24 minute read
Doggett at Large
by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&GSenior Contributing Editor
Wade with Caution
UNLESS ANCESTRY.COM can trace your lineage directly to Tarzan or Wonder Woman, my advice is to be very cautious when you a empt to wade any unfamiliar river. e combination of variable depth, jumbled bo om, and powerful current can be a bad mix for even a veteran angler—not to mention a rookie. A single misstep in moving water can trigger a seriously soggy and potentially dangerous situation.
I stress this because the summer season is approaching, and some TF&G readers will be aiming for high-country angling destinations. Most will be y shing.
I have waded rivers around the world—as close as Houston’s Bu alo Bayou, as distant as Alaska, Argentina and Iceland. So, I feel quali ed to o er a few tips.
Most important is a pair of no-nonsense wading boots. Most boots intended for freshwater are lace-ups, constructed of nylon, opposed to neoprene booties, o en used in saltwater. Quality products might cost several hundred dollars, but with reasonable care, they last for years.
Less-expensive options are available, but the point is to obtain the best that ts your budget as well as your feet. Boots are no place to skimp. e new gear provides superior ankle support and foot traction.
Soles of felt or hard rubber are available. Felt soles are excellent over slippery stones, but might not be permi ed, depending on the state or country where you plan to sh. is absorbent material can retain noxious aquatic vegetation.
Screw-in metal cleats or studs on rubber soles o er improved grip, but cleats might damage a oat plane pontoon or an aluminum ski —not mention a rubber ra . Know before you go.
When you select boots, make certain they are large enough to accommodate a liner sock and a heavy wool sock. Going up one shoe size is the standard measure.
Chest waders are necessary for cold-water destinations. Even in July or August, a river in Alaska can be a poor place for wet wading. For that ma er, so is the tailwater below a big dam in the Lower 48. e release from the bo om depths can be shockingly cold.
Again, buy the best within your budget. e top-end breathable materials are durable, exible, and easy to patch. A cheaper option is old-school neoprene, but this spongy material is heavy and hot on a mild day—or during a long hike.
A wide belt cinched tight should be mandatory. e belt won’t keep you dry following a dunking, but the watertight integrity is much improved.
Another smart accessory is a wading sta — especially for older anglers burdened with oxenlike re exes. In heavy water, that third anchor can spare you a bad fall. It also serves as a walking stick when an arduous hike is necessary.
A collapsible aluminum sta that folds into a trim belt sheath is a great choice. You can shake the four hollow sections loose and secure a tight t by pulling and locking the connecting elastic cord. e assembled sha is about ve feet in length and ed with a comfortable handle. is compact rig sounds complicated, but the drill is fast, easy and, in my experience, reliable. Dragging a wooden stick around all day gets old. e idea in treacherous water is to jab the sta at a slight up-current angle. Make certain it has a solid bite before advancing.
Be wary of moving hastily through shallow shoreline water. e lack of depth breeds false security. In a freestone river of jumbled rocks, stones and boulders, any number of slick traps can await a careless step. e upside of a shallow tumble is that you won’t drown. e downside is that the lack of cushioning increases the chances of a hazardous injury.
Be especially cautious in strong knee-deep current. e powerful energy is piling right into the break of your legs, easy to trigger a careless tumble. igh deep is safer. Waist deep is doable, but over an uncertain bo om, it demands upgraded caution. Anything over waist deep gets sketchy— no way in heavy water.
To cast a dry y or an indicator/nymph setup, you wade upstream to achieve a drag-free dri . On the other hand, you swing a streamer by shuf ing downstream. Either way, the savvy wader easing from the bank into position, should angle into the current. Pushing straight into the ow invites a you-against-the-river asco.
When qui ing a deeper wade, the experienced angler aims slightly downstream. Let the momentum of the ow work in concert with your steps.
