under rather than harvest them. Although the peanuts did not grow to quality stage for harvesting, their abundance resulted in plenty of food on the ground for migrating geese. We awoke at 4:45 a.m. under freezing, windy conditions on the first day’s hunt to find more than two inches of snow on the ground that had fallen during the night. Two hours later, Raven watched excitedly as hunters used shovels to dig coffin-shaped holes in a nearby snow-covered peanut field and then set out approximately 100 decoys under the headlights of their pickup trucks. As daybreak attempted to creep through the white haze of snow flurries, the honk-
Photo Bob Hood
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ing of six Canada geese could be heard approaching the hunters lying in their individual below-ground blinds. The geese’s honking was joined by the sounds of hunting guides Andy Shaver and Dane Roemhildt attempting to coax the birds into within shooting range with their goose calls. The birds were loud but they couldn’t be seen until they were near the hunters’ spread. They turned and seemingly evaporated into the soft white blanket across the sky before reappearing, cupping their wings and lowering their altitude at the same time. Three fell to the ground as the hunters opened fire. Raven immediately sprung from beside Barber at his command and retrieved one of the birds while Bear, a chocolate lab,
Raven, a young black lab, makes her first retrieve of a goose in the snow.
went for the other two birds. For Raven, it not only was her first time to retrieve a goose over snow but also her first time to experience the sights, sounds and smells so different from those she had experienced under much different conditions. Other flocks of geese approaching the decoy spread weren’t as eager to come in but 15 were bagged under the frigid temperatures enhanced by strong winds blowing across the large expanses of snow. Tomorrow, it would be different, and it would bring another “first” not only for Raven but for many of the hunters, too. Warming temperatures following the first day’s hunt melted the snow but the 20 m.p.h. winds continued as the temperatures T e x a S
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begin to fall into the lower 20s during the night. Fields that were covered with snow the first day now were left virtually dry by the strong winds. This time, more than 200 decoys were set out around the dugout blinds. As daybreak began to open the fields under light clouds, we all waited in anticipation, wondering if the geese would cooperate better than they had in the snow. The answer came quickly. Thousands of geese that could be seen almost a mile away filled the skies. Many were in groups of 50 to 200 or more, joined to the left and right by smaller groups all the way down in sizes to pairs and singles. Instead of approaching the decoys cautiously, these birds came as if they were being pulled in on a string by Shaver and Roemhildt’s calling. The first three that cupped their wings and attempted to land in the spread were dropped, as were nine of 10 in another group. One after another, flights of geese came straight into the decoys, cupped their wings and fell to the fake setting of feeding geese. Within 1 ½ hour, all 12 hunters had bagged their 5-bird dark geese limits of four Canada geese and one white-fronted, or specklebelly, goose. “I have hunted here many times but this is the first time I’ve ever seen it this good,” said Lance Barber. It was the most incredible goose hunt I’ve ever been on.” As for Raven, the opportunity to retrieve such a large number of geese in such a short period of time was a first for her, too, and she told us in her own way that she won’t forget it: As the hunters gathered up the decoys for the return trip to the Stanfield hunting lodge, Raven leaped back into her own dug-out blind beside the empty one of her master and stared at flocks of geese still milling about overhead. In her own way, she was telling us she didn’t want this first-time experience to be over.
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what to do when thieves target your deer camp by Mike Holmes
not all of us can — or even want — to live in a rural area, but many of us like to arrange our lives so as to spend a considerable amount of our “free time” outside the cities and urban sprawl. This is the age of the small rural property owner, as more large family holdings are sold off in parcels, and more absentee owners become part-time residents of “the country.” Even more common are hunters who lease properties – some times for year ‘round use. To make the hours spent on these little pieces of paradise more enjoyable, some sort of improvements are common, from a camping trailer of some kind to a permanent structure than might be a simple cabin, or a rather comfortable “lodge.” Most leases will require the lessee to take some responsibil52 |
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ity for upkeep of roads and facilities, and the investment in feeders, game cameras, and hunting blinds can be considerable for Texas hunters. Because these properties are often not secured very well, trespassers can and will “have their way “ with them at times, and from stories I hear from all over the state, those times are on the increase. In a lot of
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instances there are locals who may feel they have a “right” to hunt areas near their family home. A friend who is a JP in a coastal county told me he found a stranger in his stand opening morning of deer season on a lease in East Texas. When he confronted the intruder and informed him he was trespassing, he was told the man and his family had hunted the property long before Main PhotO: Macc99, Istock
1/4/12 5:00 PM
Exterior door hinges should be through-bolted, not screwed in place.
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the current owners obtained it and leased it out, and they intended to keep doing so. My friend convinced the fellow he should vacate the stand, and went to town that evening for a sturdy hasp and padlock. When he made his next trip to the lease – the entire stand was gone! Thefts of stands, feeders, and especially trail cameras are more common than some might believe, and burglary of cabins and camp trailers also occurs. Having been a victim of this sort of thing myself, I understand the feeling of frustration and violation. Short of living on the property full time (and even that isn’t foolproof), it is hard to keep intruders out, and the more remote the location, the more difficult the task becomes. After a series of fairly minor incidents on my small rural property escalated to a full-fledged T e x a S
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break-in of my camp trailer with a TV and air conditioning unit stolen, along with other lesser items, the sheriff’s deputy who responded told me the best thing I could do was not leave anything out there I wasn’t prepared to lose – like when you judge what to leave in a beachfront cabin that might be hit by a tropical storm. To me, this was like saying the best way to avoid having a traffic accident is to not own or drive an automobile. After that break-in, my first response was to install heavy locks on both doors of the trailer, the kind with a central pin system that cannot be reached with a saw blade or bolt cutter, and is through bolted to the door. I also through bolted the hinges on the cabin door, instead of relying on screws. Next, we had an alarm system installed,
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Trail Cam Security WHEN USING GAME cameras for security, they should be mounted in a spot where they might not be expected, as on a trail near the entrance gate, or between the gate and main camp monitoring access, not feeders or game trails. A common recommendation is to have one camera “watching” another, especially when using one to “watch the front of a building or trailer. IR cameras are best, so a nighttime flash does not alert trespassers. Rather than have their picture taken, many crooks will gladly take or destroy a camera, even if it was not their primary target. There are “black flash” cameras available that do not even emit the red-glow of most IR models. Cameras can be had that send a picture via cellular systems to either a private web site or directly to your cell phone or email – 24/7. with sensors on the doors and windows, a motion sensor, and a glass breakage sensor – also a motion detector in the small cabin on the property. This system has an audible alarm, but also calls the alarm company, my home, and the sheriff’s department. A week after it was installed we got to check it out, when trespassers evidently were frustrated by the heavy-duty locks on the doors, so they smashed the kitchen window. Two deputy sheriffs in separate cars were on site in about 20 minutes, which was too late to catch the perps, but did demonstrate that there would be a response to forced entry. An alarm system like mine does not
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There are security boxes are made for camera protection. The box is normally lag bolted to a tree or sturdy post, and then also chained in place using the same lock that secures the box. All boxes are not created equal, some are stronger, and some leave too much frontal area of the camera exposed. The best I’ve used is the Camlock Box, available through Chasingame.com. Custom boxes
are available to fit at least 10 popular camera types and brands in 16 gauge to 10-gauge steel, and leave only holes for the flash, lens, and sensors exposed. I have also “made” my own boxes from electrical breaker boxes. The problem is, even in a metal box with a good lock securely attached to a tree, a vandal can shoot through the lens hole – or the box itself - or otherwise destroy the camera – and you might not have his picture, if he’s quick about it. Because of this, give some thought about where to locate cameras, even those watching feeders. I hate to locate them too high, as this just makes it rough on me when I change cards or batteries, but sometimes it is possible to find a tree shaped correctly to help hide the camera from a person approaching. Some guys glue tree bark and leaves to the camera box as a camo disguise, I use Spanish moss a lot. —Mike Holmes
This homemade box is wood over metal, secured with two padlocks and a cable lock around the tree.
require telephone service, as it uses a cell phone to call out, but it does require electricity. Without “pole power”, there are batterypowered alarms – but any audible alarm can only be effective if there is someone close enough to hear it who will call for a police response. Game or trail cameras are often the targets of thieves and vandals, but can also be used to foil them. The day the window on my trailer was smashed, the thieves had evidently already made their way through the woods and collected 5 of my 7 cameras. When the alarm went off, they were hidden in the brush, possibly for retrieval later, but my wife and I found 4 of them the next week. One of these not only still had the SD card in place, but also was powered up. It had a nice picture of a 16-year-old boy that lived fairly close setting the camera down, with another under his arm. He was arrested the day after I emailed the picture to the county sheriff, and the investigator on the case agreed with me that the picture should be titled, “Self
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Portrait of a Dumb-Ass.” Because cameras are easy to defeat, to work as security monitors, they must be hidden or disguised. Other options are the game cameras that send a wireless picture to a website or you home PC, but these systems are fairly expensive. With electricity, there are security cameras that either broadcast to a PC with Internet access, or record for viewing later. Better than all security devices and locks is a trusted neighbor watching the property, on-premises caretaker, or on a lease an owner who lives on the property and makes rounds fairly often. Locks, cameras, and alarms can all be defeated, and really only document the fact that a crime has been committed. A working relationship with local law enforcement helps, also, as the LEOs in the area often know who the most likely suspects would be. Both sheriff’s officers and game wardens can be asked to make an occasional “Close Patrol,” that at least establishes that they have a presence in the area. On the average deer lease, maybe the advise to not leave a lot of stuff “out there” might not be too bad, as much as it goes against my grain to be intimidated. By the way, pungi pits and other booby traps are not legal alternatives. I checked.
Photos: Mike Holmes
1/11/12 10:21 AM
Trail Cam Security WHEN USING GAME cameras for security, they should be mounted in a spot where they might not be expected, as on a trail near the entrance gate, or between the gate and main camp monitoring access, not feeders or game trails. A common recommendation is to have one camera “watching” another, especially when using one to “watch the front of a building or trailer. IR cameras are best, so a nighttime flash does not alert trespassers. Rather than have their picture taken, many crooks will gladly take or destroy a camera, even if it was not their primary target. There are “black flash” cameras available that do not even emit the red-glow of most IR models. Cameras can be had that send a picture via cellular systems to either a private web site or directly to your cell phone or email – 24/7. with sensors on the doors and windows, a motion sensor, and a glass breakage sensor – also a motion detector in the small cabin on the property. This system has an audible alarm, but also calls the alarm company, my home, and the sheriff’s department. A week after it was installed we got to check it out, when trespassers evidently were frustrated by the heavy-duty locks on the doors, so they smashed the kitchen window. Two deputy sheriffs in separate cars were on site in about 20 minutes, which was too late to catch the perps, but did demonstrate that there would be a response to forced entry. An alarm system like mine does not
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There are security boxes are made for camera protection. The box is normally lag bolted to a tree or sturdy post, and then also chained in place using the same lock that secures the box. All boxes are not created equal, some are stronger, and some leave too much frontal area of the camera exposed. The best I’ve used is the Camlock Box, available through Chasingame.com. Custom boxes
are available to fit at least 10 popular camera types and brands in 16 gauge to 10-gauge steel, and leave only holes for the flash, lens, and sensors exposed. I have also “made” my own boxes from electrical breaker boxes. The problem is, even in a metal box with a good lock securely attached to a tree, a vandal can shoot through the lens hole – or the box itself - or otherwise destroy the camera – and you might not have his picture, if he’s quick about it. Because of this, give some thought about where to locate cameras, even those watching feeders. I hate to locate them too high, as this just makes it rough on me when I change cards or batteries, but sometimes it is possible to find a tree shaped correctly to help hide the camera from a person approaching. Some guys glue tree bark and leaves to the camera box as a camo disguise, I use Spanish moss a lot. —Mike Holmes
This homemade box is wood over metal, secured with two padlocks and a cable lock around the tree.
require telephone service, as it uses a cell phone to call out, but it does require electricity. Without “pole power”, there are batterypowered alarms – but any audible alarm can only be effective if there is someone close enough to hear it who will call for a police response. Game or trail cameras are often the targets of thieves and vandals, but can also be used to foil them. The day the window on my trailer was smashed, the thieves had evidently already made their way through the woods and collected 5 of my 7 cameras. When the alarm went off, they were hidden in the brush, possibly for retrieval later, but my wife and I found 4 of them the next week. One of these not only still had the SD card in place, but also was powered up. It had a nice picture of a 16-year-old boy that lived fairly close setting the camera down, with another under his arm. He was arrested the day after I emailed the picture to the county sheriff, and the investigator on the case agreed with me that the picture should be titled, “Self
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Portrait of a Dumb-Ass.” Because cameras are easy to defeat, to work as security monitors, they must be hidden or disguised. Other options are the game cameras that send a wireless picture to a website or you home PC, but these systems are fairly expensive. With electricity, there are security cameras that either broadcast to a PC with Internet access, or record for viewing later. Better than all security devices and locks is a trusted neighbor watching the property, on-premises caretaker, or on a lease an owner who lives on the property and makes rounds fairly often. Locks, cameras, and alarms can all be defeated, and really only document the fact that a crime has been committed. A working relationship with local law enforcement helps, also, as the LEOs in the area often know who the most likely suspects would be. Both sheriff’s officers and game wardens can be asked to make an occasional “Close Patrol,” that at least establishes that they have a presence in the area. On the average deer lease, maybe the advise to not leave a lot of stuff “out there” might not be too bad, as much as it goes against my grain to be intimidated. By the way, pungi pits and other booby traps are not legal alternatives. I checked.
Photos: Mike Holmes
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Open Season by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor
Snow
“P
lease tell me where we are,” I begged Wrong Willie. He looked out the frosted truck window at the white landscape near the Texas, Oklahoma border and shrugged. “Somewhere in the northeast corner of the panhandle.” Doc sighed in the back seat. “Wasn’t C.J. Brown supposed to meet us at the store this morning so he could take us to the right place?” “Yes,” Willie answered. “That should have happened six hours ago,” I said. We waited until the local gendarmes came by to see why were sitting suspiciously in a car for four hours. We had a good long visit, and they finally left after writing down our names and a promise to notify our next of kin when we froze to death on the side of the road. “I think we’re on our own.” “We’re definitely on our own,” the Cap’n said, “because we’re lost in this stinking snow storm when we should be hunting pheasants.” “I imagine you can hunt pheasants right now,” Willie said. “Just get out there and get to walking.” “We don’t know who owns the field,” Doc argued. “That’s why we needed C.J. Brown.” “He’s usually not much help anyway,” the Cap’n said. “The last time he set up a hunt, he sent a couple of old boys to take care of us that had just gotten out of the pen.” “They were guards,” I said. “Not former inmates.” “I sure couldn’t tell,” the Cap’n said. “They had just as much jailhouse ink on their skin as their clientele.” “Wonder where C.J. Brown met them?” Wrong Willie thought aloud. “I’m afraid to go there,” Woodrow said. “I think the snow is letting up. Let’s drive down here. I think I remember this place
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from a couple of summers ago when we came up here to hunt dove.” I looked around at the landscape. It appeared to be the same as any other panhandle pasture. Wide open spaces, barbed wire fences, ranch roads, cattle paths and the occasional windmill beside a feed trough or two. “All right,” I said. “I give up. What looks familiar to you?” “That creek bottom,” Woodrow said. “When the hunting slowed down, I took out a fishing rod and threw a few lures in that stretch of water that empties into the stock tank over there.” I drove slowly along the snowy track, taking care to stay in the ruts lest we get off into a hidden ditch. We passed by the creek and a cluster of ancient cottonwoods. I stopped the truck when a rooster pheasant ran from a nearby fencerow into what was left of a harvested grain field. “This is it,” Woodrow said, opening his door. “How do you know that?” I asked, shutting off the engine. “I remember those trees. Let’s hunt.” Still not convinced, the Club members de-trucked and loaded shotguns. Doc volunteered to drive around the field and act as a blocker. He just wanted to sit in the warm truck until we ran the birds to him at the end of the rows. We lined up, spread out and walked across the field, taking care to maintain a wide arc designed to force the birds away from the open center. An excited bird flushed. It was a hen. I know it was so, because I shouted “HEN!” so everyone else could see and not shoot. The Cap’n shouted, “HEN!” Woodrow shouted, HEN!” Wrong Willie shouted, “HEN!” Jerry Wayne, who if you’ll remember is hard of hearing, shot and missed. “Was that a hen?” he asked. “YES!” Doc shouted from the far end of the field. A truck pulled up beside Doc and I saw him walk over to converse with the occupants. They also unpacked shotguns
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and spread out to block. We walked, made noise and took the occasional missed shot. Soon we neared the trucks. When the birds saw the men in their way, they flushed and the shoot was on. Feathers flew. Snow flew. Birds flew, unscathed. We shot some more. Birds fell. As suddenly as it began, the shoot was over. Laughing and enthusiastic, we joined our new friends. Doc introduced everyone and we piled our pheasants on their tailgate. One of the men, Oliver, counted the number of pheasants. “Well, old Bill and Dan here can’t hit worth a flip, so we’ll take enough of these birds to fill their limit. That leaves about one each for ya’ll, so that’s about right.” Wrong Willie quickly started to speak up, but Doc held up his hand. “That’s great. Load up boys, they said we’re in for a monumental snow. We have to get out of here…now.” Instead of arguing, we shook hands with the strangers, climbed in the truck and slammed the doors. Before anyone could say a word, Doc told me to drive. “Now,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “Here was the deal. I don’t know those boys. C.J. Brown’s name almost got us arrested. We’re on their land without invitation, but they let us go when they saw they’d get a hunt without working too hard. They told me they’d count the birds and they wouldn’t arrest us for trespassing, since Oliver is the game warden and Bill and Dan are brothers, deputy sheriffs, and they own this land.” We drove in silence for a while, pondering our near miss. The Cap’n finally spoke up. “Sounds like it was a good deal all around to me!” And we laughed like loons as I drove us home along unfamiliar roads in a snowstorm of historical proportions. Email Reavis Wortham at rwortham@fishgame.com
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by chester moore
PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE
I Love redfisH. That should come as no surprise for those of you loyal TF&G readers, as I have written a book on them, “Texas Reds,” and many feature stories detailing strategies for catching these hard-fighting and oh so good tasting residents of the Texas Gulf Coast. Catching redfish on lures is almost too much fun to handle and can be every bit as productive as using live or dead bait. The following are five lure types that will give you a good shot at catching reds whether you fish seagrass flats, oyster reefs or along the redfish superhighways known as jetties. T F & G
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SPOONS Spoons are without question the best all around lure for redfish. Mimicking a swimming or injured baitfish depending on the retrieve, spoons drive reds crazy. F i s h
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Texas Hotspots • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots | by tom behrens, calixto gonzales, & bob
tested • Suzuki, Hum70 texas minbird | TF&G daybook • industry insider • Pure Fish90 sportsman’s Tides & Prime Times | TF&G 71 ing, Mercury | TF&G and game gear • Hot 72 fish New Outdoor Gear | TF&G OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE by
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SECTION
FISHING FORECAST SECTION
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COVER STORY • Redfish Lure Basics | by chester moore
HOW-TO SECTION
Photos: CHESTER MOORE
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texas boating • Manic Marine Maintenance! | by lenny rudow texas kayaking • Winter Delights | by greg berlocher paul’s tips • Tying the Knot | by paul bradshaw
texas guns & gear • LongRange Shots | by steve lamascus
Colors: Gold spoons are the standard issue for anglers seeking redfish. Bronze is also productive. Painted spoons in contrasting colors like black/chartreuse can also be deadly. SIZE: ¼-1 oz SEASONS: Spoons work year-round. APPLICATION: The most popular method is simply to throw the spoon as far as you can and reel in. A huge advantage of spoons is they are easy to throw even in heavy wind and allow the angler to cover vast areas quickly. A tactic called the “fluttering spoon” is great around jetties. Throw the spoon out just past the rocks, let it sink and then lightly pull it up and down. Weedless spoons are great for chunking right through the grass on the flats in South Texas. Some spoons now come with rattles, which some angler’s claim gives them an extra edge. Black/Chartreuse spoon.
