December 2011

VOL. 27 • NO. 8

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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 Ellerman 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.

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CONTENTS alier dillon chev

FEATURES

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STEALTH FISHING

Bass legend Rick Clunn and other pros share some of their tactics for positioning their boats to make them as invisible as possible to fish.

by Chester Moore

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tesy Photo: cour

december 2011 • Volume XXVII • NO. 8

Christmas turkey Traditionally the gamebird of spring, turkey can easily become a holiday hunting tradition as well.

ON THE COVER:

EAST TEXAS MONSTER BUCK That’s right... an EAST Texas monster buck.

And because of its surprising geographic place of origin, Dillon Chevalier’s impressive buck perfectly illustrates what it takes to successfully hunt a free range trophy.

STORY:

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by Paul Bradshaw ALSO IN NOVEMBER:

by Lou Marullo

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hunting the elusive west texas jackalope

Join our intrepid firearms editor on a whimsical quest as he pursues the fabled antlered hare across the vast spaces of West Texas, and his own expansive imagination.

by Steve LaMascus

WINTER ON THE TEXAS COAST ...it’s the time for for ducks, deer, geese, heavy trout and huge redfish.

Then the occasional serious cold front blows in and shoos all but the heartiest die-hards back indoors.

STORY:

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TF&G waterfowl quiz Waterfowl, the most dynamic variety of game hunted in North America, facinate Texas hunters and often leave them baffled. Let’s see if this quiz does the same.

by Reavis Wortham

by Chester Moore 4 |

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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

december 2011 • Volume XXVII • NO. 8

COLUMNS 10 Editor’s Notes

Inspired Christmas Carols

by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

27 Texas Bow Hunting

10 Resolutions for Bow Hunters

by Lou Marullo TF&G Bow Hunting Editor

14 Chester’s Notes

Cast & Blast Highlights Year’s End

Blind Ambitions

The Improv

Hunter

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

18 Pike On the Edge

46 Texas Saltwater

by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

20 TexasWild

47 Texas Freshwater

by Ted nugent TF&G Editor At Large

by matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

21 Commentary

48 Open Season

by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor

It’s All About the Memories

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Then, Again

12 big bags & catches

32 NEW! texas

department of defense

38 True green

Christmas List for Anglers

God Bless Our Troops

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37 Hunt Texas

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Science or

Fiction

8 letters 12 TF&G Report

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

16 Doggett at Large

DEPARTMENTS

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Letters to the Editor Editing a Wildfire Dear Don: Just received my copy of October 2011 TF&G. After reading “Editor’s Notes,” I would like to respond: 1. WOW! 2. So glad that one worked out . . . we would sorely miss you.

3. Great writing. I know you just told the story of what happened but DUDE you had me on the edge.

4. Your story give a glimpse of your values in everyday life and those values come through each issue of TF&G. You and TF&G are the real deal, Don. Thanks for all that you do.

With admiration and respect,

Gregory R. Ford Houston, Texas

More Hard Questions Re: Hard Questions Await Hunters (“Chester’s Notes,” October 2011): 1 (…more detrimental to hunting: anti-hunting groups or the federal government?)—no doubt government.

2 (…crossbow controversy)—crossbows are really ok 3 (…has the Trophy Craze hurt or helped?)—horns and high fences have destroyed the middle class deer hunters!

4 (…fear of Chronic Wasting Disease out of line?)—40 years of deer hunting and never witnessed it 5 (…should TPWD commissioners be elected?)—electing them would only make them accountable to special interests 6 (…outdoor TV shows)—outdoor hunting and fishing shows are like looking at a sales catalog 7 (…limiting feral hog hunting)—makes zero sense 8 (…why is Texas ranked low for bowhunting?)—access is most likely the main factor; you have to pay to hunt, so why make it harder on yourself with a bow. Just wait for gun season 8 |

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9 (…13-inch antler rule)—this law was designed by those high dollar horn hunters that cannot afford the high fence lease!

Chester I enjoy your articles—keep up the good work.

P.S: On another subject why not have a speckled trout limit of first 5—no culling— we kill so many it is a shame!

R.J. Poulk Via Email

Regulations Quiz I want to congratulate Bob Hood on his September 2011 feature about hunting and fishing regulations. The quiz was a perfect introduction for the hunter education part of my high school Wildlife Management Course. I teach this as part of the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Curriculum. I look forward to using other articles in my classes.

Keep up the good work.

Kenneth Cox Agriculture Teacher Ector ISD

Run and Gun Mr. Hemphill, while reading your fine article on the BATF&E, I noticed that you identified the slain Mr. Terry as an BATF&E agent. I was under the impression that Brian Terry was a Border Patrol agent. Either way, please keep up with your very informative articles. You are appreciated.

Jerry Koerth Via Email Thanks for your note. Brian Terry was a U.S. Border Patrol agent. My mistake.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Sometimes I get too caught up writing a column to pay attention to all the details.

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Kind of like getting all dressed up and leaving your fly unzipped.

Thanks again, and you have a great day.

Sincerely, Kendal Hemphill I appreciate your writing the article on Operation “Fast and Furious.” This dosen’t seem to be getting a lot of attraction in the “mainstream media.” Your description of the operation was a service to all gun owners.

Just as a bye the bye, the Congressional Committee that is reviewing the documents from the FBI and BATFE announced that the Attorney General’s testimony to the US Congress has “issues.” It seems they have located documents that prove he was aware of the operation for over a year!

Although I live in Alabama, I have a real love for Texas, being a natural born Texan myself. I appreciate your commentary and the magazine.

Keep up the good work…

Chuck Linderman Dothan, AL

Payback, Hell…

As an avid reader of TF&G (among other outdoor magazines) I’ve often tried to think of ways to confound PETA and their zealots. In my small way I’ve started an anti PETA spate on twitter and wherever I can put in a bad word for them. It’s not much, but as the saying goes “A single match can start a fire, a single voice can start a revolution.” Seems fitting as they started out as a very small voice that gained fame through bashing things they know nothing about.

Perhaps the tactic will still work.

Anywho…

Recently I was disparaging PETA in twitter and was asked by a friend of mine why the intense verbiage against them. I answered that I enjoy hunting and fishing (or did before I couldn’t do either because

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of health or cost) and that PETA was doing their absolute level best to take away that privilege. Her reply both shocked and awed me as she doesn’t hunt, and very seldom goes fishing. I’ve included it below:

so concerned with the way animals are being treated before they die to feed us, then why doesn’t she buy a farm and do it herself in a more humane way. I’m sure she’ll find it’s a lot harder than she realizes.

I was thinking about it last night, and I realized something. Trying to make mankind stop eating animals is about as silly as turning a lion vegetarian or making a shark eat fruit. If that lady is trying to take away rights to hunt because she doesn’t want to hurt animals, then she’s forgetting that animals hunt themselves as well. Is she then going to preach to the animal kingdom to make them stop killing each other? I think people take things way too seriously. Man thinks he understands the balance of Nature, when in fact he knows very little. What we do know is you have to have predators in the wild to help control populations. It’s called Natural Selection. I think where things get messed up and confusing is you get Poachers who overkill for the sake of money and greed. Preach to those people, lady! Leave us law-abiding citizens alone to eat our chicken and fish. And if she’s

Keep up the good work in the magazine.

David Hamman Via Email I do believe in PETA—of course, People Eat Tasty Animals—I wanted to let you know about a place here in Lubbock I used to help with, the South Plains Animal Rehab Center. They work on and save many animals and do some really remarkable work. I have personally bottle fed very small deer. The little bucks were the most fun—they are all released back to ranches.

There are bobcats, raccoons, all kinds of animals that have been injured.

I used to produce a haunted house on a 3-acre farm, as a fund raiser. We had a 3 hour wait—people would wait and not get angry because it was so good. One year,

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a thunderstorm came up and we still had 100-plus people in the lighting and rain with extension cords everywhere. Some of those people were more worried about the animals than the people helping them raise money.

After that year was over we had a meeting and they decided it stressed the animals too much to have the haunted farm at that site—then wanted me to do it in a really bad part of town. I was there every night for 60 days, again no concern for my welfare but for the animals. I did not ever do it again. One lady told me that the animals being stressed was too much—I quickly explained they can live with some stress but with no money to buy food for them they would DIE. We have to stand up and be counted, but you need to know what you give your time and money too. If I would have known the ties with them to PETA I would have never done the Haunted Farm.

Tommy Spitzer Via Email

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Editor’s Notes

by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Inspired Christmas Carols

I

have the privilege of working with some of the finest writers in the outdoors genre. Some are legends, some legends in the making, some up-and-coming— but all of them are characters. Unique characters, to be sure, but characters nonetheless.

Some might call them inspired, which is certainly true as evidenced by their work.

Others might say our writers are inspiring, which also is true, but I doubt the things they sometimes inspire in me are what most would have in mind.

While working on this December issue, I one day caught myself singing under my breath some untraditional traditional Christmas carols, inspired by the writer cadre.

I think you will recognize the tunes that go with them...

I’m dreaming of a white Chester Fully free of grit and grime With no gaff-top slime on His hands and next dawn No marsh mud on his face this time § Th-e fi-rst de-ad-line Doug Pike ever met 10 |

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Was inside some great airport To get on a jet On a j-et t-o fly To some far flung locale Where there’s salmon or bighorns Or golf with a pal

Bow -oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, -oh-oh-oh-ohoh-oh, -oh-oh-oh-oh-oh hunting In excessive gonzo Bow -oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, -oh-oh-oh-ohoh-oh, -oh-oh-oh-oh-oh hunting In excessive gon-hahn-zo §

§ Jingle bells, shotgun shells, Cal is late again A column or two, every now and then Would give his editor a gri-in!

Jingle bells, shotgun shells, Cal is late again Oh how I hope, by Monday next, he gets his column in

Silent knight, stealthy knight Marullo stalks, camoed right T’ward yon whitetail buck in the trees Marullo crawling, now on his knees Damn! It jumped o’er his stri-ing!

Damn it jumped o’er his string § Come they told me Pa rum pum pum pum With Bob Hood to hunt Pa rum pum pum pum Many guns to bring Pa rum pum pum pum To hunt and shoot at things Pa rum pum pum pum Rum pum pum pum Rum pum pum pum So I brought no guns Pa rum pum pum pum Now I feel dumb §

§ Our three kings are known wide and far Hood and Pike and Doggett they are Sent to fountains, fields, and mountains We found them in yon-der bar

Shooting around the Christmas tree Like LaMascus did last year Plink and bang with holiday glee Though it makes the neighbors scared Shooting around the Christmas tree To make the ornaments pop Having great fun for all to see ‘Til the neighbors called the cops

§ Nugent we have heard on high Flinging arrows with a twang Spirit Wild his vict’ry cry Cat Scratch Fever loud he sang

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Merry Christmas to you and yours, from all of us at Texas Fish & Game!

Email Email Don Don Zaidle Zaidle at at dzaidle@fishgame.com dzaidle@fishgame.com Photo: canstock

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The TF&G Report Texan Wins Toyota Bass Classic in Sudden Death

The Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC), the world championship of professional bass fishing, had to go into overtime to crown a champion. Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas outlasted Mike Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, New Jersey in an unprecedented sudden death fish-off.

Both anglers caught record-setting threeday totals of 76 lbs. 12 oz. before finding out on stage at the final weigh-in that they were tied. The anglers were forced to go back onto the water where the first one to catch a legal 14-inch bass, verified by their

on-the-water judge and tournament officials listening via cell phone, would be declared the winner.

During sudden death it took Combs 45 minutes to reel in the first catch, a 15-inch bass that was good enough for the title.

“I put everything into this, it’s all I wanted to do,” said Combs. “If it gets any better than this I will fall down and pass out.”

Combs led the tournament wire-to-wire to earn $100,000 and a brandnew Legend boat powered

by Evinrude. His day one five-bass limit total of 28 lbs. 8 oz. set a new tournament

single-day record and he followed that with a 27 lb. 4 oz. bag on day two, which was the second-largest one-day total of the tournament.

For the second consecutive year Mike Iaconelli finished the runner-up. The excitable fanfavorite overcame a 4 lb. deficit going into the final day to bag a 25 lb. limit on Sunday that earned him a tie with Combs, but an eventual second-place finish.

Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, SC, the 2011 Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series Angler of the Year, earned a third-place finish with a three-day

Big Bags&Catches

whitetail buck

whitetail buck

redfish

Palo Pinto County

St. Augustine

Port O’Connor

Nic Hirsch shot this 12-point buck near his home in St. Augustine while hunting with his dad. The impressive buck scored 255.

Jerry Thompkins caught and released this 43.5-inch red near Port O’Connor. In addition to this fish he caught and released 7 others ranging in size from 36- to 43-inches. He was out with Dan Poffenberger from Jubilee Guide Service of Rockport.

Dr. Jeff Hulstein took this 10 point buck while hunting in Gordon, Texas, in Palo Pinto County. Dr. Hulstein shot the buck at about 130 yards.

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brings the top anglers together regardless of tour affiliation for a unifying world championship.

Fans at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center in Conroe were treated to three days of first-class entertainment. In addition to daily weigh-ins, fans enjoyed three days of country music concerts and exhibits from over 70 local and national companies.

The Toyota Texas Bass Classic tournament functions are operated by the

Professional Anglers Association with technical assistance and support from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division. Title sponsor for the event is Toyota. Additional sponsors include Evinrude, IKON, Oakley, Carrot Stix, US Reel and Mustang CAT.

Texan Keith Combs with his 2011 Toyota Texas Bass Classic trophy.

total of 50 lbs., which was over 26 lbs. behind the leaders.

Combs also earned the ATX Wheels Big Bass Award for his 10 lb. 2 oz. catch on Friday. Combs will receive a set of four ATX Series wheels for his efforts.

The unique professional angling tournament focuses on conservation and features a catch and release program that highlights the efforts of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. A generous donation of $250,000 was given to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on behalf of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic to fund youth education and outreach programs. Over the past five years, $1.25 million has been donated to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department through the TTBC. The TTBC featured an elite field of 50 anglers from around the world, including the best from the Walmart FLW Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series and Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series. It is the only event in the sport of bass fishing that Photo courtesy toyota texas bass classic

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Chester’s Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

Cast & Blast Highlights Year’s End

W

ow!

It is hard to believe 2011 is coming to a close but the fact is another year has passed us by and in the world of Texas Fish & Game and the life of Chester Moore that means many

projects have come, gone and are taking place.

TF&G and Chevrolet have partnered up to make the Chevy Cast & Blast a reality.

It started Oct. 1 and through the end of this month, I will be taking the 2012 Silverado all over the state in search of everything from whitetails to wood ducks and lunker bass to super-sized speckled trout.

As with anything we do with our partners, the idea is to deliver quality content that matches the spirit of the project and with the Cast & Blast we are highlighting Texas’ amazing outdoors opportunities and love for trucks.

We have a dedicated blog at www. fishgame.com called Chevy Cast & Blast Adventures that has tons of my field notes, commentaries, photographs and videos from

this quest.

Highlights include: Fork Monster Bass: Learn the best strategies for catching super-sized bass on Lake Fork as well as other East Texas reservoirs.

Rub Vs. Scrape: Find out what research shows in the age-old argument of which buck sign is better to hunt.

Ducks in Drought: Learn about the impacts of the drought on Texas’ waterfowl.

Fast Flounder: Want to see how fast flounder can swim? You will love brief and unique underwater clip.

Speaking of flounder, by the time this edition hits readers I will have wrapped up the third year of Flounder Revolution ® replica tournaments.

March-November, we have an on-line

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“catch, photo, and release” tournament, where anglers register flounder measuring 20 inches or more. Participants enter the tournament by following the photo, documentation, and release guidelines at www. flounderrevolution.com. At month’s end, the angler with the longest fish wins an awesome replica of their catch, produced by The Fish Mount Store.

The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is the sponsor of the replica program and through their support and our outreach efforts hundreds of prime breeding-sized flounder are being released to produce more of their kind.

While I will never be someone to tell people to release everything they catch, it is important to put back the big, spawningsized fish of any species. It has worked with largemouth bass and it will work with flounder as well. We are in an exciting time because according to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologists we are seeing the highest coast wide flounder counts in more than a decade.

Things are falling in place for the species and Flounder Revolution is excited to be at the forefront.

While the flounder run puts an exclamation point on the fall fishing season in grand fashion, we are in the midst of hunting season. I hunt whitetails but waterfowl and hogs have always been my favorite quarry.

A few years ago we released by book Texas Waterfowl that has enjoyed tremendous feedback from the waterfowl hunting community in the Lone Star State. The approach I took with it was to integrate deep knowledge of the birds themselves, their biology and habitat with hunting techniques and tactics.

It has always been my contention that we in the outdoors communication business too often overlook the actual creatures we are pursuing and opt for tech-only oriented pieces on many occasions. I always enjoyed reading the writers who could tie in the scientific, the technical and the excitement in one package.

We are about to do just that with my latest book about hogs and hog hunting. At the time of this writing we had not yet chosen the perfect title but I can tell you the book itself is one I am proud of. Hog hunting is an incredibly important part of the Texas outdoors culture and is one that is as multifaceted as deer hunting.

Conducting research for the book saw me learning some unique things about hogs including many things that answered questions about strange situations encountered in the field. As far as I know there has never been a book on hogs that traces the origins of the animals we hunt as much as this one and also one that covers as much ground on tactics for scoring on these animals.

It is exciting to be part of TF&G and have creative license to go into these projects with

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not only the goal of doing good business but creating something that excites me and hopefully all of you.

Know that your support is greatly appreciated and none of us ever take it for granted.

Have a very merry Christmas and remember the true reason for the season.

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Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Blind Ambitions

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box blind overlooking a game feeder or food plot is the typical setup for tagging a white-tailed deer in Texas.

It has been since the .270 Winchester was a brand-new cartridge and not much promises to change this season.

You hear dramatic stories of still hunting, spot-and-stalking, and horn rattling and, yes, these sophisticated and specialized techniques are successful. But the go-to plan for generations of Lone Star hunters is to climb into a box blind (either situated on the ground or on a tower) and wait for a legal deer to amble within clean range.

This proven method especially is effective for the beginner. And, each year, thousands of newcomers toting resident and non-resident hunting licenses are in the brush and woods across the Lone Star State. Here, for benefit of first-timers, are a few pointers honed over almost 50 years of “stand hunting.”

First, if you are serious, you need to be situated before the first hint of shooting light.

The early arrival allows the surrounding brush to settle down. Now, you are waiting in ambush to evaluate unsuspecting game and playing for a high-percentage shot.

Don’t squander this trump by oversleeping and spooking nearby animals by blundering after daylight into the hunting area.

If possible, inspect the blind during daylight prior to the hunt. Verify that the towerblind ladder is secure and stable. Learn where the door and window/port latches are located and check for smooth operation.

Look for any active wasp nests tucked into corners. A swarm of yellowjackets can be a hunt-killer on a warm day. And, naturally, you left the big can of Yard Guard back at camp.

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one of the all-time great shocks is opening a predawn blind door as a frantic owl fans six inches past your face. I almost went over backwards on a high tower years ago in South Texas.

Confirm that a worthwhile seat is available. It’s hard to remain still for any length of time on a rickety old peach crate or a stool with no backrest. Sit in the chair and turn or swivel left and right and discover where the worst squeaks and pops are waiting. Trust me, a few will be there. This knowledge might come in handy later, as a set of gleaming antlers steps from the side and you make an abrupt weight shift to cover the chance.

Most important, travel with an unloaded rifle to the morning stand. It’s black dark— you’re not going to shoot at anything. The experienced hunter with a bolt rifle might hedge by pushing the cartridges down into the magazine and carefully closing the action onto an empty chamber, but I’m pleading with the rookie to stay away from this.

Cartridges in a rifle during a predawn transit are a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Open the bolt and stick your pinky into the chamber. Verify that the chamber and magazine are empty. Stash the four or five cartridges (normal capacity for most deer-caliber bolt rifles) in a secure shirt or parka pocket for easy access with minimal fumbling. Or, place a box of cartridges in a “blind bag.”

A great gadget for close work for the predawn stand hunter is a small headlamp or cap clip-on light that throws a soft beam. If you’re alone and facing a tower blind, do not overload. Leave at least one hand free and make two trips up the ladder, if necessary.

Always keep the rifle muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Yes, it’s unloaded but...

Once situated, open the box-blind windows. Do it right now; get the commotion over with. This means all four windows unless the weather truly is inclement. As sure as you “wuss out” and leave one closed, guess where that 160-gross “jacket buck” will appear. Now, guess what happens when with shaking hands your try to slide the confounded window open.

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No, be prepared early to cover your chances. It’s still dark, maybe the just hint of gray showing. Raise the unloaded rifle and practice easing it into position. Keep the movements tight and low; remember, in a flurry of excitement in a cramped blind it can be horrifyingly easy to whack the muzzle into the roof.

Practice utilizing whatever rests or pads are available to help stabilize the shot (for example, supporting the shooting elbow or bracing your back against a corner of the blind). Circumstance vary, so try to figure what works. Any brace is better than none.

While you’re fine-tuning, turn the variable scope to its lowest power. The wider field of view soaks up more ambient light and, very important, provides faster target acquisition. If you can actually see a deer during the first 30 minutes of inchmeal grey, it will be close _ closer than you think. You don’t need 12X at 40 yards.

Finally, use the headlight to load the rifle.

It’s still too dark to shoot, but you are in a safe and stable mode and you want to be ready for the first opportunity. Remember, the super-early game sightings in faint light are “right there.” Attempting to orchestrate the entire loading drill over a deer close enough to hit with a rock is entirely too noisy and time-consuming.

Safety always comes first: The rookie is advised to leave the chamber empty. If a “shooter” steps out, trust to slowly, gingerly working the bolt to cycle a cartridge. There will be a slight mechanical click and snick, but maybe you can get away with it. At least you haven’t shot the top of the blind off. Or worse.

The veteran deerslayer can put a hot one in the chamber and make certain the rifle is in a “safe” mode. If this is your first deer hunt, this would not be you.

Either way, prop the rifle in a secure corner, away from shifting feet, with the stable butt down. Now, as the growing light defines the near brush, grab your binoculars and start hunting.

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

Science or Fiction

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ope you’re not tired of columns about relying on science, not fiction, for wildlife management, because I’ll never tire of writing them.

If we are going to enjoy hunting and fishing deep into the future, we ultimately have to embrace facts and the people who gather them.

Sensible and timeless as that principle may seem, it remains foreign to a staggering number of consumptive outdoors enthusiasts. Among us still walk far too many folks

who can ignore and dismiss 20, 40 or more years of work performed by unbiased professionals. Instead, they are comfortable siding blindly and perpetually with dreamers and fools.

“It” should be this way, they’ll say, because that’s how the guys at the bait camp or the barber shop said it was when they were growing up in the Rolling Stone ages.

Or it’s that way, because that’s the way it is every time MeeMaw’s bursitis acts up.

Truth is, bait-camp bull sessions have nothing to do with sound wildlife or fisheries management. They’re great places to tell stories and get mud minnows, even to express displeasure in the status quo, but cleaningtable judgment sometimes is clouded by long days of heavy sun and light beer.

Your results or mine over the past 20

years can be quite accurately indicative of how we’ve done and what we’ve observed as hunters or fishermen, but they’re not reflections of an entire, statewide resource or its general health. Our records are snapshots, single entries in an enormous album of data.

They’re pieces of a puzzle – and deserve recognition as such – but they’re small pieces.

It isn’t until you put all those pieces together, then replace them annually for decades and study all those new pieces and their relationships to the old ones, that you can begin to craft any sort of valid management strategy.

The validity of that strategy has to be measured also against the manager’s stake in the game. As recreational anglers, each of us has done our share of finger pointing at commercial fishermen over the years.

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They get too many, goes the timeworn hew and cry, and we get too few. Give us more, and take some from them. Trouble with that line of thinking is that it never addresses the correct total of a particular fish that can be taken sustainably. It’s greeddriven, and that’s a natural byproduct of letting emotion get in the way of fact.

I prefer my rules and regulations to be generated by people who study natural resources professionally and without care for where that study leads. If they’re fishermen and hunters, as well, all the better. And if they’ll listen to fishermen and hunters, if they’ll allow data collected by hunters and fishermen be legitimate parts of the equation, better still.

The trouble with trusting scientists is they’re not all working at the same level of dedication or expertise. I like good science collected without prejudice. I abhor sloppy and incomplete science, which shouldn’t form the foundation for so much as a single line in any management plan.

And, dare I say it, some of the biologists entering wildlife- management careers these days quietly intend to reduce or eliminate consumptive outdoor recreation. That ugly truth is tucked away for another time and space.

Carefully collected and generated science is the only legitimate path to successful wildlife management. When it’s otherwise, science becomes a hopeless pit of a mess that leaves all sides angry and frustrated and swapping fantastic stories about the shortcomings of the other side. (See: red snapper.)

The cure for bad science isn’t to gather up the catch logs of 10 or 20 salty captains, or to look at the numbers of ducks or deer taken by a couple dozen guides on as many ranches. Neither is it to do as has been done in the past and count empty slips in coastal marina and them extrapolate that information somehow into angler success. That’s like counting bugs on the windshield and using that number to determine statewide insect populations.

Texas is a big state, and the Gulf of Mexico is a big water body. We need big information to set management criteria for their big resources.

If any of us contends that the science behind a rule is bad – and it has been in several cases over the years – the first step toward a better plan or policy is to respect

the process flaws and all. Call the program a total wreck if you like, but don’t automatically condemn the people who made the counts or submitted the management plans.

Better wildlife and fisheries management starts with our continued vigilance over the sometimes downright silly methodology applied to the task. But it isn’t enough anymore to simply declare something broken and demand that someone else fix it. It’s time we, as primary stakeholders, bring more

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than pounding fists to the table.

Step back, recognize this as a long process with no overnight solutions. Think, independently, then offer logical, fact-based solutions of your own. Good scientists seeking good science will welcome the help.

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Email Doug Pike at dpike@fishgame.com

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Ted’s TexasWild

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

It’s All About the Memories

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rowing up in the new musical whirlwind of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and the thrilling new bowhunting world of Fred Bear was very, very exciting. Inspired by these masters of rock-n-roll, I attacked my guitar and musical dreams with a passion fire the likes of which I had no control over. And as far as the mystical flight of the arrow went, I was long gone, addicted, hooked, in love L-U-V, bow and arrow crazy.

Driven by the love and discipline of my incredible parents, I practiced my guitar with a vengeance and shot my bow and arrows every day. I literally could not get enough of either of these passions, and pursued them with every ounce of my being. It was a fascinating, wonderful way to grow up in America, and my memory bank bursts at the seams with glowing, powerful images of family joy and happiness with guitars, guns, bows and arrows.

But as jam packed as my memory bank is, unfortunately the family photo album is a little sparse on snapshots from the old Brownie automatic camera. We have a few dazzling photos of our wonderful family doing all sorts of fun stuff in those early years of the 1950s and early 60s, but I sure wish we had taken the time to take more photos.

As I think back to those annual excursions Up North for opening day of bow season in October, my mind reels with graphic details of the gas stations with bows

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and arrows and guns and ammo on display.

The firestorm of colors in those Michigan hardwoods is as if they are silkscreened on my soul.

I can see my hero Fred Bear sitting next to me at the counter of the Grayling restaurant eating our cherry pie and sipping big glasses of milk together.

How I wish we had captured those incredible memories on film.

We don’t have photos of us catching little blue gills at the woodland lake. No photos of the little log cabin on the beautiful Titabawasee River, gathering wood, hauling

Left to right: John Nugent, Jeff Nugent, and Ted Nugent.

water, frying bacon, roasting marshmallows, shooting our bows and .22 rifles.

There are no photos of my first squirrel, my fist deer, my first rabbit.

I would have never imagined I would grow up to be a professional outdoor writer or New York Times Best Selling author, much less the American rock-n-roll guitar guy. No one could have ever guessed I would dedicate my life to promoting our honorable hunting heritage and Second Amendment rights. Photos of my early years living that life sure would have come in mighty handy for such a career.

And even if such a career had never taken shape, I would really love to be able to show my kids and grandkids photos of the old

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man in action as a little boy who cherished my outdoor lifestyle from the very beginning.

So here’s to everyone out there who loves the great outdoors and thrills at taking our kids, grandkids, family and friends hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, camping, boating and exploring.

Do yourself a favor and always bring along a decent camera with plenty of spare batteries and memory cards. Take that extra time to stop and document what I believe to be the most cherished lifetime memories of all; families having fun living the outdoor lifestyle.

Capture those life forming moments when we are celebrating the outdoor life we all so love. Get a photo of the young boys and girls with their first fish, their first bulls-eye, a first burnt marshmallow or a hot dog on a stick over an open campfire.