Pay a ention to the river level. If it abruptly starts rising—such as a er a heavy overnight rain or an upriver dam release in a tailwater stream— aim for the rescue bank. A sure tip that a major ush of H2O is about to happen is that water clarity starts to deteriorate, or numerous twigs and leaves go bobbling past.
If the bo om starts inching deeper, say from waist-deep to chest-deep, maintain the downstream angle as you aim for the bank—but avoid ski ish, tentative steps. Rather, charge with aggressive, bounding strides.
Contact with the treacherous bo om is minimal, and the river is with you. It acts as a booster—assuming a giant boulder isn’t lurking ahead.
Extending a y rod horizontally into the downstream current allows it to bend and ex in resistance to the ow. is can be a great stabilizer like the outrigger on a Waikiki canoe. is works! I’m amazed at how many veteran river waders never use this simple tactic. e rod won’t snap.
Regardless, stalling and trying to turn back can court a panicky tumble. Now you are bucking an overwhelming force.
If you lose your footing, and a dunking is certain, strive to stay calm. If necessary, oat feet rst to block any contact with a boulder or log.
Salvation is close. At least you have no stingrays or sharks to worry about.
For those this side of Tarzan, a bear on the bank might be a di erent issue.
Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fi shgame.com
HE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SUMMER isn’t until June 21, but when May rolls around, one of the Texas coast’s most treasured pursuits begins to kick into gear. Offshore fishing is available to anglers yearround, but as warm water pelagics begin to show up, conditions tend to get a little more stable for popular species. We thought we would kick off the offshore fishing season with some tips on how to catch a variety of species ranging from near-shore dwellers to bluewater specialists. RED SNAPPER
Red snapper are the most popular offshore fish due to their abundance fairly close to shore and how darn good they taste.
For trophy-sized snappers like those that would win in the CCA STAR tournament offshore division, the wrecks and rocks that can be found away from heavily pressured oil rigs are the best.
These “hard spots” may require a little extra effort to find, but more often than not, they produce big snappers. Snapper are not drawn to big structure only. The smaller well heads, rocks and tiny reefs hold good numbers of fish, too. Since these areas are not pressured as much as the rigs in this area,
you tend to find more big fish there.
Anchor up-current from a given piece of structure and fall back across it. The preferred method when fishing these areas is to use a typical bottom rig with either squid or a Spanish sardine rigged on two circle hooks.
A lot of times, you’ll have a strong current, and you need to get the bait down to the structure. When you’re fishing rigs, you’ve got a little more leeway, but presenting a bait five feet in one direction or another can make all the difference in the world. KING MACKEREL
Speaking of the STAR tournament, one of the most competitive categories is often king mackerel. These big, silver fish fight like crazy and are abundant around rigs, weedlines and especially behind shrimp boats.
TF&G Boating Editor Lenny Rudow recommends trolling spoons for big kings. “Always include a mix of different color spoons,” he said. “Silver and gold are the standard fare, but it’s amazing how a spoon dressed with a strip of red, green, or blue reflective tape can turn out to be the uber-hot spoon on any given day.
Big rigs far from shore become tuna magnets at night. PHOTO: DEREK YORK
“When you get a strike, have your crew immediately grab all the rods that aren’t rigged with planers, and jig them,” Rudow added. “Planer rods are already bent under enough stress that jigging them doesn’t have much effect.”
The added action will often draw additional hits, turning single hook-ups into multiples.
TUNA
Texas has some great tuna fishing for anglers fishing the big floating rigs up to 200 miles offshore out of Galveston and Port Aransas. Rudow suggests you should troll the usual pelagic offerings such as rigged ballyhoo and feathers during the daylight hours.
“Keep a hefty spinning rod rigged and ready with a large popper in case you spot fish busting on the surface,” he said.
“When darkness falls, set up a drift in areas that had action or where bait is on the meter. Toss handfuls of fish chunks over the side, while drifting back baits on circle hooks,” Rudow advised. “As the boat drifts, a crewmember should be armed with a longhandled dip net and tasked with scooping up flying fish. They’re often attracted right up to the boat by your artificial lights. A live flying fish is prime yellowfin bait.”