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hotspots focus: upper coast • Bone-Chilled Fish for Dinner | by capt. eddie hernandez
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hotspots focus: galveston • Looking Down the Middle | by capt. mike holmes
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hotspots focus: matagorda • East Matty Has Big Trout, Too | by bink grimes
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hotspots focus: rockport • Lost and Found | by capt. mac
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hotspots focus: lower coast • Holly Rollers | by calix-
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SPINNERBAITS
A few years ago the idea of fishing spinnerbaits for redfish was an odd one in Texas. Over the last few years they have become extremely popu- lar, mainly due to the redfish tournament trails that see anglers from Louisiana who have been using them for years winning big bucks. Colors: Most redfish spinners are rigged with a soft plastic instead of a standard skirt. Popular colors for the plastics are root beer, chartreuse, purple/white, black/white and strawberry/ white. SIZE: ¼-3/4 oz SEASONS: Like most redfish lures they can produce year-round but the best action typically occurs in summer and fall. APPLICATION: Spinners are good for two purposes, finding fish and reaching distant fish. When thrown parallel to shorelines and along grass lines in the marsh and flats they can lure in reds hidden in the cover. They are also good for fishing under birds in the fall when reds tend to move super fast. Spinners are heavier than most soft plastic/jighead combos so you
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www.FishGame.com can throw them a good distance also crank fast to intercept reds at just the right spot.
Redfish-rigged spinnerbait.
TOPWATERS
Watching a trout hit a topwater is a thing of beauty but seeing a red do the same thing is akin to watching a car crash, albeit there is no death and carnage. Reds must literally turn over or onto their sides to smack a topwater and they will do so with great fury. Colors: Bone, black/chartreuse, redfish, baby trout, pink/silver sides. SIZE: 3-7 inches SEASONS: Spring thru fall. APPLICATION: Just as with specks topwaters can work in varying capacities for reds. The ideal is to work over shallow flats or along shorelines lined with baitfish that has brought in potentially large trout. “Walking the dog” is the most popular CONTINUED ON PAGE 60
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Manic Marine Maintenance!
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HAT GOOD LUCK: considering how well most of today’s modern outboards are engineered, the biggest single factor in how long yours lasts is probably how well you maintain it. WHAT BAD LUCK: many of us make maintenance mistakes which are no less damaging than intentionally bludgeoning the power-head with a crow bar. You want your engine to last for years? Then you’ll need to make sure you maintain it properly, and pray for GOOD LUCK. And whatever you do, avoid making common outboard-killing mistakes which are sure to lead to BAD LUCK. WHAT GOOD LUCK: in your endeavors to
fulfill your dreams and become a professional fisherman, you chose an outboard that has a freshwater hose connection which makes flushing it quick and easy. A (minimum) five-minute flush after each and every salt or brackish water use not only helps prevent corrosion and keeps the water passages open and clean, it also extends the lifetime of your water pump impeller. Saltwater will leave bits of salt crystals and crud behind when it dries, so if you skip a flush, the next time you fire up the outboard those crystalline culprits will grind against the impeller vanes. Over time this takes a serious toll. In fact, most outboard manufacturers recommend you replace the impeller every few
years as a part of your regular maintenance plan—and you certainly should continue to do so—but if you do freshwater flushes with religious zealotry, your impeller will probably still be in tip-top shape when you swap it out for a new one. WHAT BAD LUCK: you drive over your own fishing line during a high-stakes tournament, and have to stop running the boat. Fishing line wrapped around the prop can do serious damage to your outboard, because when that line gets wound tight it can cut through the lower unit’s seal and allow all of the lower unit lube to leak out. Yup, you guessed right—that means massive damage, if you don’t notice the problem immediately. Even though the delay knocks you out of the tournament, you tilt the engine up, and remove every inch of line by hand. Fortunately, you know that it’s usually easiest to un-wind a few feet, then give the end to a helper who can put some tension on the line as you spin the prop backwards, to un-wind the rest.
COVER STORY: REDFISH LURE BASICS method which is bringing in the lure with a short side-to-side motion at a medium to fast pace. That is done with walking plugs like Top Dogs and Super Spooks. Chugging is another tactic that uses lures like the Chug Bug to slowly chug along in a pop-sit (a few seconds)-pop motion. Let the red actually take the plug under before attempting a hookset or there is a good chance it will get away.
SCENTED BAITS
Redfish probably respond better to scented/flavored baits better than any other bay dwelling species. They are a must for anglers serious about catching reds. Colors: Smoke, pink, chartreuse, 60 |
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new penny, natural shrimp color SIZE: 3-6-inches SEASONS: Year-Round APPLICATION: Rigged on a jighead and fished on a leader under a popping cork, these kinds of lures are incredibly productive for catching reds. My current favorite redfish getter is a 4-inch Gulp! Swimming Mullet in smoke color rigged under a popping cork on an 1/8-oz jighead. They are also great fished on a Carolina rig or simply on a jighead and bounced along the bottom.
CURLTAILS
They certainly will not win the cool lure of the year awards but curl-tailed grubs catch redfish when other lures will not. The nonstop action of the
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tail drives reds nuts and has them responding with great vigor. Colors: Pink, black/chartreuse, smoke, natural shad, shrimp, strawberry/ white, chartreuse SIZE: 3-6-inches SEASONS: Year-Round APPLICATION: These are best simply fished on a jighead and crawled across the bottom. Using 1/8-oz jigheads and flipping them in front of reds in clear, shallow water is an underrated method on catching the fish when they are at their spookiest.
The underrated curltail.
Photo: CHESTER MOORE
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WHAT GOOD LUCK: you may have lost this tournament, but at the award ceremony you won the door prize—a case of fuel additive. Treating each and every tank of fuel with an additive has become imperative, ever since ethanol made its way to our gas stations. If you fail to use it and your boat sits for more than a few weeks, the chances are good you’ll have some level of phase separation. That means the ethanol will bind with water molecules, and separate out from the gasoline. You know that if your fuel sits for too long un-treated, you can’t simply roll the dice and turn the key. And unfortunately, the additives you want don’t end up being delivered for a solid month. Your best bet is to pump out the tank, and run that tainted fuel through the engine of a vehicle you don’t really care about—like your wife’s mini-van. WHAT BAD LUCK: After hitching a ride to the service station and getting a tow truck for her mini-van, your wife figured out what you did. To get back at you, she made like a Black Friday shopper and sprayed you with mace. Now you can’t see a darn thing, and you need to do your monthly outboard inspections. Once a month like clockwork,
you always remove the cowl and look at the fuel lines and connections to make sure none are cracked or worn. Then you check the fuel filter and clean or replace it, if necessary. You also pull and inspect the spark plugs for wear, eyeball the sacrificial anode for deterioration, check the prop for nicks and dings, and make sure no nuts, bolts, hose clamps, or connections have vibrated loose. Finally, you hit the steering and system lube nipples with a grease gun. WHAT GOOD LUCK: Your wife felt so bad about what she did, that she decided to change the outboard’s lower unit oil and the engine oil and filter for you. You always do this each and every time a change is due, as your engine’s owner’s manual specifies, without fail. This is incredibly important, and probably has more to do with extending the life span of an outboard than any other single maintenance chore. Think about it: Your car’s engine rarely exceeds 3,000 RPM unless you floor it, and most of us understand just how imperative it is to keep up with oil changes in our automobiles. But an outboard is expected to run at 3,500 to 4,500 RPM for hours at a time—internal lubrication is a key part of keeping it running for years on end.
WHAT BAD LUCK: You forgot to warn your wife about how to handle the cowling, so she did what seems natural to most folks, and set it down top-down on the ground. Now, there are scratches and scuffs all over the top. Too bad you didn’t explain that the cowl must always be kept right side-up, because the finish can get scratched rather easily. WHAT GOOD LUCK: You’ll be able to buff off most of the scuff marks, because you put two coats of automotive wax on the cowl the last time you cleaned up the boat. You always do this as part of your maintenance routine because the cowl’s finish is similar to a car’s finish. Also like your car, it gets some much-needed protection from wax. You always use a bee’s wax—not a carnaubabased wax—for this job. It might not look as shiny as carnauba, but it’s tougher and lasts much longer. WHAT BAD LUCK: Now that your eyes have recovered, you read through the outboard’s owners’ manual for a refresher (you do this at least once a season) and realize it’s time for some long-term maintenance checks to be done by your mechanic. This will cost a few hundred bucks and since you’re still trying to find enough money to get the mini-van fixed, you consider skipping it. But then you remember how important it is to have a professional check the timing belt and valve clearance at the intervals specified by the manufacturer. Instead of letting it slide, you decide to beg your wife for forgiveness, patience, and a loan. Your engine runs smoothly and efficiently for years on end. As a result of this reliability you become such a good angler that you start winning those tournaments, and soon build a following. Then ESPN comes knocking, and asks you to become an on-air fishing personality. Before you know it you’re rich and famous, your replace the wife’s mini-van with a Hummer, and you buy waterfront estates on Aransas Pass, Lake Conroe, and High Island. And just think: You have your comprehensive knowledge of outboard engine maintenance to thank for it all.
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Winter Delights
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ther than celebrating the anniversary of my 39th birthday, February is typically a pretty quiet month, whiling away hours in the garage, fixing and fine tuning gear and pining for warmer weather. But every now and then, Old Man Winter relents and there are a few glorious days weather-wise, with cloudless bluebird skies and warm sunshine. On these days, you can normally find me at one
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of the passes on the Texas coast angling for sheepshead and whiting, or as I call them, “winter delights.” Sheepshead and whiting are often looked down on by anglers who only target the “big three.” I never tire of catching speckled trout, redfish, and flounder but I refuse to turn a snobbish eye on other species. Sheepshead and whiting are both plentiful during winter months and are easy to catch, plus the fillets make excellent table fare. Sheepshead congregate in large numbers in and around coastal passes to spawn during the winter and spring and the action can be non-stop when you locate a large school. Whiting frequent all of our bay systems but the largest concentrations are found in the
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surf and spill over into passes in search of food. San Luis Pass is my favorite February venue. There is good access to the beach on either side of the pass, although some of the powdery sand roads between the asphalt and the shoreline can be daunting, even to those with 4 wheel drive vehicles. The good news is that there is a spider web of meandering roads near the bridge; if one looks treacherous, there are other options. The pass has narrowed significantly since the toll bridge was built there is still plenty of water to fish. The bridge is set back from the surf zone and wave action is typically negligible; however there are strong currents that paddlers should be wary of.
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Algae and barnacles cling to the submerged pilings and the spawning sheepshead take up residence there in winter. There are several ways to fish the pass from a kayak. One is to drop an anchor and pin a live or dead shrimp to a bottom rig. The other is to paddle in tight against a piling and drop a weighted line straight down next to the piling; think crappie fishing with a saltwater twist. The challenge is the current. As mentioned earlier, the currents in the pass can be treacherous and a bull tide will pull your hull away from the pilings in short order. I have been experimenting with ways to tether my kayak to the bridge pilings which are too wide to reach around and found that a discarded milk jug partially filled with water was the answer. The jug tied to the end of a nylon rope serves as a throwing buoy. You paddle up current of the piling you wish to fish, throw the buoy to the other side and then wait for the current to drift your hull and the buoy back downstream. You can then adjust your hull position by pulling in or letting out rope. Sheepshead not only have a full set of incisors, like humans and sheep (hence the fish’s name), but they also have rows of bony plates in their mouths to help crunch barnacles and crustaceans. Think of the plates as molars in the roof of the fish’s mouth. The plates take up much of the real estate inside a sheepshead’s mouth and a sharp hook is required to find purchase. Whiting feed on the bottom and surf-run fish seek out shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans that are dislodged by crashing waves. Whiting are found with regularity inside passes and are one of the easiest saltwater fish to catch. Whiting have small mouths so adjust your hook size accordingly. I would hesitate to use anything larger than a size # 6 treble. A Carolina rig consisting of a .5 ounce egg sinker, barrel swivel and short leader tagged with a small hook is all the tackle you need for either species. I like to use 12 – 18 inches of leader if targeting whiting but will shrink the leader to just several inches when fishing vertically for sheepshead. The weight keeps the line tight and helps you detect subtle strikes. Keeping your index finger on the line before it enters your reel provides additional tactile feedback. Sheepshead and whiting are both considered underutilized species by Texas Parks T F & G
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& Wildlife which means there are liberal size and bag limits. You may retain up to five sheepshead per day that are 15-inches or longer. Currently there are no size or bag limits on whiting. Both fish have mild delicate fillets. While delicate might apply to the sheepshead’s flavor, it isn’t a word that will ever be used to describe the fish’s framework. Featuring a wickedly tough set of rib bones that will turn back the advance
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of ordinary filet knives, a keen edge and strong forearm is needed to power through the sheepshead’s substantial rib cage. If the weather patterns line up this month and we get a few days of clear skies and warm sunshine, head to a pass and catch a few winter delights.
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Square Knot
s men, there are certain things we are expected to know how to do from the time we are out of diapers. Change the oil in any vehicle, got it. Determine, at a glance, the size of a socket needed for a bolt halfway across the room, not a problem. Know how to tie 374 different knots and be able to demonstrate this skill any time we’re asked, well maybe. If you’re anything like me then there are times when you feel inadequate about your knot tying skills and have even been known to tie something that can easily be mistaken for something the cat puked up. Well, if you’re in this category then you can stop worrying. Learn just a few simple knots and you can use them to impress your friends and neighbors (or maybe just the eight year old kid down the street) by exhibiting you overwhelming manliness in any situation. Feel free to scratch and spit. Knots are used for two basic purposes. The first is tying one piece of rope to another and the second is tying the rope to a stationary object. Yes, there are a few other purposes but the odds of you rock climbing or sailing the high seas are slim so you’ll probably never need to know how to tie a sheepshank or prusik knot. So we’ll stick with the basics and look at using a square knot for joining two ropes, plus a clove hitch and two half 66 |
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The square knot is one of the easiest to learn, but it’s also one of the easiest to tie wrong. Tied incorrectly the square turns into a granny knot, which has a tendency to slip. Start the square knot with the ends from two different lengths of rope in each hand, overlaying them so that they overlap by six to eight inches with the ends pointing in opposite directions. Square Knot
a load on a trailer, tying the corners of a pop-up blind to ground stakes, or stringing a rope between trees to hang wet clothes on at deer camp. Start the clove hitch by running the tag end of the rope around the item you are tying to. Take the tag end and run it back over the top of the main body of the rope before making another pass around the object you are tying to. Last, take the end of the rope and run it back under the loop you just made around the item being tied to. Pull the tag end and main body of the rope to tighten.
illistration by paul bradshaw
Tying the Knot
hitches for tying to a stationary object.
Two Half Hitches
We’ll call the rope in your left hand Rope A, and the rope in your right hand Rope B. Take A and run it over the top of B so that the end is pointing up. Take B and run it over the top of A, then back under A so that the end is also now pointing up. Now, point the ends of the ropes b a c k Clove Hitch at each other. Take the end of rope A and run it over the top of B, then back under and through the bend in rope B. Pull the tag end and main body of each rope to tighten the knot and you’re done.
The clove hitch can occasionally slip so if it doesn’t work then you can easily switch to two half hitch knots to secure a rope to an object. Start by running the tag end of the rope around the object. Now take the end of the rope and run it back over the main rope body, then back
Two Half Hitches
under running it into the loop you just made between the object and the rope, this is the first half hitch. Take the tag end and run it over the top of the main rope body again, then back under the main rope body and back through the loop you just made, this is the second half hitch. Pull the tag end and the main rope body to tighten.
E-mail Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com
Clove Hitch
The clove hitch can be used for anything that requires tying the rope to a stationary object. This covers everything from securing
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just saw a show on television that made me do a double-take. The headline in the video guide said, “Wyoming Elk at 1090 yards.” There are a couple of such shows on the air right now, and I want each of you to know that I feel very strongly that they promote something that is totally unrealistic. Anyone who promotes taking shots at big game animals at such ludicrous ranges is doing a huge disservice to hunters and game everywhere and providing the antis with effective ammo with which to snipe at our sport of hunting. These folks seem to be selling the idea that if you just buy this scope and follow these simple directions, you too can kill big game animals at such extreme range. That is very, very far from the truth. And before you start making snide comments like, just because I can’t do it, that doesn’t mean that nobody else can, I invite you to come to Brackettville, Texas and shoot with me for a couple of days. I have been a competitive shooter in several
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up a n d down? Is the animal a bit above you or below you? What about that weird phenomenon called spin-drift, in
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which the bullet moves up and away from its own rotation? And then there is that demon called mirage, which one competitive shooter called “shooting through the swimming pool.” All these things add up to making such a shot a danged sight more complicated than just dialing in the range on a scope! And how accurate is your rifle? If it will group one inch at 100 yards, that means it will group about 10 inches at 1000 yards,
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Anyone who promotes shots at such ludicrous ranges is doing a disservice to hunters and game.