Document those glowing smiles, not just for the happy, forever memories, but also to share with other friends, neighbors and classmate just how much fun all these great outdoor activities are for everyone fortunate enough to live them.

By sharing such photos with others, I am convinced the joys will be contagious and a darn good tool for luring more and more families into the shooting sports, and we can all agree just how great that always is.

You and your entire family will be happy you did.

Guns; check. Ammo; check. Bows and arrows; check. Tent; check. Stools; check.

Canoe; Check. Fishing poles; Check.

Tacklebox; Check. Bait; Check. Camera and batteries; Check.

Happy.

Email Ted Nugent at Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@fishgame.com tnugent@fishgame.com

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11/4/11 2:29 PM

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

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avid Bynum and I have been friends for almost 40 years, so when he sent the first installment of his ‘Afghanistan Report’ to family and friends back in August, I was on the list.

David is a U.S. Navy Chaplain, and he is currently about halfway through a 12-month deployment to the Sand Box. Since September 2001 patriotism has enjoyed a renewal in America, and almost all of us try to show support for our troops deployed overseas one way or another. But when a family member or friend is involved, our support and prayers become more personal. Now, as during David’s previous stints, in Bahrain during 2001-02 and in the Arabian Gulf in 2007, I think of him when I think of our servicemen and women, and the sacrifices they make for us.

I also think of David’s family, and instead of some nameless, faceless people whose loved one is gone for a year, I see Elizabeth, and Rebekah, and Micah, and try to imagine their loneliness in David’s absence. The whole process, when we know the people who are giving up so much for us, becomes a thing of weight and substance. We feel it.

David is stationed, mostly, in Kabul, and lives in a compound there when he isn’t traveling to various posts doing chaplaintype things. On his second day in Kabul he decided to go for a run on a road that rings the inside of the perimeter fence of the compound, and is a little over half a mile long.

On his first and only lap, David rounded a corner and saw a sign posted beside the road that said, “Sniper Zone – Begin Sprint,” and had a picture of a runner and a target on it.

David began sprint. He was wearing the usual Navy PT uniform of blue shorts and gold T-shirt, which he figured should make a good target from a respectable distance.

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Sitting in a hospital bed waiting to heal is never fun.

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God Bless Our Troops

He zigged and zagged, and generally tried to make himself look like someone who probably wasn’t worth the expenditure in ammunition it would take to shoot him.

Later David learned the sign was only a military attempt at humor, and there probably weren’t any snipers lying in the dunes, aiming their Druganovs at him. He had a good laugh over the experience, but in Afghanistan, you never know. It’s always best to take things seriously. Because there really are snipers over there, and plenty of others who are actively engaged in doing

harm to our troops. Far too often they are successful.

Many of our wounded end up being treated at Brook Army Medical Center, which is part of the San Antonio Military Medical Center, the largest inpatient medical facility the Department of Defense has.

It is also the only DOD Burn Center, and the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the U.S. Combat Marine Outdoors is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2005 to give something back to some of the wounded Marines who end up at Brook. The volunteers at CMO work closely with the staff at Brook, picking up Marines as soon as they are able to be released from the hospital for a day or two, and taking them on hunting and fishing trips. CMO is Marines helping Marines, and the experiences they provide allow many of our wounded heroes to readjust to their world far more quickly than they would otherwise.

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ous, active, productive lifestyle. The hunting and fishing trips arranged by CMO offer a chance for wounded Marines to feel vital again, to see the reasons they have to recuperate and go on with their lives. Perhaps as important, the trips show these warriors that the people they have sacrificed part of their lives for care, that they are appreciated.

CMO has about 50 ranches in active participation with the program, but there is always a need for funds. Donations are always welcome, and fundraisers help fill the coffers. This December 10 one such event will be held at the National Shooting Sports Complex in San Antonio, and will be an opportunity for grateful citizens of all ages to have a wonderful time, while showing support for those who have given so much for us.

The event is called a .22 Plink Fest, and will include three handgun events and three rifle events, all with .22 caliber firearms, and the targets will be metal silhouettes at various ranges. There will be loaner guns available for those who don’t have their own, and the cost of entry for the entire event is $75 per person – little enough to help out those who have fought to preserve our way of life. Sponsors are especially needed for this event.

Christmas is always a difficult time for servicemen and women, but it is especially depressing for those who have to spend the holidays in a hospital, far from friends and loved ones. Your support could make the difference in giving one of our wounded heroes a chance to make an outdoor memory, and begin the journey back to good health.

Every evening my friend, Tim Airheart, makes the same post to his Facebook status: Good night, and God bless our troops. I can’t add anything to that.

For information about Combat Marine Outdoors or the .22 Plink Fest, visit combatmarineoutdoors.org or call Dan Moseley at 210.867.3467

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Photo: Courtesy Dillon Chevalier

11/7/11 11:46 AM

Dillon Chevalier’s Impressive Buck Perfectly Illustrates What it Takes to Successfully Hunt a Free Range Trophy by paul bradshaw

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11/7/11 11:46 AM

WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE of Dillon Chevalier’s buck my first thought was “Wow, that’s an impressive animal.” When I later learned that is was taken just two miles from where I hunt, I’ll admit that I was a little bit jealous and had to know the story of this remarkable animal.

We’ll get this part out of the way right now since everyone will want to know. This is a free range (no fences other than barbed wire, the way it should be) buck, with a gross Boone & Crockett score of 191 5/8 (net 182 2/8) taken with a bow on a wellmanaged East Texas ranch. That’s right, East Texas. Yes, I know the exact location.

No, I will not tell you.

The story of how this buck was taken is almost as impressive as the animal itself.

The steps Dillon took to get this monster are the perfect example of what it takes to effectively hunt dominant bucks.

While Dillon took his buck late in October of 2010, the story of this beast starts a full year earlier when he first made an appearance on game cameras on the ranch. Big bucks don’t get that way by being dumb and this one was no exception. Only coming out at night, the only way Dillon knew the buck existed was due to the game camera pictures.

As a matter of fact, the only time he ever saw it during daylight was the day he arrowed it.

Game camera technology has come a long way in the last decade making them more affordable and easier to use than ever.

So the first tip for taking the dominant buck in your area is to put out cameras so you actually know what you are hunting. In Dillon’s case, he saw multiple bucks while on stand but knew there was something bigger out there.

Dillon’s buck was captured on a trail camera a full year before he took it down.

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The use of cameras also allows you to scout without disturbing your hunting area.

Big bucks won’t tolerate an overload of human activity in their home range without shifting travel patterns so to keep them around you need to minimize your impact.

Back to Dillon’s buck, you hear stories about how a true bruiser buck is taken 15 minutes into the season, from a stand that the hunter had meticulously hung earlier in the summer making sure shooting lanes were trimmed months in advance. This isn’t one of those. The stand Dillon originally started using was placed in a pine tree overlooking a meadow covering a heavily traveled game trail. It was near, but not sitting directly on a feeder. While this looked like the ideal location, the deer had other plans.

For almost all of archery season Dillon climbed into his stand and kept seeing bucks, but they were staying on the other side of the meadow well out of bow range.

The bucks would cruise by, looking out over the opening for feeding does before moving on, or would pick up acorns under a trio of oak trees.

To put some meat in the freezer or antlers on the wall, it was time for a change so Dillon moved his stand to where the deer wanted to be.

This leads us to the second key to taking a big buck, the willingness to move. Deer hunters are creatures of habit. We set up a stand in early August, in a spot we like, then sit in it every weekend between the first Saturday in October and the last day of the season, hoping a big buck walks by. We try to stack the odds in our favor by putting out a feeder to draw them in close, but if you truly want to up take a dominant deer you have to get in his living room. While Dillon was close with his first set-up, he observed where the deer wanted to be and adjusted his stand to an even better location. You have to be willing to admit you were wrong and move as the deer activity dictates.

By the time the end of October rolls around in my neck of the woods, the bucks thoughts have changed from food to love and the deer around Dillon’s stand were right on time. On Saturday, October 30th, he spent

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time on stand and watched multiple bucks pushing does throughout the day. Rattling and grunting seemed to get their attention but not enough to make them break away from the does they were chasing.

The morning of Sunday, October 31st started out similarly to the day before.

Before legal shooting light Dillon had two does feeding on acorns right below him.

Before the sun came up the does wandered off to another feeding area but were replaced shortly by a buck, but it was still well before shooting light. From the size of the gray blob feeding underneath him, Dillon knew it was a mature animal, he just didn’t know whether it was legal or not (since he hunts in an antler restricted county). The closer to daylight it got, the bigger the buck got (that’s an understatement) until it came to the point that Dillon could no longer look at it for fear of getting buck fever.

Just when legal shooting time rolled around two does came back to feed, and the chase was on as the buck went after them only to stop around 40 yards away.

Luckily, the does came back and went directly under his stand leading the monster buck by for a 17-yard shot. One well-placed arrow put the beast down within 100 yards and Dillon had a buck most of us only dream about. Dillon told me that his main goal as an archery hunter was to stick a 125 inch buck. He did that, plus 60 inches.

The last thing we can learn from Dillon’s story about taking dominant bucks is that even deer get stupid around their girlfriends.

During the rut even mature bucks can slip up while chasing does so if you have any vacation time to burn deer hunting, be sure to plan it around the prime rutting period for your hunting area.

Also, have patience. At one point, while the buck was chasing does, it stopped broadside at 40 yards and Dillon thought about taking the shot even though he had never attempted a shot that long before. In the end he decided against it and I think we can all agree that his self-control paid off in the end.

Photo courtesy dillon Chevaier

11/7/11 11:46 AM

Texas Bowhunting

by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

10 Resolutions for the Bowhunter

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t’s December…time for Christmas fun, cookies and way too much food. It is also a time when we hear promises of hope and peace for the New Year. A time when the cooler days of fall are now exchanged for the colder days of winter.

Every year at this time, friends and family gather round and make promises of a better life. Unfortunately, they usually cannot keep these well-intentioned ideas no matter how hard they try.

I thought, for Christmas, we bowhunters should make our own resolutions and actually try hard to improve our hunting or our hunting methods for the coming year. Here is my top ten list:

1. I RESOLVE to keep my hunting gear clean. How many times have you come home from a day-long hunt and found yourself bone tired? So exhausted, in fact, that cleaning our gear instead of sitting down in that easy chair with a nice cool beverage, is so far removed from our “to do” list that it has been moved to our “procrastinator” list.

(Now that’s a LONG list!)

2. I RESOLVE to get out in the woods and do my scouting early next year. No longer will I wait until the last minute to scout for a good place to hunt. Find the perfect locations early and keep your human scent to a minimum. I can make a promise to you. You will see more deer if you stay out of their living area as much as possible.

3. I RESOLVE to take the time to cut more shooting lanes. This is another reason why we should do our scouting early. It is important to get our stands up so we can clear any small twigs and branches that might get in the way of a good shot. Why is it that after clearing a few shooting lanes, the deer seem to always be in an area where we cannot get

a clear shot? Remember to make enough shooting lanes but do it early so the deer get used to the change.

4. I RESOLVE to scent-proof all my hunting clothes before every hunt. Always respect the nose of a whitetail. Nothing will give your location away faster than a slight breeze. That is why you need to take every precaution possible to blend in the woods and hide your human scent from the nose of that deer. Scent eliminating products from Hunter’s Specialties and Wildlife Research Center both work great and should be in every bowhunter’s backpack.

5. I RESOLVE to have a pro shop check and tune my bow. A well-tuned bow will help insure that your arrow flies true.

Wherever you buy your bow, make sure you take the time to bring it to a professional. He or she will check that bow and make sure it is in perfect condition to help bring home the venison.

6. I RESOLVE to PRACTICE. If you think you have practiced enough, then you need to practice more. That sounds strange, I know, but the truth is that the more you practice the better you will become. With practice comes the confidence you will need for a successful hunt. Remember that although your field tips may fly perfect, you will still need to shoot your broadheads before the season and make any adjustments that are needed.

The night before the opener is not the time to start shooting broadheads. Practice with the clothes you plan to hunt with. That way, there will be no surprises when you release the bow string. Does it hit the brim of your hat? Does your coat sleeve cause a problem with your shot? You can easily see the importance of practice no matter how good you think you shoot.

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7. I promise to try different broadheads. I can hear you now…why should I change broadheads? You may be right, but you also may be wrong. Every year new broadheads hit the market with the promise of being the very best! The best broadhead for you is the one that shoots well out of your bow. The only way you can find that out is by trying as many as you can. A pro shop will be happy to let you shoot different broadheads. You may also decide that you like the mechanicals instead of the fixed bladed ones. The important thing to remember is to make sure whatever choice you make, the broadhead is razor sharp.

8. I RESOLVE to learn how to butcher my own deer. Part of bow hunting is taking care of that venison from field to freezer.

The cost of having your deer processed is escalating every year. Why not get yourself a DVD on processing your animal and just go for it. You will find it is not too difficult and you will have a sense of pride knowing that you were able to cut those steaks by yourself.

9. I RESOLVE to introduce bowhunting to a child. Watching the smile on a child’s face when he or she sees their first whitetail is infectious. There is no better feeling in the world than bringing the joy of the outdoor life inside the mind of a child. You need patience and you will need to always remember that a child may get bored quickly. One mistake too many parents make is forcing their kid to stay out in the field even when things are too slow. Remember, it is their hunt. Make it fun. Make it memorable. You will have a hunting partner for life.

10. I RESOLVE to stop by the Florist!

This is the one that most hunters forget. I know that in my household, my wife puts up with my constant chatter about hunting. TV hunting shows that never end, and hours of being home alone while I pursue my love of bowhunting. Flowers? Oh yeah, don’t forget the flowers, and lots of them.

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Email Lou Marullo at lmarullo@fishgame.com |

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Positioning Tactics Pros Use to Make Their Boats Invisible by chester moore

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PhotO: Chester Moore

11/7/11 2:03 PM

Rick Clunn believes he could have won 6 or 7 more tournaments simply by having his Power Poles.

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when rick clunn talks, people listen. I know I do. While I was on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake with Clunn last September, the four-time Bassmaster Classic champion made an amazing observation.

“If I had these power poles my entire career I would have won six or seven more tournaments. Boat positioning is extremely important and these just make things so much easier and allow an angler to keep a boat position exactly where he or she needs to be.”

Power Poles are essentially remote control shallow water anchors that stab into the bottom silently at the touch of a button, keeping it in place even in wind and current.

While I have always understood boat positioning is important hearing a statement like that from Clunn who is not only one of the greatest professional anglers of all time but also is someone not known for hyperbole.

Flash forward two months and I was in a boat next to my buddy Mark Davis of Penn’s Big Water Adventures and Capt.

Kirk Stansel of Hackberry Rod and Gun. They were hammering the bull redfish on black/chartreuse Bomber Saltwater Grade grubs tipped with shrimp and the three of us in the boat next to them only caught a few.

I watched closely what they were doing and as it turns out they were just over a particular rock outcropping about 24 yards away from the jetties on the edge of a big eddy.

“They’re right there,” Davis said.

“Wham!”

His rod doubled over and he was hooked up. Then Stansel got hooked up and we were getting a bit jealous.

After a little adjustment, we found a similar outcropping just a few feet away and once were able to get on top of it, we caught reds, lots of them. We could have stayed on the same position and caught stragglers because after all it seemed silly that just a few feet away we could catch so many more but the fact is we could and we did.

That incident made me reflect so many times on various fishing trips where one boat seemingly fishing the same spot as another with the same lures was out fishing the other at an amazing rate. In hindsight it was about boat positioning and now we have technology that can make a huge difference.

Take the Minn-Kota i-Pilot for example.

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It is a trolling motor control system that uses GPS technology to navigate and position a boat for anglers.

“What the i-Pilot does is revolutionary,”

said Minn Kota’s marketing director Joe Brown.

“It allows anglers to navigate hands free and lock onto a spot at an exact coordinate.

Mark Davis works over a very specific spot at the Camera, La. jetties.

Mark Davis shows the results of fishing a tiny spot at the huge expanse of jetties in Cameron, La.

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Photos: chester moore

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This is something that just a few years ago seemed distant and now we have it in place and anglers are responding in a huge, positive way.”

The Record a Track feature allows an entire fishing track, up to a remarkable two miles in length, to be stored to memory for immediate retracing or a later return trip.

As many as three different tracks can be recorded and stored at a time.

The Spot-Lock feature works like an electronic anchor, holding the boat in place.

If the boat drifts more than five feet from the Spot-Lock location, i-Pilot will activate the trolling motor to keep the angler on the designated spot. It automatically corrects for wind, waves, current and drift. The “recall” feature for Spot-Lock provides the ability to return to that specific location at a later time. Up to three Spot-Lock locations can be stored at a time. Brown said the i-Pilot system also offers Cruise Control. With Cruise Control, i-Pilot maintains real-time on-the-water boat speed in one-tenth mileper-hour increments. This precise speed control allows the angler to dial in bait presentations in trolling applications.

While these technological innovations are great tools, not everyone can afford. These days, some people have a hard time affording to go fishing.

This does not mean you cannot tap into top boat position but it does mean you will have to work a little harder.

Most anglers do not have nearly enough rope for their anchors. In rough water and in current in particular the longer the rope the less chance you have of dragging anchor and staying in the position you want. Most everyone can afford a GPS these days and they can really help you get right on the spot you want if you have hot spots marked.

Take your GPS and anchor a good ways upwind or up current of the spot. Then slowly let out line and carefully let it out until your boat is in the exact position you need for optimal angling. Anglers without GPS can use buoy markers to help them lock on a spot and give them a strong visual cue to focus on.

Anglers that are the most successful are the ones that take the water out of the equation and envision the layout of the bottom, cover and structure. Now we have technology that accomplishes that for us in amazing ways but even for those who do not visually picturing a spot and learning it by “feel” can allow you to do great things on the water.

One of my favorite flounder spots is far more productive if you make long, diagonal casts around a particular flat. This requires very particular positioning and at times some aggravation to make happen. It would be easy to go somewhere else because I was not catching fish the way I wanted to. However, I know during certain conditions, the fish are there and by getting setup to put the lure in the strike zone I am almost always able to set the hook on some flatfish.

It is hard to argue with success and if we

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admit it in many cases that involves carefully, well thought out positioning to go along with our fishing skills.

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On the Web Watch Chester Moore’s interviews with Rick Clunn: www.FishGame.com/video

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11/7/11 10:08 AM

Texas Department of Defense Rancher’s Rigs

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he title of this came to me as I was watching a movie. Yeah, I know, I watch too much TV. Still, it is a good title, and a valid topic. The topic here in not solely gun rigs for ranchers, but also rigs that are suitable for those of us who spend a good bit of time in the brush, away from a city, whether as ranchers, farmers, hunters, or outdoors persons of other interests, and can carry our handguns openly.

These days, I strongly recommend that anyone legally entitled to carry a handgun do so, whether they carry it concealed or in a visible holster. We have discussed holsters and methods for concealed carry (and will probably do so again in the future, in greater depth), so now we are going to discuss holsters and belts for those who carry their guns every day in situations, and locations where they do not need to be concealed. Mostly that is out on the ranches, thus the title.

For more than 20 years I wore a gun almost every day on a gun belt called a River Belt, in a holster that was a standard leather holster with a thumb break safety strap. In all that time I only lost control of my gun once. As I chased a smuggler across a rootplowed field I somehow managed to hit the thumb break with my elbow and the gun fell out of my holster. I caught the smuggler about a half-mile out in the brush. After I had the smuggler handcuffed I retraced my tracks and found the gun.

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ster probably saved my life. I got involved in a really bad situation, mostly through my own stupidity. One day near noon, on the banks of the Rio Grande, just south of Laredo, I stepped out in front of what I thought was an ordinary illegal alien and it turned out to be a drug smuggler with a gun in his belt.

When I saw the gun I was so close to him that instead of drawing mine and shooting him, I reached out with my right hand and Border Patrol River Belt

grabbed his gun. He in turn reached out and grabbed mine.

The next thing I knew I was in a teeth and fingernails fight for my life. Thank God, he did not manage to get my gun out of my holster, but I was able to pull his out of his waistband and end the fight. It was a nickel-plated Star 9mm semi-auto.

Anyway, the River Belt was 2 ¼” wide. The holsters that I wore most were, as I said, some kind of thumb break, made of high quality leather.

I wore out several holsters over the years.

When I was in the horse patrol in Laredo in the mid-1980s I found that I needed a holster with a bit more retention than my standard thumb break, and bought a Bianchi Judge, a clamshelltype holster that was kept closed by spring tension. The gun was drawn by shoving it forward between the two halves. It was very secure and plenty quick, when you got used to it.

It you are a rancher, farmer, or have a hunting lease anywhere near the Mexican Border, I strongly urge you to go armed anytime you are afield. Incidents of violence are increasing daily, and having a gun under

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| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus the seat of the pickup is not a solution. One of the tricks is for the bad guys, whether they be illegal aliens, drug smugglers, or whatever, to lay in wait at a closed gate. When the rancher, deer hunter, oil well checker, or whatever, pulls up and gets out of his truck to open the gate, he is jumped, beaten, or worse, and his truck stolen. This has happened many times. A gun in the truck does you no good in this situation. The same can be said if you are out filling deer feeders, fixing blinds, digging post holes, stringing wire, or any of the other multitude of things that need doing on a ranch or deer lease.

In these instances, on private land, you can carry any kind of holster and belt you desire, depending, of course, on the landowner’s rules regarding firearms. One of the criteria for selecting a holster and belt is the size and weight of the gun you

Street Combat holster

intend to carry. A lightweight gun, such as a snubby .38 can be carried on the pants belt with little inconvenience, but a big gun, like my Model 625 Smith & Wesson .45 Colt, will pull your pants down, if you’re not careful.

I often carry my big .45 Colt in an El Paso Saddlery Street Combat holster on my pants belt with a pair of suspenders that hook to my belt. It is comfortable and fast to draw. The holster has no retention strap, Photos: Steve LaMascus

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but has a piece of spring steel in the bottom of the holster that grips the muzzle of the gun. It is very secure. I could, if I were 30 years younger and so inclined, do all kinds of gymnastics without losing the gun.

If you wish to carry your gun on a gun belt, the old Border Patrol River Belt is still made. I know that El Paso Saddlery makes it, so does Don Hume, and I assume there are other makers who do. I found it to be comfortable and have never found anything better suited for the purpose. In fact, I still use my old River Belt on occasion, and it still works just fine.

As for holsters, there are many. I would like to tell you what is best, but that is up to you, and depends a great deal on what kind of gun you carry. You also have a choice between leather and the newer ballistic nylon rigs. The Border Patrol has gone to the nylon and the guys seem to like it. My brother and sons-in-law sing its praises.

Another option is carrying your concealed carry holster on a second belt over your pants. This allows faster acquisition of the gun, and has the added attraction of you

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carrying only one the gun holster for both falling concealed carry out of and open carry. I the holsometimes do this ster every with my Street time you Tom Combat. Almost step out of Threepersons any holster, except the truck. holsters an inside-the-waistIn this situaband holster can be tion you might worn in this manner. consider one of the old-style holsters I also recommend that you carry spare like the Tom Threepersons holster that is ammunition. A magazine pouch or a car- still made by El Paso Saddlery. This holster tridge slide adds almost nothing to the has the “widow strap,” a leather strap that weight of the rig, and could save your life. fits over the hammer of a revolver. And if I carry a cartridge slide, even when I am you are into SASS competition shooting, carrying my little S&W .22 Long Rifle Kit the belt and holster you wear for competiGun. You never know when a dozen extra tion will work just fine for your brush rig, as cartridges will come in handy. will your single-action revolver. I sometimes Since you are not, we pray, going to carry an old model Ruger Blackhawk in be engaged in hand-to-hand combat while .41 Magnum as my brush gun. When I attempting to arrest a violent felon, the reten- do I carry it in an El Paso Saddlery Tom tion level of your holster is of less concern Threepersons. It works just as well for me as to you than it is to the average street cop or it did for the famous Cherokee lawman who Border Patrol agent. However, it is some- invented it. thing to consider. You certainly don’t want

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Photo: NatureGuy, Canstock

11/4/11 11:13 AM

Traditionally the Gamebird of Spring, Turkey Can Easily Become a Holiday Hunting Tradition

by Lou Marullo

EVER SINCE CHARLES DICKENS wrote “A Christmas Carol” way back in 1843, the favorite dish on Christmas day was then and still is for many a nice, plump, juicy turkey. My mouth is watering right now at the mere thought of it roasting in the oven.

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I love turkey hunting. It makes no difference to me if it is in the springtime when the birds are sounding off from the treetops, or in the Fall when they seem to be less vocal.

Turkey hunting, for me, is right up there next to deer hunting. Taking a bird on a cool Autumn morning is not the same as a warm spring hunt. There are different tactics to use to be successful.

The most popular way to hunt these birds in the Spring is to locate them and then try to sound like a lonely hen that is looking for some company! Sounds simple enough. It is a different game in the Fall.

Most hunters who are reading this will be happy to take a turkey if it happens to walk near his or her tree stand during deer season, but not too many will get up at dark thirty in the morning to specifically go after those elusive birds. The truth is, in the Fall, you can sleep in for a little longer and still be successful with turkeys. If you already have a good idea where the birds like to roost during the cooler months, then half the work is already done for you. I have found that where I hunt, the birds like to roost on a hillside in the same general area. It has proven to be true for the Fall hunting as well. The turkeys will not travel far and will most likely be close to the spot where you saw them in the spring.

So what is the best way to take one of these critters during this time of year? One of the most popular is to simply take the foot leather express and walk the turkey woods. I would suggest you take it slow and call every once in a while. Although the birds usually are not very vocal this time of year, they may respond to a soft yelp.

Turkeys like to stay in a group and feel safety in numbers in the Fall. You will find them huddled together scratching and feeding as they move along the woodlot. If you are lucky and see where the birds have already been, you can see the direction they are heading by looking at the scratching marks they leave behind. It will look like a V in the dirt and where the two lines meet will determine which way you should go to catch up to them.

Once you see them, you need to break the flock up. Hopefully scare them so they fly in different directions. If they to fly off in one group and all in the same direction, then you will need to repeat this whole process… find them, scare them and break the flock up.

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have about 20 minutes to get set up before the action begins. The very best place to start is right where you spooked the birds in the first place. Find a good ambush spot and get comfortable. If you have a decoy with you then use it. Turkeys like to be with other turkeys in the fall and using a decoy will distract their attention. Hopefully, it will be enough for you to get a good, clean shot.

Listen for the birds to start their chatter.

As I said earlier, it has been my experience that it will take about 20 minutes. You will notice that the birds want to find each other, but they are very timid and will be very soft with their calls. You will have to do the same. Although a yelp is the most common call a turkey hunter uses, for Fall hunting,

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you must master the ki-ki-run. It is the call of a lost turkey and once mastered, it will bring the birds right to you. It would be impossible to write about that sound, you just need to hear it for yourself. Buy a few good call CD’s. I learned how to do it by listening to real birds in the woods and imitating them. I can only make the sound with a diaphragm call. Someone else might be able to get that sound out of another type of turkey call, but not me.

The turkeys will try to relocate in or near the exact place they were before they were spooked. Once I was hunting in my favorite turkey woods. I was on a ridge and below me was a flock of 20 birds. I ran towards them shooting my gun in the air and screaming sounds out of my mouth that any Demon would have envied! It worked. Birds flew in every direction. After I was set up and waited the appropriate time, I started the soft ki-ki-run. It only took a few minutes when I heard a faint response. I was sitting against a tree in a wrap-around seat when a turkey flew towards me and landed 24 inches from my right foot! I was hunting that day with my bow and could do nothing but watch the bird as it looked for his buddies. It did not take long before most of the birds were assembled again and I could not move to get a full draw on the turkeys! Talk about frustration! Oh well… it was a fun and memorable hunt.

Although I have had plenty of years when my Christmas dinner was complete with a nice wild turkey, this was not one of those years! I have tried in the past to have both a wild bird along with a domestic turkey to please the most demanding pallet.

Part of hunting, for me, is being able to provide meat for my family dinners. I love that part. I just hope I remember to stop at the grocery store and pick up a nice turkey… things did not go as expected in the woods!

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Pppphoto: NatureGuy, Photo Canstock credit

11/7/11 10:16 AM

Hunt Texas

by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

The Improv Hunter

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hile sitting in a make-shift hunting blind that consisted of a small chair and piece of camouflaged netting during opening week of this year’s archery-only hunting season, I had visions not of a heavily-antlered buck but rather a tender doe.

