December 2013 by Texas Fish & Game

Texas Fish & Game « December 2013 • VOL. XXX NO. 8

Coastal Edition

www.FishGame.com Shark Teeth, Snake Skins and Other

Natural Gifts

December 2013 | VOL. XXX • NO. 8 | $3.95

Frosty Fishing Strategies Add Spice to Late Season

Duck Soup COASTAL EDITION

Small Game

Big Rewards Coastal.indd 1

Second Shot

Bass

Don Zaidle End of an Era

Last Call for a

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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 (in memoriam)

Chester moore Executive EDITOR

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

Joe Doggett • SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Doug Pike • SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ted Nugent • EDITOR AT LARGE Bob Hood • HUNTING EDITOR Matt Williams • FRESHWATER EDITOR Calixto Gonzales • SALTWATER EDITOR Lenny Rudow • BOATING EDITOR Steve LaMascus • FIREARMS EDITOR Lou Marullo • BOWHUNTING EDITOR Kendal Hemphill • POLITICAL COMMENTATOR Reavis Wortham • HUMOR EDITOR Greg Berlocher • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Paul Bradshaw • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Capt. Mike Holmes • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dustin Ellermann • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dustin Warncke • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lisa Moore • CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR John Gisel • WEB CONTENT MANAGER A D V E R T I S I N G ardia neves

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TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. ©Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Content is not to be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: dhruzek@fishgame. com Email new orders to: dhruzek@fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: dhruzek@fishgame.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.

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CONTENTS FEATURES

December 2013 • Volume XXX • NO. 8

Spice up late-season duck soup

For months, ducks have dodged a gauntlet of shotgun blasts from the arctic to the Gulf Coast. So hunters need to add a little variety to spice up their late season fortunes.

by John N. Felsher

END OF AN ERA When Texas Fish & Game Editor in Chief Don Zaidle passed away October 12, he left a gaping hole in the lives and hearts of family, friends and people he had never met. He also left a great legacy.

inland/north covers: Last Call? As deer season winds down, some say if you have not downed your buck by now, odds are you won’t. But people also said the Internet would never catch on...

STORY:

Story by Bob Hood Cover Photo : Bigstock

Second Shot Bass After missing a strike, the instinctive response is to immediately throw the same lure to the same spot and work it the same way. But a successful follow-up often requires a quick change of tactics.

by John N. Felsher

Coastal cover: Frosty Fishing Strategies What’s the winter angler to do? Here are some cold weather options for successfully seeking coldnatured gamefish.

STORY:

Small game, big reward Squirrel and rabbit hunting has lost favor with many hunters. Parks & Wildlife no longer tracks statistics on them. But if tiny, high-velocity targets sounds like a challenge, you might give small game another look.

Story by Calixto Gonzales Cover Photo by Grady Allen

www.FishGame.com

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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

December 2013 • Volume XXX • NO. 8

COLUMNS

DEPARTMENTS

Chester’s Notes 12 The Power to

Commentary 19 Via con

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

Give

Dios

by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

Texas Saltwater 23 A Winter

8 letters 10 TF&G Report 10 big bags & catches

34 texas dept. of

Stroll

defense

42 True green

by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

Texas Freshwater 33 A Life-Changing

Bass

Doggett at Large 14 Wildlife

Texas Bowhunting 37 A Life-Saving Gift

This Christmas

by Lou Marullo TF&G Bowhunting Editor

Paparazzi

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Pike on the Edge 16 Embrace the

Hunt Texas 41 A Dog and Quail

Trail

by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Show

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

TexasWild 18 Blood Brother in

the Wind

Open Season 48 Goodbye to an

Old Man

by Ted nugent TF&G Editor At Large

by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor

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Digital:

by matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

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NEW Mobile Editions: u

iPad

iPhone

Android

FREE to Subscribers. See your Device App Store, or visit:

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Letters to the Editor Outdoor Outreach Chester, Thank you for coming to the COF Bass Fishing Tournament and bringing an OUTSTANDING message. My guys were talking about it Saturday night and Sunday Morning and how impressed they were with you. One mentioned that when he reads your articles now that he will be reading from a different view point. Thanks again and hope we can do it again sometime.

Jimmy Hassell Executive Director, Greater Houston Christian Outdoor Fellowship Via Email

Thanks from an Average Guy I just wanted to say I really like your magazine for its unique stories on wildlife conservation and parts of the sporting element that appeal to the average guy. I can barely pay for my deer lease much less afford the super expensive guided hunts promoted so much in other publications. I have nothing against that but it is nice to be able to read ‘do it yourself’ information that is well written. Thanks,

Joey James Via Email

Emphasis on Youth Thank you for the wonderful magazine and for your emphasis on youth and children. I really appreciate the fact that you work with school districts and fight hard to keep our hunting and fishing resources available for the coming generation.

Susan Williams Via Email

Don Zaidle After the many, many years of being an ardent fan of your magazine, I am not looking forward to my next issue! You see, I receive my magazine, glance at the cover and then go straight to Zaidle’s column. I am 67 years old and have shared so many experiences thru Mr. Zaidle’s writings. My deepest sympathies to all his friends and family and hope you all know how he was loved by those he never met!

Michael Bryant Via email

Send your Comments to: Mail: Editor Texas Fish & Game 1745 Greens Rd Houston TX 77032 Email: editor@fishgame.com 8 |

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The TF&G Report

The Battleship Texas, the goodwill ambassador and museum ship that resides at the San Jacinto State Historic site, is back in the business of serving the nation this week — this time in a new role. The century-old battleship, a formidable warrior that saw the nation through two World Wars, is serving as a testing platform for a six-foot-long robotic fish designed to detect contraband hidden on a ship’s hull. Known as the BIOSwimmer, the technology undergoing testing is a highly maneuverable, unmanned underwater vehicle which embodies the natural shape of a tuna and is equipped with a sophisticated suite of sensors. The demonstration of this underwater robotic search system is a collaborative

Photo : Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

TPWD and Homeland Security Release Robot Fish

p BIOSwimmer, a robotic fish, is being tested as a method for detecting contraband hidden on ship hulls.

exercise of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and Boston Engineering. The test team planted packages of mock contraband of varying sizes in tight, hard-toreach spaces on the battleship’s hull and put

the BIOSwimmer through the paces to see whether it can successfully detect them. This is the first time the BIOSwimmer, developed by Boston Engineering Corporation’s Advanced Systems Group with funding from a Small Business Innovation Research award from

B ig B ags & C atches

trophy buck

Speckled trout

Bee County

Aransas County

Travis Lee Carrizales, age 9, of Katy, shot this eight-point buck at 153 yards with a .22-250 Remington while hunting with his mom, Nancy, and his uncle Benny Mumme in Bee County.

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Carlos Guerrero caught this 26.5-inch speckled Trout in the Aransas County area. He was fishing with Captain Noel Guerrero of Mud Island Fin Fever Guide Service. &

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DHS S&T, will be tested in an operational marine environment. “Texas Parks and Wildlife is pleased to make the Battleship TEXAS available to serve the nation in the interests of strengthening port security,” says Andy Smith, TPWD’s ship manager. “The tests underway this week will be instructive in the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to refine this innovative technology so it may be deployed to make our maritime environment safer. The Battleship TEXAS is showing us that you’re never too old to be of service to your country.” The goal of the testing is to work out the details so that the system can ultimately be used to search for contraband attached to the hulls and underwater appendages of ships, according to DHS S&T BIOSwimmer Program Manager David Taylor. The Battleship TEXAS became the first battleship museum in the U.S. in 1948. It is the last of the battleships in the tradition of the HMS Dreadnought that participated in World Wars I and II. —TPWD

Ultimate Hunting Championship Under Way

Fishing tournaments have been a mainstay in the outdoors culture for decades. Although they existed before Ray Scott founded B.A.S.S., his organizational and promotional skills put tournaments in the spotlight and they are arguably more popular than ever. Hunting tournaments have not been so successful, other than the standard “big buck contest”. A new project called Ultimate Hunting Championship has been born and it gives hunters a unique opportunity to compete for big money for deer in numerous categories. It is an East Texas only tournament and low fence only. The categories include big buck, biggest eight-pointer, seven-pointer and down, long horn spike, smallest eightpointer, alligator garfish and more. “We wanted to put something together to showcase East Texas in a unique way

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and we think we have done that,” said Chris Methner, who in addition to being one of the organizers, is also a wildlife biologist. “I work with landowners around the state on low fence and high fence properties,” he said, “and we wanted to do with this is to highlight the skilled hunters of the region who might be hunting on a big hunting club with many members, out in the national forest or maybe on their private farm or ranch. This is an East Texas only event and we’re very proud of that.” A portion of proceeds from the event go to the Catch-A-Dream Foundation to send children with terminal illnesses on once-in-alifetime hunting or fishing trips. “We want to make sure and give back and we are happy to helping out the CatchA-Dream Foundation,” Methner said. Although the hunting season is well under way, there is still time to sign up. For more information, visit the website: www.ultimatehuntingchampionship.com. —Chester Moore

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Chester’s Wild Life by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

The Power to Give Orange, Texas, Christmas Eve 2012.

t is a song I have heard a thousand times. “The Little Drummer Boy” echoed through our church service with a special collaboration from a local high school’s drum line. Everyone was captivated by the drums and the passion put into the performance by our worship team, but there was something else. The lyrics to the song came alive. “Little baby, I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring that’s fit for our king. Shall I play for you? On my drum. Pa rum pum pum pum.” The vision of a poor, little boy so desperately wanting to honor his Savior became clear. With no material belongings, he offered what he had ̶ his talent. Compared to the gold typically offered to royalty it seemed insignificant, but it made the baby Jesus smile. Here on Christmas Eve, as my daughter drifts into slumber, my wife gets a bit of relaxation time and I reflect on this song’s meaning, many of you are struggling. It may be with the fact you are not sure whether the family will enjoy the meager gifts, you were able to buy for them. With your budget cut, it was a miracle you could get anything for anyone. Some of you might not have any gifts under the tree or perhaps you went into debt to put smiles on the kids’ faces. Others are struggling within. Remember the little drummer boy. He gave what he had, and if we truly give the best of ourselves personally, relationally, spiritually and even financially blessings will find us. The seeds of understanding this valuable lesson were planted in me, many years ago when I was just a young boy. 12 |

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While enjoying the many thoughtful gifts my parents spent their hard-earned money buying, my Dad spoke up. “I only ever remember getting a Christmas gift once,” he said. “It was a little windup caterpillar and I remember being so happy to get it, but that is the only gift I ever remember getting.” Here I was with a BB gun, a bunch of Star Wars figures and an X-Wing fighter replica along with clothes and a stocking full of candy and other goodies. And although I was so happy to get these amazing gifts, I could not help but be heartbroken over my father’s memory of Christmas. He grew up in abject poverty, dealt with more neglect than he will ever admit to and to this day wears scars from it. Looking back, I believe this was when the hatred for poverty, neglect and abuse was born in me. Do not let society’s ideas hijack your Christmas by attempting to grade it on a financial curve. And never look at yourself as unworthy to serve. You can make a huge difference in the lives of others by simple acts of kindness and obedience. One of the greatest memories of my childhood is sitting on my Dad’s lap and putting together hunting and fishing scrapbooks from old outdoors magazines we would buy at the thrift store. Simply doing something like this will create memories that last a lifetime. Maybe you have building skills and can make a special gift out of things you have lying around your garage. I will never forget my Uncle Jackie Moore making me a live trap for Christmas when I was 12 years old. It really touched me that he would take the time to do that. Maybe you can give time. I treasure my recollections of my mom and me sit-

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ting around listening to her Elvis records. My favorite was and is, his rendition of “American Trilogy.” For those of us who have the means, now is a perfect time to begin looking outward. There might be a kid in your neighborhood who has never received a gift ̶ like my father when he was a boy. Maybe you can give them a gift such as the scrapbooks my dad and I put together or simply invite them fishing, hunting or on a wildlife photo expedition You truly have the power to change the destinies of others through your kindness. Your love for the great outdoors is a perfect place to start. I have never met a kid who was not interested in wildlife at some level, and I deal with thousands of them on a yearly basis in our ministry. We have great power that flows from our simple ability to love others. Children in particular are seeking that out desperately. After all, this time of year originated from someone who 2,000 years ago took the lowest spot but became the most famous person who ever lived. And whether we can bless our families with the latest in electronics or play the drum beat that we know the best, it should come from a sincere, giving heart. I will probably never shake the image of my dad as a little boy opening and playing with a humble little caterpillar, and that is a good thing. It reminds me there are many less fortunate children out there. Pa rum pum pum pum.

Catch Chester on the radio Fridays, 6 pm on 560 KLVI Beaumont (www.klvi.com) and Thursdays online on TF&G Radio (www.fishgame.com) Contact him at CMoore@fishgame.com

Photo: Canstock.com

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Doggett at Large by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Wildlife Paparazzi

we’ll ease out of here.” The bear was eating a salmon carcass and remarkably indifferent to our presence. I’m not recommending such proximity to a full-blown wild bear; normal safety protocol recommends “way over there.” But there we were, caught off-guard after topping the windill Sims’ Cessna 206 airplane was blown ridge. I snapped a few photos with a pocket parked on the low-tide gravel bar 48 steps from a world-class run of silver camera (several showing Sims taking photos salmon. Our group of three fishermen with a pocket camera) and we backed down had landed 30 or 40 silvers, all “chromers” the bluff. And all the way down I was kicking myself fresh from the ocean. Most were in the 8- to for not having my RC (Real Camera) in my 12-pound class. hands. I left the single lens reflex body and the big lens back in the cabin at Newhalen Lodge. That was a “rookie mistake” because anytime you fly to the coast with Sims you almost are guaranteed remarkable photo opportunities. The Canon EF 100-400mm lens with image stabilizer sitting cased in the room could have nailed every hair on the hulking bear’s face. I lugged it all the way A brown to Alaska, then squandered the chance. bear hardly And that is the focus of this column. notices being Near or far, hunters and anglers can photograped at 20 paces. capture grand wildlife images. It’s not all about catching the fish or pulling the trigWe were the only anglers on the river – a ger. Today’s digital equipment allows even the amateur photographer superior capability classic Alaskan wilderness adventure. We were taking a break and enjoying a to shoot-shoot-shoot with few of the hassles shore lunch at the base of a brushy bluff. Sims and expenses of old-school film. For example, the deer hunter in a tower wiped his plate and stood. “I think I heard a bear fooling around back there behind us,” stand or box blind is in great position to he said. “You boys want to take a look?” We snap images of both game and non-game walked over the ridge and I looked across an species; indeed, many professional wildlife open expanse of waist-high grass. I expected photographers would be thrilled to have such to see the brown blob of a grumping bear a seat overseeing the colorful parades amid the dawning brush. maybe 100 yards away. The box blind provides the trump of con“No, no,” Sims said. “Not out there, right cealment. You have room to prop the camera over here.” The bear was, at most, 20 steps away. and accessories, and low movements cannot Considering that it was a full-grown sow, be detected. As another plus, the blind winweighing 600 or 700 pounds and sitting in dow provides a stable rest for squeezing off a plain sight, I probably would have flunked my shot – either with a rifle or a telephoto. The “high racker” or quail hunter driving Woody Woodchuck Game Stalking Merit a private lease can encounter many random Badge. “We’re OK,” Sims said in a soft voice. photo opportunities – just remember to turn “She’s content. Just take a few pictures and off the engine before clicking away. The

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vehicle vibration can ruin an otherwise excellent setup. Waterfowl hunting – maybe yes, maybe no. A muddy rice field or a goo-pie marsh is no place for a camera rig costing several thousand dollars, but the right blind with a secure bench or shelf can be a winner. Parades of shore birds can keep you busy on a slow morning – and fiddling with a camera over a preening roseate spoonbill is an excellent way to conjure a hovering flock of bull sprigs. Your blind partners raising their shotguns will appreciate your photo diligence. The angler on a lake or bay has similar opportunities. The camera can be placed on a boat seat or console and ready for a quick shot if – when – something unusual appears. The best way to do good wildlife work is with a no-nonsense telephoto lens. The serious equipment is expensive (as anything “serious” outdoors usually is) but the quality is a good investment that can provide years of enjoyment. But keep in mind that even a 400mm lens is not a cure-all; most impressive wildlife images occur within 50 yards. The exception might be an overview showing the animal surrounded by considerable natural terrain – a potentially pleasing composition possible with a shorter lens. Of course, pro-class glass may be out of reach. Many fine images can be taken with the relatively inexpensive pocket cameras. These compact gadgets continue to improve, and a water-resistant model with a zoom lens is a great choice. Worth note: the pocket rig is easy to tote. As a drawback, most of the little units are slow on the draw and lousy at stopping motion. But under proper circumstances on stationary or slow-moving targets they are capable of good work. A crisp image often can be enlarged with satisfactory results. Various options are available for hunters and anglers but remember the first rule of wildlife photography: The camera is useless unless you have it within reach. Contact Joe Doggettl at JDoggett@fishgame.com Photo: Joe Doggett

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Pike on the Edge by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Embrace the Trail

t’s been a while and a few gray hairs since the first time I saw a bobber dance and dive, but ducks and deer and bass and redfish still get my heart pumping stronger and faster than those oddballs who dislike or haven’t yet found the outdoors. It seems like yesterday that I could still throw a sack of wet rags over one shoulder and a dozen dead geese over the other, grab my shotgun with a free hand and haul the whole load back to the truck across a quarter

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mile of shin-deep mud. Or wade a soft-bottomed flat from dawn to lunch, eat cheese crackers out of a shirt pocket, then keep grinding until dark and never consider whether there was a stingray under my feet. Or climb or run or jump—or lift something heavy—without first thinking about the potential consequences of doing so. Maybe I still can. I’d like to think so, and that’s part of what motivates me to continue pushing my own limits. I’m no quitter, even if I do take little breaks more frequently than in the past. If you are still chronologically young, embrace your time on that wide-open path. See it all, do it all, then go looking for more cool things to see and do. The longer you enjoy the outdoors, the more you’ll come to

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realize and appreciate the endlessness of its opportunity. And with any luck at all, as you get a little older, you’ll have no regrets about the places you’ve hunted and fished or the people with whom you’ve shared those experiences. I’ve fished as far as Europe and hunted from Canada to Argentina. Some of you have traveled farther, and some have never left Texas. Either way, as outdoors trips go, you learn over time that distance and expense aren’t always synonymous with quality. I still get kid-at-Christmas excited every time I leave the house, usually now with my young son, to launch some new adventure. We seldom go far. With experience has come satisfaction. I’m not done grabbing suitcases and jumping

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on airplanes to chase fins and antlers, but I am traveling less and dedicating more effort now to teaching him on water and dirt close to home. I don’t consider myself to be going backward so much as just coming full circle.

“ I still get kid-at-Christmas excited every time I leave the house.

“ What the old guys don’t tell you when you step onto the outdoors circle as a young man is that when you get around to where you can see the place at which you started, you’ll have a lot of hard miles on your boots

and your body. Boots can be replaced, or at least resoled a few times if they’re especially comfortable. Joints and muscles not so much. I’m developing little aches and some pains that don’t go away, not even with three Advil. That’s OK. They’re medals, of sorts, same as my handful of scars, lasting mementos of grand undertakings. Most of those marks can be traced to specific incidents and accidents, some of which may or may not have been embellished over time to make for better stories. The others are outright mysteries, even to me, and that’s not an entirely bad thing. I don’t know what happened to cause them, but I’m pretty sure I was having fun at the time. Maybe when I’m truly old and the wheels really begin to wobble, I’ll find something legitimate over which to fret and wring hands. But not yet. I still do everything I’ve always done and can, thanks to coffee, muster at (almost) any hour for anything outdoors. Now, though, I just need a little more time to recover after we’re done. I actually shuffle my feet when wade-fishing and hold on with both hands

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when climbing into tree stands, too. Should have been doing that all along but didn’t bother back when I was bulletproof. By every measure, I am still on the outdoors carousel with no intention of getting off. I’m still learning from everyone in front of me and passing knowledge whenever asked for it to those behind me. For now, I can still out-fish my son, but I know that he won’t consider me the “world’s best fisherman” forever. I don’t want that for him. I want more. Don’t tell him, but I can’t wait until the day he puts it all together on the bay, offshore, or maybe just over cane poles and nightcrawlers like we’ve done so many times already, and flat out-fishes me.

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Contact Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com

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Ted’s TexasWild by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

Blood Brother in the Wind

here are soldiers in this culture war who do hand to hand combat with the horrible cult of denial on a regular basis. These self-evident truth driven men and women will go down in history as a powerful positive force to reckon with. I am convinced they will eventually be responsible for our victory over the curse of political correctness. It is the worst runaway abuse of power and criminal corruption in the history of our beloved country, as led by the America hating president and all his fellow gangsters in office. Then there are the Commanders, genuine leaders of the good guys, who with no apparent effort simply conduct themselves in such a fashion that the enemy literally maintains a fulltime conniption fit just by knowing such good guys exist. We just said good-bye to such a warrior when our beloved Texas Fish & Game editor in chief, Don Zaidle, passed away unexpectedly at the much too young age of 55. I started reading Don’s brilliant prose in the pages of this breakthrough publication many years ago. I was immediately struck with a friendly sucker punch of relief and encouragement that what I know to be true and logical had a kindred soul standing strong and unapologetic at the helm of a sporting magazine—a Texas sporting magazine, no less. Remember the Alamo and God bless Texas! Pick a subject, any subject, particularly those grindingly controversial topics that have been the tip of the spear in the American culture war between common sense and the scourge of fantasy driven and drug fueled liberal feelgood BS. 18 |

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I had already engaged this snake in the grass (and on grass) Saul Alinsky enemy way back in the 1960s. I often felt all alone as the embarrassment of animal rights and antigun insanity was building its toxic steam in academia, the media and beginning to infest politics and the pop culture. Driven to consume the written word regarding my passions for the shooting sports and the sacred Second Amendment, I was heartbroken to witness our own outdoors journalists not only backing down from the enemies of their paychecks, but mind bogglingly recommending that hunters, trappers and gun owners remain disengaged and avoid the controversy of killing game and owning guns. I would read in astonishment where Outdoor Life, Field & Stream and Sports Afield top writers would discourage hunters from displaying our animals in public, to not wear camo outside the hunting camp, and to avoid initiating a dialogue supporting hunting, self-defense, and all things America and The American Way. While these unsophisticated spineless dolts in leadership positions in our sport were wimping out and cowering like scared children, the America-hating enemy was charging full speed ahead with the globally proven political strategy of confrontational politics. I was appalled at my own team’s lack of gumption and intestinal fortitude. So I began raising all the hell I possibly could from my loud and proud bully pulpit of rock-n-roll and lifetime of hunting and guns. This move on my part even made our side worse as their foolish jealousy further clouded their view of the culture war that they seemed to be clueless even existed. Then I read an editorial by one Don Zaidle in Texas Fish & Game magazine, and I thought for sure I had found my battleground foxhole roommate. Here was a guy going straight for the jugular. His every word, every editorial reeked of fact, logic, truth and good old down-to-earth utility and pragmatism. Here was a guy fearless of the boogyman of political correctness behind the curtain of lies and make believe.

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Here was my blood-brother standing strong, never mincing words, calling a spade a spade and more than happy to let the fallout fall where it may and crush everything in its path. And to confirm his unbridled courage, without a hint of hesitation, he hired this longhaired, uppity rock-n-roll firebreather to be his bowhunting editor. No truer love has man than to side with the most controversial amongst us. Don was bold, and he liked bold. Don was unafraid and he liked unafraid. Don was smart, and he liked smart. Don was cocky, and he loved cocky. Don was brazen, and he liked brazen. Don Zaidle was a true leader. He led by example, and he shone a light on righteousness that encouraged and emboldened it from his writers and, I believe, from his readers as well. Don had a knack for common sense and reason, and never lost sight of his primal and gut instincts on an unlimited array of issues and topics. He may have never hunted a high fence ranch, but his instincts were right on the money regarding private property rights and sustained yield wildlife management. Don may have never hunted with a crossbow, but his clear understanding of personal choice cut through the nonsensical and lightweight controversy regarding how one’s licensed projectile penetrated his intended target and that it couldn’t possibly matter one whit what anybody else thought about it We got you covered old friend. We will carry on the battle cry for good over bad, right over wrong, conservative over liberal, and we will never back down or compromise in any way, shape or form. We give you our word that many animal rights freaks and anti-gun punks will remain angry and upset, just as if you are still there, driving them nuts with the Zaidle touch. Rest in peace old warrior. We will join you on the big hunt before too long. In the wind, I still hear Don Zaidle.

Contact Ted Nugent at TNugent@fishgame.com

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Commentary by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

y wife and I were standing outside our hotel on a cold, wet, windy Amarillo evening wondering how to get to the event we were supposed to go to, which was somewhere else in town. We were in Amarillo for the 2001 Texas Outdoor Writers Association conference and had missed the shuttle bus that would have taken us to the venue. Everyone else had already left, and we didn’t even have a cell phone number to call to try to find out where to go. Then Don Zaidle and his wife pulled up and asked us if we wanted a ride. I had met Don before, but briefly, and didn’t know him well. He was a big guy with a huge beard and long, unkempt hair, although he was bald on top. He actually looked a lot like Willie Robertson, of Duck Dynasty fame. Don wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he seemed tall for some reason. He had a presence that was impossible to ignore. He was loud, friendly, and gregarious, and he reminded me of Grizzly Adams more than anyone else. My wife and I climbed into the back seat of Don’s car, and I began a journey that lasted more than 12 years and took me much farther than just to the TOWA event. That ride was as metaphorical as it was physical for me. When I got into that car, I entered a relationship that changed the way I look at my life, and solidified principles that were only partly formed in my belief system. Don didn’t so much befriend me as engulf me. Don was excited. Not just that evening, but all the time. He didn’t see the world as a place to live, but an environment to experience. He loved life, and his attitudes were infectious. Every discussion with Don left me wondering how I had managed to get by with the dull, common outlook I’d previously had on life. He was invigorating to everyone

“ Hemphill, you write a column that pisses a lot of people off, don’t you?

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Vaya con Dios

around him. A few months after that ride, Don called me and said, “Hemphill, you write a newspaper column that pisses a lot of people off, don’t you?” Don was nothing if not abrupt. He didn’t beat around bushes, he stomped the bushes flat. Since I appreciate straightforwardness, which cuts down on misunderstandings, Don and I got along fine. I told him that I did, in fact, irritate a lot of people with my newspaper column. I didn’t mention that my purpose was to make people think, but I believe he understood that.

He said, “Well, I want you to write a column like that for me.” Don was the relatively new editor-in-chief at Texas Fish & Game magazine. He said, “As long as your column relates to the Texas outdoors, you can say whatever you want in it. If you want to say a certain group of people are a bunch of babbling fools, you can do that.” Don didn’t want me to actually set out to offend people, but he wanted a biting, honest commentary column that didn’t shy away from sensitive issues. When he asked, “Can you write a column like that for me?” I told him I could, although I expected both of us to be fired within a year if he published what I wrote. I was wrong. Don published what I wrote, with very few editorial changes, and T e x a S

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the column did what he intended ̶ it irritated people. But when the calls and letters and emails came in, asking politely for my head and other pertinent parts on various platters, Don went to bat for me. He never blamed me for what I wrote, as long as it could be backed up with facts, no matter who didn’t like it. He said that, as my editor, what went in the magazine was his call, and he would stand behind it. That kind of integrity is rare these days, not just in the world of journalism, but in the world. When something goes wrong it seems everyone is looking for someone else to blame. Don never did that. I admired him for that quality more than anything else. With Don, some issues were more volatile than others. Anytime someone mentioned gun control, or environmentalism, or animal rights within Don’s hearing I would look around for a chair, because I knew I would be there a while. Don was passionate about those topics, and used common sense and logic to kindly rip gaping holes in any argument opposed to his own. And every time, without exception, he was right. Don knew his facts, and he used them like a soldier uses hand grenades. When I read the email from Roy Neves that told of Don’s passing on 12 Oct 2013, I was overcome with a sense of loss. I will never again work for an editor with as much wit, logic, common sense, or backbone as Don had. And I will probably never have to be as careful with my apostrophes, either. Although Don only had about a sixth grade formal education, he was a fiend with grammar and punctuation. I’ve lost a friend, but more, I’ve lost a mentor, a protector, a champion. Guys like Don come along once in a lifetime. I’m better for having known him, and I can’t say that about near enough people. Don, wherever you are, don’t forget to water the ’possum.

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Contact Kendal Hemphill at Khemphill@fishgame.com |

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Variety Adds Spice to

Duck For months, ducks have dodged a gauntlet of shotgun blasts from the Arctic to the Gulf Coast. By the time they reach Texas, remaining winged veterans learn to spot every decoy spread or blind imaginable. By late season, sportsmen need to try different things to fool savvy survivors. Before hunters can shoot ducks, though, they must find them. In late season, scouting becomes even more crucial. Ducks don’t stay in areas with too little food and too much hunting 20 |

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pressure. If possible, hunt where birds want to go anyway. “By the time ducks get down to Texas, they get a little spooky,” explained Larry Robinson with Coastal Wings Guide Service and Lodge (866-486-8897, www.

