Feburary 2014 by Texas Fish & Game

Texas Fish & Game « February 2014 • VOL. 30 NO. 10 C oastal EDITION

www.FishGame.com The Late

Goose Chase

February 2014 | VOL. 30 • NO. 10 | $3.95

Low Water

Fishing Strategies The New Lake Effect Pipe ‘Bombs’ for Pigs

Are Changes Coming for

Texas Flounder & Trout?

Celebrating The

Wildlife Diversity in Texas

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www.FishGame.com Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. Texas Fish & Game is the largest independent, family-owned outdoor publication in America. Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

roy neves PUBLISHER

chester moore EDITOR in chief

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

Joe Doggett • 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 Will Leschper • CONSERVATION EDITOR 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 Stan Skinner • COPY EDITOR Lisa Moore • CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR John Gisel • STRATEGIC ADVISOR A D V E R T I S IN G ardia neves

VICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR viga hall • NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES linda shelton • LOCAL ADVERTISING SALES tonisha shields • ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 1745 Greens Road Houston, TX 77032 Phone: 281/227-3001 • Fax 281/227-3002

MA R K E T IN G melinda klar MARKETING DIRECTOR Phone 281/869-5510

C R EA T I V E elliott donnelly

DIGITAL ASSETS MANAGER juliana seale • GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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GRAPHIC DESIGNER DIGITAL ISSUES DESIGNER

S ubs c r i pt i o n s 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032 Phone 800/725-1134

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duane hruzek PRESIDENT

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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Table of

Contents

February 2014 • Volume 30 • NO. 10

Features

inland/north cover: Low Water Strategies Low water lakes may not be pretty to look at, but they can offer many attractive advantages to anglers.

STORY:

Story by Matt Williams Cover Photo by Chester Moore

The New Lake Effect When water levels fall dramatically on Texas lakes, the change can devistate local tourism and economies. But the natural cycle also brings powerful benefits for the long-term vitality of the water bodies.

by Matt Williams

Pipe ‘Bombs’ for pigs Necessity is the mother of a clever invention that adds new dimensions to the baiting and hunting of feral hogs.

coastal cover: Sea Changes

by Chad Ferguson

Two state regulatory agencies— Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. and Lower Colorado River Authority—are making, or considering, changes to coastal regulations that will, or may, affect flounder, trout and waterfowl.

STORY:

Wildlife diversity in Texas This month, our Wild in Texas Photo Essay series focuses on those species present in the Lone Star State, but rarely encountered.

Story and Cover Photo by Chester Moore

by Chester Moore

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Contents (continued)

Inside Fish&Game

Columns

by Roy & Ardia Neves | TF&G Owners

Past and Present

he Aim of this new column we started in January is to give our readers a peek behind the curtain, at the nuts and bolts of a 21st Century outdoor magazine. It seemed appropriate to start this in 2014 since we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in May. Thirty years is not that long, really. Time flies whether you are having fun or not. Fortunately, much of our past 30 years has been fun. But so much has changed in our business in the time we’ve been in existence that it seems like we’ve been around much, much longer. When Fish & Game started, for example, we still published the magazine using “paste-up” methods that were adopted in the late 1950s. We processed typeset strips of text in a refrigerator-sized, photo-typesetting machine, then fed them through a wax roller to make the backside sticky. These strips were laid out on cardboard sheets lined with non-reproducing blue gridlines representing the pages of the magazine. To create borders, we used rolls of tape that had everything from hairline to electrical-tape-thick solid lines, plus dashed and dotted styles and even little icons—tiny fish, entwined antlers, rope. And the X-Acto knife was an indispensable tool in this layout process. To place photos on a page, we laid down red or amber boxes made of a plastic material called “rubylith” or “amberlith.” These boxes reproduced as black—and therefore clear—in the negative state once the finished page was photographed on a large-format “stat” camera. The negatives produced by the stat camera then went into “stripping,” where an operator would cut and splice them together into 8-page, plate-sized film flats, and tape “halftone” negatives of the photos over the clear boxes. Full color was more complicated, with the operator creating separate negatives for each of the three primary colors (plus black, a total of four negatives). Special effects, such as superimposed or clipped-out images, were painstakingly done by hand, again with a razor-sharp X-Acto. We FedExed these negative flats to the printer, who made printing plates by burning images through the film with high-intensity arc lights. Today Photoshop has replaced the X-Acto and every aspect of the process is digital—from design, to delivering our work to the printer, and laser imaging the printing plates. We now even deliver versions of our final publications in digital form. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine how we ever got an issue out with such primitive technology. But at the time, we were quite impressed by those innovations, which allowed us to transform concepts into words and pictures that could be reproduced and shared with hundreds of thousands of readers. Much the same as we do today.

Editor’s Notes 10 Stealth Tyranny

by CHESTER MOORE

TF&G Editor in Chief

Doggett at Large 14 Seller’s Remorse

by JOE DOGGETT

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Pike on the Edge 16 Know and Respect Your Limits

by Doug Pike

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

TexasWild 18 Ravings of the

Predator Kind

by Ted nugent

TF&G Editor At Large

Commentary 19 No Complaints

by Kendal Hemphill

TF&G Politcal Commentator

34 Texas Freshwater Shell Shock

by matt Williams

TF&G Freshwater Editor

Departments 8 letters 12 tf&g report 12 big bags

& Catches

40 Texas dept. of defense 44 true Green

Texas Saltwater 32 Deal With It

by Calixto Gonzales

TF&G Saltwater Editor

Texas Bowhunting 43 It’s Not Over Until

It’s Over

by Lou Marullo

TF&G Bowhunting Editor

Open Season 48 A Deer Tale

by reavis wortham

TF&G Humor Editor

Follow us on: Texas Fish & Game is a family-owned business, and the owners welcome your comments and questions. E-mail Roy and Ardia Neves or Ron Ward at owners@fishgame.com 6 |

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Letters to the Editor Like Big Sister Lola Blu Widner is seven years old. Ever since her big sister Jaye shot her deer and you published it (October 2011 “Reader Photos”), Lola has been dying to go deer hunting. After practicing for two months, we allowed her to shoot this year.

spike at 75 yards, dropping it immediately. We were on the TDW ranch in Kinney County. I have also attached the framed magazine cover and picture of Jaye that hangs in our home. I have been with CCA and getting your magazine for years. Wray Widner Houston

Wild in Texas: The Cats It is nice to open up a sporting publication and see articles written about wildlife, not just the kind we hunt. I found the article on the Texas cat species absolutely intriguing. Please keep up this kind of story. It helps promote good education of wildlife to the people who spend a lot of time in the field.

Hector Ramirez Via Email

Lola with her buck

She was shooting a Remington 700 22-250 with a Remington Premier Accutip 50-grain cartridge when she shot this 3-point

Thank you for the article on the cats. It is Thank you for the article on the cats. It is good to see this kind of information on something we occasionally encounter in the woods. Cougars have always interested me and this story made them even more interesting. Keep up the good work!