Sure, a big buck within shooting range always is a nice surprise and I occasionally have hunted only for big antlers, but more often than not I hunt for venison. A friend once told me the only thing antlers are good for is stirring the chili. A lot of bucks I have seen shot could support that philosophy but taking a deer of any size or sex is and always should be a personal preference.

My preference during this year’s archeryonly season was to put some venison in my freezer as ground meat, backstraps and roasts and that desire took me to a feeder I had set up on a Lampasas County ranch.

To get within that 20-35-yard range for archery hunting and to take advantage of a southeasterly wind, I set up in a clump of cedar trees where I knew such a shot could be made with my crossbow.

At 7:30 a.m., eleven deer were in front of me at 15 to 25 yards. The largest buck was an eight-pointer that appeared to be about 3 ½ years old. Nothing to brag about.

Does that appeared to be from 2 ½ to 3 ½ years old as well as yearlings were in the mix.

They all fed and eventually left.

About a half hour later, two big does came in. One presented an easy target at about 18 yards and the bolt from the crossbow did its job well. Despite this year’s extreme drought, the doe was in very good condition and she was just what I had hoped for. If I were a buck-only hunter, I would have shot the eight-pointer and would have ended up with a set of antlers that surely could have stirred the chili. Instead, I shot Photo: JAD IMAGES, CANSTOCK

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a doe which presented better credentials for chili, hamburger, steak and roast.

One of my favorite words is “improvise.”

And when it comes to cooking deer or any other wild game, that’s what I like to do.

After all, taking care of the game we are fortunate to take and cooking it various ways is what keeps many of us in the fields and on the water.

Many years ago while camped alone on a West Texas creek, I developed what I

When the goal is venison, this is a more welcome sight than a rack of antlers.

call smoked nachos on a charcoal grill. It’s simple: just start a few pieces of charcoal, place a little mesquite or other wood on top of them, then put some chips topped with cheese and jalapenos on a piece of aluminum foil above the charcoal/wood, close the lid and let it cook for about five minutes or until the cheese is melted and smoked.

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learned to brown some venison hamburger meat, place it on top of the chips with the cheese and jalapenos and sometimes refried beans, guacamole, onions, etc.

Now, you probably can see where I am going with the doe I shot.

One of the best things about Texas’ archery-only season is that the dove hunting season also is still under way. Two days before picking up my crossbow for the Lampasas County deer hunt, I managed to shoot eight doves on a ranch near Goliad and had them cleaned and iced down in my ice chest. My plans for the doves already were made.

Several years ago while hunting whitewinged doves in Mexico, a friend and I talked about the conventional way of grilling doves wrapped in bacon with jalapenos. He asked me if I had ever grilled doves that way except by using a peeled shrimp instead of the jalapeno. He said the shrimp doesn’t do all that much for the flavor of the grilled dove but it serves as an extra appetizer.

I scratched my head on that idea and before testing it, I improvised. If a shrimp could cook inside of a dove, why couldn’t it cook inside a baked potato, I asked myself?

I used an apple coring device to cut a circular hole out of an Idaho potato, inserted a peeled shrimp, plugged up each end of the potato with pieces of the plugs of potato I had removed and baked it along with some doves with shrimp in their cavities and wrapped with bacon.

Since then, I have improvised to add ground venison to baked shrimp/potatoes, various duck, geese and pheasant recipes and others.

If you like to eat wild game, how it tastes first is determined how well you take care of it from the field to freezer, and how you prepare it for the grill, broiler, steamer or oven and eventually the table. And it never hurts to improvise with a recipe.

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11/8/11 1:26 PM

TRUE GREEN Catalyzed by a $250,000-grant from the Meadows Foundation, Ducks Unlimited will construct approximately 1,500 linear feet of breakwater to protect 2,500 acres of coastal marsh on San Bernard NWR and adjacent private lands. The Meadows Foundation gift will also be used as non-federal match to apply for a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant to further this conservation effort.

The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic institution established in 1948 by Algur H. and Virginia Meadows to benefit the people of Texas. The Foundation’s mission is to assist the people and institutions of Texas to improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations.

In a separate project, DU is constructing 11,000 linear feet of breakwater on the J.D. Murphree WMA near Port Arthur, Texas, to conserve 1,000 acres photo: ducks unlimited

DU Builds Texas Marsh Breakwater System Ducks Unlimited is building breakwaters on the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge and J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area to protect coastal marsh habitats.

Rock breakwaters are used along navigation channels, and in particular the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, to halt shoreline erosion and reverse adjacent marsh degradation and loss through saltwater intrusion and soil loss. Breakwaters have the immediate benefits of halting Rock breakwaters like this one at erosion, marsh loss and saltJ.D. Murphree WMA halt shoreline water intrusion while providerosion and prevent saltwater ing longer term benefits of intrusion into fresh and intermedipromoting vegetation recovery ate marsh habitats important to and serving as a substrate for waterfowl and other wildlife. oysters and other crustaceans.

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11/7/11 10:20 AM

TRUE GREEN of coastal marsh with funding provided by NAWCA, Coastal Conservation Association, Coastal Impact Assistance Program, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Approximately 4,000 linear feet have already been constructed, with the remaining construction scheduled to be completed within the next year.

The palustrine and intermediate emergent marsh habitat protected through these breakwater projects is the most valuable habitat type to the millions of wintering waterfowl that visit the Texas Coast. Without the protection of shoreline breakwaters, these habitats would likely convert to saline marsh due to saltwater intrusion from eroded natural banks and tidal channels.

Saline marsh has considerably lower foraging value to waterfowl, further exacerbat-

ing a shortage of quality foraging habitat that currently exists in the mid- and upper Texas coast when waterfowl populations are at their peaks. By protecting valuable wetlands along the Gulf Coast, breakwater projects contribute significantly to Gulf Coast Joint Venture waterfowl foraging habitat goals.

In addition to protecting habitats valuable to waterfowl, wildlife and people, breakwaters themselves can provide excellent sub-tidal habitats for oysters, crabs and other economically important species.

The protected marshes provide venues for bird watching, hunting, kayaking/canoeing, boating and fishing. These sites are important destinations for thousands of birders and waterfowl hunters each year along the Texas coast. Marshes throughout the region provide extensive nursery habitat for commercially and recreationally important fishery species including brown and

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white shrimp, blue crab, Gulf menhaden, Atlantic croaker, striped mullet, spotted sea trout, red drum, black drum and southern flounder. In addition, the proposed activities will increase regionally important ecosystem services such as improved water quality, increased flood relief and storage, and storm surge protection.

DU is also working to complete preliminary breakwater prioritization modeling in the upper and mid-coast counties

by August 2012. The model will help determine where breakwaters can make the biggest impact for marsh conservation and waterfowl foraging habitat. The two largest predictors of priority are the degree of threat to a shoreline and the importance of the adjacent marsh to waterfowl.

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—Staff Report «TG

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Texas Fish & Game graphic

11/4/11 11:18 AM

I’M THE GUY WHO DISLIKES HOT, bright sunny weather. You’ll find me doing the Happy Dance when the weatherman draws the long face and stares into the camera saying, “Well, it looks like another cloudy, dreary day so it’s best to stay inside where it’s warm and dry.”

It seems to me that the winter truly belongs to those who enjoy fresh air scrubbed

by Canadian pines and firs before it’s shipped to our southern climes.

Winter on the coast is the time for skeins of geese to honk plaintively high overhead.

It’s when gray, scudding clouds pass barely treetop high.

It’s the smell of wood smoke as you climb out of the truck for a pre-dawn breakfast in your favorite cafe.

It’s ducks, deer, whooping cranes, heavy trout and huge redfish.

It’s a sack of oysters fresh from the mud, fat and salty.

Then the occasional serious cold comes, bringing a skim of ice to the protected water, not heavy enough to support the ducks, but enough to push them away from cover.

Most folks can’t understand my attraction to the winter coast. They figure bluebird days are middlin’ at best, with the skies likely to be overcast later. Though the water can be warm, the trees are bare and naked in the skinny light, while another cold front calls for jackets, hats and gloves that are destined for abandonment toward midday.

The War Department rolls her eyes and makes strange noises in the back of her throat when I suggest a bay trip during the winter months. And to tell the truth, I can’t really explain why a reasonably sane individual will heap such abuse upon himself each time the weather deteriorates.

I simply shrug and offer the same answer that served me well when the teacher asked challenging questions in math. “I don’t know.”

I tried to explain the attraction despite the cost of licenses, shells, gear and shotguns; the leaky waders that slowly fill with ice water; chattering teeth; or high-tech clothing that usually has a cold spot somewhere unnoticed until the temperature drops into the twenties.

I can’t describe the shiver that went down my spine the first time I sat in a boat one frosty, foggy December morning and heard the air whistle over the wings of a hundred ducks. After all these years the hairs on my neck still prickles at the sound.

My bride doesn’t yet understand what it’s like to wade in a steady rain, casting toward a shallow oyster reef and waiting for the rod to bend as the soft plastic lure bumps along the bottom. Maybe someday I can elucidate the rush when a big red or trout takes the lure just when frozen fingers are about to force a surrender, then to hear the line sing off until you wonder if the drag will really will slow him down, or if he’ll hit the end and snap off.

Maybe there’ll be a brief glimpse of comprehension when I tell her of the dubious camaraderie of cursing frozen feet and fingers in an icy boat and the hollow promises that nest time we’ll wear the right clothes or at lease upgrade our long johns.

What do you think, boys? Will she get the same thrill from sitting under a puttycolored sky while admiring the geometric perfection of a long shot that drops a big redhead when you would have sworn you missed? Or the sniff of burnt powder and smoke from your barrel as nary a feather is mussed.

Will she appreciate the sight of a Lab arching gracefully from a boat or blind to joyfully paddle through wind-whipped water to bring back a slick bluebill? I rather doubt that she’ll laugh as we do when the wet dog sits beside you and shakes cold water all over everything within reach.

Will she understand the love of drizzly days that makes your nose run and your fingers ache. For some reason I doubt she’ll love that delicious feeling when your ears burn like fire when you finally come inside.

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of cautious pintails make the first pass over a perfect decoy spread. Maybe you can put into words the enormous amount of restraint it takes to wait until they set their wings.

If you possess the power of persuasion on some numbingly cold Saturday morning, your own girl might relent and join you.

Then I think she’ll begin to understand the beauty of the winter when she looks eastward to watch the sun peek over the distant shore.

She will start to see your way of thinking when the darkness gives way to a new dawn. She’ll finally understand what possesses us to get out of a warm bed at four in the morning, when she catches the colors in the sky as they change from orange to pink as the clouds catch and hold the light, to purple, and finally, the pale yellow of a winter sunrise.

Maybe she’ll understand your addiction when the first vee of ducks materialize out of the rising sun and head your way; or when the mud swirls appear around feeding reds in water you were sure only minutes earlier was too cold; or when you hear distant geese complaining about the weather.

If you can persuade her to go, she’ll see that the most important thing about being out there in the chilly air, either cloudy or clear, is that this is what it was once like hundreds of years ago; this is the way it appeared to the first aborigines who walked along the shoreline; this is the way it should be.

This is the reason for my addiction that has caused so much hardship and happiness since I was four feet tall, with the burning desire to slip my own leash and be free as long as possible.

Maybe someday I can explain all this, what I love about the bay in winter.

Maybe.

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by Steve LaMascus I HAVE HUNTED ELK with bow and rifle. I have hunted mule deer in desert and mountain. I have hunted the American pronghorn antelope. I have hunted various exotics, including the ultra-wary kudu. I have hunted coyotes, bobcats, and foxes since I was big enough to shoot a rifle. I have hunted white-tailed deer.

I have even called up and shot badgers. Finally, I decided that my experience and skills qualified me for the toughest hunt in Texas, the elusive West Texas jackalope.

First I had to make arrangements for the hunt. For this I chose Joe Bob Hogpacker.

Joe Bob is an outfitter/cowboy/chef/oilfield hand/used car salesman out of Odessa. He has access to some of the best jackalope country in West Texas. He told me that he would take me for $25 dollars a day and expenses. I thought this was ridiculously cheap until I found out that “expenses” included Joe Bob’s daily allowance of Wild Turkey, which sometimes ran into triple digits all by itself. What with the Wild Turkey, diesel, summer sausage and Beanie Weenies by the ton, and cowboy coffee strong enough to dissolve the enamel on your teeth, expenses added up pretty quickly. Still, I had been saving for this trip for many years, so I just sucked it up and paid the bills.

Before I was to meet Joe Bob at Valentine, Texas, in December, I had to choose the right rifle and caliber for the hunt. Jackalopes aren’t very large, but they are very tough and there is nothing as wary.

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village idiot. They can see like an eagle and those big ears can hear a gnat fart at a halfmile against a high wind. With that in mind I figured that I needed something in either .14 or .17 caliber, shooting a 90-grain bullet at around 7000 feet per second. That would give me flat trajectory and the high velocity should give the light bullets plenty of knockdown power for one of the 12-pound buck jackalopes.

I finally decided on a wildcat using the .378 Weatherby necked down to .14 caliber. I named it the .14 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer, in honor of a wildcat I once saw in one of P.O. Ackley’s loading manuals. I had an old 1917 Enfield that wasn’t doing anything at the moment, so I took it to my favorite gunsmith, Jack Screwitin, in Dryden. Jack has built several rifles for me over the years and only one of them ever blew up. I had Jack cut the action in half and add a couple of inches, to fit the big cartridge, and fit a new 42-inch Sharp & Snort barrel to the Enfield. Then I began working up a load.

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I soon found that a load of 127.3 grains of Bullseye would give me pretty close to the velocity I was looking for. The main problem was having to drive the cartridge case out of the gun with a cleaning rod after each shot.

I expect it is because the brass was too soft.

Also, I had to have the barrel replaced after every 12 rounds. I was on my fifth barrel by the time I had the final load worked out.

Barrel steel has sure gotten a lot softer over the last couple of years.

My doctor, Stanislaus J. Bonesetter, told me not to worry, that the mild concussion I suffered each time I pulled the trigger probably wouldn’t do anything to my brain that I hadn’t already done to it by other means. He said the blurred vision was just a symptom of my eyeballs popping part way out of the sockets each time the gun set back in recoil.

He did gave me a big bottle of lidocaine, with instructions to rub it on my shoulder before I shot the gun, and inject it straight into the joint afterward; he said I could use the same needle I use for giving the horses their vaccination shots, thereby killing two Photo: Daniel Hassard, istock

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worms with one needle, to mangle an old adage. He also told me that the whiplash in my neck would probably fade with time.

That resolved the recoil problem.

Also, the standard bullets didn’t work.

They just burned up on the way to the target. I finally resolved that problem by having a friend of mine who has a machine shop make me some bullets on his lathe. They are solid stainless steel, weigh 91 grains, and shoot really well. I was getting groups of just under an inch at 2000 yards and drop was only three inches between 100 yards and 3 miles. I tried them out on a jackrabbit in my front pasture. All I could find around the crater were a few wisps of scorched fur.

Perfect!

I was finally ready and met Joe Bob at the airport in Valentine in the middle of December. After about 10 hours of winding around on dirt roads, up canyons, and over mountains, we arrived at Joe Bob’s lodge, which is a 12’ by 20’ adobe shack with a tin roof held precariously in place by rusty nails and big rocks. Over the door is scratched into the plaster “Billy Dixon, 1874.”

In one end of the lodge is a fireplace and in the other end is the kitchen. The kitchen consists of an old water heater burner welded into a handmade stand, attached to a propane bottle. On the burner sat a giant cast iron frying pan. The grease in the frying pan had probably been left there by Billy Dixon. You could tell how old it was by the bug and rat tracks in the surface. Some of the tracks were big enough to have been left there by small dinosaurs.

In one corner sat a 1950s vintage chrome and plastic table and two chairs with all the vinyl missing off the seats and the stuffing hanging in rat-gnawed streamers. Home sweet home. Joe Bob rolled his sleeping bag out on the only bed and told me to sleep where ever I wanted. I decided that the floor in front of the fireplace looked softest and rolled out my bedroll on the concrete.

That night a real old-fashioned blue norther blew in. The wind must have been over 90 miles an hour. Joe Bob and I could hear small rocks blowing against the north side of the shack, I mean, lodge. The temperature dropped to around zero and it was even colder outside. I stacked more of the mesquite wood on the fire and scrunched farther down into my sleeping bag, hoping the flapping and banging roof would last the night and that the wind wouldn’t suck all the fire up the chimney.

In the morning the wind had died to a high-pitched scream. We had breakfast of fried summer sausage and eggs. They tasted like fish because of the old grease in the skillet, but the coffee was so bitter and so chewy with grounds that after a sip or two I couldn’t taste the food anyway. It was filling, however. The coffee, not the eggs.

We hunted hard for a week without finding anything worth shooting. I was beginning to despair. I was also beginning to get very tired of summer sausage and Beanie Weenies and sleeping on concrete. The eggs turned out to be a treat that Joe Bob always cooked on the first morning, probably to lull his client into a false sense of security. I decided to give it one more day.

By full daylight on the last day we had climbed to the crest of a ridge behind the lodge and were glassing the flats and slopes for signs of a buck jackalope. It wasn’t long before I caught sight of sunlight glinting off the antlers of a nice buck. It was lying behind a big yucca plant with just its antlers and one big ear visible. I could see through my 35X Alpenglo binocular that it was a really good 8 pointer. Trouble was that there was no way to get closer. Between us and the jackalope was a mile and a half of bare desert with nothing taller than scattered patches of candelilla and dog cactus (also known as cholla balls). Since this was exactly the situation I had built my rifle to handle, I decided to take the shot.

I settled into a solid prone position on a handy patch of dog cactus, set my Stetson out in front of me, and placed the rifle over the hat for a solid rest. When I found the jackalope in the 60-power Zeicapold scope it was just lying there in its bed, chewing its cud in contentment. I took one breath, then another, and then held for the shot, holding a bit low to allow for the close range. At the blast of the rifle there was a small mushroom cloud on the far slope, followed by the pressure wave of the impact. I wiped the blood from my nose, rubbed my eyes, which had gone blurry again, and asked Joe Bob if he could tell if the shot had been good. Joe Bob looked at me and mumbled something I couldn’t understand, then pointed at his ears, which were bleeding. I realized then that he had forgotten to plug his ears and open his mouth before I shot.

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to find my trophy.

It took us the better part of the day to climb down and back up to where the jackalope had been. It wasn’t hard to find the spot; the crater was pretty obvious and the scorched yucca was visible for several hundred yards. By the time we found my buck Joe Bob’s ears were getting better and he could hear a little bit if I yelled real loud.

I had stopped my nose bleed by stuffing it full of summer sausage.

Joe Bob had been right, the shot had been right on. Trouble was, the .14 caliber bullet, still trucking along at over 5000 feet per second, had destroyed everything but one trophy antler, which is now hanging in a place of honor on my wall.

Next time I think I’ll try a bigger bullet at a bit less velocity. Maybe a 20mm anti-aircraft cannon shell necked down to .25 caliber. With 935.7 grains of 2400 that should push a 350-grain .257 bullet at close to 6000 feet per second. My computer program says recoil is just over 400 ft-lbs.

Ought to be perfect.

Well, Joe Bob had to retire from outfitting. His ears never did get much better.

Says his ears ring continuously. He told me it wouldn’t be so bad if the bells would play something besides Christmas carols. Now he is specializing in psychology. He says he can sit in his comfy chair, nod sagaciously, say things like “yes,” “I see,” and “aha,” and let the sucker, I mean, patient, on the couch drone on without ever knowing that Joe Bob can’t hear a word he’s saying. Due to Joe Bob’s infirmity I have had to find a different guide and outfitter. This time I settled on Jimmy Ray Snailferter. Jimmy Ray comes highly recommended -- by Joe Bob – but I have hired him anyway. At least he says he doesn’t like summer sausage. In the off season Jimmy Ray has a jerky store/sushi bar in Pine Springs, pop. 51, elevation 5634 ft.

The bursitis in my shoulder is getting better and I haven’t had a nose bleed in over a week. My new rifle should be in next month, so I am getting ready to start working up a new load. I just have to find a new doctor before I start. Doc Bonesetter had to leave town in a hurry not long ago. He told everybody that he was going to China to do missionary work. There were some guys from the FBI around asking about him the other day. I sure hope he didn’t get lost or something; being a missionary can be dangerous.

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WATERFOWL ARE THE MOST dynamic variety of game hunted in North America. From trans-continental migration to a huge variety of breeds, ducks and geese fascinate Texas hunters and often leave them baffled.

Flip the Page for the Correct Answers

15. True or False: Texas winters more widgeon than any other state in the

5. ANSWER: D) All of the above.

15. ANSWER: True

4. ANSWER: C) Blue-winged teal

14. ANSWER: True 13. ANSWER: A) Chesapeake Bay retriever.

3. ANSWER: B) No.

take down teal and not blow them apart.

2. ANSWER: D) 4 pounds 1. ANSWER: C) There are 3 varieties, greenwing, bluewing, and cinnamon

12. ANSWER: NO. 4 Teal are tiny birds and No. 4 has the right balance of weight and size to 11. ANSWER: B) This is not true, and a team from the University of Salford in England proved it with a research project.

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20. Which U.S. state is most important for waterfowl nesting production?

A) Louisiana B) North Dakota C) Montana D) Iowa

16. ANSWER: C) Specklebelly.

8. Are alligators a predator of mottled ducks?

A) Yes. B) No

19. True or False: Hunters can use .22 rifles to hunt snow geese?

17. ANSWER: True

7. What is the fastest flying of all birds considered waterfowl?

A) Mallard B) Red-breasted merganser C) Green-winged teal D) Widgeon

18. How many shells can a shotgun cartridge legally hold?

A) 5 B) 4 C) 2 D) 3

6. ANSWER: B) No.

6. Does the black-bellied whisting duck quack?

A) Yes. B) No

17. True or False: Standard poodles were originally used as retrievers?

7. ANSWER: B) Red-breasted merganser

5. What is a common slang term for the northern shoveler?

A) Spoonie B) Digger C) Smiling Mallard D) All of the Above

14. True or False: It is illegal to hunt from a moving boat in Texas.

18. ANSWER: C) A magazine can hold two shells and the hunter can have one in the chamber.

A) Wood duck B) Gadwall C) Blue-winged teal D) Pintail

13. Which breed of retriever was the first recognized by the American Kennel Club?

A) Chesapeake Bay Retriever B) Flat-coated Retriever C) Labrador Retriever D) Golden Retriever

16. Which variety of goose do most hunters consider easiest to decoy?

A) Snow B) Ross C) Specklebelly D) Greater Canada

8. ANSWER: A) According to researchers in Florida, the answer is Yes.

4. The mallard is the most populous duck in North America. Which is the second?

12. Which is a better load for teal hunting: No. 2 or No. 4?

19. ANSWER: False

3. Do ducks have blood vessels in their feet?

A) Yes. B) No

11. A popular story is that the quack of a duck does not echo. Is this true?

A. Yes B. No

20. ANSWER: B) North Dakota.

2. How much grass can a Canada goose consume in one day?

A) 2 pounds B) 6 ounces C) 6 pounds D) 4 pounds

10. Which duck species was nearly commercially hunted to extinction in the early 20th century?

A) Canvasback B) Widgeon C) Ringneck D) Shoveler

Central Flyway.

9. ANSWER: Ducks Unlimited It was founded in 1937 and Delta’s foundation began in 1938.

1. How many varieties of teal are found in Texas.

A) 1 B) 5 C) 3 D) 2

9. Which waterfowl conservation was founded first: Ducks Unlimited or Delta Waterfowl?

10. ANSWER: A) Canvasback.

Let’s see if these waterfowl trivia questions do the same.

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11/7/11 2:09 PM

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Then, Again

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or me, it was Christmas in August.

Sandie had suggested that I clean out the attic to make room for some boxes she had filled with various and sundries (any self-respecting husband knows that a wife’s suggestion is actually an order wrapped in diplomatic jargon). In the midst of breathing 4 pounds of fiberglass insulation, dust, and Lord knows what else, and wondering how a family of 3 could accumulate so much stuff, I found them. There they were, nestled in a box filled with news magazines, VHS tapes of children’s movies, and pictures of me 20 pounds ago posing with boxing champion Thomas Hearns, were three copies of Texas Fisherman, one of the lineal predecessors of Texas Fish & Game.

The tabloid-sized copies were from 1982 and ’83. The newsprint was yellowed and thin with age, but what treasures!

“Look at what I found!” I bubbled at Luna, our black Labrador who sat dutifully at my side and helped inspect every box as I opened them. “I grew up on these.”

A flood of nostalgia hit me in waves as I carefully turned the pages of each issue. I read the stories, looked at the pictures, and then the ads. Then it struck me how much has changed in the almost 30 years since these issues were on the newsstands.

In 1982, the pages of TF were filled with photos of anglers with heavy stringers of bass, speckled trout, redfish, and other heavily sought-after species. The logic was simple: the pictures conveyed the impression that the techniques, locales, and equipment discussed in the text were absolute, stone-cold death on the targeted quarry.

Successful anglers loaded their stringers and coolers, and the photos proved that.

In 2011, pictures of full stringers are a rarity in the pages of TF&G, and never of largemouth bass. As a greater catch-and-

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release ethic has taken root among Texas anglers, the number of “blood and thunder” pics accompanying features has dropped off.

Today, most pictures of piscatorial success show a freshly-caught fish, lure or hook in mouth. The fish’s eye is clear, its colors vibrant, and the reader can decide if this finny model is released into warm water or hot grease.

In 1983, readers commented—and sometimes complained—about the new bag and size limits for trout and redfish. Redfish were 5 per person per day, with a slot of 18 to 30 inches. Trout limits were a remarkable 20 fish, 12-inch minimum. One reader wrote that “it’s hard to get used to the new ‘restrictions’ (quotation marks mine).”

In 2011, the current redfish bag limit is three fish, 20 to 28 inches per day (a red over 28 can be kept with the trophy tag), and speckled trout are pegged at a 10-fish bag (except in Lower Laguna Madre south of Land Cut Marker 21, where the bag is 5 fish per day) and 15-inch minimum with one fish over 25 inches allowed daily. Some claim that even that trout bag is too generous, whether it is 10 or 5.

On top of that, limits on other fish are dramatically different. Issues from 1982 and ’83 included articles on fishing for and keeping large black drum, as well as photos of 30 to 40 pound and larger drum.

Today, not only is there a 5 fish bag limit on black drum, but a slot limit of 14 to 30 inches to boot (A.C. Becker—a TF regular contributor—also wrote about the epicurean qualities of large black drum that, once you get past the worms along the backbone, the meat is quite tasty; how many can get past the worms?).

In 1983, TF was replete with ads for reels by 10 different companies including Ryobi, Lew’s, Shimano, Penn, Daiwa, Shakespeare, Abu Garcia, Johnson, and Pflueger.

In 2011, Ryobi is long gone, but Penn, Abu Garcia, Pflueger, and Shakespeare are thriving under the same corporate umbrella, Lew’s is making a comeback, and Shimano and Daiwa are going strong.

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Zebco, Quantum, Fin Nor, Van Staal are one big happy family. There is Ardent, Okuma, Avet. That’s 14, and I haven’t even scratched the surface of quality reels that have graced our pages.

In 1983, one of the many reader’s photos was a picture of a happy woman holding a stringer of hardhead catfish.

In 2011…uh…ok, I don’t have anything to compare that to.

In 1983, an ad made mention of the breakthrough science of the scented Mann’s Jelly Worm, a one of a kind lure that used scent technology to mask human odors with different berry “flavors.” Fragrances such as grape and blueberry made the baits more effective by neutralizing the man-stink left other lures by sweat and oils.

In 2011, the number of scented baits that are mentioned in the magazine is staggering.

There’s Gulp!, of course. Power Bait, Fish Bites, Logic, YUM, and the scent add-ons such as Carolina Lunker Sauce. The sheer variety of scents beggars the imagination.

I absolutely love the trip through time these three old magazines have provided me. It’s always a great experience to see where we have been, how far we’ve come, and what we’ve accomplished in the process.

Many consider fishing a pastoral endeavor, but that makes it seem like our sport is static and never changing or evolving. We can see that’s not true, and there is a comfort in growth.

And for those who find comfort in stability: In 1983. A.C. Becker wrote about the fighting abilities of the stingray, and how its strength made it a worthy opponent, especially on light tackle.

In 2010, Chester Moore wrote about the fighting abilities of the stingray and how it’s strength made it a worthy opponent on light tackle.

The more some things change…

Email Cal Gonzales at Email Cal Gonzales at cgonzales@fishgame.com cgonzales@fishgame.com

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11/8/11 2:12 PM

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

Christmas List for Anglers

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ne of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a crisp $20 bill I found stuffed in an envelope that was tucked away under the tree way back in 1967. The reason I remember it so well is because I got my butt spanked for the way I went about spending it.