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coastalwings.com) in Bay City, Texas. “When birds get skittish, we have to cover a lot of miles to keep up with where they want to go.” Many sportsmen hunt from permanent blinds on leases. Confined to one or two Photo: Bigstock

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Soup in the Late Season

story by john n. felsher spots, they can’t scout very far. However, even on a small lease, sportsmen can do something different. Everybody likes to hunt out of comfortable permanent blinds, but sometimes, people find more action by crouching in native vegetation behind a few decoys in a tiny pothole. “If ducks came down in November, we might be hunting the same birds in January,” Robinson advised. “They learn where blinds are. In late season, we often get out of the blinds and use as much natural cover and vegetation as possible.” In many places, waterfowlers can conceal

themselves in natural cover, such as standing cattails, willows, flooded timber or other vegetation. Unfortunately, natural blind materials don’t always exist next to the best hunting ponds. Sportsmen can bring native vegetation with them to fashion a temporary blind or erect a light portable blind. Many companies sell excellent portable blinds made from camouflaged netting, woven reed mats or other materials. Ironically, hunting on public lands can give sportsmen advantages later in the season. Most public properties prohibit permanent blinds. Even if sportsmen hunt T e x a S

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the same pond every day, no two parties ever set up exactly alike. Therefore, birds always see something different. That keeps them guessing. In late season, take a minimalist approach to decoys as well. Fewer decoys could mean more ducks in the bag. Except when hunting divers over big waters such as Baffin Bay, a few well-placed decoys in a good pothole or stock pond could bring in more ducks than a huge spread. “We reduce the number of decoys we use in late season,” Robinson recommended. “In late season, we put decoys in pairs

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because ducks start pairing off for breeding. We might put one pintail hen with four drakes together to simulate a courtship ritual. About 30 to 40 yards away, we might place another little group of pintails.” In addition, most waterfowlers use mallard decoys. Birds grow accustomed to seeing bright green heads and hearing quacking. Along the Texas coast, sportsmen don’t bag many mallards. They mostly kill pintails, gadwalls, widgeon, green-winged teal and some mottled ducks. On bigger waters, Texans kill redheads, scaup and other divers. Use decoys that duplicate species commonly found in that area. “I like to mix up my duck species, but that mostly depends on what I find in scouting,” explained Jacob Sartain, an avid hunter who usually hunts moist-soil units, rice field and inland ponds. “I use decoy types that correspond with bird types I see when scouting. If I see mostly gadwalls, I’ll use mostly gadwall decoys, but might use some other decoys as well just to give the spread some diversity.” Many hunters on leases put out decoys before the season and leave them out for months. Birds see the same lifeless pattern each day. Reposition your decoys periodically. Move a few or swap species occasion22 |

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ally to give birds a different look. Adding geese in late season might help. “I often hunt over a bunch of snow and blue goose floaters,” Robinson said. “Geese like a lot of the same areas as ducks where we hunt. Our ducks really hang out with geese later in the year. Pintails find comfort with geese in late season.” In coastal marshes, sportsmen can put out a pair of mallard hen decoys to mimic mottled ducks. Most often, mottled ducks travel in pairs. Mottled ducks are non-migratory marsh residents that know every pothole and can pick out any blind. By late season, they almost never come to decoys. Birds begin equating Sometimes, mottled ducks with no blind makes the safety and might best blind. Late season respond. Always hunters might find more place mottled success in native brush duck decoys near small potholes some distance than in a permanent away by themblind. selves along a grassy shoreline or in a nearby tiny pothole to instill confidence in other ducks. A little motion in the decoy spread might help, but too much movement could chase birds away. Spinning wing decoys

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Like a lone sentinel, a blue heron decoy overlooks a decoy spread. Called a “confidence decoy,” herons add a bit of realism to a decoy spread.

make flashes that simulate birds landing, which ducks see easily from long distances. However, as more people began using them, they lost some effectiveness. In late season, spinners may spook birds. “Ducks can fly by still decoys and figure out pretty quickly that they are not alive,” Sartain said. “Many people use spinning wing decoys, but I’m not fond of them. Ducks see them from the time they leave Canada until they reach the Gulf Coast.” Waterfowlers can add realistic movement to decoys without placing mechanicals in the spread by using jerk cords. A jerk cord consists of one or more decoys anchored to the bottom and tied to a string stretching back to the blind. Pulling the string makes the decoys bob up and down, sending ripples across the pond. Less could mean more when it comes to calling as well. By late season, ducks heard phony quacks for thousands of miles. Since so many hunters use mallard hen quacks, vary the calls. Try a low widgeon, pintail or teal whistles and only call just enough to make birds look toward the decoys. While more challenging, late season can also offer outstanding shooting. During a warm winter, many birds might not even arrive in Texas until late December or January. To bag these birds this winter, sportsmen who do something a bit different might find more birds in the freezer.

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Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

A Winter Stroll

o, a cold front has turned rolled in on Friday morning—again—but you are still keen on fishing. The north wind has laid down just enough to make the bay navigable, but the twentydegree temperature drop has put trout in a sulky mood and has them sitting near the bottom. The negative mood has them ignoring the soft plastics you’ve been bouncing in front of the, and it’s hard to keep bait in the strike zone. What do you do? Well, you could always take a stroll…

Strolling—controlled drifttrolling—is not as simple and uncomplicated as croaker fishing or shrimp/popping corks combos, nor as suspense-filled as winter wading for gator-sized trout, but it can be as productive as the former, and as specialized as the latter. Moreover, strolling is a technique that fills a niche that is often overlooked by most hunters of Ol’ Mustardmouth. There are times when the fish just won’t cooperate. “(Strolling) is a technique that is condition specific, and comes out of my bag of tricks only at certain times of the year,” said Sabine Lake guide Captain Bill Watkins. “I don’t use it as often as I would, say, straight drift-fishing, but just like chasing schools under birds, it’s a technique that is tough to beat in it’s time and place.” The time and place for strolling is when speckled trout are holding deeper than normal along a specific variation in water depth, bottom conformation, current, or even water clarity, such as during a post-frontal period. The situation calls for a more precise form of presentation than normal drifting, and the fish are spread over a vast enough area that anchoring can be problematic because of the constant dropping and hauling of the potential to spook fish. Strolling targets

specific stretches of water, but allows fishermen to cover the smaller patch with greater efficiency. “I start figuring my strolling patterns if speckled trout are in a neutral or negative mood due to changing weather conditions. When I find trout holding in (deeper) water, say between nine and 15 feet, whether it’s a deep flat, a gut, or a hole, strolling becomes a fishing option,” Watkins said. “If the fish are tight to the bottom, but spread out the length of the area in singles, twos and threes, then strolling becomes my only option.” Strolling takes advantage of a tendency that speckled trout share with other fish to move from shallow to deeper water, or open water to structure when weather makes their home shallows uncomfortable. Trout will find deeper water, where the temperatures are more stable, or wind is less likely to jostle fish. “Sometimes, such as after a cold front, trout will be holding near the bottom of an area such as Keith Lake Pass (on Sabine),” Watkins continued. “I mean they’ll have their snouts right down in the mud.” When that happens, the idea is to get lures down in front of the fish and keep them in a trout’s zone of vision until it decides it’s hungry enough to strike, or it gets annoyed enough to take a kill shot. Watkins stressed that preferred bottom structure features some sort of change. Trout seem to prefer contours and break lines that feature weedlines or patches, gravel, sand/ mud transitions or shell. Shell pads such as those strewn throughout Nueces and Corpus Christi Bays are ideal strolling areas. After he locates a stretch bottom that shows promise, Watkins will carefully navigate back around to the head of the hole and set up similar to a conventional drift. The trolling motor is used to hold the boat along the structure line to maintain the integrity of the drift. Boat electronics play a critical role in this technique’s success. A depthfinder/locater not only puts you on top of the structure, but as Watkins points out, it can help you mainT e x a S

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tain a course along the line of the structure. Soft plastics with big vibrating tails such as Cocahoes, Berkley Power Mullet or the venerable Mr. Whiffle are the preferred lures for strolling, especially because they are essentially “do nothing” lures when you when fished vertically from the side opposite the boat’s drift (unlike a regular drift, you don’t want to work lures in front, because they’ll work underneath the boat, which makes them prone to tangling, especially if more than a couple of fishermen are working the stroll). Moreover, these lures put off a great deal of vibration, which is an asset in murkier or stained water. Swimbaits such as the Storm Wildeye series and Berkley Swim Shad are also effective strolling baits. They also come prerigged, which as an added plus. After you’ve strolled through a patch of water, ease back around and start the stroll again, especially if you are marking fish. February trout can be moody, and they won’t necessarily strike at the first opportunity. The key is to continue to serve them your offering until they do take a swipe. Strolling is not a panacea for when trout have the winter mullygrubs. There are times when the fish simply won’t bite, a maddening fact that leaves fishermen grumbling to themselves about having abandoned a warm bed in a heated room. The technique, however, does provide another alternative to try when the conditions rule out more traditional strategies. I nothing else, it might make you forget about that nice, warm bad you left behind, especially if the morning stroll pays off!

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Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzalez@fishgame.com

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2001

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2007

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an Era Honoring the Life and Legacy of

Covers from some of the 150 issues of TF&G edited by Don Zaidle.

DON ZAIDLE Texas Fish & Game Editor, 2001-2013 T e x a S

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hen Texas Fish & Game Editor-in-Chief Don Zaidle passed away October 12, he left a gaping hole in the lives, daily routines, and hearts of more people than his humble, self-depreciating ego would have ever allowed him to believe. His was a life of devoted service. He served as a soldier for his country. He served as a loving husband and devoted, nurturing father. He served as a guiding voice to generations of sportsmen. And he served his community as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician. The following are tributes from just a few of those whose lives he touched on a personal, professional, and spiritual level. • • •

first met Don at a Texas Outdoors Writer’s Association (TOWA) conference in Athens in 1994 when I was just 21 years old. Fast forward six years and we met again but this time we were both working for Texas Fish & Game, in different capacities. We were teal hunting in a rice field near Winnie and after the hunt a gigantic rice rat crawls up on the levee. Don reached down, picked it up behind its head, took out a pocketknife and dispatched it right there. It takes a lot to shock me, but I was sort of in disbelief and thought this Zaidle guy and me are either going to get along great or we would clash. I knew there would be no inbetween with this man. I am happy to report we got along great. Don was my biggest advocate at Texas Fish & Game before I became Executive Editor in 2007. He always believed in me Don and my work, Zaidle’s and for that I “American Man am eternally Killers” was grateful. Don published in 1997. made me a better writer by challenging me at numerous levels. I have heard the same from other writers over the years. As an editor Don bettered our craft. We had dozens of conversations about 26 |

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animal attacks, how much liberal/progressive politicians drove us crazy and many other subjects and often laughed our heads off. I treasured our conversations. He used to say that we should record them and put them on the TF&G website. I wish we had. Don Zaidle was intelligent, talented and influential. His book “American ManKillers” was groundbreaking in the realm of dangerous animals on American soil and his media appearances discussing that subject were unforgettable. Don Zaidle was loved, respected and will be missed. I will never read about a bear or cougar attack and not think about you, my friend. —Chester Moore (TF&G Executive Editor) • • •

et me start by sending my condolences to his family. Don Zaidle left us long before he should have. I remember he welcomed me warmly as was illustrated by his Christmas poem a few years ago. As I read what Don wrote, I realized that I had the honor of being included with the very talented writers of this magazine and that meant a lot to me. He will be missed and remembered for his great contributions to this magazine and to our world. —Lou Marullo (TF&G Bowhunting Editor) • • •

hen I think of twoof-a-kind, Don Zaidle ain’t in the mix. Anyone who was his friend knows DZ was an opinionated man who always stood up for what he felt was right. He took pride in it,-a trait that appears to be lacking “big time” in this country right now. As much as he liked a good fish story, I think Don loved the ones with a controversial twist the best. When somebody needed grilling, he didn’t mind doing the dirty work. On top of that DZ was a straight shooter whom you could argue with about black bass limits or politics one minute, then laugh with him about his latest volunteer fire fighter episode the next. I had the pleasure of work-

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ing with him for more than a decade, and I always respected his descriptive flair at the keyboard. Not only was he an excellent writer, he was a punctual leader, self-taught computer guru and a super good guy all wrapped into one. My condolences go out to all of his family and friends. He will be missed, indeed. —Matt Williams (TF&G Freshwater Editor)

• • •

didn’t know Don well personally, or rather on a face-to-face basis. We met at a TOWA conference in McAllen several years ago. He commented on a shirt I was wearing with a “picture” of a 31 Bertram on it, and we got into a conversation about the old 31 I was rebuilding. When I got home I studied the latest issue of TF&G, and then emailed Don about the possibility of my doing an offshore fishing column for him. He called my home not long after, and we decided to try the idea, if I would agree to also do the monthly Galveston Bay area column. I also began doing a few features for TF&G each year. Don struck me as honest, down to earth, and with a good sense of humor. We discovered a mutual fondness for older rifles and cooking and eating feral hog parts, among other things. Although we never discussed it, there was also the connection of both of us having written for Outdoor Life magazine in the past. It’s hard to accept that he is gone. I was getting ready to email him about the snake my wife found in our house last week, and our above-ground swimming pool exploding in the middle of the night. He was the kind of guy you felt comfortable sharing things like this with, even when they had nothing to do with the magazine business. —Capt. Mike Holmes (TF&G Contributor)

• • •

never met Don Zaidle. We spoke several times on the phone and traded numerous emails. What I learned from these communications is that I liked him immensely. I’d like to say he was a dear friend, but guess that would be a stretch having never met.

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I like to believe he was very much like the way he wrote: honest, opinionated, rough around the edges, compassionate inside and forever an advocate for our sportsmen’s / women’s rights. Thank you Don, as you observe from your place in heaven, for your writings. We could always count on you to stand on our side, popular or not. You were a force to be reckoned with, a mentor from afar even when we didn’t realize it. You helped us laugh. You made us think about our impact, and that we all owned a share in this state, this planet and its conservation. It is said that a friend is someone without whom, when they are gone, you don’t feel quite complete. Thank you my friend, you will be deeply missed! —Capt. Mac Gable (TF&G Contributor)

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Illustration: Wendy Kipfmiller-O’Brien

got the call at about 10 a.m. Sunday October 13th. Don Zaidle, editor-in-chief of Texas Fish & Game magazine, and my dear friend, had died. In the last year I have lost two friends, and the world of outdoor writing has lost two giants. First, my friend Greg Rodriquez, with whom I co-wrote “The Texas Deer Book,” and with whom I spent many pleasant days in hunting camps, was murdered, and now Don has died. Don was thought to be a gruff curmudgeon, an editorial perfectionist with fangs and claws. The truth was much different. Don was really a sweet, gentle man who could pretend to be the other things. As a friend he was the kind that if a friend called for help, he didn’t ask “why?” only “When, where, and do I need to bring a gun.” He was as loyal as a Labrador retriever and as tireless as a diesel truck. He worked

hours that would have put another man in bed inside a week, and that may have been a large part of the reason he is no longer with us. Don was an outdoorsman. He grew up in the country and lived on a small farm. If he wasn’t tied to a computer or a telephone he was out in the pastures doing what he loved and playing kick-the-snake. He was also a volunteer fireman, a paramedic, and a man of many and varied skills. He thought it was his duty to lend his skills to his community. Every time I talked to him on the telephone I could hear a police scanner in the background. If Heaven has a Happy Hunting Ground I will see my friend there. We will listen to the dogs run, call a few coyotes, shoot a few birds, talk guns and hunting, and relive the old days. I don’t think any of us realize just yet, how much Don will be missed. Good-bye my friend, I owe you much. Although you left us much too soon, you have earned your rest and may you, truly, rest in peace. —Steve LaMascus (TF&G Shooting Editor)

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had the pleasure of working with Mr. Zaidle for just over a decade, and stayed in touch over Instant Messenger over the years. One of the best things about working with someone as (Gruff? Crusty?) as Don, was eventually breaking through to his humorous side. In the throes of deadline, our department (production) and Don used humor to relieve stress and blow off steam. Every month, we would compile a laser proof of the issue (or Blueline, back in the day) and ship it to Don. A very important part of sending Don those laser proofs was adding surprises to the box. Sometimes it was packets of Ramen, chopsticks, hospital gloves or rap CDs and he would never give us the satisfaction of acknowledging it. We’d call for our scheduled meeting, “Hey Don, you get the package?” “Ayup,” is all he’d say, and we’d be silently laughing, knowing he had to get to the pair of knee highs clipped to the binder. T e x a S

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You could hear Don’s big sigh through the speakerphone, and we’d snicker. Late nights, down to the wire, we would just get silly. I remember on several occasions, calling him while he was in the middle of some wild animal cookfest on his barbecue. He’d always go over the recipe and cooking method before we got down to business. Always. I almost had to grab a dictionary on several occasions during managers’ meetings, just to stay on the same page with Don. To this day, ex-TF&G alum pals and I use “penultimate” and “et, al.”, and “niner” in our shtick, and of course that’s an obvious homage to Don’s personal lexicon. I’m so sad that he’s left us, but so glad to have known him. —Wendy Kipfmiller-O’Brien (former TF&G Art Director) • • •

knew Don for a short time but read his articles in TF&G for many years before I started working with the magazine as a contributor. Don was one of the funniest, most intelligent, and brilliant people I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. His outlook on life and the world was unique and compelling and he will be dearly missed. The legacy he leaves behind will touch generations yet unborn, by the lives he touched while he was on earth with us.” —Dustin Warncke (TF&G Contributor) • • •

y first encounter with Don was in 1996 or ’97 while working a wildland fire during one of the worst fire seasons North Texas had seen in recent history. He was always showing up at fire calls, taking pictures and asking questions lots of questions so much so that from my point of view as a career firefighter, I thought it suspicious and even suspected his motives. But I soon learned from those who knew him better that this was typical of his thoroughly in-depth, detailed-minded curiosity. He truly was doing research on fires, about its effect on wildlife and documenting it. Finding him to be genuine, several members of the Boonsville/Balsora Volunteer Fire

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Approach” to vent a 300-barrel fiberglass oil field tank that was on fire. He and I had many serious moments together. We saw lives leave this place through tragedy, and were able to witness together one of life’s miracles—the birth of a child during an emergency medical call. We had many occasions to ponder and discuss spiritual questions with elusive answers. I know without a doubt that Don is now sitting at the right hand of God getting answers to all those questions, and I look DonZaidle forward to his sharing those answers in his other life... with me one day. ‘Editing a I admired Don. He thought outside Wildfire.’ Department attempted to the box, and he plowed with a big plow. recruit him into the fire serEverything he did, he poured himself vice, but he resisted our efforts. into and gave 100 percent. I will miss Don This all changed one day when Don greatly, the Fire Department will, our entire watched one of his neighbors’s home burned community will. down. Don came to me and said that he had been wrong, and that he now wanted to get — Dennis Penney involved in the fire department. This is the (Boonsville/Balsora Volunteer Fire kind of man that Don Zaidle was. If he was Department Fire Chief, Retired) wrong, he would admit it. His thinking did • • • what he would call a paradigm shift. When did not know what to he got involved, he got involved all the way. expect when I submitted my monthly Don attended every fire training or school column to Don Zaidle, my new editor. he could find to attend, studied every source My name had appeared on the Texas available, became an Emergency Medical Fish & Game masthead for over a year when Technician, and expressed a desire to Don took the over the editorial reins and I become a Paramedic. Before long Don was was curious to see what impact he would looked up to as a leader in the fire departhave, if any. ment. Walking back from the mailbox, I quickly In 2007, Don wrote a federal grant thumbed through my recently arrived copy for the fire department for an all-terrain of TF&G to the fly-fishing column I had vehicle that was one of the hardest items penned and discovered that Don had edited to justify and procure from the Assistance my lead sentence, including the words “sucto Firefighters program. Not only did Don manage to get the ATV, he also got a trailer cor for the furrowed brow.” I had no idea what succor meant, and I scrambled for the to transport the ATV and $4,000 to equip nearest dictionary to learn it means comfort it. This achievement was almost unheard of in times of hardship. in the program. Don’s passing saddened me greatly as One of my favorite memories of Don is he was not only a trusted editor, but also when he introduced his fellow firefighters to a good friend and mentor. Don had a the unique use of a shotgun to remedy cermarvelous vocabulary and was a wordsmith tain problems. The first time he utilized his extraordinaire. He could take the ordinary technique was to remove tree limbs from a and put a shine on it like no other. power-line that was causing electrical arcing During one memorable phone call, Don during a storm. This sounds dangerous and told me that he had been bitten on the toe we do not recommend anyone go around by a copperhead. After sharing my concern shooting things resting on power-lines, but for his health, he admitted that this wasn’t Don had already done his research and he the first time he had been bitten by a copper knew exactly what the shot pattern would and gold serpent. be at a particular distance, and being the A few years before he reached down to marksman he was, he cut the tree limb grab something on the ground, and a copwith the gunshot and stopped the arcing perhead struck him on the finger, burying of electricity. We later used the “Zaidle

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one of its fangs deep into his knuckle. Don went to the hospital, but learned there wasn’t a lot the doctors could do for a copperhead bite. When the pit viper attacked his toe, rather than seek medical treatment, he decided the best thing to do was chronicle the toe’s day-by-day change of state in a photo essay. At the end of every phone conversation, our talks always turned to our families and our Christian faith. Don adored his beloved wife, Barbara, children, and grandchildren. Don also loved Jesus Christ and had a strong faith. I will miss Don terribly but I look forward to seeing him again in the next life. Knowing that Don is in a better place is succor for my furrowed brow. —Greg Berlocher (TF&G Kayaking Editor)

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have been fortunate over the last 13 years to have been part of the Texas Fish & Game family. I wouldn’t have that opportunity if it wasn’t for Don Zaidle, who recruited me from being an occasional letter writer with strong opinions and the ability to turn a phrase into first an occasional freelance contributer to a regular contributor to a member of the masthead as Saltwater editor. He was a tough editor, a thoughtful writer and a great friend. He stands as one of the four people who have influenced me as a writer, and thus as a person. I will miss him dearly. —Calixto Gonzales (TF&G Saltwater Editor)

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genuinely admired and respected Don’s work and, despite the miles between us, felt a strong connection. He and I routinely—pretty much every month—traded witticisms about his immediate need for a column and my excuse for it being (almost) late. He let me know when he liked something I wrote, and he wasn’t afraid to press a boot against my neck when he did not. I was glad to work for an editor who challenged me to be better. This is a rough patch for us all. It hurts. Somehow, though, eventually, we’ll emerge stronger and better. —Doug Pike (TF&G Senior Contributing Editor) Photo Joe Duty/Wise County Messenger

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• • •

’ve bow hunted with Fred Bear, raced with Parnelli Jones, jammed with Chuck Berry and was edited by Don Zaidle. Thank God. Don Zaidle was our General Patton, perfectly representing “Old Blood and Guts” without a whimper or a flinch. I learned much from this great man, and my life and many other lives have been enriched and upgraded thanks to Don. We at TF&G salute Don Zaidle for the many years of hard work, innovation and love he put into this publication. He truly cared for the readers and always wanted to stick up for the little guy. He may no longer be here on Earth but his legacy of true journalism, passion, work ethic and integrity will live on through our pages. We’ll do our best to make you proud. Goodbye friend. —Ted Nugent (TF&G Editor-at-Large)

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illiam Tell and the bullet-proof vest, it was a bad idea on every level. After two hours on Instant Messenger dodging Don’s ten-dollar words just so I could spend my two cents, I was spent and he wasn’t convinced. This was Don, the literate’s literate, but a few pennies short when it came to common sense. I worked with him for 13 years. He was my Webster’s. He was my Google. He was my friend. I said, “Don, what happens if I miss?” Without hesitation, he shot back, “What do you mean ‘what happens?’ Poetry happens when nothing else can.” I will miss him. —Duane Hruzek (TF&G Circulation Director)

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knew Don by voice only before I actually met him in person, having arranged for him to write the first article he ever did for Fish & Game. I recruited him by phone for a hog hunt with one of our advertisers. He turned it into a very entertaining full-length feature story. I didn’t actually meet him until some time later when he covered the opening of Texas’s first Bass Pro Shop. The voice I had originally heard only on the phone did not prepare me for the Grizzly Adams-type

who commandeered the Bass Pro PA system and “paged” us so that we could meet. Now, I can’t imagine any other personal style that would have suited him. But our friendship grew out of the many hours we spent on the phone. In conversations over the years, we shared ideas on how to support the advertising clients who were supporting the magazine, ways to engage youth involvement in the outdoors, and how to make sense of the Internet, Google Analytics and the whole digital world. Don, I miss you already. Rest in peace. —Ardia Neves (TF&G Advertising Director)

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on Zaidle was editor of Texas Fish & Game for more than a third of its 30-year existence. The magazine Don inherited when he first stepped into the role was good. He left it better, much better, in the wake of his too-soon passing. We first encountered Don Zaidle as an enthusiastic freelance journalist. I use “journalist” rather than the more common “outdoor writer” here because, from the start, there was a difference in the way he approached every assignment. Don loved what he did and brought a self-taught precision and professional standard to every task. He also quickly grew to love Texas Fish & Game. When the magazine’s second editor, Larry Bozka, decided to move on, Don, by that time working in the capacity of assistant editor, lobbied hard for the job. In a field of heavyweight contenders, including outdoor editors at big city papers and other nationally-reputed writers, Don convinced us to give him a chance, which we did on a provisional basis. We asked him to accept the job as “interim” editor. Looking back, our hesitant caution was unnecessary overkill. Don needed probation about as much as Ted Nugent needs guitar lessons. His first issue in charge was June/July 2001. From then on, he planned, managed story assignments and deadline enforcement, edited, wrote, and commissioned—or shot— photography for a total of 150 issues, including this final number. The publishing world Don had to navigate was radically different and certainly more hostile than the one his predecessors enjoyed. In the aftermath of 9/11, and T e x a S

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through the Great Recession, and amid screeching cries of “print is dead” by dumbass fear mongers, TF&G has faced many daunting challenges. Don rose mightily to those challenges. He not only made the flagship print version of Texas Fish & Game better, more vital and of greater value to readers, he also led us into the breach in the battle for digital-era relevance. We spent more than a decade trying to build a web presence that adequately represented Texas Fish & Game online. In that arduous quest, we unfortunately put our trust in a string of highly-credentialed and highlypriced internet geniuses who just couldn’t get it done. When a final straw broke, in a particularly frustrating web-designer flameout, Don—who had worked as a mainframe computer programmer in one of his earlier lives—said, simply, “Let me take a look...” Without Don Zaidle, Texas Fish & Game would not be what it is today. An impressive number of individuals, more than a few organizations, and even entire communities can say the same thing. That is a testament to Don’s unrelenting drive to make a difference in this world. I am proud to have known and to have worked with Don Zaidle. I am also proud that Fish & Game allowed Don to freely do what he loved and enabled him to leave his mark on generations of future sportsmen. —Roy Neves (TF&G Publisher)

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on Zaidle was buried with the full honors of a hero. On a brilliant North Texas October afternoon, firefighters, lawmen and emergency medical personnel from surrounding communities gathered with the extended Zaidle family and friends at a memorial service in Bridgeport. They then led a procession of emergency vehicles—including the fire truck bearing Don’s flag-draped casket—to his final resting place in a small cemetery next to the Boonsville Fire Station. When the graveside service concluded, a ceremonial final radio call signaled Don’s End of Watch, as dozens of fellow public servants stood at solemn attention.

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Second Shot

Bass Quick Follow-Ups Can Put More Fish in the Boat

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The big topwater bait landed perfectly in a pocket between weeds and cypress trees, sending concentric ripples racing across the black water of Caddo Lake. When the rings faded, the angler popped the plug. Ka-POW! The massive fish exploded on the bait, flinging water and grass everywhere. Automatically, the angler set the hook hard only to see the big plug bristling with trebles come hurtling back toward the boat. Frantic, he threw the lure back into the pocket repeatedly without success before finally moving to the next sweet spot with nothing more than just another fishing story. When a big fish strikes at a bait, especially a topwater lure, buzzbait, spinnerbait or other fast-moving temptation, it occasionally misses. Sometimes, a bass stuns its prey first and then returns to leisurely slurp the morsel. However, anglers prepared to react swiftly usually put more fish into their boats. In a tournament, one fish of the right size frequently means the difference between cashing big checks and driving home an “also ran.” After missing a strike, most anglers instinctively throw the same lure back to the same spot and work it exactly the same way. That might work, but more frequently, a bass won’t strike the same temptation twice, especially if it detects something artificial about it. Instead, follow up quickly with something entirely different. For example, if a bass swirls at a fast spinnerbait or topwater walker, immediately flip a soft plastic bait behind it. “It’s very difficult not to throw the same lure back into a hole where a big fish struck, but bass very seldom hit the same lure twice,” explained Peter Thliveros, a professional bass angler from Jacksonville, Florida. “Anglers can throw endless numbers of things back into a pocket for a second opportunity at a bass. I’ll drop what I’m throwing and pick up something different every time. One of my favorite ‘second chance’ baits is a fluke. A fluke is one of the best natural, subtle presentations.” Soft, subtle and lifelike, flukes and other soft plastic temptations may stimulate a hungry bass into biting again. Rigged weightless and with the hook inserted into the plastic, slow-sinking flukes or similar baits go across heavy cover easily without snagging and make very subtle enticements. Worked extremely slowly, they also stay in the strike zone a long time ̶ daring fish to eat them. Many anglers keep rods equipped with assorted soft plastics ready to cast for just such an occasion. T e x a S

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Photo credit

Mike Iaconelli scores with a subtle soft plastic, a great follow-up bait for a second chance at a big bass.

Peter Thliveros caught this Amistad lunker on a fluke-type soft-plastic, another great second shot bass lure.

q A buzzbait sputters over the surface in a south Texas lake, making an excellent search bait to find fish.