He also said not to forget that yellowfins are schooling fish, and where there’s one, there’s more—often, lots more.
“To catch multiples instead of singles, assign someone the task of maintaining the flow of chunks at all times—especially when there’s a fish on the line,” Rudow said. “That way, the moment you gaff the fish you might hook another—or go bold. Drift a bait back while there’s a fish on the line to shoot for a double.”
SHARKS
Sharks are super abundant offshore, especially in the early summer period.
Large circle hooks rigged on steel leaders are the most popular terminal tackle for bagging sharks. Sharks can cut a line with their teeth, but also with their skin, which is sharp in its own right. One quick slap of the tail can cut even heavy-duty line with no problem.
For targeting blacktips and spinners, a highly effective chumming method involves bringing along a bucketful of small menhaden, grabbing a handful and squeezing. Some of them will float, others will sink quickly and others sink slowly.
This creates a feeding frenzy, that can allow you to sight cast to sharks with cut bait. The ideal setup for this kind of fishing is having one bait on the bottom for species such as bull sharks and a couple of free lines to get the species that feed in the upper level of the water column.
LING (COBIA)
This time of year, a big bonus for anglers fishing around the rigs is the ling that are starting to show up in good numbers. Ling are also part of the offshore category for the CCA STAR tournament.
Locating these unusual fish is no problem. They are suckers for structure in Gulf waters. They can often be found hanging around oil platforms, stand pipes, jetties and buoys.
One of the best tactics for locating ling around structure is to rev up their motors. Take a paddle and pound the water’s surface to get the attention of the fish.
If you want to catch ling, try the standard summer fishing protocol—throw a handful of cut pogeys overboard. Live crab or fresh cut bait hanging from circle hooks is a great setup.
Crabs in particular are extremely good baits for ling. Almost every ling I have ever cleaned or seen cleaned had a belly full of crabs.
Rods loaded with artificials should also be kept within reach since ling don’t mind biting on plastic. Soft plastics such as curl-tailed grubs or imitation ribbonfish are good baits for ling.
Offshore fishing is fun, but always remember to pay strict attention to ever-changing weather conditions and be prepared for the worst. Keep your life preserver on and be ready to send an emergency signal if something bad happens.
The Gulf of Mexico is tons of fun, but is no place to be caught unprepared.
SK ANY PANFISH JUNKIE AND THEY are sure to agree that crappie are only where you find them. They are school fish by nature. Find one crappie and others are likely to be nearby. Come May, there could still be some fish spawning in shallow water in the backs of major and secondary creeks or pockets on your favorite crappie lake. Just know they probably won’t be there for much longer.
As a rule, now is a time of transition for crappie. It’s a time when the spawn starts to wind down, and fish begin a gradual shift toward deeper water where they will spend the summer, fall and winter.
Texas is home to two species of crappie — black crappie and white crappie. Blacks are most prevalent in East Texas reservoirs, where the water is generally clear and somewhat acidic. White crappie can be found in lakes statewide, but tend to thrive in more turbid reservoirs with some color to the water.
As size goes, it is not uncommon for both species to grow beyond two pounds, although bigger fish are more abundant on some lakes than others.
Texas’s state records for both species have stood for a while. Toledo Bend along the Texas/Louisiana border produced the state’s biggest black crappie, a four-pounder recorded in December 2002.
The state record white crappie has been in place even longer. It’s a 4.56-pounder caught from Navarro Mills in Central Texas way back in February 1968.
There’s a passel of good crappie lakes in Texas. However, some tend to produce better fishing—and bigger bites—than others do.
The advent of forward-facing sonar technology such as Garmin LiveScope, Lowrance ActiveTarget and Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging has made it easier to exploit these fish than ever before. One student of forward-facing sonar recently told me “Only a fool would go crappie fishing without it.”