The following morning I mounted my Schwinn FastBack and peddled two miles to a Gibson’s department store. Gibson’s always had good fishing stuff. I had an Abu Garcia spinning outfit on my mind.

I was only gone for less than an hour, but my mother didn’t take kindly to the disappearing act. Looking back, I can’t say I blame her. I was just seven at the time.

And I didn’t bother to tell anyone about the adventure I began plotting the evening before.

Was the new rod/reel combo worth the trouble? You bet. There is no telling how many bass, catfish and crappie I reeled in from my grandmother’s stock tank in Collin County, Tx. with that little spinning outfit before it finally cratered during a tangle with a loggerhead snapping turtle.

Christmas is just around the corner. If you haven’t done it already, now is the time to start casting for gift hints from the angler in the family.

While $20 won’t buy near as much as it used to, many retailers do offer some pretty hot bargains on cool stuff during the final weeks leading up to Christmas Day. What follows are five good gift ideas for the freshwater fisherman on your shopping list:

Abu Garcia Revo MGX

The newest model in Garcia’s stable of baitcasters also is the lightest. Weighing in PhotO: pure fishing

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at only 5.4 ounces, the MGX is rock-solid proof that big things come in small packages.

Features a magnesium alloy frame, carbon side plates, 9+1 stainless bearings and a high-tech b r a k ing system that offers 28 different settings for fine tuned using 28 different for throwing lightweight lures. Available in two gear ratios, 7.1:1 and 7.9:1. Sells for around $350. abugarcia.com.

Rapala Tournament Scale/Culling Kit

Rapala built some cool features into its new digital scale, including a series of storage bins that allow anglers to maintain an accumulative weight total of as many as eight different fish. Operates using a touch LCD screen that is equipped with on/off backlight and an outside temperature gauge.

The water resistant scale will run for about 400 hours on a pair of AA batteries. Comes with two fish holding attachments and culling floats. Sells for about $50. rapala.com.

ThermaCell Outdoor Insect Repellent Lantern

Whether on the bank or in a boat, nothing can take the pleasure out of a fishing trip like a swarm of pesky mosquitos.

ThermaCell’s all new mosquito repellent outdoor lantern ranks as one of the best ways around for protecting yourself and others against biting bugs, while at the same time providing plenty of ambient light when you need it.

The lantern uses the same patented technology that popularized made ThermaCell appliances with deer hunters several years ago.

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free allethrin, an artificial version of a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers. The repellent provides a 15X15 (225 square foot) barrier of protection from mosquitos and other biting bugs.

The lantern has 8 LEDs that are powered by four AA batteries. It has two illumination settings, low and high. The lantern and insect repellent functions can be used simultaneously or individually.

Sells for $31.99. mosquitorepellent.com.

Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool

There are all sorts of multi-tools out there. Leatherman’s “Wave” gets high marks when it comes to functionality and durability.

The stainless steel multi-tool is built with 17 different implements including knives, needlenose/standard pliers, scissors, files, a wood saw, can and bottle opener, screw drivers, wire strippers and rulers. The implements lock-in and lock-out, which helps prevent slippage.

The tool measures only four inches long when all the implements are stowed and it weighs 8.5 ounces. Comes with a nylon or leather sheath and a 25-year warranty. Sells for about $90. leatherman.com.

Gift Certificates or Cash

Take the guesswork out of gift purchases with a gift certificate to a sporting goods retailer like Academy, Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas or Gander Mountain, or good ol’ cash. Either way, you are guaranteed to score high points with the angler on your shopping list on Christmas morning.

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Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

Dating

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he Hunting Club membership sipped coffee in the large corner booth of Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café, wondering how we’d make any financial recovery after the Christmas experience was over.

We compared our gifts and most of us made out pretty well. Then we compared what we’d purchased our spousal units. I decided some of the guys would be living at the lease for the next several weeks until a few wounds healed.

“You didn’t really give your wife a set of pots and pans, did you?” Doc asked me.

“Yep.” “Bet she’s mad.”

“Nope, that’s what she asked for,” I answered. “That and a hat.”

The boys pondered the implications of kitchen utensils and cowboy hats. I felt I was one up from the candles, fishing rods, hiking boots, magazine subscriptions and stationary they’d purchased for their significant others.

We were joined by a couple of lonesome café patrons. Clancy Harris floated an opinion. “You don’t always have to give your wives something personal. I’ve been married fifteen years and this year all I bought my wife was a star.”

We’d heard of people paying to name stars after friends and loved ones. Whoever is marketing that kind of thing is a genius as far as I’m concerned. Billions of free specks of light can be sold with a minimum of overhead, so to speak.

Doreen was busy so the Cap’n went behind the counter for the coffee pot. He poured a round for everyone. She dropped by when he was finished, to carry the empty pot back for a refill.

“Clancy has always been romantic,” she said. “He’s been a sweetheart to Lovice since they first met. Go on, tell them about what you did for her on your first date.”

He looked embarrassed for a moment.

“Well, I just took her fishing.”

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Our ears perked up. This guy was good.

“Tell us the story,” Wrong Willie urged.

“She’d never been fishing before,” Clancy started slowly, then warmed to the story. “So I decided to do it up right. I knew she was the one, and I wanted to make the date something memorable. I picked her up one evening for a little night fishing.”

We grinned and nudged.

“I borrowed my buddy’s bass boat, because it was new, and we went out to the lake. She helped me launch the boat and we floated up under the bridge just about dark,” he said. “Instead of a lantern, I brought along several candles and scattered them around the boat. They were kind of pretty.”

“I floated my crappie light in the water, and you know it shines downward, so it wasn’t harsh enough to ruin the mood.”

We nodded .

“With that in the water and nearly complete darkness everywhere else, I went into Phase Two. I turned on the radio with some soft music…”

Woodrow stifled a retch. “…and then laid out some fresh strawberries and grapes on a silver platter. Beside that I had two giant strawberries dipped in chocolate. On another platter there was an assortment of cheeses and light meats to go with the wine.”

Jerry Wayne frowned. “I’ve never seen wine in a boat. Beer, yes, but not wine.”

“Well this time I was doing it the right way. She likes Merlot, so there was a bottle of Sterling and two crystal glasses.”

“Those would be broke in about ten seconds around us,” Willie said. “Right after we ate all that foo foo stuff and went looking for some real food.”

“Shhh!” Doreen said and whacked him on the back of the head. “This is romantic ya moron. Shut up and listen.”

Clancy tilted in our direction. Usually when one of us tilts, the results are not something you want to discuss, but Clancy was making a point. “This wasn’t a traditional fishing trip, guys. I wanted to impress her at the same time allowing her to do something I like, which is fish. ”

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“But to this point you haven’t dropped a line in the water,” Woodrow complained.

“That was the next step. I rigged two rods and showed her how to work the spin cast reel. When she was familiar with the equipment, I dropped the line down by the light and we waited.”

“Here comes the best part,” Doc said.

“This is where she catches a wall-hanger and all Clancy gets is a little bitty crappie.”

“Nope,” Clancy answered. “We sat there and ate cherries and other fruits, cheese and wine for the better part of two hours. We talked and laughed and would have danced if hadn’t been dangerous to do it in a boat.”

“What about the fishing,” I asked, waiting for the payoff.

“We fished, but the bobbers didn’t bob once all night.”

“Well heck,” Woodrow said. “What was the use?”

“The use was us being together,” Clancy explained. “We had a good time.”

“But you didn’t catch anything,” Willie complained.

“Caught a wife,” Clancy said. “We got married six months later.”

“But why didn’t you catch something?”

Doc wanted to know.

“Probably because I didn’t tell her there was no bait,” Clancy said. “I didn’t want any distractions while I was trying to impress her.”

“Is there a moral in this?” the Jerry Wayne wanted to know.

We thought in silence for a long time, until the Cap’n cleared his throat. “I guess this means you can catch something without bait.”

Doreen sighed at the romantic notion and we worried with the problem of spending a night crappie fishing without bait.

I guess Clancy thinks outside of the box, but then again, he’s more of a romantic than we are.

Email Email Reavis Reavis Wortham Wortham at at rwortham@fishgame.com rwortham@fishgame.com

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11/7/11 12:15 PM

Duck Solutions that Work by chester moore

Photo: KorSol, Canstock

THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST interesting duck seasons ever in the Lone Star State. We are looking at one of the largest fall flights of ducks in recorded history at the same time Texas has what could turn out to be its most severe drought in 100 years.

“It will be a very interesting year to say the least as we have a large number of waterfowl headed our way but very little habitat on the landscape to support them,” said Matt Nelson, Central Coast Wetlands Ecosystem Project Leader with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

“I suspect the bays will see more activity this season than in years past but with little food production I don’t think we will hold many birds for any length of time. We simply don’t have

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the habitat or food.”

While this year will be more of a problem for the hunters than the ducks—they will find what they need somewhere— things in the future are not looking so bright.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which helps produce millions of birds, could be slashed to nothing and millions of acres are being converted from ranch lands, which works well with waterfowl production, to corn for ethanol and

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Almanac Table of Contents GEARING UP SECTION

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COVER STORY • Duck Solutions that Work | by chester moore

HOW-TO SECTION texas boating • Battle Stations | by lenny rudow paul’s tips • Hot Potato | by paul bradshaw

texas guns • Optics Illusions | by steve lamascus

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industry insider • CCA, RAM, Academy | by TF&G staff

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texas tested • Shimano, Fatheadz| by TF&G staff special section • Outdoors for the Holidays| by TF&G staff

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hotspots focus: upper coast • Don’t Hang ‘Em Up Just Yet | by capt. eddie hernandez

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hotspots focus: matagorda • More Anglers Choose Drifing Over Wading | by bink grimes

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hotspots focus: rockport • Inappropriate Happiness | by capt. mac gable

texas kayaking • Dear Santa: | by greg berlocher

other kinds of production. That means fewer ducks produced and fewer that will fly south.

Add to that the prairies are due another major drought and we could see shockingly low fall flights in the near future. How will a generation of waterfowlers that have had liberal season frameworks react when this happens? And what can be done to make sure we always have adequate birds to fuel the waterfowl hunting heritage?

I have a few ideas.

I say it is time U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) officials do something about this and redirect their land acquisition policy toward the breeding grounds and away from the wintering grounds.

Much of the breeding occurs in a handful of counties, yet Service officials admit on their website they only manage a fraction of the habitat there.

“Most of the more than 520 National Wildlife Refuges and additional Waterfowl Production Areas managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service are located along the migratory flyways, serving as breeding and wintering grounds and as ‘rest stops’ for these birds.”

“For example, in the ‘duck factory’ of the upper Midwest, the National Wildlife 50 |

fish and game gear • Hot New Outdoor Gear | by TF&G

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Millions of acres are being converted to ethanol production.

That means fewer ducks.

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Refuge System manages just two percent of the landscape, yet 23 percent of the region’s waterfowl breed there,” Service officials posted.

Most duck stamp money goes where it needs to go so we should buy two stamps a season and make sure Service officials know we want it spent on the nesting grounds.

Delta Waterfowl recommended this earlier in the year and I am in agreement and have done so.

Wintering habitat is important but it is pointless if there are no ducks being produced.

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trophy quest • A Near ShareLunker | by TF&G staff

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tf&g Photos • Your Action Photos | by TF&G readers

texas tasted • Venison Chili |

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www.FishGame.com Ducks Unlimited (DU) officials estimate CRP recruits about two million ducks into the population every year that would not be there otherwise.

“If we lose CRP, we lose a lot, so its important that when it comes back up for renewal in 2007 with the Farm Bill, that hunters write their congressmen and senators and ask for support on this highly important issue,” said Rogers Hoyt of DU. “We had a lot of hunters get into duck hunting in the 1990s after CRP was in place and they experienced the big boom that it caused in populations. Now that other factors are causing problems, some of these hunters do not realize how the hunting was before CRP was there and many have not heard much about the effects of the program because it mainly takes place in the breeding grounds. But that is where it counts,” Hoyt said.

As discussed at length in my book Texas Waterfowl, predator control is another necessity.

When you lose as much as 95 percent of nests in some areas of the prairie pothole region, there is a serious, serious problem.

Experts agree that about the best “natural” CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

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Battle Stations

and you go home empty handed. Here’s how to make sure you end up a hero, not a zero, due to pin-point boat positioning.

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ou’ve found that totally awesome super-secret hotspot that no one else knows about. You’re ready to catch fish—lots of ‘em—and prove that your captaining abilities are second to none. You put the boat right over that sweet reef or rock or drop-off, tell your anglers to get ready, and… by the time they get their offerings into the strike zone, you’ve either blown off the fish or the current has moved you too far to get a hook-up.

Boat positioning, especially over deepwater hotspots, can be extremely frustrating.

To be an effective captain, you need a full mastery of your electronics, your boat’s drift and your anchoring abilities. Put ‘em all together and you get a full cooler. Fail to make every part of the puzzle fit perfectly,

ELECTRONICS – Your chartplotter and fishfinder will tell you when you’re in the right position, and you can use several tactics to make them more effective. The fishfinding part of the equation is simple: zoom in on bottom, and take note of the changing depth. Whether you’re over a drop, structure, or whatever, you’ll know when you’re in position and when you aren’t.

The chartplotter takes a more nuanced approach. For starters, zoom in to as small a scale as is possible. Try to pinpoint your position in a one-mile view, and you won’t even notice when you’ve drifted off the hotspot. Next, make sure your track feature is activated so you can see where you’ve been, and which way you’re going. Shift into neutral, and allow your boat to drift for a few minutes before you ever drop a line. Stare at that chartplotter screen, and wait long enough to identify your direction

of drift. Thanks to conflicting currents and breezes, this isn’t always as obvious as it seems. But by watching that track you’ll know exactly which way the boat’s travelling.

Using your MOB feature freely will also help you identify your boat’s position, since you can use it to mark the parameters of the hotspot. Say you’re fishing over a wreck, for example. As you drift off of it and you see the bottom drop off on the fishfinder, hit MOB and make a waypoint. Do this repeatedly drift after drift, and soon you’ll be able to ascertain the parameters of the wreck, and it’s orientation on the bottom.

Now let’s say there’s a lot of current or wind, and your lines are being stretched out away from the boat. When your boat is positioned directly over the wreck your lines are actually off of it, and you don’t get bites.

In this situation, drift all the way across and beyond the wreck and hit MOB whenever someone on the boat gets a strike. After a few drifts, you can look at where the MOB marks cluster on the chartplotter, and know

cover story t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50 nesting success is around 15 percent.

That means that the vast majority of the potential ducks die before making it to the fall flight. It has come time to start whacking some predators.

Delta Waterfowl (Delta) is the major supporter of predator control and their studies have showed nest production on trapped areas versus adjacent non-trapped areas being more than three times higher than the average.

If you don’t believe me, check out the results of Delta’s predator management in 2004.

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(PPR) of North Dakota. Each site had a professional trapper who removed nest predators like raccoons and skunks during the breeding season,” Delta reported.

“Five of the eight sites were monitored for nest success and two of those were paired with untrapped (control) sites which contained similar habitat and densities of breeding ducks.”

“The Cando site in the drift prairie of northeastern North Dakota reported a remarkable 86 percent nest success, the highest in the 10 years Delta has conducted large-scale trapping. Overall the trapped blocks averaged 57 percent nest success.”

Delta pointed out that scientists say ducks must achieve “15 to 20 percent nest success in order to maintain the existing population, but scientific research showed

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that across much of the PPR, nest success had slipped below that level by 1990.”

“Nest-raiding and hen-eating predators are known to be the major reason that nest success had slipped below maintenance levels. All the monitored sites were well above the break-even level.”

“And once again our predator work dramatically increased nest success. We’re proving that predator management works, and that it works on a large scale.”

Predator control, CRP and refuge acquisition will not work on their own but together they can make a huge difference.

And that is only attainable if the waterfowl hunting community lets their voices be heard and demands accountability and conservation on behalf of ducks and duck hunters.

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where to position the boat to catch the fish.

DRIFTING – Knowing how your boat drifts is imperative; some do it slower than others, some drift stern-to, some drift beamto, and some (particularly cats) “slide” forward as they drift. Knowing your own individual boat is simply something that comes with time and experience, but there are a few specific things you can do to alter the drift in your favor.

If you have an outboard boat, it probably drifts with the stern to the waves. In a wind-driven drift you can cock the boat mostly sideways, which will slow the drift and allow more anglers to get lines in the water, by turning the wheel all the way in one direction. (If current is forcing the drift, however, turning the motor won’t have as much effect).

In very calm waters, you may be able to hold your boat against the drift and keep it right on the hotspot by bumping your boat in and out of gear. But it needs to be calm because you’ll be operating in reverse the entire time; try to keep the boat in position with the bow into the wind and you’ll constantly be steering to port and starboard, with the bow swinging around one way and then the other. In reverse, however, the

boat’s pivot point it can be held against the current or wind and the bow will behave by staying straight. Remember: only try this when it’s calm out, unless you relish the thought of taking a wave over the transom.

Drift can also be altered with the use of a drift anchor. These can be used to slow the speed of your drift and also to hold your boat’s beam into the seas, to get additional lines off of it without risking mass tangles.

Simply set the drift anchor from a spring or bow cleat, and cock your engine so it points in the direction of the drift anchor. On a boat of 18’or less you can accomplish the same thing by tying a 10’ length of line to a five-gallon bucket, and deploying it as if it were a “real” drift anchor.

ANCHORING – This is when boat positioning becomes most important. Blow the anchor job, and you’ll have to spend valuable fishing time hauling it back in, repositioning the boat, and trying to anchor all over again.

To ensure you get started on the right foot, always do a drift or two over the hotspot before you try to anchor. This will allow you to use your electronics as described earlier, to nail down how your boat will sit in the current and wind, as well

as the parameters of the structure below.

When you’re ready to drop the hook, motor forward far enough to account for all the scope you’ll need to hold the position; this will vary depending on conditions, but for a general rule of thumb use a scope of at least 3:1 in ideal conditions, 5:1 when it’s choppy, and 7:1 in rough conditions.

Once the anchor’s set, obviously, you can let out or take in some line to reposition yourself over the structure. Another way to reposition without hauling the anchor is to run the line to a spring cleat on one side or the other, which will cause the boat to sit sideways in the current. And in some situations (lots of current but not much wind), you can get the boat to “slide” a bit farther one way or the other by cocking the motor or rudder. A final tactic you can employ is “kedging.” For this, you’ll need a second anchor and line. Kedging is simply throwing an anchor as far as possible, allowing it to sink to bottom, then pulling on the line to drag the boat in that direction. Obviously, this works best in shallower waters and calmer conditions. When you’re trying to position the boat over an extremely small hotspot in deeper waters, it can be beneficial to plan ahead. Before you drop the main anchor, motor off to one side of the spot and drop your secondary anchor ahead of time.

That allows you to plant it much farther than you could ever throw it, and you’ll have a lot more line out to help re-position the boat, once firmly at anchor.

So, you’re ready to take advantage of that new-found hot spot, and come home with a full cooler? Always consider the use of your electronics, your drift, and anchoring, and the guys back at the dock will wonder how the heck you always seem to catch so many fish.

E-mail Lenny Rudow at boating@fishgame.com

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he high temperature on the day I started writing this was 104 degrees which makes it somewhat ironic that the topic for this month is staying

warm.

One of the biggest detterants to new hunters is the cold. While a seasoned hunter might relish the opportunity to sit in the cold because the size of a trophy is directly related to the amount of suffering it takes to get it, newbies find that freezing your appendages up to the point of frostbite verges on insanity. The quickest way to turn a child off to hunting is to freeze them out so let’s look at a few ways to stay warm while in the deer stand or duck blind, including a few you’ve probably never heard of.

I know down here we rarely get really cold weather, but sitting in a deer stand all day in 30 degrees can be plenty cold if you’re not prepared. The first step in keeping warm while hunting is wearing the proper clothing. Think layers. One thick layer of clothing is good, but multiple thin layers is better.

Your first layer of clothing (the one that actually touches your skin) should be thin and made of material that wicks moisture away from you so that if you do sweat it doesn’t soak your clothing making you even colder. Just a few years ago, this base layer was made up of thermal long johns (which still work by the way) but today there are tons of choices on the market. This base layer should fit snug since the rest of your T F & G

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t h e elements. Think of it as a shell to block the wind and rain both of which contribute to your comfort (or lack of) while hunting.

You’ll want something that is waterproof and wind resistant but quiet so that it doesn’t make noise as you move.

Now, that was all the information you probably already knew. Let’s go over a few things that you probably have not thought of or used yet.

Back in the day when hunters wore red flannel jackets, shot iron sighted 30-30’s, and didn’t have all this modern gear, they had to think of other means of staying warm.

One simple method used was to take a hot baked potato, wrap it in foil or a handkerchief, and slipping it into their pocket. The

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potato stays warm for a few hours which gives you an edible hand warmer. If you wrap the potato in foil you can take the foil later and use it to line the inside of your hat. Don’t laugh too hard, it works. The foil reflects some of the heat lost through your head, helping you retain a little bit and every little bit helps. The foil might also keep the government or aliens from reading your thoughts.

The same can be done with a hardboiled egg but it isn’t as durable and doesn’t stay warm as long. I’ve heard, but never seen first hand, that some ice fishermen still use this method of staying warm.

Moving into the modern era, we don’t have to use potatoes as hand warmers since we have the advantage of using chemical warmers, even though they aren’t edible. Last year my wife started using peel and stick chemical body warmers with great success. She’d take one or two and stick them on her stomach between her base layer and 2nd layer of clothing and they kept her warm even on the coldest days.

The reason we hunt is because we enjoy it. We enjoy it a lot more when we’re comfortable. Being comfortable starts with dressing properly, and it doesn’t hurt to have a potato in your pocket.

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Hot Potato

clothes will go over it.

The next layer is for warmth. Think soft material that traps air and keeps it close to you instead of letting it escape taking your body heat with it. Fleece is a popular second layer material as are wool and cotton.

The good part about wool is that it doesn’t lose its insulating properties when wet. The bad news it can cost a lot and is fairly heavy.

Cotton is light and inexpensive but the least effective at retaining heat so shop around before making a decision on what best serves your hunting needs.

On the third and final layer you need something that will protect you against

E-mail Paul Bradshaw at freshrigs@fishgame.com

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Optics Illusions

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ts Christmastime and we, especially we parents and grandparents, husbands and wives, are looking for gifts. Some of our loved ones are easy to buy for and some are all but impossible. Well, I’m not going to tell you what to buy George, but I am going to share some insights that may help both shoppers and outdoorsmen and women.

One of the most common mistakes that

novices make when selecting optics is that they think magnification is of paramount importance. Therefore they rush out and buy an inexpensive binocular of the highest power they can find.

In doing this our imaginary outdoorsman has made two mistakes.

One, the greater the magnification the smaller the field of view, the more unstable the image, and the more stable the binocular must be held, plus the light gathering ability is generally less in the higher magnifications.

Two, cheap does not go well with high power. The higher the magnification, the higher the quality must be. A cheap glass of high power will be almost impossible to use, especially in low light. And in all cases with

which I am familiar, the durability of such glasses is pretty pitiful.

While I seldom write about a single manufacturer unless I am writing a field report about a particular product model, I am going to make an exception in this case.

If you are an outdoors person and are not familiar with Alpen Optics, you should be.

Alpen Optics makes a wide array of rifle scopes, telescopes, and binoculars, and in all instances with which I am familiar, they are top notch. I have tested their rifle scopes, and regularly use both a binocular and a spotting scope. Last weekend I set up my spotting scope so the grandkids could look at the moon. When I got it on the moon and properly focused I was amazed at the clarity.

With the scope set at 35X, I could see the craters, and in the larger craters I could see the small mound of dirt and rock that was pushed back up in the center of the crater from the meteor impact. It was so clear that I almost believed I could spot the stuff left behind by the moon landings. I cannot too strongly describe the wonderful clarity of this spotting scope.

Now, the most useful tool that any outdoors person can have is a good binocular.

To give you an idea of how strongly I hold this belief, about 20 years ago I traded a high-grade Beretta over-under 28-gauge shotgun for an 8x30 Zeiss Dialyt green rubber armored binocular. At that time the Beretta sold for well over a thousand dollars. I have not once regretted the trade.

Now, however, I generally use an Alpen binocular or a newer Zeiss glass that a friend gave me a few years ago. The Dialyt is still as clear as it was when I got it, but the newer glasses are just as clear. The biggest advantage of the Alpen over the Zeiss is that the Alpen, whatever model you choose, is much more reasonably priced. Thus the advice to the Christmas shoppers: If you are shopping for an outdoorsman, a good binocular is always a fine choice.

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egardless what my wife may have told you about me shirking household duties, I have been a very good boy this year. I am pleased to report that I introduced a 14-year old to saltwater fishing this summer and on his fist trip he caught 3 reds and one trout, all on a topwater lure. Yep, Santa, he is hooked on fishing for life and I suspect this will be reflected in his upcoming letter to you. In addition, I picked up piles of other people’s trash after each of my fishing trips and several times helped stranded boaters whose outboards wouldn’t start. I also wanted to assure you that that little incident where I made a naughty gesture at that yahoo who cut across my drift on Estes Flats was

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all Santa, the cradles are waisthigh, making it very easy to load and unload hulls.

You know Santa, a fellow just can’t have enough paddles and an extra one would surely be appreciated this year. Now I know you wouldn’t leave me one of those plastic paddles t h a t looks like it belongs in an episode of Gilligan’s Island. That would be like getting a lump of coal. Ha! I know you will bring me a really cool paddle, like the ones made by Aqua Bound and Werner. A two-piece, carbon fiber paddle would be awesome, but if the elves can’t fit that into their schedule, a paddle with a composite shaft and fiberglass blades would be great too.

Santa, what does grungy mean? My wife uses that word a lot when she describes my PFD to friends. I think it is term of affection but, in case it isn’t, I guess that means I should get a new one. I have had me eye on a Calcutta PFD from MTI Adventurewear for some time now. It is made specifically for kayak fishermen and has lots of pockets, D Rings to attach tools and accessories to, and has lots of adjustable straps so I get just the right fit The trailer, paddle and PFD will probably take up most of the room under the Christmas tree but there should still be room left in my stocking. There are so many kayak accessories I want, I don’t know where to start.

A set of hand-held UHF radios would be fun, Santa. These radios have come a long way since they were introduced and they really make it easy to talk to fishing buddies that are a long way off.

andres rodriguez/Mark Ross, bigstock

Dear Santa:

purely an aberration, however I digress. Seeing that I have been such a good boy, I was hoping you could bring me lots of cool kayaking toys for Christmas.

You know Santa, as I have gotten older, hoisting several kayaks on top of my Suburban isn’t as easy as it once was. I was thinking that a kayak trailer made by the folks at Malone would look really nice under the tree. (You being Santa Claus and all, I have no doubt you can fit a trailer down the chimney).

This kayak trailer is really cool Santa.

It has cradles for multiple hulls and a cargo box below where I can stow PFDs and loose gear. My wife would really like that as I don’t have to haul wet stuff after a fishing trip in her new Tahoe. Wives are so funny about those things, huh Santa? But best of

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A fishing map would fit in my stocking too Santa. I was thinking of the kayak-size maps that are small enough to fit inside a hatch. They are laminated so you can pull them out when you are on the water and don’t have to worry about getting them wet.

I hate to bring this up Santa, but you know that I am not real good with electronic devices around the water. I don’t know why cell phone manufacturers haven’t come up with a phone you can put in your pocket and then go wade fishing? It seems like such a good idea. Well, I hear there are

all sorts of hard and soft cases now for cell phones, cameras, and car keys that solve this problem. Given my repeat offenses in this area Santa, you better throw a few of those water-proof cases on the sleigh.

And last Santa, I would really like a new paddle leash. Funny name, huh? Like a paddle will walk off like a dog. Well, they will, but don’t ask me how I know this.

Let’s just keep that a little secret between ourselves. Any of the leashes made by Yak-

Gear would be really great.

Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. Claus!

Safe travels.

Greg Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at kayak@fishgame.com.

Texas guns t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56 Alpen makes approximately 10 different models of binoculars, each model in several different sizes and powers. Their flagship line is the Rainier. This is as good as any glass in the world, but prices are pretty high. Alpen, however, makes something for everyone.

The world traveling hunter who wants the best there is should choose the Rainier, but below that summit is everything from the mid-priced Apex to the entrylevel Magnaview.

My current Alpen binocular is an Apex and I truly cannot tell any difference in clarity between it and the much higher priced Zeiss.

I don’t know what more I can tell you.

I was, at first, skeptical when I was told that the quality of these glasses matches any in the world. I am no longer skeptical.