“Most second-chance baits are things that can work slowly and stay in the strike zone longer,” advised Kenyon Hill, a professional bass angler from Norman, Oklahoma. “Also, follow-on baits are usually smaller and bite-sized, such as flukes, grubs, worms or small jerk baits. That’s why when something strikes at a topwater bait and misses, I immediately follow up with a fluke. It sinks slowly like a dying shad and stays in the strike zone a long time. To a bass, there’s nothing more tasty than a shad. I keep it unhooked off the reel and ready to throw.” Frequently, bass might rise from cover to hit a topwater bait or spinnerbait. If they miss the strike, they don’t usually disappear. More often, they just drop back into their lair surrounded by heavy cover. After missing something on top, perhaps even feeling a hook point, bass may not rise so enthusiastically from protective cover for a while. Instead, it may prefer to wait for an easy meal to slink within range. Tantalizing, Texas-rigged worms, jigs and tubes make outstanding second-chance baits for pulling bass out of entangling cover. 32 |

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Small and compact, a tube slips easily through places where other lures cannot penetrate, except perhaps a heavy jig. Soft and lifelike, a tube makes a subtle presentation for attracting skittish bass in shallow water. To add more enticement, many anglers fill hollow tube bodies with scent. “A tube is well suited for skipping way back under cover like buck brush or flooded willows like those found on Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend,” said Alton Jones, a former Bassmaster Classic champion from Waco, Texas. “When it falls, it glides from side to side and spirals like a wounded shad that has been attacked by another fish.” Fish don’t always want something radically different. Sometimes, a bass almost wants the same lure that enticed a response the first time, but in a slightly different size, shape or color. Anglers usually switch from brighter colors to more natural hues and from large aggressive baits to smaller, more subtle ones, but sometimes the opposite may work best. In an impoundment populated by big bass feeding upon giant forage species, like at Falcon, Amistad or Fork, a hungry

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bucketmouth may prefer eating one big baitfish to several smaller ones. In this case, a big, slow swimbait may produce the right reaction. In addition, an angler may think the first fish responded on the second cast, but more frequently, several bass occupy the same hole. What attracts one bass to a spot typically attracts others. If the first fish doesn’t hit again, others might. Sometimes, competition from other bass makes fish attack more aggressively. Therefore, they might want bigger baits with more sound or vigorous action. If one bass bites, keep working over the honey hole with multiple casts. Try multiple types of baits and colors. Also try the same baits with various presentations or retrieval speeds to see what the fish want on that particular day. If a bass wants a bait bad enough, nothing can prevent it from striking. In any situation, plan ahead with several quick options. Take note of what works best that day, how and where it produced the most strikes and make adjustments accordingly. Watch bass attacking natural forage to see what they want at that time and place. Then, try to mimic that natural action. Anglers who remain vigilant, react swiftly and make adjustments usually catch more lunkers while those who continue to do the same thing often tell another “big one got away” story.

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Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

A LifeChanging Bass

’m sure every outdoor writer has a special story that helped shape their career. Mine dates back to early spring in 1986. I was a senior photo/journalism major at Stephen F. Austin State University at the time, and I had big aspirations of making a living with a fishin’ rod in one hand and a notepad in the other. It was shortly after noon on February 17 when I stopped in at the M&M Minit Market on Appleby Sands Road to visit with a fishing bud who worked as a clerk at the store. No sooner had I cleared the door than he shared an interesting rumor he had heard earlier in the day. “Heard about the new state record bass that was caught yesterday at Lake Pinkston?” he asked. “Nope. What’s the story?” I replied. “Don’t know,” he said. “Just heard it was caught by a guy who runs a lumberyard over in Center.” My first inclination was to hop in my truck and drive, but I had to make a phone call and pay visits to a couple of my teachers first. The phone call was to Gordon Whittington, who at the time was editor of Texas Sportsman magazine. I called to inquire about writing a story on the big fish if the rumor panned out. Whittington didn’t know me, but he could tell from the tone in my voice that I was hungry. He offered me a crack at the assignment and told me it would pay three months before publication, provided I sent him a good story along with some decent photos of the lucky angler holding his prize catch. My next stop was the office of Dr. Jim Towns. I had signed up for his “Death and Dying” class to fill a void in my degree plan

and I was working on a low C for the semester. Towns had scheduled a major exam for the following day and he had a strict policy that allowed for no make-ups without a good excuse. The professor was well aware of my ambition, but made it clear that going hunting for a 16-pound largemouth bass didn’t rank very high on his hit list of acceptable excuses. “Sorry—miss the test,” he said, and you’ll get an F, he said. Frustrated, I scampered over to the communications department and explained the situation to my journalism teacher, Mr. Ben Hobbs. Hobbs was a big man with equally hardcore ways. Difference is, he was a journalist at heart and he could smell a good story from 1,000 miles away. In his opinion, my only problem was deciding where to gas up before I left for Center the next morning. “I don’t care if you get a D in that class or not—you go get that story!” he barked. The rest is history. I traded a solid D in my Death and Dying class for a chance to see at arm’s reach what turned out to be the fattest bass ever extracted from a freshwater lake ̶ public or private ̶ in the state of Texas. The fish weighed in at a whopping 16.9 pounds. It was caught by Earl Crawford, a lakeside resident who claimed the fish ate a perch-colored Bagley DB-3 crankbait. Not surprising, word that John Alexander’s former state record of 15.5 pounds had fallen, spread like wildfire. Although the heavy fish was big news, what really seemed to intrigue the fishing public was the size of the lake that produced it. At 523 acres, Lake Pinkston wasn’t even a dot on a road map. Yet it managed to grow a fish to 27.66 inches in length and close to two feet around the girth. A fluke? Certainly not. Pinkston had been producing double digit bass for years, but not a lot of people knew about it. That’s because Shelby County folks managed to keep it under wraps until word of Crawford’s new state record began to leak out. T e x a S

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Anticipating the worst, locals immediately began pushing the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to implement an emergency restrictive limit to help protect their precious little fishery from the major rush of fishing pressure they felt sure would come. Tommy Robison worked especially hard to get the emergency limit in place. In looking back, he is glad he did. “People from everywhere showed up over here,” recalled Robison, the Centerbased taxidermist who skin mounted the late Crawford’s former state record bucketmouth. “For a while there you couldn’t even find a place to park, and you didn’t dare go out there on the weekends. People were getting lost on the back roads just trying to find it.” While Pinkston still produces a doubledigit largemouth every now and then, the big bass mystique behind the little East Texas lake seems to have waned over time. That’s largely due to the remarkable number of Texas reservoirs that have cranked out big fish since that monumental day in 1986. Thanks to a progressive Florida bass program, more restrictive creel limits and a more conservative mindset among the Texas bass fishing fraternity, the big bass bug that was once believed to live only in eastern Texas has since spread to all corners of the Lone Star State. As of September 1 of this year, 14 public water bodies and two private lakes had kicked out Top 50 bass ranging in size fro 18.18 pounds to 15.38 pounds. Furthermore, over 60 public reservoirs, one river, a stilling basin and more than a dozen private lakes have produced nearly 550 bass weighing 13 pounds or more. Keep in mind, those figures include only those fish caught since ShareLunker record keeping began in November 1986. Interestingly, more than two dozen of those lakes span less than 2,500 surface acres—rock solid evidence that it doesn’t necessarily take big water to grow whopper bass in Texas.

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Texas Department of Defense Self-Defense Ammo for the 9mm Luger

he 9mm Luger (9mm Parabellum), like a large number of our earlier cartridges, started life as a cartridge for war. It was designed by Georg Luger in 1902 and introduced in the new Luger semi-automatic handgun. According to Cartridges of the World, it is the most popular and widely used handgun cartridge in the world. An amazing feat for a cartridge that is a decade older than the centenarian .45 ACP. The 9mm Luger is a high velocity, small caliber handgun round that is used in everything from tiny pocket pistols to suppressed, full-auto submachine guns such as the fantastic H&K MP-5. As a self-defense cartridge it has been bad-mouthed for decades. The naysayers state that it has lots of penetration and no knock-down. The other side says it is just as effective as any other cartridge. Well, both are right, after a fashion. For the 9mm Luger to be truly effective

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it must be used with a reliable expanding bullet, at high velocity. With the original slightly pointed, full metal-case bullets, the naysayers are correct, the bullets penetrate deeply, but

magazines. After the weight of this wore folks weary, it shrank to the Rhodesian style chest rig that held a few mags and pouches and small kit. But now, once again, it has been streamlined to a simple Battle Belt. 5.11 Tactical sent me their new VTAC Brokos Belt along with the Maverick Assaulters Belt. The Brokos Belt in itself is the mounting platform that allows you to mount and secure

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| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical | by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann offer very little of what we think of as knockdown power. However, if it is used with a good +P or +P+ hollow point load, or some expanding bullet such as the Federal Hydra-Shok or Hornady +P Critical Duty, it really is a very fine self-defense cartridge. In the latter 1980s, when the U.S. Border Patrol finally decided to join the rest of the world in the 20th Century, it began to allow its officers to carry personally owned

your gear then you can choose an actual belt to thread through and attach the rig around your waist. The beauty of the Brokos rig is that it is dual compatible with any belted gear as well as MOLLE webbing. You can run your chosen belt either above or below the MOLLE webbing in accordance with whatever piece of equipment you need to mount where. It’s wide, ergonomic shape spreads the weight evenly along Photo: © yuri2011 -Photo Fotolia.com credit

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semi-automatic handguns in place of the government issued revolvers. When this ruling was passed down, a good many of us rushed to the nearest gun shop and purchased semi-auto handguns. In truth, I had been carrying a semi-auto for a long time off duty. I started carrying a 1911 .45 ACP way back when I was a city police officer in Uvalde. I had found out that it was much easier to conceal a semi-auto than it was my police issued .357

“ I had been carrying a semi-auto for a long time off duty.

“ Magnum with its huge target grips. Since the Chief, Vance Chisum, could not have cared less what kind of guns we carried off duty (But he did require us to carry an off duty weapon), I opted to carry a Colt Lightweight Commander .45. During the time I was stationed in Laredo with the USBP, before semiautos were authorized, I sometimes carried a 1911 as an unauthorized back-up weapon. Many times when I was working one of the hot drug crossings I would have my duty revolver, the 1911 in a shoulder holster, and a shotgun or AR15. I even submitted a memo once, requesting permission to carry the 1911 off duty, and went so far as to qualify and submit my qualification score your waist while featuring a breathable spacer mesh with a shape-keeping plastic insert. The main advantage is the user can keep all his gear mounted on the belt and have it ready to go in a moment’s notice. For my “get up and go” rig I started with a HSGI Universal pistol taco mount to hold my Elzetta tactical light, Continued on page 36 u T e x a S

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Texas Department of Defense with the memo. The memo was denied. When the authorization finally came down from on high, a list of authorized models and brands was attached. Unfortunately the wonderful old 1911 was not on the list. The Border Patrol, you see, has always been of the opinion that its hand-picked, highly-trained, elite agents are not smart enough to tie their shoes, much less figure out how to flick off a thumb safety, so the authorized weapons all were sans safeties. So from the models allowed I selected the Glock 17, primarily because it carried more ammunition than any other handgun (at that time). Some time later, I think, the Border Patrol approached Federal Cartridge Company with a request to design and load ammunition to USBP specs. I am told Federal balked because the BP specs were far above the SAAMI specifications of that time. However, the differences were finally

worked out and Federal began to produce ammunition designated 9BPLE (9mm Border Patrol Law Enforcement). This ammo was hot stuff and was probably the first +P+ load ever manufactured (It is still loaded today, if you can find it. Ask your local gun shop to order some for you). It was a 115-grain hollow point loaded to, if memory serves, 1,250 feet per second

from a four-inch barrel. It exactly matched the numbers the old .357 Magnum 110-grain load produced from my four-inch Model 686. Needless to say, the ammunition was very effective, and was proved so in many armed encounters up and down the U.S. and Mexico Border. Today there are a good number of fine selfdefense loads for the 9mm Luger. I can’t possibly name them all, and I certainly have not tested them all, but the above should give you few hints and head you in the right direction. —Steve LaMascus

The Bat Belt t Continued from page 35 then immediately next to it on my left side is a 5.11/Bladetech kydex dual pistol magazine pouch. Directly behind the spare pistol mags is a Bladetech AR15 magazine carrier, followed by my handy shooter-designed Leatherman t Continued from page xx MUT multitool. Then directly behind me is a small collapsible dump pouch mostly used for picking up my spent brass while on the range. The right side of my belt is reserved for my pistol holster, but I found that I could fit a Karambit Utility Blade immediately behind my pistol without any interference from my pistol draw. My thought is that if my pistol fails, I can reach for the razor-sharp backup knife with just a slightly modified drawing motion. I finally secured the battle rig with Maverick assaulter’s rigging belt because of its quick detach AustriAlpine buckles. This allows me to keep a set tension to be able to gear up in a matter of sec-

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The VTAC Brokos Belt with the author’s custom configuration.

onds. Once assembled, I found the Battle Belt rig to be quite useful for shooting, ATV hog hunting, rural bump in the night engagements and tactical training. It still has enough space to mount even more gear to resemble a policeman’s duty belt, but at the same time you could simply keep a spare magazine and holster weaved through it for maximum support and minimum fuss

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to wear. I expect to see these becoming more popular in the near future as large chest rigs get pushed to the back of the closet. If you are looking for a handy shooting rig or just want to be a responsible modern day minuteman, the Battle Belt design is something to consider. —Dustin Ellermann Photos: Top, © titelio - Fotolia.com; Bottom, Hanna royer

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Texas Bowhunting by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

A Life-Saving Gift This Christmas

t is hard to believe that it is already December. Where did the year go? I guess It is true that time really does fly when you are having fun…and I can tell you that shooting a bow is tons of fun. I have practiced so much and shot so many arrows this entire year that each month quickly vanished into the next one. So now here we are…December… Christmas…and PRESENTS! What can you give your bowhunter/ bowhunters of your family? In previous columns I wrote about the greatest gift you could give. It was your time. The time you give a new bowhunter to show him or her the ropes of the sport you love so much. Being a mentor is not only a gift to the recipient, but it is also a gift to you. I cannot explain that further except that once you experience it for yourself, then you will know what I am talking about. What other gifts can we give on Christmas morning that would make our bowhunter smile? When it comes to hunting, rifle or bow, safety is paramount on my list. It makes no difference to me if you are the very best hunter in the world, if you are not safe, then you will not be hunting with me. One of the most important items I can think of when it comes to safety is a Hunter Safety System vest. We all have seen how cumbersome it is to wear one of the safety harnesses that comes free with any tree stand you purchase. In my hunting classes, I usually ask for a volunteer to put on a safety harness for the class (although the volunteer has absolutely no idea what he/ she is there for). While they struggle to untangle this safety mess, I calmly talk to the class as I slip into my safety-hunting vest. When I finish clicking all the necessary buckles, which really only takes me less than 60 seconds, I look at the

student with the safety harness and they are usually still trying to find out where their arms go. The result is always one of frustration, which, I point out, is normal. I let the class know that if you can’t figure an easy way to put the safety harness on under fluorescent lighting, then how would you ever expect to put it on with only moonlight to guide your every move? ̶ or even worse, a flashlight held in your teeth? Inevitably, you will look at your hunting partners who are patiently waiting for you to finish with your harness and then you will simply forego the harness completely and just hunt in your stand with nothing to secure you to the tree. After all, isn’t it more important to get to your stand before sunrise? A MAJOR MISTAKE! The Hunter Safety System vest appears to be just a normal vest. However, this actually is a five-point safety harness built right into the vest. Mine is reversible so I have camo on one side and hunter orange on the other. I have pockets all over the place including one on the chest area. I find that one to be perfect to hold my phone or radio. Too many hunters put their communication device in their backpack. Then they hang the backpack in the tree because it is convenient. What happens if you have a problem and can’t get to your backpack to call for help? Your communication device should be on your person and the HSS vest has a perfect spot for it. I keep my range finder in one of the pockets, hand warmers (if I need them) in another, gloves in another and an extra release in still another. As a matter of fact, by keeping most of my essential hunting accessories right in my vest pockets, I never have to look for them when it comes time to hunt. I hate to admit this, but it has been T e x a S

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said that I am not the most organized person in the world. I guess my wife would know that. I used to complain that people have moved my hunting “stuff” when, in fact, I just misplaced it and found it hours later. That problem is now in the past for me. I have gotten in the habit of grabbing my vest even if I do not plan to hunt from an elevated position. I always know where my vest is ̶ now if I could only say the same about my car keys. I want you to know that I am not a salesman, nor do I get any kickback from the HSS company ̶ I am sure they do not even know I exist. Yet, I always tell my students about it because I feel it is that important and that every hunter should own one. The cost can range from $70 to $170. Yes, that is a hard pill to swallow, but consider this. If you fall from a tree stand (and survive the fall), how much would an ambulance ride or a helicopter to the hospital cost? How about the expense of the emergency room or worse, a hospital stay? Now think about time lost from work because of a broken arm, pelvis, or leg(s). Now, more important, think about what it would do to your family to see you in so much pain. All because you decided to save that $70. So if you are one of those people who still has no idea what to buy that hunter in your family, my vote would be a nice hunting safety vest. Not only can it save their life, it is also a gift that they will use season after season for years to come. I know that when I finish this column, I am heading right to Academy to buy one for a friend of mine. I hope someone will buy me a key holder so I can keep those car keys safe. Who am I kidding? I will still find a way to lose them! Merry Christmas and have a safe hunt.

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Contact Lou Marullo at LMarullo@fishgame.com

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11/7/13 1:29 PM

Is There Enough Season Left to Bag a Decent Buck This Year? by Bob Hood 38 |

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So, it is December. This year’s whitetail deer hunting seasons are about to wrap up, and you have yet to put a buck in the freezer. Are you going to chalk it off as just another year when things didn’t work out for you? Or are you going to use your head, change your hunting tactics that obviously haven’t been productive, and go out and bag that elusive buck? If you still want to stay in the game, take a look at your early-season playing field that either hasn’t worked at all this season or that maybe got you close to a buck, but didn’t pan out for one reason or another. Maybe it was because of bad luck such as a spooky doe that saw something out of place in her woods that sent a nearby buck into quick retreat. It could be your movements, scent, noisy four-wheeler or a rifle safety that’s too loud. Put all that behind you, but at the same time promise yourself to correct these very correctable mistakes that you and many other hunters often make.

Maybe you thought you had a particular buck or a group of deer “patterned” early in the season, but they suddenly quit showing up at your wildlife feeder, food plot or route to a bedding area. Have you ever thought that maybe the deer had patterned you? Unfortunately for a lot of hunters, they often become too complacent with their hunting tactics. Basically, they become creatures of habit, and the creatures they so much want to shoot have learned the hunters’ habits. Then the deer found ways to avoid crossing the hunters’ paths. If you are a hunter who only hunts from a

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stand overlooking a wildlife feeder throughout the entire season, you might have the most difficulty bagging a late-season buck. Why? Because you have restricted yourself by expecting the deer to come to your feeder. If so, you have only yourself to blame. Without a doubt, wildlife feeders attract deer, but don’t let a wildlife feeder help the deer pattern you. And don’t let it prevent you from becoming a more experienced hunter. A sprinkling of corn on the ground morning and evening is tempting to many deer, especially during late season when natu-

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ral food supplies have declined. However, add the sounds, smells and frequency of four-wheelers and other hunting vehicles. Combine that with hunters climbing in and out of blinds and walking around the feeders to check trail cameras, and you have more than enough reasons to cause wise bucks to avoid those areas. South Texas hunters can increase their chances of bagging a December or early January buck by rattling from various places throughout the day because the peak of the rut in that region often occurs in midDecember and often still is on-going in some South Texas areas at Christmas time. However, with the major rutting seasons over throughout most other regions in the state, many bucks now are virtually finished with looking for does. They are not traveling as far or as often as they were a month ago when the finding the scent of potentially receptive does occupied their daily instincts. Their attention has shifted from the rut back to survival. They have become more reclusive and are now spending more time in thick cover, moving mainly during low-light conditions.

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If you want to even the odds, get away from your wildlife feeders and study deer tracks and other sign closely. Investigate deer hair on fences and the larger scat along trails. Then, set up to hunt the most heavilyused areas you have found. No, you aren’t likely to see a feeder go off or be as comfortable as you have been inside your heated hunting blind or well-padded tree stand. If you can train yourself to be comfortable while sitting behind a log or camo netting, you will have a greater chance of seeing a season-wised buck. Just as in spring turkey hunting, patience has killed more big bucks than anything during the late-season. Develop your hunting skills to be patient when away from your “norm” of a month or two earlier. To do this, do away with excuses. I am sure you have heard them before: “It’s too cold,” “It’s too hot,” “Too dry,” “Too wet,” “The deer have gone nocturnal.” Just remember ̶ big bucks are killed every year at all hours of the day. My old, favorite words of encouragement to hunters are “You won’t know if you don’t go.” Don’t be one of those hunters who goes

out at daybreak and comes back to hunting camp by 8 or 8:30 a.m. saying the deer just aren’t moving. In reality, it is the hunter who is moving out of his stand and back to camp. It is the deer that are standing in the brush watching the hunter in retreat. During late season, it is especially important to gear yourself for a full day’s hunt. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a break somewhere along the line, but the more time you spend in the woods the better your chances will be to bag a buck. After all, it is a well-known fact that deer move more during the winter months due to colder weather, after an unusual period of snow or because of a lack of natural foods. Going into the late-season hunting period without having bagged a buck also brings anxiety and a rush to hurry a shot on an elusive buck. Prepare yourself to make a good, clean shot and not to rush your shot. It may be your last chance, so don’t blow it and take a chance of wounding one of our greatest and most beautiful natural resources.

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Hunt Texas by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

A Dog and Quail Show

ne thing about any type of hunting is that you never know what to expect to see, especially from a hunting dog. I guess that’s what makes many of us so proud of our dogs or our hunting companion’s dogs when we are hunting with them anywhere across the great expanse of Texas. If you have hunted quail many years, I’ll bet you have some memories of your dogs or your hunting buddies’ dogs, some good and some bad, but that’s what builds hunting memories worth sharing with them, nonhunters and maybe even your grandchildren years later. We all know that bobwhite quail populations have dwindled to non-huntable numbers in many regions over the past several years,

p Sassy makes a water retrieve of a quail on the SM Game Bird Hunting Ranch north of Nocona. Photo: Bob Hood

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and we all know that more attention is being given that magnificent prince of all game birds today by various organizations, landowners and wildlife managers. I hope we may be able to restore bobwhites to many areas now devoid of the big coveys we all enjoyed several years ago. In the meantime, quail hunting is not a thing of the past to people like Matt Brown of Nocona. Brown is an owner of the SM Game Bird Hunting Ranch, a 700-acre family-operated ranch that borders the Red River near the historic Spanish Fort north of Nocona. Along with his wife, Sherry, and son, Colton, the Browns have entertained numerous hunters over the past years with a way to keep their love for quail hunting alive, at a time when native quail populations have fallen so low that even many “old-timers” have more or less given up hunting quail. Brown’s approach to released bird hunting is somewhat different from many other similar operations where birds are released only by numbers in accordance with the number of hunters due a particular day. Brown’s system involves periodic releases of the bobwhite species at various times throughout much of the year to create a more natural “native-type” population of birds rather than just birds released prior to a scheduled hunt. “I like to keep birds out as the time presents, plus weather and other factors,” Brown said. “I don’t have any scheduled releases of birds, and it seems to work much better this way. The birds become acclimated to the area and are really as wild as you’ve ever seen.” If you doubt that, you had better look close when Brown’s quail flush in front of you. If you aren’t on the ball, you might just hear the whirring of their wings and never see the bird. Susan Ebert and Charlotte Cullum experienced that a few months ago. They were hunting behind Brown’s brace of dogs, which included Sassy, one of the greatest pointing golden retrievers I ever have hunted behind. A drought had robbed moisture from much of the native grasses and other vegetation in the area. But more than six inches of rainfall two days earlier had left the low-lying T e x a S

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fields full of patches of flooded waters. The fields were bordered by pecans and other large trees standing in inches of newly-fallen rains. Ebert and Cullum followed Brown and his brace of dogs along a 20-yard tree line for about 10 minutes before one of Brown’s dogs went on point. Seconds later, the birds flushed. Describing their taking flight probably would be more accurate by saying “The birds launched.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many quail, individually, in small groups, or in coveys as large as 20 or more take flight with the speed of these quail. “They are absolute rockets,” Brown said. “They are called “Tennessee Reds,” which actually are a recessive breed of bobwhite quail. “Yes, they are bullets, and that’s what a lot of hunters like.” If that won’t get a veteran quail hunter’s adrenalin skyrocketing nothing will. Sure, Brown has a good number of pure bobwhite quail to provide some great shooting, but factor in the speed of the slightly smaller Tennessee Reds and any bird hunter will find his or her wing-shooting abilities tested greatly. What should get any bird hunter’s appreciation is the after-shot of Cullum, who quickly switched from southpaw to right-handed to down a quail that had flushed on one side of a flooded, low spot. The bird fell dead in the water, and Sassy leaped into the half-foot deep water to make a water retrieve near the opposite bank. A true bird dog owner or true wingshooter could only admire her efforts to bring the downed bird from the water back to us. South and West Texas remain as the top native quail hunting in the state, and I hope that will continue. However, as many areas of the state continue to experience a decline in native quail populations, more will experience still-great wingshooting on released bird operations like Brown’s, where hunters and dogs come together for fun and exciting wingshooting.

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Contact Bob Hood at BHood@fishgame.com |

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11/7/13 1:47 PM

TRUE GREEN Anahuac NWR Restoration

Hydrilla in Lake Austin Under Control A vegetation survey of Lake Austin by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in September revealed that the exotic plant hydrilla was finally under control. The survey found no hydrilla. It also documented that 203 acres of aquatic vegetation habitat, mostly Eurasian watermilfoil (milfoil), was still present in the reservoir. In the June 2013 survey, there were 330 acres of hydrilla and 135 acres of milfoil. The successful control of hydrilla was a result of a sciencebased stocking plan of sterile Asian grass carp, which target hydrilla as their main food source. Hydrilla has been established in Lake Austin since 1999, and this aggressive, invasive plant has posed significant safety concerns as its dense growth has impacted 42 |

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flood flows, water intakes and recreation on the lake. It reached a historic high coverage of more than 600 acres in February 2013, due primarily to drought-induced low flows and warmer water temperatures that the plant prefers. With the decline of hydrilla coverage, milfoil, a less aggressive exotic plant, has expanded and is providing critical benefits such as aquatic habitat for fish and other wildlife, while helping maintain good water quality and excellent fishing opportunities in this reservoir. It is important to remember that although hydrilla is under control, it is probably not eradicated. Over time, the grass carp population will decline naturally, and hydrilla may re-sprout from its underground tubers. Changes in water flow and temperature may also impact growth rates, so the City and TPWD will continue to monitor Lake Austin vegetation and implement control efforts as needed. Native aquatic vegetation establishment projects, as conducted by the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department, will continue to be supported to supplement aquatic habitat. As always, control measures will consider the interests of all lake users. —Staff Report «TG

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The final project supported by the Texas Chenier Plain II North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant is underway on Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Chambers County. The project will restore the Middleton Unit by making 300 acres of fallow, low-quality agricultural fields into a managed, freshwater wetlands complex. Along with earthwork, berm construction and the installation of new water control structures, a low-lift pump station will be installed to supplement moist soil irrigation. Ducks Unlimited will perform survey, engineering and project implementation to deliver the project. The area will be managed for a variety of wetland habitats, including post-hunting season flood-up for wintering waterfowl and spring flood-up for nesting and brood rearing habitat for resident mottled ducks and other waterbirds. Late winter and early spring resources are limited and particularly important for waterfowl preparing for the migration and subsequent breeding efforts. Research indicates northern pintail hens along the Texas Coast have lower survival rates and body condition than desired. The habitat management capabilities provided by this project will be particularly important for that species as well as for the mottled duck, whose population is considered to be declining. —Andi Cooper «TG

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TRUE GREEN CC Sportfish Science Center Approved The Texas A&M System Board of Regents has approved the creation of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation (CSSC) within the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “The Island University is excited to have the first center of its kind in the nation dedicated to advancing sportfish management, science, and conservation,” said Dr. Flavius Killebrew, President and CEO of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “The new Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation will position the University as a national and international leader in addressing issues related to sportfish.” Recreational saltwater fishing in Texas

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generates more than $981 million dollars in retail sales each year with more than 750,000 saltwater anglers supporting an annual economic impact of $1.7 billion. “We will contribute the expertise and the leadership needed to help ensure that the state’s multi-billion dollar recreational fisheries continue to thrive for future generations,” said Dr. Larry McKinney, Executive Director of the HRI. “The Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation will provide a robust base of scientific knowledge to assure that the best decisions are made in managing fisheries and marine environments.” Dr. Greg Stunz, Director of the CSSC and Endowed Chair for Fisheries and

photo: Texas A&M

Ocean Health at the HRI, says that both inshore and offshore, we face many challenges in maintaining healthy sportfish populations. These threats include a changing environment that is seeing diminished freshwater inflows to estuaries; habitat loss due to coastal development; and increasing pressure from commercial fisheries. “The Center will address the most critical issues and problems affecting sport fisheries today,” said Stunz. “Our team is ready to take on the challenges facing the recreational fishing industry along the Texas coast and the Gulf of Mexico.”

—Staff Report «TG

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What’s the

Winter ANGLER to Do? Cold Weather Strategies for Cold-Natured Gamefish by calixto gonzales 44 |

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“We’re going to fish today?” I asked, my voice betraying my incredulity. The north wind had finally settled down overnight, but a steady drizzle had been soaking the Rio Grande Valley all night. A gray curtain shrouded the Lower Laguna Madre. Captain Jimmy Martinez’s blue Shallow Sport was the only vessel on the water. “Relax and cast over at that gut,” Martinez told me. “I know what we’re doing.” I zipped my slicker a bit tighter, took a deep breath, and made a cast into the sandy green water that formed 20 yards in front of us. I let the Morning Glory-patterned Flapping Shad sink to the bottom and twitched once. I twitched again, and the line suddenly got a heavy, mushy feeling. Instinctively, I set the hook and suddenly had a fat 20 inch trout hooked up. I turned to let Martinez know I was on and noticed he was occupied with a fish of his own. “I told you I knew what we were doing,” he laughed.

Cold Truth

Texas saltwater aficionados rarely have the luxury of rescheduling a fishing trip. Unless there is a severe weather event, a catastrophic equipment breakdown or a major family emergency, most fishermen chalk up less-thanperfect days to part of the sport and go anyway. They will still work the water into foam with the hopes of finding their quarry in spite of conditions that have caused inshore gamefish up and down the coast to close their mouths tightly and move from their regular haunts. There is no need to rely on wishful thinking to have a shot at catching trout and redfish when conditions stifle activity, nor do you need to start wondering whether the mangrove snappers are biting. You may need to adopt a different plan of action to get your fix, but the day is certainly not lost.