Victoria Connor Via Email

Second Amendment

q Sister Jaye’s photo from 2011.

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Thanks for your strong support of the Second Amendment. It is obvious by the newsletter you send out and the columns by Lamascus, Ellermann and Nugent you are staunch supporters of our fundamental right and it is deeply appreciated.

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Jason Myers Via Email F i s h

Congrats Chester, Let me say congratulations on your promotion to Editor in Chief at Texas Fish & Game Magazine. I extend my deepest sympathies for the passing of Don. I know you’ll do a wonderful job taking on his captainship.

Andrea “Andi” Cooper Ducks Unlimited Communication Specialist Congratulations on a promotion so very well deserved. Be well. Have enough. Live at peace.

Rocke Roy Via Email The job of editor-in-chief could not have gone to a more deserving person. I know it’s bittersweet for you losing a colleague but you have more than paid your dues in this business and have a unique mind for the outdoors that will certainly help steer Texas Fish & Game into new territory.

Jason Smith Via Email I’ve followed your work over the years and am excited that you were there to take the helm at Texas Fish & Game. It is my favorite magazine and I know you have obviously had a powerful impact on the magazine in the past and will do a brilliant job in the future.

Jessica Rogers Via Email

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

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Editor’s Editor’s Notes by Chester Moore | TF&G Editor in Chief

ast fall, the American public got a taste of just how much power our government wields. By simply shutting down things popular to the people (national monument, parks, national forest, etc.) they showed how far their influences reaches into our lives. The things chosen for shut down were done by design to cause maximum agitation but I will let others delve more deeply into that issue. It is our job at TF&G to talk specifically about the outdoor aspect. Anglers were shut out of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in the peak two weeks for flounder fishing before the annual six month fall-spring shutdown. The National Forests so many East Texas hunters hunt during the archery-only season were off limits and access to all other federal refuges was closed from all activities. Florida anglers had a huge surprise to learn thousands of square miles of waters controlled by the federal government was off limits to fishing. Interestingly, one of those locations has been under consideration to be labeled as a “marine protected area” which is a No Fishing Zone. There are people in high positions in the federal government who openly espouse the desire to create many of these “marine protected areas.” They are doing it because they believe it is the best management principle but at the end of the day, you and I are locked out of access. It started when President Clinton created an executive order to create millions of acres of them and continued with Bush who did the same thing. In addition, President Bush did something quite surprising in making an executive order to declare redfish and striped bass in federal waters as “game fish” thus curtailing commercial harvest concerns.

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“

They showed how far their influence reaches into our lives.

“

Stealth Tyranny

I have many concerns about the direction of this country but in the outdoor realm here is a scenario that now seems not only possible but has precedent. There is no way we can keep spending money as we have in this country and the dollar not lose great value. We are digging a deep, deep financial hole. Math is math. The government at some point in the near future will have to cut things. China and Japan have already openly spoken about losing confidence in our system and if they stop loaning us money, then deep cuts are inevitable. When that happens, things like law enforcement in national forests, staffing on wildlife refuges will be among the cuts. You can bank on it.

We have gone far past Democrat vs. Republican and Conservative vs. Liberal into an era when all people who love freedom face a progressive ideology birthed in the early 1900s that is rearing its ugly head against everyone. These people are what nightmares are made of. And those who have dreamed of eliminating fishing, hunting, trapping, exotic pet ownership, etc. are boldly stepping up to do so and future economic problems will be a way to do it without much effort. They would not have to use the “hunting and guns are bad” argument. All they would have to do is work behind the scenes to shut down under the guise of budget cuts.

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Do a simple Internet search for “ban hunting on national forests” and you will see references to partial hunting bans and limitations of specific gear all over the country. These are being fueled by activists who want everything from guns to snowmobiles banned on federal land. Ditto for “marine protected areas.” Rest assured such a thing would probably not happen all at once. It would start in areas where the influence of freedom loving outdoor people is weak like in the Northeast and cascade from there. In reality, it is already happening and we have ignored it for years. Think about this for a second. The single best flounder fishing location in the fall along the Texas/Louisiana border is illegal to fish from October 15 to March 15 (Sabine Refuge). Although it is not labeled as such, that is a No Fishing Zone. These things have happened incrementally and we have let it pass without notice. I think, however, the recent shutdown has awakened people to the possibilities. We live in transformative times and should all keep an eye on the freedoms we cherish. I have no idea what the solution to all of this will be but I do know that if we are not informed then we have no chance to preserve our heritage. We will do our best to keep up with this so you can make informed decisions about your outdoor endeavors and life in a unique period in history. Positive change can occur if we take off the lame mask of “tolerance” we have been wearing and get active, especially at the local level. We can either curse the darkness or light a candle. I prefer the candle route although as crazy as things are getting, a little cursing might happen from time to time. Be informed. Stand strong. Live with purpose. E-mail Chester Moore at cmooreoutdoors@gmail.com. You can watch him Saturdays on GETV/GETV.org at 10 a.m. on “God’s Outdoors with Chester Moore” and hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI.

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The TF&G Report New Zebra Mussel Rules Take Effect In the state’s ongoing effort to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels, new rules have taken effect requiring that all boats operating on public water in 17 Northeast Texas counties be drained after use. Under the new regulations, persons leaving or approaching public water in the affected counties are required to drain all water from their vessels and on-board receptacles. This applies to all types and sizes of boats whether powered or not, personal watercraft, sailboats, or any other vessel used to travel on public waters. The rules apply on all public waters in

Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Jack, Kaufman, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Stephens, Tarrant, Wise, and Young counties. Applicable in all areas where boats can be launched, the regulation requires the draining of live wells, bilges, motors, and any other receptacles or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters. Under these rules, live fish cannot be transported in water that comes from the water body where they were caught, personally caught live bait can be used only in the water body where it was caught, and no offsite tournament weigh-ins would be allowed if live fish are being transported in water from a

Big Bags&Catches

Sara Wright of Sugarland took this monster on her very first trip to the deer stand, in Uvalde County. She dropped him in his tracks at 115 yards with a .270. It green scored at 153 with a broken brow tine.

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Whitney LeBlanc caught his largest flounder ever, at age 62. He caught his saddle blanket on North Sabine Lake, using a Gulp! Swimming Minnow.

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water body in one of the affected counties. (Anyone planning a tournament should check with Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Inland Fisheries Division.) Anglers are allowed to transport and use commercially purchased live bait in water provided they have a receipt that identifies the source of the bait. Any live bait purchased from a location on or adjacent to a public water body that is transported in water from that water body could be used as bait only on that same water body. Movement from one access point to another on the same lake during the same day does not require drainage and there is an exception for governmental activities and emergencies. Marine sanitary systems are not covered by the new regulations. Lakes Belton and Stillhouse Hollow are covered by an emergency rule

Marcus Loredo shot this 10-point buck while hunting with his dad in Encino.