I have tested most of the better binoculars.

Often I am disappointed at the quality, or the durability, or something. I have never been disappointed by Alpen. I have just as much faith in them as I do in my old Dialyt. If that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what will.

Merry Christmas and God bless.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com

On the Web Read Steve LaMascus’s Shooting Blog at www.FishGame.com

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Springfield Armory recently announced that the XD(M) Competition Series pistol is now available in .45ACP. The XD(M) 5.25 Competition Series pistols feature refinements in accuracy and shoot-ability which aid in speed and precision shooting applications.

The new, adjustable precision target rear, and fiber optic insert serrated front sights are better than most options from a custom shop. World Champion, Rob Leatham says, “This is the best rear sight he has seen on this category of gun. Makes anything before it obsolete.”

The lightening cut reduces slide and reciprocating mass. Competition shooters are always looking for an edge, and lightening slides, when

Springfield Armory’s XD(M) 5.25 Competition Series pistol in a .45 ACP.

permitted by the rules of competition, allow a wider variety of ammunition to function properly.

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stock polymer pistol. Rob Leatham believes this model is accurate enough, out of the box, to win at events like the Bianchi Cup, The Steel Challenge and the USPSA and IDPA Nationals.

For more information, call 800-6806866 or visit their website, www.springfield-armory.com

Cool Shirts from the World’s Great Fishing Destinations Every angler dreams of traveling to the ultimate fishing destination and catching that fish of a lifetime…and even if he doesn’t get that fish, he will usually collect a great t-shirt along the way. The Red Tuna Shirt Club is a Texas-based company that gives fisherman the opportunity to receive a new t-shirt each month from one of the world’s top saltwater fishing destinations…with no airline tickets required.

Each month, Red Tuna unveils a new shirt featuring a top-rated saltwater charter business or guide service. Recent shirts include designs from Maui, Puerto Vallarta, Alaska and Panama, and all of them are authentic shirts from one of the area’s top charter services.

Around the first of each month, a new shirt is shipped exclusively to members, along with some information telling the featured captain’s unique story. That shirt then becomes a collector’s item – once a charter service gets the Red Tuna treatment, the t-shirt is retired forever.

Memberships are $20 a month includ-

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Red Tuna travels the world, and you get the shirts.

ing shipping.

Pre-paid memberships are available with bonus shirts for the 6 and 12 month options, or members can choose a month-to-month membership with long term obligation required.

For more information, visit Red Tuna online: www.redtunashirtclub.com

The Tool for Texas Trophies Trophy Tools is proud to present its line of made-in-Texas Scope Clamps featuring their smooth and strong CNC machined ballheads.

The Scope Clamp is a unique product designed to go where a standard camera tripod can’t or is too cumbersome. The Scope Clamp has all the advantages the tripod has, such as tilt, swivel and pan, but eliminates the bulk, weight, and hassle of the tripod legs. It goes into operation in just a few seconds, and can be clamped to tree limbs, fences, tabletops, vehicle dashboards and windows – anywhere that is 2 inches or less in thickness. Hunters, Law Enforcement officials and the Military have all discovered the benefits of using the Scope Clamp.

Trophy Tools offers two models: the

Photos: Springfield armory; red tuna shirt club

Springfield Armory Unveils .45 ACP Competition Pistol

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er attachment allows you to easily attach a broadcast feeder or spreader to the Mini Hitch. These accessories will soon be available for UTV’s.

Whether you are an active outdoorsman, or just working on the farm or ranch, the ATV Mini Hitch and accessories can assist you. Check out their website and online store at www.hitchnhunt.com or contact us at 850-564-0216.

Trophy Tools scope and camera clamps are made in Texas.

Sportsman and the Professional. The Sportsman will handle most video cameras and up through medium sized spotting scopes, making it ideal for most hunters.

The Professional is designed to handle the large cameras and spotting scopes, or to take the hard use a professional guide, military or law enforcement professional can dish out. The Professional also appeals to those that have purchased the best in spotting scopes or cameras and want their accessories to be of the same caliber. Both units feature CNC-machined parts and they are proudly made in Texas.

For more information or to order a Scope Clamp, call 512-618-8880 or www. trophytools.com.

Hitch a Ride to Your Next Hunt

Mustad is hoping its new “Hook a Million” promotion will deliver $1.4 million dollars in cash to lucky anglers who set new world and state records.

The contest runs until September 30, 2012 and targets 10 of the country’s most popular fresh and saltwater fish. These include Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, White Crappie, Coho Salmon, Striped Bass, Kelp Bass (Calico Bass), Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout) and Yellowfin Tuna. It’s open to US residents 18 & over in all 50 states and to participate, anglers must use a Mustad hook and register once at least 24 hours in advance of fishing.

Anglers who establish the first two new freshwater or first two new saltwater state records for the covered species receive $100,000 each. The first new IGFACertified All-Tackle World Record for any of the listed species nets the lucky angler $1,000,000 (Paid over 50 years via annuity) “We make thousands of premium hooks for all the species in the promotion and we’re encouraging anybody who fishes to register,” added Mr. Kurtz. “It’s free and you never know when that next record is going to bite.”

To register visit www.mustad.no.

Photos: Trophy tools; Hitch “N” Hunt; Nikon

Hitch “N” Hunt is a new company located in Milton, FL and home of the patented ATV Mini Hitch and accessories. A new and innovative way to get your ladder stand and supplies in the woods or get the deer out of the woods.

The Mini Hitch is quick and easy to install on conventional ATV rack systems, clamp it on the front or rear rack of your ATV and leave it on. There’s no need to change anything because all the accessories use a single wire pin that attaches them to the mini hitch.

The basket, bucket holder, and spreader attachment can be installed on the front or rear mounted Mini Hitch. The Spread-

Hook a Million with Mustad

Patented Hitch “N” Hunt hauls your tree stand and other gear.

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Nikon Lets New Monarch Fly Early Nikon has announced an early launch of a new 2012 model into its venerable Monarch ATB family. The all-new Monarch 3 All Terrain Binocular, available in 10x42 and 8x42 versions, is now on the shelves of select retailers.

The Monarch 3 features fully multicoated Nikon Eco-Glass lenses and phase-corrected, high-reflective silver alloy multilayer prism coatings, providing superb light transmission and resolution for dawn to dusk glassing. Long eye relief combined with multi-click turn-and-slide rubber eyecups, makes the Monarch 3 extremely userfriendly in any hunting situation.

Just 24.7 ounces (10x42 model), the Monarch 3 is fully rubber armored for maximum durability and wet-or-dry grip and includes unique, flip-down rubber lens covers to protect the 42mm objective lenses from scratches and dirt.

Suggested retail

Nikon’s new Monarch 3

price for the 8x42 is $229.95 and $249.95 for the 10x42 model. The Monarch 3 is backed

by Nikon’s 25-year limited warranty and No-Fault Repair/Replacement Policy.

For more information call 1-800-6456687 or visit www.nikonhunting.com.

Shop for innovative, new and hardto-find outdoor gear at www.FishandGameGear.com

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The 22nd Annual CCA/Ford/Tilson Homes State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo came to a close at 5:00 p.m. on Labor Day, September 5.

This year’s tournament offered over 120 prizes. A total of 108 prizes were claimed this year and the 24 top prizes were presented to the winners during the CCA State of Texas BBQ and STAR Awards Ceremony, which was held on Thursday, October 6th at the Houston Farm & Ranch Club.

StarKids Scholarships

In its seventeenth year, the StarKids Scholarship Flounder Division provides a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarships totaling $50,000 for catching the largest flounder.

This year’s winner was Tabitha Rowland, age 10, of McAllen—3 lbs. 8 oz.

In its seventh year, Houston Community Newspapers StarKid Scholarship Sheepshead Division provides a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarship totaling $50,000 for catching the largest sheepsehad. This year’s winner was Aven Campos, age 10, of Orange—8 lbs., 7 oz.

Fox Sports Houston/Fox Sports Southwest StarKids Scholarship Gafftop Division – In its fourth year, the Fox Sports/ Fox Southwest StarKids Scholarship Gafftop Division provides a young angler between the ages of six and ten with a college scholarship totaling $50,000 for catching the largest gafftop. This year’s winner was Camden Ritchey, age 8, of Houston —7 lbs., 7 oz.

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in each region (upper, middle and lower coast) were awarded a $20,000 college scholarship: Upper Coast: Sterling McIntosh, age 14, of Houston—7 lbs., 9 oz.

Middle Coast: Benjamin Koehler, age 17, of Marion—7 lbs., 5 oz.

Lower Texas Fish & Game ownCoast: Carter ers Roy Neves (left) and Goyen, age 13, Ardia Neves (right) presof Alvin—8 ent a $20,000 scholarlbs., 6 oz. ship to Brittany Leatherwood of Nederland.

In its fifth year, the Time Warner Cable Sports StarTeens Scholarship Inshore Division was open to all New Tide/STAR members ages 11-17. These fisher-teens with the largest flounder, gafftop and sheepshead were awarded a $20,000 college scholarship: Flounder: Christopher Ford, age 15, of Galveston—5 lbs. 3 oz.

Sheepshead: Robbie Laskoskie, age 17, of Kemah—8 lbs. 15 oz.

Gafftop: Brittany Leatherwood, age 14, of Nederland—7 lbs. 6 oz.

To date, CCA STAR has awarded scholarships totaling $4,345,000.

Tagged Redfish

This year, there were 3 confirmed winners in the ever-popular Texas Ford Dealers Tagged Redfish Division.

These three winners were presented with a fully-loaded 2011 Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” truck and Haynie 23 BigFoot boat, Mercury 150L OptiMax motor and Coastline trailer.

David Holt of Denison—Tag No. TA329 caught June 2, 2011.

Paul Resendez of Port Lavaca—Tag No. TA263 caught June 4, 2011 Zach Crawford of Rockport—Tag No. TA326 caught June 6, 2011

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PHOTO: Tom Derrah

CCA Celebrates 2011 STAR Winners

Trout Division

These registered anglers brought in the largest trout for Upper Coast, Middle Coast and Lower Coast. Each received a Shoalwater 22’ Legend, Mercury 150L OptiMax motor and McClain trailer: Upper Coast: David Elmore, of Baytown—9 lbs. 3 oz.

Middle Coast: Michael Leach, of Corpus Christi—8 lbs. 14 oz.

Lower Coast: Nolan Casey, age 7, of South Padre Island—9 lbs. 10 oz.

Offshore Division

In the Offshore Division, the following anglers who hooked the biggest kingfish, dorado and ling (cobia) were each awarded with an Explorer by Dargel 216 Bluewater Series, Mercury 150XL Optimax outboard plus a McClain trailer: Kingfish: Barry Shaneyfelt Jr. of Dickinson—55 lbs. 7 oz.

Dorado: Darrell Rittiman of Cypress—44 lbs., 12 oz.

Ling (Cobia): Robert Kirschner of Galveston—84 lbs. 0 oz.

Inshore Division

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McClain trailer for hooking the largest flounder, gafftop and sheepshead: Flounder: Robert Goode of Alvin—7 lbs. 2 oz.

Sheepshead: Ramon Zapata of Baytown—9 lbs. 4 oz.

Gafftop: Jerome Ard of Lumberton—8 lbs. 4 oz.

—Staff Report

the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S 275–70 tem for the Outdoorsman, available for OR17 tires, a beefy choice with a stronger the first time in both bed lengths in 2012. sidewall and good off-road gripping power.

Integrated with the box, these long storage With choices ranging from the 1500 compartments are specially fitted with holwith its 3.7L, 4.7L gas engines and 5.7 ster straps to accommodate rifles, shotguns Hemi Engines models, there is bound to and fishing rods (although they can store be combination of engine, transmission and anything) and are, of course, lockable. tow capacity to meet any sportsperson’s A $1900 option for 2011, they are now requirements. The 1500 has a 4-wheel priced at $1200 – a great value drive option. All the specs, including tow —Linda Water Nelson capacity and payload info are available on the RAM website. The crew cab version (with lots of bells and whistles) priced out at just over $41,000, but there are a range of variations available.

MPG ranges from 16 to just under 19, depending upon road and highway condiWhen RAM set out to replace the tions, whether you are towing or have a TRX for the 2011, they went back to the In October, Academy Sports + heavy payload. These vehicles boast 32 to drawing board to create a truck that would Outdoors in Baytown hosted a private 35 gallon fuel tanks, based on bed length. exceed the expectations of hunting and give-back event with 50 children from the Class IV hitch with Baytown Family YMCA and the Houston four and seven pin Texans YMCA. The kids were the first plugs were part of the customers of Academy’s newest location. vehicle we reviewed.

Each child received a personal shopping In addition to the assistant along with a $100 Academy gift exterior and undercard to shop for items throughout the store hood distinctions, including bikes, toys, shoes, sports equipthere are a number ment and more. Also on-hand for the event of interior features was former NFL player and current Texand storage options ans Ambassador J.J. Moses, who shopped that make this a along with the kids throughout the event.

2012 RAM Outdoorsman textbook example of The excited children shopped for over exceptional sports an hour and came away with baskets full truck design. The of fun products. For more pictures of the fishing enthusiasts for performance, appear- standard seat configuration for the front event, visit www.facebook.com/AcademySseat is a 40/20/40 bench, with buckets as ance and storage. The result, the Ram portsandOutdoors to view the Baytown an option. There is a 10-way driver’s seat Outdoorsman is part of RAM’s 1500 Give-Back photo album. and a great deal of standard interior storlineup, has been a standout.

The store officially opened at 8 a.m. the age, including The 150 was named the Texas Auto floor-mounted Writers’ Truck of Texas for 2010 and the compartments Outdoorsman edition won full-size Truck and two flat of Texas recognition for the same time storage spaces period -- both highly covetable awards since Texas one in six trucks are sold in the under the rear seat. The state. The awards were particularly sweet steering wheel for Fred Diaz, who heads up the RAM has front and division, and hails from San Antonio rear controls From the get-go, the look of this robustand and there is looking vehicle announces that this is not a 115V power an ordinary work truck, although it could Kids from the Baytown and Houston Texans YMCAs enjoy a outlet in the serve double duty. The two-tone exterior shopping spree courtesy of Academy Sports + Outdoors. dash. Because (the only one available on the Outdoorsthis power staman) with mineral gray on the lower tion includes an inverter, no special plug is portion, scratch-resistant steel bumpers, next day, and now Baytown residents have required. black grille and black door handles speak an Academy Sports + Outdoors to call The really exceptional storage feature to rugged endeavors. Specially-designed their own. which is optional is the RAMBOX syswheel lips look great and draw the eye to T F & G

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Photo: Chester Moore

Photo: ram trucks

RAM Taps into a Sportsperson’s Wish List

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Specific fishing techniques require specific gear. Try fishing a crankbait with a short, stiff rod, for example, and you’ll have more missed strikes than solid hooksets. That’s why Shimano designs specific rods for specific purposes, and one of their latest creations is the new Crucial series.

The Crucial series was originally designed in many different models to fit specific needs ranging from flipping and pitching to fishing frogs for largemouth. Now, the line-up has been upgraded and expanded to include inshore offerings.

I tried out a CRS FL72MA, which has a sturdy spine but a light, soft tip that allows fish some give when they take the bait, making it idea for fishing crankbaits as well as surface plugs, swim-baits, and vertical jigging.

Wait a sec—won’t that soft tip result in a loss of sensitivity? No way. I tested the Crucial while fishing crankbaits for striped bass, and found that every bump and nudge was detectable. I also discovered that these rods work well for light-tackle trolling with plugs and spoons. There’s enough give that on the take, the hook doesn’t rip free, yet once the rod’s fully loaded, it has the backbone to force large fish to turn their head and come to the net.

Construction materials are a big part of why these rods perform the way they do: the rod itself is IM-10 graphite, while the grips are cork with a compressed cork buttcap. Guides are also top-notch, with Fuji Alconite “tangle free” K-guides. These guides have “dis-entangling” frames, which are designed to allow twisted or looped line to slide back off of the guide. As a result, they eliminate that annoying “snap!” of a line breaking on the cast, due to a guide entanglement. And this happens a lot more 64 |

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commonly than you might realize; we commonly attribute casting break-offs to “wind knots” but in truth, it’s guide entanglement that usually triggers those snaps.

These rods also feature what Shimano calls “fossil wood” on the inner body section of the reel seat. This carbon material is used to increase the blank’s sensitivity, while eliminating gaps between the front and rear hoods. That means everything your hand touches is smooth, and transmits those gentle bumps and nudges right into

Further, many lens configurations are too small for my comfort, leaking light at the perimeter or, with wraparound styles, fogging up from evaporating sweat and poor air circulation.

Fatheadz promised relief from these inconveniences. Despite my warning of the harsh nature of “Tested by Zaidle,” the nice Fatheadz rep sent a pair with reassurances.

They lasted five hours.

In fairness, the “test” was a bit over the

your fingertips.

The Crucials also have hook keepers by the butt, a graphite reel seat, and they come with a limited lifetime warranty. Both spinning and casting versions are available, and the new crankbait-specific rods are available in 6’8” and 7’2” medium power, 7’0” medium-light power, and 7’6” and 7’11” medium and medium-heavy power.

Prices for the new Crucials run from $149.99 to $179.99; check ‘em out at www.fish.shimano.com.

—Lenny Rudow

top, even by my standards.

I wore the Fatheadz while fighting a wildfire (volunteer firefighter) and got into a rather sticky situation (see the November 2011 issue Editor’s Notes column for details), wherein the Fatheadz melted in the heat. While I was wearing them.

Photos: Shimano; Joe Duty, wise county messenger

Shimano Crucial Rods

Fatheadz in the Fire Regular readers of this space know (1) I am hard as hell on gear of all kinds and (2) I have a dismal record with sunglasses. Both figured prominently in a recent evaluation of a new sunglass line called Fatheadz.

As the name suggests, Fatheadz are for people who have a larger-than-usual head—such as me. Most sunglasses are one-size-fits-all (and anyone who has seen a fat lady in Spandex knows where that can lead), and on my fat head, that leads to headache due to the sunglass temples pressing inward on my temples.

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This photo, captured by Joe Duty of the Wise County Messenger newspaper is the only in existence of Zaidle wearing the illfated Fatheadz.

The Fatheadz served me well during their short, unhappy life. Their remains rest somewhere on the charred forest floor of a Wise County ranch. May they at last find peace.

—Don Zaidle

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I freely confess I am a nostalgia

on a small ranch with a half-dozen dogs

The concept of hitting the ball made sense,

buff, wax poetic and grow misty-eyed over

and adult ranchers as friends, companions,

but all the silly rules about running the

“the good old days”—especially at this

and playmates. I was half feral, prowling

bases in order, and shoving the first base-

the woods and creeks with a homemade

man out of the way being bad form, took

spear fashioned from a broken hoe handle

all the fun out of it. I quickly learned I

and an old butcher’s knife.

needed a fielder’s glove (I was too given

By Don Zaidle

time of year.

Psycobabblists say the first eight years of

“Culture shock” doesn’t begin to

we are. I cannot argue,

describe what starting school was like.

be trusted in the infield). When I asked

That was when I learned my family and I

for one, we simply couldn’t afford it. Who

were “poor.”

would have thought a yard or so of stitched

for in my life, it seems to be true.

My earliest memories involve fishing camps, open-fire cooking, and the smell of my grandfather’s hunting vest. I grew up

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The teachers insisted we play baseball, a game I had never seen let alone played.

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cowhide cost as much as the monthly electric bill or a half-ton of cottonseed cake?

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Santa always knew what I wanted, and

So, I played baseball without a glove,

the price of one lousy fielder’s glove (which

which was fine with me. I didn’t really care

was useful only a few weeks of the year), I

I could count on him for important stuff on

about the game, and knew who Mickey

could get three rods with Zebco 202 reels

Christmas morning—and no lousy baseball

Mantle was only because the other kids

and a respectful amount of tackle to boot—

glove. At least two boxes of 20-gauge No.

raved about him every day. Besides, for

all useful year-round.

6’s were a surety, along with some tackle, new socks, and maybe a pocketknife to replace the one I lost. (Actually, the kids at school thought it was neat, but the teacher didn’t. I thought everybody carried a pocketknife. She promised to return it at the end of school, but meanwhile, I was out of a knife for the duration.)

Sometimes I got new clothes, but not often. We did most of our clothes shopping at Goodwill and the flea market across the street from the cattle auction in Bridgeport on Saturday. It is amazing what you can get at a flea market (we called it “the sale”), from hardly-worn boots to warm flannel shirts and housewares. May favorite first-grade ensemble was a pair of tan corduroy pants and brown-and-tan plaid shirt.

I thought it made me look appropriately “rugged.”

I always thought it a dirty rotten gyp that they planned school season to run concurrently with hunting season. The few short hours of daylight after the hour-long bus ride home left precious little hunting time, but I made the best of it.

My prospects and mood always picked up as Christmas drew nearer. The week of parole from school for the holiday meant plenty of time in the woods during the day, and family time after sundown. The luscious smells from my grandmother’s kitchen peaked during Christmas week. The usual scents of fried chicken (killed fresh that morning), cream gravy, and vegetables canned fresh from that summer’s garden gave way to rare fragrances of pumpkin pie, smoked ham, dressing, and giblet

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gravy. The scent of a juniper Christmas

closet to decorate the tree. We worked

the day and what tomorrow held. Grand-

tree cut fresh that very week accented the

together stringing popcorn and making col-

mother sat nearest the Dearborn heater,

rest in olfactory symphony.

orful paper chains for the final touches.

crafting ordinary textile into works of

I helped my grandmother retrieve the ancient ornaments from the back porch

Each evening, Pop, Grandmother,

crocheted, knitted, and embroidered art.

and I sat in the living room, talking about

When conversation waned, Pop kicked back with a paperback western novel while I poured over the latest copy of Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, or Sports Afield procured (sometimes illicitly) from the barbershop. The combined warmth of the heater, Christmas lights, and atmosphere made the drafty living room a cocoon of unparalleled comfort. I was “home.”

Summer’s three-month parole from school meant long days prowling the creek and swimming in the deep, crystal pool below “White’s Dam” (a 3-foot wide concrete barrier placed by a rancher named White to provide a summer waterhole for cattle), sometimes with a companion from a neighboring ranch, but usually not. The water was always cool and clear, the sunand catfishes hungry, the bass an enigma and great prize, and the beauty of it all mine for the taking. I was “home” then, too, and unimaginably rich, but didn’t know it.

Pop and Grandmother are long since gone; the ranch has new owners; the old house and barn torn down; the creek bulldozed, diverted, and dammed. My “home” is gone, I can never go back. I have made a new home with my wife, one to which our children and grandchildren can always return so long as we live, and maybe beyond. The secret, I have learned, is to recognize that today is one of the “good old days” they will talk about in years to come.

May you realize the riches in your life, enjoy the prosperity of family, and find your way “home” this holiday season.

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PHOTO: chester Moore

Christmas will be an exciting

place in the Moore household this year.

This will be our daughter’s Faith’s

By Chester Moore

fourth Christmas with us since we adopted her from China three years ago at age two. Since then she has amazingly

developed from a fragile little doll into a beautiful, yet rough and tumble ball of energy.

Last year was the first Christmas where you could really see she understood what was going on and understood our customs of giving and receiving.

I will never forget watching her peek around the corner of her room, looking toward the living room to get her “prizes” as she called them. For my wife Lisa and

The author’s daughter, Faith, whose Christmas joy carries over into every experience she and her family have throughout the year.

I, it was an amazing moment because her original prognosis indicated she might not ever develop to the point of truly getting this special day. However, with some intervention from the holiday’s namesake our little caterpillar is a full-fledged butterfly fully enjoying what life has to offer.

People tell me all the time they are shocked we did not adopt a boy since I am an outdoorsman and I could pass on my outdoors lifestyle to a boy. That sort of catches me off guard for a couple of reasons.

A.

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B.

Why on Earth could we not pass

PHOTO: chester Moore

dollhouse, she absolutely loves animals. In

in our lives.

fact, she can name an animal for every letter of the alphabet, some of which are fairly

it down to a girl?

You see, although my daughter is in ballet and tap and loves to play with her

obscure.

“X is for X-Ray Fish!”, she says.

Moore and Faith, admiring a catch of flounder.

Being my daughter comes with certain privileges and one of them is a nearly constant stream of opportunities to connect with wildlife.

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caught a seven-pound grinnel. She has pet-

with a collage of photos of her with the

ted giraffes, saw virtually every animal that

animals.

There will be a plush bass for her first catch. (I don’t think they have plush grin-

Texas zoos have to offer and even got to bottle feed a baby cougar this year.

That encounter was incredibly touching because when she saw the little cat being fed, she immediately asked, “Can I feed it?” and had the biggest smile on her face, fully realizing she was making a connection few children get to make.

This Christmas we are doing something special for Faith.

She will get a few educational toys and books from us and pretty much the entire girl’s section of Toys R Us from my parents but at the very end of the gift giving, Lisa and I are going to present her with something special.

We are getting her plush animals that represent all of the cool creatures she has had encounters with along with a frame

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A super lifelike baby cougar, a giraffe

PHOTO: chester Moore

flounder into Sabine Lake.

nels.)

Then we are going to give her an adop-

and, yes, a plush flounder will be in the

tion certificate for one of the big cats at

mix. She hasn’t caught one yet but actually

my friend Terri Werner’s incredible Tiger

helped release some of the first-ever stocked

Creek Refuge in Tyler and explain to her

Moore and his wife Lisa are teaching their daughter to love wildlife.

the money spent on that cat will help keep it alive and allow that animal to represent other tigers that are going extinct in the wild.

This is inspired by my friend Sean DeCento buying Faith a life membership in Ducks Unlimited’s (DU) Greenwings, which is their kids club that includes a kidcentered magazine. It blows me away to think my kid is already a member of DU. How cool is that?

We want her to understand conservation but more importantly help foster her love for wildlife and for giving.

It is our desire for her to want to give as much as we love giving to her and to realize true happiness doesn’t come from receiving but helping others and being good stewards of our natural resources. We certainly do not expect her to “get” that at this point but we are planting seeds that can be harvested in the future.

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And of course, she will partake in our Christmas tradition of going to Christmas

sure into their lives.

the utmost humility and thanksgiving for

This Christmas we celebrate both with

who gives these gifts that keep on giving.

Eve church service to sing praises and come back home to go to bed before Santa Clause comes by.

The next morning we will wake her up and give her the full-on Christmas gift experience, eat dinner with my Mom and Dad and watch Christmas movies.

Numerous people have told us we have blessed Faith by giving her such a loving home and yes we have.

The reality, however, is our gift is much more profound.

It is the amazement of getting to see the impact of reaching out to hurting people and traveling far beyond our comfort zone into the world of adoption. Some 2,000 years ago the world’s greatest gift was brought into the world and nearly four years ago the Moore’s most precious trea-

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20 years ago, who would have

imagined the things outdoorsmen use today? High velocity shot shells, digi-

By Roger Bacon

tal game cameras, handheld GPS units, waterproof breathable outerwear, and the list goes on. As the holiday

season is upon us, thoughts of Christmas future leave us to ponder what we may see wrapped in red and green bows as we move further into the 21st Century.

“

Thoughts of Christmas future leave us to ponder what we may see wrapped in red & green bows further into the 21st Century

“

I had the opportunity to speak with an executive of one of the nations largest mobile carriers on a fishing trip earlier this year. The discussion moved to cell phones and the need for more towers and better coverage. His response took me off guard.

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the past. Cell coverage is limited by band-

spying on competitors could certainly be a

width, and there is only a finite amount of

possibility with this new technology.

Advances in materials used in the manufacturing process of outdoor products

data that can be transmitted and received over conventional airwaves. The solution is 100% satellite coverage.� Granted, satellite phones are used today. But for the average user, they are cost prohibitive. Not so in the future. As more carriers move to satellite coverage, prices will fall. Imagine being able to monitor deer movement at your lease from your cell phone. Not by linking to your deer cam, but by using real time satellite imagery.

In terms of fishing, tournament organizations have addressed this issue, albeit inadvertently, when they banned the use of cell phones between participants during sanctioned events. At issue now, is the sharing info of locations and tactics among friends via cell. But in the future, putting down the rod, picking up a phone, and

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are less controversial. With the advent of

approaching the tipping point in terms of

light, and offering 2-3 times the strength

graphite in the 70’s, fishing rods became

graphite. As builders increase the percent-

vs. weight of graphite, it is only a matter

much lighter, therefore transmitting more

age of graphite, and rods become lighter,

of time before carbon fiber blanks will be

vibration and increasing sensitivity. But

strength becomes an issue. Carbon fiber is

in widespread use. To put in perspective,

according to leading rod builders, we are

the new buzzword in the industry. Super

envision a 7’3” flipping stick that compares in weight with today’s ultra light crappie rods. It boggles the mind.