Forward-facing sonar is different from traditional sonar. It uses a special transducer that mounts to the trolling motor shaft or an independent pole. Anglers can slip quietly along as the transducer scans the water column all around the boat. High resolution imagery relays to the electronics screen in real time.
One of the main benefits is it boosts the chances of seeing inherently spooky fish before they know you’re around. Another is it helps you make precise bait presentations. More important, you can see how fish react to baits.
Lake Fork crappie fishing guide Gary Paris is a big fan of the technology for a couple reasons.
“First off it helps eliminate a lot of unproductive water very quickly,” he said. “If LiveScope isn’t showing you any fish, there is no sense in fishing there. You just keep looking until you find them.”
Second, Paris pointed out that crappie fishing is all about bait presentation at the proper depth. LiveScope makes it possible to tune in quickly and make adjustments on the fly.
“If you know the depth where the fish are, it helps keep the bait right in their faces 100 percent of the time because you can see it,” he said. “That isn’t possible with traditional sonar. If the fish move, you just stay with them.”
Lake Fork ranks among Texas’s best lakes with abundant populations of black and white crappie. Paris considers a 2 1/2 pounder to be a “slab,” but bigger ones are not uncommon.
In early May, he always looks offshore to find post-spawn schools in water ranging 20 to 55 feet deep. He uses LiveScope and a 1/8-ounce jig to bird dog fish that are typically suspended 12 to 17 feet down around old timber or brush piles.
Paris says he frequently catches black and white crappie in the same areas, but the whites tend to suspend slightly deeper. He added that it is not uncommon find large schools of black crappie suspended away from cover in wide-open water. Forward sonar is essential for homing in on these fish, which are often unmolested.
Lakes Toledo Bend, Lake O’ the Pines, Palestine and Cedar Creek are three other East Texas lakes that get top billing for big white and black crappie. In Central Texas, lakes Granger, Buchanan, Mexia, Limestone and Aquilla are worth a look.
On T-Bend, fishing guide Stephen Johnston looks for there to be still lots of fish spawning at the south end of the lake in May. He will key on major and secondary creeks as well as points. With no grass in the lake and water levels low, underwater stumps and lay downs should be holding fish to be caught on Roadrunners, tube jigs and hair jigs under a cork.
Once June rolls around, the fish will transition to deeper water, Johnston says. Most will set up around brush piles, big timber, and natural laydowns in 15 to 22 feet of water. They can be caught on dunking shiners or casting jigs, and forward-facing sonar is a plus.
Fishing guides Ricky Vandergriff and Jason Barber say similar patterns will be in play on lakes Palestine and Cedar Creek. On Palestine, Vandergriff likes to use LiveScope to target schools around flooded timber.
Along the Neches River, non-LiveScopers should look for brush piles in water ranging from 16 to 20 feet, or target bridge cross
Texas has a lot of good crappie lakes producing big numbers, and big fi sh.
members. Small shiners and jigs can be equally e ective, but Vandergri prefers jigs the most. Tipping jigs with a Berkley Crappie Nibbles will help at times, Vandergri said.
Barber says brush piles will be holding mixtures of black and white crappie on Cedar Creek, but deeper boat docks in ve- to twelve-feet of water may be the be er bet for blacks. Barber prefers using a jig shing technique called “shooting” to get at sh a racted to docks by shade and forage. His favorite set up is a 1/16-ounce hair jig matched with a 6½-foot medium spinning out t and sixpound high-vis line that helps to detect subtle strikes.
TPWD sheries biologist Marcos DeJesus spent years overseeing Central Texas lakes before relocating to Tyler to accept a regional director gig. He says Granger and Buchanan were his favorite crappie lakes. While both maintain good populations of white crappie, Granger is the stronger of the two.