Photo credit

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can expand their range even farther by hitching a ride on trailered boats that have been immersed or moored in waters where they have established populations. The rapidly reproducing mussels, originally from Eurasia, can have serious economic and recreational impact on Texas reservoirs. They can clog public-water intake pipes, harm boats and motors left in infested waters by covering boat hulls, clog watercooling systems, annoy boat-dock owners by completely covering anything left under water, and make water recreation hazardous because of their sharp edges. From an environmental perspective, zebra mussels are filter feeders, which means they compete with baitfish such as shad for available forage. Any impact on baitfish in turn can affect their predators which are game fish such as bass, striped bass and catfish. Zebra mussels also threaten native mussel populations because they will colonize on Caption their shells and essentially suffocate them. —Staff Report

Game Wardens ‘Like’ Violator’s Facebook Post

A South Texas man has pled guilty to nine charges of possession of oversized red drum, one charge of no saltwater fishing license, and one charge of exceeding the possession limit for red drum. The investigation leading to the filing of charges against 30-year-old Luis Castro began with a Facebook post showing a man holding a large red drum with eight other oversize drum on display in the bed of a pickup truck. (The bag limit for redfish is three per Zebra day, and they must mussels be between 20 and can clog 28 inches. Only water one redfish longer u pipes and than that can be anything kept, and only with else left in a properly comthe water. pleted redfish tag attached to it.) On November 1, game wardens in Cameron County were contacted about the Facebook picture, which had originally been placed on line by Castro’s brother. Accompanying the image

was the comment, “just for fun.” Game wardens ended up receiving multiple complaints regarding the Facebook post. TPWD dispatchers and game wardens were able to review records which eventuT e x a S

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ally resulted in the positive identification of Castro and his place of employment. On November 6, Game wardens interviewed Castro and obtained a signed written statement. Five days later, Willacy County Justice of the Peace George Solis issued an arrest warrant for Castro and game wardens arrested him the same day. “Anglers on several social media sites were posting negative comments, and a day after the picture was originally posted, it was removed,” said Game Warden Maj. Alan Teague. “However, the picture had been saved by many anglers and reposted.” Teague said the picture made it to fishing groups as far away as Florida. “With tips from anglers and hard work by our game wardens and dispatchers, we were able to track the individual to a city in South Texas,” Teague said. During sentencing, Justice of the Peace Solis noted how important recreational fishing is to the people in Willacy County which includes Port Mansfield. Before sentencing Castro, the judge pointed out that there are people in the county whose livelihood depends upon the quality and future of recreational fishing. “It was an obscene number of fish that you caught,” the judge said to the defendant. “We are all living paycheck-to-paycheck but none of us are going hungry. It was completely unnecessary to take that many fish.” Castro was fined $2,600 and an addiPhoto courtesy TPWD

Photo: Larry Hodge

extending these same water-draining requirements to all public water in Bell and Coryell counties. The department is considering expansion of the recently implemented rules to include Bell, Coryell, and 28 additional counties in North and Central Texas. The department will provide notice and opportunities for public comment on any changes Zebra mussels became established in Texas in Lake Texoma in 2009. Last year, they were found in Lake Ray Roberts and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. More recently, zebra mussels have spread to Lakes Bridgeport, Lewisville, and Belton. They

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Luis Castro was busted from this Facebook post.

tional $2,645.91 will be assessed as part of the civil restitution. —Staff Report

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

Seller’s Remorse

liked the heft of the heavy 24-inch barrel and the cool barrel band sling swivel and the solid lines of the walnut stock and the nononsense oily snick-and-click of the Model 70 bolt action. I really favored that big gun. It brought a surge of confidence — no small matter amid the thick tangles of mopane scrub and jesse in close-quarters Cape buffalo country. The moment of reckoning occurred on the sixth day of a seven-day hunt. I was

ell, I sold my big gun. Following one great hunt, the bolt-action rifle rested unfired in my gun safe for seven years. I figured it deserved better. Now, maybe another hunter will put it to good use. It was — is — a Winchester Model 70 Safari Express chambered for .416 Remington Magnum. The rifle weighs nine pounds without a scope. Fully tricked, with the low-profile 2-1/2X to 8X Leupold, Talley mounts, Dick Murray leather sling, and three rounds of 400-grain cartridges, it scales closer to 11 pounds. And you need every ounce to absorb the punishment when you light up that boomer at the bench rest. The recoil can only be described as violent, sharper and more concussive than that of a big shotgun. Maybe velocity has something to do with it. You snug the stock tight and struggle not to panic as the finger pressure increases on the four-pound trigger. You know what’s coming. So, incidentally, does everyone else on the firing line. You want to hold steady and hit dead-on at 100 yards. Most spot-and-stalk shots at Cape buffalo are well inside that distance. Once the rifle is dialed in at the bench, you practice the real stuff — sticks, offhand, and fast follow-ups inside 50. But I don’t think anybody does a whole of shooting with a .416. You fire eight or 10 times during a range session then walk away before your eyes start crossing. Too much shooting can be counter-productive as Mr. Flinch joins the party. I ran maybe two 25-cartridge The author, boxes through the rifle during the two with his trophy months or so prior to the 2006 safari Cape buffalo and to Zimbabwe. his now-departed I felt reasonably comfortable with Big Gun. the big gun by the time we departed. I

teamed with Professional Hunter Gordon Duncan of Shangaan Hunters Africa. We were on the 900,000-acre Save Valley Conservancy in southeastern Zimbabwe. For various reasons, not all of them geographical, I was a long way from a deer feeder in the Texas Hill Country. Unseasonably cool, wet weather kept the buffalo moving rather than keying on the water holes and bedding down during the afternoon heat. The first few days were slow,

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several busted stalks and various passes on younger bulls. The morning of the sixth day, as we drove a sand trail, tracker Augustin Goromondo spotted a big bull with heavy horns and solid bosses. We turned a blind corner, parked, and Duncan handed down the big gun. “Load with solids,” he said. Nothing you ever hear defines a serious big-game safari like that simple statement. I flipped open the leather belt pouch and ran three Federal Trophy Bonded Sledgehammers into the rifle. I confirmed that the variable scope was turned to its lowest setting for quick target acquisition. The bull had been standing maybe 300 yards away. Closing for a shot should have been easy but, as we circled back against the wind, the animal had disappeared. That’s saying something about the thick mesquitelike cover. The typical mature Cape buffalo bull is black as night and weighs between 1,500 and 1,800 pounds — hard to misplace. The brute was restless and moving. We tracked for six straight hours. By “we,” I

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mean Duncan and Goromondo and fellow tracker Cohn Rwanda. I trailed in their wake through soft sand and across tangled ridges, the whole time carrying the 11-pound boomer. If I faced a quick chance, I did not want the rifle way over there on a tracker’s shoulder. Under such charged circumstances, a distance of two or three yards might constitute “way over there.” Abruptly, it happened. The two trackers stopped, pointed straight ahead, and dropped to their knees in the yellow grass. Duncan motioned me alongside. I sank to my knees and held the big gun in the ready position. My thumb was on the three-way safety. Duncan nodded to a close opening in the green and gray screen of mopane. There, moving right-to-left at 29 paces, was the Cape buffalo. The bull sensed the nearness. It turned to face us and stopped. I was looking up at the head and deepcurled horns. The wet snout glistened, and the red eyes glowered. These huge beasts have an undeniably bloody record of killing

and maiming hunters who screw things up. “Now,” Duncan hissed. “Stick him!” The big gun came up. The thumb pushed the safety and the crosshairs settled on the chest and I rocked back with the detonation of a center-punched hit. The bull fell within 100 yards. Now the big gun is gone. It’s gone because I realized I’ll most likely never hunt another Cape buffalo. The bad boy from Africa is over my fireplace and I have no room for another one. Or maybe that is just an excuse to cover one of the passages in life. I’m not sure I have the juice to hunt another Cape buffalo. To do it right, you have to go in there after them. You get close and then closer. It’s serious business, something to think about. But, then again, you never know about these things. That’s also something to think about. Now I’m sort of regretting selling the big gun. I wish I had it back.