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LongRange Shots at Big Game
different disciplines and know what I’m talking about. The U.S. Military spends huge amounts of time and ammunition teaching their snipers how to perform at extreme range. The U.S. Marine Corps Sniper School lasts 8 ½ weeks. What makes you think that buying a scope and reading a pamphlet qualifies you to do the same? And there is a lot more to it than simple, or not so simple, shooting skills. The first question to be resolved in making such a shot is how far it actually is? This is fairly easy to determine these days using a laser rangefinder, assuming you put out the not inconsiderable price required to buy one that works to 1090 yards and is accurate. Next is the wind. It may be 10 miles an hour from the left at the muzzle of your gun, but what is it and from what direction half way to the target across that canyon? Or two-thirds of the way? And then what about the angle
everything being equal, which they are not. And this all dependent upon whether or not you have a rest that is sufficiently solid to allow you to get the last micron of accuracy out of your rifle. It is equally dependent on whether or not you are a good enough shooter to shoot your rifle to its ultimate level of accuracy, which most of us are not. The bullet is also a huge question; how will it perform at that extended range? The most accurate bullets are not hunting bullets, and the best hunting bullets are not intended to perform well at a thousand yards. In fact, you will probably get very little bullet action, meaning mushrooming, from any bullet at a thousand yards. Let’s look at the facts and figures. A 175-grain 7mm bullet (the one I understand is used for most of these shots) A L M A N A C
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with a muzzle velocity of 2950 feet per second, has a remaining velocity at 1000 yards of 1657 feet per second, which is almost a thousand feet per second slower than a .3030 150-grain is at the muzzle. If sighted in at 100 yards the drop at 1000 yards is 265 inches and the drop between 1000 and 1050 yards is 37 inches. In other words, if you misjudge the range by 50 yards, you miss the target by over 3 feet. Now tell me truly, would you go out to hunt elk, or even deer, with a rifle that fired a 175-grain bullet at 1650 feet per second, and that dropped 3 feet every 50 yards? Think about it! Most shooters look at the ballistics of their cannon at the muzzle and fail to realize how much effect range, and especially such extended range, will have on the bullet. I don’t know anyone who would pick such an anemic round to hunt with, but they seem to think there is some kind of magic that applies to it at long range. Sorry, that just ain’t right. I simply do not believe that they make that many one-shot kills at those ranges without wounding even more animals than
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they kill cleanly. Nearly every show I have seen shows the animals just fold up and fall. To do that means the equivalent of being able to hit a 9-inch paper plate every time at that range. I have seen too many animals wounded and lost at much closer distances by reasonably competent riflemen shooting from solid rests in deer blinds. Sorry, I just don’t buy it. The honest truth is that the average shooter should not attempt a shot at more than 300 yards. The best of us should limit our range to less than 500 yards for the simple reason that most of our firearms run out of juice at about that range. If the animal is farther than 500 yards, you should stalk closer or come back another day. The longest shot I have ever made on a deer was right at 350 yards. I once shot a pronghorn antelope in Wyoming at about the same range. I have turned down a lot of shots at longer ranges, including one at a monster bull elk in the Medicine Bow National Forest of Wyoming. I expect the average range at which I have shot deer over the decades would be in the neighborhood
of a hundred yards. All it takes is a bit of restraint and the realization that not killing the animal will not result in the end of the universe as we know it, and that the animal deserves a quick, clean kill. If you want to shoot at long range, go to a rifle range and shoot to your heart’s content, but for Pete’s sake do not try such shots at live animals. And don’t believe everything you see on television.
E-mail Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com
On the Web Read Steve LaMascus’s Guns Blog online: www.FishGame.com
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If a new mid-range outboard is in your future, one to check out is Suzuki’s DF 40/50. This four-stroke was introduced at the beginning of the year, and it raised enough eyebrows to win the Best New Outboard category of the NMMA Innovation Awards. The key to the DF 40/50’s success lies in the different outboards built by this company. Like most other outboard manufacturers, Suzuki puts a lot of R & D into other outboard sizes. Unlike most other builders, however, Suzuki also takes the advancements made for the different motors and brings them together, on the DF 40/50. That means you get high-tech perks usually seen only on one high-end model, or another. One of the most impressive features is the EFI system’s “Lean Burn Control.” The idea behind Lean Burn Control is to predict the fuel needs according to current conditions, and inject fuel into the cylinders at a precisely controlled rate and volume. The air-fuel mixture is richer at the start of the injection cycle to assist ignition, then gets drawn down as the cycle progresses. Net result? There’s a longer burn-time and more controlled explosion of fuel, gaining the full downward stroke of the piston and leading to more power for less fuel. The bottom line is a 23-percent improvement in fuel economy in the cruising RPM ranges. Other nifty things usually seen on other engines are the direct ignition, the use of an oil-bathed timing chain (as opposed to a belt, which needs regular adjustments), and computer diagnostics. This is a four-valve DOHC in-line70 |
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three design, with a 2.27:1 gear reduction, an 815 cc displacement, and a 2.80”bore x 2.70” stroke. The package weighs in at 243 pounds, and comes with a 20” shaft length. You’ll love the alternator, if you’re hungry for juice: it puts out 18 amps, which is as more than many other outboards in this size range offer. One of the first things you’ll notice when you run a DF 40/50 is how amazingly quiet it is, even when compared to other hushhush four strokes. At idle, the stream of water trickling out of the tell-tale makes more noise than the engine itself. Literally. And at cruise, wind noise is far greater than engine noise. Again, Suzuki arms the DF 40/50 with technology gained on other models, in this case a three-stage baffle chamber combined with through-hub exhaust. Check out the details, at www.suzukimarine.com.
A Sharper Image Side-imaging fishfinders are all the rage, but why should you be forced to endure that same-old, same-old low-res down-looking image? You shouldn’t—so Humminbird has introduced down-imaging, which gives you that high-resolution scanning image, in a downward direction. Like side-scanning, the secret behind downimaging is the use of a pair of super high frequency beams, at 800 and 455 kHz. Most regular down-looking units use frequencies between 200 and 50 kHz, but these higher frequencies take a picture of a razor-thin
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slice of the water, with gobs and gobs of detail. Think of these sonar waves like the ripples on a pond: toss in a pebble, and you’ll create lots of rapidly-travelling small waves (high frequency) which are affected by tiny items like twigs, sprigs of weed, or even a minnow. Throw in a boulder, on the other hand, and it’ll create a few large waves (low frequency) which travel farther, but roll right over those same tiny items without being affected one iota. Net result? The higher frequencies of down-imaging can paint a highly-detailed and accurate picture of submerged trees right down to their smallest branches; they can show you individual weeds growing up from the lake bottom below; and they can show you the individual fish in a school of bait. Although using super-high frequency waves reduces the effective distance they can see—DI units are only good down to about 250’—for most freshwater or inshore anglers, this is still more than enough range to get the job done. And because of Humminbird’s Narrow Mode, you can be sure the picture you see on-screen lies directly below the boat, not off to one side or another. On most regular down-lookers, there’s always some question as to exactly where that structure or those fish lie. Down imaging is available in the 1158c DI, 958c DI, 858c DI, and 385ci DI combo units, as well as in the dedicated down-looking 570 DI and 345c DI units. That means there’s a wide range of pricing, from $299 for black-and-white down imaging all the way up to $2,199 for a combination GPS/ chartplotter/fishfinder/down-imager with a 600 x 800 pixel, 10.4” color LCD screen. Take a look at the imagery and the options yourself, at www.humminbird.com.
Photos: Suzuki; Johnson Outdoors
Mid Range Might
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Images: Pure Fishing, Inc.; Mercury Marine
Pure Fishing Continues to Grow Pure Fishing, Inc., (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation), a leading global provider of fishing tackle equipment and related products, today announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Beyond Fishing and Sporting Goods (Pty) Ltd. (“Beyond Fishing”), a longstanding provider of fishing products in South Africa. The acquisition, completed through a newly formed subsidiary, Jarden South Africa Proprietary Limited, trading as Pure Fishing South Africa, represents the company’s first direct venture into the African continent. Beyond Fishing has been distributing Pure Fishing brands for over two years and has established a strong reputation as an outstanding provider of quality fishing tackle equipment to specialist fishing and outdoor sports retailers in Sub-Saharan Africa. “We are delighted to be establishing a new African subsidiary and working with the Beyond Fishing team, who has been a valuable distributor in South Africa in recent years,” said John Doerr, CEO of Pure Fishing. “The South African market includes some of the most enthusiastic anglers in the world today and Pure Fishing has a wide range of specialist equipment to meet their needs. We will be working closely with dealers to ensure that we continue to expand the range of products specifically designed for this region going forward and deliver outstanding service to the African fishing tackle market.” The new company will be based in the Johannesburg area and its fishing efforts will be lead by Graham Hills, as General Manager of Pure Fishing South Africa. T F & G
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“I am excited by the opportunity to lead Pure Fishing’s expansion into the growing South African fishing tackle market,” said Hills. “Our team here is committed to establishing Pure Fishing as the leading provider of quality fishing tackle equipment to the southern Africa region. We have an aggressive growth plan for the coming years and now, as part of a global leading fishing tackle company, we are well placed to achieve this goal.” Hills added, “We are delighted to be part of the Pure Fishing group and look forward to having access to its significant resources to provide the most compelling new products and best in class customer service. Please be assured that the same dedicated team will continue to serve the South African fishing tackle trade post-acquisition.” With operations in 19 countries and a dedicated workforce conversant in 28 languages, Pure Fishing, Inc. is part of Jarden Outdoor Solutions, a leader in outdoor and recreational lifestyle products and a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation. Additional information can be found at www.purefishing.com.
Merc Joint Venture to Change Mercury Marine and Cummins will transition from their Cummins MerCruiser Diesel Marine (CMD) joint venture to a strategic supply arrangement between the two companies to more effectively and efficiently serve customers in the global diesel marine market. All business activities will move from CMD to the parent companies, with completion of the transition anticipated by mid-2012. CMD will conduct business as
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usual through the transition. Growth in the marine market is strategically important to Mercury Marine and Cummins. Cummins and Mercury Marine will each utilize their respective parent company resources to develop, manufacture, sell, distribute and service diesel engines, drives, pods and related parts, accessories and services. This announcement follows the decision in October that CMD’s High Speed Diesel line will shift to Mercury Marine. Mercury Marine will integrate CMD’s High Speed Diesel range into its product portfolio and will sell, service and support these products through its global sales and distribution network. With this decision regarding the joint venture, Mercury Marine will also offer its drives, riggings, engine control systems and propellers through these same distribution channels. Cummins will continue to use Mercury Marine drives and control systems in conjunction with its extensive offering of midrange and heavy-duty marine engines. This move will leverage Cummins’ strong global distribution footprint and create additional synergy with other Cummins recreational marine products, including marine generator sets offered under the Cummins Onan brand. Cummins and Mercury established the CMD joint venture in 2002 to supply integrated diesel propulsion systems to the worldwide recreational and commercial marine markets. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Mercury Marine is the world’s leading
manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines.
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Masking the Hunt The RZ Hunting mask is an affordable and necessary piece of equipment for any hunter’s arsenal. It is made from strong neoprene material, featuring an N99 Active Carbon filter that locks in any
them from the air, preventing yet another distraction from affecting your hunt. The RZ Mask can be purchased on RZMask.com or at various outdoor stores around the country. For more information, call 888-777-9422 with any questions or to place an order.
Photos: RZ Mask; Acme Tackle
Hide exhaled odor with Hunt Mask.
odors exhaled from its user. Considering that deer can detect human scent from up to 585 yards away, the hunters breath is a primary source of odor and the RZ Mask provides a camouflaged and scentless advantage. With its realistic camo pattern, the RZ Mask effectively covers the lower half of the face. The neoprene material provides an insulated barrier against wind or snow as well as wicking material for rain or moisture preventing a wet face. Frigid air being inhaled is also conditioned to a comfortable level that will prevent any cold air dangers. The filters have been laboratory tested to filtrate 99.9% of particulates and allergens from the air. When there is dust and other allergens floating around, the mask will effectively filtrate 72 |
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Phoebe Spoon: Phull-Bodied Pro-phile Skilled anglers know that Acme’s uniquely shaped Phoebe spoon is deadly when cast for trout, panfish, bass, pickerel and other freshwater gamefish. This lure’s hydrodynamic curved body creates the illusion of a fat, full-bodied baitfish while
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delivering wild, lifelike swimming action as the lure is retrieved or trolled through the water. True lure-fishing experts, however, realize that these same properties make the Acme Phoebe a great choice when jigging vertically. The 1/6-oz. and ¼-oz. Phoebe spoons are ideal for targeting largemouth, smallmouth and landlocked stripers when they are working schools of suspended baitfish or hanging close to structure like deep rocks, ledges and brushpiles. Jig the Acme Phoebe vertically with gentle sweeps of the rod tip, stopping occasionally to let the lure free fall a few feet. This maximizes the Phoebe’s fluttering action on the drop and imitates an injured or dying baitfish. This is often too much for nearby predators to resist. Acme’s 1/8-oz. Phoebe spoon is dynamite for winter fishing — because it takes advantage of the way predator fish feed in the cold winter months. For starters, gamefish in cold conditions don’t want to expend too much energy chasing down a meal. The Acme Phoebe’s deep curvature makes this spoon dance wildly with only tiny twitches of the rod, enticing lethargic fish to strike. Secondly, winter fish want a good-sized meal for their effort — and this is exactly what the Phoebe tricks them into thinking they’re getting, thanks to the lure’s unique three-dimensional profile. This illusion is further enhanced by Acme Phoebe’s deep-cut scales, fins and tail, adding to the lure’s realism and — important when deep jigging and fishing under ice — reflecting available light in all directions. Acme offers the Phoebe in 10 painted and Phoebe jewel-quality plated Spoon from Acme. finishes, providing maximum visibility A L M A N A C
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in all conditions and letting anglers “match the hatch” with local forage. To learn more about vertical jigging with Acme’s proven Phoebe spoon — or to explore the company’s extensive lineup of metal lures for all types of fresh and saltwater angling — contact Acme Tackle Co., 69 Bucklin St., Providence, RI 02907 • Telephone: (401) 331-6437 • Or visit online at: www.acmetackle.com.
Stanley Gives Bass the Shaft Custom matching pained blades add a totally new look have been added to the #1 selling Stanley Vibra-Shaft spinnerbait. With Patented Tapered Wire, the VibraShaft is unmatched in water displacement. Moving more water with less effort makes a great spinnerbait. Tapered wire transfers all the vibration to the tip of Stanley the wire, Vibra-Shaft where the spinnerbait. blades are. That’s what you feel when you reel the bait back in. Available in 3/8 & 1/2 oz. For more information, visit www.fishstanley.com.
MatchKing 30 caliber bullets.
tionally accurate in bolt action rifles and other .30 caliber AR chamberings. The jacket was specifically designed to handle velocities ranging up through common .30 caliber midlevel cartridges. The #2121
will be available for sale in Jan 2012. For more information, contact Sierra at 1-800-223-8799 or send an email to sierra@sierrabullets.com.
Shop for innovative, new and hardto-find outdoor gear at www.FishandGameGear.com
Photos: Stanley Jigs; Sierra
Sierra Loads More Bullets into MatchKing Line Sierra is pleased to introduce the newest member of our MatchKing line; the 30 caliber 125 grain HP MatchKing. This uniquely designed flat based bullet was designed in conjunction with AAC (Advanced Armament Corporation) and Remington Arms for the new .300 AAC Blackout cartridge designed for the AR platform. This bullet has also proven to be excepT F & G
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BoneChilled Fish for Dinner
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et’s face it, coastal fishing in February is pretty far down on a lot of people’s pecking order, and for good reason. The one word that probably pops into most people’s minds when they think of February is COLD! That can be somewhat of an understatement even on the Texas Gulf Coast. It may not be cold by Minnesota’s standards but when there are icicles hanging everywhere it’s definitely cold enough for me.