Other new man made materials will affect hunters and anglers in the future. In 1991 the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service instituted a ban on lead in the pursuit of waterfowl. Since that time, steel loads have been the choice of most water fowlers. Being non toxic, steel loads meet the government’s requirements but leave much to be desired in terms of down range speed and knock down power. Other non toxic loads, primarily tungsten and bismuth, have offered hunters alternatives to steel.

“

Envision a 7’ 3” flipping stick that compares in weight with today’s ultra light crappie rods.

“

But with them come a premium price.

Diminishing natural resources and the inherent cost associated with mining and producing these materials have sent manufacturers scrambling for alternatives. Also, toss into the mix the movement afoot to ban lead in all ammo and also terminal tackle for fishing, and a manmade product is sure to emerge.

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spread use in the production of bearings,

slow, but steady. In my grandfather’s day,

we moved on to monofilament and finally

knife blades, and many other items. But so

Dacron was the product of choice. Then

have settled on braided or bonded compos-

far, the purpose has been to reduce weight, not increase it. As ceramic is a manmade product, it is well within the realm of possibility that manufacturers can produce a more dense, and therefore heavier, product.

A heavier product for use in ammunition, fishing lures and terminal tackle bodes well for our industry: alternative products with the attributes of lead, while meeting requirements of the government. The cost of these products is a primary roadblock, but that can be overcome by advances in processing technology. Hooks, weights, and even gun barrels could be produced with ceramics. The possibilities are endless.

We’ve often heard that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In the case of fishing, your line is usually that weak link. The evolution of fishing line has been

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ites known as “Super Lines.” With smaller

often turn their noses up at a lure tied to

equation, the knot. And another drawback,

diameters and better sensitivity, these new

“string.” The answer up until now has

lack of stretch, is also a problem. Some

lines swept the market and gathered many

been to tie a leader of fluorocarbon, anoth-

anglers, specifically those who use crank

supporters. One drawback for many has

er new offering which is virtually invisible

baits, tend to revert to monofilament lines

been the increased visibility of these offer-

underwater, to the braided main line. But

or limber fiberglass rods. The thinking

ings. Heavily pressured, line shy fish will

now we‘ve added another weak link to the

On the Web AG Russell Knives: www.agrussell.com Accusharp Knife Sharpeners: www.accusharp.com Active Tuning Solutions: www.activetuningsolutions.com Agri Cover, Inc. www.accesscover.com Ammunition to Go: www.AmmunitionToGo.com Black Hills Ammunition: www. black-hills.com Camo Carpet: www.camocarpet.com Cover Your Bass, Inc. www.coveryourbass.com Coveralls www.coveralls.biz Daiwa www.Daiwa.com DeSantis Holsters www. desantisholster.com Faultline Outdoors www.faultlineoutdoors.com Fishing Tackle Unlimited www.FishingTackleUnlimited.com Gulf Coast Fishing Rod Holder www.gulfcoastfishingrodholder.com Gulf Coast Waders www.gulfcoastwaders.com Hallmark Cutlery www.hallmarkcutlery.com KT Coolers www.ktcoolers.com Lansky Sharpeners www.lansky.com Larson Electronics www.magnalight.com Oliso www.oliso.com Ono’s Trading Company www.onostradingcompany.com Puma Knife Company USA www. pumaknifecompanyusa.com Red Tuna Shirt Club www.redtunashirtclub.com Springfield Armory www.springfield-armory.com Stanley Jigs www.fishstanley.com Swift Hitch www.swifthitch.com The Great Texas Gun Company www.txgunco.com TR Coastal Innovations www.skeggpro.com

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here is the stretch of the line, or the give

one for the next generation. That they may

enjoy the same gifts of the outdoors, that

of the rod, allows the fish to stay buttoned

be afforded the same opportunities, and

our Father bestowed upon us.

when fishing with crank baits. The obvious progression is towards a new line that offers the benefits of braid, with the invisibility of fluorocarbon, and offering varying amounts of stretch. I’m certain that these lines will debut in the near future.

This is just a few of the new products I feel we may see over the next 10 years or so. And I’m sure many more will emerge as our quest for the latest and greatest continues. Some will be improvements of existing items. Others will be completely off the wall and outside the box. One thing we must keep in mind is habitat. Regardless of the technological advances that lie ahead, continued access to prime hunting and fishing destinations is the biggest hurdle facing us in the next decade. So please, when you say your prayers this Christmas season, include

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ecember is typically the month when most fair weathered fishermen decide to winterize their boats and tuck them away in storage so they can hibernate peacefully for a few months.

As strong cold fronts begin to bully their way more frequently towards the Texas Gulf Coast, and the mercury dips into the 30’s, a lot of anglers simply throw in the towel and dedicate themselves to activities more suitable for harsh conditions.

There are some days in December when you’d have to be a fool to be on the water, but there are other days when it would be

“

Some days in December you’d be a fool to be on the water... other days it would be foolish not to be.

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Don’t Hang ‘Em Up Just Yet

almost foolish not to be. This is, after all, the Texas Gulf Coast, and sometimes down here, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to realize what season we are in.

Comfortable temperatures and fishable winds can result in some hefty stringers in the early winter months. Here on Sabine

Lake, we usually have a two to three week extension of the fall pattern we’ve been milking for a while. What that boils down to is, you’ve still got a little time to catch some trout and reds schooling under birds as well as some nice flounder on the shorelines and the mouths of bayous.

The north end of the lake, from the north revetment to Coffee Ground Cove is usually where we find the most bird activity once December gets here. Take advantage of this while it lasts because when it’s over, it’s over.

The next chance you’ll get won’t be until March if you’re lucky. The good news is there are still plenty of fish to be caught.

The redfish bite is always good in December and after the phenomenal year we’ve had with them, I’m excited to think what this winter holds in store.

Wading or drifting the mouths of the bayous on the eastern bank has produced big time for us in recent years. Red Shad, Limetreuse and Glow soft plastics on 1/4 oz. lead heads have gotten serious rod bending results for us.

The mouth of Madame Johnson Bayou has always been one of my favorite “go to” spots for winter reds, especially in December. You’ll need a Louisiana fishing license to venture into the bayou, but the payoff can be big as well.

the bank bite Location: Keith Lake Fish Pass Species: Redfish, Black Drum, Croaker Baits/Lures: Fresh Dead Shrimp Best Times: Moving Tides Contact Eddie Hernandez at, EHernandez@fishgame.com 84 |

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…A

nd some rain. Actually, I’d just take the rain. I lost my original two front teeth “serving my country” — as my hero Al Bundy used to say in the TV sit-com “Married, With Children” — playing high school football. The replacement teeth themselves have been replaced a couple of times since then, but the last time was by a lady dentist in the Clear Lake area whose office was on a floating dock, and these seem to be doing just fine. Although this column deals mainly with saltwater fishing, rain and freshwater are essential to the health of the bay systems, and ultimately the Gulf, and the entire planet. Wouldn’t it be great if the US had a massive aqueduct system, a souped up version of what the Incas and Aztecs did all those centuries ago, to pipe excess water from flooded areas to other parts of the country that need it much worse? Surely a nation that can (allegedly) put a man on the moon and help Al Gore invent the Internet has the resources to undertake such a project? Can you say, “Job creations,” Mr. Candidate?

Other gifts I’d like to see this holiday season might include sensible red snapper regulation, after last the 48 day season in Federal waters for 2011 was followed by a published promise of more quota to be released and a fall season that were then retracted when NMFS “estimated” – using poor or no data – that recreational anglers overfished their 2011 quota by a million pounds, meaning the 2012 season, if there is one, will likely be even shorter. Anybody out there who can honestly say the average red snapper they caught last season weighed 6.3 pounds – on a scale? NMFS thinks so, and says that weight is up from 5.8 pounds T F & G

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for 2010. Instead of maybe being an indicator that the fishery is in better shape than expected, this size increase is causing the shortened season. As Batman’s old nemesis might say, “Riddle me this?”

December can be a good fishing month, or not, depending on weather, but it is never a month to neglect fishing tackle or boats.

In fact, as long as the weather isn’t finger -numbing cold – which it seldom is on the Texas Coast – it is a very good time to take care of maintenance chores and plan trips to be taken in warmer weather. Or, for those with the time, money, and inclination, it can be a good time to actually take a trip to warmer weather. Sometimes, however, a man must go fishin’, regardless of time

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Can you say ‘Job Creation,’ Mr. Candidate?

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All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

of year or weather conditions. I remember one December when I was standing on the beach near San Luis Pass on a Sunday

morning, shivering in my leaky chest waders in a slow, cold rain and watching the tips of my surf rods for a movement NOT induced by seaweed working it’s way up the line. I think I had been on the beach since Friday night, not exactly freezing my butt off, but not very comfortable. It was one of those times when the waves were small

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lame it on sharks, blame it on stingrays, blame it on flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus, or maybe just blame it on laziness, whatever the reason, more anglers are opting to stay in the boat. The last decade has seen a shift from wading to drifting. Wading, once the backbone of my charter business, is now only a summer-month thing, and one reason I have upgraded to a 24-foot boat.

Another aspect of fishing I admit that is new to me is live bait. I had always been a plugger, choosing to toss topwaters and/or soft plastics nearly 100 percent of the time.

However, change in angler attitude has also resulted in a change in angler aptitude.

In the “good ole’ days” fishers wanted to catch a big trout and didn’t mind wading for hours for the big bite. Now, time is more precious — the texting generation has

“

Texas enjoys 2000 new anglers a month on the brine... 24,000 rookies a year.

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More Anglers Choose Drifting Over Wading

distorted patience.

Texas enjoys an estimated 2000 new anglers a month on the brine, that’s 24,000 new rookies a year.

The first five years I owned my boat, I never knew if my live well even worked.

Now, in my home waters of Matagorda, I rarely run a drift-fishing trip without a quart of live shrimp.

GALVESTON t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 85 enough to encourage trying to wade a bit deeper before casting by wearing a slicker top clinched tight around the waist with a bungee cord, on top of chest waders – poor man’s wet suit. This meaning it will keep you ONLY a little bit wet all the time. Nothing was really biting, but there were mullet in the foaming surf, and I had the urge. My old surf-fishing mentor, Jim Kenworthy of Galveston, drove up in his truck, rolled the window down, and laughed at me.

“Having fun”, he asked?

“Hell, Jim, I’m having a wonderful time! I love being wet, cold, and miserable!”

He had taught me well, after all.

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Pick a piece of scattered shell, start up wind, then gingerly work the area as anglers fan-cast in every direction. When we hit a fish, I mark it. When we hit another fish, I stab the Power Pole down and work the area more soundly.

Rarely when the Power Pole goes down do we draw a blank. Most of the time, we put another half-dozen trout on ice. When the action slows, I pull the pole and keep drifting until I mark another school. It is precision drifting at its best and my back and shoulders thank me for it.

Depending how mild December chooses to become, Matagorda anglers should stay in the boat and could continue to see a fall pattern in the bays all the way to Christmas.

I have caught trout under birds as late as Dec. 15 some years; but, when cold fronts arrive early, I work deep shell in East Bay. Duck and deer hunting create less traffic on the bays this month, so rarely will you have to compete with other boats for prime spots. Raymond Shoals on the west end of East Bay and Halfmoon Reef on the east end are traditional drifting locales. In West Bay, work Shell Island and the mouths of Oyster and Crab lakes.

Tides fluctuate in December due to winter winds and redfish travel with the ebb and flow. Deep guts on the south shoreline of West Bay hold fish throughout the winter, while drop-offs along the Intracoastal Waterway are often overlooked. The new

set rocks along the ICW west of the locks hold reds regularly on cracked crabs and finger mullet. In East Bay, work the reefs off the ICW and the mouth of Lake Austin and Boggy Lake.

the bank bite

Baits: Fresh shrimp, crabs Capt. Bink Grimes owns and operates Sunrise Lodge on Matagorda Bay (www.matagordasunriselodge.com).

Contact him at BGrimes@fishgame.com

Location: Matagorda jetty Species: Redfish, black drum, croakers

FOCUS the bank bite Location: Deep water close to a channel – like Offatt’s Bayou Alternate Spot: Galveston Jetties Species: Panfish like whiting, croaker, possibly a redfish Best Baits: Fresh dead baits like cut baitfish, squid – even dead shrimp Best Times: Peak high tide and falling tides, if that doesn’t work, reverse it.

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.

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Inappropriate Happiness

I

njuries to my finger and back had my doctor prescribing a drug for me that was to cure all that ailed me. I am not a pill taker of any kind and my wife Lisa has to pretty much wrestle me to the ground to take even aspirin.

I’ve been very fortunate and do try to take care of myself: don’t smoke, don’t drink, and pretty much am a grazer (veggies, fish, and farm raised chicken) with the occasional and much-loved T-bone steak as a reward.

So, I try to read all the side effects that a prescription drug has before taking it and must admit that after reading some of them, I elect to just hurt or suffer instead of worrying about strange anomalies that might await me after taking the latest “cure all” pill.

You must admit that some of these lists of side affects seem much worse than what you’re originally taking the drug for in the first place. So, there I was, reading the list and about half way through it I just had to put it down; I knew if I kept on reading I would never put that cursed poison in my mouth, and would therefore suffer with a finger that had a gafftop fin broken off in it.

I was aching all the way to my armpit and also had a pinched nerve in my back that had me bent over and just barley able to take a breath without getting dizzy.

Enter my wife, who’s got my back (not literally but figuratively), so she continued to read off the side effects while I grimaced and tried to internalize what she is saying. On she went .... rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; appetite loss; black, tarry stools; changes in menstrual periods; convulsions; depression;

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diarrhea; dizziness; INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS, fever; general body discomfort; headache; increased pressure in the eye; joint or muscle pain; mood swings; muscle weakness; personality changes; prolonged sore throat, cold or fever; puffing of the face; severe nausea or vomiting; swelling of feet or legs; unusual weight gain; vomiting material that looks like coffee grounds; weakness; weight loss, anal seepage….

Oh please someone put this hardhead out of his misery.

Wait a second, did it say “INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS!?” Let me try one of those things so I can see what that feels like!

This description stuck in my head and I could not get it out for weeks. Does it exist? I mean is there such a thing as inappropriate happiness, and if so, how do you recognize it?

Since my fishing days were over until I healed up a bit, I was catching up on some of my favorite reading (TF&G and seeing what trouble Don Zaidle and Chester Moore were stirring up) when I picked up a competitor’s magazine and read an article by a self-proclaimed hunting expert on how we sportsmen should act when we catch or harvest a fish or animal.

He was “dissing” those who get too excited or celebrate too much because, he wrote, it shows a lack of respect for the fish or animal and that, in his world, the people who do this are not real outdoorsmen, but are rather part of a new-age philosophy and a younger generation that doesn’t understand how truly hard it is to harvest a trophy animal or fish.

Further, and I quote, “they have no

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clue the work that it entails, the time that is spent, the effort involved rather they are just quick fix people, part of the instant gratification generation, with the attention span of ‘satisfy me now or we’re done.’”

He then quickly bailed into the hunting and fishing shows, degrading the “high fives” that happen after a harvest, or the words Oh my God, that was awesome, or hugging.

Yes, even hugging was on his “lack of respect” list. He believes these open displays of celebration send the wrong signal to viewers and to Americans, most of whom are not outdoorsmen. I wonder what the reason for that is. In my clientele, for instance, it is true that some just don’t understand how rare a true trophy trout is.

Isn’t it my job as a guide to educate them on that and teach them how truly blessed they are when they reel in a 27 or 28 inch gator sow trout or a 40-plus inch bull red, or to give over-flowing thanks to an ice chest box filled with keeper fish? I guess this is “Inappropriate Happiness” in some eyes.

On my boat, we celebrate and that includes hugging, power handshakes, high fives, and high tens, bumping of the butts, screeches, yahoos, and even kissing (me kissing my wife). One guy was so excited he had to take medication to calm down.

On the high celebratory days I am tired but thankful I am a guide. It energizes me and I know it plants a seed in those clients that may not be as tilted towards fishing and hunting as I am. Are we as sportsmen ready to loose our younger generation because we can’t embrace their approach, their view and their way of appreciating our and, yes, their fishing and hunting traditions? We should use every tool we have to encourage their participation, and that includes teaching respect for the resource and showing exuberance for the sport. Thank God for people like Uncle Ted Nugent and his energy on the front lines of our hunting and fishing heritage. His exuberance is off the chart.

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hunting and fishing heritage but also why.

It is not news that the number of outdoorsmen in this country is dropping. We need to be pulling together, not criticizing each other for something that could be and should be as uplifting as celebration of our hunting and fishing traditions. Let’s all hold the joy and appreciation of the Big Fish, the Great Hunt and trophy harvest in our own way and allow others to do the same and send me your huddle masses yearning for happiness and joy in any form.

Have an inappropriately Merry Christmas!

Copano Bay: Cold weather means SLOW down just about everything you do when fishing. Target reds during high tides along the west shoreline using mud minnows free lined or on a light Carolina rig. Black drum bite is still good back in Turtle Pen using peeled shrimp under silent cork. A few keeper trout are in the area of Little Lap Reef using live shrimp or new penny colored sand eels on a light jig head.

around Third Chain Islands is the place I like to be with a north wind. The small amount of bait that is available piles up in the area and trout and reds feed on this bait.

Finger mullet or mud minnows are preferred but cut bait will work as well. The new spoil area just off Roddy Island has some good sheep head action using cut squid free lined or if high winds, use a split shot to get the bait down.

Ayers Bay: Light north wind days and Ayres Reef holds some good red and trout action using sand eels in new penny, electric grape and morning glory colors.

The retrieve has to be slow and the bite is usually subtle so set the hook at the slightest tap. The shoreline of Rattlesnake Island is good for black drum using peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig.

crabs under a silent cork. Half of the shoreline is under construction to revamp the camping sites at Goose Island State Park so to get access you will have to wade a ways the good news is it is seeing very little fishing pressure. With the construction of the new causeway underway the north end is good for nice black drum and sheep head using free lined peeled shrimp.

Here’s Wishing You Tight Lines Bent Poles and Plenty of Bait!

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

the bank bite Location: Goose Island shoreline is a good wade for reds using Berkley Gulp

St. Charles Bay: East shore across from the boat ramp is good for reds using cut mullet under a silent cork. Black drum bite is good in the mouth of Cavasso Creek using peeled shrimp or small cut pieces of squid.

The key here is let the drum take the bait for at least a three count before setting the hook.

Aransas Bay: Deadman Island is still holding some trout using live shrimp or jerk shads in electric grape or salt and pepper colors. Scotch Tom Reef has been good for reds and black drum using peeled shrimp.

As mentioned earlier black drum will mouth the bait so wait to set the hook. The reds will knock the rod out of your hand. I prefer a cork here due to the shell but a light Carolina rig is effective - just cast it and let it sit, don’t reel a lot or you will break off.

Carlos Bay: Carlos Dugout is the place to be during low tides. The current cooks pretty good through here so deep running crank baits in bone and red colors work well.

A good tactic here is to let the current work the crank bait for you by just putting the rod in the rod holder. This does catch fish. A heavy weighted Carolina rig is good here for reds using cut menhaden.

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Pan-Sized Pleasures

D

ecember is usually the beginning of some tougher times for anglers along the Lower Texas Coast. Large redfish have moved offshore for their annual carnal rites, and slot fish are a bit tougher to find due to the season’s usually off-colored water. Snook have packed it in for the winter, and though they can be found and coaxed into hitting a bait or lure, the bites can be few and far-between. Trout will be suffering intermittent cases of the mullygrubs with each passing front. Fishing can be a tough proposition for all but the most dedicated grinders.

If you aren’t among the fraternity of hardcore pluggers who will fish the same stretch of water for hours on end waiting

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for the one big trout to strike, there are still plenty of fishing opportunities for you and your friends and family to stretch a line and kill a December day. The key is adjusting your focus and seek out some of the plentiful, egalitarian, and surprisingly sporty panfish that fan out all over Lower Laguna Madre and Padre Island during the winter.

The term “panfish” usually evokes images of palm-sized bluegills and green sunfish that children snatch from underneath docks and around boat ramps with tiny hooks and strips of bologna for bait. You can quickly shake that picture from your head, because the panfish we’re talking about would require a full-sized skillet Although, to be fair, I once ran into a Winter Texan and his wife who were fishing from the bait dock at White Sands Motel and literally filling a five-gallon bucket with 6 to 8 inch pinfish; the old man insisted that they were just as much fun to catch as the bluegills in his home of Missouri, but even better tasting.

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One of the prized quarries of the coastal panfisherman is the burly sheepshead.

These hard-fighting members of the porgy family become plentiful on LLM in the winter and are relatively easy to locate. Most docks, piers, and other forms of structure have a resident population of convict fish hovering around the barnacle-encrusted pilings. Most of these fish average in the 2 to 3 pound range, but there are some brutes that push past 8 pounds and even 10 pounds mixed in to give you the minor infarction when the fish surfaces.

The most productive area for sheepshead is also the most obvious: the Port Isabel-South Padre Island Queen Isabella Causeway. This bridge which connects South Padre Island with the mainland is crawling with convict fish in the winter.

Most anglers focus on the bumpers in deeper water—also called “dolphins”—which provide excellent action. Still, anglers can back off and fish pilings in shallower water—8 to 10 feet—and find some good fish too, especially on the east side of the bridge. The best bet is to anchor up current of the pilings you are focusing on, and pay out line until you are within easy casting range of the pilings. Medium action spinning rods—slightly heavier than the outfits you use for trout is a good choice—spooled with 12 pound line or 30 pound braid are the most versatile outfits you can choose.

Tie a long 30 pound fluorocarbon leader, a #2 short-shanked hook and a #3 split shot sinker, and you’re set. Bait is relatively simple. Most anglers prefer live shrimp for wintertime sheepies, but fresh dead is a reasonable replacement. Cast towards the pilings and let the bait drop down the water column with your index finger on holding the line. You will usually feel the pick-up (this is where braid comes in very handy) and some pressure on the line. Once the fish starts to move off with your offering you set the hook.

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mangrove snapper, for that matter—is row of docks and piling in the Turning Basin at the back of the Port Isabel Canal. There are two large docks just south of the old cement factory, and busted up pilings and concrete along the shoreline, and all hold fish. The same tackle and rigs that you use for the Causeway will work here, but tighten your drag. If you let a fish get in the junk, you will not get him out.

Shore-bound anglers aren’t necessarily shut out of the fishing. The Brazos Santiago North Jetties on South Padre Island usually holds a decent population of sheepshead in December. To fish around the rigs, rig a float five feet above your hook and sinker and float your bait just above the rocks. If a convict fish is home, he’ll come up and grab your bait, and your float will slowly move off and under the surface.

That’s when you stick the fish. Because of the nature of the fishing, a longer rod, even light surf tackle, is a good option to use.

If the sheepshead aren’t home on the jetties, remove the float, add a 1 ounce slip sinker onto your line, and cast into the sec-

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ond and third guts for some fast action with some very large whiting. They will readily gobble down a dead or live shrimp or strip of squid. They are very plentiful, range between 12 and 15 inches—with some horses stretching out to 20. They put up some token resistance at first, then politely surrender to be reeled in. These fish are great fun on an otherwise uneventful day, and their attributes make them the perfect fish for children to go after.

the bank bite Location: Andy Bowie Park surf Species: Pompano, whiting, black drum.

Technique: Fish the first and second guts with live or fresh shrimp on bottom rigs.

Watch for shell on the shoreline, stop, and start fishing.

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GPS: N29 51.58398, W93 55.54698 (29.859733, -93.925783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Catch 5s and 2000s CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: If water temperature drops below 50 degrees, switch to a Corky.

UPPER GULF COAST

Keep Tabbs on Galveston Specks

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Tabbs Bay GPS: N29 41.63502, W94 56.54202 (29.693917, -94.942367) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Catch 2000s and Corkys CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: Look for concentrations of mullet.

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: Catch 2000s and Corkys CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: Work lures fairly slow; look for concentrations of mullet.

GPS COORDINATES are provided in two formats: “Decimal Degrees” (degrees.degrees) and “Degrees and Minutes” sometimes called “GPS Format” (degrees minutes.minutes). Examples (for Down-

(29.767967, -95.050367) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Red Shad soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409256-7937 TIPS: A lot of big trout are caught in Burnet Bay in December; dark color soft plastics work best.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Coffee Ground Cove GPS: N29 57.75702, W93 46.33098 (29.962617, -93.772183) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Skitter Walk and She Dog topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: If heavy rains are the norm for December, switch your fishing efforts to the south end of the Lake.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoal GPS: N28 40.449, W95 53.898 (28.674150, -95.898300) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton soft plastics in Limetreuse with 3/8-ounce; leadheads CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: If the birds aren’t working, try drifting deep reefs.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Willow Bayou GPS: N29 51.72702, W93 46.90698 (29.862117, -93.781783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Skitter Walk and She Dog topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins, 409673-9211 TIPS: Don’t put your topwaters baits away yet if water temperatures are above 55 degrees.

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Burnet Bay GPS: N29 46.07802, W95 3.02202

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: North and South Revetment Walls

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LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Bayou GPS: N28 29.88702, W96 14.202 (28.498117, -96.236700) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Dark colored Norton soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Wade the shallow grass for redfish.

LOCATION: Matagorda HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N28 41.75802, W95 58.67598 (28.695967, -95.977933) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 3/8-ounce; leadheads with Norton Bull Minnows in Limetreuse CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Look for birds working shrimp in the river.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

California Drifters on Rockport Trout

by TOM BEHRENS tbehrens@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: California Hole GPS: N27 55.50246, W97 5.22084 (27.925041, -97.087014) SPECIES: speckled trout A l ma n a c

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BEST BAITS: Stanley Wedgetail Mullet 5” Dirty Diamond or Gold Spoon CONTACT: Capt. Charles Newton 361 729-8220 TIPS: Drift California Hole depending on wind direction as to the exact spot.

BEST BAITS: Cut pieces of larger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Charles Newton 361 729-8220 TIPS: Cast your bait into the white sandy areas and let it lay, don’t move the bait or it will drag it into the weeds.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Packery Channel GPS: N27 37.48602, W97 12.88302 (27.624767, -97.214717) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: Mud minnows CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Key on small side channels.

LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: The Humps GPS: N27 56.59212, W97 6.17106 (27.943202, -97.102851) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Cut pieces of larger mullet CONTACT: Capt. Charles Newton 361 729-8220 TIPS: Cast sandy areas and let it lay.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Intracoastal Waterway GPS: N27 41.388, W97 13.73298 (27.689800, -97.228883) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: Mud Minnows CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Key on deep drop-offs.

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Steamboat Pass Reefs GPS: N28 18.91998, W96 37.23996 (28.315333, -96.620666) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Plum/chartreuse tails under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Key on stained water over deep shell pads.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: Mud minnows CONTACT: Capt. Bill Sheka, 361-9917191 TIPS: Pre-front fishing can be excellent, or 2-3 days after frontal passage.

SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bone or Baby Trout Little Dummy topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: wade-fishing; look for flipping mullet or exploding bait near crown of reef.

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Long Lake GPS: N28 16.76994, W96 36.68994 (28.279499, -96.611499) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Texas Red Killers in Roach/chartreuse under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin, 361785-2686 TIPS: Wade leeward grass shorelines on windy days for trout.

LOWER GULF COAST

Specks Convene on Lower Laguna

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Chain Reefs GPS: N28 10.77996, W96 49.08 (28.179666, -96.818000)

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Convention Center Shoreline

LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Bubba’s Hole GPS: N27 55.97562, W97 6.04992 (27.932927, -97.100832) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Stanley Wedgetail Mullet 5” Thumpin White Diamond or Gold Spoon CONTACT: Capt. Charles Newton 361 729-8220 TIPS: Great place to wade-fish; you can catch several species of fish, redfish, trout and flounder all hang out here.

LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: In Front of City by the Sea GPS: N27 57.02436, W97 5.92902 (27.950406, -97.098817) SPECIES: redfish T F & G

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GPS: N26 8.24454, W97 10.743 (26.137409, -97.179050) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in red/white, cut ballyhoo, live shrimp CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: A popular wading spot for drive up fishermen. Fish the sand early and late with topwaters, then fish grass and potholes with soft plastics or natural bait under a popping cork as the day gets warmer. Use bright colors on post-front days.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Y GPS: N26 2.86002, W97 12.43002 (26.047667, -97.207167) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, Logic Solo or Tandem rigs in Pearl/chartreuse, Pearl/ pink, black/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: The Island in the middle is lined with small drains among the mangroves.