Contact Joe Doggettl at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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

Know and Respect Your Limits

onsumptive outdoor recreation is a privilege, like driving or voting. Lawmakers have neither reason nor justification to revoke that privilege, so far, but our own greed ultimately could do what no politician would dare. We’re fortunate just now to live in a relative time of plenty, a short stretch of history through which several populations – speckled trout, redfish and pintails, among others – have increased. That’s no accident, by the way. Those upticks happened for two reasons: nature cast a kind eye on those particular species lately, and we’ve been conservative managers. No matter how much we’d like to think otherwise, by the way, our ability to sway the future of fish and wildlife pales alongside what can be accomplished in a finger snap – as has happened routinely throughout history – by nature. Forces outside and beyond our control can turn on an unpredictable dime and result either in a population boom or, with a single deep freeze or bout of disease, bring any species to the brink of disappearance. We cross our fingers and hope nature will smile on things that swim and fly and walk and crawl and jump. And so long as things are going well, our management of those resources is a simple exercise: Set a limit, enforce it, maintain slow but steady growth. On the front end, long-term health of these resources is entrusted to professional managers, well educated members of the scientific community who can look impartially at a population and determine what level of harvest it can take without overall loss. They study, they analyze, and then they recommend.

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Unfortunately, those recommendations tend only to be that – recommendations. Somewhere between the purity of science and the ink on pages of regulation manuals, other people’s opinions occasionally clutter and confuse and rewrite the rules, typically on some unfounded lark to satisfy short-term interests or prop up another political dead horse. I recall with deep irritation the arrogance displayed years ago by a faction of commercial fishermen and the elected officials they’d swayed into camp when a particular style of fishing was earmarked for permanent dissolution. If these fishermen’s jobs were going away, the argument went, they would be entitled not only to retraining into other professions but also to extreme compensation for their boats and gear and lost income. Trouble was, they’d pretty much wiped out their own fishery and then demanded reward behind that greed. That’s like people who work in a saw mill wanting to be paid after realizing they’ve just cut down the last tree in the forest. I’m proud overall of the way recreational hunters and fishermen have reacted to one new restriction after the other over recent years, and I was quite pleased that federal managers responded to an increased pintail population this past summer by adding a second one of those beautiful ducks to the strap. At the same time, I’m a tad frightened by what would happen to this state’s and this nation’s fish and wildlife if limits in general were eliminated entirely or even loosened a little too much for too long. On the back end of management is law enforcement, and I cannot imagine a number of game wardens that would be too many in a state so large as Texas. They are essential, because even with so many fishermen and hunters aware of their stewardship roles, there still are people who have no problem justifying the occasional “extra” fish or duck or deer either because they don’t get out often or they’re from out of town or some other equally poor excuse.

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Limits are set with all those variables taken into consideration. Managers know that 10 percent of the fishermen still catch 90 percent of the fish and always will. Managers know there are poachers on the water and in the woods – and that wardens can’t catch them all. The challenge in Austin, from behind a desk overlooking the entire state, is to account for everything and irritate nobody. That’s a tall hill to climb. When the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opened (again) discussion of a statewide daily bag limit of five speckled trout, for example, some fairly high-profile players in the game rushed to oppose the idea. There is no scientific reason for the change, they said, and there are plenty of trout. And that’s true, for now, but it’s equally true that there has never been so much pressure on that resource. Those 90 percent who rarely caught fish in the past now have GPS and braided line and stronger rods and sharper hooks and faster boats. And croakers. They’re catching fish, not lots but some, and they “count” against the bottom line. Those 90 percent can’t wait to catch two instead of one or four instead of two. And all the while, the 10 percent keep catching limits or near limits more days than not. For every species on which TPWD restricts harvest, there’s someone who will argue that the number is too low. If you don’t like the limit, bang your tambourine and voice your opinion to anyone who will listen, then either fish or don’t fish, hunt or don’t hunt. Outdoor recreation is not mandatory. In addition to being a privilege, it’s also a choice. Last time I looked, Texas was a pretty nice state for outdoorsmen. If its rules and regulations bother you, try one of the other 49.

Contact Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com

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

Ravings of the Predator Kind

Say HALLELUJAH! I know a lot of bowhunters who don’t even bother hunting until the pre-rut is imminent. They wait for the fall solstice to get critters moving better in order to optimize their chances of a close encounter and the reward of straps. With the curse of a two-week vacation allotment so typical in America, it surely is wise to wait for the best two weeks —wiser yet to take more time off. After all, how much stuff does one need? For me, there is simply no way on God’s good green earth that a mere 14 days, or 60 or a hundred for that matter, could possibly tame the savage predator beast in this old guitarboy. I figured it out a long time ago in my bowhunting-addicted youth that my life would be balanced and prioritized between brutal, ferocious Chuck Berry-inspired rock-n-roll gone mad and the magic time in the woods 18 |

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with my bow and arrows. Good Lord! Can a kid get any luckier than that? No. Let me make it perfectly clear that I work my ass off royally all year long. I still perform roughly 80 dangerously high-energy concerts every summer, (down from 350 a year in my youth) conduct powerhouse media interviews nonstop throughout the year, promoting logic and self-evident truth while obliterating the lying, leftist, America-hating scum with crowbars of evidence and history.

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Good Lord! Can a kid get any luckier than that? No.

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ilence. Stillness. Clarity. Life. Could there possibly be any other situation or environment as peaceful, raw, primal and perfect as a treestand? No. If ever there was a place where we can be at once poised to pounce and kill, yet nearly comatose, in suspended animation, flatlinelike relaxed, it is the soul-cleansing peaceful perch of our predator ambush throne. God knows I have maximized my tree time for 65 years so far, and yes, after prolonged vigils where no game is seen, boredom does indeed become a real threat. But if one dedicates oneself to truly appreciating such abundant blessings, boredom can’t hold a candle to the buzz of nature and the ensuing stimuli that surround us in the lap of God.