Condition Response

Weather is the single factor that most affects trout and redfish in winter. Sudden cold fronts that send water temperatures plummeting as much as 15 degrees (especially a late-season norther that catches fish and fishermen alike flat-footed), rising barometric pressure that parks itself over an area for days ̶ even weeks ̶ at a time or meteorological patterns that can minimize tidal flow can all cause snook lockjaw. “Water temperature is the most important factor with trout,” says Captain Richard Bailey. “Here in the Port Mansfield area, most of the habitat is shallow water. I’ve seen water temperature drop 14 degrees overnight. When that happens, trout become a little temperature-shocked.” Trout and redfish are poikilotherms (their body temperature is regulated by external temperature) and seek warmer digs when shallow-water temperatures creep below 70 degrees. They abandon their regular hangouts along shorelines and on T e x a S

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shallow flats, looking for deeper water with more comfortable temperatures. “They lie around spoil bands and along channel dropoffs where the darker mud retains heat better,” Bailey added. “Their primary goal is finding a comfortable temperature. Feeding isn’t a very high priority.” Anglers planning to coax a moody, cold-shocked trout into striking must practice perseverance. “Persistence is the number-one factor to succeeding with these fish,” Bailey said. “These fish aren’t necessarily hungry, but you can trigger reaction strikes. Look for deeper water in or near flats and use an ultra-slow presentation with a soft-plastic jerkbait such as a Strike King Zulu or a Berkley Gulp! Jerk Shad (other good choices are the Yamamoto Senko and the Strike King Zero). Impart very little action to the bait and let it slowly drop in front of the fish’s nose. “Sooner or later, that fish is going to get mad enough to strike,” Bailey said.

Pressure Points

Ironically, the clear, sunny skies of a post-frontal. high-pressure system could be as much a bane for fishermen as a north wind. Clearer conditions push trout and redfish into a deeper case of the mulligrubs. “If you have high barometric pressure, you are going to have a tough time getting fish to bite,” said Bailey. “They just shut down and won’t eat.” Smaller fish will continue to bite, but the larger fish refuse to cooperate. When winter’s post-frontal, blue-bird skies and dead calm conditions start to aggravate you, I usually switch over to suspending bait such as a Mirrodine or Catch 5 by Mirr-O-Lure. These baits will hold in the middle of the water column and hover in place when you stop your retrieve. The natural profile and flash of the plug is usually enough to get a grumpy fish to strike. Softer twitch baits such as the Corky can also be very effective. The goal is to keep the bait down in the fish’s wheelhouse until he nails it out of anger or hunger. Persistence is the key word to chasing winter fish when winter weather conspires to make staying home and watching basketball more desirable. Bundle up, take a thermos full of coffee and a stout heart and get to it. Ultimately, you sometimes have to be creative to get inactive winter trout and redfish to bite. You may have to wheedle them until they lose their temper. Other times you make them an offer they can’t refuse.

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Small Game,

BIG Story by

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I’ve hunted since I was big enough to cock my own Daisy BB gun. In fact, I have an old black and white photo taken next to my grandparent’s farmhouse somewhere around 1960-61. In flip flops and a tee shirt with a St. Bernard dog advertising Dr Pepper, “Frosty man, frosty” the proof is a BB gun in one hand and three bullfrogs dangling from the other.

Today, most people are surprised to find that I have no heads on the walls, nary a buck, hog, bird, or fish, though I’ve taken trophies through the years. In fact, the only thing hanging in my office is one photo of me holding a king salmon I caught in Alaska nearly 15 years ago. I participate in these pursuits because of my love of the outdoors. Hunting season has arrived, and for thousands of hunters, small game holds big rewards. For the purpose of this discussion, we’re highlighting squirrels and rabbits. Both of these small game animals have mysteriously fallen from favor in the Lone Star state. Even the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department no longer maintains statistics on these animals, which are the foundation of hunting. “The 2005-06 (small game) survey had numerous changes made to the species list. The sample size of bobcat and prairie dogs had become quite small, and it was decided to remove both of these. Rabbit and squirrel were also removed; rabbit has no season or bag, and squirrel has no season or bag in most of the state. It was felt that if we are not regulating harvest of these species, then there is no need to track harvest and hunter numbers. White-winged dove, white-tipped dove, geese, duck, and fall teal were added to the species list.” Hmmmm… So here’s my think. I’m afraid we’ve become an outdoor society of trophy hunters and maximum bag limits. We live in a world of television programs and written articles geared toward big racks, trophy fish, power, maximum results, biggest, best, record-breaking ̶ and more. Despite the hype, there are still diehard small game devotees who possess the true spirit of our chosen sport and continue to

take the field in the true spirit of hunting. I don’t think we can point to a specific time when squirrel or rabbit hunting fell into disfavor or disdain. I propose it happened when this country moved from a primarily rural society to a world of mostly urban dwellers. But you can bet the farm that part of the reason is because marketers haven’t yet figured out a way to make big money on them. In this pursuit, we don’t require expensive deer stands, high tech equipment, scents, or exotic rifles, or shotguns. A squirrel can be taken with a single-shot .22 and rabbits with an old shuck gun. In addition, I’ve heard disparaging remarks which include “It isn’t challenging,” “Why would I want to eat a rodent?” and “Besides, that kind of hunting is for kids and beginners.” One favorite recollection is a timeless story of entering the woods before dark and watching the forest lighten under gray, leaden autumn skies. As the landscape came into sharp definition that morning, I sat with my dad against a tree and waited for the action to begin. A flicker in the trees. “There he is, son.” Dad’s whisper is barely audible. “Don’t move anything but your eyes.” The squirrel scampers through limbs 30 feet above the leaf-covered floor, and as he leaps from limb to limb, more leaves fall with a papery whisk. I raised the .22, put the bead on his head, and waited for it to stop. “Wait, wait ̶ now.” Crack! It fell with a soft thump. A whispered, “Good shot,” and then, hidden in plain view, we waited for another on that chilly fall morning. Now, with a glass of single malt at hand and the outside temperature high enough to T e x a S

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bake biscuits, I yearn for winter and other days gone by when I took squirrels with shots that rival any deer I’ve taken at a hundred yards. At that distance you can hit a deer in the engine room (heart), an area the size of a sofa pillow (lungs/shoulder), or in the neck, and he’ll go down. To preserve the meat, the logistical target area on a squirrel is about an inch in diameter, no matter what the distance. Pinpoint accuracy. Picture a frosty pasture or field. A line of friends and relatives move in unison, vapor dissipating with every breath. A cottontail can’t stand the movement and noise any longer. It breaks from the cover and darts away. The nearest shotguns belch loads of #6 shot. The detonations startle more rabbits from cover and it sounds like opening day in a dove field. You think doves are hard to hit, take a stab at a darting, bouncing rabbit as it moves in a blur through thick cover. The glory of these hunts doesn’t involve trophies. A boar squirrel or stud cottontail isn’t the goal. It’s a time of personal satisfaction and time in the field, breathing clean air and enjoying the outdoors, and the satisfaction of a well-placed shot. If you’re an introvert, it’s a fine day alone with your own thoughts and experience. For those who prefer a group, it’s a social event and quality time spent together. Yes, at the very foundation of hunting, it’s time spent with a son, daughter, or grandchildren. Small game hunting is the perfect opportunity to teach these youngsters about the outdoors, gun safety, accurate shot placement, and especially, where meat comes from. Small game hunting is often ignored, possibly because there’s no trophy, nothing for the wall, no designated bag limits. Maybe it’s because squirrels and rabbits both are now suburban pets that frolic in parks and on lawns. During the hard times of the Great Depression, small game was the staple for empty dinner tables. Fried rabbit, fried squirrel and wild game stews kept rural families alive as they struggled to survive a difficult time in American history. It is still excellent table fare. Small game hunting isn’t glamorous. No teeth, horns, or antlers. It is the pure essence of our sport, and I’m glad it’s not yet defiled.

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Open Season by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

Goodbye to an Old Man

y friend, editor, and fellow writer, Don Zaidle, is gone. He was only 55 years old. He called me a few years ago to talk about the end we’ll all face. “I think you understand me more than most people. When my time has come, I want you to talk about memories, heritage, and what it means to be Don.” “You feeling bad?” I asked. “Yep, and the time will come soon, so you be ready. Are you taking notes?” “Uh, no.” “Start. I don’t want to have to repeat myself.” So on the morning of March 25, 2009, I took notes on a Texas Outdoor Writers Assoication notepad. I met Don back in 1993 at a TOWA conference, and we became instant friends. He attended the sessions that year in Rockport, wearing snake boots, jeans, a canvas shirt, and a weather-beaten hat. To complete the image, he also sported longish, hair, a luxurious beard down to his chest, a booming laugh, and a black eye patch. I could tell he was in bed as he talked. “Rev, tell ‘em I never wished for anything but for full being, and good.” “What does that mean?” “It means that life has been good to me, and I think I’ve honored the privilege of Life. I’ve experienced things that most men only read about, but they came to me natural. I had a great time as a kid. I’ve trained dogs, I’ve worked in emergency services, raised a good family, and I’ve written words that other people wanted to read. “Tell them that when I was six or seven, I was outside when one of those big Texas storms rolled in. It was black, powerful, and full of lightning. I stood outside in it as that cloud passed over the land. It slapped me with wind that almost knocked me over, and I took my shirt off and let the rain lash my skin, and I shouted into the wind to take me if it could. “Rev, it was invigorating to a kid, and I haven’t felt anything like it since, though I’ve looked for it in everything I did.” He laughed weakly. “One time I even dove nekked off a bass boat during a thunderstorm to try and find that

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feeling again. But it didn’t work.” “That’s a disturbing image, Don.” “Forget I said it, then. I’ve been shot, snake bit, bitten by attack dogs, and severely injured my hip, but I always rebounded. But my wife’s stroke was almost insurmountable.” He often called me after her devastating stroke, and we never hung up in less than an hour. “But you made it, because neither one of you would give up.” “It was hard. I worked hard to make an enduring mark. I always wanted more than a headstone. I wanted books and words to remain behind, so my descendants would know me. I wanted to leave something behind that people can pull off a bookshelf in fifty years and read.” Published by Safari Press, “American Mankillers” came out in 1997. “I always admired Ruark, Babcock, and Corey Ford. Their books are still out there, and I’m constantly re-reading their outdoor stories, and look how long they’ve been gone. As long as people speak of the dead, they’re alive.” “This sounds like a eulogy,” I said. “That’s what I’m talking about. I wanted my thoughts to be in the hands of someone I trust. It’s kind of spooky how much we think alike, you and I. I want you to tell them what it’s like to be Don.” “You’re putting a lot of faith in me.” “You understand me. You and I were born at a time we could grab a fishing rod, or gun, and head off into the woods and fields only to return at dusk to find the old folks waiting hear what we’d been doing. They didn’t worry about kids running around alone all day. “We’ve stepped off the porch and hunted quail in the surrounding pastures. We’ve shot dove in sight of the house. We were taught honor, respect and discipline, and it made us the men we are today. I want you to write my words because you know more about me than most, because we’re brothers. “Here’s what I think is going to happen when I’m gone. I think I’m going to that wonderful place, by whatever name it’s called, and when I get there I’ll find those who went on before. “The old folks will gather to hug my neck, and I’ll hear quiet ‘I love yous,’ and then I’ll get to look around that glorious place and see what was promised.” Then he told me what to write next, and made me promise to put it down exactly as he dictated over the phone that blustery March day.

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“But Don, I wrote something similar years ago about one of my uncles who passed. I got some danged interesting hate mail from folks that said Heaven isn’t the way I described it.” “I don’t care. It’s what I want to say, and I’ll be gone. It won’t matter to me.” He gave a congested chuckle. “You’ll be the one who’ll have to suffer the consequences.” “You’ve always been a cranky, cantankerous old curmudgeon, you know that?” There were tears in my eyes. “Yes. Now, here it is. One of those things I’m really looking forward to is when I’ll touch the hem of the Man’s garment, then whistle up the dogs I loved, and we’ll go hunt birds with Corey Ford and Robert Ruark, and shoot in the shadow of God.” Don passed Saturday, October 12, 2013, and I believe he did just that. This outdoor world is going to miss the voice of that bewhiskered gentleman who loved the outdoors, his country, his family. I only wish this article could have done him justice, because there was so much more to Don Zaidle then I can write in a magazine article. He loved the English language, and lamented its abuse. He insisted on truth and accuracy in all things. I have seen Don figuratively slap a lion in the face with his hat in standing up for what was right, but I have seen him shy from a woman. I have seen him, equally at home in the city or the country, but his heart was always in the Texas outdoors. As I looked through my notes with teary eyes, I pulled my copy of “American Man-Killers” from the shelf and read the inscription he wrote to me. It’s perfect Don in every way, and something I’ll always cherish. “To Reavis, who, despite not knowing how to pronounce his own name, is one of the finest writers I know. All my best, Don Z. TOWA, 2001.” He also gave me one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received when I wrote a Father’s Day article on his request for Texas Fish & Game. Five minutes after he read the article about my dad, my own Old Man of Ruark definition, Don sent this to me. “Damn, son! Nuff said.” Oh, he wanted me to tell you one more thing that he was proud of. “I never wished hurt for anybody.” You couldn’t ask for a better epitaph.

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Digital Edition

Nature’s

Gifts by chester moore

SIMPLICITY IS A LOST CONcept. In a world intently fixated on all things electronic. The seemingly simple things in life often are glossed over.

COMPOSITE GRAPHIC: TF&G

As a children’s minister who works with kids twice a week I am amazed at just how disconnected children today are from simple pleasures. I will never forget hosting a sleepover event for the boys of our church and realizing many had never roasted marshmallows or even heard of the practice for that matter. With the Christmas season upon us, it is worth reflecting on some of the simple things in life that can bring us T F & G

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TF&G Almanac Table of Contents GEARING UP SECTION TESTED • Berkley Trilene, 60 TEXAS Seaborn Boats | AND GAME GEAR• Hot New 61 FISH Outdoor Gear | by tfg staff

by tfg staff

FISHING FORECAST SECTION

COVER STORY • Nature’s Gifts | by chester moore

HOW-TO SECTION

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

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION SPECIAL SECTION • Holiday Gift 85 Guide | TEXAS TASTED • Backstrap 108 Wrap-Arounds | CLASSIFIED 109 OUTDOOR DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | by chester moore

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST • Season for Family & Fishing | by capt. eddie hernandez

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON • Merry Christmas—To Us | by capt. mike holmes

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: MATAGORDA • Chillin’ | by mike price

by bryan slaven

by tfg staff

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

HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER MID COAST • Christmas Reefs | by capt. chris martin

capt mac gable

by greg berlocher

by paul bradshaw

calixto gonzales

by steve lamascus

by tfg staff

the greatest pleasure and some natural gifts articulate until it that can be found in the woods or by is presented to strolling along a seashore. them. You see the fact that kids Snake Snake are so disconnected offers sheds are sheds are a unique opportunity to common coveted prizes bless them with simple around for outdoor things that will flat-out barns, kids. amaze them. Let us take a a r e q turtle shell for example. occaBox turtle and other turtle sionally shells are a common find in the found in woods and I am always collecting the ones the woods, and are in good condition. I am amazed at how kids popular with the kids I work are so excited about seeing and handling with. I keep snakes, and people are always them. They offer a great teachable lesson. giving me the sheds they find. They end up When a kid gets his hands on one you being prizes for answering trivia questions can teach them how the shell is a turtle’s during my God’s Outdoors classes. mobile home of sorts but it is unique because The look in a child’s eyes is priceless it comes supplied with its own armor. When when the child figures out a snake leaves a predator attacks, the turtle can hide its behind its old skin to reveal a new one. head and legs and retreat into its own sanc- Some, of course, know this, but many tuary. That is real life stuff are shocked. Being able to take home a One of the that kids crave, but do memento of such an occasion is an exciting author’s favorite not understand moment for them. keepsakes: how to During the winter, you can find abana shark’s doned hornet and wasp nets. My uncle jaw. Jackie Moore had a huge hornet nest hanging on his wall between two deer mounts, and it always blew me away. To this day 50 |

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every time I see one, it brings me to that mount and the wonder it struck with me. Once again, it offers an educational opportunity to explain something in the natural world, and it’s something tangible they can see and feel. Without a doubt, the most popular natural gift you can find (or buy) is shark teeth. Kids (and big kids like me) love sharks and a shark tooth or jaw set is something guaranteed to put a smile on their faces. I remember getting my first set of shark jaws from a souvenir store on the Galveston Sea Wall back in the early 1980s. I treasured that thing and had my dad mount it on a board to hang on the wall. If you are crafty or are adept at using Internet search engines, you can find creative ways to put the teeth on a necklace. Almost every day of my life, I wear a shark tooth necklace as a reminder of one of my favorite creatures, and it just plain looks cool. Boar’s tusks are also popular items especially with numerous reality programs dealing with hogs. These are easy to find and small ones are cheap to purchase on eBay. That might take some of the fun out of it CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 A L M A N A C

Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow | TF&G Boating Editor

To Touch, or Not to Touch?

N THE PAST DECADE OR SO, WE’VE ALL become a lot more touchy-feely. I’m not talking about political correctness, or trends in education policy (think self esteem) I mean this physically. Unless you live in a cave and go by the name Og, you almost certainly have had some experience with touch-screens by now. This is mostly because of our cell phones. Touch-screens also have become the norm when it comes

to such daily interfaces as ATM machines, running a cash register, and even ordering a sub at the local convenience store. On dry land, these touch-screens work great. But on a boat…? At first blush, it seems to make sense to use a touch-screen for marine electronics like fishfinders and Chartplotters. These machines were traditionally tough to figure out, and the touch-screen interface makes

wading through menus and visualizing your options quite easy. In fact, once you’ve let your fingers do the walking across any of the current touch-screen units, you’ll discover that using the menus and functions in these things is one heck of a lot easier than buttonpushing. That means you can spend less time figuring out how to use your electronics, and more time doing what you want to be doing .̶ boating and fishing. One example that illustrates this point is basic chartplotting and navigation functions. Let’s say you want to zoom the chartplotter scale, for example. If you want to zoom from way out to way in, with an old-style unit you’d jab the zoom key five or six times in quick succession, tap your foot impatiently as you wait for the unit to catch up to your button-pressing antics, then see a screen

ALMANAC COVER STORY: Nature’s Gifts

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but if you have a kid that thinks hogs are cool it is an option. Like many of you reading this article, I am proudly a follower of Christ and no matter what the media or the opposition says, Christmas is reality because of Him. And this is where a truly awesome opportunity to give a natural gift comes in. It’s called the “crucifix fish.” This is not actually a complete fish but the bone of one and it creates an incredibly vivid image of Christ on the cross. For years they have been popular in coastal gift shops and usually come with a little card with a poem by Conrad Lantz. “Of all the fishes in the sea our Lord chose the lowly sailcat to remind us to his misery. His body on the cross is outlined, the hilt of the sword, which was plunged into his side, is clearly defined.

The bone of a gafftopsail hauntingly resembles the crucifix.

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Look at the back of the fishes bone where the Roman shield is shown. When you shake the cross you will hear the dice being tossed for our Lords blood stained dress, those who can hear them will be blessed.”

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Yes, the gafftopsail catfish’s backbone looks hauntingly like the image above to the point of astonishment. It is an amazing testimony for those of us who believe that the Lord would choose to put His image in such a highly disregarded fish. Actually if you study scripture it makes perfect sense but to many in the outside world it would seem odd, if not implausible. These bones are often found on Texas beaches and can easily be cleaned up with a little mixture of water and bleach, giving your child a natural memento that reminds them of the reason for the season. Perhaps the greatest gift you can give children in your life this Christmas is a natural one that causes them to slow down for a minute and reflect on the natural world and perhaps things of an even higher calling.

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Texas Boating that’s usually not zoomed enough, or maybe one that’s over-zoomed. Often you’d have to re-center the screen and start over again to get zoomed on the exact spot you were looking for. With a touch-screen, on the other hand, you could either put your finger on the little + sign and hold it there until the screen zooms in to the level you want, or you could place your pinched fingers on the unit, and spread them wide to zoom in on the specific area of the chart that interests you. Mission accomplished. Now, consider setting a waypoint. The old way was to use arrow keys or a disk to move the cursor, then get into the menu to create a waypoint, which could require three or four pushes on different buttons. With a touch-screen, on most units this is simply a matter of, well, touching the screen. Sound simple? That’s because it is. On top of making these units easier to use, the simple interface means you’ll be able to decode and use more of the complex functions your unit offers, things that you might never have figured out otherwise. I know, I know .̶ you’re waiting for the “but.” There’s always a “but,” and there is when it comes to touch-screens, too. The first issue to consider is usability in rough

seas. If you’re wave-hopping through a two-foot chop in a 24-foot bay boat, touchscreens become literally impossible to use. The screen is a moving target, and you can’t steady your hand on the edge of the machine, then feel for the correct button before pressing it. Instead, you’ll need to slow down to an idle to make modifications on the fly. Another issue is cleanliness. Since you need to touch it to use it, that means you’ll be running your gooey, fish-slime-covered fingertips across the screen. Not only does that goo obscure the view, it can also lead to staining and damage. Finally, touch-screens become problematic with passengers. Half the time I have someone onboard my boat (which got a new touch-screen unit this spring), they try to point to a mark on the fishfinder screen or a spot on the digital chart, and accidentally adjust the depth or create an unwanted waypoint. Some manufacturers have wisely added a few buttons back onto their machines, to be used as tactile back-ups in the abovementioned situations, though at least one major brand has no buttons beyond the power key. These work great, particularly when it’s rough out and you want to rest

your hand on a corner of the unit, feel that hard key under your finger, and know you’re pressing the right place. A few other manufacturers still have full keypads. The down-side to this solution is that you’ll probably get so used to using the touch-screen that when the situation finally arises where pressing a button is preferable, you won’t remember which one you need to press. I went through this myself this past summer after my electronics upgrade. I found that I needed to use the press-buttons rarely enough that I still had to slow down when cruising in rough seas to figure out which ones to hit. In past years, I would have known intuitively which buttons to use. But after jabbing at the screen for months on end, when the time finally came, I was clueless. So what’ll it be: to touch, or not to touch? Before you can answer this question, you need to remember that choosing electronics is no different from choosing what boat to buy in the first place. There are advantages and drawbacks to everything you look at. In other words, you can forget about finding the “perfect” unit because no such thing exists. You might prioritize ease of use, while I might prioritize the ability to make navigational adjustments while running full-tilt through washing-machine wave conditions. In fact, after running a touch-screen for an entire season I still can’t decide whether I want it. I started out skeptical, but discovered that at times I absolutely love it. At other times, I absolutely hate it. I can say that over time as I’ve become more familiar and comfortable with using touch-screens in general, I’ve warmed up a bit to the idea of having one at the helm. Just how comfortable you are or are not with this type of interface is probably a good indication of whether you should consider getting all touchy-feely, on your own boat. Contact Lenny Rudow at LRudow@fishgame.com Get more boating tips in LENNY RUDOW’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

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Texas Kayaking by Greg Berlocher | TF&G Kayaking Editor

Dear Santa

AYAK FISHERMEN ARE AN INTEResting group to buy gifts for at Christmas. Kayakers know what we would like as a gift; but spouses, significant others, friends, and loved ones generally don’t have a clue about the gear and goodies that will make us smile on Christmas morning. Camille Null, AKA Santa’s Little Helper, at Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston suggested some great gift ideas for the kayak angler in the family or for anglers who want to get started in kayak fishing. Null stressed that there are lots of great hulls on the market but mentioned two new hulls. The Hobie Mirage Sport has been redesigned and is a versatile do-it-all hull. The hull comes equipped with Hobie’s patented Mirage drive, which allows you to pedal your hull if you don’t want to paddle it. I love the Mirage drive as it frees your hands to fish while you are pedaling. The rear cargo area has been enlarged, allowing you to stow more gear. The Mirage Sport comes with a Lowrance-ready transducer mount, making it extremely easy to add a Lowrance depth finder to your hull. The MSRP for the Mirage Sport is $1,799 For anglers who don’t like getting wet, the Jackson Kayak Kilroy is just the ticket. This sit-inside hull is a tad more than 12 feet in length and features a high/low seating option. Sit-on-top kayak fans should give the Kilroy a serious look as it is chock full of features, such as a molded-in dashboard, sidewall tackle storage, and tubular rod tip protectors. Null pointed out that the hull was specifically designed for anglers who like to stand up while fishing. With a carrying capacity of 375 pounds, the Kilroy is a

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great value at $1,249. Every kayak angler I know would love to see a new paddle under the tree on Christmas morning. Even if your loved one has a paddle, you can upgrade the paddle they own or give them a second paddle. Either way, you have a lot of latitude when it comes to gift giving. Null mentioned two great gift ideas in this area: Werner Paddle’s new Hooked series of paddles for anglers, which range in price from $130 to $275 and also Aqua Bound’s new series of paddles for the paddling fisherman. Aqua Bound’s Manta Ray is a carbon composite paddle and at $139 is Null’s number one selling paddle. Those who are new to kayak fishing often scrimp on the accessories, opting to spend most of their budget on a top-notch hull and paddle. Neophyte paddlers who are left chafed and chagrined after their first few outings quickly realize they should have invested in a fishing PFD. Kayak PFDs have large armholes to avoid chafing. PFDs for paddling fishermen build on these designs and incorporate all manner of clever pockets and leashes for gear. Null thought highly of the MTI Solaris F-Spec PFD as a Christmas gift. Specially designed pockets hinge open and the pocket flap becomes a resting place for hooks, lures and clippers while you are rigging. At $90, the MTI Solaris F-Spec is a great value. If your budget is limited, don’t fret; there are lots of great accessories to make that kayak fisherman of yours smile. Waterproof boxes from Pelican and Plano are a good example. They come in a wide assortment of sizes and shapes. Plano has teamed with Pure Fishing, introducing a specialty box designed to house Gulp soft plastic tails. Most waterproof boxes are under $30. Safety is always a great gift at Christmas. Null pointed out that marshes are great fishing areas but they are often edged with boat lanes (read: danger). Kayakers must either travel down or traverse a busy boat lane to access their favorite marsh. Visibility is

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paramount in this situation, and Null suggested two safety accessories to help boaters and kayakers avoid collisions. The Yak Attack VISI Pole and VISI Carbon Pro are LED lights that provide 360-degree visibility. The light poles can be mounted in a rod holder or on a track system. The VISI Pole costs $58 and is a solid pole, while the VISI Carbon Pro is $89 and features a collapsible light staff. Null noted that coastal marshes are also rimmed with black mangroves. The bushy trees rarely exceed four feet in height, and although they are low in stature, they will complete mask the presence of a kayaker from passing powerboats. Null encouraged every kayaker to equip their hull with a highly visible safety flag. Most flags are six to seven feet in length, extending well above the mangroves, and cost $20 or less. Kayak storage is always a challenge. Null suggested a Sherpack Hoist System for those with space problems in their garages. This easy-to-install hoist will securely handle a hull up to 120 pounds. You load the hull into the hoist, then raise it up to the rafters by pulling on the ropes. Null pointed out that the Sherpack Hoist works best if you have a sedan in the garage. You might not have sufficient clearance over the roof of an SUV or truck. The Sherpack Hoist costs $150 and would sure solve some family arguments in my household about clutter in the garage; however, I digress. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Texas Fish & Game community of readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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

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Paul’s Tips by Paul Bradshaw | TF&G Contributing Editor

Working on Your Splits

ILLISTRATION BY PAUL BRADSHAW

OR DUCK HUNTERS THIS CAN BE ONE of the worst times of the season. You know what I’m talking about — The Split (loud, booming voice and thunder in the background). Some hunters I know go into a two week depression every December. Although you can’t hunt ducks during this time, you can still do something productive. No I’m not talking about working on your wife’s honey-do list. Nobody’s got time for that, besides it will still be there in February. The productive stuff I’m talking about are little things that you can do over the next 12 days to get ready for the second half of duck season. Although the split is 12 days, you really only have two days to get stuff done since you should be working the other 10. If you’re not, I need to know what you do for a living, so you better get busy. The very first thing you need to do during The Split is take a long hard look at your duck blind and, let’s be honest, it’s starting to look really bad isn’t it. There are candy bar wrappers and spent shotgun shells on the floor. The brush you cut two or three months ago, what’s left of it, is broken and leafless and not covering very well anymore. I’d be willing to bet that there are even a few broken boards in the floor or seats. T F & G

So, step one is replace any structural (boards) pieces that are broken and dangerous. Step two, clean all your junk out of there from the first split. Step three, cut more brush to cover it up better. Tree limbs won’t have any leaves right now so you’ll have to use a lot of them to provide more cover. If you hunt in an area with grass then cut some new, fresh grass to cover up any holes in

your blind, such as where you or the dog get in and out all the time. Remember that by the time the ducks get here in December they have seen duck blinds with shotguns sticking out of them all the way down from Canada, so you need to make yours as invisible as possible. After you’ve finished making your blind look presentable again it’s time to focus on your gear. Raise your hand if your waders leak. If you wait until the end of the season to fix them you never will because you will forget. Trust me. I know. Patch them now. What about your decoys? How are they holding up? If they are anything like mine then at best they are just really muddy. At worst they are missing paint and leaking from your hunting buddy or kid’s errant shots. Decoys that list to the side because they are full of water or have mud all over

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them won’t attract any birds, and if they look bad enough they might actual scare the ducks away. You really need to clean your decoys. Start by throwing them out in the yard (to make the wife happy they’re not in the kitchen) and hose them down. Then take a brush and scrape the mud off, just be sure not to scrub too hard and take off all the paint. Don’t use soap either. You just want to make them presentable and clean, not something you could eat off of. When they are clean, shake them and see if you hear water inside. If there is water inside it only got there one way, through a hole. To find the hole, stick the decoy under water (in a fivegallon bucket, not your bathtub unless the wife is gone) and squeeze it. Air will bubble out of the holes. Dry the decoy and fill the holes with silicone. After the silicone dries you can paint the area to match the rest of the decoy. While on the subject of painting, it might be a good idea to check the heads of your decoys for missing paint. A few strokes of a paint brush on the bill and head can really make the decoy stand out and attract birds — as long as you paint it the right color and not hot pink. The split can be a depressing time of year for the hardcore bird hunter, however, if you spend these two weeks the right way you can set yourself up for an even more productive second half of the season.