“Sizes aren’t as big as northeast Texas, but one- to two-pound sh are common,” he said.
e biologist says the best shing from late spring through summer usually goes down around brush piles in water ranging from eight to een feet.
TPWD sheries biologist John Tibbs oversees several lakes in the Waco district. He ranks Aquilla, Mexia and Limestone as the best for numbers and quality of white crappie.
Tibbs says most of the sh move o shore and suspend around timber and brush a er the spawn winds down. Anglers with forward-facing sonar will have an advantage over those who don’t.
“Limestone has quite a bit of submerged timber on the main lake that is deep enough for crappie to use,” Tibbs said. “But Aquilla and especially Mexia anglers will need to look for isolated brush piles and other submerged habitat.”
Tibbs added that all three reservoirs are capable of growing crappie upwards of two pounds, but generally the larger crappie will top out in the one- to two-pound range.
EDFISH, SPECKLED trout, and flounder are the top sportfish along the Texas Coast.
Catching all three in a day is often called the “Grand Slam” or sometimes the “Texas Trifecta”. Either way, it’s a celebration of great fishing in some very productive bays, estuaries, surf, and jetty systems.
Anglers pay keen attention to detail on the lures they use for these three species, but not as many give equal attention to rod choices. Pairing the right lure with the right rod for the right species can make a world of difference.
Here’s our breakdown of top choices for combining all three key elements of fishing gear.
REDFISH
Of the three species, redfish are the bullies.
They pull hard seemingly from birth to breeding age, and they get much, much bigger than specks and flounder.
Although most areas outside of Venice, Louisiana have historically had few bull reds in the bays, that has changed. Oversized reds are seemingly showing up everywhere along the Texas Coast.
Don’t Forget Surf Fishing!
ST. CROIX’S ALL-NEW TECH-FORWARD SEAGE SURF SERIES includes 12 two-piece spinning rods, handcrafted for unparalleled strength and durability in a slim and lightweight design. Seage models range from 7 to 12 feet with medium-light to heavy power. They retail between $210 and $380 with a 15-year warranty.
In addition to slim, lightweight performance, extreme strength, and rock-solid durability, surf anglers will notice an all-new handle design on new Seage surf rods comprised of X-Flock-covered, slim-diameter handles and Winn® comfortfocused foregrips which are minimalistic, sleek, and techforward.
X-Flock is essentially a textured shrink tube that St. Croix forms directly over the blank. This gives the handle a slim profi le with a very grippy and tacky feel, combined with slight compression for added comfort.
The 12 distinct models in the all-new Seage Series lineup cover the most popular lengths, powers, and actions, as well as some new confi gurations surf anglers were specifi cally requesting.
Some of the seven-foot to nine-foot models were engineered and delivered to meet the unique needs of the Western coastal markets. Surf anglers there have been asking for new rods, better suited for smaller species, lighter lures, and fi shing closer to the beach.
In Texas that translates to sand trout, croakers, and whiting which are popular, especially in fall and winter.
These smaller two-piece models give anglers the 50/50 splits they requested. At the other end of the spectrum, the new Seage Series also includes a 12-foot heavy power model that’s capable of bombing a full one-pound payload beyond the bar. Longer Seage two-piece models feature angler-preferred 60/40 or 70/30 offsets.
St. Croix pro, Steve Lassard shes out of a Hobie kayak in the marshes of southeastern Louisiana where we previously mentioned super big reds are abundant.
He said swimming jigs and grubs are a top choice. “I’m usually power shing with ½- to 1-ounce Owner saltwater jigs and six-to-eight-inch grubs,” Lassard said. “My go-to setup is a St. Croix Mojo Inshore or Triumph Inshore seven-foot, heavy-power, fast action spinning rod with 50-pound braid.,”
For sight casting, St. Croix, Texas pro, Joseph Sanderson likes a seven-foot, medium power, fast action rod.