I write New York Times Best Seller books, write hundreds of articles for conservative websites and many great sporting publications. I compose killer love songs all year long, train uppity Labrador retrievers, cater to Mrs. Nugent incessantly, constantly communicate with kids and grandkids and family and elected officials nationwide, work on trucks, and tractors, and lawnmowers and ATVs, sight-in guns, test guns and ammo, train with guns, conduct charity work for every imaginable children’s and military charity, fill feeders, fix fence, run a yearround trap line, produce our award winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show for Outdoor Channel and others, record killer records, and amongst all this ultra-fun insanity, I still make sure I hunt 300 days a year.

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Say HALLELUJAH! Again. You see, that entire list of adventure happens to take place at home, on our beloved SpiritWild Ranch in central Texas. Except for the touring part, and then even a lot of those days as well, it is all handled at home. I say HALLELUJHAH! Again. With more than 6,500 concerts under my belt, I literally hate to travel. So many, many years ago, I decided I would live where I hunt, and hunt where I live. It’s all at home. Unlimited hog hunting, varmint hunting, exotic hunting, rabbit hunting, squirrel hunting, and year-round trapping represents the only hopeful cure or antidote for my insatiable hunting cravings. I know of a select few who have it as bad/ good as I do. Razor Dobbs of Razor Dobbs Alive TV on Outdoor Channel is just about as hunt-crazy as I am. He, too, lives on a piece of sacred, unlimited Texas hunting grounds, and he never stops. My other blood-brother, Scott Young, is a professional and very deadly USDA-paid hunter who never quits. His hearty pack of Rocky Mountain bluetick hounds surely run and chase and tree and kill more bears and cougars than any pack of hounds that ever lived. This guy is a killer. These surely are the good old days of hunting in North America and beyond. It is a target rich environment for those of us who are driven to participate in the annual seasons of harvest, as we balance the herds and the land, keeping our precious renewable wildlife resources in the asset column of life. I don’t want to hunt. I need to hunt. I hunt because I am a hunter. I’m doing God’s work here. We pay the way while feeding ourselves and families and fellow man the most nutritious protein the world has to offer. Kill em and grill ya all. Let the game never end. Contact Ted Nugent at TNugent@fishgame.com

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Commentary by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

No Complaints

the ground. I picked it up and carried it in my frozen arms, cradled like a very large, cumbersome baby up the hill, over rocks and cactus and catclaw, to the feeder. All the way I kept thinking Don would’ve laughed about it, and then told me about a similar experience he’d had. As I looked through the tributes to Don s I looked down at the sack of corn, lying busted on the ground, I in the December issue of TF&G, and read thought, “Zaidle would’ve gotten a again what I’d written about him, I was kick out of this.” I find myself doing struck by the thought that it wasn’t enough. that, lately, thinking of Don when something Don’s friends and colleagues waxed elofunny happens, or when I have an outdoor quent, and Don would’ve been suitably experience I would have shared with him the embarrassed, but there was far more to the next time we talked on the phone. I guess man than could possibly be summed up in a that’s what it means to miss someone – wish- few short pages. A eulogy, after all, is just the highlights. ing you could still share things with them. The corn incident occurred while I was Don wasn’t the kind of guy to live for the big filling a deer feeder at ten o’clock at night, moments; he made big moments out of little because the feeder was almost empty, and ones. He enjoyed life the way Gus McCrae that was the only time I could spare to fill it. advised in ‘Lonesome Dove,’ he learned to appreciate all the little things. From left: the Author, Ted Nugent, Don Zaidle I often find myself and Jim Zumbo at Nugent’s Texas ranch in 2007. wishing I could have q one more conversation with Don, listen to one more of his stories, hear one more of his philosophies. I should have paid more attention when I had the chance, but I guess that’s always the way. When Josh Deets was killed in the movie, Gus told Call, “I don’t want to start thinkin’, Woodrow, about all the things That particular feeder – a 55 gallon barrel we should’ve done with this good man.” Don was one of the few people I knew atop angle iron legs – sits on a rocky knoll a good hundred yards uphill from the nearest who had been bitten by a poisonous snake, place I can drive to in my pickup. Filling it although such an event is hardly rare. What is a pain in the buttocks, even when it isn’t impressed me was that Don never even went to a doctor about it. He was preparing to pitch dark and 27 degrees. The third corn sack out of the back of the grill some steaks for friends when a coppickup went a little too far over my shoulder perhead bit him on the hand, and he shook and ended up on the ground behind me, it off and went on about his business. His the bottom blown out and corn all over arm swelled up, turned color, and hurt for

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a few days, but he ignored it, the way he ignored any other inconvenience of life. He didn’t let trivial things interfere with what he wanted to do. When Don joined his volunteer fire department, he didn’t hang back and let others carry the load, he jumped in with both feet. For a man who had little spare time, he devoted far more than he could afford to that dangerous, sometimes unpleasant duty. He did that because he realized someone had to do it, and he wasn’t the kind of man to let others do the dirty work for him. Since I was also a volunteer firefighter, Don often called me just to tell me about a call he’d responded to, or ask about a fire he’d heard about in my area. Helping others was important to him, and he wanted to do the best job he could at it, even if he wasn’t getting paid for it. He did nothing halfway. Don never told me what to write about, but he often gave me ideas and pointers, and he seemed to be tuned in to what his readers wanted, more than most editors I’ve known. He reminded me of a ship’s captain, reading the wind and adjusting his sails accordingly, trimming his craft to get the best performance from it he could. Although he will be remembered by most as an opinionated champion of right who never suffered fools, I will remember Don as a friend who cared far more than he wanted it known. He called me once when he’d heard I’d been having problems, just to make sure I was all right, to see if there was anything he could do to help. He spent time he probably could hardly spare to let me know he understood, that he’d been through the same thing himself. Don Zaidle was one of a kind, a man whose life can’t be summed up in a dash on a tombstone, or a few pages in a magazine. As Clint Eastwood said after he buried his friend in The Outlaw Josie Wales, “I rode with him, and I got no complaints.”

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1/10/14 10:01 AM

Low Water Lakes May Not Be Pretty to Look At, But They Offer Many Attractive Advantages to Anglers

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With spring just around the corner, freshwater anglers across Texas are cooking up plans to visit their favorite lake, river or stream to enjoy the warming weather and hopefully catch a few fish. Some will have potbellied largemouths on their minds, but others will be geared for crappie, catfish or the droves of white bass that are finning their way upstream from major impoundments to engage in the annual spawning run. T e x a S

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As water levels fall, it forces fish off of flats and concentrates along the edges of creek channels, river channels, points and other structure that provides quick, easy access to deep water security. This narrows the size of the playing field even more. Better yet, it offers a pretty good hint as to where anglers should begin searching for fish, and which tactics might work best for catching them. Low water has its disadvantages too, particularly when the downward fluctuation is extreme. Not only does low water relocate shorelines, it also creates shallows in places where previously none existed and exposes humps and islands that can pose navigational hazards for boaters. Furthermore, shrinking water levels allow underwater stumps and other obstructions to creep close enough to the surface, that some boat lanes may no longer be safe to run. So, what are the best locations to begin searching for Texas’s Big Three -- largemouth bass, crappie and catfish – when the bottom falls out of a lake? That can vary Caption immensely from one reservoir to the next, because no two lakes are the same. Here are some basic blueprints if you are facing low water this spring:

Largemouth Bass

Falling water pushes fish to the edges of channels and points.