Fish the cuts on an outgoing tide for big trout that are waiting to ambush bait. Let your offering roll out into the eddy and work it back.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N26 2.421, W97 10.476 (26.040350, -97.174600) SPECIES: grouper BEST BAITS: live shrimp; Logic Baits tandems in gold/meltalflake CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956943-3474 TIPS: Snook will still be lurking among the mangroves if it is a warm winter. Work tandems quickly under the surface for topwaters strikes. Fish shallow on a high tide, back off into deep water when the water is moving out.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Fifteen Fathom Rocks GPS: N26 48.52998, W97 11.28 (26.808833, -97.188000) SPECIES: grouper BEST BAITS: Baitfish, squid, bonito 94 |

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chunks; snapper slappers, jigs CONTACT: Captain Richard Bailey, 956369-5090 TIPS: Use slightly heavier tackle (2030)-pound than you would on the 9 fathom rocks. A deadly tactic for really big state snapper is a live pinfish dropped halfway down. The big snapper don’t sit on the rocks, but above them.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Nine Fathom Rocks GPS: N26 58.06998, W97 18.21 (26.967833, -97.303500) SPECIES: grouper BEST BAITS: Baitfish, squid, bonito chunks; snapper slappers, jigs CONTACT: Captain Richard Bailey, 956369-5090 TIPS: Calm days mean that the “mosquito fleet” can make a quick run out for some state-water snapper. Use 14-pound class tackle for the most fun. These can be some real bruisers in t8-15-pound range.

Try a 2-ounce bucktail with a sardine or squid chunk.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: East Side of Community Bar GPS: N26 34.66902, W97 25.67298 (26.577817, -97.427883) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics in chartreuse, Pumpkinseed, gold spoons CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries, 956289-3631 TIPS: Work the deep edges where the bar begins to drop-off when the tide flows off the shallows. Work a topwater on the bar early, and plastics and spoons on the drop-off. Darker colors work best. Gold spoons with orange trailers are good too.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Oak Motts GPS: N26 41.47224, W97 27.23532 (26.691204, -97.453922) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, soft plastics in glow/chartreuse, Pearl/glow CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries, 956289-3631 TIPS: Fish topwaters close to shore in

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the a.m., then back up into deeper water and fish soft plastics. Fish the green water in the depression off of shore with larger baits for some big trout on cold days. Slow is the best way to fish. S-L-O-W. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Cullen Channel GPS: N26 15.759, W97 17.27298 (26.262650, -97.287883) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Logic Lures tandems in dark colors, live shrimp, live finger mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: When water temps cool, trout hand inside the deeper channel. Fish the eddies formed by outgoing tides with tandems and single jerkbaits. Let the current take the offering to the end of the eddy before you retrieve. Fly line live bait.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Drum Boat Area GPS: N26 10.713, W97 11.10702 (26.178550, -97.185117) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Logic Lures tandems in Tequila Gold, Pearl/pink, Smoke, live shrimp, live finger mullet CONTACT: Captain Allen Salinas, 956561-4535 TIPS: Redfish spread out on the flats on bright, sunny days and feed and warm themselves. Watch for either tailing fish or mud boils. Fish a tandem quickly under the surface for topwater action, or slowly and deeper on cloudy days. Bottom rigs for bait.

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 CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the bridge pilings for hot sheepshead action on cool days. Use a split shot rig and a #1 short shank hook for best results. Cast up against the piling and let the bait drift down the water column.

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Use stout tackle. These fish can get big.

time of the year.

you can get will produce the best catches.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Primero Island GPS: N26 16.47, W97 16.5 (26.274500, -97.275000) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, cut ballyhoo, gold spoons CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Watch for mud boils and unsettled water (a boat wake with no boat) to tip you off about redfish. Use live shrimp under a cork, or a bottom rig with cut bait.

Gold spoons work well on sunny days.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Goose Prairie GPS: N32 41.96226, W94 6.717 (32.699371, -94.111950) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Flukes, spinnerbaits, semisurface lures CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Keep an eye out for any schooling activity. Work the lures slowly along the edges of the small channels and any other slight depth changes. The main-lake flats just north of this area also are good bets at this time of the year for feeding activity.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake River Ledges GPS: N31 20.94414, W93 40.17252 (31.349069, -93.669542) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: Look for the crappie along the edges of the channel at 25-30 feet. Expect to catch some very large crappie at this time of the year. Black-blue, black-yellow and black-red are good colors.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Andy Bowie Park GPS: N26 9.51936, W97 10.23564 (26.158656, -97.170594) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: Fresh or live shrimp, crab chunks, sea lice CONTACT: Quick Stop, 956-943-1159 TIPS: Slot sized drum, pompano, and whiting common quarry for surf fishing regulars. Look for shell on the beach below the waterline and stop and fish the area.

Cast bottom rigs with bait up against the first and second bar (where waves break).

PINEY WOODS

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: River Bend GPS: N30 45.31326, W95 8.09136 (30.755221, -95.134856) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Tilapia, buffalo fish, carp, filleted or scaled CONTACT: Dave Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936-2919602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Bait a Carolina rig with 1/2 or one-ounce sinker and drift the edge of the old river channel in 12 feet of water where it drops off to 35-45 feet. The freshest bait

PRAIRIES & LAKES

See the Dock for Cedar Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Twin Creeks Boat Docks GPS: N32 18.06726, W96 6.98586 (32.301121, -96.116431) SPECIES: largemouth bass

Conroe Hybrids Over the Hump

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: League Line Hump GPS: N30 22.84338, W95 33.792 (30.380723, -95.563200) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: live gizzard shad, Storm Swim Shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, admin@fishdudetx.com, 936-291-1277, fishdudetx.com TIPS: Look for schools of shad in 18-25 feet of water on main lake humps and points using your sonar units. Live shad usually produce the largest catches at this T F & G

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BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish the outsides of the docks that are closer to deeper water. Crawdad, black and blue and red shad are the best colors.

Fish slow and feel for any brush that has been placed under and in front of the docks. Bass like to hide in ambush there.

LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Camp’s Pond Dam GPS: N29 56.313, W96 44.98914 (29.938550, -96.749819) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shrimp, worms, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon-edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: There is an old pond here with a creek bed below the dam with a 20-foot depth. An old roadbed is southwest to northeast below the dam. Chum the area where the creek bed crosses the old roadway to speed up the bite.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek Res. HOTSPOT: Hog Island GPS: N30 37.99296, W96 3.50244 (30.633216, -96.058374) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon-edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Anchor or tie to a tree on the lakeside of the island in 7-15 feet of water.

Fish off the bottom with 1-ounce weight and No.3 Kahle hook with punch bait and worms or No. 4 treble with punch bait. Big blues and channel cats feed in this area.

LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N31 54.72192, W97 12.3543 (31.912032, -97.205905) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-82296 |

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5539, teamredneck.net TIPS: Find the humps with your sonar unit and position the boat directly over them. Use chartreuse or chrome Slabs or white or chartreuse Sassy Shads and work them off the bottom. The bite likely will come when the lure falls.

LOCATION: Lake Belton HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap GPS: N31 6.50742, W97 28.47636 (31.108457, -97.474606) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Charlie Brewer 4-inch Slider worms on light jigheads CONTACT: Bob Maindelle, Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com, 254-368-7411, HoldingTheLineGuideService.com TIPS: Work the ledges and other erratic drops that are on the riprap of the dam.

Watch your sonar as you run perpendicular to the dam. Keep a Slab handy in case you locate fish directly beneath your boat.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Deep River Hole GPS: N33 18.7836, W95 40.18056 (33.313060, -95.669676) SPECIES: hybrid striped bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifihing@yahoo.com, 903-3481619, tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Hybrids will be suspended along the channel. Expect a slow bite at this time of the year. A four-inch Sassy Shad on a one-ounce leadhead jig is my favorite. Fish straight down and dead-stick the lure by just holding the lure on a slow drift.

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: Fish small minnows or crappie jigs around any structure you can locate

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on your graphs along the face of the dam.

Brush around the faces of the concrete pump stations also hold fish at this time of the year. Try spider-rigging lures and minnows.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville HOTSPOT: Pockrus Hump GPS: N33 5.28894, W97 0.09696 (33.088149, -97.001616) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh gizzard or threadfin shad CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Anchor on this main-lake hump and other humps and creek channel ledges where you locate schools of shad. Use Santee-Cooper or Carolina rigs with twoounce weights. The fish will be at 30-60foot depths.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Hwy.155 Bridge Brushpiles GPS: N32 8.64876, W95 28.49268 (32.144146, -95.474878) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Small minnows, Mr. Mino Crappie Jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish the brush piles placed under the Highway 155 bridge close to the bridge pilings. Use white Mr. Mino Crappie Jigs or small minnows.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Flat Creek GPS: N32 13.02936, W95 32.91654 (32.217156, -95.548609) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs with trailers, spinnerbaits, crankbaits CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The bass will be in the backs of the creeks or staged near junctions or sloughs coming into the creek as they prepare for the spring spawn. Look for smaller bass around docks in 4-5 feet of water on A l ma n ac

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main-lake points. Small crankbaits will work best.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Tire Reef GPS: N30 18.4401, W96 33.69108 (30.307335, -96.561518) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, fresh shad, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon-edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: The submerged tire reef runs 6-23 feet deep. Fish the reef shallow and move deeper until you find fish biting. Be prepared to catch big blues, yellow cats and hybrid stripers on shad. Fish Carolina rigs off the bottom. Fight the bigger fish slowly.

(32.012536, -96.197401) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, Texas-rigged worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Steve Schmidt, steve@schmidtsbigass.com, 682-5188252, schmidtsbigbass.com TIPS: Concentrate on the boat docks here and elsewhere on the lake, especially off main-lake points. Use black and blue jigs, red shad worms and chartreuse spin-

nerbaits. The larger bass should be hanging under docks close to deeper water.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N31 58.37718, W96 7.04508 (31.972953, -96.117418) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: One-ounce Silver Glitter Shad Slabs CONTACT: Royce and Adam Simmons,

LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Paw Paw Creek GPS: N33 51.41022, W96 52.54374 (33.856837, -96.875729) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Road Runners, Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey, bigfish@striperexpress.com, 877-7864477, striperexpress.com TIPS: Look for striped bass to be holding on points, creeks and humps close to deep water. Some large fish are caught in these areas at this time of the year so use at least 20-pound test line.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: State Park Flats GPS: N31 54.94296, W97 21.57846 (31.915716, -97.359641) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Wild Eyed Shad, oneounce Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck@hotmail.com, 817-8225539, teamredneck.net TIPS: The shad are ganging up in large schools and roaming the flats. Striped bass will be roaming the flats, too, to feed on the shad. Make long casts behind the boat and use your trolling motor to troll the swimbaits near the edges.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Res. HOTSPOT: 287 Boat Docks GPS: N32 0.75216, W96 11.84406 T F & G

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royce@gonefishing.biz, 903-389-4117, www.gonefishing.biz TIPS: When you first get to this area look for gulls and other birds feeding on bait fish injured by the feeding schools of white bass. Move in slowly to not spook the fish and bounce the Slabs off the bottom. Chartreuse, white and chrome lures work best.

PANHANDLE

Largemouth, Cats & White Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 32.91708, W99 41.14902 (31.548618, -99.685817) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Finesse worms, Carolinarigged worms CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: Start early in the shallow water close to the banks using finesse or Carolina-rigged worms. Switch to Texas-rigged or larger worms on Carolina rigs during mid-day and fish the 25-30 feet water further off the points.

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: Yellow Bluff Trees GPS: N31 34.6506, W99 42.67356 (31.577510, -99.711226) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cheese bait, shrimp CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: Chum several areas around the trees in deep water south of Yellow Bluff.

The best trees will be those where cormorants are roosting. Tie up to the trees and fish cheese, other punch bait or shrimp just off the bottom straight below the boat.

nel just north of Costello Island. White, chartreuse and chrome are the best colors.

Some of the best action for white bass and striped bass here are when a cold front is at the Texas-Oklahoma border.

LOCATION: OH Ivie Res. HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N31 34.49256, W99 42.47262 (31.574876, -99.707877) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, spoons, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020 TIPS: The white bass will be feeding on the flats just off the river channel, chasing shad throughout the day on these sandy flats. Bounce the lures vertically off the bottom close to the river channel.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad HOTSPOT: San Pedro Points GPS: N29 29.33802, W100 56.2326 (29.488967, -100.937210) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Carolina-rigged worms, Flukes, crankbaits CONTACT: Larry Scruggs, Amistad Lodge and Adventures, fisherofmenlrs@hotmail.com, 210-7891645 TIPS: Look for big bass to be on the move in and out of the deeper pockets and feeding off the points. Use Flukes and crankbaits early in shallow water and then switch to Carolina rigs and work the ledges and other drop-offs.

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry hotspot: Mid-lake Cove gps: N33 3.198, W101 2.4 (N33.053300, W-101.04000) species: largemouth bass best baits: 10-inch wacky worms in dark colors CONTACT: Mac McConnell, Mac’s Guide Service, 806-773-2389, www.alanhenry.com tips: Work 10-25 feet around where edges of the cove meet the main lake. Be thorough and patient to catch big bass.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom Res. HOTSPOT: Costello Island GPS: N32 54.98052, W98 27.43956 (32.916342, -98.457326) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: Fish the edges of the river chan-

98 |

D E C E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 98

2 0 1 1

T e x a S

F i s h

&

G a m e ®

T F & G

BIG BEND

Pedro Points to Amistad Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

HILL COUNTRY

Call Granger’s Bluff for Whites

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Comanche Bluff GPS: N30 42.05736, W97 24.12738 (30.700956, -97.402123) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, Shad Raps, swimbaits CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, A l ma n ac

11/29/11 4:09 PM

www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: White bass run up the river prior to the spawning season. Look for areas where shad are in schools. Expect to catch large white bass in this area as well as similar areas along the river channel LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Point at Potters Creek GPS: N29 54.15168, W98 16.39044 (29.902528, -98.273174) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Senkos and similar soft plastics, spinnerbaits, crankbaits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@ gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Fish the point down the bank line on the left and shoreline to the right side of the ramp. Weightless Senkos, similar lures and square-billed crankbaits work well against the trees and bushes.

LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Open Lake GPS: N30 41.8272, W97 21.5319 (30.697120, -97.358865)

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 99

SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cut bait, live perch, Zote soap CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@ hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: Live bait will produce the larger fish but it may be difficult to find. Zote soap will produce larger numbers of fish but most will be eating-size. Jug lines will work best for larger blue catfish.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Falcon Bass Hit the Roadbed

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Big Tiger Roadbed GPS: N26 43.66176, W99 9.15306 (26.727696, -99.152551)

A l m a n a c

T e x a S

F i s h

&

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Lake Fork topwater lures, swimbaits, jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-765-1442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the brush along the sides of the old roadbed, especially those close to the main channel. Start with topwater lures, swimbaits and spinnerbaits. Switch to jigs and worms once the sun is high.

LOCATION: Lake Calaveras HOTSPOT: The Dam GPS: N29 16.84686, W98 18.13878 (29.280781, -98.302313) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Big Marv’s cheese bait CONTACT: Steve Nixon, steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com, 210573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Fish the cheese bait off the bottom in 10-15 feet of water along the rocks at the dam. The best catches usually are made along the the east side of the dam.

G a m e ®

D E C E M B E R

2 0 1 1

|

99

11/29/11 4:09 PM

Tides and Prime Times

DECEMBER 2011

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.

T3 T2 T1

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.

T17

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

T15 T16

T6

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

Tide Correction Table

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for Galveston Channel in the calendars.

KEY PLACE T1 Sabine Bank Lighthouse T2 Sabine Pass Jetty T3 Sabine Pass T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass T5 Galveston Bay, S. Jetty T6 Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 T11

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY PLACE

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12

Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14

Alligator Point, W. Bay T15

Christmas Pt T16

Galveston Pleasure Pier T17

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY PLACE

San Luis Pass T18

Freeport Harbor T19

Pass Cavallo T20

Aransas Pass T21

Padre Island (So. End) T22

Port Isabel T23

HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:

Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY: AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a

12a

6a

AM/PM Timeline

100 |

AM/PM Timeline

12p

6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p D E C E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 100

12a

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

2 0 1 1

T e x a S

F i s h

&

G a m e ®

T F & G

A l ma n ac

11/29/11 4:09 PM

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION = 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

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

29

THURSDAY

30

Dec 1

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 10:49a Set: 10:05p Moonrise: 11:27a Set: 11:02p Moonrise: 12:01p Set: None

FRIDAY

º2

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 12:32p Set: None

SATURDAY

3

4

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 1:03p Set: 12:50a Moonrise: 1:33p Set: 1:42a

AM Minor: 7:48a

PM Minor: 8:15p

AM Minor: 8:48a

PM Minor: 9:13p

AM Minor: 9:42a

PM Minor: 10:06p

AM Minor: 10:31a

PM Minor: 10:53p

AM Minor: 11:15a

PM Minor: 11:36p

AM Minor: 11:55a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:13p

PM Minor: 12:34p

AM Major: 1:34a

PM Major: 2:02p

AM Major: 2:35a

PM Major: 3:00p

AM Major: 3:30a

PM Major: 3:54p

AM Major: 4:20a

PM Major: 4:42p

AM Major: 5:04a

PM Major: 5:25p

AM Major: 5:45a

PM Major: 6:06p

AM Major: 6:23a

PM Major: 6:44p

Moon Overhead: 3:33p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:12p

Moon Overhead: 4:25p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:56p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:19p

Moon Overhead: 6:38p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 8:01p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

«28

Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 10:06a Set: 9:04p

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2011

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 3:06a

+2.0

BEST:

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

-1.0

BEST:

8:30 — 10:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 5:34a BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

Moon Underfoot: 6:17a BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Moon Underfoot: 6:59a BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

Moon Underfoot: 7:40a

Low Tide: 12:35 am High Tide: 3:07 am Low Tide: 12:08 pm High Tide: 8:41 pm

1.43ft.

1.45ft.

-0.40ft.

1.51ft.

Low Tide: 2:13 am High Tide: 4:00 am Low Tide: 1:01 pm High Tide: 9:24 pm

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 101

+2.0

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM 9:30 — 11:30 AM

TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 4:49a

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 3:59a

1.31ft.

1.32ft.

-0.20ft.

1.41ft.

Low Tide: 3:56 am High Tide: 5:32 am Low Tide: 1:54 pm High Tide: 9:58 pm

A l m a n a c

1.15ft.

1.15ft.

0.04ft.

1.31ft.

Low Tide: 4:48 am High Tide: 7:41 am Low Tide: 2:49 pm High Tide: 10:26 pm

T e x a S

0.95ft.

1.00ft.

0.29ft.

1.23ft.

F i s h

Low Tide: 5:26 am High Tide: 9:46 am Low Tide: 3:50 pm High Tide: 10:48 pm

&

0.74ft.

0.93ft.

0.52ft.

1.17ft.

G a m e ®

Low Tide: 5:59 am High Tide: 11:40 am Low Tide: 5:01 pm High Tide: 11:06 pm

0.54ft.

0.95ft.

0.73ft.

1.13ft.

D E C E M B E R

Low Tide: 6:30 am High Tide: 1:17 pm Low Tide: 6:21 pm High Tide: 11:22 pm

2 0 1 1

|

0.34ft.

1.05ft.

0.90ft.

1.12ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

101

11/29/11 4:09 PM

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

5

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 2:05p Set: 2:34a

6

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 2:40p Set: 3:27a

7

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 3:18p Set: 4:21a

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 4:01p Set: 5:15a

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 4:47p Set: 6:09a

«8

«9

SATURDAY

¡ 10

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 5:38p Set: 7:02a

SUNDAY

« 11

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 6:33p Set: 7:52a

AM Minor: 12:50p

PM Minor: 1:11p

AM Minor: 1:28a

PM Minor: 1:50p

AM Minor: 2:07a

PM Minor: 2:30p

AM Minor: 2:49a

PM Minor: 3:14p

AM Minor: 3:35a

PM Minor: 4:00p

AM Minor: 4:24a

PM Minor: 4:50p

AM Minor: 5:17a

PM Minor: 5:43p

AM Major: 7:01a

PM Major: 7:22p

AM Major: 7:39a

PM Major: 8:01p

AM Major: 8:19a

PM Major: 8:42p

AM Major: 9:02a

PM Major: 9:26p

AM Major: 9:48a

PM Major: 10:13p

AM Major: 10:37a

PM Major: 11:03p

AM Major: 11:30a

PM Major: -----

Moon Overhead: 8:44p

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:15p

Moon Overhead: 9:28p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:04p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: None

Moon Overhead: 11:54p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:46a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for decemBER 2011

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 8:22a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

102 |

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Low Tide: 6:58 am High Tide: 2:32 pm Low Tide: 7:37 pm High Tide: 11:36 pm

0.17ft.

1.15ft.

1.02ft.

1.13ft.

ALMANAC Digital.indd 102

3:00 — 5:00 am

Low Tide: 7:27 am High Tide: 3:27 pm Low Tide: 8:38 pm High Tide: 11:49 pm

D E C E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 9:51a

0.02ft.

1.24ft.

1.10ft.

1.16ft.

2 0 1 1

Low Tide: 7:56 am High Tide: 4:11 pm Low Tide: 9:20 pm

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 10:39a BEST:

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

&

1.19ft.

-0.20ft.

1.34ft.

1.20ft.

1.22ft.

-0.27ft.

1.37ft.

1.23ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 12:36 am Low Tide: 9:33 am High Tide: 6:04 pm Low Tide: 10:19 pm

Moon Underfoot: 1:12p

+2.0

BEST:

5:#0 — 7:30 AM

High Tide: 12:17 am Low Tide: 8:59 am High Tide: 5:26 pm Low Tide: 9:56 pm

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 12:20p BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

-0.10ft. High Tide: 12:02 am 1.30ft. Low Tide: 8:27 am 1.16ft. High Tide: 4:49 pm Low Tide: 9:42 pm

F i s h

Moon Underfoot: 11:29a

6:00 — 8:00 AM

1.25ft.

-0.33ft.

1.38ft.

1.24ft.

High Tide: 12:57 am Low Tide: 10:08 am High Tide: 6:43 pm Low Tide: 10:54 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 9:06a

1.26ft.

-0.37ft.

1.39ft.

1.23ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n ac

11/29/11 4:09 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 103

11/29/11 4:09 PM

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

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 7:30p Set: 8:39a

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 8:29p Set: 9:23a

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

« 12

13

THURSDAY

14

FRIDAY

15

SATURDAY

16

SUNDAY

» 17

18

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 5:21p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:21p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:22p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:22p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:22p Moonrise: 9:28p Set: 10:03a Moonrise: 10:28p Set: 10:41a Moonrise: 11:29p Set: 11:17a Moonrise: None Set: 11:52a Moonrise: 12:31a Set: 12:29p

AM Minor: 6:11a

PM Minor: 6:37p

AM Minor: 7:07a

PM Minor: 7:32p

AM Minor: 8:03a

PM Minor: 8:27p

AM Minor: 8:57a

PM Minor: 9:21p

AM Minor: 9:50a

PM Minor: 10:14p

AM Minor: 10:41a

PM Minor: 11:05p

AM Minor: 11:31a

PM Minor: 11:56p

AM Major: 12:00p

PM Major: 12:24p

AM Major: 12:54p

PM Major: 1:20p

AM Major: 1:50a

PM Major: 2:15p

AM Major: 2:45a

PM Major: 3:09p

AM Major: 3:38a

PM Major: 4:02p

AM Major: 4:29a

PM Major: 4:53p

AM Major: 5:18a

PM Major: 5:43p

Moon Overhead: 1:38a

12a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 3:19a

Moon Overhead: 2:29a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:08a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:44a

Moon Overhead: 4:56a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:33a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for decemBER 2011

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 2:03p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

104 |

ALMANAC Digital.indd 104

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

1.25ft. High Tide: 1:52 am 1.22ft.

-0.38ft. Low Tide: 11:22 am -0.35ft.

1.37ft. High Tide: 7:57 pm 1.34ft.

1.20ft.

D E C E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 4:32p

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 AM

High Tide: 1:21 am Low Tide: 10:44 am High Tide: 7:21 pm Low Tide: 11:40 pm

Moon Underfoot: 3:43p

2 0 1 1

Low Tide: 12:37 am High Tide: 2:32 am Low Tide: 12:02 pm High Tide: 8:29 pm

T e x a S

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

1.13ft.

1.14ft.

-0.26ft.

1.28ft.

&

1.00ft.

1.01ft.

-0.12ft.

1.21ft.

Low Tide: 2:44 am High Tide: 6:08 am Low Tide: 1:29 pm High Tide: 9:16 pm

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 6:08p BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

Low Tide: 1:43 am High Tide: 3:40 am Low Tide: 12:43 pm High Tide: 8:55 pm

F i s h

Moon Underfoot: 5:20p

T F & G

Low Tide: 3:35 am High Tide: 8:53 am Low Tide: 2:18 pm High Tide: 9:33 pm

+2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

0.81ft.

0.85ft.

0.09ft.

1.14ft.

Moon Underfoot: 6:58p 12:00 — 2:00 AM

0.55ft.

0.76ft.

0.35ft.

1.08ft.

Low Tide: 4:25 am High Tide: 11:06 am Low Tide: 3:18 pm High Tide: 9:48 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 2:54p

0.25ft.

0.82ft.

0.62ft.

1.06ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n ac

11/29/11 4:09 PM

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for decemBER 2011

19

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:23p Moonrise: 1:34a Set: 1:09p

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:24p Moonrise: 3:48a Set: 2:43p

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:24p Moonrise: 4:55a Set: 3:38p

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:25p Moonrise: 6:00a Set: 4:38p

21

22

« 23

SATURDAY

«24

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:25p Moonrise: 7:00a Set: 5:41p

l 25

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:26p Moonrise: 7:53a Set: 6:45p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:20p

AM Minor: 12:42p

PM Minor: 1:10p

AM Minor: 1:32a

PM Minor: 2:01p

AM Minor: 2:24a

PM Minor: 2:55p

AM Minor: 3:21a

PM Minor: 3:51p

AM Minor: 4:19a

PM Minor: 4:49p

AM Minor: 5:19a

PM Minor: 5:48p

AM Major: 6:07a

PM Major: 6:33p

AM Major: 6:56a

PM Major: 7:24p

AM Major: 7:46a

PM Major: 8:16p

AM Major: 8:40a

PM Major: 9:10p

AM Major: 9:36a

PM Major: 10:07p

AM Major: 10:34a

PM Major: 11:04p

AM Major: 11:01a

PM Major: -----

Moon Overhead: 7:25a

12a

20

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:23p Moonrise: 2:40a Set: 1:53p

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 9:17a

Moon Overhead: 8:19a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:17a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:19p

Moon Overhead: 11:19a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:17p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 7:51p

+2.0

BEST:

BEST:

-1.0

Low Tide: 5:14 am High Tide: 12:59 pm Low Tide: 4:34 pm High Tide: 10:01 pm

-0.07ft.

0.98ft.

0.87ft.

1.08ft.

Low Tide: 6:04 am High Tide: 2:27 pm Low Tide: 6:18 pm High Tide: 10:18 pm

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 105

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

TIDE LEVELS

0

Moon Underfoot: 9:47p

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

-0.38ft.

1.16ft.

1.06ft.

1.14ft.

Low Tide: 6:55 am High Tide: 3:35 pm Low Tide: 8:05 pm High Tide: 10:45 pm

A l m a n a c

Moon Underfoot: 10:48p

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

-0.64ft.

1.30ft.

1.17ft.

1.20ft.

-0.83ft. Low Tide: 8:38 am 1.38ft. High Tide: 5:17 pm 1.21ft. Low Tide: 9:52 pm 1.24ft.

F i s h

&

Moon Underfoot: None

Moon Underfoot: 12:49a

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Low Tide: 7:47 am High Tide: 4:30 pm Low Tide: 9:13 pm High Tide: 11:33 pm

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 11:49p

-0.94ft. High Tide: 12:34 am 1.38ft. Low Tide: 9:28 am 1.21ft. High Tide: 6:00 pm Low Tide: 10:26 pm

G a m e ®

1.25ft.

-0.96ft.

1.34ft.

1.16ft.

D E C E M B E R

+2.0

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

6:00 — 8:00 AM

High Tide: 1:38 am Low Tide: 10:16 am High Tide: 6:39 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

2 0 1 1

|

TIDE LEVELS

12:30 — 2:30 AM

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 8:48p

1.22ft.

-0.89ft.

1.26ft.