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Contact Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com

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Texas Guns by Steve LaMascus | TF&G Shooting Editor

The Fantastic .25-06

ICK MOOREHOUSE WAS A MAN WHO lived in the little town where I grew up. He was tough as nails, made a very lean living at odd jobs, and was known around town as a poacher and an inveterate coyote hunter. I don’t know

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whether these suspicions were true, but, obviously, those penchants were why we kids idolized him as much as our parents distrusted him. In spite of his meager income, he was also a lover of fine guns and owned the first .25-06 I ever saw. In those days it was a custom job, a Mauser I think, for a wildcat caliber, as Remington did not adopt the .25-06 as a factory round until years later. I was amazed at Tick’s ability to kill coyotes at truly fantastic ranges with his .2506. That was what instilled in me a burning desire to own a .25-06 of my own. The desire was so great that when I finally left home and got married, the first rifle I bought with my own meager earnings — after pay-

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ing my wife’s college tuition — was one of the new Remington Model 700 ADLs in .25-06. I paid the princely sum of $117.00 for it at a Gibson’s Discount Center. I also bought a set of used RCBS dies and a couple of boxes of bullets from a gunsmith in San Marcos, where Kandace was finishing her teaching degree. The brass I made by simply running some .30-06 brass through the sizing die and trimming it to the right length. The bullet I settled on for most of my shooting was the Sierra 87-grain spitzer, loaded over 57.5 grains of surplus Hodgdon’s #4831. My Model 700 would keep three shots with the little Sierras in less than an inch and killed coyotes, bobcats, and gray foxes like a bolt of lightning. Someone had written a magazine article stating that the only bullet to use for whitetailed deer in the .25-06 was the 117-grain Sierra, so I bought a box of them and used them on deer for a couple of years. I found, however, that they were not very good for the smaller Texas deer, and I did a lot of trailing deer that should not have run. I eventually discovered that for me, at least, the 100-grain bullets performed a lot better. When I switched from the heavier bullets to the 100-grain loads my trailing stopped. A whitetail hit in the chest with a 100-grain Sierra generally dropped on the spot, and almost none of them ran over 50 yards. It is still one of the best deer loads I ever developed. That was my only rifle for a number of years and I shot it a lot. My brothers and I went varmint calling nearly every weekend and hunted deer religiously during the season. Even if we failed to find game to shoot, there were always rocks and prickly pear. I shot that gun so much that in a period of about seven or eight years I had shot the barrel out. I traded it for a .38 Special handgun and bought another .25-06. This time it was a BDL model, but it didn’t shoot as well as my old, plainer ADL. Through the years I have owned a numA L M A N A C

ber of rifles in .25-06. When I retired from the U.S. Border Patrol, my retirement gift was a Savage in, you guessed it, .25-06. That is the rifle I used to make the longest shot I have ever made on a deer, a mule deer buck that I dropped at just a couple of steps short of 350 yards in the foothills of the Eagle Mountains in West Texas. Once again the load was a 100-grain bullet, but this time it was a Barnes X-Bullet, pushed as fast as I could push it. My current pet is a custom rifle built on a push feed Winchester Model 70 action. It has a McMillan stock, a Lothar Walther barrel, and will shoot tiny groups all day long. I have now used the .25-06 for more than 40 years. With it I have shot a huge number of predators and game animals, rocks and targets. In those 40 years I have formed an opinion. As I have also shot game with a large number of other cartridges, both com-

120-grain bonded core bullet and push it to 3,100-plus fps. Put the shot in the boiler room, and you will be eating elk steaks. Remington sure hit a home run when they commercialized the .25-06. They did equally well with the .22-250, also a former wildcat. When I am really serious about shooting a deer, I generally grab one of my .25-06s. I can think of no better cartridge for that purpose. Neither can I think of any

as good for hunting coyotes on the open ranges of the Texas Panhandle or the deserts of far West Texas. If you don’t have a .25-06, you certainly should consider one. I have been looking for something better for 40 years. I am still looking. Contact Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com

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I have used the .25-06 for 40 years.

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mercial and wildcat, I think I can say with some authority that I believe the .25-06 to be one of the best ever devised as a dual varmint/deer cartridge. In addition, it may well be the perfect caliber for pronghorns and Coues deer. The .25-06 kicks little, hits hard, and shoots flat. For ladies, youngsters, and men who want some extra reach, but hate recoil, it provides what they seek. It has plenty of power for deer and in a pinch, with the right bullets, will do for elk, although I would certainly not rate it as a good elk caliber. Coyotes are tough and the .25-06 has plenty of what it takes to anchor one on the spot. One of my current pet loads for coyotes uses an 85-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet at warp-factor velocities. The results are awesome. For an all around deer load I think the 100-grain Nosler Partition at velocities approaching 3,400 feet per second is all but impossible to beat. For elk, pick a good T F & G

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Texas Tested

IF YOU’RE AN ANGLER, THERE’S NO DOUBT you’re familiar with Berkley Trilene fishing line—it’s been around forever, and has filled countless reels. And Berkely was among the first early adoptors as fishing went through the massive shift to “superlines,” rolling out Fireline before most of us had even heard of braid. Their newest product? Trilene Braid Professional Grade, another line that pushes the boundaries of current fishing line technology. Professional Grade is a new Dyneema weave, which is supposed to be rounder and smoother than most braids currently on the market. But when I ran this line through my fingers, I was shocked at how big the difference really was. Professional Grade isn’t a little rounder, nor is it slightly smoother. The difference is so pronounced that it’s hard to believe this stuff is braid. Once I started casting, the impact quickly became apparent. Most noticeable is the absence of that annoying rubbing sound you always hear when regular braids run through your rod guides under tension, as you reel in a big fish. I also found that it felt smoother running through the guides on casts. A drop in friction should logically extend casting distance, though any difference this makes wasn’t big enough for me to put my foot down and say my range had increased. What I can say for sure, however, is that the amount of time I spent tying Palomars decreased. This line is really easy to work with, and has just enough memory to allow you to pinch it down and push it through tiny jig eyes. In fact, it’s a bit reminiscent of knotting Fireline, which always was a bit easier than many braids, which collapse and bend more easily as you try to push them through. Professional Grade is available in a range of sizes but starts out on the heavy side; the lightest available is 20-pound test, which has the diameter of six-pound monofilament. The largest size available is 60 |

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80-pound test, which has the diameter of 15-pound mono. It’s currently available in low-vis green and “tracer,” which alternates high and low vis colors. As we all know, of course, good braids aren’t cheap. Price for a 150-yard filler spool starts at $19.95 and jumps to $24.95 for very heavy poundtests, 300 yard spools range from $37.99 to $45.99, and 1,500 yard bulk spools cost around $200. For more information, go to www.berkley-fishing.com.

much smarts. I-beam stringers and transom cores are molded in steel high-pressure cavity molds, and belowdecks voids are foamfilled to add floatation, structural integrity, and sound-deadening properties. Fishing-wise, the standard features list is pretty darn impressive: there’s a second well under the forward console seat, six vertical rodholders on the console, horizontal rodracks in the inwales, a 48-quart insulated

—Lenny Rudow

Bay Blast AS YOU WALK DOWN THE DOCKS, Sea Born’s new SV211 will definitely catch your eye. I know it caught mine, but what’s more important is that the boat held my attention. Why? Because of features like flip-up rear jump seats that fold down to create an aft casting deck, a center aft deck livewell, and four aft, flushmounted rodholders. Wait a sec—you say those things aren’t unusual in a bay boat? True. But take a closer look at those jump seats, and notice how large the backrests are; you can actually be comfortable sitting in these, as opposed to most jump seats, which would best be described as minimal. Now look more closely at the livewell. It’s blueish inside with rounded corners to keep your baits healthy and happy, and has a clear lid so you can keep an eye on how they’re doing. And yes, even those rodholders deserve a second look. On each side one’s in the gunwale and the other is in the corner, positioned ever so slightly inboard to help keep your lines from interfering with each other when you’re trolling. Another thing I noted about the SV211 was its construction. The hatches, for example, are a real stand-out feature. They’re fully finished, light-weight, and as strong as possible, thanks to vacuum-bagging. Latches dog down, and all hardware is stainless. The core of the boat is built with just as

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fishbox, a tacklebox built into the console, an elevated forward casting deck, and trolling motor pre-wiring. The only must-have that isn’t on the list is an optional raw water washdown. With the recommended 150 horses on the transom, the SV211 offers good performance, too. You can expect a cruising speed in the low to mid 30s, and a top end that’s pushing 50 mph. Shallow water anglers will be pleased to know that once you chop the throttles, the boat will float in just one foot of water. If you see this boat the next time you’re walking the docks, make sure to stop and check it out. A thorough look will prove that on the SV211, there is, in fact, more than meets the eye. For more information, go to www.seabornboats.com. —Lenny Rudow

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PHOTO: SEABORN BOATS:

A Fine Line

Fish and Game Gear

REDFIELD INTRODUCES THE LATEST MODEL in their line of tactical optics, the Battlezone Tac.22 2-7x34mm riflescope. Designed for .22 Long Rifle firearms, the Battlezone Tac.22 comes with two elevation adjustment dials. The first is marked in ¼ MOA increments, and the second is a Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) dial calibrated to the .22LR, shooting a 36-grain hollowpoint at 1,260 feet per second. The BDC dial is marked from 50 to 150 yards. The Battlezone Tac.22 features the Tac-MOA reticle, which matches the ¼ MOA adjustment dials. Stadia lines on the horizontal and vertical crosshairs are set at two minute of angle increments, allowing for fast windage and bullet drop adjustments as well as range estimation. Parallax is set at a rimfire-friendly 75 yards. A fully multi-coated lens system delivers excellent brightness, clarity and resolution. The fast-focus eyepiece provides an unmatched field of view, and makes reticle focus fast and easy to maintain in the field. Aggressively knurled, pop-up resettable adjustment dials feature audible clicks that assure precision, repeatability and a wide range of adjustment travel. Like all Redfield optics, the Battlezone Tac.22 is nitrogen-filled for a lifetime of waterproof, fog proof and shockproof

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performance. All Redfield riflescopes are covered by the Redfield “No Excuses” warranty. Visit Redfield on Facebook at http:// www.facebook.com/RedfieldHunting. Acquired by Leupold & Stevens, Inc. in 2008, Redfield is now a brand of the Oregon-based company. The Redfield line includes Revolution, Revenge and Battlezone riflescopes; CounterStrike Tactical Red Dot sight; Rebel roof prism and Renegade Porro prism binoculars; Rampage spotting scope kits; and Raider rangefinders. The Redfield Gun Sight Company was founded in 1909 by John Hill Redfield. Over the years, Redfield became one of the leading American manufacturers of sports optics, known for the performance, ruggedness and reliability of its products. The new Redfield line upholds that tradition and is sold worldwide to hunters, shooters, wildlife observers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The Riflescope with a Vengeance SIGHTMARK IS EXCITED TO INTRODUCE THE Ezekiel 3-30x Riflescope, fittingly named after the ancient prophet thought to have foreseen great destruction. Capable of sighting targets at vast enough distances to draw parallels to the prophesier, the Ezekiel 3-30x Riflescope is the most advanced riflescope of its kind. It is the first to employ a 10x optical zoom in a commercially viable system, providing both long and short distance target acquisition. Featuring advanced precision multi-coated optics and a 56mm objective lens—larger than most riflescopes on today’s market— the Ezekiel 3-30x offers exceptional

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clarity for target sighting. “We are very excited to offer the first 10x optical zoom to the shooting public,” said Jeff Murray, Vice President of Sales. “The Ezekiel’s state-of-the-art optical features allow for multiple applications from competitive shooting, to hunting, to self-defense, making it the perfect firearm accessory for any marksman.” Engineered for precision Ezekiel 3-30x accuracy, the q Ezekiel 3-30x is equipped

with a second focal plane Mil-Dot reticle, a side parallax adjustment and a 1/4-inch click MOA adjustment to ensure accurate shot zeroing and bullet placement. The riflescope’s locking turret system maintains user adjustments so the unit is set and ready to go for every shot. Users can choose between two bright internally lit reticles (red and green) for multiple target situations. For more information on Sightmark’s products, log on to www.sightmark.com or call 817-225-1631.

ONLINE STORE Shop for innovative, new and hardto-find outdoor gear at

www.FishandGameGear.com

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PHOTOS: REDFIELD; SIGHTMARK

Scope for Rimfire Shooters

Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez | TF&G Contributor

’Tis the Season for Family and Fishing

S ANOTHER CHRISTMAS SEASON IS rapidly approaching, we have so much to be thankful for. Everyone is excited about getting to spend quality time with family and friends, and the children are all anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival. Texas coastal fishermen should also be excited for all these things as well as the great angling opportunities that this month brings. December is a unique month when it comes to trout fishing on the upper coast of Texas. What makes it special is that, traditionally, during the month of December we get to experience two very different fishing patterns while targeting speckled trout. With our usual mild winters we are able to

have an extension of the fantastic fall bird action that typically lasts through about the first half of the month. Then, as if someone flips a switch, we can have an Arctic front that drops the temperature into the lower 30s for a few days. Just last year we were running the birds on mild December mornings, then one of those fronts pushed through and we were launching the boat in 33 degree temperatures. Our strategy changed overnight and we were on winter patterns catching nice trout drifting the flats the next day. Fortunately for us here on Sabine, we have some nice flats on both the Texas and Louisiana sides of the lake that hold some good fish at least fairly consistently when the

mercury dips down into the chill zone. Making long drifts in 1 1/2 to 3 feet of water until you are able to zero in on them, then sticking the power pole should result in some hefty wintertime trout in the box. Glow, Red Shad and Morning Glory Assassins on 1/8 oz. lead heads work really well for us, as do Corky Originals, Broken Back and Fat Boys. Topwaters are another exciting option as these yellow mouths are definitely not scared to crush a surface walker in the cold, shallow water. Another thing we should be excited about is the number of redfish we’ve got stacked in the bayous in the winter months. The entire Sabine ecosystem is actually full of reds year-round, but, December has always been one of our favorite months to seek them out, and the bayous on the Louisiana side have always been our “go to” spots. A Louisiana fishing license is required but the benefits can be well worth it. If you see mullet on the banks of the bayous, there’s a very good chance there will also be hungry reds there too. Again, Assassins as well as shorter straight tailed soft plastics rigged on 1/8 oz. lead heads are hard for them to resist. Dark colors like Morning Glory, Root Beer and Red Shad will usually draw more strikes.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Jetties at Old Pilot Station (Sabine Pass) SPECIES: Black Drum, Redfish, Whiting BAITS/LURES: Fresh Dead Shrimp, Cut Mullet BEST TIMES: All Day

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Hotspots Focus: Galveston

by Capt. Mike Holmes | TF&G Contributor

IRST, AN ADMISSION – I HAVE NEVER been to Hawaii. I fully expect to visit there someday, and know without a doubt I will love the harbor at Kona almost as much as I did the one at Port Eads, Louisiana – and for many of the same reasons. I know that Roy Crabtree is not only the Regional Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service in charge of ending all fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, he is also the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This may seem a harsh stance to take, but if Dr. Crabtree had been assigned to the Hawaiian Islands, he would have faced worse opinions. Whether or not the Hawaiian people, celebrate exactly the same Christmas as we do, from what I have read they get very involved in the Holiday season. Their culture seems to encourage colorful celebration, which extends to holiday meals. Being surrounded by the sea, Hawaiians prepare sea creatures in a colorful traditional cuisine. Shrimp, whether simply boiled or cooked in any other manner (besides frying), provide a red tint, and I suspect octopus furnishes green (think about that one a bit). Red also comes from fresh, uncooked tuna. Those are colors and species of seafood we on the Gulf Coast can also enjoy when celebrating this most special time of the year. Hawaiians also love their version of red snapper for holiday fare, although there they are known as Onaga, the Japanese name, or Opakapaka. Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico are – according to Dr. Crabtree himself – being “punished” for challenging the unwarranted restrictions placed on red T F & G

“ Fishermen in the Gulf are being punished for challenging unwarranted restrictions on red snapper.

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‘Merry Christmas’ – To Us!

snapper even as the species is in the midst of a recovery. NMFS should be using this as a validation of their methods rather than keeping it a secret.

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Because of this, if we on the Gulf Coast want to have a nice baked snapper for Christmas, we will have to get it out of the freezer. There is an outside chance, however, after the latest findings published by the Standing Statistical Committee of the Gulf Council that there is no reason not to have a fall season for red snapper, and also that the quotas should be raised for the next several years. This could even mean that groups like the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, who seem to consider themselves experts on what seafood “good” people should consume, might stop advising folks to avoid eating red snapper. What, then, can we as fishermen on the Gulf expect to receive this Christmas season, should our fresh snapper still, be out of reach? Well, we will still have shrimp and tuna. Fresh tuna in particular are not as fully appreciated in Texas as they should be. Although I have eaten raw tuna on a

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Hotspots Focus: Matagorda

by Mike Price | TF&G Contributor

T WAS THE KIND OF DAY THAT MANY fishermen would write off, the water was cold (53°F) and the tide was very low, but my wife and I decided to go anyway. We left Matagorda Harbor, went through Braggs Cut into the Diversion Channel, and tried to go into West Matagorda Bay. However, the water was too low, so we launched our kayaks and fished the bayous connecting to the Diversion Channel and drift-fished the Diversion Channel. It turned out to be a Texas Triple day; we caught trout, redfish, and flounder. When water temperatures in the bays drop to the mid and low 50s, fish like to be close to deep water where it is a little warmer on the bottom. However, if you fish in the

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Chillin’ on Matagorda

afternoon on a sunny day you will find fish feeding in shallow water (three feet or less) as well as deep water. Water temperature usually goes up about 5°F on a sunny winter day. Normally you want strong tidal movement to stimulate the bite, but on this day the outgoing tide was moving slowly. A factor that may have helped turn the fish on was a norther that had moved through a couple of days prior to our trip. The fish are more likely to hit on a calm day after a front. When the water gets real cool, say below 50°F, many fish move to the deep parts of the rivers and Diversion Channel. This makes fishing in the Colorado and Tres Palacios Rivers a lot of fun in late December. I talked to a man who owns a house at Selkirk Island, a community on the Colorado River just north of Matagorda. He said, “We turned the lights on and fished from our dock last night, and we caught and released over 100 trout.” In the Bank Bite section I’ll tell you about two public spots on the rivers where you can fish

for trout action in the winter months. December tides can be so low that you have to be careful about where you run your boat, but if you target spots in the bays that are deeper than surrounding areas, you may do very well. East Matagorda Bay is from two to five feet deep, making it difficult to fish the shorelines when the tide is low. However, drifting the reefs in the middle of East Matagorda Bay, especially in the first half of December when the water temperatures are a bit higher, can pay off with stringers of trout. On December 23 last year I took my nephew fishing on the south side of West Matagorda Bay. Because the water was low and cold, I went to one of the cuts on the south shore where the water was deeper. I gave Jesse my kayak to go into the cut and fish the oyster reefs next to the deep water, and I wade fished the shallow water in the bay. Jesse did all the good. He caught a stringer of hefty trout and redfish, while I managed only one small red. East or southeast winds tend to push water into both East and West Matagorda Bays. Therefore, if the tidal prediction is for low water, but there is a strong wind (but not too strong to fish) with east in it, the water level will be higher. In addition, east winds stack water in East Matagorda Bay, on the west side of the bay. In December the water temperatures are usually in the 60s early in the month, and they can drop to the lower 50s near A L M A N A C

GALVESTON FOCUS the end of the month after several northers have come through. Look for warm days between fronts to find fish that are anxious to eat because they know that January will be even colder.

THE BANK BITE MATAGORDA COUNTY has two parks on rivers that have fishing docks. These spots are great winter locations to fish for speckled trout. FM 521 River Park is at the intersection of the Colorado River and FM 521. It has two fishing docks one of which is accessible by wheelchair. The park has portable restrooms, picnic tables, and grills. Camping is allowed. For more information go to matagordatourism.com/parks/fm521.htm Carl Park is located at the intersection of the Tres Palacios River and FM 521 about 10 miles north of Palacios. It has a launch ramp, fishing dock, and picnic tables. For more information go tov matagordatourism.com/parks/carlpark.htm.

Contact Mike Price at MPrice@fishgame.com

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least the possibility of cold water, fish will seek the relative warmth of these spots.

t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63 boat far offshore as well as on the docks at the Galveston Yacht Basin, I prefer it cooked. It is wonderful whether grilled, baked, or just micro waved with lemon juice, butter, and garlic. Grouper is one of my absolute favorite offshore fish, but flounder are very nearly as good. Although fresh seafood is a gift we on the Texas coast receive year ‘round, this special time of the year is an even better time to receive and appreciate this gift to ourselves, our families, and friends. There is certainly a place for “catch and release” fishing, but there is also nothing wrong with catch and eat!

SPECIES: Speckled trout and redfish are the top prizes, but croakers and sand trout can fill a frying pan satisfactorily. BEST BAITS: Natural baits – dead or alive – that can be trusted to give off a good scent trail. Soft plastics can work, as well as “glowing” jigs under lights at night, but they should be worked slower than in warm water. BEST TIMES: Moving water is always best, but a full high tide pays off best in the deep spots.

THE BANK BITE

Contact Mike Holmes at MHolmes@fishgame.com.

LOCATION: Deep holes along the jetties, in marinas, and occasionally in the bays. With at

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Hotspots Focus: Upper Mid Coast

Christmas Reefs

OASTAL ANGLERS HAVE TO ENDURE certain challenges like ever-changing wind variations, unexpected precipitation, and some really cold temperatures as they struggle to pinpoint cold-water fish in wintertime months. As many of us strive to meet our goal these next few months, we will often be forced to look for our prosperity and achievement in places that are protected from the elements. A lot of us will make a choice to explore some of the deeper guts and drains that tie many of the Coastal Bend’s saltwater lake areas together in the backcountry along Matagorda Island. However, the oncoming harsh weather this month won’t be a constant state of affairs around here, and once the winds do decline, I’ll be looking to the many reefs that are dispersed across San Antonio Bay to provide us with some great wade fishing opportunities. Some of my best trips recorded in my fishing log books have taken place while wading atop these reefs in waist-deep water during a falling tide. A couple of recent reef trips have yielded impressive numbers of trout to 20-plus inches while throwing dark plastic baits – colors like black magic, roach chartreuse, and plum chartreuse. A particularly productive group of reefs in San Antonio Bay has been some of the skinny and elongated reefs that are located just adjacent to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. On my trips there lately, the water temperatures have been fairly chilly, so I’ve made it a point to work my baits very slow as I attempt to keep the rod tip above my head

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at all times while supplying just short, brief pumps upon the lure. Another cold weather favorite of mine, which also consists of San Antonio Bay shell, is the Welder Ranch shoreline. It can provide a great barricade to nagging December winds and it is a great place for anglers wishing to drift-fish with plastic baits dangled beneath rattling corks. Equally as good for wintertime drifters are the reefs near the Victoria Barge Canal, the shell bottom that occupies the lower end of Shoalwater Bay near the opening into San Antonio Bay, and over the reefs near Grass Island. Here’s a hint that’s been helpful to

me throughout the years when fishing these locations during cold weather. I’ve found it to be very important for me to always try to find unstained water in these places, especially during those periods when a northeast wind is present. If you haven’t guessed yet, I really enjoy fishing a bottom structure consisting of mud and shell during winter months. The fish like to suspend above these areas because the penetrating sunlight heats up the mixture of mud and shell on the bottom. Cold-water trout and redfish holding above shell and mud tend to be more active. They are more likely to feed on baitfish, primarily wintertime mullet that also seek the comforts of

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the warmer water atop the shell. The best scenario when reef hunting, in my opinion, is to be lucky enough to find one in water that’s between two and six feet deep and that has mud on one side and sand on the other side. Espiritu Santo Bay and San Antonio Bay are both sprinkled with many such reefs, so you shouldn’t have to look too hard when you search. In order to properly familiarize yourself with any bottom structure, particularly reefs, you will be required to do more than simply refer to your fishing map or GPS screen. There’s only one way I can think of to get to know bottom structure, and that is to get out of the boat and wade. While doing so, be sure to make mental notes of such things as where the reef drops-off, where the shell stops, any depressions or guts, and the differences in water depth from one end of the area to the other. Now then, a common mistake among a lot of wintertime anglers is their decision not to fish atop reefs that appear to be made up of harder sand bottoms. I used to be just as guilty of this as anyone else. I used to believe I wasn’t allowed to fish above hard sand during cold months because I had always been told I should be fishing strictly over mud in cold water. However, now speaking from experience, I can truthfully tell you that on any given day, reefs surrounded by a hard bottom can be just as productive as the more popular reefs that happen to be surrounded by softer bottoms. Focusing on reef structure, in conjunction with active bait transitions, will certainly increase your prospect of catching more quality trout in cold weather conditions. I hope you and your family have a blessed Christmas, and a safe and happy holiday season. Keep grindin!

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by Capt. Chris Martin | TF&G Contributor

Hotspots Focus: Rockport

by Capt. Mac Gable | TF&G Contributor

A Sports Boy’s Christmas

AWOKE THAT CHRISTMAS MORNING TO the smell of my Mom’s turkey cooking alongside two southern made pecan pies. My Dad had cracked and picked the pecans a few days before as he relaxed shirtless in his easy chair after a hard day’s work. The native pecans came from the trees in our yard. It was not always the case, but this year had brought us a good crop. Man, did they smell delicious cooking atop my Mom’s pies. It was 1962. I was six years old, and I didn’t have to believe in Santa Claus. The previous year, I had been completely convinced because I had seen him as he made his way through our home on Christmas Eve. I hadn’t really been good that year (unless one could be forgiven for chasing his older sister and brother out of the house with a baseball bat, then cruelly locking them outside until my mom came home). Because my Mom had loved me into retribution for this deed (which mostly took place on the seat of my pants) I was still in good standing with the man from the North Pole. I must admit, however, seeing a bag of coal and a stocking with stickers and switches was not only a fear but a definite possibility. To my relief I was greeted Christmas morning with the most beautiful tree I had ever seen in our living room. It glistened with icicles, bubble lights, popcorn balls, and was full of old ornaments, passed down through generations of Christmases long since past. I stood, pj’s drooping, hair asunder, bare feet freezing on the hardwood floor. Our one and only floor furnace’s metal grate had T F & G

long since burned its cross-hatch design into the bottom of my calloused bare feet, but I couldn’t move. I was transfixed by what had to be the most wonderful sight this snotty-nosed, freckle-faced boy had ever seen. My eyes moved slowly around the room, scared I might miss something or that it was a wishful dream. I saw the cards with my sister’s name, my brother’s, and there was mine: Mac III. I then saw two Western Auto Revelation 410 shotguns, both with bows on the barrels. Mine had the initials PSY glued on the stock in metal letters (to this day I don’t know what that stands for). They were used guns, but this six-year-old would not have taken a million dollars for them. Next to the tree was a Zebco 33 rod with line and J-hook installed and two split shot to boot. A small tackle box was just on the other side of the tree, made of blue metal, full of tackle with corks of all sizes, fish scale, fishing line, eagle claw hooks, stringers, and a small bag

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of sweet cinnamon ribbon candy with a note that said “Merry Christmas, Love Santa and Mom and Dad.” This Christmas was the beginning of Captain Mac Gable. It was a message from my dad and mom that I was ready to begin my journey as a sportsman, a conservationist. It was more than the passing of gifts, it was a passing of the privilege and the honor that can only be felt and understood when one arrives at such a day. On the journey I could be a fishing guide, I could be a hunting guide, I could be both. Or I could simply be a very thankful outdoorsman. Can there be anything better in this world? My heart is burdened for the Zaidle family and for others who have lost loved ones this year. Please allow me to offer this prayer on their behalf. A very Merry Christmas to all! God of compassion, there is such a hole in my heart. Today should be a day of joy, but I feel only emptiness and loss. While the world

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Rockport Focus celebrates around me, I remember Christmas celebrations of the past, and I long to have my loved one with me. I bring my sorrows to you, Lord, like some odd gift of the magi and dump them at your feet. In my blind tears I wonder if anyone can possibly understand the depth of my sadness. I know you can. You sent your Son to be with us in our deepest sorrows, and I know even though I might not feel it now, you are here with me, grieving with me, caring for me in my sadness. Dearest Lord, help me to turn to the one I miss so much today and speak. Help me heal the loss of our parting and help me not to regret the things I didn’t say. Sorrow tears at my heart, but today I ask that my loss soften my heart and make me more compassionate with everyone I meet, so that my loss may become a gift to others. ••• THE WATER TEMPERATURE is cold and you must adjust your fishing techniques to compensate. This is scented bait time. Although, it’s a popular belief that soft plastics are the only way, I suggest that you don’t leave your top waters at home. This is great top water time. Add a little scent

to them and you are gonna get some great blow up action. COPANO BAY - Live shrimp freelined on the transition line (shallow to deep water) close to Turtle Pen will produce some keeper reds and trout. High tide is best. Approach via trolling motor or drift. Good sheepshead action close to the LBJ causeway using small pieces of peeled shrimp on as-small-as-you-can-get, wide-gap hooks. Set the hook at the slightest tap and have a heavy-enough line to horse them away from the pilings. ARANSAS BAY - Wading Jay Bird Reef with top waters in blue chartreuse and fire chartreuse is good for trout on a falling tide. The shoreline of Blackjack Point is good for reds using cut menhaden on a light Carolina rig. ST CHARLES BAY - Still a good bet for black drum using peeled shrimp under a silent cork. The northwest shoreline close to Salt Creek is a good place for this, especially after hard rain. The mouth of Cavasso Creek is good for some keeper trout using live shrimp. The key here is fish slowly and

be patient. Trout this time of year have a much slower feeding pattern. Try to find lively shrimp if possible. CARLOS BAY- Carlos Trench is the place to be during and after cold fronts. The deeper water will hold reds and trout. Soft plastics in new penny and morning colors are very effective here. Also try to target tide change times. Mesquite Bay- Wades in Brays Cove are good for flounder and trout using soft plastics, Bass Assassins sea shads in chicken on a chain and electric chicken colors work well here. Retrieve slowly for flounder and a bit faster for trout. Target your retrieve for what is biting. AYERS BAY - Black drum city here. I like the soft black mud of east shoreline using peeled shrimp and some highly scented bait such as squid or sardines. Some reds are hanging close to the fish huts. The best bait here is cut perch free-lined or on a light Carolina rig.