There are lots of days this month when you’d be better off avoiding the bay altogether. Unfortunately, February is the one month out of the entire year that we have these conditions on a semi-regular basis. Fortunately though, it is only one month and just so happens to be the one with the fewest days. Not to take anything away from December or January, each of which can definitely hold its own when it comes to frigid weather, but February can be downright bone chilling! All is not lost though because there will be some days this month when moving fishing up a few notches in the pecking order is not such a bad idea. There are sure to be a hand full of days with mild conditions and winds not approaching gale force speeds. These are the kinds of days you need to take advantage of. There are actually lots of fish caught on Sabine in February when the conditions are right. Your chances of scoring this month depend greatly on knowing where to be and
not wasting time fishing areas that won’t hold fish in chilly water. For starters you’ll want to fish the warmest water possible. The difference between catching or not can be decided by less than a degree of water temperature so fishing deeper water will definitely work to your advantage. Ledges, drop offs, and deep holes are what you should key on if fresh fish is on the menu tonight. The south end of Sabine Lake is a good place to start. Idle through with an eye on you sonar and you’ll notice that the depth and bottom contour is constantly changing as you cruise over the giant oyster reef that is located just north of the Causeway bridge. Late winter trout and baitfish will use this to their advantage as they seek both protection and warmer water. The big winner in this is of course you! Live baits like shrimp, mullet, and fresh dead shrimp work very well as do long dark colored soft plastics. Eight to ten inch plastic worms in black or tomato are excellent choices. Fish them slow and be patient enough to work the area over well and you should get good results. Trout and reds will readily accept these offerings, but don’t be surprised if you put a few whiting, croaker, and black drum in the fish box also.
the bank bite LOCATION: Port Neches Riverfront Park SPECIES: Redfish and Croaker BAIT: Finger Mullet, Mud Minnows, Fresh Dead Shrimp BEST TIMES: High Tide Contact Eddie Hernandez at, EHernandez@fishgame.com
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Looking Down The Middle
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ebruary is the normal cusp of the short Gulf Coast winter. Although it can be our coldest month, it can also bring short-sleeve weekends. January probably brought the first really cold weather – which for folks like me begins at anything below 50 for a sustained period and gets deadly serious should temperatures drop below freezing – and March will see things warming back up quite nicely. While there might be a boat show or two along the coast, February is a slow month. This is the time of the year we writers usually suggest as a good time to work on boats and tackle, study charts, and spend money – for new tackle, new electronics, new warm weather clothing for the better times to come. In the real world, however, fishermen rarely wait for “down time” to spend money on their favorite past time, and what they really want to do this time of year is feel a strong pull on the end of a tight line. There is seldom any weather on the Texas coast that would keep a guy from fishing, except for very strong winds – as in a named storm, and I have fished the front end of tropical storms both on the beach and offshore. Not with a lot of success, but so far, I’ve lived to tell about it. The key to cold weather fishing is deep water, where temperature extremes are not as numbing or even deadly. This water can be in a harbor, river, or known deep holes in the bay systems. A fish’s metabolism slows down with temperature drops, so fish slow. This means normally using natural baits and a degree of patience. Live bait can be harder to come by, and fresh dead bait gives off more scent, anyway. If fish can be found T F & G
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actively and obviously feeding, bait under a popping cork or drifted in a current can be the ticket, but when the action is slower, “dragging” a bait or jig/bait combination slowly over the bottom covers more area, and reaches fish that are not actively looking for food, but will not turn down a snack pulled in front of their nose. Although it can be much more uncomfortable to a cold weather wussy like me, night fishing in winter pays large dividends. The key here is to fish over or near that deep water the fish hole up in, and use lights to attract bait, and then target fish. A lighted pier works well, and has the advantage of structure such as pilings, but many are private – including most marina docks. There are some lighted public piers besides the beachfront variety that attract fish with regularity, and might not be too crowded late on a cold February night – for sure I won’t be intruding into your fishing space! If a public pier is not your sort of thing, a generator or even a battery-powered light – the
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green ones are superb – can be used from an anchored boat or floated out in a canal or off a riverbank (the light, not the battery or generator!). Lights set up on a shore side pole and aimed at the water can also work. When fishing lights, because the fish will be attracted to and feeding on live bait, artificial lures might work as well as bait, and are more efficient because of not having to re-bait as often. Silver spoons work very well for this type of fishing, although it has always seemed redfish slightly prefer gold ones. Small, tandem-rigged jigs also catch fish at night under lights – and not always small fish. Besides temperature and wind, two other weather factors that influence this type of fishing are easily exaggerated in drought conditions, these being water clarity and salinity. Fortunately for us lately, inshore waters are both higher in salinity and of better clarity in the absence of rainfall. Both
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hile big trout enthusiasts are heading south to wade the famed Baffin Bay for the winter, here sits East Matagorda Bay, tranquil, serene and teeming with some of the heaviest gator trout Texas has to offer. I know, I know, Baffin is one of a trio of
small shad to a more protein-enriched meal like a six-inch finger mullet. This proves even truer during winter months when lethargic fish are less likely to chase a quick baitfish. Cold-blooded animals like gator trout like to gulp a big mullet, lie up, and live off its energy for three days before
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February is prime time, with little to no pressure.
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East Matty Has Big Trout, Too
trophy trout haunts in the whole USA, but lost in the mix, and the hype, is little ole’ East Matty and her muddy bottoms littered with shell. We still catch big trout here, and February is prime time with little to no fishing pressure. It’s not just a wading thing, either, heavy specks can be caught over miles of shell lumps, humps, toeheads and undulations found throughout the middle of the bay. “The tides get low and all those big trout go to the middle of the bay,” said guide Tommy Alexander. “The mullet go to the middle and the trout follow.” Biology proves trout two feet long specks change their primary diets of shrimp and
they have to hunt again. Hence, that’s why proven, slow-moving, cold-water baits like MirrOlures, Corkies, Catch 5s and Catch 2000s dupe so many huge trout. “There are miles of East Bay to drift in the winter, and the water usually is so clear you can see the bottom,” said Alexander. East Bay’s deepest depths are a little over five feet at the highest of high tides. Since winter normally sees the lowest tides of the year, most traditional scattered shell drifting spots usually run just over three feet. “You really have to find some streaky
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water to get fish to eat,” said Alexander. “The water is beautiful, but too beautiful at times.” Since live bait is scarce during the winter, plan on toss soft plastics or slowsinking baits. I like using a lighter jig like a 1/16-ounce head so the bait floats and flutters after every twitch. H&H Flutterheads, introduced to me by guide James Plaag of Galveston, are also a strong choice on your favorite soft plastic. Don’t misunderstand me, the biggest of big trout catchers are waders. There is no substitute for stalking a shallow shoreline or reef with a mullet-imitation and a sensitive piece of graphite. Mud bottoms on the east end of the bay are my favorite winter hangouts. Brown Cedar Flats, Catch-All Basin and Bird Island have long held broad trout. Shell adjacent to deep water, like the Chinquapin Reefs, are good choices, too. Never forget about wading mid-bay reefs like Long, Barefoot, Drull’s, Half Moon and Three Beacon. Fish should hang on
the outside edge of the reef, just about over your waders. Stay dry and make long casts, working the bait slow and methodically. We don’t have rocks like Baffin, but our big trout rock.
the bank bite Location: Four Corners (Colorado River/ICW)
Species: Speckled trout, redfish, black drum Baits: Shrimp, finger mullet Capt. Bink Grimes owns and operates Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay (www. matagordasunriselodge.com). Contact him at BGrimes@fishgame.com
Galveston t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 75 are conditions that have a positive effect on fishing for inshore saltwater species, at least in the short term – as freshwater influx IS needed to maintain a healthy bay system long term.
the bank bite Location: Lighted public piers at parks on Bastrop Bayou and Oyster Creek. Alternate Spot: Galveston beachfront piers Species: Primarily speckled trout and sand trout, but also redfish. Best Baits: Dead natural baits like shrimp and cut baitfish, silver or gold spoons, small tandem jigs. Best Times: The colder the night the better, and no recent rainfall runoff helps – as does a moving current, tidal or otherwise. Capt. Mike Holmes runs tarpon, shark, and bluewater trips on a classic 31 Bertram. To book a trip, call 979-415-0535. Email him at mholmes@fishgame.com. T F & G
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ot real sure when the first time was that I was really, truly lost, but I have been. Sometimes I admitted it, sometimes not. I do recall losing my Mom in Ward’s department store in Austin, Texas. I was pre-school age and my Mom had ducked into a changing room to try on some new clothes. I, on the other hand, was preoccupied with a new BB gun that was calling my name from a not-toodistant shelf and didn’t pay attention where she had disappeared to. I remember the sinking feeling when I realized that I was alone and, for the most part, lost. As fear set in, nothing looked familiar to me—did we go up or down the escalator? Unlike today, not many people
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were in the huge store and those that were there all looked like the boogeyman to me. It seemed like forever since I had last seen my Mom. Did she go home searching for me? Will I miss supper? Maybe whoever got her will come after me as well. I better hide! So, eyeing a distant clothes rack, I ran and ducked into the middle of it. Time passed and I could see the shoes of people passing by. To my horror, someone was looking through the clothes rack — they must be looking for me. I dared not breathe. The clothes were parting, coming in my direction. I now saw the gnarled hands and could hear breathing. I couldn’t look! I closed my eyes and was about blue from holding my breath, when amazingly the clothes kept parting right passed me. I took a breath of shear relief. Suddenly a hand grabbed me from behind, and the fight was on. Kicking, screaming, fighting for my life with what turned out to be the store manager who yelled out, “I found him!,” I saw my Mom come running across
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the aisles. “Mac, why were you hiding in the clothes rack?” “You got lost,” I said, “and then I got lost and hid cuzz I was scared.” She explained to me what to do should this ever happen again, so I wouldn’t be scarred for life with a fear of department stores. There are several learned points here that have served me well especially being the outdoors person I am. To be lost, one must have an environment to be lost in. Usually this environment is, at the outset, appealing if not beautiful. What usually gets us in trouble are changes in the conditions in this incredible spot into which we have chosen to venture. Enter fear. Fear changes the way we see surroundings and how we see ourselves in those surroundings, factors that can turn any of us into a little lost boy in a huge department store. Combine a boat with the vast expanses of water our bays and Mother Gulf offer, add in the rapidly changing conditions in that vast environment, and if you venture into it enough times, you will more than likely get to experience that lost feeling phenomenon. The water adds an element that can be the Achilles heel to even the best outdoorsmen. Put them on dry land in the boonies of Alaska, Canada or even Africa and they can find their way home as easily as we find our way down our own sidewalks. But put them in an expanse of water, and fear can begin to cloud the mind and diminish sound thinking and judgment. The first time the fear factor set in with my clients was a real eye-opener for me. It was a mature (elderly) man and his sweet wife. Conditions were semi-foggy, with visibility about 1 mile or less and I was under way for a trout reef that was 17 miles or so from my home-base boat ramp. To cut the distance I was cutting across a small bay. When I turned through the narrow cut and headed into the small bay, I looked back A L M A N A C
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and could see the man and his wife in a deep and tense conversation, and she was shaking like a leaf on a tree, with big tears in her eyes. I eased the throttle back and asked what was wrong. The lady jumped up and said she did not want to fish in the open ocean, that she thought we were going to be fishing in the bay which she would be much like lakes where she was from. She thought that when we went through the narrow cut into the bay that we were entering the Gulf of Mexico. After calming her down and explaining to her that we were still in the bay and that we still had about 7 miles to go, she fearfully asked if we could just fish where we were, as she was not at all comfortable going any further. “No problem Ma’am. I will just move us over a little (luckily I knew of a small reef about 100 yards from where we were) and we will fish there for a while.” After the fog burned off and she could see land and I pulled out a map and showed her where we were and that it was only about three feet deep she and her husband were ready to move on. This was a valuable lesson. Most people are fine if they know where they are and where they are headed, and while we guides are as familiar with the waters we fish as we are with our living rooms, that knowledge does not magically transfer to our nervous clients. Now, I give clients a rundown of my fishing plan for the day while at the pier, and I will point out landmarks and announce when we enter or exit bay systems. For many years I never used or even had on my boat anything that remotely looked like a GPS. I navigated by compass and by knowledge of the waters that I was on and that process served me well for many years. But, I will tell you many times I hugged the shorelines making my way back home when conditions changed while I was out on the water. A 20-minute ride out to a fishing spot became a 3- to 4-hour trip back, easing my way along the shoreline. After a new boat change, a good friend made me a deal I couldn’t turn down on a Garmin GPS/Depth Finder. Well, I decided, if it’s gonna be on my boat, I would learn how to use it. The instructions manual was only marginally helpful. I got a 12-volt battery, set it on my desk at home, hooked the unit up and played with it until T F & G
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I was familiar with it. Note: the way to learn how to use this type unit is not rocking and rolling with the waves while out on the water. The unit stayed on my boat for close to 6 months before I actually used it. The reason: knowing how to use it and trusting it are two different things. Late one November day, I had my daughter and her husband out on Mesquite Bay. As happens, NOAA missed the forecast and the front that was due the next morning was showing up early. The rain hit us before we could get even one mile. The temperature was dropping fast and I had two rain suits on my boat, so guess who was skin shedding water — you got it, Capt. Mac. We turned to in the middle of the bay while they got “their” rain suits on, and the rain was coming down so hard that I got tired of bailing water and just took the plugs out of the gunwales and let the boat self bail. Having been in this position before, I knew running in this type of rain was painful, so hoping the rain would pass with the front we waited and, as expected, it slowed to a drizzle. Right behind the rain was a wall of fog and the thickest fog banks engulfed us. I couldn’t see the front of the boat from where I stood at the console. This kind of fog is called advection fog and the reason for this is that humid air near the ground isn’t mixed with drier air above. We could try hugging the shore even though in this fog I could be 3 feet from the bank and not see it, plus being about 16 miles from the boat ramp (home) would put us back very late into the night. It was time to make a decision. Sipping a cup of coffee from the thermos, I reviewed our predicament: Two wet and cold young people and a soaked-to-the-bone and cold Captain helped me decide it was time to turn the GPS on and use it. It powered right up. One, two, then three satellites locked, an all was in the green (meaning good to go). I punched the map and to my amazement the GPS showed that we had drifted past Rattlesnake Reef before I set the anchor. No way that can be right, I thought. No way we could have drifted that far. My brain was now firing past the speed of light—if this was accurate, we now had several major reefs to navigate around, or through, to get home. Verify, then trust, came to my mind. So, I started the boat and headed for an old gas rig that was showing on the GPS.
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If we found that rig then at the very least I’d know where we were and then, between the compass and the GPS, I could run with some confidence. I dialed the GPS to the rig and after a few minutes we saw its ghostly figure appear from the pea soup fog. It had put us dead in the middle of the rig. Verified. It was now time to trust the GPS with the compass as a backup. The unit brought us back through some very complicated reef systems and, although they never said a word when the pilings of the boat dock appeared, my daughter and her husband high-fived each other. That happened years ago. I now turn my unit on and run with it on every trip and as the years pass I continually verify its accuracy and have gained more and more confidence in it and have expanded its uses. That’s not to say it is without faults. I have found at times that it is inaccurate but after five or ten minutes it corrects itself. This I have read and was told is false signals given by certain satellites for national defense purposes. Also, inaccuracies are often the result of down level maps that the GPS is working with on the various units/models but that’s another article in itself on the practical applications of a good GPS/Sonar/Map unit. Suffice to say, get a good unit, learn how to use it and verify its capabilities on your boat. It can be a useful tool and, coupled with a compass, a good map and rational thinking, it can help get you home. Although, I am doubtful a GPS or even a compass would have helped me that day in Montgomery Wards. Fifty years later I am still not crazy about big department stores. ••• Note: The gin clear water of February is a good time to learn our bays. A lot can be seen and even better if you have a GPS to mark potential Hotspot areas. Copano Bay - Black drum action is good close to Turtle Pen using light Carolina rigs and peeled shrimp. On warms days water temperatures heat up and on high tide Newcomb Bend is good for reds using cut menhaden or new penny colored Berkley jerk shad. Mid Bay well structure is good for sheepshead using small pieces of cut squid
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any Lower Laguna Madre anglers look north in February. Way North. Areas such as Gaswell Flats, Cullen Bay, Green Island, the Arroyo Colorado, and the Port Mansfield area are very popular destinations for the hardy February fisherman. There is good reason, too, because all these spots are excellent fish producers in the teeth of winter. They aren’t the only productive spots, however, because fisherman can save gas and find good fishing by staying south. Holly Beach (26.147167, -97.295917) has long been considered a summer fishing spot. If you want an easy shot at some speckled trout and flounder, and have a
short jaunt back to the boat ramp without being cooked by the summer sun, then Holly Beach is your spot. A well-kept secret (until now) is that Holly Beach gets even better in the winter. The easy access to mud flats along the Atascosa Wildlife Refuge shoreline coupled with the deepwater of the old Texaco Channel make the area the sort of environment that trout and redfish gravitate to for forage, cover, and warmth. It is a tough spot to beat. The wildlife refuge shoreline is a good target for anglers seeking redfish. The shallow mud flat is prime habitat for mullet, the primary forage base for wintertime predators. A lot of anglers in shallow running boats ease around sight casting gold spoons and dark Clouser or crab-patterned flies at tailing redfish, especially early in the morning. If there has been a stretch of mild-weathered days, redfish are active and cruising through the shallows. A good spot to target is old Shrimp Farm chan-
nel (26.145626, -97.298277). Predators aggregate here on an outgoing tide to feed on mullet and mud minnows that get pushed out of the channel. Topwaters are a very good choice (I prefer a Storm Saltwater Chug Bug in black/chrome or blue/chrome). A 51M Mirrolure in a mullet work well. The Logic Texas Tandem in rootbeer/gold metal flake is another good choice (I’ve also had some good success swapping out the tails that come standard with a pair of Gambler Flappin’ Shad in Morning Glory). If the water is clear, bold is always a great color to fish. Gold ¼ ounce Johnson Silver Minnows and Tequila Gold Texas Tandems can cover a lot of water if you don’t spot any tailing reds, but they still afford you the opportunity to flick a bait at any cruising red you might happen upon. Keep the rod tip at roughly 11:00 to keep your offering higher in the water column. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, or water temperatures are cooler
Hotspot focus: rockport t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 79 and a small wide gapped hook. Free lined is best. If you have to use weight use the least amount possible. St Charles Bay - Black drum are good close to the mouth of Twin Creek using peeled shrimp under a silent cork. Small reefs off of Indian Head Point are good for some keeper trout using Bass Assassins in morning glory and salt and pepper colors. On high tide the deep cut between St. Charles and Aransas Bay is good for keeper reds using deep water crank baits in plumb and bone and white colors. Aransas Bay - A favorite haunt for sheepshead is the new spoil area close to the mouth of Dunham Bay. Fish the south facing rocks / rip rap using light rigs and small hooks and pieces of peeled shrimp. Free lines and light Carolina rigs work best here but keep the bait moving just above the rocks 80 |
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or you will be re-rigging a lot. Carlos Bay - Carlos Dugout is still the place to be on the colder days ... fish the eddies just out of the current using cut perch or live shrimp if you can find it for reds and trout. Some nice flounder tend to hang here as well due to large areas of dark soft mud. On warmer days fish the shallow edges of the shell reefs that run adjacent to the channels. A silent cork using cut sardines or mullet will often catch reds feeding off the edge. Mesquite Bay - Belden Dugout can be good for reds using cut menhaden on a medium weighted Carolina rig. Bays Cove still has some flounder using white jig head grubs tipped with small pieces of menhaden or squid. Ayers Bay - Northwest shoreline has some good black drum action using a silent cork and peeled shrimp. Some keeper trout on the north side of Ayers Reef using a popping cork and live shrimp, fish the cuts
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in the reef of high tide letting your cork work into the cuts.
the bank bite Newcomb Bend is a good wade but a little hard to get to so be prepared to walk a ways being respectful of private property. There are some deep holes in the back of the bend and electric grape shrimp tails on a 1/16 ounce jig is a good producer here. Black Point just south of Bayside is a good wade for trout using new penny or electric grape color soft plastics. Fish this on high tides as the water is shallow in this area. Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601
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because of a passing cold front, back off of the flats and fish the Texaco Channel. The cannel is easy to spot because of the obviously deeper water by it can be a bit tricky to enter (aim your boat between the two rows of white PVC pipes on the south side of the channel and you’ll be fine). The channel is especially popular for the number of quality speckled trout it holds. In cooler weather, the trout will be holding closer to the bottom, so a different approach is necessary.