One thing anglers of all kinds need to keep in mind when plotting a strategy this spring is low water levels. Unless big changes have occurred since Christmas, many lakes will still be short on water thanks to a lingering drought that refuses to let go in many parts of the state. Some lakes are a heck of a lot worse off than others, as reflected by vast fields of stumps and parched soil cluttered with rocks, logs, bushes and other junk that will eventually go into hiding once the rains come and water levels rise. 22 |

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Although a lake that is several feet below normal may not be all that pretty to look at, it holds a special appeal to a lot of guys like me. That is because low water can provide us with some distinctive advantages that high water takes away. Perhaps the most obvious advantage of low water is it shrinks the size of the playing field, thus leaving hundreds or even thousands of acres of basin void of water. This naturally provides the fish with less room to roam around and makes them easier to find provided you have a clue of what to look for.

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Bass always begin gravitating towards shallow water to spawn during late and early spring, usually by way of underwater avenues such as creeks, ditches and drainages that connect deep water to shallow. When the timing is right, they will disperse onto adjacent flats and points to do their thing. Low water takes a lot of the backwater spawning areas out of the picture. Likewise, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Todd Faircloth of Jasper advises concentrating more on flats, points, humps and main lake ridges situated in close proximity to the main water body. “There will still some fish that will migrate way up the creeks in a low water situation, but not near as many as will be positioned toward the main body of water,” Faircloth said. “A big flat at the mouth of a large creek or just off the main lake would be key areas I would target, preferably along the northwest bank in water eight feet deep or less. These types of areas will be better protected from cold north winds, so they will Photo Matt Williams

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warm up the quickest.” Faircloth added that flats and underwater points situated in close proximity to a creek channel can be like magic this time of year. To refine the search he suggests targeting stumps, grass or other types of cover/ structure the fish will be apt to congregate around.

Crappie Crappie operate in a way similar to bass in that they rely on creek channels as highways to lead them to skinny water spawning areas. When water levels are normal or high, Toledo Bend fishing guide Stephen Johnston says he will look for groups of pre-spawn crappie to be suspended on creek-side flats until nearby spawning areas warm sufficiently. Low water changes things because it alters the areas the fish will stage and ultimately spawn. “They’ll be staged in the creek itself, usually in the outside bends in the second, third or fourth major channel bend out from the back of the creek where you’ve got any-

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where from 10-18 feet of water,” he said. “They’ll just sit there, usually suspended or in the bottom of the creeks waiting for the water temperatures to get right. When that happens they’ll move out of the creeks and spawn right along the edges.” Cedar Creek fishing guide Jason Barber has been dealing with low water for several years now at his home lake. He advises looking for pre-spawn crappies around brush piles situated along channels and points leading into pockets and marinas that have a history of attracting spawning crappies. He says the fish also like to suspend around bridge rock, because the rocks absorb and release heat that will cause water temperatures to be a degree or two warmer than surrounding areas.

Catfish Whiskered fish usually don’t start thinking about spawning until late spring. Contrary to popular belief, deep water is not always the best place to be when the water is low and cold. Barber says he catches big numbers of blues and channels

in water shallow enough to wade at this time of year. Shallow stump fields are always good places to look, especially in areas bisected by a definitive channel or ditch. Areas where cormorants roost also can be productive, because catfish will gather beneath them to dine on their droppings. Also, Barber says it is a good idea to target the shallows around wind-blown points, shorelines and islands using assorted cut baits as well as punch bait. “You’ll be surprised what you’ll catch in two to three feet of water this time of year. Blues in the 20-30 pound range are pretty common; sometimes you’ll catch them bigger than that.” Drifting over deep water along channel breaks, humps and random open water areas in 20-30 feet of water also can be productive, especially for trophy-size fish upward of 40 pounds. Good electronics and working knowledge of how to use them can be a huge plus in open water arenas, because they will enable you locate the roving pods of shad that whopper-size cats like to feed on.

1/9/14 1:02 PM

TF&G SPECIAL REPORT

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Sea

Changes Regulatory Agencies Are Making or Considering Critical Coastal Changes That Can Affect Flounder, Trout and Waterfowl Every year a number of key outdoor issues hits the state of Texas, sometimes in the form of government actions, other times via nature itself (drought). This year several major items are already on the radar and are things we will be keeping a particularly close eye on as time passes. These particular issues are centered on the coastal areas.

FLOUNDER Regulation Changes The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is scoping potential regulation changes for flounders. In fact by the time this issue reaches subscribers the TPWD Commission will be meeting in T e x a S

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Austin to make an official proposal. Here is the information they gave at public hearings in January. “The Coastal Fisheries Division is looking for feedback regarding potential changes in the flounder regulations. Currently the daily bag limit and possession limit for recreational anglers is five fish with a 14-inch minimum size limit. However, in November the daily bag limit and possession limit is reduced to two fish. Fish may only be taken by hook-and-line (no gigging) during November.” G a m e ®

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PHOTO JOHN FELSHER

TROUT Regulation Changes SPECKLED TROUT REGULATION changes are also being examined and as with flounder an official regulation proposal could be on the table by the time this issue hits readers. The following is the information that went through the scoping process in January. “Currently the daily bag limit for spotted sea trout is 10 fish with a minimum size limit of 15 inches and a maximum size limit of 25 inches outside of the lower Laguna Madre. Within the lower Laguna Madre (LLM), the daily bag limit and possession limit is five fish with a 15-inch minimum size limit and a 25-inch maximum size limit.” “One fish over 25 inches is allowed per person per day and counts as part of the daily bag limit coast-wide. The regulations within the LLM were instituted to stop and reverse the downward trend in overall abundance and spawning biomass in the region, and to ensure that fish reach larger size classes.” “The fishery in the LLM has benefited from these regulations. As these regulations have proven beneficial in the LLM, the department is considering expanding these regulations, or a variation thereof, to other areas along the coast. Possible variations could include expanding the five-fish bag limit or other bag limit reductions coastwide, to specific bay systems, or regions. The option of applying a sunset date to these potential regulation changes could be considered by TPWD.”

LCRA Water Allocation

 Currently, one speckled trout over 25 inches is allowed per person per day, coast-wide.

“The reduced bag and hook-and-line only regulations were put in place to allow adult flounders to leave the bay and spawn in the Gulf. This is commonly referred to as the flounder run, which occurs in late fall. These regulations have resulted in improvements in the flounder fishery. However, depending on the arrival of the first cold fronts, these flounder runs may occur earlier or later than November. To further protect and enhance this fishery, the department has other management strategies it can implement, including extending the special 26 |

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November regulations back into October or further into December. The option of applying a sunset date to these potential regulation changes could be considered by TPWD.” When TPWD refers to a “sunset date” that means they could establish a date by which the regulations either have to be reexamined by a panel of experts and the TPWD Commission or go away altogether. “Sunsetting” is a practice the Texas Legislature uses to examine its various bureaucracies every decade.