THE BANK BITE WADING off 12th street in Lamar towards the old Turtle Pen area is good for reds using free-lined finger mullet or cut mullet on a light Carolina rig. The mistake many make here is not staying close to the shoreline as you wade, wading too far out spooks the reds that hang in this area. Be quiet when moving; it’s best in early morning so you cast no shadow.

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

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Hotspots Focus: Lower Coast

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Pomping Silver

HE VAST MAJORITY OF WINTER VISItors who set up camp in South Texas during the cold months of the year cannot afford a boat. It simply is not in the budget of most retirees. Not only that, but the cost involved in schlepping a boat all the way down from the Great White North—especially with gas prices tickling $3/gallon up and down the nation’s highways—makes it prohibitive to bring a boat to the coast. A boat is simply not in a winter Texan’s equation, and that makes many of the classic Laguna Madre fishing spots beyond their reach. Still, these elderly ladies and gentlemen catch their share of fish every year. Sometimes, they do better than some of the longtime residents do. Their secret? Sand. Lots and lots of sand. Winter Texans take advantage of the South Padre Island surf to provide them with the sort of fishing action they crave. If you drive on Padre Boulevard on SPI, or up and down Highway 100 through Port Isabel, you’ll see a plethora of trucks with out-of-state license plates and with PVC rod racks battened to their front grills, all of them bristling with 8- to 12-foot-long surf rods. Clusters of these trucks are parked up and down the island in February, their passengers sitting in lawn chairs, their rods now off the truck grill and in wroughtiron rodholders, baits out among the suds. Sooner than later, a rod begins bucking, and another fish is hauled onto the beach. The surf offers a great fishing opportunity for the land-bound angler, or even for the boat owner who wants a change of pace along with saving a few bucks in gas money. The same four-wheel-drive vehicle that T F & G

you take to the deer lease is well-suited to negotiate beach sand, and the sand along the high-tide line is packed down enough that some two-wheel-drive vehicles can get out to the suds (take a shovel with you, though, just in case you need to dig yourself out of a soft spot). A variety of fish will readily grab a bait presented by even the most inexperienced neophyte angler, and almost all of these fish are excellent table fare. The most common fish that swims up and down guts and bars of the Padre Island surf in February is the whiting. Actually, there are two types of whiting: the Gulf whiting and the Southern whiting. The Gulf whiting is most common in the surf, and is silver in color with a sleek profile. The stouter, squatter Southern whiting is more common in the bay and around passes, but is also present in the surf, especially around the Brazos-Santiago jetties. These are strong fish that will give a good hard yank when first hooked, then, after a token resistance, will obediently come along when they realize resistance is futile. These guys are plentiful—it doesn’t take long to catch enough of them for even the biggest fish fry. They are surprisingly large (they average 12-13 inches, but it isn’t uncommon to catch a half dozen bull whiting measuring between 18 and 20 inches during a fishing trip), and the clean white fillets fry up beautifully. A second fish that is worth every surf fisherman’s attention, and is actually a prize catch on any trip, is the Florida pompano. These scrappy cousins of the Tyson-esque jackfish and the cosmopolitan permit zoom up and down the surf in search of shrimp and sand fleas to gobble up. Sometimes they’ll grab a baited hook. They also average between one and three pounds, but their short, powerful bursts and bulldog determination make for sport on all but the stoutest Hatteras Heaver. As for their table qualities, a whole pompy baked inside a paper bag with butter, white wine, green onions,

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and mushrooms is a delicacy worthy of an Iron Chef (although Morimoto-san would probably turn it into ice cream or gelato, or some such abomination). Neither the whiting nor the pompano is difficult to catch. A 7 ½- to 9-foot surf rod matched with a 4000-6000 sized spinning reel spooled with 14 to 20-pound line is ideal. Most of your fishing is going to be in the wade gut, or up against the first bar, so pyramid and disc sinkers in the one- to two-ounce range is fine, and a box of #2 (not 2/0) Eagle Claw 066N 2X-Long shank hooks should cover your needs. Most fishermen get pre-fabricated double-stage leaders by the dozen at Wal Mart or at the bait shop for their terminal tackle. However, many wily fishermen know that a hand-made leader made from 30-pound mono is more effective in fooling leader-shy pompano. Simply pin a peeled bit of shrimp on each hook and flip your rig near the bar where the waves are breaking. It normally doesn’t take too long for a whiting to find it and give it a yank. Sometimes, a second whiting grabs the other bait while you’re reeling in the first one, and the double header is good for a few whoops when you drag it onto the sand. If you hook into a pompano, then the whoops get even louder. There is a very good reason to rig with heavier line ̶ redfish. Some of these bad boys are still roaming the surf. They’ll grab one of your little whiting/pompano rigs out of pure meanness and make the drag on your spinning reel sing. That’s when the whooping gets loudest of all.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Dolphin Cove SPECIES: Black Drum, Sand Trout TECHNIQUES: Fish with shrimp or crab on a bottom rig. Use heavier tackle if you’re after drum.

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UPPER GULF COAST

East End of East Mat for Specks by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: East End Reef GPS: N28 40.92096 W95 53.13696 (28.682016, -95.885616) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton soft plastics in Motor Oil, plum, Limetreuse or pearl with a ¼ ounce jig head CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Paradoski 713-725-2401 CharliePGuideService@gmail.com TIPS: When the wind will allow, slow drift mid bay structure. LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Tripod GPS: N28 40.14696 W95 54.81294 (28.669116, -95.913549) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Five inch Bass Assassins in Chicken on a Chain, Hot Chicken, Roach and Morning Glory colors CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Paradoski 713-725-2401 CharliePGuideService@gmail.com TIPS: Fish both the straight and paddle tail versions of the Bass Assassins to you find out which one the fish want. LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Half Moon Shoal GPS: N28 43.371 W95 46.22796 (28.72285, -95.770466) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in Motor Oil, plum, Limetreuse or pearl with a ¼ - 3/8 ounce jig head.

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

Choice of jig weight depends on water depth. CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Paradoski 713-725-2401 CharliePGuideService@gmail.com TIPS: Concentrate on slicks and small pods of nervous mullet and shad. LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Kilbride Reef GPS: N28 43.36098 W95 50.06892 (28.722683, -95.834482) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassin soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Paradoski 713-725-2401 CharliePGuideService@gmail.com TIPS: When the wind will allow, slow drift mid bay structure. LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Clear Lake Channel GPS: N29 33.13296 W95 1.94496 (29.552216, -95.032416) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Popping cork rig with live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Blake Sartor 832-385-2012 blakesartor@rocketmail.com TIPS: Sartor’s rig: popping corks, a split shot, with a 4-5’ long fluorocarbon leader, and hook. LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Burnett Bay GPS: N29 46.24998

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W95 3.1239 (29.770833, -95.052065) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in Motor Oil, plum, Limetreuse or pearl with a ¼--ounce jig head CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Birds are usually working in early morning and late evening. Presentation needs to be much slower. LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Morgan’s Point GPS: N29 40.509 W94 58.86096 (29.67515, -94.981016) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwater lures CONTACT: Capt. Blake Sartor 832-385-2012 blakesartor@rocketmail.com TIPS: A bigger topwater lure seems to work better in December. Slow down the retrieve. LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Scott Bay GPS: N29 44.637 W95 2.265 (29.74395, -95.037750) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in Motor Oil, plum, Limetreuse or pearl with a 1/8 - 3/8 ounce jig head depending on the depth of the water CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “Slow roll the lure back to the boat by lifting the rod tip instead of jerking the rod tip LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: The North Flats GPS: N29 42.14598 W94 51.24198 (29.702433, -94.854033) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics with 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig heads CONTACT: A L M A N A C

Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: If shallow use the 1/16-ounce jig head; out deep use a 1/8-ounce jig head. If you want the lure to stay in the strike zone longer, go to the lighter jig heads. LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Spillway GPS: N29 45.22296 W94 48.85692 (29.753716, -94.814282) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins with 1/16 ounce jig heads CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: Fish will be anywhere from 2 feet of water out to 7 feet of water. Drift and wade the bayou drains. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 15.765 W94 55.17696 (29.26275, -94.919616) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: MirrOdines CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: If there is an influx of water into the Galveston Bay System, Hillman likes to fish West Bay. Use a slow sinking, twitch bait. Favorite color on the MirrOdines is pink back/gold iridescent sides and lime/chartreuse belly. If the water is real clear he prefers black back/silver side/white belly. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: North Deer Island GPS: N29 16.96398 W94 56.22294 (29.282733, -94.937049) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Limetreuse Bass Assassin with 1/16-ounce jig head CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: Look for shell bottoms and deep mud guts. If water is off color, switch to a Red Shad color. LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton’s Bayou Shoreline GPS: N28 31.34196 W96 12.48894 T F & G

(28.522366, -96.208149) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Five inch Bass Assassins in Chicken on a Chain, Hot Chicken, Roach and Morning Glory colors using 1/8-ounce jig heads. CONTACT: Capt. Charlie Paradoski 713-725-2401 CharliePGuideService@gmail.com TIPS: Good wade fishing location for redfish.

attempt to keep the rod tip above your head at all times while supplying just short, brief pumps upon the lure. A couple recent reef trips have yielded impressive numbers of trout to 20-plus inches while throwing dark plastic baits. A particularly productive group of reefs in San Antonio Bay has been some of the skinny and elongated reefs that are located just adjacent to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Play Chicken with SA Specks by DUSTIN WARNCKE, CHRIS MARTIN and TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Chicken Foot Reef GPS: N28 15.92496 W96 47.34588 (28.265416, -96.789098) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Kelley Wigglers and Down South soft plastic lures mainly in dark colors with 1/8ounce jig heads CONTACT: Capt. Lynn Smith 361-935-6833 CaptLynn@TexasSaltwaterFishing.com TIPS: We will be concentrating on deeper reefs as the water cools down--shell and mud. Look for baitfish action and stay close to the channels. LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Cold Water Specs and Reds on SAB GPS: N28 13.63854 W96 47.08458 (28.227309, -96.784743) SPECIES: all species BEST BAITS: Plastic baits dangled beneath rattling corks or dark plastics in colors like Black Magic, Roach Chartreuse, and Plum Chartreuse. CONTACT: Capt. Chris Martin 888-677-4868 bayflatslodge@gmail.com www.bayflatslodge.com TIPS: Cold-water trout and redfish holding above shell and mud tend to be more active, and they are more likely to feed on baitfish, primarily wintertime mullet, that also seek the comforts of the warmer water atop the shell. During colder times, make it a point to work baits very slow as you

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Texas Hotspots LOWER GULF COAST

Deck the Specks at Holly Beach by CALIXTO GONZALES LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Marker 63 GPS: N26 14.343 W97 16.482 (26.23905, -97.2747) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Live bait, Gulp! Shrimp in New Penny; soft plastics in red/white, new penny, root beer, gold spoons. CONTACT: LG Outfitters 956-371-0220 lgonzales@lgoutfitters.com lgoutfitters.com TIPS: Trout hang out around the potholes in 3- to 4-feet of water. The traditional live bait and soft plastics work well, but a hidden gem is a 1/8ounce gold weedless spoon with a red trailer. If the sky is cloudy, or the water off-colored, switch to a chartreuse or glow trailer. Fish it with as slow a retrieve as you can. With a light, fast tip, you should feel the wobble of the spoon. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: East Kleberg Point GPS: N27 16.30002 W97 30.42594 (27.271667, -97.507099) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies and soft plastics in Plum, Mardi Gras, Rootbeer, Rootbeer/red Flake. CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-449-7441 brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Fishing stays pretty consistent in Baffin through February. Fish the rocks that are off the point in deeper water. Fish Corkies and eel-style soft plastics on light (1/16th ounce) jigheads. The lighter weights will facilitate slower fishing, which is the recommended strategy for winter trout. . LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 41.10354 W97 25.63914 (26.685059, -97.427319)

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Cut bait, live shrimp. Topwaters on warm days, soft plastics in Mullet, Smoke, Morning Glory. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: There are some big trout in this area, and they are hungry. Scan for big fish sunning themselves over mud. Swim a fresh mullet or a large topwater over them for best results. If the water is cooler, fish in deeper water with soft plastics or cut bait. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Queen Isabella Causeway GPS: N26 5.20602 W97 11.03898 (26.086767, -97.183983) SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, fresh shrimp. CONTACT: Captain Carlos Garcia 956-433-6094, 956-433-6028 southtexasredfish20@gmail.com TIPS: Fish live or fresh shrimp around causeway pilings on split shot rigs. These guys are notorious bait-stealers, so a smaller hook is the way to go. Some fishermen use a #2 long-shank hook like the Eagle Claw 066N to zap them, but a more effective hook may be a 1/0 LazerSharp L7226 Octopus-style hook. The short shank and wide gap has a higher hook-up ratio, and they seem to lodge in the corner of the sheepie’s mouth . LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Color Change GPS: N26 7.5 W97 13.99998 (26.125, -97.233333) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Live bait. Gulp! Shrimp in glow, new penny, gold spinnerbaits with red/white tail CONTACT: Captain Carlos Garcia 956-433-6094, 956-433-6028 southtexasredfish@gmail.com TIPS: Fish just inside the color change between clear and sandy water. The off-colored water retains warmth more effectively and offers cover for predators. You can work live shrimp or Gulp! tails under a popping or Alameda float. Fish slowly and deliberately. These trout may not be as aggressive as in spring, but they are there. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Atascosa Wildlife Refuge GPS: N26 10.24398

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W97 18.15498 (26.170733, -97.302583) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Live bait, cut bait. Soft plastics in dark patterns, chartreuse combos. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Crummy weather doesn’t seem to bother the spottails, which will forage in the dirty water kicked up by a north wind. On calmer days, try topwaters fished slowly along the shoreline. If the water is too messy, or nothing is biting, back off and switch to tails or bait on a popping cork rig. LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N26 1.665 W97 12.34698 (26.02775, -97.205783) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: : Live shrimp, finger mullet, soft plastics in red/white, pearl/glow, pearl/chartreuse. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Big trout live in South Bay year around. They’ll eat mullet, so try swimming a fresh one on a large Khale hook. Large topwaters and four to six-inch soft plastics also work well, too. Especially effective is a 7” BassAssassin in Red Shad.

PINEY WOODS

Points Well Taken by Fork Crappie by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake Points GPS: N32 49.59924 W95 35.88108 (32.826654, -95.598018) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows, feathered or plastic jigs CONTACT: Seth Vanover 903-736-4557 TIPS: Target the main-lake points that are near deep-water creeks. The fish will be in water ranging from 25 to 45 feet. Both plastic and feathered A L M A N A C

jigs will work but on some days the crappie will hit live minnows better than on other days. On the brighter days, the darker jigs will work best. LOCATION: Caddo HOTSPOT: River at Pine Island GPS: N32 41.97774 W94 6.06678 (32.699629, -94.101113) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Paul Keith 318-4553437 caddo1@att.net caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Crappie will be stacked up around brush along the edges of the main river channel. Look for them in four to eight feet of water close to the drop-offs into the river channel. Try both live minnows and jigs to find out which ones the crappie like the best. Red and white jigs often produce some of the better catches. Fish slowly. LOCATION: Caddo HOTSPOT: Big Cypress Bayou GPS: N32 42.3312 W94 6.88914 (32.70552, -94.114819) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, Swim Baits, Swim Jigs CONTACT: Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish around the main channel cuts at the bend on the upper end of the lake. The bass will bunch up heavy in these areas at this time of the year. Fish very slowly and cover as much of the areas as you can.

of fish. LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N30 27.01212 W95 34.83744 (30.450202, -95.580624) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, stink bait CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-7920 admin@fishdudetx.com fishdude.com TIPS: The larger catfish will start feeding in 15 to 20 feet of water. You may not catch a lot of them on some days but other days will make up for it. Fish the edges of the main river channel and off points next to channels. Bank access is available at Stowaway Marina. LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: Johnson Creek Bridge GPS: N32 47.62356 W94 32.83668 (32.793726, -94.547278) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, shrimp CONTACT: Sony Kopech 903-592-8221 SKopech@hotmail.com TIPS: Chum as close to the bridge pilings as possible. It is best to chum at least two to three pilings so you can move from one to another and still be fishing over fresh chum. Use a No. 4 treble hook on punch bait or a 3-0 circle hook on large shrimp.

Fish vertically over the chum, keeping your bait about one half one foot off the bottom. Re-chum the area when the action slows. LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: Main channel GPS: N32 49.6386 W94 40.2366 (32.82731, -94.670610) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic worms, lizards, crank baits CONTACT: Sonny Kopech 903-592-8221 SKopech@hotmail.co TIPS: Use plastic worms or lizards on a Carolina rig and fish the stumps along the edges of the river channel eastward to the long point. BlackBlue, Watermelon-Red and Red Shad are good colors to use. Fish deep-diving crank baits around the timber on cloudy mornings. LOCATION: Livingston HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake River Channel GPS: N30 48.18102 W95 8.81664 (30.803017, -95.146944) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh dead shad, live perch CONTACT: Dave Cox 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Bait a Carolina rig with fresh dead shad or live perch and either drift along the edges of the

LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake Channel GPS: N30 23.4309 W95 35.13528 (30.390515, -95.585588) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Live shad, Swim Shads CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-661-7920 admin@fishdudetx.com fishdude.com TIPS: The hybrid striped bass are beginning their aggressive feeding habits and should be in 16 to 22 feet of water along the edges of the main lake channel and along the edges of the humps bordering the main channel. Use live shad to be more productive but artificial lures such as the Swim Shad will work well if you find a large school T F & G

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Texas Hotspots old river channel on both sides of the Highway 190 bridge or anchor near the bridge and cast out to the upper banks of the channel. When fishing anchored up, move the bait slowly along the bottom. Expect to feel slight taps or pulls on the line that signal a fish has taken the bait. Set the hook hard. Several trophy catfish are caught this way along the channel. LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Greg’s Christmas Hotspot GPS: N31 46.03398 W93 49.48896 (31.767233, -93.824816) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs and Rat-L-Traps, crappie jigs, shiners CONTACT: Greg Crafts 293-368-7151 greg@toledobendguide.com toledobendguide.com TIPS: December is the time to kill two birds with one stone, or should I say two limits of fish with one rod and two baits in the same location. December also is the prime time to fish the north end of the lake for white bass and crappie. They will be bunched up in the same location on the channel sand bars and you can catch limits of each without having to move more than 100 yards.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Fayette Catfish Circling Buzzard by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: Buzzard Point GPS: N29 55.93998 W96 43.677 (29.932333, -96.727950) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, worms, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 972-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Anchor on the south side of the point and fish the baits on Carolina-rigs off the bottom. The south side of the point usually produces the best catches. Begin there and slowly work across

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the point until you find the bites. Chumming with soured maize will help produce more fish. LOCATION: Belton HOTSPOT: Park Points GPS: N31 7.56786 W97 30.87606 (31.126131, -97.514601) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or topwater baits in White, chrome or natural color. Watermelon Red soft plastics CONTACT: Henry Niemiec Sure Strike Guide Service 254-368-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: Early and later in the evening have proved to be the best times, however both largemouth and smallmouth are being caught throughout the day as well. The bass are usually chasing shad and feeding early and late in the day. Red soft plastics, fished along the rocked bluffs and around stick-ups will also produce fish.. LOCATION: Belton HOTSPOT: Temple Lake Park Cove GPS: N31 7.20192 W97 29.223 (31.120032, -97.487050) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Deep diving crankbait, flutter spoon, shallow running crankbait or spinnerbaits in shad or natural colors. CONTACT: Henry Niemiec - Sure Strike Guide Service 254-368-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: December is the time of the year to find bass on Central Texas lakes beginning to move to their winter holding areas. Look for bass feeding at the end of main lake points and where the main river channel runs close to large coves. This is where you will want to throw a “C”-rig, a deep diving crankbait or a flutter spoon. As the temperatures warm during the day, the bass will move up shallow to feed. Look for them at the beginning of creek channels and follow them into the backs of the coves. These fish will be looking for a quick meal so shallow running crankbait or spinnerbaits in shad or natural colors will work great. This pattern will last as long as the weather remains mild. Once the weather turns cold, these fish will move into their deep winter holding areas and remain there.

F I S H

G A M E ®

LOCATION: Lavon HOTSPOT: Dam GPS: N33 1.97304 W96 28.75596 (33.032884, -96.479266) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick 214-232-7847 straightlineguideservice@yahoo.com straiightlineguideservice.com TIPS: Fish live minnows along the face of the dam during the early-morning and late-evening hours. Look for any brushpiles or stickups along the dam. Use slip corks to keep the minnows from tangling up with the brush. LOCATION: Lewisville HOTSPOT: Main-Lake Points and River Channel

LOCATION: Cedar Creek

T E X A S

HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake Humps GPS: N32 14.02314 W96 6.28038 (32.233719, -96.104673) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Slabs, Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Locate the mid-lake humps with schools of shad on them. Bounce Slabs or Sassy Shad jigs off the bottom on top of the humps. Use chartreuse or chrome colors. Once you catch a fish, stick with that particular color. Live shad also will work but may be difficult to find at this time of the year. Try different humps to locate the fastest action. LOCATION: Gibbons Creek. HOTSPOT: Gibbons-Hog Creeks GPS: N30 37.6392 W96 3.95124 (30.62732, -96.065854) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 972-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Bait circle hooks with pieces of cut shad and drift across the intersection of Gibbons and Hog Creeks on a slow drift, letting the bait bump along the bottom in water ranging from 18 to 22 feet. Be prepared to catch some trophy-sized catfish at this time of the year.

T F & G

A L M A N A C

GPS: N33 7.14372 W96 57.80388 (33.119062, -96.963398) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cut buffalo, cut shad CONTACT: Bobby Kubin 817-455-2984 bobby@bobby-catfishing.com bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Bait the cut shad or buffalo on a 3-0 to 8-0 circle hook, using the larger hook if targeting trophy size blue catfish. Drift the edges of the main channel and off the main-lake points that drop gradually off into deeper water. The blue catfish will follow the points in and out into deep water in search of shad to feed on. If you aren’t drift fishing, anchor and cast from deep water toward the edges of the slopes off the points.

GPS: N31 57.75888 W96 9.41526 (31.962648, -96.156921) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: RSR Silver Glitter spoon, twoounce jigging spoon CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com gonefishin.biz TIPS: The fish will relate to the deep side of this point. You can expect to catch quality size white bass as well as some big hybrid stripers here at this time of the year. Fish 30-35 feet of water on or near the bottom. The fish sometimes will suspend out in deeper water (about 50 feet) so you may want to move out and try there by working the lures at various depths.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Dam Brush Piles GPS: N32 3.61758 W95 25.92138 (32.060293, -95.432023) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7799 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Crappie will be bunched up in the brush piles on the edge of the river channel near the dam. Use white/pink jigs for the best results. Work the jigs slowly and expect very light bites. Crappie also will be good under the Highway 155 bridges at about 16 feet in brush.

LOCATION: Somerville HOTSPOT: Birch Creek Humps GPS: N30 18.29496 W96 36.795 (30.304916, -96.61325) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, shrimp, earthworms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 972-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Fish live minnows, punch bait or earthworms and anchor over the humps. Fish the baits off the bottom using a circle hook on minnows and earthworms and a No. 4 or 6 treble hook on punch bait. Move occasionally to cover more areas.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Kickapoo Creek GPS: N32 16.57776 W95 29.69964 (32.276296, -95.494994) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, Shimmy Shakers, Craw worms CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Expect the water to be stained in Kickapoo Creek and Flat Creek. Look for bass in the backs of the creeks along their channels using jigs, Shimmy Shakers or Texas-rigged Craw Worms. There also should be some bass down by the dam along the rocky banks where the river flows in next to the shore. The jig should be your bait of choice.

LOCATION: Stillhouse Hollow HOTSPOT: Weed Beds GPS: N31 1.72872 W97 33.0057 (31.028812, -97.550095) SPECIES: largemouth bass

BEST BAITS: Chrome/blue back lipless crankbaits or a shad colored weightless flukes CONTACT: Henry Niemiec -Sure Strike Guide Service 254-368-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: The lake level is still dangerously low (9.75 feet low) and caution is a must. The water is stained at the lower end and clearer towards the dam. Fishing has been good early and then again in the evenings and both largemouths and a few smallmouths are being caught. Fish crankbaits along the edge of weed beds and flukes on top of weed beds. LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Sky Point GPS: N32 53.4261 W95 56.80956 (32.890435, -95.946826) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, Sassy Shads on leadhead jigs, spoons CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.co TIPS: Concentrate on the deepest or fastest dropoff at the end of the point. Work Slabs, spoons or Sassy Shad jigs in chartreuse, white and a combination of the two off the bottom, beginning at the top of the point and working out into deeper water to locate the bite. Watch your depth finder to locate schools of shad or schools of white bass. Start early in the morning and as the sun rises work your way out to the end of the point at the dropoff. LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Two Mile Bridge Area GPS: N32 54.34242 W95 58.83252

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Windsock Point T F & G

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T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

D E C E M B E R

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Texas Hotspots (32.905707, -95.980542) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Use your sonar unit to locate where the main channel crosses beneath the two-mile bridge. Chum both sides of the river channel beneath the bridge with soured maize. Also chum a bridge piling to the east and west side of the channel closer to the shorelines. Use punch bait on a No. 4 treble hook and fish vertically close to the edge of the channel or close to the bridge pilings. LOCATION: Waco HOTSPOT: Shoreline Rocks GPS: N31 35.28336 W97 12.86832 (31.588056, -97.214472) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Watermelon 1/4oz jig, flutter spoon CONTACT: Henry Niemiec -Sure Strike Guide Service 254-368-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: Early is the time to be on the lake and look for Largemouth Bass holding along rocky shorelines in 7 feet or less of water. After about 9AM a few can still be caught in the shallow water, however most have moved to deeper water. A good spot at this time is by the dam in about 40 foot of water and fish a flutter spoon down in about 26 to 28 foot of water. With the low water, be careful out there and always wear your PFD.

BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, slabs, live shad CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: The striped bass and white bass are making their annual migration up Brazos River channel and are feeding on the schools of shad in deep water. Bounce Slabs and soft plastic jigs off the bottom on the sides of the channel. Work the lures slowly and set the hook at the slightest tap on your lines. Look for the best action on the inside bends of the channel. LOCATION: Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Deep Water GPS: N33 3.40188 W101 2.5542 (33.056698, -101.04257) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, crankbaits, drop shots, jigs, or shaky heads with something blue as a trailer CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/norman_clayton.htm TIPS: The bass on Alan Henry will go deep in December. They will be suspended over deep water. One of the easiest ways to find them is to use your electronics to find them in the dam area suspended over the 50 to 60 foot water. You can then fish for them with spoons, or troll deep running crank baits to catch them. There will also be a few bass on the main lake points until the water gets really cold down in the lower 40s and upper 30s. Fish for these with drop shots, jigs, or shaky heads with something blue as a trailer.

BIG BEND

PANHANDLE

Think Inside the Box for Bass

Head Up River for Possum Stripers

by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE

by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N32 55.7199 W98 26.68464 (32.928665, -98.444744) SPECIES: striper

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LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Box Canyon GPS: N29 31.55466 W101 9.9786 (29.525911, -101.16631) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic worms, lizards, jigs T E X A S

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G A M E ®

T F & G

CONTACT: James Burkeen 830-734-9652 jjburkeen@gmail.com amistadfishin.com TIPS: Fish the plastic worms and lizards on a Carolina rig with an 18-inch leader and onequarter ounce weight. Fish the deep pockets in the middle of the draws and creek channels. Fish very slowly and look for a light bite. During the middle of the day, a deep-diving crank bait worked atop the grass in the deeper cuts will work. Let the lures tick the top of the grass beds for best results.

HILL COUNTRY

Austin Bass Get Pushed off Grass by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Austin HOTSPOT: Creeks and Docks GPS: N30 21.15636 W97 48.14964 (30.352606, -97.802494) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas-rigged V&M 7” Chopsticks, Wild Thang 8.5 Worms, and Flipping Adrenaline Jigs with Swamp Hog & Crazy Craw trailers. CONTACT: Brian Parker & Clint Wright - Lake Austin Fishing 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: Lake Austin is going through some changes with the TPWD dispersing grass carp in the lake this past spring and summer. The grass that was plentiful last year by Emma Long (City Park) but is non-existent now except for the edges. The grass carp have worked their way up to Quinlan ramp and this has scattered many of the larger bass to the grass edges, creek channels, and docks. As the water temperatures continue to cool, most of the bass are moving and chasing baitfish and bream. With this being the case, it is best to work all the grass edges from dawn to dusk. Working lures on the grass edges are producing up to 5-pound fish on top of the grass. Swim jigs are producing good fish around the rocks by the 360 bridge. As December rolls in, work lures down drops . When you find the bite depth, focus on fishing at that depth. This pattern has produced for A L M A N A C

the 5 years we’ve fished Lake Austin. LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake to Dam GPS: N30 45.22266 W98 25.85592 (30.753711, -98.430932) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Live shad, jigs, and topwaters lures. CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@yahoo.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: Striped and white bass excellent early and late in 20 to 30 feet fishing mid-lake to the Buchanan Dam. There has been significant top water early and late also with the smaller fish on top and larger under them. LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N30 45.49266 W98 25.95126 (30.758211, -98.432521) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Topwater lures and slabs. CONTACT: Ken Milam’s Guide Service (325) 379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net http://www.striperfever.com TIPS: Stripers are hitting on topwater lures early in the mornings and late in the evenings. Either down-rigging, pulling jigs, or live bait are also good options. Slabbing is another effective option. Don’t be a one-trick pony this time of year. With the water being low it is making a big impact on the stripers and hybrids. Most of the Stripers and Hybrids are being caught on the main lake. Be sure to watch for trees due to the low water levels. Things will continue to improve as the water cools off. LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Coves GPS: N30 47.66952 W98 26.86794 (30.794492, -98.447799) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, shrimp, punch bait, stink bait, chicken livers. CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasfishing@yahoo.com www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: Catfish are excellent early in the day and at night. Best fishing locations are down wind coves anywhere around the lake. Any normal type of catfish bait will get it done for the small eating T F & G

size. Big cats are slower right now but smaller catfishing action is good.

bank line on the left in the Mystic Shore area and the shoreline to the right of the boat ramp..

LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N30 48.04998 W98 23.61324 (30.800833, -98.393554) SPECIES: all species BEST BAITS: Catfish: Cut shad and worm, and cheese bait.

LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Fox Park GPS: N30 41.27802 W97 20.7336 (30.687967, -97.345560) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com gotcrappie.com TIPS: Use your sonar unit to locate the brush piles off this point. Fish small live minnows or chartreuse, black and red or yellow jigs in the brush piles. Expect the bite to be very light at this time of the year. The crappie should be stacked up in the heaviest brush.

Crappie: Live minnows, jigs. CONTACT: Ken Milam’s Guide Service (325) 379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net http://www.striperfever.com TIPS: Crappie action is improving as catches are starting to show up along the river channels. Concentrate on fishing the trees. Catfishing is good this time of year using various styles of baits and sticking to the main lake, river channels, and coves. . LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Potters Point GPS: N29 53.59446 W98 15.0027 (29.893241, -98.250045) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shads CONTACT: Steve Nixon 210-573-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Dead-sticking seems to always work better for us at this time of the year. This is a long point and we do best by fishing close to the river channel on the south side of the point. You are likely to catch some striped bass along with the white bass here. LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Potters Point GPS: N29 53.91954 W98 14.92626 (29.898659, -98.248771) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Bass Kandi Sticks, Jewel Jigs with Net Bait Trailers, Picasso spinnerbaits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com TIPS: Fish the edge of the drop-off around the point with Bass Kandi Sticks and other weightless Senko-type soft plastics. A drop shot rig also works well in this area, especially during the morning hours. Be sure to fish the point and down the

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Viva Zapata for Falcon Lunkers by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Zapata Area GPS: N26 54.4896 W99 14.01702 (26.90816, -99.233617) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, worms, CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robert@robertsfishntackle.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Pitch jigs and plastic worms or lizards into the tightest brush you can locate near the channels of the tributaries in this area. The fish should be holding tight into the cover where they lie I ambush for shad and other bait fish. On warm, cloudy mornings, don’t hesitate to cast top-water lures in the pockets. Some bass should be moving about searching for baitfish.

Find Thousands of Texas Fishing Hotspots with our HOTSPOT FINDER app: www.FishGame.com/hotspots

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Sportsman’s Daybook DECEMBER 2012

Tides and Prime Times

MONDAY

Nov 25 » Low Tide: 7:10 AM High Tide: 8:03 AM Low Tide: 2:47 PM High Tide: 10:50 PM

TUESDAY PRIME TIME

0.97ft. 0.98ft. 0.55ft. 1.32ft.

11:30A — 1:30P

26 Low Tide: 6:11 AM High Tide: 10:36 AM Low Tide: 3:40 PM High Tide: 11:10 PM

0.83ft. 0.97ft. 0.69ft. 1.29ft.

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME 12:00 — 2:00 PM

27 Low Tide: 6:09 AM High Tide: 12:12 PM Low Tide: 4:42 PM High Tide: 11:28 PM

0.64ft. 1.04ft. 0.82ft. 1.28ft.

THURSDAY

PRIME TIME 12:00 — 2:00 AM

28 Low Tide: 6:27 AM High Tide: 1:28 PM Low Tide: 5:49 PM High Tide: 11:44 PM

0.42ft. 1.17ft. 0.96ft. 1.28ft.

PRIME TIME 1:00 — 3:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: None Set: 12:45p AM Minor: 11:17a AM Major: 5:06a PM Minor: 11:39p PM Major: 5:28p Moon Overhead: 6:20a Moon Underfoot: 6:42p

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 12:43a Set: 1:19p AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:50a PM Minor: 12:01p PM Major: 6:12p Moon Overhead: 7:04a Moon Underfoot: 7:26p

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 1:38a Set: 1:53p AM Minor: 12:20a AM Major: 6:31a PM Minor: 12:43p PM Major: 6:54p Moon Overhead: 7:48a Moon Underfoot: 8:11p

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 2:35a Set: 2:30p AM Minor: 1:01a AM Major: 7:13a PM Minor: 1:25p PM Major: 7:37p Moon Overhead: 8:35a Moon Underfoot: 8:59p

2 l

3 «

4 «

5 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 12:51 AM Low Tide: 8:59 AM High Tide: 5:13 PM Low Tide: 9:39 PM

1.40ft. -0.47ft. 1.59ft. 1.31ft.

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 6:47a Set: 5:38p AM Minor: 4:13a AM Major: 10:28a PM Minor: 4:43p PM Major: 10:58p Moon Overhead: 12:13p Moon Underfoot: None

9 Low Tide: 4:25 AM High Tide: 9:21 AM Low Tide: 3:16 PM High Tide: 10:16 PM

0.58ft. 0.88ft. 0.34ft. 1.17ft.

PRIME TIME 11:30A — 1:30P

High Tide: 1:27 AM Low Tide: 9:46 AM High Tide: 6:05 PM Low Tide: 10:30 PM

PRIME TIME 1.43ft. -0.59ft. 1.60ft. 1.32ft.

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 7:52a Set: 6:38p AM Minor: 5:14a AM Major: 11:29a PM Minor: 5:44p PM Major: 12:00p Moon Overhead: 1:15p Moon Underfoot: 12:44a

10 º

Low Tide: 5:20 AM High Tide: 11:18 AM Low Tide: 4:33 PM High Tide: 10:45 PM

PRIME TIME 0.32ft. 0.90ft. 0.59ft. 1.12ft.

12:00 — 2:00 PM

High Tide: 2:10 AM Low Tide: 10:35 AM High Tide: 6:56 PM Low Tide: 11:25 PM

PRIME TIME 1.44ft. -0.62ft. 1.57ft. 1.29ft.

1:30 — 3:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 8:52a Set: 7:43p AM Minor: 6:18a AM Major: 12:03a PM Minor: 6:49p PM Major: 12:33p Moon Overhead: 2:17p Moon Underfoot: 1:46a

11 Low Tide: 6:08 AM High Tide: 1:03 PM Low Tide: 6:04 PM High Tide: 11:12 PM

0.08ft. 1.00ft. 0.79ft. 1.10ft.

PRIME TIME 7:30 — 9:30 PM

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 3:01 AM 1.39ft. Low Tide: 11:27 AM -0.56ft. High Tide: 7:44 PM 1.50ft.

2:30 — 3:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 9:47a Set: 8:50p AM Minor: 7:24a AM Major: 1:09a PM Minor: 7:54p PM Major: 1:39p Moon Overhead: 3:17p Moon Underfoot: 2:47a

12 Low Tide: 6:51 AM High Tide: 2:28 PM Low Tide: 7:32 PM High Tide: 11:37 PM

-0.13ft. 1.11ft. 0.92ft. 1.09ft.

PRIME TIME 2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 12:41p Set: 12:05a AM Minor: 11:23a AM Major: 5:10a PM Minor: 11:47p PM Major: 5:35p Moon Overhead: 6:50p Moon Underfoot: 6:26a

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 1:18p Set: 1:06a AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:59a PM Minor: 12:11p PM Major: 6:23p Moon Overhead: 7:39p Moon Underfoot: 7:15a

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 1:55p Set: 2:05a AM Minor: 12:32a AM Major: 6:43a PM Minor: 12:55p PM Major: 7:07p Moon Overhead: 8:26p Moon Underfoot: 8:02a

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 2:33p Set: 3:03a AM Minor: 1:14a AM Major: 7:26a PM Minor: 1:38p PM Major: 7:50p Moon Overhead: 9:14p Moon Underfoot: 8:50a

16 «

17 «

18 ¡

19 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 12:58 AM Low Tide: 9:20 AM High Tide: 5:39 PM Low Tide: 10:37 PM

1.12ft. -0.45ft. 1.25ft. 1.09ft.

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 5:26p Set: 6:42a AM Minor: 4:10a AM Major: 10:22a PM Minor: 4:34p PM Major: 10:47p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:04p

23 Low Tide: 2:48 AM High Tide: 5:49 AM Low Tide: 1:06 PM High Tide: 9:05 PM

0.69ft. 0.71ft. 0.14ft. 1.01ft.

PRIME TIME 10:00A — 12:00P

Sunrise: 7:32a Set: 5:39p Moonrise: 11:29p Set: 11:19a AM Minor: 9:53a AM Major: 3:42a PM Minor: 10:14p PM Major: 4:04p Moon Overhead: 5:00a Moon Underfoot: 5:21p

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D E C E M B E R

High Tide: 1:29 AM Low Tide: 9:54 AM High Tide: 6:11 PM Low Tide: 10:48 PM

PRIME TIME 1.13ft. -0.44ft. 1.22ft. 1.07ft.

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 6:15p Set: 7:30a AM Minor: 4:58a AM Major: 11:10a PM Minor: 5:22p PM Major: 11:34p Moon Overhead: 12:28a Moon Underfoot: 12:53p

24 »

Low Tide: 3:40 AM High Tide: 8:22 AM Low Tide: 1:42 PM High Tide: 9:24 PM

PRIME TIME 0.54ft. 0.62ft. 0.31ft. 0.98ft.

11:00A — 1:00P

Sunrise: 7:32a Set: 5:39p Moonrise: None Set: 11:52a AM Minor: 10:39a AM Major: 4:28a PM Minor: 11:01p PM Major: 4:50p Moon Overhead: 5:43a Moon Underfoot: 6:05p

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T E X A S

F I S H

High Tide: 2:02 AM Low Tide: 10:26 AM High Tide: 6:43 PM Low Tide: 11:08 PM

PRIME TIME 1.11ft. -0.40ft. 1.19ft. 1.03ft.

6:30 — 8:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 7:06p Set: 8:16a AM Minor: 5:47a AM Major: 11:59a PM Minor: 6:11p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 1:17a Moon Underfoot: 1:40p

25 Low Tide: 4:19 AM High Tide: 10:30 AM Low Tide: 2:25 PM High Tide: 9:39 PM

0.35ft. 0.63ft. 0.49ft. 0.96ft.

PRIME TIME 12:00 — 2:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:33a Set: 5:40p Moonrise: 12:24a Set: 12:26p AM Minor: 11:25a AM Major: 5:14a PM Minor: 11:48p PM Major: 5:36p Moon Overhead: 6:27a Moon Underfoot: 6:50p

G A M E ®

T F & G

High Tide: 2:33 AM Low Tide: 10:59 AM High Tide: 7:15 PM Low Tide: 11:44 PM

PRIME TIME 1.08ft. -0.33ft. 1.16ft. 0.98ft.

7:00 — 9:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:30a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 7:58p Set: 8:58a AM Minor: 6:37a AM Major: 12:26a PM Minor: 7:00p PM Major: 12:49p Moon Overhead: 2:04a Moon Underfoot: 2:27p

26 Low Tide: 4:58 AM High Tide: 12:19 PM Low Tide: 3:21 PM High Tide: 9:52 PM

0.14ft. 0.74ft. 0.67ft. 0.97ft.

PRIME TIME 12:00 — 2:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:33a Set: 5:41p Moonrise: 1:20a Set: 1:03p AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:59a PM Minor: 12:11p PM Major: 6:23p Moon Overhead: 7:14a Moon Underfoot: 7:38p

A L M A N A C

SYMBOL KEY

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 Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass Jetty Sabine Pass Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty Port Bolivar

FRIDAY

29 Low Tide: 6:57 AM High Tide: 2:30 PM Low Tide: 6:55 PM

0.18ft. 1.31ft. 1.07ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 3:35a Set: 3:09p AM Minor: 1:44a AM Major: 7:56a PM Minor: 2:09p PM Major: 8:22p Moon Overhead: 9:24a Moon Underfoot: 9:50p

6 Low Tide: 12:32 AM High Tide: 4:03 AM Low Tide: 12:19 PM High Tide: 8:29 PM

1.20ft. 1.29ft. -0.41ft. 1.42ft.

PRIME TIME 8:00 — 10:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 10:37a Set: 9:57p AM Minor: 8:30a AM Major: 2:16a PM Minor: 8:59p PM Major: 2:44p Moon Overhead: 4:15p Moon Underfoot: 3:46a

13 Low Tide: 7:31 AM High Tide: 3:32 PM Low Tide: 8:44 PM

-0.28ft. 1.20ft. 1.01ft.

PRIME TIME 2:30 — 4:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 3:13p Set: 4:00a AM Minor: 1:57a AM Major: 8:09a PM Minor: 2:21p PM Major: 8:33p Moon Overhead: 10:02p Moon Underfoot: 9:38a

20 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 3:03 AM 1.02ft. Low Tide: 11:30 AM -0.25ft. High Tide: 7:45 PM 1.13ft.

7:30 — 9:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:30a Set: 5:37p Moonrise: 8:51p Set: 9:36a AM Minor: 7:27a AM Major: 1:16a PM Minor: 7:50p PM Major: 1:39p Moon Overhead: 2:49a Moon Underfoot: 3:12p

27 Low Tide: 5:39 AM High Tide: 1:44 PM Low Tide: 4:38 PM High Tide: 10:08 PM

-0.10ft. 0.89ft. 0.83ft. 1.00ft.

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 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 Eagle Point +3:54 Clear Lake +6:05 Morgans Point +10:21 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

LOW

PRIME TIME 1:00 — 3:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 5:41p Moonrise: 2:19a Set: 1:44p AM Minor: 12:32a AM Major: 6:44a PM Minor: 12:57p PM Major: 7:10p Moon Overhead: 8:04a Moon Underfoot: 8:30p

T F & G

30 High Tide: 12:01 AM Low Tide: 7:33 AM High Tide: 3:27 PM Low Tide: 7:55 PM

1.31ft. -0.07ft. 1.44ft. 1.17ft.

Low Tide: 1:53 AM High Tide: 5:28 AM Low Tide: 1:14 PM High Tide: 9:09 PM

1.05ft. 1.13ft. -0.19ft. 1.32ft.

PRIME TIME 3:00 — 5:00 AM

PRIME TIME 4:00 — 6:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 11:21a Set: 11:02p AM Minor: 9:32a AM Major: 3:19a PM Minor: 10:00p PM Major: 3:46p Moon Overhead: 5:09p Moon Underfoot: 4:42a

14 High Tide: 12:03 AM Low Tide: 8:10 AM High Tide: 4:22 PM Low Tide: 9:39 PM

1.10ft. -0.38ft. 1.25ft. 1.06ft.

PRIME TIME 3:30 — 5:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 5:35p Moonrise: 3:55p Set: 4:56a AM Minor: 2:39a AM Major: 8:52a PM Minor: 3:04p PM Major: 9:16p Moon Overhead: 10:51p Moon Underfoot: 10:26a

21 Low Tide: 12:33 AM High Tide: 3:32 AM Low Tide: 12:02 PM High Tide: 8:15 PM

0.91ft. 0.94ft. -0.14ft. 1.09ft.

PRIME TIME 8:00 — 10:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:31a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 9:43p Set: 10:12a AM Minor: 8:17a AM Major: 2:06a PM Minor: 8:39p PM Major: 2:28p Moon Overhead: 3:34a Moon Underfoot: 3:55p

28 Low Tide: 6:23 AM High Tide: 2:46 PM Low Tide: 6:08 PM High Tide: 10:36 PM

-0.35ft. 1.04ft. 0.95ft. 1.06ft.

PRIME TIME 2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 5:42p Moonrise: 3:21a Set: 2:30p AM Minor: 1:18a AM Major: 7:32a PM Minor: 1:45p PM Major: 7:59p Moon Overhead: 8:57a Moon Underfoot: 9:25p

A L M A N A C

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 4:37a Set: 3:53p AM Minor: 2:29a AM Major: 8:42a PM Minor: 2:56p PM Major: 9:09p Moon Overhead: 10:17a Moon Underfoot: 10:45p

KEY PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay Gilchrist, East Bay Jamaica Beach, W. Bay Alligator Point, W. Bay Christmas Pt Galveston Pleasure Pier

+0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

SATURDAY PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME

BEST DAYS

New First Full Last Good Moon Qtr Moon Qtr Day

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

T E X A S

Dec 1 « High Tide: 12:23 AM Low Tide: 8:14 AM High Tide: 4:20 PM Low Tide: 8:49 PM

PRIME TIME 1.35ft. -0.29ft. 1.53ft. 1.26ft.

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 5:42a Set: 4:43p AM Minor: 3:18a AM Major: 9:33a PM Minor: 3:47p PM Major: 10:01p Moon Overhead: 11:14a Moon Underfoot: 11:43p

8 Low Tide: 3:17 AM High Tide: 7:19 AM Low Tide: 2:12 PM High Tide: 9:44 PM

0.84ft. 0.97ft. 0.07ft. 1.24ft.

PRIME TIME 11:00A — 1:00P

Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 5:34p Moonrise: 12:02p Set: None AM Minor: 10:30a AM Major: 4:17a PM Minor: 10:56p PM Major: 4:43p Moon Overhead: 6:01p Moon Underfoot: 5:35a

15 High Tide: 12:29 AM Low Tide: 8:45 AM High Tide: 5:03 PM Low Tide: 10:17 PM

1.11ft. -0.43ft. 1.26ft. 1.08ft.

PRIME TIME 4:30 — 6:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 5:36p Moonrise: 4:39p Set: 5:50a AM Minor: 3:24a AM Major: 9:36a PM Minor: 3:48p PM Major: 10:00p Moon Overhead: 11:40p Moon Underfoot: 11:15a

22 Low Tide: 1:37 AM High Tide: 4:10 AM Low Tide: 12:33 PM High Tide: 8:41 PM

0.82ft. 0.83ft. -0.01ft. 1.05ft.

PRIME TIME 9:00 — 11:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:31a Set: 5:38p Moonrise: 10:36p Set: 10:46a AM Minor: 9:05a AM Major: 2:55a PM Minor: 9:27p PM Major: 3:16p Moon Overhead: 4:17a Moon Underfoot: 4:39p

29 Low Tide: 7:10 AM High Tide: 3:37 PM Low Tide: 7:28 PM High Tide: 11:20 PM

-0.58ft. 1.16ft. 1.03ft. 1.11ft.

PRIME TIME 3:00 — 5:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 5:42p Moonrise: 4:25a Set: 3:21p AM Minor: 2:07a AM Major: 8:22a PM Minor: 2:36p PM Major: 8:51p Moon Overhead: 9:54a Moon Underfoot: 10:24p

F I S H

G A M E ®

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

KEY PLACE San Luis Pass Freeport Harbor Pass Cavallo Aransas Pass Padre Island (So. End) Port Isabel

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

The facing pages contain TIDE predictions for GALVESTON CHANNEL (29.3166° N, 94.88° W) and SOLUNAR forecast for TEXAS CENTER (31.14° N, 99.39° W) TIDE PREDICTIONS are in the upper white boxes. Use the Correction Table above, keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times. SOLUNAR ACTIVITY in the green boxes show major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species. AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours. 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. 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 set during these periods will cause even greater action.

Mon 30

Low Tide: 7:58 AM High Tide: 4:23 PM Low Tide: 8:29 PM

PRIME PRIME TIME TIME -0.77ft. 1.24ft. 1.05ft.

3:30 — 5:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 5:43p Moonrise: 5:30a Set: 4:18p AM Minor: 3:00a AM Major: 9:15a PM Minor: 3:30p PM Major: 9:45p Moon Overhead: 10:55a Moon Underfoot: 11:25p

Tue 31

High Tide: 12:17 AM Low Tide: 8:47 AM High Tide: 5:06 PM Low Tide: 9:27 PM

PRIME TIME 1.16ft. -0.90ft. 1.26ft. 0.99ft

4:30 — 6:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:35a Set: 5:44p Moonrise: 6:33a Set: 5:21p AM Minor: 3:56a AM Major: 10:12a PM Minor: 4:28p PM Major: 10:43p Moon Overhead: 11:57a Moon Underfoot: None

D E C E M B E R

2 0 1 3

Sportsman’s Daybook DECEMBER 2013

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (29.3166° N, 94.88° W).

T12

T11

T10

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the upper white boxes on the Calendar Pages. Use the Correction Table below, which is keyed to 23 other tide stations, to adjust low and high tide times.

T9 T8 T7

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the lower color boxes of the Calendar pages. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE below to adjust times for points East and West of Galveston Channel.

T15 T16

T6 T17

T3 T2 T1

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below. SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T5

T14

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

T18

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month. PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine the adjustment from the time shown for GALVESTON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY PLACE T1 Sabine Bank Lighthouse T2 Sabine Pass Jetty T3 Sabine Pass T4 Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass T5 Galveston Bay, S. Jetty T6 Port Bolivar

HIGH -1:46 -1:26 -1:00 -0:04 -0:39 +0:14

LOW -1:31 -1:31 -1:15 -0:25 -1:05 -0:06

KEY PLACE HIGH Galveston Channel/Bays T7 Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +3:54 T8 Eagle Point +6:05 T9 Clear Lake +10:21 T10 Morgans Point Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 T11

LOW +0:41 +4:15 +6:40 +5:19 +5:15

KEY PLACE Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12 Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14 Alligator Point, W. Bay T15 Christmas Pt T16 Galveston Pleasure Pier T17

HIGH +5:48 +3:16 +2:38 +2:39 +2:32 -1:06

LOW +4:43 +4:18 +3:31 +2:33 +2:31 -1:06

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

12p

12a

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

MINOR Feeding Periods (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Time Moon is at its Highest Point in the Sky

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:

12a

AM/PM Timeline

80 |

AM/PM Timeline Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

D E C E M B E R

12a

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.) Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

2 0 1 3

KEY PLACE San Luis Pass T18 Freeport Harbor T19 Pass Cavallo T20 Aransas Pass T21 Padre Island (So. End) T22 Port Isabel T23

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

T F & G

A L M A N A C

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

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

25 »

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 5:21p Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: None Set: 12:26p Moonrise: 12:25a Set: 1:00p

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 2:16a Set: 2:12p

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 3:14a Set: 2:53p

Dec 1 «

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 4:16a Set: 3:37p

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 5:20a Set: 4:27p

AM Minor: 10:59a

PM Minor: 11:21p

AM Minor: 11:43a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:02a

PM Minor: 12:25p

AM Minor: 12:43a

PM Minor: 1:07p

AM Minor: 1:26a

PM Minor: 1:51p

AM Minor: 2:11a

PM Minor: 2:38p

AM Minor: 3:00a

PM Minor: 3:29p

AM Major: 4:48a

PM Major: 5:10p

AM Major: 5:32a

PM Major: 5:54p

AM Major: 6:13a

PM Major: 6:36p

AM Major: 6:55a

PM Major: 7:19p

AM Major: 7:38a

PM Major: 8:04p

AM Major: 8:24a

PM Major: 8:51p

AM Major: 9:15a

PM Major: 9:43p

Moon Overhead: 6:02a

12a

Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 1:20a Set: 1:35p

THURSDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:30a

Moon Overhead: 6:45a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:16a

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 9:59a

Moon Overhead: 9:06a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 10:55a 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 6:23p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

Low Tide: 7:10 AM High Tide: 8:03 AM Low Tide: 2:47 PM High Tide: 10:50 PM

Moon Underfoot: 7:53p

Moon Underfoot: 8:41p

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM 12:00 — 2:00 AM

0.97ft. 0.98ft. 0.55ft. 1.32ft.

Low Tide: 6:11 AM High Tide: 10:36 AM Low Tide: 3:40 PM High Tide: 11:10 PM

0.83ft. 0.97ft. 0.69ft. 1.29ft.

T F & G

Low Tide: 6:09 AM High Tide: 12:12 PM Low Tide: 4:42 PM High Tide: 11:28 PM

A L M A N A C

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 AM

0.64ft. 1.04ft. 0.82ft. 1.28ft.

0.42ft. 1.17ft. 0.96ft. 1.28ft.

F I S H

Low Tide: 6:57 AM High Tide: 2:30 PM Low Tide: 6:55 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:26p BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Low Tide: 6:27 AM High Tide: 1:28 PM Low Tide: 5:49 PM High Tide: 11:44 PM

T E X A S

Moon Underfoot: 9:32p

G A M E ®

High Tide: 12:01 AM Low Tide: 7:33 AM High Tide: 3:27 PM Low Tide: 7:55 PM

+2.0

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 AM

0.18ft. 1.31ft. 1.07ft.

Moon Underfoot: 11:24p 4:00 — 6:00 AM

1.31ft. -0.07ft. 1.44ft. 1.17ft.

D E C E M B E R

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 7:07p

High Tide: 12:23 AM Low Tide: 8:14 AM High Tide: 4:20 PM Low Tide: 8:49 PM

2 0 1 3

1.35ft. -0.29ft. 1.53ft. 1.26ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

Sportsman’s Daybook

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

2 l

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 6:25a Set: 5:23p

TUESDAY

3 «

THURSDAY

4 «

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 7:29a Set: 6:23p

FRIDAY

5 «

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 8:30a Set: 7:28p

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 9:25a Set: 8:34p

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 10:16a Set: 9:40p

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 5:20p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 11:01a Set: 10:45p Moonrise: 11:43a Set: 11:47p

AM Minor: 3:55a

PM Minor: 4:25p

AM Minor: 4:55a

PM Minor: 5:26p

AM Minor: 6:00a

PM Minor: 6:31p

AM Minor: 7:06a

PM Minor: 7:36p

AM Minor: 8:12a

PM Minor: 8:41p

AM Minor: 9:14a

PM Minor: 9:41p

AM Minor: 10:12a

PM Minor: 10:38p

AM Major: 10:10a

PM Major: 10:40p

AM Major: 11:11a

PM Major: 11:42p

AM Major: 11:41a

PM Major: 12:15p

AM Major: 12:51a

PM Major: 1:21p

AM Major: 1:58a

PM Major: 2:26p

AM Major: 3:01a

PM Major: 3:28p

AM Major: 3:59a

PM Major: 4:25p

Moon Overhead: 11:55a

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:58p

Moon Overhead: 12:56p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 2:58p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:50p

Moon Overhead: 3:56p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:42p 12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2013

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: None

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

High Tide: 12:51 AM Low Tide: 8:59 AM High Tide: 5:13 PM Low Tide: 9:39 PM

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

1.40ft. -0.47ft. 1.59ft. 1.31ft.

High Tide: 1:27 AM Low Tide: 9:46 AM High Tide: 6:05 PM Low Tide: 10:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 1:27a 1:30 — 3:30 PM

1.43ft. -0.59ft. 1.60ft. 1.32ft.

High Tide: 2:10 AM Low Tide: 10:35 AM High Tide: 6:56 PM Low Tide: 11:25 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:28a BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 3:27a BEST:

BEST:

2:30 — 3:30 PM 8:00 — 10:00 AM

1.44ft. High Tide: 3:01 AM 1.39ft. -0.62ft. Low Tide: 11:27 AM -0.56ft. 1.57ft. High Tide: 7:44 PM 1.50ft. 1.29ft.

Low Tide: 12:32 AM High Tide: 4:03 AM Low Tide: 12:19 PM High Tide: 8:29 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:24a 4:00 — 6:00 PM

1.20ft. 1.29ft. -0.41ft. 1.42ft.

Low Tide: 1:53 AM High Tide: 5:28 AM Low Tide: 1:14 PM High Tide: 9:09 PM

1.05ft. 1.13ft. -0.19ft. 1.32ft.

Moon Underfoot: 5:17a

+2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Low Tide: 3:17 AM High Tide: 7:19 AM Low Tide: 2:12 PM High Tide: 9:44 PM

0.84ft. 0.97ft. 0.07ft. 1.24ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 12:25a

+1.0 0 -1.0

Sportsman’s Daybook

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 5:20p Moonrise: 12:22p Set: None

TUESDAY

10 º

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 5:21p Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 1:00p Set: 12:47a Moonrise: 1:38p Set: 1:45a

THURSDAY

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 2:16p Set: 2:42a

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 2:57p Set: 3:39a

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:22p Moonrise: 3:39p Set: 4:34a

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 5:22p Moonrise: 4:24p Set: 5:28a

AM Minor: 11:05a

PM Minor: 11:29p

AM Minor: 11:53a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:14a

PM Minor: 12:37p

AM Minor: 12:56a

PM Minor: 1:20p

AM Minor: 1:39a

PM Minor: 2:03p

AM Minor: 2:21a

PM Minor: 2:46p

AM Minor: 3:06a

PM Minor: 3:30p

AM Major: 4:52a

PM Major: 5:17p

AM Major: 5:41a

PM Major: 6:05p

AM Major: 6:25a

PM Major: 6:49p

AM Major: 7:08a

PM Major: 7:32p

AM Major: 7:51a

PM Major: 8:15p

AM Major: 8:34a

PM Major: 8:58p

AM Major: 9:18a

PM Major: 9:42p

Moon Overhead: 6:32p

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:08p

Moon Overhead: 7:20p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:55p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:32p

Moon Overhead: 9:44p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 11:21p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 6:07a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

Low Tide: 4:25 AM High Tide: 9:21 AM Low Tide: 3:16 PM High Tide: 10:16 PM

12:00 — 2:00 PM

0.58ft. 0.88ft. 0.34ft. 1.17ft.