1.06ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

105

11/29/11 4:09 PM

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

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:26p Moonrise: 8:40a Set: 7:48p

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 9:21a Set: 8:48p

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 9:57a Set: 9:45p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

28

«27

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

29

SATURDAY

30

31

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:28p Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:29p Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:29p Moonrise: 10:31a Set: 10:40p Moonrise: 11:02a Set: 11:33p Moonrise: 11:33a Set: None

SUNDAY

º Jan 1

Sunrise: 7:32a Set: 5:53p Moonrise: 12:10a Set: 1:12p

AM Minor: 6:19a

PM Minor: 6:45p

AM Minor: 7:16a

PM Minor: 7:41p

AM Minor: 8:10a

PM Minor: 8:33p

AM Minor: 9:01a

PM Minor: 9:23p

AM Minor: 9:49a

PM Minor: 10:10p

AM Minor: 10:33a

PM Minor: 10:54p

A.M. Minor: 11:58

P.M. Minor -----

AM Major: 12:05p

PM Major: 12:32p

AM Major: 1:04a

PM Major: 1:28p

AM Major: 1:59a

PM Major: 2:22p

AM Major: 2:50a

PM Major: 3:12p

AM Major: 3:38a

PM Major: 3:59p

AM Major: 4:23a

PM Major: 4:44p

A.M. Major: 5:22

A.M. Major: -----

Moon Overhead: 2:12p 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 3:49p

Moon Overhead: 3:02p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:33p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:57p

Moon Overhead: 5:15p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 6:38a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

«26

12a

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2011

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 1:45a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

106 |

ALMANAC Digital.indd 106

BEST:

8:30 — 10:30 AM

1.16ft. High Tide: 3:46 am 1.05ft.

-0.76ft. Low Tide: 11:47 am -0.56ft.

1.17ft. High Tide: 7:45 pm 1.07ft.

0.94ft.

D E C E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 4:11a

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00AM

High Tide: 2:42 am Low Tide: 11:03 am High Tide: 7:14 pm Low Tide: 11:53 pm

Moon Underfoot: 3:26a

2 0 1 1

Low Tide: 12:48 am High Tide: 4:55 am Low Tide: 12:29 pm High Tide: 8:12 pm

T e x a S

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

0.79ft.

0.92ft.

-0.33ft.

0.99ft.

&

0.62ft.

0.77ft.

-0.08ft.

0.91ft.

Low Tide: 2:57 am High Tide: 7:51 am Low Tide: 1:45 pm High Tide: 8:58 pm

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 5:36a BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

Low Tide: 1:51 am High Tide: 6:15 am Low Tide: 1:09 pm High Tide: 8:37 pm

F i s h

Moon Underfoot: 4:54a

T F & G

Low Tide: 3:57 am High Tide: 9:43 am Low Tide: 2:17 pm High Tide: 9:19 pm

+2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

0.44ft.

0.65ft.

0.18ft.

0.86ft.

Moon Underfoot: 6:59p 12:00 — 2:00 AM

0.26ft.

0.60ft.

0.41ft.

0.85ft.

Low Tide: 5:54 am High Tide: 12:51 pm Low Tide: 3:42 pm High Tide: 10:37 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 2:37a

0.08ft.

0.64ft.

0.61ft.

0.84ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n ac

11/29/11 4:09 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 107

11/29/11 4:10 PM

Tides and Prime Times

MONDAY

TUESDAY

december 2011

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

1

SYMBOL KEY

l

New Moon

5

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

12 «

0.17ft.

1.15ft.

1.02ft.

1.13ft.

PRIME TIME 6:00 — 8:00 AM

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

5:14 am 12:59 pm 4:34 pm 10:01 pm

-0.07ft.

0.98ft.

0.87ft.

1.08ft.

12:30 — 2:30 AM

26 « High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

Set: 5:35p Set: 9:02a AM Major: 12:17a PM Major: 12:43p 1:57a 2:22p

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 9:02a AM Minor: 6:37a PM Minor: 7:04p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

108 |

7:30 — 9:30 AM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 108

20

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

-0.38ft.

1.16ft.

1.06ft.

1.14ft.

21

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 9:42a AM Minor: 7:34a PM Minor: 7:59p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

28

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

8:00 — 10:00AM

F i s h

1.13ft.

1.14ft.

-0.26ft.

1.28ft.

&

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Set: 5:35p Set: 10:24a AM Major: 2:09a PM Major: 2:33p 3:38a 4:02p

PRIME TIME 6:55 am 3:35 pm 8:05 pm 10:45 pm

-0.64ft.

1.30ft.

1.17ft.

1.20ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Set: 5:38p Set: 2:58p AM Major: 8:05a PM Major: 8:34p 9:36a 10:06p

PRIME TIME 12:48 am 4:55 am 12:29 pm 8:12 pm

0.79ft.

0.92ft.

-0.33ft.

0.99ft.

Sunrise: 7:34a Moonrise: 10:18a AM Minor: 8:29a PM Minor: 8:52p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:41p Set: 9:05p AM Major: 1:22a PM Major: 1:47p 3:21p 2:56a

T e x a S

PRIME TIME 12:37 am 2:32 am 12:02 pm 8:29 pm

Sunrise: 7:31a Moonrise: 4:11a AM Minor: 1:50a PM Minor: 2:19p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:37p Set: 2:09p AM Major: 7:14a PM Major: 7:42p 8:38a 9:07p

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Set: 5:34p Set: 4:43a AM Major: 8:37a PM Major: 9:00p 10:34p 10:10a

Sunrise: 7:27a Moonrise: 9:45p AM Minor: 8:21a PM Minor: 8:46p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

PRIME TIME 6:04 am 2:27 pm 6:18 pm 10:18 pm

27 «

2 0 1 1

14

7:00 — 9:00 AM

Set: 5:35p Set: 9:45a AM Major: 1:13a PM Major: 1:38p 2:48a 3:13p

High Tide: 3:46 am 1.05ft.

Low Tide: 11:47 am -0.56ft.

High Tide: 7:45 pm 1.07ft.

Set: 5:40p Set: 8:04p AM Major: 12:24a PM Major: 12:50p 2:31p 2:04a

d e c e m b e r

Sunrise: 7:26a Moonrise: 8:45p AM Minor: 7:25a PM Minor: 7:51p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:22a Moonrise: 3:34p AM Minor: 2:26a PM Minor: 2:49p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:34p Set: 3:49a AM Major: 7:57a PM Major: 8:19p 9:47p 9:25a

G a m e ®

4:48 am 7:41 am 2:49 pm 10:26 pm

0.95ft.

1.00ft.

0.29ft.

1.23ft.

Sunrise: 7:17a Moonrise: 12:20p AM Minor: 10:49a PM Minor: 11:11p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

best days

Low Tide: 7:56 am -0.10ft.

High Tide: 4:11 pm 1.30ft.

Low Tide: 9:20 pm 1.16ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:30a Moonrise: 3:02a AM Minor: 1:00a PM Minor: 1:28p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:37p Set: 1:26p AM Major: 6:25a PM Major: 6:51p 7:44a 8:10p

1.16ft.

-0.76ft.

1.17ft.

0.94ft.

0.02ft.

1.24ft.

1.10ft.

1.16ft.

PRIME TIME

7

PRIME TIME 7:27 am 3:27 pm 8:38 pm 11:49 pm

13

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

PRIME TIME

2:42 am 11:03 am 7:14 pm 11:53 pm

6

«

Last Quarter Good Day

High Tide: 1:52 am 1.22ft.

Low Tide: 11:22 am -0.35ft.

High Tide: 7:57 pm 1.34ft.

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:30a Moonrise: 1:55a AM Minor: 12:12a PM Minor: 12:38p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

»

Sunrise: 7:21a Moonrise: 2:56p AM Minor: 1:46a PM Minor: 2:08p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:34p Set: 2:55a AM Major: 7:19a PM Major: 7:40p 9:03p 8:41a

1.25ft.

-0.38ft.

1.37ft.

1.20ft.

¡

Full Moon

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

1:21 am 10:44 am 7:21 pm 11:40 pm

Sunrise: 7:25a Moonrise: 7:45p AM Minor: 6:30a PM Minor: 6:55p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

19

First Quarter PRIME TIME

6:58 am 2:32 pm 7:37 pm 11:36 pm

Sunrise: 7:20a Moonrise: 2:22p AM Minor: 1:08a PM Minor: 1:30p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

º

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

8:30 — 10:30 AM

Set: 5:41p Set: 10:03p AM Major: 2:17a PM Major: 2:40p 4:08p 3:45a

T F & G

8«

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

1:43 am 3:40 am 12:43 pm 8:55 pm

1.00ft.

1.01ft.

-0.12ft.

1.21ft.

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

Set: 5:34p Set: 5:38a AM Major: 9:20a PM Major: 9:44p 11:23p 10:58a

PRIME TIME

Set: 5:35p Set: 11:01a AM Major: 3:04a PM Major: 3:28p 4:27a 4:51p

PRIME TIME 7:47 am 4:30 pm 9:13 pm 11:33 pm

Sunrise: 7:31a Moonrise: 5:19a AM Minor: 2:43a PM Minor: 3:13p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

29

PRIME TIME 1.19ft.

-0.20ft.

1.34ft.

1.20ft.

Sunrise: 7:27a Moonrise: 10:46p AM Minor: 9:16a PM Minor: 9:40p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

22

Set: 5:34p Set: None AM Major: 4:38a PM Major: 5:00p 6:15p 5:53a

12:02 am 8:27 am 4:49 pm 9:42 pm

Sunrise: 7:22a Moonrise: 4:16p AM Minor: 3:08a PM Minor: 3:32p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

15

11:00A — 1:00P

-0.83ft.

1.38ft.

1.21ft.

1.24ft.

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Set: 5:38p Set: 3:53p AM Major: 8:58a PM Major: 9:29p 10:37a 11:07p

PRIME TIME 1:51 am 6:15 am 1:09 pm 8:37 pm

Sunrise: 7:34a Moonrise: 10:50a AM Minor: 9:20a PM Minor: 9:41p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

0.62ft.

0.77ft.

-0.08ft.

0.91ft.

9:00 — 11:00 AM

Set: 5:42p Set: 10:59p AM Major: 3:09a PM Major: 3:30p 4:52p 4:30a

A l m a n a c

11/29/11 4:10 PM

Tides and Prime Times

FRIDAY

2º

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

0.74ft.

0.93ft.

0.52ft.

1.17ft.

Sunrise: 7:18a Moonrise: 12:51p AM Minor: 11:33a PM Minor: 11:54p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

9« High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:17 am 8:59 am 5:26 pm 9:56 pm

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:23a Moonrise: 5:02p AM Minor: 3:54a PM Minor: 4:19p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

16

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

Set: 5:34p Set: 6:33a AM Major: 10:06a PM Major: 10:31p None 11:48a

2:44 am 6:08 am 1:29 pm 9:16 pm

0.81ft.

0.85ft.

0.09ft.

1.14ft.

10:00A — 12:00P

Set: 5:36p Set: 11:36a AM Major: 3:56a PM Major: 4:20p 5:15a 5:39p

23 «

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 8:38 am -0.94ft.

High Tide: 5:17 pm 1.38ft.

Low Tide: 9:52 pm 1.21ft.

Sunrise: 7:32a Moonrise: 6:24a AM Minor: 3:39a PM Minor: 4:10p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

PRIME TIME

Sunrise: 7:28a Moonrise: 11:48p AM Minor: 10:08a PM Minor: 10:32p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

30

11:30A — 1:30P

Set: 5:34p Set: 12:15a AM Major: 5:23a PM Major: 5:44p 6:57p 6:36a

1.22ft.

-0.27ft.

1.37ft.

1.23ft.

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Set: 5:39p Set: 4:53p AM Major: 9:54a PM Major: 10:25p 11:38a None

PRIME TIME 2:57 am 7:51 am 1:45 pm 8:58 pm

0.44ft.

0.65ft.

0.18ft.

0.86ft.

Sunrise: 7:34a Moonrise: 11:21a AM Minor: 10:07a PM Minor: 10:28p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

10:00A — 12:00P

Set: 5:43p Set: 11:53p AM Major: 3:56a PM Major: 4:18p 5:34p 5:13a

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 109

SATURDAY PRIME TIME

5:26 am 9:46 am 3:50 pm 10:48 pm

3

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

PRIME TIME 5:59 am 11:40 am 5:01 pm 11:06 pm

0.54ft.

0.95ft.

0.73ft.

1.13ft.

Sunrise: 7:19a Moonrise: 1:21p AM Minor: ----- PM Minor: 12:14p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

10 ¡ High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:36 am 9:33 am 6:04 pm 10:19 pm

Sunrise: 7:24a Moonrise: 5:53p AM Minor: 4:43a PM Minor: 5:08p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

17 » Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

PRIME TIME

3:35 am 8:53 am 2:18 pm 9:33 pm

12:34 am 9:28 am 6:00 pm 10:26 pm

Sunrise: 7:32a Moonrise: 7:23a AM Minor: 4:38a PM Minor: 5:08p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

5:#0 — 7:30 AM

Set: 5:34p Set: 7:25a AM Major: 10:56a PM Major: 11:21p 12:13a 12:39p

PRIME TIME

24 «

31

Set: 5:34p Set: 1:09a AM Major: 6:03a PM Major: 6:24p 7:38p 7:18a

1.25ft.

-0.33ft.

1.38ft.

1.24ft.

0.55ft.

0.76ft.

0.35ft.

1.08ft.

Sunrise: 7:29a Moonrise: None AM Minor: 11:00a PM Minor: 11:24p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

11:00A — 1:00P

Set: 5:36p Set: 12:11p AM Major: 4:47a PM Major: 5:12p 6:03a 6:27p

PRIME TIME 1.25ft.

-0.96ft.

1.34ft.

1.16ft.

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Set: 5:39p Set: 5:56p AM Major: 10:53a PM Major: 11:23p 12:39p 12:09a

PRIME TIME 3:57 am 9:43 am 2:17 pm 9:19 pm

0.26ft.

0.60ft.

0.41ft.

0.85ft.

SUNDAY

4

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

PRIME TIME 6:30 am 1:17 pm 6:21 pm 11:22 pm

0.34ft.

1.05ft.

0.90ft.

1.12ft.

Sunrise: 7:19a Moonrise: 1:51p AM Minor: 12:31a PM Minor: 12:52p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

11 «

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide:

1.26ft.

-0.37ft.

1.39ft.

1.23ft.

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Set: 5:34p Set: 8:16a AM Major: 11:48a PM Major: ----1:05a 1:31p

PRIME TIME 4:25 am 11:06 am 3:18 pm 9:48 pm

0.25ft.

0.82ft.

0.62ft.

1.06ft.

Sunrise: 7:29a Moonrise: 12:51a AM Minor: 11:49a PM Minor: ----- Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

25 l

High Tide: Low Tide: High Tide: Low Tide:

Set: 5:34p Set: 2:02a AM Major: 6:42a PM Major: 7:02p 8:20p 7:59a

PRIME TIME

12:57 am 10:08 am 6:43 pm 10:54 pm

Sunrise: 7:25a Moonrise: 6:48p AM Minor: 5:35a PM Minor: 6:01p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

18

9:30 — 11:30 AM

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Set: 5:36p Set: 12:47p AM Major: 5:37a PM Major: 6:02p 6:52a 7:17p

PRIME TIME

1:38 am 10:16 am 6:39 pm 11:06 pm

Sunrise: 7:33a Moonrise: 8:16a AM Minor: 5:38a PM Minor: 6:06p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

1.22ft.

-0.89ft.

1.26ft.

1.06ft.

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Set: 5:40p Set: 7:00p AM Major: 11:19a PM Major: ----1:37p 1:08a

PRIME TIME

11:00A — 1:00P

Sunrise: 7:35a Moonrise: 11:51a AM Minor: 10:52a PM Minor: 11:12p Moon Overhead: Moon Underfoot:

Set: 5:43p Set: None AM Major: 4:41a PM Major: 5:02p 6:16p 5:55a

A l m a n a c

T e x a S

december 2011

F i s h

&

G a m e ®

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)

d e c e m b e r

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

2 0 1 1

|

109

11/29/11 4:10 PM

Bag #2

3 TBSPNS Texas Gourmet’s Sweet Chipotle Season All 3 tbs-Cumin 2 tsp-Garlic Powder 1/16th tsp-cinnamon 1/2 tsp-Oregano Leaf 1 Fresh Jalapeno- seeded and chopped

T

his is an awesome and awardwinning venison chili recipe, but you can substitute sirloin or chuck roast if you don’t have the opportunity to venture into the woods. I hope you all like it, and please send me some pictures of some of your good times at deer camp, fishing camp, or at home in the yard with family.

2 lbs. “Chili Grind” Beef Chuck Roast 1 lb. backstrap- cubed in 3/4 inch pieces, you can use top of round instead if so desired.

Bag #1

4 tbs Chili Powder-(Dark Ancho, Its rich in flavor)*Substitution shown at bottom

PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

Venison Chili

utes in 3/4 cup of water, then transfer all to food processor and blend into a paste.

Then add to recipe.

Other Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic 1 medium white onion 1/2 tsp-Black Pepper, 1/2 tsp-Salt 1/2 tsp-Cayenne Pepper* For a milder flavor use 2 dried Ancho peppers and 1 dried New Mexico Red instead of the powder .Remove The stems and seeds, chop coarsely and boil for 15 to 20 min-

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Swanson Chicken Broth 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Swanson Beef Broth 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Stewed Tomatoes 1/2 can ( 8 oz) of Hunts “No Salt Added” Tomato Paste 1 Knorr Beef Bouillon Cube 1 Tspn Light Brown Sugar 1 Beer Bock Style

Cooking Instructions:

Add “Room Temperature” meat to a hot cast iron skillet, brown it until it Starts to make its own juice Stir continuously, add both cans of broth, and Bag #1 Cook covered at a medium boil for 45 minutes Uncover and stir every 10 minutes Add water and beer as needed Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and add Bag #2 Add 1 Beef bouillon cube Add 1/2 tsp light brown sugar Use the following to season to taste: Salt Cayenne Pepper – for hot front taste White Pepper – for hot front taste Brown Sugar – for a sweeter tasteready to eat – Better next day Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at texas-tasted@fishgame.com 110 |

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ccording to fishing guide Dave Caudle, Lake O.H. Ivie, 55 miles east of San Angelo, has the potential to produce a double-digit largemouth bass on every cast. That’s a pretty big boast but the lake produced dozens of 13-plus pound bass in the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s ShareLunker program in the past couple of years. Who knows, maybe there were more that weren’t entered. Tommy Green’s fish, 11.57 pounds would have made an easy 13 pounds if it hadn’t already spawned.

Green, a Houston resident, was one of Texas Fish & Game’s Trophy Quest winners. He was fishing with guide Dave Caudle. From about 6:30 a.m. till noon, Green boated two, 2 /12 pound bass, five fish that went over 7 pounds, and the 11.57 pound trophy. Most anglers in their lives only dream about such a fishing trip.

“We moved into some coves and caught several fish,” said Caudle in describing how the trip started. “Tommy boated one fish a little over seven pounds.

Tommy Green with his 11.57 pound O.H. Ivie bass.

Then we moved to some deeper main lake points. We had just perfect weather, a little ripple on the water, light winds, absolutely perfect.”

Some of the seven-pound fish were caught on a custom topwater that Caudle makes. The bait resembles a topwater Spook with bucktail feathers on the end.

“The bass were hitting everything you threw at them,” said Caudle. “I make just about everything I fish with…all kinds of weird stuff just to see if it works…spinners and stuff like that. They were knocking it out of the water and having a good time with them (lures).”

Green caught the big bass on a Berkley 10-inch Power Bait worm at about 11:30 a.m..

“The fish swallowed the worm, way

HOW YOU CAN WIN!

TROPHY QUEST winners enjoy free guided hunting or fishing trips within the state of Texas. The package includes a guided trip for two people, one night’s lodging and all food and beverage (nonalcohol). Winners are responsible for all travel expenses getting to and from the destination point.

If you are a SUBSCRIBER to the TEXAS FISH & GAME DAILY EMAIL NEWSLETTER, your name is automatically entered into our next Trophy Quest Trip drawing.

To SUBSCRIBE, log on to the Texas Fish & Game website, www.FishGame.com and click the NEWSLETTER link in the left column.

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A Near ShareLunker

back in her throat,” said Green. “The strike was like a sudden stop, like you snagged on something. The line started moving and you knew you had something.”

Green continued, saying that the big bass decided to slug it out deep. The fish never came to the top until it was time to net her. The fight lasted about 15 minutes.

“A big fish like that can’t clear the water like a six, seven pounder,” said Caudle. “A fish over 10 pounds kind of just rolls and sloshes on the top. They just don’t have the push to get all that weight out of the water.” In 15 years of fishing on Lake O.H. Ivie, Caudle has boated 44 double-digit bass. “Every trip that we specifically fish for bass, if we don’t catch a fish over nine pounds, sometimes over 10 pounds, the fish are off for that day.”

Caudle and Green took the bass to the marina for weighing on a certified scale.

The bass was placed in the marina oxygenated minnow tank to let her gain her breath back before being released.

Green was ecstatic about the trip and said he was going to have to make another trip to Ivie in the future. Maybe on the next trip he will catch an even bigger fish.

Trip information:

What: Largemouth bass Where: O.H. Ivie Fishing Guide: Dave Caudle, 325-3655295, www.fishinwithdave.com

Or, go directly to http://FishGame.com/newsletter.htm.

Best of all, IT’S FREE and you will receive daily updates on important Fishing and Hunting news, information and topics of interest.

One winner is chosen at random. The winner must be available to go on one of two pre-set scheduled dates. If the winner is unable to attend on either date scheduled for the TROPHY QUEST TRIP, the winner’s name will be returned to the pool for future drawings and another winner will be drawn.

REGISTER AT:

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OUTDOOR SHOPPER

TEXAS FRESHWATER EAST TEXAS

LAKE AMISTAD

White Oak Outfitters Rockport Red Runner

TEXAS HUNTING NORTH EAST TEXAS

TEXAS SALTWATER GALVESTON

Beverly Newton Redfish Charters 112 |

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPPY NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE AT TEXAS FISH AND GAME T e x a S

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Brad Knox Trout Hillman Guide Service

Sam Rayburn Blair’s Guide Service

Follis Family Catfish Blair’s Guide Service

TEXAS SALTWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

ROCKPORT

Upper Coast (Sabine Lake)

BAFFIN BAY

MIDDLE Coast visit our new store fishandgamegear.com FOR GREAT GIFT IDEAS

SPOTLIGHT: BLAIR’S GUIDE SERVICE

Statement of ownership, management and circulation 1. Publication title: Texas Fish & Game. 2. Publication number: 7577-70. 3. Filing Date: 10/01/2011. 4. Issue freq: Monthly. 5.

No. Issues Annually: 12. 6. Annual subscr. price: $19.00. 7.

Complete mailing address of known office of publication (not printer): 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032; Contact Person, Duane Hruzek; Tel, 281-227-3001. 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher (not printer): Same. 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor and managing editor: Publisher, Roy Neves, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032; editor: n/a; managing editor: Don Zaidle, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032.

10. Owner: Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co. LLC; Ron & Stephanie Ward; Roy and Ardia Neves. All addresses same as publisher. 11. Known bondholders, Mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages of other securities: none. 12. Tax status has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication title: Texas Fish & Game. 14. Issue date for circulation data below: October 2011. 15. Extent and nature of circulation: a.

Total number of copies (net press run): Avg. no. copies each issue during preceding 12 mos., 53,436; No. copies of single Issue published nearest to filing date, 53,573. b. Paid/requested outside-county mail subscriptions stated on form 3541: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 45,250; single issue nearest filing, 44,638.

Paid in-county, 0. Sales through dealers, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 5,420; single issue nearest filing, 5,240; Other classes mailed, 14. c. Total paid/requested circulation: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 50,670; single issue nearest filing, 49,878. d. Free distribution outside-county, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 340; single issue nearest filing, 360; In-county, 0; Other classes, 0. e. Total free dist, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 550; single issue nearest filing, 600. f.

Total dist: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 51,220; single issue nearest filing, 50,478. g. Copies not dist: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 2,216; single issue nearest filing, 3,095. h. Total (sum 15f and g): Avg. preceding 12 mo., 53,436; single issue nearest filing, 53,573.

Percent paid: Avg. preceding 12 mo. 98.93%; single issue nearest filing, 98.827% 16. Publication of statement of ownership required. Will be printed in December 2011 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager or Owner: Roy Neves, publisher, Date 10/01/2011

My name is Vaughn Blair. I was born and raised in east Texas. My dad took me to the lake every weekend as soon as I could walk. I have always loved being outdoors, and I enjoy showing others what they sometimes miss in this rushed world we now live in. I got my guide license and started Blair’s Guide Service because I wanted to give people a place where they could go to relax and have fun. I use a 22-foot center console Mako, which allows 3601 of casting area and the ability to follow your fish and bring it in. I fish primarily for bass, stripers, catfish, and just about anything that’s biting. I fish in Lake Nacogdoches, Lake Palestine, and Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

For those of you living near the Dallas area, Lake Palestine is a short drive and has some really nice places to stay right on the lake. Sam Rayburn is perfect if you live near Houston.... No matter where you live, there’s a lake close by. I want everyone to have a great time and leave with a smile and their own stories to tell! I would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers, both for the return business and for the referrals.

If you would like to book a trip, you can reach Vaughn on his cell

anytime: 903-646-3889 or on his website at www.blairseasttexasfishingguide.com.

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Elisa Farias shot this axis deer in full velvet in Rocksprings, Texas. She used a Remington 700 .243 cal. to bring down her trophy.

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Redfish Matagorda

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AXIS DEER Rocksprings

Brent Jones, 8, of Angleton, caught this 30-inch redfish while fishing with his dad in Matagorda.

Whitetail | Hondo Cade Love, age 6, of Danbury took his first buck—a big mature 6-point—on the Biry Farm near Hondo. He used his .222 Remington.

Redfish Crystal Beach Song and Wes Kemp of Georgetown caught and released these bull reds on fresh crab at Crystal Beach.

They wanted to thank John Rabalais for taking their lines out on his kayak.

Willacy Co. Connor Chavez, 6, sighted and shot his first doe with his custom cutto-fit stock .22 Hornet, in Willacy County. He made a double lung shot at 65 yards.

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Whitetail

Feral Hog Cameron Co. Thomas Fisher, age 8, of Kyle shot this 180-pound hog with a 6mm. He was hunting on his grandpa West’s farm in Cameron County.

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Junction Lyndee Tillman shot her first deer while hunting on her dad Michael’s lease on the High Point Ranch outside of Junction.

She shot it with Dad’s .243 Remington Model 7 at 113 yards.

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Speckled Trout | Laguna Madre Fred Guzman caught this 28-inch speck while fishing on the Laguna Madre after a cold front.

He also caught his limit of reds and trout on live shrimp. The 28-inch trout was released.

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MAIL TO: TFG PHOTOS 1745 Greens Rd, Houston TX 77032 NOTE: Print photos can not be returned.

EMAIL: photos@FishGame.com

For best results, send MED to HIGH quality JPEG digital files only, please.

No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

Whitetail Kerrville

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Tanner Collins, age 11, took his first hand-gun buck from an elevated tree stand on opening weekend, near Kerrville. A single beautifully placed heart shot from a .44 magnum made one proud father!

t whitetail | Kimble Co. Taylor Holland, 8, of Blessing, Texas, shot her first buck in Kimble County. She was hunting with her mom and made a great shot with her Great-Grandmother,s .222 deer rifle. The 8-point rack was 17-1/2 inches wide.

Feral Hog

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Refugio

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Jonathan Jones, 11, of Portland shot his firstever feral hog.

This 200-pound boar was shot from 75 yards on a friend’s ranch outside Refugio with a Remington .270.

Largemouth | Choke Canyon Steve Watts of Three Rivers caught this 10-pound, 3-oz. bass with a crankbait at the south shore boat ramp on Choke Canyon. The “ole pretty bass” was kissed and released.

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Whitetail

Preston Vaughn, 10, of Cypress shot his first deer with a .243 at 90 yards near Barksdale. He took the 3-1/2-year-old buck while hunting with his father opening day. It weighed 120 pounds.

Lampasas Dawson Brooks of Taylor took this 10-point, 149-pound buck in Lampasas County. He is pictured with his proud Dad Kevin Brooks.

Whitetail Centerville

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Riley Mulford, age 11, shot his first deer while hunting in Centerville with his dad and little sister Kacey.

He was using a 30-30 and the shot was over 100 yards. The doe dropped in her tracks.

Black drum

Sabine Lake Richard Lasseigne, Sr. caught this 34-inch black drum while fishing with dead shrimp in Sabine Lake with his son Gerald.

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