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A well kept secret (until now) is that Holly Beach gets even better in the winter.
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Many anglers are successful with the typical bait/popping cork offerings. The typical bait is live shrimp, but they can be hard to find in February. A great alternative is the front half of a small ballyhoo (about 4 inches long) or the dorsal area of a small pinfish. Pin either one on a #1/0 Khale hook on a 24 inch fluorocarbon leader and a #3 split shot. Work the bait just as you would a live shrimp. No trout can refuse the meal. If you prefer soft plastics, Texas Tandems, Cocahoe Minnows, and any of the Gulp! Saltwater line of baits are deadly (try
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a 4” Gulp! Croaker in Sardine or Herring patters). The key is as much tail action as possible. Again, fish your lures deep in the water column with a slow retrieve. Another lure that is successful, though it doesn’t get as many snaps as some other lures, is a Mirr-O-lure Mirrodine. This 3 ½-inch, 3/8 ounce minnow bait has a great natural profile and suspends in the water. A subtle twitch-pause retrieve with little tip action makes the lure dart and flash, then hand in the water. Very few trout—especially BIG trout—can pass it up. Use a medium-light spinning rod and 10 pound line (6/20 braid is also a very good choice) for best results. One feature of the Holly Beach area that recommends it to a variety of anglers is its ease of access form shore. It has drive-up access via a County Road, thus kayakers and waders willing to brave the soft mud can stalk the shorelines of the area. Yakkers can also reach the Texaco Channel with little effort, and some of the more adventurous ones are willing to paddle out to the spoil islands between the cove and the ICW. Of course that sort of effort isn’t really necessary; there’s plenty of good fishing close by.
the bank bite Location: North Brazos Santiago Jetties
Species: Panfish, black drum, sheepshead. Tips: Use fresh shrimp on slip-sinker rigs on surf side for best results.
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Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com
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UPPER GULF COAST
Speck Action Boils on Matagorda by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com
LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Boiler Bayou GPS: N28 39.01602, W95 53.409 (28.650267, -95.890150) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 3/8-ounce jigheads with Hogie Double Tail shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Drift scattered shell, keying on offcolored streaks of water. Make long drifts until you hit the fish.
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.
LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Stets Island GPS: N29 57.89898, W93 50.89998 (29.964983, -93.848333) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corky Devil CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: If both rivers are Salty, the trout should be on the north end of the lake roaming the flats.
LOCATION: East Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge GPS: N29 33.573, W94 32.26602 (29.559550, -94.537767) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corky Devil CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 2 81-788-4041 TIPS: Fish the north shoreline for a chance to catch a larger than life speckled trout. Fish late morning to late afternoon.
LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Sydney Island GPS: N29 58.59, W93 49.43298 (29.976500, -93.823883) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: She Dogs and Skitter Walks CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: Find the redfish on mud shell bottoms.
LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Oyster Farm GPS: N28 41.61102, W95 48.40302 (28.693517, -95.806717) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkys CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Wade south shoreline shallows looking for big fish; work the bait very slow.
LOCATION: Sabine Pass HOTSPOT: Jetties GPS: N29 40.371, W93 50.25 (29.672850, -93.837500) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastics used with a 1/8 or 1/4-ounce; jighead CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: Catch a calm day and you will always catch redfish along the jetties.
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LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Tabbs Bay GPS: N29 41.63502, W94 56.54202 (29.693917, -94.942367) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corky Devil CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Excellent structure and plenty of drains and bayous. You are trophy fishing for one bite. Use a plum or black bait if water off-colored; Pearl with chartreuse tail if water clear. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Starvation Cove GPS: N29 14.18202, W94 56.46102 (29.236367, -94.941017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corky Devil CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio, 281788-4041 TIPS: Fish south shoreline coves that have drains and bayous on falling tides. Secondary points are excellent places to look for fish. LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N28 29.88702, W96 14.202 (28.498117, -96.236700) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwater baits CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Low tide is the best water condition for fishing. Look for mullet action. LOCATION: Matagorda HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N28 41.75802, W95 58.67598 (28.695967, -95.977933) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton Bull Minnow or a Hogie Double Tail shrimp in chartreuse or Hot Pink CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281A L M A N A C
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450-4037 TIPS: Drifting braided line is a big benefit-no stretch and you can feel the lightest bite. If the weather stays warm, cast toward the banks using topwaters or paddle tails.
MIDDLE GULF COAST
Rockport Reds Love Raymond by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Berkley Gulp in a Glow color CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Key on the area just south of the Causeway; its deep water with close access to the flats for fish to move up on as water warms. LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Packery Channel GPS: N27 37.48602, W97 12.88302 (27.624767, -97.214717) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: live shrimp with a small pea shot as weight CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Fish the edges of the channel and around the bridges; work the bait very slow on the bottom. LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay HOTSPOT: Pringle Lake GPS: N28 6.21, W96 55.30998 (28.103500, -96.921833) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Green Corky Fat Boys CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 888677-4868 TIPS: Fish windward shoreline with a slow retrieve. LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Raymond Lake T F & G
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GPS: N27 56.4648, W97 1.47696 (27.941080, -97.024616) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cut mullet or perch and dead shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Newton 361729-8220 TIPS: There is a very small crooked entrance to this lake and it can only be accessed during high tides. This lake is very productive for redfish and drum hiding out. LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Allyn’s Bight Holes 3 GPS: N27 58.48662, W96 58.68558 (27.974777, -96.978093) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live & dead shrimp, Cut mullet and cut perch CONTACT: Capt. Charles Newton 361 729-8220 TIPS: On the falling tides the redfish, trout and black drum lay their heads into the outfall of the tide. LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Blind Pass Outside GPS: N27 56.97882, W96 59.6796 (27.949647, -96.994660) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: Cut mullet or perch and dead shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Newton 361729-8220 TIPS: This area is very productive for redfish and drum hiding out. Anchor where you can cast toward the island. LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Allyns Bight Holes 2 GPS: N27 58.90278, W96 58.39728 (27.981713, -96.973288) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cut mullet or perch and dead & live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Newton 361729-8220 TIPS: This area is very productive for redfish and drum hiding out. Anchor where you can cast toward the banks, also good wade-fishing. LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Drum Hole GPS: N28 19.59996, W96 40.71996 (28.326666, -96.678666)
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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Plum/chartreuse TTK soft plastic with 1/8-ounce; jighead CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 888677-4868 TIPS: wade-fish over scattered shell over mud. LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Shoalwater Bay GPS: N28 19.02, W96 37.83 (28.317000, -96.630500) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Black Gun Dog CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 888677-4868 TIPS: Key on stained water; work sand pockets near grass beds. LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Land Cut GPS: N26 49.96998, W97 28.053 (26.832833, -97.467550) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Carolina rig with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Be sure to check water temperatures; if 60 degrees or lower, stay in the deeper holes.
LOWER GULF COAST
Use Logic on Arroyo Specks by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Arroyo Mouth GPS: N26 21.60402, W97 20.112 (26.360067, -97.335200) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Logic Wiggly Jiggly/silver glitter tail, rootbeer plastics, chartreuse on clear days CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: The deep water of the mouth is a winter sport for trout. They feed on fry and shrimp that keep in the deeper water when a cold snap hits. Fish deep with a Wiggly Jiggly and soft plastic combo. Hoop the
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bait near the bottom and let it settle. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Kenedy Point GPS: N27 16.33698, W97 27.44202 (27.272283, -97.457367) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, in dark patterns, chartreuse; Catch 2000 in mullet, dark purple CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361449-7441 TIPS: Big trout time in Baffin. Fish corkies and suspending jigs in deeper water on a very slow retrieve. A great method is “deadsticking,” which involves letting the bait sit for an extended period, and then twitching it slightly. Repeat until you get hit. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: East Kleberg Point GPS: N27 16.161, W97 30.28398 (27.269350, -97.504733) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, in dark patterns, chartreuse; Catch 2000 in mullet, dark purple; Bass Assasins in Baffin Magic, Morning Glory, or other dark patterns CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361449-7441 TIPS: Fish around the worm mounds in the area. Soft plastics on 1/16-ounce heads work best. Fish them slowly in deep water. Corkies should be fished with the same deadstick retrieve as at Kenedy Point. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: South Shoreline GPS: N27 14.50998, W97 34.48002 (27.241833, -97.574667) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, Bass Assins in plum/chartreuse, LSU, Baffin Magic CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361449-7441 TIPS: Mild weather means redfish become active foragers. Topwaters early in the morning shallow. When the day warms up further, fish deeper with soft plastics. Focus on color changes. 84 |
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LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Green Island GPS: N26 23.53302, W97 19.33002 (26.392217, -97.322167) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Logic Tandems in Tequila Gold, Rootbeer/Chartreuse, live bait CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish behind the island. Look for redfish lurking around algae and potholes. Clear/gold is a good color on clear days, especially after a warm spell. Try rootbeer or similar dark patterns on overcast days or dingy water. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N26 3.02622, W97 11.09622 (26.050437, -97.184937) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: live shrimp; Logic Wiggly Jiggly in gold/meltalflake CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Flounder prefer the deeper dropoffs and edges. Fish with live bait on a fishfinder rig, or with 1/4-ounce Wiggly Jiggly or other jighead and your favorite flounder plastic. Hop it along the edges and wait for the tell-tale thump. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.83002, W97 17.75502 (26.147167, -97.295917) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live Bait, Logic Wiggly Jiggly in Tequila Gold, clear, red glitter, wounded mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Fish muddy bottoms with soft plastics. After several warm days, you can fish shallower, but stick to mud. It retains heat longer and fish prefer it. Fish deeper in cooler weather. A drizzly, cool day can be magical. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Airport Cove GPS: N26 8.81298, W97 17.74002 (26.146883, -97.295667)
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SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, soft plastics in glow/chartreuse, Pearl/glow CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the shallows near the spoils during incoming tides. If the tide is full, or beginning to fall, back up and fish deeper water. Topwaters worked slowly in the morning hours is effective, plastics or gold spoons later. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Fred Stone Park GPS: N26 34.0857, W97 25.70844 (26.568095, -97.428474) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: Crabs, table shrimp on bottom rigs CONTACT: Port Mansfield Marina, 96-944-2311 TIPS: Shore bound anglers have a good shot at landing some good drum off the old pier. Night fishing with bait will snare some thumpers that are cruising the nearby ICW. Fish with bottom rigs. Your best action will be the full moon period. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Queen Isabella Causeway GPS: N26 5.16486, W97 10.59972 (26.086081, -97.176662) SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: live or fresh shrimp, Gulp! Sand Fleas or shrimp on same rig CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Freeline live or fresh shrimp on a short-shanked hook around the pilings on an incoming tide. Keep a finger on your line to detect light bites. If shrimp are scarce because of cold weather, try a Gulp! Sand flea or Shrimp. Sheepies don’t seem to mind. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Marker 29 GPS: N26 4.91964, W97 9.993 (26.081994, -97.166550) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp/popping cork, cut bait, gold spoons CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, A L M A N A C
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956-551-9581 TIPS: Closer to the bayfront, you will find redfish cruising shallow on warm days. The oyster beads and mangroves hold bait and draw the predators. Try night fishing on a flood tide/full moon. Cut bait works best at night, live bait and spoons daytime. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Marker 29 GPS: N26 5.33742, W97 10.23156 (26.088957, -97.170526) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp/popping cork, cut bait, gold spoons CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Closer to the bayfront, you will find redfish cruising shallow on warm days. The oyster beads and mangroves hold bait and draw the predators. Try night fishing on a flood tide/full moon. Cut bait works best at night, live bait and spoons daytime. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Marker 9 Through 11 GPS: N26 5.4999, W97 10.52088 (26.091665, -97.175348) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp/popping cork, DOA shrimp in gold/glitter, Logic Tandems in Tequila Gold, Rootbeer/glitter CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: The flats just north of the Causeway hold trout on mild days. Popping cork rigs are very popular. A DOA shrimp or Logic Tandem lasts longer and can be fished throughout the water column. Fish just above the grass. Watch for birds. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Dunkin Channel GPS: N26 20.17002, W97 19.22802 (26.336167, -97.320467) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: Logic Lure Wiggly Jiggly in Tequila Gold, Rootbeer/gold flake, topwaters early CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561- 4535 TIPS: The channel is slightly shallower but the hole at the head of it is a good flounder spot. Use a Wiggly Jiggly or similar jig in 1/4-ounce and your favorite plastic in a dark color pattern for best results. Fish very, very slowly. T F & G
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LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: South Cullen Bay GPS: N26 20.1561, W97 20.87016 (26.335935, -97.347836) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Logic Lures tandems in dark colors, live shrimp, live finger mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Live bait works well when water is off-colored, but the shallow water makes using tandems a must. Fish close to the shoreline on a warm day; back off over mud when it is cooler. Dark colors such as rootbeer are good in murky water or overcast days.
PINEY WOODS
Caddo Bass’n in Amess Basin by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Amess Basin GPS: N32 42.99354, W94 6.26364 (32.716559, -94.104394) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Lipless crankbaits, jigs CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish red or shad-colored lipless crankbaits over the grass in 2-5 feet of water on the flats here and in Jeems Bayou. Pitch black-blue 1/2-ounce jigs against the cypress trees in 3-6 feet of water. Swim jigs also are good lures to fish the trees. LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N30 23.20764, W95 35.21334 (30.386794, -95.586889) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Storm Swim Shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, admin@fishdudetx.com, 936-291-1277, fishdudetx.com TIPS: This is a good time of the year to catch a possible lake record fish. Using a sonar unit is a necessity. Look for schools
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of shad anywhere from 12-30 feet deep on main lake points and humps. Fish the depths where you find the shad. Live shad is best. LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: White Rock Creek GPS: N30 58.45476, W95 20.30172 (30.974246, -95.338362) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Roadrunners, Bear Paws Shad, Rat-L-Traps, Blue Fox, Sassy Shads CONTACT: David S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936-2919602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the back of the creek where the water is clear. Concentrate on the deeper holes and work the lures slowly. Bank access is available at White Rock City and at the Highway 94 public boat ramp. LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Tucker’s Lake Area GPS: N31 47.142, W93 50.11698 (31.785700, -93.835283) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps, stick baits, finesse worms, jigs, swimbaits CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: Pre-spawn bass are moving onto their spawning flats. Work the creeks, drains and ditches leading to these areas. You can cover more areas using a spinnerbait. Once you begin catching fish, slow down and fish the area thoroughly.
PRAIRIES & LAKES
Get Sassy with Tawakoni Hybrids by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Lake Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Dam Area GPS: N32 49.35744, W95 54.42234 (32.822624, -95.907039) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com, 903-348-
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1619, tawakonifishing.com TIPS: Fish the rocks along the dam for hybrid striped bass and striped bass. I use four-inch Sassy Shads on 3/4-ounce leadhead jigs. Cast the lure to the rocks and use a slow retrieve back to the boat. This is a good time of the year to catch big fish. LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Twin Creek GPS: N32 18.06726, W96 6.98586 (32.301121, -96.116431) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Skip jigs or Texas-rigged plastic worms under and around all docks, retaining walls, rocks, brush or other debris in the water, especially near or on secondary points. Use heavy-action rods, 15-20-
pound test line. Also fish Lynn and Prairie Creeks. LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Groce Branch GPS: N29 55.27806, W96 43.23294 (29.921301, -96.720549) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldoon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Fish trees in 2-8 feet of water for fish moving into spawning areas. Fish from the channel to shallow water. Use a cork and fish above the moss beds shallow and use a No.6 or 4 treble hook in deeper water. Chum close to the boat when in deep water. LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Pelican Island
GPS: N30 37.36578, W96 4.13862 (30.622763, -96.068977) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTalesGuideService.com TIPS: Watch for water hazards near the island. Anchor on the lake side of the island and fish a tight line. Carolina rig in 8-12 feet of water for blue cats. Fish come out of Hog Creek to feed on the flat, day and night. LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Humps GPS: N31 54.25848, W97 11.9526 (31.904308, -97.199210) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-8225539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Look for the fish to be ganged up on the edges of the humps. Drop the Slab straight down. Start on the bottom and work up. Lift the lure up and stay in contact with it as it falls. Try different depths. Make long casts under any diving birds you see. LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N33 1.9791, W96 28.14 (33.032985, -96.469000) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: small minnows, crappie jigs CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-2327847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: This has been a prime area all winter due to the low water levels. Fish are suspended in 20-25 feet of water near the bottom. I fish several rods at a time and troll slowly in a zigzag pattern 20-100 feet from the dam. South or east winds are best. LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Little Elm Creek GPS: N33 7.82532, W96 58.9485 (33.130422, -96.982475) SPECIES: catfish
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BEST BAITS: Fresh gizzard and threadfin shad, cut buffalo fish CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Just because the water is cold doesn’t mean the fish aren’t shallow. A slow warming trend will pull baitfish and trophy-sized blue cats as shallow as three feet. Fish flats near deep water. Bait the size of your hand will catch the bigger fish. LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N32 17.78784, W95 26.87562 (32.296464, -95.447927) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, Mr. Twister Comedian Dead Stick Worm, Mr. Twister Super Lizard CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Watch for rising water temperatures that will pull fish into the upper areas to spawn. Fish slow and target inlets, stumps near the bank and edges of the channels. Flat Creek, Kickapoo Creek and the Neches River area are hot spots for large bass.
LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Hwy.155 Bridge Brushpiles GPS: N32 8.8929, W95 28.18878 (32.148215, -95.469813) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Mr. Mino crappie jigs, live small minnows CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: You should be able to catch crappie beneath any of the bridges this month. They all have man-made brushpiles beneath them close to the pilings. Jigs usually catch the larger fish while minnows work well on smaller crappie. LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: South Schooling Area GPS: N30 17.70414, W96 34.43574 (30.295069, -96.573929) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Anchor and fish along the shore T F & G
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of the old road bed here. If no bite in 20 minutes, move 50 yards away and try again. The fish will travel the shoreline close to the main channel. Use tight line, 3/4-oz. egg sinker and No.6 treble hook on punch bait. LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Slickem Slough GPS: N33 51.41022, W96 52.54368 (33.856837, -96.875728) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Roadrunners, jigs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Bill Carey, bigfish@striperexpress.com, 877-7864477, striperexpress.com TIPS: Chances of landing a trophy striper is in your favor. Use a one-ounce Roadrunner or white bucktail jig with 7-inch soft plastic worm fishing close to structure. When you see birds working over schools of fish cast a Sassy Shad under the birds. LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: State Park Flats GPS: N31 54.94296, W97 21.57846 (31.915716, -97.359641) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Bass Assassin CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck@hotmail.com, 817-8225539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Cold weather has pushed the fish onto the flats to feed on shad. Make long casts and troll the lure slowly behind the boat with a trolling motor. Expect soft bites. I prefer motor oil color lures if the water is stained, chartreuse if clear. LOCATION: Richland Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N31 58.37718, W96 7.04508 (31.972953, -96.117418) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shads, Silver Slabs CONTACT: Royce and Adam Simmons, royce@gonefishing.biz, 903-389-4117, www.gonefishing.biz TIPS: February can be the toughest time of the year here or really awesome. The hybrid stripers and white bass feed aggressively in 20-30 feet of water off the flats. Use one-ounce lures. Watch for feeding gulls to lead you to the feeding schools of fish.
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Low Water Chases Bass Up River by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N31 34.35642, W99 45.79932 (31.572607, -99.763322) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, spinnerbaits, plastic worms CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: Persisting low water levels cause the lake to warm up quicker than normal. Spawning bass will move up-river into 3-6 feet of water. Fish topwater lures along the banks early in the upper parts of the river, then switch to spinnerbaits and worms. LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N31 34.83036, W99 40.79886 (31.580506, -99.679981) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, slabs, minnows, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020 TIPS: White bass will be moving into the creeks and river channel areas to spawn. Look for them in six to 10 feet of water and expect to get limits during the morning hours. These areas also are ideal places to find catfish near shorelines on cheese bait. LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Bird Island GPS: N32 56.7396, W98 25.4928 (32.945660, -98.424880) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Slabs, jigs CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Despite roller-coasting cold fronts, the fish have migrated to the northern ends of the lake. Bird Island is best but the mouth of Caddo Creek also draws fish depending on the arrival of cold fronts. More than just white bass can be caught.
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BIG BEND
Amistad Bass in the Mood by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: Chaparrosa Cove GPS: N29 30.20448, W101 14.7252 (29.503408, -101.245420) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits, Flukes CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, Amistad Lodge and Adventures, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-7891645 TIPS: Bass are in the spawning mood and will be in water from 3-5 feet deep. Fish the lures close to the stickups, brush and laydowns near the banks, especially those with rocks on them. Fish slow and work the lures several times in a particular area.
HILL COUNTRY
Canyon Grand for Winter Bass by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Point Near North Park GPS: N29 52.51752, W98 12.55386 (29.875292, -98.209231) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Picasso Shakey Head, Fluke, Crème Whaky Stick CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Good colors at this time of the year are Watermelon red and green pumpkin candy. Rig your Shakey Head with a Zoom Trick Worm and hop it along a 88 |
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LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: The River GPS: N29 53.52732, W98 17.82462 (29.892122, -98.297077) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live minnows, crankbaits, jigs CONTACT: Steve Nixon, steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com, 210573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Fish the main river channel from the rapids to the mouth of the lake to find spawning fish. Trolling crankbaits and fishing live minnows under corks at the rapids usually produces the best catches. LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Upper River Area GPS: N30 41.93778, W97 22.71114 (30.698963, -97.378519) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: White grubs, Shad Raps, sinking flies, Flea-flies CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Take the county roads near Circleville to the Primitive Launch Area for access to the river. Fish the deep holes but also try some shallow areas. Crank the lures close to the bottom. Be persistent. Some black bass and crappie also may be caught here. LOCATION: Lake LBJ HOTSPOT: Stump Fields GPS: N30 36.551, W98 24.579 (30.609183, -98.40965) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: hard jerkbaits; Rattlin’ Rogues; white/chartreuse spinnerbaits; weightless Texas-rigged Watermelon worms CONTACT: Jim Files, 830-868-9579, 830-868-7042, jimfiles@moment.net TIPS: This is big bass month on Lake LBJ. Expect to find bass searching sandy flats for prospective spawning areas in 4 feet to 10 feet of water. Also, fish
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SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS
Wake Up Call for Siesta Bass by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com
LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Siesta Shores GPS: N26 51.65118, W99 15.6264 (26.860853, -99.260440) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-7651442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the secondary points with brush using spinnerbaits early for feeding fish and then switch to jigs and Texasrigged plastic worms to fish tight in the cover and in and around laydowns during the late-morning and mid-day hours. LOCATION: Lake Calaveras HOTSPOT: Hot Water Channel GPS: N29 19.9902, W98 17.74734 (29.333170, -98.295789) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, shrimp, punch bait CONTACT: Steve Nixon, steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com, 210573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Fish the baits off the bottom and expect to catch both catfish and redfish here. The north side of the discharge usually produces the best catches.
On the Web Find thousands of hotspots with our online app: www.FishGame.com/hotspots A L M A N A C
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FEBRUARY 2012
Tides and Prime Times
USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR
The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).
T12
T4
T11
T10
TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.
T9 T8 T7
SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the Solunar Adjustment Scale below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.
T15 T16
T6 T17
T3 T2 T1
TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below. SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.
T13 T5
T14
AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.
T18
AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.
T19
T20
PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month. PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.
T21
Tide Correction Table
Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for Galveston Channel in the calendars.
KEY PLACE T1 Sabine Bank Lighthouse T2 Sabine Pass Jetty T3 Sabine Pass T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty T5 T6 Port Bolivar
HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14
LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06
KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 T11
LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15
KEY PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12 Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14 Alligator Point, W. Bay T15 Christmas Pt T16 Galveston Pleasure Pier T17
HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06
LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06
KEY PLACE San Luis Pass T18 Freeport Harbor T19 Pass Cavallo T20 Aransas Pass T21 Padre Island (So. End) T22 Port Isabel T23
HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02
LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42
SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:
NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23
KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:
Yellow: Daylight
12a
Tab: Peak Fishing Period
6a
12p
6p
AM/PM Timeline
12a
Light Blue: Nighttime
BEST:
5:30 — 7:30 AM
Green: Falling Tide
Gold Fish: Best Time
Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score
Blue Fish: Good Time
MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky
SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:
12a
AM/PM Timeline
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AM Minor: 1:20a
PM Minor: 1:45p
AM Major: 7:32a
PM Major: 7:57p
Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a
12p
6p
Moon Underfoot: 9:15p
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MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)
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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION
l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY
= Peak Fishing 7:45-9:40 AM Period BEST:
= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS
Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:54p Moonrise: 11:13a Set: 3:00p
Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:55p Moonrise: 11:52a Set: 3:58p
Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:56p Moonrise: 12:34p Set: 4:55p
Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:57p Moonrise: 1:21p Set: 5:52p
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2
3
Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:57p Moonrise: 2:12p Set: 6:47p
SATURDAY
4
Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:58p Moonrise: 3:08p Set: 7:40p
«5
Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:59p Moonrise: 4:07p Set: 8:31p
AM Minor: 10:37a
PM Minor: -----
AM Minor: -----
PM Minor: 11:23a
AM Minor: 11:45a
PM Minor: 12:09p
AM Minor: 12:30a
PM Minor: 12:55p
AM Minor: 1:15a
PM Minor: 1:41p
AM Minor: 2:02a
PM Minor: 2:28p
AM Minor: 2:49a
PM Minor: 3:15p
AM Major: 4:26a
PM Major: 4:48p
AM Major: 5:11a
PM Major: 5:35p
AM Major: 5:57a
PM Major: 6:21p
AM Major: 6:42a
PM Major: 7:08p
AM Major: 7:28a
PM Major: 7:54p
AM Major: 8:15a
PM Major: 8:41p
AM Major: 9:02a
PM Major: 9:28p
Moon Overhead: 6:02p
12a
Feb 1
FRIDAY
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 7:37p
Moon Overhead: 6:49p 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 8:28p 12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 10:12p
Moon Overhead: 9:19p 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: None 12a
6a
12p
6p
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
MONDAY
º 30
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2012
12a
feet
feet
Moon Underfoot: 5:40a
+2.0
-1.0
T IDE LEVEL S
0
Low Tide: 3:26 am High Tide: 11:48 am Low Tide: 12:53 pm High Tide: 7:46 pm
ALMANAC Digital.indd 91
BEST:
7:30 — 9:30 AM
-0.10 ft. Low Tide: 4:29 am 0.58 ft. High Tide: 6:33 pm 0.58 ft. 0.74 ft.
Moon Underfoot: 7:13a BEST:
8:00 — 10:00 AM
-0.19 ft. Low Tide: 5:28 am 0.79 ft. High Tide: 5:58 pm
Moon Underfoot: 8:02a BEST:
1:00 — 3:00 AM
-0.28 ft. Low Tide: 6:19 am 0.84 ft. High Tide: 5:37 pm
Moon Underfoot: 8:53a BEST:
BEST:
2:00 — 4:00 AM
-0.37 ft. Low Tide: 7:03 am 0.88 ft. High Tide: 4:08 pm Low Tide: 9:34 pm High Tide: 10:08 pm
Moon Underfoot: 9:45a 2:30 — 4:30 AM
-0.46 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.87 ft. 0.87 ft.
Low Tide: 7:42 am High Tide: 4:12 pm Low Tide: 8:23 pm High Tide: 11:52 pm
Moon Underfoot: 10:38a
+2.0
BEST:
3:30 — 5:30 AM
-0.54 ft. Low Tide: 8:19 am 0.95 ft. High Tide: 4:28 pm 0.86 ft. Low Tide: 8:40 pm 0.90 ft.
-0.59 ft. 0.97 ft. 0.80 ft.
T IDE LEVEL S
+1.0
BEST:
6:30 — 8:30 AM
Moon Underfoot: 6:25a
+1.0 0 -1.0
1/23/12 10:26 AM
NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:
7:45-9:40 AM
= Peak Fishing Period
= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS
Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score
MONDAY
TUESDAY
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
WEDNESDAY
«8
THURSDAY
«9
Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 6:01p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 6:02p Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 6:03p Moonrise: 6:10p Set: 10:15p Moonrise: 7:12p Set: 11:09p Moonrise: 8:15p Set: None
FRIDAY
10
SATURDAY
11
Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 6:03p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 6:04p Moonrise: 9:19p Set: 12:04a Moonrise: 10:24p Set: 1:01a
SUNDAY
12
Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 6:05p Moonrise: 11:30a Set: 1:58a
AM Minor: 3:37a
PM Minor: 4:02p
AM Minor: 4:26a
PM Minor: 4:51p
AM Minor: 5:17a
PM Minor: 5:42p
AM Minor: 6:09a
PM Minor: 6:34p
AM Minor: 7:05a
PM Minor: 7:30p
AM Minor: 8:02a
PM Minor: 8:28p
AM Minor: 9:01a
PM Minor: 9:28p
AM Major: 9:49a
PM Major: 10:15p
AM Major: 10:38a
PM Major: -----
AM Major: 11:04a
PM Major: 11:29a
AM Major: 11:57a
PM Major: 12:22p
AM Major: 12:52a
PM Major: 1:17p
AM Major: 1:49a
PM Major: 2:15p
AM Major: 2:47a
PM Major: 3:14p
Moon Overhead: none 6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 12:46a
Moon Overhead: 12:04a 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 1:36a
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 3:17a
Moon Overhead: 2:26a 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 4:10a 12a
6a
12p
6p
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
¡7
«6
Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 6:00p Moonrise: 5:08p Set: 9:23p
12a
Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2012
12a
feet
feet
Moon Underfoot: 11:30a
+2.0
-1.0
T IDE LEVEL S
0
BEST:
5:00 — 7:00 AM
92 |
0.93 ft. -0.62 ft. 0.97 ft. 0.71 ft.
ALMANAC Digital.indd 92
BEST:
6:0 — 8:00 AM
High Tide: 2:00 am Low Tide: 9:33 am High Tide: 5:08 pm Low Tide: 9:49 pm
F E B R U A R Y
Moon Underfoot: 2:01p
BEST:
5:30 — 7:30 AM
High Tide: 12:59 am Low Tide: 8:56 am High Tide: 4:47 pm Low Tide: 9:12 pm
Moon Underfoot: 1:11p
0.95 ft. -0.58 ft. 0.95 ft. 0.57 ft.
2 0 1 2
7:00 — 9:00 PM
High Tide: 3:02 am Low Tide: 10:11 am High Tide: 5:29 pm Low Tide: 10:29 pm
0.94 ft. -0.49 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.40 ft.
High Tide: 4:08 am Low Tide: 10:50 am High Tide: 5:49 pm Low Tide: 11:14 pm
T e x a S
F i s h
&
Moon Underfoot: 2:51p BEST:
Moon Underfoot: 3:43p
8:00 — 10:00 PM
BEST:
9:00 — 11:00 PM
0.92 ft. High Tide: 5:19 am 0.87 ft. Low Tide: 12:03 am -0.32 ft. Low Tide: 11:30 am -0.10 ft. High Tide: 6:38 am 0.88 ft. High Tide: 6:08 pm 0.85 ft. Low Tide: 12:11 pm High Tide: 6:26 pm 0.21 ft.
G a m e ®
T F & G
0.00 ft. 0.82 ft. 0.16 ft. 0.84 ft.
Moon Underfoot: 4:37p
+2.0
BEST:
10:00P — 12:00A
T IDE LEVEL S
+1.0
BEST:
Moon Underfoot: 12:21p
Low Tide: 12:58 am High Tide: 8:10 am Low Tide: 12:52 pm High Tide: 6:42 pm
-0.19 ft. 0.79 ft. 0.43 ft. 0.85 ft.
+1.0 0 -1.0
A L M A N A C
1/23/12 10:26 AM
ALMANAC Digital.indd 93
1/23/12 10:26 AM
NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:
7:45-9:40 AM
= Peak Fishing Period
= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS
Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score
TUESDAY
13
Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 6:07p Moonrise: 12:36a Set: 3:49a
FRIDAY
Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 6:07p Moonrise: 1:40a Set: 4:40a
Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 6:08p Moonrise: 2:40a Set: 5:28a
Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 6:09p Moonrise: 3:36a Set: 6:11a
16
17
SATURDAY
18
Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 6:10p Moonrise: 4:26a Set: 6:51a
SUNDAY
19
Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 6:10p Moonrise: 5:10a Set: 7:30a
AM Minor: 10:00a
PM Minor: 10:29p
AM Minor: -----
PM Minor: 11:00a
AM Minor: 11:28a
PM Minor: 11:57a
AM Minor: 12:23a
PM Minor: 12:52p
AM Minor: 1:16a
PM Minor: 1:44p
AM Minor: 2:06a
PM Minor: 2:33p
AM Minor: 2:54a
PM Minor: 3:20p
AM Major: 3:46a
PM Major: 4:14p
AM Major: 4:45a
PM Major: 5:14p
AM Major: 5:43a
PM Major: 6:12p
AM Major: 6:38a
PM Major: 7:07p
AM Major: 7:30a
PM Major: 7:59p
AM Major: 8:20a
PM Major: 8:47p
AM Major: 9:07a
PM Major: 9:32p
Moon Overhead: 5:05a
12a
THURSDAY
15
»14
Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 6:06p Moonrise: None Set: 2:54a
WEDNESDAY
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 7:01a
Moon Overhead: 6:02a 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 7:59a 12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 9:51a
Moon Overhead: 8:56a 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 10:43a 12a
6a
12p
6p
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
MONDAY
Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2012
12a
feet
feet
Moon Underfoot: 5:33p
+2.0
-1.0
T IDE LEVEL S
0
BEST:
4:30 — 6:30 AM
94 |
BEST:
12:00 — 2:00 AM
Low Tide: 2:00 am High Tide: 9:58 am Low Tide: 1:33 pm High Tide: 6:54 pm
-0.36 ft. 0.80 ft. 0.67 ft. 0.88 ft.
ALMANAC Digital.indd 94
12:30 — 2:30 AM
Low Tide: 3:09 am High Tide: 12:06 pm Low Tide: 2:19 pm High Tide: 6:53 pm
F E B R U A R Y
Moon Underfoot: 7:30p
-0.49 ft. Low Tide: 4:25 am 0.88 ft. High Tide: 2:12 pm 0.86 ft. 0.93 ft.
2 0 1 2
T e x a S
Moon Underfoot: 8:28p BEST:
BEST:
1:00 — 3:00 AM
2:00 — 4:00 AM
-0.59 ft. Low Tide: 5:38 am 0.99 ft. High Tide: 2:59 pm
F i s h
&
Moon Underfoot: 9:24p
-0.67 ft. Low Tide: 6:44 am 1.05 ft. High Tide: 3:28 pm Low Tide: 8:35 pm High Tide: 11:10 pm
G a m e ®
T F & G
Moon Underfoot: 10:18p BEST:
3:00 — 5:00 AM
-0.70 ft. Low Tide: 7:42 am 1.05 ft. High Tide: 3:51 pm 0.89 ft. Low Tide: 8:47 pm 0.93 ft.
Moon Underfoot: 11:52PM
+2.0
BEST:
4:00 — 6:00 AM
-0.69 ft. High Tide: 12:35 am 1.01 ft. Low Tide: 8:32 am 0.80 ft. High Tide: 4:12 pm Low Tide: 9:07 pm
T IDE LEVEL S
+1.0
BEST:
Moon Underfoot: 6:31p
0.95 ft. -0.62 ft. 0.96 ft. 0.68 ft.