Low Tide: 5:20 AM High Tide: 11:18 AM Low Tide: 4:33 PM High Tide: 10:45 PM

0.32ft. 0.90ft. 0.59ft. 1.12ft.

Moon Underfoot: 7:44a BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 8:31a BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 PM 2:00 — 4:00 AM

Low Tide: 6:08 AM High Tide: 1:03 PM Low Tide: 6:04 PM High Tide: 11:12 PM

0.08ft. 1.00ft. 0.79ft. 1.10ft.

Low Tide: 6:51 AM High Tide: 2:28 PM Low Tide: 7:32 PM High Tide: 11:37 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:19a BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

-0.13ft. Low Tide: 7:31 AM 1.11ft. High Tide: 3:32 PM 0.92ft. Low Tide: 8:44 PM 1.09ft.

Moon Underfoot: 10:08a BEST:

+2.0

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

-0.28ft. High Tide: 12:03 AM 1.20ft. Low Tide: 8:10 AM 1.01ft. High Tide: 4:22 PM Low Tide: 9:39 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:57a 4:30 — 6:30 AM

1.10ft. -0.38ft. 1.25ft. 1.06ft.

High Tide: 12:29 AM Low Tide: 8:45 AM High Tide: 5:03 PM Low Tide: 10:17 PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:56a

1.11ft. -0.43ft. 1.26ft. 1.08ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2013

16 «

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:22p Moonrise: 5:11p Set: 6:19a

WEDNESDAY

17 «

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:23p Moonrise: 6:00p Set: 7:08a

THURSDAY

18 ¡

FRIDAY

19 «

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:23p Moonrise: 6:51p Set: 7:54a

20 «

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:23p Moonrise: 7:43p Set: 8:36a

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:24p Moonrise: 8:34p Set: 9:15a

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:24p Moonrise: 9:26p Set: 9:51a

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:25p Moonrise: 10:18p Set: 10:26a

AM Minor: 3:52a

PM Minor: 4:16p

AM Minor: 4:40a

PM Minor: 5:04p

AM Minor: 5:29a

PM Minor: 5:53p

AM Minor: 6:19a

PM Minor: 6:42p

AM Minor: 7:09a

PM Minor: 7:32p

AM Minor: 7:59a

PM Minor: 8:21p

AM Minor: 8:47a

PM Minor: 9:09p

AM Major: 10:04a

PM Major: 10:28p

AM Major: 10:52a

PM Major: 11:16p

AM Major: 11:41a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:08a

PM Major: 12:31p

AM Major: 12:58a

PM Major: 1:21p

AM Major: 1:48a

PM Major: 2:10p

AM Major: 2:37a

PM Major: 2:58p

Moon Overhead: None

12a

TUESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:58a

Moon Overhead: 12:10a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:45a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:15a

Moon Overhead: 2:31a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 3:59a 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 11:45a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

High Tide: 12:58 AM Low Tide: 9:20 AM High Tide: 5:39 PM Low Tide: 10:37 PM

Moon Underfoot: 1:22p BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

1.12ft. -0.45ft. 1.25ft. 1.09ft.

High Tide: 1:29 AM Low Tide: 9:54 AM High Tide: 6:11 PM Low Tide: 10:48 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:08p BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 AM

1.13ft. -0.44ft. 1.22ft. 1.07ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 2:02 AM Low Tide: 10:26 AM High Tide: 6:43 PM Low Tide: 11:08 PM

A L M A N A C

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 AM

1.11ft. -0.40ft. 1.19ft. 1.03ft.

7:30 — 9:30 AM

High Tide: 2:33 AM Low Tide: 10:59 AM High Tide: 7:15 PM Low Tide: 11:44 PM

T E X A S

Moon Underfoot: 2:53p

1.08ft. High Tide: 3:03 AM 1.02ft. -0.33ft. Low Tide: 11:30 AM -0.25ft. 1.16ft. High Tide: 7:45 PM 1.13ft. 0.98ft.

F I S H

G A M E ®

Moon Underfoot: 3:37p BEST:

+2.0

BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Low Tide: 12:33 AM High Tide: 3:32 AM Low Tide: 12:02 PM High Tide: 8:15 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:20p 9:00 — 11:00 AM

0.91ft. 0.94ft. -0.14ft. 1.09ft.

D E C E M B E R

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 12:34p

Low Tide: 1:37 AM High Tide: 4:10 AM Low Tide: 12:33 PM High Tide: 8:41 PM

2 0 1 3

0.82ft. 0.83ft. -0.01ft. 1.05ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

Sportsman’s Daybook

SYMBOL KEY = New Moon l º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day n = Best Day SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

= FALLING TIDE = RISING TIDE = DAYLIGHT HOURS = NIGHTTIME HOURS

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

24 »

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:25p Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:26p Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:26p Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:27p Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 5:27p Moonrise: 11:11p Set: 11:00a Moonrise: None Set: 11:34a Moonrise: 12:04a Set: 12:09p Moonrise: 1:00a Set: 12:46p Moonrise: 1:58a Set: 1:28p

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:29p Moonrise: 4:03a Set: 3:06p

AM Minor: 9:35a

PM Minor: 9:56p

AM Minor: 10:21a

PM Minor: 10:43p

AM Minor: 11:07a

PM Minor: 11:29p

AM Minor: 11:53a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:13a

PM Minor: 12:39p

AM Minor: 1:00a

PM Minor: 1:27p

AM Minor: 1:49a

PM Minor: 2:18p

AM Major: 3:24a

PM Major: 3:46p

AM Major: 4:10a

PM Major: 4:32p

AM Major: 4:55a

PM Major: 5:18p

AM Major: 5:41a

PM Major: 6:04p

AM Major: 6:26a

PM Major: 6:52p

AM Major: 7:14a

PM Major: 7:41p

AM Major: 8:04a

PM Major: 8:33p

Moon Overhead: 4:41a

12a

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:28p Moonrise: 3:00a Set: 2:14p

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:09a

Moon Overhead: 5:25a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:55a

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:38a

Moon Overhead: 7:45a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for DECEMBER 2013

Moon Overhead: 9:36a 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 5:03p

+2.0 TIDE LEVELS

0 -1.0

BEST:

10:00A — 12:00P

0.69ft. 0.71ft. 0.14ft. 1.01ft.

30 «

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:29p Moonrise: 5:07a Set: 4:03p

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Low Tide: 3:40 AM High Tide: 8:22 AM Low Tide: 1:42 PM High Tide: 9:24 PM

0.54ft. 0.62ft. 0.31ft. 0.98ft.

31 «

0.35ft. 0.63ft. 0.49ft. 0.96ft.

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 AM

Low Tide: 4:58 AM High Tide: 12:19 PM Low Tide: 3:21 PM High Tide: 9:52 PM

0.14ft. 0.74ft. 0.67ft. 0.97ft.

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:31p Moonrise: 7:09a Set: 6:13p

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:31p Moonrise: 8:04a Set: 7:21p

-0.10ft. 0.89ft. 0.83ft. 1.00ft.

FRIDAY

3 «

Low Tide: 6:23 AM High Tide: 2:46 PM Low Tide: 6:08 PM High Tide: 10:36 PM

-0.35ft. 1.04ft. 0.95ft. 1.06ft.

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:33p Moonrise: 9:38a Set: 9:34p

Low Tide: 7:10 AM High Tide: 3:37 PM Low Tide: 7:28 PM High Tide: 11:20 PM

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:33p Moonrise: 10:19a Set: 10:37p

AM Minor: 3:38a

PM Minor: 4:09p

AM Minor: 4:39a

PM Minor: 5:10p

AM Minor: 5:42a

PM Minor: 6:12p

AM Minor: 6:45a

PM Minor: 7:14p

AM Minor: 7:48a

PM Minor: 8:15p

AM Minor: 8:48a

PM Minor: 9:14p

AM Major: 8:57a

PM Major: 9:27p

AM Major: 9:54a

PM Major: 10:25p

AM Major: 10:54a

PM Major: 11:25p

AM Major: 11:23a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:31a

PM Major: 1:00p

AM Major: 1:34a

PM Major: 2:02p

AM Major: 2:35a

PM Major: 3:01p

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:40p

12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:40p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:33p

Moon Overhead: 2:38p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:25p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 11:07p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: None BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

-0.77ft. High Tide: 12:17 AM 1.24ft. Low Tide: 8:47 AM 1.05ft. High Tide: 5:06 PM Low Tide: 9:27 PM

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

Moon Underfoot: 1:10a

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

Low Tide: 7:58 AM High Tide: 4:23 PM Low Tide: 8:29 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:09a

1.16ft. -0.90ft. 1.26ft. 0.99ft.

KEY PLACE

HIGH LOW

1.14ft. -0.93ft. 1.26ft. 0.93ft.

KEY PLACE

-1:31

Galveston Channel/Bays

Sabine Pass Jetty

-1:26

-1:31

Sabine Pass

Add or subtract the time shown at the rightof the T4 Tide Stations on this table (and map) to determine T5 the adjustment from the time shown for GALVES- T6 TON CHANNEL in the calendars.

KEY PLACE

D E C E M B E R

Low Tide: 1:14 AM High Tide: 6:10 AM Low Tide: 12:53 PM High Tide: 8:12 PM

HIGH LOW

San Luis Pass

-0.09

+3:16 +4:18

T18 T19

Freeport Harbor

-0:44

-1:02

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay +5:48 +4:43

Texas City Turning Basin +0:33 +0:41

-1:00

-1:15

Eagle Point

+3:54 +4:15

T14

Jamaica Beach, W. Bay +2:38 +3:31

T20

Pass Cavallo

0:00

-1:20

Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass -0:04

-0:25

Clear Lake

+6:05 +6:40

T15

Alligator Point, W. Bay +2:39 +2:33

T21

Aransas Pass

-0:03

-1:31

Galveston Bay, S. Jetty -0:39

-1:05

T10 T11

Morgans Point

+10:21 +5:19

T16 T17

Christmas Pt

T22 T23

Padre Island (So. End) -0:24

-1:45

Port Bolivar

+0:14 -0:06

Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39 +5:15

+2:32 +2:31

Galveston Pleasure Pier -1:06

-1:06

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION 86 |

0.66ft. 0.93ft. -0.56ft. 1.05ft.

KEY PLACE

T12 T13

Gilchrist, East Bay

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Low Tide: 12:09 AM High Tide: 4:47 AM Low Tide: 12:04 PM High Tide: 7:38 PM

HIGH LOW

Moon Underfoot: 4:00a

2 0 1 3

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

T F & G

A L M A N A C

+2.0

BEST:

8:30 — 10:30 AM

1.12ft. High Tide: 3:34 AM 1.05ft. -0.89ft. Low Tide: 11:15 AM -0.77ft. 1.21ft. High Tide: 7:02 PM 1.14ft. 0.82ft.

HIGH LOW

Sabine Bank Lighthouse -1:46

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

High Tide: 2:28 AM Low Tide: 10:25 AM High Tide: 6:23 PM Low Tide: 11:11 PM

Moon Underfoot: 3:06a

BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 AM

High Tide: 1:25 AM Low Tide: 9:36 AM High Tide: 5:43 PM Low Tide: 10:18 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:10a

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

SUNDAY

PM Minor: 3:12p

Moon Overhead: 11:38a

+1.0

-1.0

-0.58ft. 1.16ft. 1.03ft. 1.11ft

AM Minor: 2:42a

Moon Overhead: 10:36a

+2.0

3:00 — 5:00 AM

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 5:32p Moonrise: 8:53a Set: 8:28p

Moon Underfoot: 10:05p BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Low Tide: 5:39 AM High Tide: 1:44 PM Low Tide: 4:38 PM High Tide: 10:08 PM

Jan 1, 2014 l 2 «

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 5:30p Moonrise: 6:10a Set: 5:06p

Moon Underfoot: 9:06p

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Low Tide: 4:19 AM High Tide: 10:30 AM Low Tide: 2:25 PM High Tide: 9:39 PM

TUESDAY

Moon Underfoot: 8:11p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Underfoot: 7:20p

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

Low Tide: 2:48 AM High Tide: 5:49 AM Low Tide: 1:06 PM High Tide: 9:05 PM

12a

Moon Underfoot: 6:32p

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 5:46p

Port Isabel

+1:02 -0:42

0.48ft. 0.79ft. -0.29ft. 0.98ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

T F & G

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E 速

D E C E M B E R

2 0 1 3

by CHESTER MOORE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AN EMOtionally challenging one for the staff of Texas Fish & Game. It has been up and down in every facet from health to the very business that keeps this publication alive and it all came to a head with the passing of Editor-inchief Don Zaidle, a man we all loved and respected. In the aftermath, we all took time to slow down, reflect on what really

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matters, and honor the legacy of the publication that meant so much to our dearly departed friend. We are motivated not only to stand strong but also to take things to new levels as we head into a new year.

HAVE WRITTEN THE TEXT for this gift guide for the last several years and this year I want to do something different. I want to inspire you in this Christmas season, a time

of year when the dreams of children hang on the idea of a visit from the North Pole and the dreams of humanity itself hinge on an event that happened more than 2,000 years ago in a dusty town called Bethlehem.

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Dreams THEY ARE A FLASH OF INSPIRAtion that fuels us to do great things, hope in trying times and a way God plants in us seeds of greatness. Unfortunately, many from a young age are told their dreams will never come true. Think about your early childhood for just a second. You probably thought you could do anything. All things were possible. That is why when teachers ask kindergarten students what they want to be when they grow up they get big answers like astronaut or quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Kids really do believe they can

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be what they want to be. Then at some point, an adult comes along and squashes these ideas. They tell the kids do not have big hopes or you will tell them they are not good enough to pursue their aspirations. For many this is a crushing defeat that lasts their entire lives and manifests itself in depression, anxiety

Nine-year-old Steven DuPont is learning to dream big at an early age. His dad, Mike, shared this photo of Steven with an 8-pointer he shot near Dayton. Steven used a .223 Winchester for a 170-yard shot.

and a deeply unfulfilled life. I write this to bring you good news and that is your dreams are achievable. This treatise is geared toward those of you who ̶ like me ̶ have a passion for the outdoors, but these ideals are not lim-

get disappointed or just flat out

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ited to these realms. This applies to everyone, but my inspiration here is to speak to my fellow outdoors lovers. I challenge you not to reflect back on your past mistakes or glories but instead to look to the future with serimake your outdoors dreams a reality. It is impossible to realize

Is one of your dreams to hunt red stag in New Zealand? Put it on your list.

dreams without realizing you have them. Sit down with a pen and paper and think about the outdoors experiences you would like to have and write them down. They might be as simple as catching a crappie you deem big enough to mount on the wall or to hunt red stag in New Zealand.

ous focus and determination to

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catch a flounder, speckled trout, redfish,

Never limit yourself because of what others might think, or cut yourself short

crappie and largemouth bass within 90

from dreaming big. Moreover, not all out-

days that would make my personal top

doors dreams are the same.

five for those species. It would be a chal-

Four years ago, I birthed a dream to

lenge for sure to get super-sized specimens

in three months that took me decades to catch in some cases, but it happened in less than half of the allotted time. This was an experiment for what became the F.L.E.X. Fishing 速 system designed to help others achieve their angling dreams. I share this example with you not to put the focus on me, but to give examples of 98 |

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That is three guided fishing trips for

ner’s safari in Africa or a caribou hunt in

three people at a time in saltwater and

Alaska.

One of the author’s dreams was to catch his personal best flounder, redfish, trout and largemouth in 90 days.

about four trips for most freshwater If you were able to cast aside some bad

guides. Put toward hunting that is seven guided duck or goose

habit (which could literally save your life

hunts, about the average cost

or your financial standing) you could pay

of a nice deer lease in the Hill

for your outdoors dreams and do so with

Country or about 1/3 of a begin-

money you are already spending. This does

how varied outdoors dreams can be. There are no limits. Attaining these dreams can be healthy not only for the spirit but for the body as well. If you have unhealthy habits such as smoking for example, consider the financial cost. If you smoke a pack a day at $4 a pack at the end of the year that is $1,460. T F & G

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honest, that is a good sign.

I will tell you right now, some people

not have to be smoking. This applies to those who drink a bit too much or simply

will tell you can’t make your dreams come

When the critics come out (no matter

spend too much on junk .Pretty much all of

true and that your lifelong outdoors quest is

how close you might think you are to

us do that.

“too big” for you. And to be perfectly

them) it means you are stir-

Mark Connor sent in this photo of his three-year-old daughter Kinsley at Toledo Bend. “She baits her hook and throws them back herself!”

ring something in people. Those who say you cannot live your dreams are usually those who have not lived out theirs. Their sneers are based on jealously and not on a

reflection of your abilities. In Isaiah 55:9 the Lord says, “As the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” Pastor Joel Osteen used that scripture in a newsletter he sends out and I found

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101

that perfect for this situation. If we pursue our dreams with integrity and a right heart, limitations fall and dreams come to fruition. Now take out a pen and

Robert Padilla shared this photo of a Chocolate Bay sheepshead.

paper and start declaring your dreams. There is power in writing them down as a simple act of faith ignites the passion and focus it will take to see them

come to pass. This Christmas give yourself the gift of pursuing a new dream and do everything in your power to help those you love attain theirs. Life can be extremely challenging but there is greatness to be attained for those who dare to dream and do it Texas-sized.

“As long as I did good in school and

“I have my third generation of families

• • •

Giving Outdoors

in the community coming to fish here, and

didn’t get in trouble, they let me fish there.

it always brings a smile to my face to see

Now I take my kids out there and still

them catch fish and enjoy time together in

enjoy it as much as ever,” he said. After Hurricane Ike caused damage

the great outdoors.” One of these anglers told me Sheila was

to one of the ponds and structures built

PEOPLE LIKE GERALD BURLEIGH

his schoolteacher, and she used the pond to

around it, Burleigh did massive reconstruc-

inspire me. The veteran outdoor photog-

influence him to stay off the streets.

tion with the goal of making it super family

rapher and frequent Texas Fish & Game contributor and I have been friends since the early 90s and while his work is impressive, it will not be his legacy. Sure awards, accolades, magazines covers and cool assignments such as following yours truly into a rattlesnake den keep his life interesting, but they are not what brings him joy. Giving to others does. Just before writing this column, I took two families fishing at Burleigh’s beautiful ponds and both of them caught lots of fish ranging from gigantic bream to largemouth bass and even a three-pound mullet. Burleigh has been allowing families to fish on their property for decades and in the process have seen an incredible impact on others.

Carol Parcel caught this 20-inch flounder on the San Bernard River about nine miles inland.

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friendly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We built a bridge from the bank to a little island, stocked it with more bass and hybrid perch and set up a feeding system for the fish. The fish have grown and have already thrilled a lot of young

Nathan Holland with his sons Jonathan and Grayson, nephew Esau Powell, and a mess of Caddo Lake catfish.

anglers.â&#x20AC;? Burleigh has spent significant time and money maintaining the pond, stocking and putting in the bridge that is fully lit for

night fishing in the heat of summer. Yet, they continue to give and are an example of the kind of people it will take to grow our sport and make an impact in our communities. Not all of us have ponds or the ability

to do these kinds of projects but we can

are you know locations where they can

fishing trip can change someone’s life. And

all give fishing to someone. A good way

catch bunches of bream, catfish, crappie,

beyond the fishing itself, investing time in

to help someone in these trying economic

croaker or drum. Scout these places in

someone can have impact greater than you

times is to buy him or her a fishing license.

advance and dedicate a day to tending to

can imagine.

As the dollar dives, inflation rises and

the kids fishing. You might have to set the hook on a

incomes shrink, purchasing a fishing license can be a difficult choice. If you can do this for someone, it can

Two of my friends whom I have known since second grade, spent the bulk of their

few, cast out their line, bait their hooks and

youth around my home. One of them to

take the fish off the hook, but a really good

this day refers to my parents as “Mom”

make a major impact on his or her life and also allow you to spend quality time with someone who shares your love of the outdoors. Facilitating family fishing trips for friends without the resources to do so can be a big help. For someone who will fish a few times a year and wants to treat their kids with a trip, it makes a big difference if the kids actually catch something. If you are like me and spend much time on the water, chances

Krystal Worley Scoma shared this photo of son Levi’s first red fish, a nice 21-incher.

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and “Pop.” The other has told me he loves

them into our home and valued them.

tions of a girl’s beauty. Fish don’t care

them as much as anyone on the planet.

Everyone wants to be valued but sadly so

what we look like or how hip we are, so

many have no idea of their worth in life.

entering their realm can be a great place

It was not because they showered these boys with gifts or took them to Disney every summer. They simply welcomed

There is no peer pressure for boys on the pond nor are there unrealistic expecta-

of solitude for the young and the young at heart. It is possible to find a peace there that goes beyond understanding. There is value to giving fishing that cannot be measured on a scale. That Is what lasts when other things fade away.

• • •

Recovered Dreams HEARTBREAK. THAT IS WHAT I felt as I picked up my processed film and realized all of the photos of my big bass had been lost. Before the advent of digital cameras, photographers and outdoor writers shot slide

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film for magazines. In Southeast Texas,

later, the mount was delivered to my house,

“trophies” for me, but about capturing a

only one place developed slides, and it

and I was blown away. My Elite Replica

moment in time and reminding me of how

was always a pain to drive there and wait

is second to none and reflects true artistry

blessed I am. Looking at that bass as I

upwards of a week to get them back.

and intense attention to detail, evidencing

write this, I remember how excited I was

intimate knowledge of fish colors and scale

and feel inspired to catch an even bigger

Lake Agua Milpa and caught the biggest

patterns. The dream bass of long ago had

one.

bass of my life, a super-fat nine-pounder,

been recovered in a magnificent way.

I had just been on a trip to Mexico’s

and my only record of it was gone—lost

Taxidermy has never been about

Unlike fish caught, some moments cannot be captured on a form and painted—

forever. One of my great pleasures is documenting good times spent outdoors, and for a 25-year-old, catching his biggest bass on an excursion to Mexico was a pretty big thing (and it still is). A few years ago, a chance encounter with the owners of Fish Scale Taxidermy (fishscaletaxidermy.com) in Waco inspired me to recover that lost dream. Elite Replica mounts, which feature a hyper-realistic body with see-through fins, blew me away. Since Fish Scale specializes in bass, I thought to myself, Too bad I could not have had that big Mexico fish mounted. Then I thought, Why not? I vividly remembered what the fish looked like, and through the internet could access thousands of bass photos for reference. I also had the dimensions for the fish, so I contacted Jana “Dixie” Kay at Fish Scale Taxidermy to recover my lost dream, providing her the fish’s size and a photo of a similar bass. A few months

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but they can be captured on canvas and

first retrieve? Chances are you never took

painted or drawn by creative artists.

photos of your child asleep in the blind, and the light was probably too low to get

Wouldn’t you do just about anything to capture your son or daughter’s first time

a good retrieving photo. Your memory,

in the deer stand or perhaps your dog’s

however, probably houses details that no

q photograph could

Adam Smith caught this 42-inch dream red in the surf at Jamaica Beach.

capture. Despite having a great mount of that big buck, it cannot compare to what you saw in the wild as it came charging out of a briar thicket grunting violently. By working with a wildlife artist who does commissions, you can recreate the scene that replays in your mind every time you look at that mount. Every angler I have ever met, talks 108 |

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about “the one that got away”—and many do. Difficulty in landing is part of the big fish mystique. How cool would it be to capture that fateful moment when you lost that big speck, lunker bass, or maybe a huge tarpon that jumped a few times and soon broke the line. Over the past couple of years, I have worked with wildlife artist Don McQueen (donmcqueenart.com) on several projects, and his work continues to impress me. I plan to work with him to recreate my huge flounder encounter that essentially spawned a career in outdoor writing. Imagine a little boy with his Zebco 808 battling an 8- to 10-pound flounder in his dad’s johnboat. Talk about excitement! I would like to freeze that moment in time to express my enthusiasm for flounder, and recognize it was my father’s desire to keep me on the water as much as possible that gave me this wonderful career. Well, that and the Lord getting a saddle-blanket flatfish to hit the tiny hardhead by-catch I took out of our box of shrimp. Being able to pass that on to my daughter is an exciting prospect. I know for a fact recapturing my lost bass meant a lot to me, and I hope being able to give my daughter some of these memories in a unique, creative format will mean a lot to her as she segues from being a sweet little girl into a wonderful young woman. Never give up on your dreams.

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Texas Tasted by Bryan Slaven | The Texas Gourmet

Venison Chili

1/2 tsp-Cayenne Pepper

HETHER YOU ARE OUT AT THE hunting camp or at home, when a good cold front comes through, nothing warms you up and tastes as good as a batch of homemade chili. This recipe takes a little time, but the results are well worth the effort. It’s great served fresh that day but even better the next day, so make up a batch and carry it with you to heat up after an afternoon hunt!

* 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 minutes in 3/4 cup of water, then transfer all to food processor and blend into a paste. Then add to recipe.

Bag No. 2 3 TBSPNS Texas Gourmet’s Sweet Chipotle Season All 3 TBSPNS -Cumin 2 tsp-Garlic Powder 1/16th tsp-cinnamon 1/2 tsp-Oregano Leaf 2 Fresh Jalapenos- seeded and

hot cast iron skillet, brown it until it starts to make its own juice 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 taste ready to eat - Better next day

Serving suggestion

Combine some chopped green onion and grated cheddar or Colby jack cheese in a bowl or baggie, and place a couple tablespoons on top of each bowl of chili when serving. A dallop of sour cream is optional too. Bon appetite. Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at BSlaven@fishgame.com

Ingredients:

chopped(optional)

2 lbs. “Chili Grind” Beef Chuck Roast 1 lb. back strap*- cubed in 3/4 inch pieces, you can use top of round instead if so desired. • Back strap is the filet mignon cut from the deer.

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Other Ingredients: 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Chicken Broth 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Beef Broth 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Stewed Tomatoes 1 can (8 oz.) Hunts “No Salt Added” Tomato Paste 1 Beef Bouillon Cube 1 Tspn Light Brown Sugar 1 Beer Bock Style] Shiner will do just fine!

Cooking Instructions: Add “Room Temperature” meat to a

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CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE for many of the seasonings and other ingrdients used in TEXAS TASTED recipes.

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TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

HUNTING

LAKE TEXOMA

UPPER COAST (SABINE LAKE)

SOUTH TEXAS

GALVESTON

Statement of ownership, management and circulation 1. Publication title: Texas Fish & Game. 2. Publication number: 7577-70. 3. Filing Date: 10/01/2012. 4. Issue freq: Monthly. 5. No. Issues Annually: 12. 6. Annual subscr. price: $15.95. 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 2013. 15. Extent and nature of circulation: a. Total number of copies (net press run): Avg. no. copies each issue during preceding 12 mos., 47,432; No. copies of single Issue published nearest to filing date, 49,753. b. Paid/ requested outside-county mail subscriptions stated on form 3541: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 46,539; single issue nearest filing, 49,526. Paid in-county, 0. Sales through dealers, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 2,653; single issue nearest filing, 788; Other classes mailed,. c. Total paid/ requested circulation: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 46,539; single issue nearest filing, 49,526. d. Free distribution outside-county, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 56; single issue nearest filing, 61; In-county, 0; Other classes, 0. e. Total free dist, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 81; single issue nearest filing, 86. f. Total dist: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 46,620; single issue nearest filing, 49,612. g. Copies not dist: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 812; single issue nearest filing, 141. h. Total (sum 15f and g): Avg. preceding 12 mo., 47,432; single issue nearest filing, 49,753. Percent paid: Avg. preceding 12 mo. 99.83%; single issue nearest filing, 99.83%. a. Paid Electronic Copies, Avg. preceding 12 mo., 43,682, single issue nearest filing, 44,330. b. Total Paid Print Copies + Paid Electronic Copies: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 92,755, single issue nearest filing, 95,167. c. Total Print Distribution + Paid Electronic Copies: Avg. preceding 12 mo., 92,857m, single issue nearest filing, 95,263. d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies), Avg. preceding 12 mo., 99.89, single issue nearest filing, 99.90. 16. Publication of statement of ownership required. Will be printed in December Courtesy: 2013 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager or Owner: Roy Redfish Neves, publisher, Date 10/31/13 Charters

DFW METROPLEX MIDDLE COAST

ROCKPORT / BAFFIN BAY LAKE AMISTAD

ROCKPORT

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FLOUNDER Galveston

BASS

Five-year-old Carlos Garza caught this beautiful flounder at the Galveston ferry landing.

Undisclosed Lake Lisa Myers with her second bass on her very first fishing trip.

TURKEY McMullen County Justin Liming of Houston killed this tom at Circle DL Ranch in McMullen County. It had a nine-inch beard and took two hours to call in.

BASS

FLOUNDER

Hockley

South Padre Island

Jacob, age 10, caught this large mouth bass in the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private pond near Hockley.

Samantha Barnett wading fishing at South Padre Island!.Fish kiss!

BLACK DRUM San Bernard River Bill Cary caught this 50-inch, 50-poundplus black drum in the San Bernard River on 12-pound line. After winning the 25-minute fight, he released the drum to catch another day.

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SPECKLED TROUT Rockport Gibby Lambert, 9, of Fredericksburg caught this beautiful trout and many others, fishing with his dad, Jim, with Rockport Guide, Capt. Rhett Price.

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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.

CATFISH

REDFISH

Frio River

Rockport

Ethan Irwin, Garrett Irwin and Landon Shepard caught this 20-pound yellow cat on the Frio River in Leakey while on vacation.

Kaitlyn Lowen from Colorado caught her first redfish in Rockport on cut mullet.

WHITETAIL LaSalle County

SPECKLED TROUT

Langston James, 13, of Fredericksburg took this nice 11-point, 21-inch spread Buck while hunting with his dad in LaSalle County.

SHARK Goose Island State Park

Port O’Connor Avery Debow caught this fat 22-inch speckled trout at the Port O’Connor jetties. It was her personal best.

Daniel Gutiérrez caught this black tip shark at Goose Island State Park using cut bait.

WHITETAIL Gordon Jeff Hulstein and two sons Bryce & Connor celebrate a nice 8-point taken while bowhunting near Gordon.

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