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LAST NOVEMBER, THE LOWER Colorado River Authority (LCRA) voted to increase rice irrigation cutoff levels. According to officials in Ducks Unlimited (DU) who have been closely involved with the issue, after two years of emergency orders providing very little irrigation or supplemental water for rice and other wetland habitats, this may be the final blow to an ailing industry and the waterfowl that depend on it for habitat. The official vote was to raise the cutoff trigger to 1.1 million acre-feet of water in Lakes Travis and Buchanan by March 1 before releasing water for rice. Previous emergency orders have put the trigger at 850,000 acre-feet according to DU.

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rice will be devastating to the $374-million rice industry in the lower basin, and that will ripple across our regional economy,” Brown said. This issue is huge for waterfowlers because the counties involved are among the top destinations for hunting because of the high numbers of ducks and geese. Without rice the scenario is completely different and could literally destroy the region’s waterfowl hunting tradition if current trends continue.

p Increases in cut-off levels for water from Lakes Travis and Buchanan could hurt rice farms and, in turn, waterfowl habitat on the Texas coast.

“Water is part of the foundation for the basin-wide regional economy; and the fact is, there is not enough water at present for all uses and users,” said Kirby Brown, DU conservation outreach biologist. “However, it is unconscionable to cut off water for food production which in turn provides vital habitat for millions of migratory birds and supports a multi-million-dollar, natural-resource-based economy while allowing non-essential uses such as lawn watering, car washing and filling swimming pools to

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continue. We are all in this together, and we must all conserve our limited resources and seek sensible compromises in water allocation.” DU reported that without unprecedented winter rainfall, this decision would cut off water for rice farming within the LCRA irrigation districts for the third year in a row. “Unless there is a dramatic change in the next farm bill, which Congress has yet to pass, no disaster assistance will be available next year. A third year without water for

On a larger scale, this is indicative of the war for water rights that will rage across the state. There have already been other minor restrictions put in place for agriculture elsewhere in key waterfowl hunting areas. What is happening in the LCRA region gives us a good, sobering look at the kind of struggle that the future will bring involving water in a state with a quickly growing human population. Go to fishgame.com/newsletter-signup. php and enter your email address to subscribe.

1/9/14 1:00 PM

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1/9/14 12:52 PM

THE

NEW LAKE EFFECT

Scroll through the long list of reservoirs under constant by the Texas Water Development Board and it is pretty obvious that most Texas reservoirs continue to starve for water as the result of a wretched drought cycle that has been hanging on for years. Low water is inevitable when more water goes out of a lake than goes in over a long period of time. The impacts are especially noticeable during crippling drought years like 2011. Just about every reservoir in the state dipped to a record low as a direct result of that epic dry spell. In fact, a couple of West Texas impoundments dried up

completely. Although some parts of Texas have received welcomed rainfall over the last 12-18 months that has curtailed dry conditions and boosted water levels on some lakes, most of the state as of December 2013 remained in some stage of drought, according the U.S. Drought Monitor. Likewise, T e x a S

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water levels on dozens of reservoirs remain well below the full pool mark. Some are so low that it may take a 100-year flood fill them up. To wit: In Central Texas, Lake Travis was 52.92 feet low; Buchanan, 31.60. Down south, Falcon and Choke Canyon were

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water level following a lengthy period of low water. Here’s how it all goes down:

The Highs of Low Water When water levels fall below normal and staWhen water levels fall below normal and stay there for an extended period, hundreds and sometimes thousands of acres of the lake bed normally covered by water are suddenly exposed to direct sunlight. This causes grasses, weeds, bushes, trees and other forms of terrestrial vegetation native to the landscape to sprout on shorelines, vast flats, tapering points and other areas that may not have seen daylight in years. The longer the lake remains low, the thicker and more widespread the new growth vegetation becomes. When water levels rise, all the junk that grew during the low period is inundated. This displaces a sudden influx of nutrients into the water and creates a jungle of underwater cover for young fish to hide in, thus leading to increased survival and recruitment while at same time creating an abundance of fresh targets for fishermen to toss their lures around. Another benefit occurs as the newlyflooded weed beds begin to die and decompose. This results in another big shot of nutrients into the water, which in turn benefits plankton and other microscopic plants and animals that are the foundation of the food chain. The nutrients also act as a liquid fertilizer for the lake’s bottom, causing dormant native and non-native vegetation seed banks to spring back to life with new growth hydrilla beds, lily pads and other aquatic plants. This creates even more quality habitat where sport and forage fish populations can thrive.

 These two photos of a dock on Lake Fork clearly demonstrate how heavy vegetation that grows during low water conditions can add new cover to a lake bottom.

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The Proof’s In the Puddin’ at minus 26.78 and 22.78 feet, respectively. Panhandle reservoirs like O.H. Ivie (-43.70) and O.C. Fisher (-51.76) have been extremely hard hit, but conditions are even worse at Meredith, which was pushing the -90-foot mark just before Christmas. Several North Texas lakes including Lavon (-12.76), Ray Hubbard (-6.87), Lewisville (-8.25) and Ray Roberts (-7.54) are still feeling the pinch, as well. To find any normalcy in Texas lake levels 30 |

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these days you pretty much have to look to deep East Texas, where drought conditions have lifted and many reservoirs are closer to full pool than they have been in several years. As a result, some of these reservoirs are likely undergoing a biological phenomenon that fisheries scientists sometimes refer to “trophic upsurge.” Better known as the “new lake effect,” trophic upsurge is what happens when a reservoir refills or records a significant rise in

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The new lake effect bolsters all sorts of aquatic life, but it can be particularly beneficial to largemouth bass populations. Many of the state’s top bass fisheries have rich histories of ebb and flow water cycles, but some are naturally more extreme than others. A good example is Lake Falcon in deep South Texas. The Texas/Mexico border lake has a long history of fluctuating as much as 20-30 feet, mainly because of heavy irrigation demands downstream. The down cycle was especially severe

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throughout much of the 1990s and early 2000s, when the lake fell to more than 50 feet below conservation level. The decadelong drought finally ended between 200204, when 10 years’ worth of new growth terrestrial vegetation was gradually inundated by water. Falcon’s bass population responded with a vengeance. Likewise, the lake fished off the charts for several years as reflected by a long list of tournament results that read like something out of a fairy tale book. Perhaps the most noteworthy event in Falcon’s history was the Bassmaster Elite Series event held there in April 2008. Pros and co-anglers milked the lake for more than 10,500 pounds of bass in four days. At the top of the pack was Mississippi pro Paul Elias, who weighed-in 20 bass weighing 132 pounds, 8 ounces -- an average of nearly 6 1/2 pounds apiece. The mark set a new four-day weight record for all competitive bass fishing events. Amazingly, Elias was joined in the Top 12 by 11 other anglers who cracked the fabled century mark, including Alabama’s Terry Scroggins, who weighed in a whopper limit

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Low water conditions let you (cautiously!) scout exposed structure.

weighing 44-pounds, 4-ounces during the final round. Bass fisheries at lakes Amistad and Choke Canyon have had similar bust and boom cycles over the years. So have those at Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend and a passel of smaller lakes like Nacogdoches, Pinkston and Lake O’ The Pines, just to name a few. The point to be made by all of this is low water is not necessarily a bad thing. True, getting around in a boat or even launching one when the bottom falls out of a lake can be a hassle at times.