+1.0 0 -1.0
A L M A N A C
1/23/12 10:26 AM
l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY
Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2012 TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 6:11p Moonrise: 5:50a Set: 8:08a
Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 6:12p Moonrise: 6:26a Set: 8:47a
Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 6:13p Moonrise: 6:59a Set: 9:30a
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
«20
«21
FRIDAY
«23
SATURDAY
» 25
«24
26
Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 6:13p Sunrise: 6:50a Set: 6:14p Sunrise: 6:49a Set: 6:15p Sunrise: 6:48a Set: 6:16p Moonrise: 7:31a Set: 10:16a Moonrise: 8:03a Set: 11:06a Moonrise: 8:36a Set: 12:00p Moonrise: 9:11a Set: 12:56p
AM Minor: 3:40a
PM Minor: 4:04p
AM Minor: 4:26a
PM Minor: 4:48p
AM Minor: 5:11a
PM Minor: 5:33p
AM Minor: 5:57a
PM Minor: 6:18p
AM Minor: 6:44a
PM Minor: 7:05p
AM Minor: 7:32a
PM Minor: 7:54p
AM Minor: 8:21a
PM Minor: 8:43p
AM Major: 9:52a
PM Major: 10:16p
AM Major: 10:37a
PM Major: 11:00a
AM Major: 11:00a
PM Major: 11:22a
AM Major: 11:46a
PM Major: 12:08p
AM Major: 12:33a
PM Major: 12:55p
AM Major: 1:21a
PM Major: 1:43p
AM Major: 2:10a
PM Major: 2:32p
Moon Overhead: 11:32a
12a
l 22
THURSDAY
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 1:02p
Moon Overhead: 12:18p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 1:46p
6p
12a
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 3:12p
Moon Overhead: 2:28p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 3:56p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
MONDAY
12a
feet
feet
+2.0
-1.0
BEST:
4:00 — 6:00 AM
T IDE LEVEL S
0
BEST:
0.97 ft. -0.51 ft. 0.91 ft. 0.54 ft.
0.97 ft. -0.35 ft. 0.86 ft. 0.40 ft.
TUESDAY
27
Sunrise: 6:47a Set: 6:16p Moonrise: 9:48a Set: 1:53p
BEST:
530 — 7:30 AM
High Tide: 2:46 am Low Tide: 9:56 am High Tide: 4:48 pm Low Tide: 10:02 pm
28
Sunrise: 6:46a Set: 6:17p Moonrise: 10:29a Set: 2:50p
Moon Underfoot: 2:07a BEST:
6:00 — 8:00 AM
High Tide: 3:44 am Low Tide: 10:31 am High Tide: 5:07 pm Low Tide: 10:34 pm
0.96 ft. -0.17 ft. 0.83 ft. 0.26 ft.
Moon Underfoot: 2:50a BEST:
7:00 — 9:00 AM
High Tide: 4:41 am Low Tide: 11:03 am High Tide: 5:24 pm Low Tide: 11:08 pm
0.93 ft. 0.02 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.15 ft.
High Tide: 5:38 am Low Tide: 11:31 am High Tide: 5:41 pm Low Tide: 11:45 pm
FRIDAY
Sunrise: 6:45a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 11:13a Set: 1:33a
Sunrise: 6:44a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 12:02p Set: 3:46p
Sunrise: 6:43a Set: 6:19p Moonrise: 12:55p Set: 4:41p
Mar 1
8:00 — 10:00 AM
0.89 ft. High Tide: 6:38 am 0.85 ft. Low Tide: 12:25 am 0.22 ft. Low Tide: 11:56 am 0.40 ft. High Tide: 7:47 am 0.81 ft. High Tide: 5:55 pm 0.81 ft. Low Tide: 12:16 pm High Tide: 6:03 pm 0.06 ft.
THURSDAY
2
+2.0
BEST:
7:30 — 9:30 AM
WEDNESDAY
º 29
Moon Underfoot: 3:34a
SATURDAY
3
Sunrise: 6:42a Set: 6:20p Moonrise: 1:51p Set: 5:34p
4
Sunrise: 6:41a Set: 6:20p Moonrise: 2:50p Set: 6:26p
AM Minor: 9:11a
PM Minor: 9:34p
AM Minor: 10:01a
PM Minor: 10:25p
AM Minor: 10:51a
PM Minor: -----
AM Minor: 11:17a
PM Minor: 11:41a
AM Minor: 12:04a
PM Minor: 12:29p
AM Minor: 12:51a
PM Minor: 1:17p
AM Minor: 1:38a
PM Minor: 2:03p
AM Major: 3:00a
PM Major: 3:22p
AM Major: 3:49a
PM Major: 4:13p
AM Major: 4:39a
PM Major: 5:03p
AM Major: 5:28a
PM Major: 5:53p
AM Major: 6:17a
PM Major: 6:42p
AM Major: 7:04a
PM Major: 7:30p
AM Major: 7:50a
PM Major: 8:16p
Moon Overhead: 4:42p 6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 6:18p
Moon Overhead: 5:29p 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
Moon Overhead: 7:08p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 8:51p
Moon Overhead: 7:59p 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
6a
12p
6p
Moon Overhead: 9:43p 12a
6a
12p
6p
12a
feet
feet
Moon Underfoot: 4:19a
+2.0
-1.0
BEST:
T IDE LEVEL S
0
Moon Underfoot: 5:06a BEST:
9:00 — 11:00 PM
Low Tide: 1:12 am High Tide: 9:10 am Low Tide: 12:31 pm High Tide: 5:57 pm
-0.03 ft. 0.79 ft. 0.70 ft. 0.86 ft.
Moon Underfoot: 5:54a
Moon Underfoot: 6:43a
BEST:
BEST:
10:00P — 12:00A 7:30 — 9:30 AM
Low Tide: 2:05 am High Tide: 11:05 am Low Tide: 12:26 pm High Tide: 5:22 pm
Tide Correction Table
KEY PLACE
BEST:
8:00 — 10:00 AM
-0.04 ft. Low Tide: 3:09 am 0.81 ft. High Tide: 5:07 pm 0.81 ft. 0.91 ft.
HIGH LOW
2:30 — 4:30 AM
-0.14 ft. Low Tide: 6:19 am 1.02 ft. High Tide: 2:58 pm Low Tide: 8:17 pm High Tide: 10:31 pm
HIGH LOW
San Luis Pass
-0.09
-0.09
Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +0:41
Freeport Harbor
-0:44
-1:02
T8
Eagle Point
+3:54 +4:15
T14
T20
Pass Cavallo
0:00
-1:20
T9
Clear Lake
+6:05 +6:40
T15 Alligator Point, W. Bay +2:39 +2:33
T21 Aransas Pass
-0:03
-1:31
T10 T11
Morgans Point
+10:21 +5:19
T16 Christmas Pt +2:32 +2:31 T17 Galveston Pleasure Pier -1:06 -1:06
T22 T23
Padre Island (So. End) -0:24
-1:45
+1:02 -0:42
Galveston Channel/Bays
T2
Sabine Pass Jetty
-1:26
-1:31
T7
T3
Sabine Pass
-1:00
-1:15
KEY PLACE
Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 +5:15
HIGH LOW
-0.19 ft. Low Tide: 7:05 am 1.05 ft. High Tide: 3:08 pm 0.97 ft. Low Tide: 7:41 pm 0.98 ft.
T18 T19
-1:31
Jamaica Beach, W. Bay +2:38 +3:31
+2.0
BEST:
1:30 — 3:30 AM
KEY PLACE
Sabine Bank Lighthouse -1:46
HIGH LOW
Moon Underfoot: 9:17a
Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay +5:48 +4:43 T12 Gilchrist, East Bay +3:16 +4:18 T13
T1
Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass -0:04 -0:25 Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine Galveston T5 Bay, S. Jetty -0:39 -1:05 the adjustment from the time shown for Galves- T6 Port Bolivar +0:14 -0:06 ton Channel in the calendars.
-0.09 ft. Low Tide: 5:24 am 1.01 ft. High Tide: 3:26 pm
Moon Underfoot: 8:25a BEST:
12:30 — 2:30 AM
-0.06 ft. Low Tide: 4:19 am 0.97 ft. High Tide: 5:10 pm
KEY PLACE
Moon Underfoot: 7:34a
T IDE LEVEL S
+1.0
0 -1.0
0.01 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.56 ft. 0.83 ft.
SUNDAY
+1.0
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
S O LU N AR A C T IVI T Y
MONDAY
Moon Underfoot: 1:24a
BEST:
5:00 — 7:00 AM
High Tide: 1:45 am Low Tide: 9:17 am High Tide: 4:30 pm Low Tide: 9:33 pm
12a
Moon Underfoot: 12:41a
T IDE LEVEL S
+1.0
Moon Underfoot: 1:04a
Moon Underfoot: none
Port Isabel
-0.24 ft. 1.06 ft. 0.89 ft.
+1.0 0 -1.0
NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T F & G
ALMANAC Digital.indd 95
A L M A N A C
T e x a S
F i s h
&
G a m e ®
F E B R U A R Y
2 0 1 2
|
95
1/23/12 10:26 AM
february 2012
Tides and Prime Times
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1
Low Tide: 5:28 am High Tide: 5:58 pm
6«
PRIME TIME
High Tide: 12:59 am Low Tide: 8:56 am High Tide: 4:47 pm Low Tide: 9:12 pm
0.93 ft. -0.62 ft. 0.97 ft. 0.71 ft.
5:00 _ 7:00 AM
-0.36 ft. 0.80 ft. 0.67 ft. 0.88 ft.
4:30 _ 6:30 AM
Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 6:15p Moonrise: 9:03a Set: 9:43p AM Minor: 7:40a AM Major: 1:30a PM Minor: 8:00p PM Major: 1:50p Moon Overhead: 3:20p Moon Underfoot: 3:00a
13
PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 2:00 am High Tide: 9:58 am Low Tide: 1:33 pm High Tide: 6:54 pm
Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 6:22p Moonrise: 1:39p Set: 3:18a AM Minor: 12:52a AM Major: 7:06a PM Minor: 1:20p PM Major: 7:34p Moon Overhead: 8:56p Moon Underfoot: 8:28a
20 «
High Tide: 1:45 am Low Tide: 9:17 am High Tide: 4:30 pm Low Tide: 9:33 pm
PRIME TIME 0.97 ft. -0.51 ft. 0.91 ft. 0.54 ft.
4:00 _ 6:00 AM
-0.03 ft. 0.79 ft. 0.70 ft. 0.86 ft.
9:00 _ 11:00 PM
Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 6:28p Moonrise: 9:31p Set: 8:26a AM Minor: 7:04a AM Major: 12:51a PM Minor: 7:30p PM Major: 1:17p Moon Overhead: 2:28a Moon Underfoot: 2:54p
27
PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 1:12 am High Tide: 9:10 am Low Tide: 12:31 pm High Tide: 5:57 pm
Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 6:33p Moonrise: 3:41a Set: 2:08p AM Minor: 1:17a AM Major: 7:30a PM Minor: 1:43p PM Major: 7:56p Moon Overhead: 8:54a Moon Underfoot: 9:19p
96 |
F E B R U A R Y
ALMANAC Digital.indd 96
7¡
High Tide: 2:00 am Low Tide: 9:33 am High Tide: 5:08 pm Low Tide: 9:49 pm
PRIME TIME 0.95 ft. -0.58 ft. 0.95 ft. 0.57 ft.
5:30 _ 7:30 AM
-0.49 ft. 0.88 ft. 0.86 ft. 0.93 ft.
12:00 _ 2:00 AM
0.97 ft. -0.35 ft. 0.86 ft. 0.40 ft.
5:00 _ 7:00 AM
-0.04 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.91 ft.
10:00P _ 12:00A
Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 6:16p Moonrise: 9:31a Set: 10:36p AM Minor: 8:25a AM Major: 2:15a PM Minor: 8:46p PM Major: 2:36p Moon Overhead: 4:01p Moon Underfoot: 3:40a
14 »
Low Tide: 3:09 am High Tide: 12:06 pm Low Tide: 2:19 pm High Tide: 6:53 pm
PRIME TIME
THURSDAY
PRIME TIME -0.28 ft. 0.84 ft.
8:00 _ 10:00 AM
2
Low Tide: 6:19 am High Tide: 5:37 pm
PRIME TIME -0.37 ft. 0.88 ft.
1:00 _ 3:00 AM
Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 6:11p Moonrise: 6:25a Set: 5:11p AM Minor: 3:54a AM Major: 10:06a PM Minor: 4:18p PM Major: 10:30p Moon Overhead: 11:46a Moon Underfoot: None
Set: 6:12p Sunrise: 7:28a Moonrise: 7:03a Set: 6:08p AM Minor: 4:40a AM Major: 10:51a PM Minor: 5:03p PM Major: 11:14p Moon Overhead: 12:33p Moon Underfoot: 12:10a
8«
9«
High Tide: 3:02 am Low Tide: 10:11 am High Tide: 5:29 pm Low Tide: 10:29 pm
PRIME TIME 0.94 ft. -0.49 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.40 ft.
6:0 _ 8:00 AM
-0.59 ft. 0.99 ft.
12:30 _ 2:30 AM
Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 6:17p Moonrise: 10:02a Set: 11:31p AM Minor: 9:12a AM Major: 3:01a PM Minor: 9:33p PM Major: 3:23p Moon Overhead: 4:43p Moon Underfoot: 4:22a
15
Low Tide: 4:25 am High Tide: 2:12 pm
PRIME TIME
High Tide: 4:08 am Low Tide: 10:50 am High Tide: 5:49 pm Low Tide: 11:14 pm
PRIME TIME 0.92 ft. -0.32 ft. 0.88 ft. 0.21 ft.
7:00 _ 9:00 PM
-0.67 ft. 1.05 ft.
1:00 _ 3:00 AM
Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 10:35a Set: None AM Minor: 9:59a AM Major: 3:48a PM Minor: 10:22p PM Major: 4:11p Moon Overhead: 5:28p Moon Underfoot: 5:05a
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Low Tide: 5:38 am High Tide: 2:59 pm
PRIME TIME
Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 6:23p Moonrise: 2:40p Set: 4:12a AM Minor: 1:43a AM Major: 7:57a PM Minor: 2:12p PM Major: 8:26p Moon Overhead: 9:54p Moon Underfoot: 9:25a
Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 6:23p Moonrise: 3:46p Set: 5:03a AM Minor: 2:34a AM Major: 8:49a PM Minor: 3:03p PM Major: 9:18p Moon Overhead: 10:51p Moon Underfoot: 10:23a
Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 6:24p Moonrise: 4:55p Set: 5:50a AM Minor: 3:26a AM Major: 9:40a PM Minor: 3:54p PM Major: 10:08p Moon Overhead: 11:48p Moon Underfoot: 11:20a
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High Tide: 2:46 am Low Tide: 9:56 am High Tide: 4:48 pm Low Tide: 10:02 pm
PRIME TIME
Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 6:28p Moonrise: 10:40p Set: 9:04a AM Minor: 8:04a AM Major: 1:50a PM Minor: 8:31p PM Major: 2:17p Moon Overhead: 3:21a Moon Underfoot: 3:48p
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Low Tide: 2:05 am High Tide: 11:05 am Low Tide: 12:26 pm High Tide: 5:22 pm
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530 _ 7:30 AM
-0.06 ft. 0.97 ft.
7:30 _ 9:30 AM
Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 6:29p Moonrise: 11:49p Set: 9:46a AM Minor: 9:05a AM Major: 2:51a PM Minor: 9:33p PM Major: 3:19p Moon Overhead: 4:16a Moon Underfoot: 4:44p
29 º
Low Tide: 3:09 am High Tide: 5:07 pm
Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 6:34p Moonrise: 4:25a Set: 3:06p AM Minor: 2:04a AM Major: 8:16a PM Minor: 2:28p PM Major: 8:40p Moon Overhead: 9:44a Moon Underfoot: 10:07p
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High Tide: 3:44 am Low Tide: 10:31 am High Tide: 5:07 pm Low Tide: 10:34 pm
High Tide: 4:41 am Low Tide: 11:03 am High Tide: 5:24 pm Low Tide: 11:08 pm
PRIME TIME 0.93 ft. 0.02 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.15 ft.
6:00 _ 8:00 AM
Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 6:30p Moonrise: None Set: 10:31a AM Minor: 10:06a AM Major: 3:52a PM Minor: 10:34p PM Major: 4:20p Moon Overhead: 5:12a Moon Underfoot: 5:40p
PRIME TIME
PRIME TIME
Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 6:34p Moonrise: 11:28a Set: 12:55a AM Minor: 11:09a AM Major: 4:57a PM Minor: 11:34p PM Major: 5:21p Moon Overhead: 6:37p Moon Underfoot: 6:12a
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Tides and Prime Times
FRIDAY
3
Low Tide: 7:03 am High Tide: 4:08 pm Low Tide: 9:34 pm High Tide: 10:08 pm
SATURDAY PRIME TIME
-0.46 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.87 ft. 0.87 ft.
2:00 _ 4:00 AM
PRIME TIME
High Tide: 5:19 am 0.87 ft. Low Tide: 11:30 am -0.10 ft. High Tide: 6:08 pm 0.85 ft.
8:00 _ 10:00 PM
Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 6:19p Moonrise: 11:12a Set: 12:27a AM Minor: 10:48a AM Major: 4:36a PM Minor: 11:12p PM Major: 5:00p Moon Overhead: 6:15p Moon Underfoot: 5:51a
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Low Tide: 6:44 am High Tide: 3:28 pm Low Tide: 8:35 pm High Tide: 11:10 pm
PRIME TIME -0.70 ft. 1.05 ft. 0.89 ft. 0.93 ft.
Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 6:25p Moonrise: 6:05p Set: 6:32a AM Minor: 4:18a AM Major: 10:32a PM Minor: 4:46p PM Major: 10:59p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:15p
24 «
High Tide: 5:38 am Low Tide: 11:31 am High Tide: 5:41 pm Low Tide: 11:45 pm
PRIME TIME 0.89 ft. 0.22 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.06 ft.
-0.54 ft. 0.95 ft. 0.86 ft. 0.90 ft.
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0.00 ft. 0.82 ft. 0.16 ft. 0.84 ft.
Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 6:31p Moonrise: 12:55a Set: 11:21a AM Minor: 11:05a AM Major: 4:51a PM Minor: 11:34p PM Major: 5:20p Moon Overhead: 6:09a Moon Underfoot: 6:37p
12
3:30 _ 5:30 AM
PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 12:58 am High Tide: 8:10 am Low Tide: 12:52 pm High Tide: 6:42 pm
9:00 _ 11:00 PM
-0.19 ft. 0.79 ft. 0.43 ft. 0.85 ft.
10:00P _ 12:00A
Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 6:21p Moonrise: 12:43p Set: 2:21a AM Minor: 12:02a AM Major: 6:15a PM Minor: 12:28p PM Major: 6:42p Moon Overhead: 8:00p Moon Underfoot: 7:33a
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PRIME TIME -0.69 ft. 1.01 ft. 0.80 ft.
-0.59 ft. 0.97 ft. 0.80 ft.