“Speci cally, St. Croix’s Mojo Inshore with a 2500-3000 size spinning reel spooled with 20-30-pound braid is just the ticket,” Sanderson said. “I’m shing shallow in clear water, so I’m throwing super light baits that are subtle and land so ly.”
For catching big bull red sh in deeper water along je y systems, Mojo Inshore spinning rods are the go-to choice.
Rigged with a heavy jigging spoon and shed vertically along the deep holes at the rocks, the seven-foot heavy/fast action is perfect for giving more than adequate backbone and a rod worthy of working a spoon. If you plan to cast along je ies, with the same lure, the seven-foot, six-inch heavy/ fast action spinning rod is a be er choice.
SPECKLED TROUT
Speckled trout can require a li le more subtle approach, and there are many favorite rod and lure styles. Although most agree on some real backbone for reds, anglers opt for everything from so to sti for specks.
Red n Charters and St. Croix pro sta member, Capt. Justin Carter loves shing for big trout with top-waters and suspending twitch baits along with jigs and swimbait combos.
Depending on the size of his jig, he’s shing seven-foot, light power and seven-foot, six-inch, medium-light power, fast action Mojo Inshore spinning rods. He switches
Spinning rods allow coastal anglers to throw long distances even in windy conditions which are common on the coast.
to the seven-foot, six-inch, medium power Mojo Inshore when throwing spinnerbaits or top-waters.
Perhaps the most e ective overall method of catching speckled trout is using so plastics under popping corks. It’s nothing fancy, but it o en out shes everything else, especially when dri ing over seagrass ats or shing under feeding gulls.
A seven-foot, six-inch medium-heavy Mojo Inshore spinning rod is perfect for this application and also has enough backbone to bring in the likely bycatch of red sh and big ga ops.
FLOUNDER
Flounder shing is o en thought of as a pursuit for the fall where you only sh live nger mullet or mud minnows. In reality, savvy anglers know ounder can be caught year-round. With no restrictions on fall harvest, more anglers are turning to spring and summertime for their ounder shing action.
Texas Fish & Game Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore literally wrote the book on ounder (Flounder Fever) and has taught hundreds of classes on ounder shing over the years.
He has several recommendations for ounder.
“I sh with curl-tailed grubs three to four inches, o en tipped with a small piece of shrimp. When the conditions are on, and the bite is on, I want something that can get good hook penetration.
Flounder have a very bony mouth,” Moore said, “and many anglers miss them on hookset, so I use a medium-heavy spinning rod with 30-pound braided line.” He suggests the six-foot, six-inch mediumheavy, fast action Mojo Inshore Spinning Rod for this application.
“You are making short casts when ounder shing, targeting eddies around bayou mouths, docks, and stands of cane. A shorter, heavier rod helps get a good hookset on those sh,” he said.
If the barometric pressure is high, and the ounder are sca ered, he switches over to something lighter.
“I will miss a few hooksets due to lighter gear,” Moore said, “but I catch more sh going with a two-inch curltail, or shad shed on 10-pound uorocarbon line when the bite is so .
“I might be making longer casts as well trying to nd sh, so the seven-foot medium-light fashion action St. Croix Triumph Inshore spinning rod from St. Croix is a great choice,” he said.
CONSERVATION ETHIC
St. Croix and Texas Fish & Game support a conservation ethic for all shing, but especially down on the coast where there are some major issues.
Releasing speckled trout a er the 2021 freeze is not mandatory, but it goes a long way in helping the shery recover. Le ing ounder go to produce more of their kind is also important for the future of the shery.
It’s our observation that anglers who pay the most a ention to their gear and take their shing seriously, also take their conservation seriously.
Spending time on the coast is always a blessing. Knowing you’re shing with the right gear can give you the con dence to catch more sh and release those you don’t intend to bring home to the family.
Flounder have an extremely bony mouth so the optimal rod for them is something with some backbone. St. Croix’s Triumph series gives anglers numerous options for working a variety of lures.