Set: 6:15p Sunrise: 7:26a Moonrise: 8:35a Set: 8:51p AM Minor: 6:55a AM Major: 12:45a PM Major: 1:05p PM Minor: 7:15p Moon Overhead: 2:40p Moon Underfoot: 2:20a
Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 6:20p Moonrise: 11:54a Set: 1:24a AM Minor: 11:38a AM Major: 5:25a PM Minor: ----- PM Major: 5:50p Moon Overhead: 7:06p Moon Underfoot: 6:40a
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PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 8:19 am High Tide: 4:28 pm Low Tide: 8:40 pm
PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 12:03 am High Tide: 6:38 am Low Tide: 12:11 pm High Tide: 6:26 pm
PRIME TIME
High Tide: 12:35 am Low Tide: 8:32 am High Tide: 4:12 pm Low Tide: 9:07 pm
3:00 _ 5:00 AM
0.95 ft. -0.62 ft. 0.96 ft. 0.68 ft.
4:00 _ 6:00 AM
Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 6:26p Moonrise: 7:14p Set: 7:11a AM Minor: 5:11a AM Major: 11:25a PM Minor: 5:38p PM Major: 11:51p Moon Overhead: 12:42a Moon Underfoot: 1:09p
Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 6:27p Moonrise: 8:23p Set: 7:48a AM Minor: 6:06a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:33p PM Major: 12:20p Moon Overhead: 1:35a Moon Underfoot: 2:02p
PRIME TIME
PRIME TIME
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High Tide: 6:38 am 0.85 ft. Low Tide: 11:56 am 0.40 ft. High Tide: 5:55 pm 0.81 ft.
7:00 _ 9:00 AM
2:30 _ 4:30 AM
Set: 6:14p Sunrise: 7:27a Moonrise: 8:06a Set: 7:58p AM Minor: 6:10a AM Major: 11:55a PM Minor: 6:31p PM Major: 12:20p Moon Overhead: 1:59p Moon Underfoot: 1:38a
Low Tide: 7:42 am High Tide: 3:51 pm Low Tide: 8:47 pm
2:00 _ 4:00 AM
5«
PRIME TIME
Low Tide: 7:42 am High Tide: 4:12 pm Low Tide: 8:23 pm High Tide: 11:52 pm
Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 6:13p Moonrise: 7:36a Set: 7:04p AM Minor: 5:25a AM Major: 11:10a PM Minor: 5:47p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 1:17p Moon Underfoot: 12:55a
10
4
SUNDAY
26
Low Tide: 12:25 am High Tide: 7:47 am Low Tide: 12:16 pm High Tide: 6:03 pm
7:30 _ 9:30 AM
8:00 _ 10:00 AM
Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 6:32p Moonrise: 2:52a Set: 1:11p AM Minor: 12:27a AM Major: 6:41a PM Minor: 12:55p PM Major: 7:08p Moon Overhead: 8:01a Moon Underfoot: 8:27p
Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 6:31p Moonrise: 1:56a Set: 12:14p AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:48a PM Minor: 12:02p PM Major: 6:16p Moon Overhead: 7:06a Moon Underfoot: 7:33p
PRIME TIME
0.01 ft. 0.81 ft. 0.56 ft. 0.83 ft.
PRIME TIME
PRIME TIME
SYMBOL KEY
l
New Moon
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First Quarter
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Full Moon
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Last Quarter Good Day
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february 2012 Tide Station Correction Table (Adjust High & Low Tide times listed in the Calendar by the amounts below for each keyed location)
NOT FOR NAVIGATION
PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse (29.47° N, 93.72° W) Sabine Pass Jetty (29.65° N, 93.83° W) Sabine Pass (29.73° N, 93.87°W) Mesquite Pt, Sabine Pass (29.77° N, 93.9° W) Galv. Bay, So. Jetty (29.34° N, 94.7° W) Port Bolivar (29.36° N, 94.77° W) TX City Turning Basin (29.38° N, 94.88° W) Eagle Point (29.5° N, 94.91° W) Clear Lake (29.56° N, 95.06° W) Morgans Point (29.68° N, 94.98° W) Round Pt, Trinity Bay (29.71° N, 94.69° W) Pt. Barrow, Trin. Bay (29.74° N, 94.83° W) Gilchrist, E. Bay (29.52° N, 94.48° W) Jamaica Bch., W. Bay (29.2° N, 94.98° W) Alligator Pt., W. Bay (29.17° N, 94.13° W) Christmas Pt, Chr. Bay (29.08° N, 94.17° W) Galv. Pleasure Pier (29.29° N, 94.79° W) San Luis Pass (29.08° N, 95.12° W) Freeport Harbor (28.95° N, 95.31° W) Pass Cavallo (28.37° N, 96.4° W) Aransas Pass (27.84° N, 97.05° W) Padre Isl.(So. End) (26.07° N, 97.16° W) Port Isabel (26.06° N, 97.22° W)
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HIGH LOW -1:46
-1:31
-1:26
-1:31
-1:00
-1:15
-0:04
-0:25
-0:39
-1:05
+0:14
-0:06
+0:33
+0:41
+3:54
+4:15
+6:05
+6:40
+10:21
+5:19
+10:39
+5:15
+5:48
+4:43
+3:16
+4:18
+2:38
+3:31
+2:39
+2:33
+2:32
+2:31
-1:06
-1:06
-0.09
-0.09
-0:44
-1:02
0:00
-1:20
-0:03
-1:31
-0:24
-1:45
+1:02
-0:42
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Gumbo!
G
umbo is a mainstay in Louisiana. We love it here in Texas, too, and it can be made with a variety of meats. This is my version of two varieties. It is flavorful, and will warm you to the bone. Making gumbo is not for the fast food cook, as it can take up to two or three hours to prepare.
Stock The base for the rich, and wholesome flavor of gumbo begins with a good stock. Shortcuts can be taken with canned broth or bullion but I allow at least 2-3 hours. I use very little salt in my stock. You can always add it to your dish, and as you reduce it and the liquid cooks away, the salt stays in. When making a large batch of stock, I like to strain out the liquid, and cool it down, and then freezing it in containers large enough for a soup for later.
Ingredients ¾ cup of flour ¾ cup of light olive oil 1 stick of salted butter 2 large onions chopped 4 ribs of celery-chopped cups of okra chopped in ½” thick pieces 3 cloves of garlic chopped 3 large tomatoes-chopped 3 cubes of chicken bullion 2 tsp black pepper 2 Tbs Texas Gourmet Sidewinder Searing Spice 3 Bay leaves 1 tsp Thyme leaves 2 16 oz. Cans stewed tomatoes-chopped
For the Gumbo: It takes time to prepare the vegetables and seafood, so prepare them one at a time prior to beginning to cook. The roux may also be prepared ahead of time. 98 |
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Seafood Gumbo
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
(This will feed 10-12 people)
(Feeds 8-10 people)
3 lbs. Shrimp – raw peeled (save shells for stock) 1 lb. Crabmeat 1 lb. Bay scallops 1 pint Oysters with juice 1 lb. Fish fillet-boned (save head & bones for stock)
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2 Chickens (whole) with necks, gizzards & liver (if available) 2 lbs. Raw link sausage (If using smoked sausage boil for 20 minutes before adding to gumbo) 1 Onion-quartered 2 Carrots –cut big 3 Stalks of celery-chopped coarse with leaves A L M A N A C
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4 Cloves of garlic-peeled ½ tspn Black peppercorns Pinch of salt 5 Bay leaves
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In a stockpot add enough water to cover the chicken by about 2-3 inches then add the rest of the ingredients. Boil for 30 minutes, then cover and cook at medium heat until chicken is done. (It is done when the meat begins falling off of the bone. Remove the chicken, and continue cooking the remaining liquids for two more hours to reduce it by about 1/3.)
Seafood Stock This stock can be made using shrimp shells, and or fish bones and head, using the same method and base ingredients as the chicken stock. (minus the chicken)
Roux The roux is the base for the texture and flavor of the gumbo. It will require your undivided attention, so clear the kitchen, get a good large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven,
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a long spatula that can get into the corners of the skillet or pan and all of your patience. A good roux (the most flavorful one) is a deep brown color. Start with equal parts of oil and flour. I use light olive oil because of its high flash point. About ¾ cup of each, over a medium fire, and stir it with your spatula or roux spoon every 10-15 seconds. With each stirring, (careful its very hot) you will start to notice the mixture browning as you stir. It should brown very slowly, if it browns too quickly, it will burn, and you will notice black chunks. (If this happens you have to start over). When the roux is about the color of caramel, I like to add a stick of butter. As the roux darkens you need to gradually lower your fire. I like to have a pot of stock waiting right by the roux because when the color is right I add a couple ladles of stock to
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slightly cool the roux then I add my chopped vegetables (except the okra). Increase the fire slightly adding more stock as needed to be able to stir the mixture and cook this for 45 minutes to an hour to caramelize the vegetables. This mixture will have a beautiful chocolate brown color and a nutty smell to it. Now add the roux and vegetable mixture to the pot of reserved stock over medium heat, stirring well to combine. Then add your chicken or seafood and your other favorite gumbo ingredients. Serve over rice. Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at BSlaven@fishgame.com
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by paul bradshaw
Photo: Jack Bissell
crappie are simple, yet extremely frustrating fish. Some days they are easy to locate, on others they seem to have disappeared from every body of water in the state. Some times they bite anything you drop in the water, even a bare hook. On other days they won’t hit anything that isn’t the exact size and color of their preferred bait fish, presented at the exact right depth. But in the end they are still fun to catch and taste good when fried.
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Choosing crappie gear can be just as simple, or frustrating as the fish themselves. While not as mind numbingly complex or specific as bass rigs, there are still a lot of options when it comes to crappie fishing gear and choosing the right equipment for your specific application can be the difference between a limit and getting skunked. To eliminate some of the confusion surrounding crappie fishing equipment I recruited some of the better anglers I know to give their opinion on what to use for crappie in specific fishing situations. Lonnie Stanley, you might know him as the owner of Stanley Jigs, has forgotten more about fishing than I‘ll ever know so I put a lot of weight in his opinion. My good friend Bryan Thomas always kicks my rear when we fish together so obviously he must be a good angler.
Early Spring & Late Fall Shallow Water
Some anglers don’t realize it but crappie typically come shallow twice a year. The most obvious time is in the spring when they are spawning and you can just about trace their migration by following the armada of boats chasing them. In the fall, crappie fill the shallows again in smaller numbers as they chase schooling shad into creeks. You can use the same gear to catch them at both times. A lot of anglers go with little whispy rods and lines that resemble sewing thread but when chasing these shallow fish Lonnie likes to go a little heavier. His rod of choice is a six and a half foot medium/ light action spinning rod mated with a medium sized reel. The reel is normally loaded with six to eight pound test line and he uses it to throw 1/8th and 1/16th ounce Roadrunners wearing a Stanley Wedge Tail Crappie Minnow. The longer, slightly stiffer than usual rod lets Lonnie throw the bait a long distance and get a good hook set (but not too hard) on fish that hit at the end of the cast. For spring fishing Bryan goes a slightly different direction but still uses a lot of the same equipment as Lonnie. Bryan likes to stroll (slowly trolling along grass flats) for crappie on top of the grass beds with a five and a half foot light action rod. He also T F & G
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uses a medium sized spinning reel loaded with eight pound line. On the end of the line is a jig head just heavy enough to get down to the top of the grass but not so heavy it buries up in it. If this doesn’t work he switches to a Beetle Spin paired with a curly tail grub body. The key in the spring and fall is to use a slightly longer and stiffer rod paired with a medium sized spinning reel because you will spend a lot of time making long casts. And extremely long rod will tire you out after a day of casting and a short ultra-light will limit your casting distance.
Summer Deep Water Bridge Pilings
If your local lake has a bridge spanning its deeper waters then that’s the place to be in the heat of the summer because it provides shade and cover making it an ideal place for crappie to hang out. When fishing around bridge pilings Bryan goes with a slightly longer rod, six to six and a half foot, but sticks with the same eight pound line and medium sized spinning reel.
“A little bit longer rod allows you to stay off the bridge posts with your boat better,” he advised. This serves two purposes. First it keeps you from scratching your boat on the concrete and it also keeps you from spooking the fish. Bryan sticks with the heavier line because there is the chance the line will rub against the bridge legs and the heavier line is more abrasion resistant. If the fish are extremely spooky in really clear water Lonnie advises to go ultra-light under the bridge. Use an ultra-light rod with six pound test so that you can detect light strikes.
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Deep Water Bush Piles Deep water brush piles are synonymous with crappie fishing. I’ve often heard it said that if you’re not hung in brush then you’re not really crappie fishing. Now you can use your regular crappie gear over brush piles and it will work. However, making a few small changes will increase your catch ratio considerably. The biggest change should be in the length of the rod you use. Go ahead and stow those short rods and grab something at least eight feet long. Something in the ten to twelve foot area would be even better. Bryan recommends a ten foot jigging pole (I agree and personally use a ten foot pole made by B’n’M) matched with a medium spinning reel loaded with ten pound test. This longer pole lets you set up on the outside of a brush pole and vertically jig all around it, and even in the middle, without ever moving your boat and disturbing the fish. Lonnie doesn’t necessarily switch to a longer pole when fishing brush but he definitely agrees that the heavier line is the way to go (more on this in a minute). Both Lonnie and Bryan agree on this, use the smallest jig head you have, within reason, on the end of your line with a split shot crimped on about a foot above it. Both recommend a 1/32 ounce jig for various reasons. Bryan believes the lighter jig moves around more naturally underwater. Lonnie likes the smaller jigs because of the light wire hooks used in them. When you hang up in the brush, and you will, the combination of the heavier line and light wire hook lets you pull on the line until the hook straightens. That means less retying since you simply bend the hook back over and keep fishing. He also added that the 1/32 ounce head can easily handle a two pound crappie without straightening so you don’t have to worry about losing fish. It doesn’t take a ton of gear to catch a freezer full of crappie. With a limited investment in three different crappie rigs you can cover just about any crappie fishing situation you might encounter this year.
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TEXAS HUNTING
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Ben, Frank and Ken Calabrese Rockport Red Runner
Candi Turner, Striper Express
Rockport Redrunners
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LAKE TEXOMA
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Upper Coast (Sabine Lake)
SPOTLIGHT: STRIPER EXPRESS “Welcome To Striper Express!” is the greeting you’ll receive the minute you board one of the Striper Express boats. For owners and pro-guides Bill and Chris Carey, friendliness and professionalism are not just words; they are a way of life. For the past 28 years, Striper Express Guide Service has been offering first class fishing for striped bass on Lake Texoma. “We Sell Fun!“ states the father and son team. Our slogan is, “Every Trip is an Adventure!” They specialize in group outings, meetings and events. Striper Express offers companies large and small a way to recharge and refocus with employees and key clients. Whether a daycation or a conference, you can count on a unique outdoor adventure that your group can drive to and be excited to attend. Lake Texoma boasts twice the state limit for striped bass at 10 fish per person. The lake is located on the Texas-Oklahoma border just 75 miles north of Dallas. This 90,000 acre impoundment is a fisherman’s dream come true. We asked Bill and Chris what are their most memorable moments and without hesitation they both stated, “It’s the Kids! They are our future fishermen!” If you would like to book a guided fishing trip on Lake Texoma, call Bill or Chris Carey at Striper Express Guide Service. You can get in on the “striper success”, too. Please call: 903-786-4477 or visit their website at www.striperexpress.com. T F & G
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black drum Intracoastal June Allen caught this 42-inch black drum with her fiancé, Shane Krenek, at the mouth of Cow Trap Lake on the Intracoastal Canal. After winning a spoolstripping battle, June let the “beautiful monster” go.
catfish Lake Granbury blackbuck | San Saba
Madilyn Samra, age 5, caught her first fish, a two-pound catfish, while fishing off her grandfather’s (“P-Paul”) dock on Lake Granbury.
Shelby Jackson, 14, from Texas City with her first-ever animal, a blackbuck she killed in San Saba County. She shot it with a Ruger 270 at approximately 150 yards.
Whitetail | Rusk Karen Holland killed this 6-point buck on opening morning near Levrett’s Chapel in Rusk County. At the time, she was 8 months pregnant (and yes, her doctor said she could hunt).
black drum
largemouth | Lake Fork
Ingleside
David and Lindsey Roberts, after a bass fishing trip on Lake Fork. Lindsey has the 7.4-pounder and David has the scraps.
Bryan Dicaro caught this 39-inch black drum while fishing at his own house in Ingleside.
whitetail Livingston
bobcat
Kirk Smith, age 12, of Santa Fe, Texas shot his first deer from a stand in Livingston. A proud Dad is pictured with him, relishing the moment.
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catfish | Colorado River Chris Ondrias of Rosenberg caught these yellow cats (25and 12-pounds) fishing with his dad in the Colorado River.
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Carlos Bubba Garcia of Bryan killed this bobcat near Carlos, Texas.
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speckled trout Calcasieu, LA Six-year-old Morgan Carter caught this 25-inch, 6-pound speckled trout near Lake Calcasieu while fishing with her Paw Paw and brother Jake over Thanksgiving holiday.
Shark Whitetail | Jasper County
Corpus Christi
Alex Rodriguez killed his first deer on opening day of youth weekend. He shot it with his Mom’s 243 bolt action Browning, while sitting on his grandpa’s lap, just like his Mom did when she was a little girl. The 8-pointer measured 13-inches and was killed on Grandpa’s Dam B Hunting Club in Jasper County.
Daniel Garcia caught his first shark surf fishing at the south side of Packery Channel in Corpus Christi. He caught the 3-foot blacktip on live mullet.
catfish Spring Christopher B. Guajardo of Humble caught this 22.2-pound, 38 inch flathead on 12-pound test line from Spring Creek while fishing with his dad.
Crappie Lake Pat Cleburne
redfish
Crissy Paxson, 9, shows off a 2-pound Crappie she caught at Lake Pat Cleburne.
Laguna Madre Jaime Quiroga from Santa Rosa caught this 27-inch redfish while fishing the Lower Laguna Madre around Bird Island.
Stingray | Galveston Bay M’Lyn Pyfer, 13, of North Richland Hills with a Stingray that she caught while fishing near where the Intercoastal Canal passes under the old railroad bridge in Galveston Bay.
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Speckled trout Lower Laguna Madre Frankie Herrera with a 28.5-inch trout that weighed 7.5 pounds. He caught the trophy in the Lower Laguna Madre.
speckled trout | Arroyo City Nicholas Cavazos, 13, from Edinburg caught his first 22-inch speck on an artificial lure, drifting in Arroyo City.
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