Low water also can deter weekend and holiday traffic to the point of creating financial strains on mom and pop tackle shops, gas stations, restaurants, hotels and fishing guides. But there is a silver lining to it all. Big rains will eventually come and lakes will refill. In many instances the process will transform a tired honey hole into a vibrant reservoir that fishes like a brand new one again.

1/9/14 12:52 PM

Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

Shell Shock

ebra mussels were back in news last September after they were confirmed in Lake Belton on the Leon River. Although it wasn’t as sad as the news of the government shutdown spurred by a debate over a questionable health care program, it was bad news just the same. It’s a screwed-up world out there, and we’re livin’ in it. Zebra For those who may mussels on

the Lake Texoma shorline.

not be familiar with the zebra mussel, it is a striped shell fish from eastern Europe believed to have hitched a ride to the U.S. back in the 1980s on transoceanic freightliners from the Caspian Sea. It was first discovered in U.S. waters at Lake St. Clair in Michigan. The mussels have since spread throughout the Great Lakes, the Ohio River Basin, the Mississippi River Basin and as far west as Oklahoma and Texas. Zebra mussels are bad news because they are highly destructive and pose serious ecological and economic threats. Ecologically, they can threaten native mussel populations and disrupt the aquatic food chain by competing with forage fish species such as shad and bluegills for food. This can ultimately lead to negative impacts on sport fish populations. Zebra mussels have been known to cripple power plant water intake systems by clinging to pipe walls in large clusters that restrict 32 |

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water flow to pump turbines, thus resulting in millions of dollars spent on costly repair bills. One facility on Lake Erie reported spending over $500,000 ridding its cooling system of zebra mussels. The same facility projected spending another $50 million on repairs to its piping system. The mussels also will congregate on boat house and bridge supports, boat motors, boats, rocks, buoys and other hard objects. Mussel clusters form jagged, sharp edges that can pose a hazard for swimmers and scuba divers. Sometimes referred to as “aquatic cockroaches,” the troublesome zebras were first discovered in Texas roughly four years ago at Lake Texoma. Established populations have since been confirmed in a host of other Texas lakes and rivers, including the Red River and lakes Ray Roberts, Lewisville, Bridgeport and, most recently, Lake Belton on the Brazos River Basin. The Lake Belton discovery is particularly alarming because it occurred roughly 200 miles south of the nearest Texas lake where the mussels had previously been found. A Texas Mussel Watch volunteer made the discovery when she found a Giant Floater mussel with a smaller mussel clinging to its shell. After confirming the hitchhiker as a zebra mussel, further investigation showed evidence the invasive species was probably established in the lake some time last year. Experts will never know for certain how zebra mussels found their way into Lake Belton, but there is a good chance they were transported by boat from another infested lake, courtesy of a careless fisherman or pleasure boater. That is especially discouraging to state agencies such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and a number of water-controlling authorities who have worked diligently over the last few years to educate the public about the mussels in hope of preventing their spread. The recent finding also underscores how easily the mussels can be transferred from one lake to another without knowing you are doing it. TPWD zebra mussel expert Brian Van Zee of Waco said zebra mussels in the

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larval stage (called veligers) are so small they can be sucked into a boat’s aeration system by livewell pumps or into a boat engine through the water intake. They can also enter the bilge by backwash. Depending on the circumstances, the larvae can live for a week or longer while the boat sits idle in a garage or driveway. Launch a contaminated boat into a lake that doesn’t have zebra mussels, and suddenly it does. The ongoing threat spurred TPWD to start a Clean, Drain and Dry boat campaign several years ago that currently applies to boaters on lakes Texoma, Lavon, Ray Roberts, Lewisville, Bridgeport, Eagle Mountain, Worth and parts of the Red River, the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and all waters along the West Fork of the Trinity above the Lake Worth dam. As part of campaign, boaters leaving those lakes are required to drain all water from their vessels (livewells, bilges, etc….) unless on a direct route to another access point on the same water body. To heighten the battle against zebras, the TPWD and its coalition of partners continue to encourage boaters to inspect their boats for invasives and to take precautionary means to help prevent their spread. In addition to draining livewells and bilges on boats leaving a lake known to have zebra mussels, they say it would be a good idea to take the boat to a commercial car wash and give it a thorough cleaning. Will this effort prevent the spread of zebra mussels to other Texas lakes? Probably not. With so many lakes and rivers already infested and plenty of irresponsible boaters out there toting them elsewhere, it will only be matter of time until the creepy little shell fish find their way into every public water body in the state. “But we do need to keep trying,” Van Zee said. “The longer we can hold them off, the better the state will be for it.” To learn more about zebra mussels and other invasives, see texasinvasives.org. Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@fishgame.com Photo TPWD

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Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Deal With It

omething that I had to learn early on was that there are some realities that are immutable, and the sooner I learned to accept them, the easier it was to get on with the business of living. In other words, as the late, great Don Zaidle once told me: “deal with it.” There are such realities in fishing. I don’t mean the obvious ones such as “It’s called fishing, not catching.” or “Fish only bite when you aren’t ready for them to bite.” These are irrefutable facts that can’t be ignored and must be accepted. No, I’m referring to some facts that, upon first glance, appear to be subjective issues that require — even demand — debate and reform. Upon further examination, however, they are also the sort of realities that fishermen have to — well — learn to deal with.

1. Game Wardens are Not Our Friends

Before anyone fires off an e-mail to tell meBefore anyone fires off an e-mail to tell me that I’m being unfair and inflammatory, bear with me. Game wardens are not our friends in the same sense that parents aren’t our friends. These hard-working men and women are charged with enforcement of the game and boating laws of the state of Texas. It’s a tough job, and way too often they have to deal with hunters and anglers who take being found In violation — or simply being checked for their licenses — with indignation and even belligerence. I have often heard the complaint, “He gave me a ticket for not having my license/having a fish 1/8th an inch short/not having a lousy throw cushion.” or whatever. I should hope so. I have been ticketed twice. Once I had forgotten my Boater’s Registration had expired the month before; the second time was because I had one fish 34 |

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that turned out shorter than I thought (so much for those marks on my rod being accurate). I had no excuse in either case, and I accepted my citation and wished the warden well as he went about his business. It was his job to cite me, as it is to cite anyone who is in violation. Just like it his job to ensure that every boat he stops to check has all the appropriate safety equipment, and every angler is in compliance with the licensing and bag laws. If an angler is in violation and a game warden chooses to write a ticket instead of giving a warning, it isn’t anything personal; it is his duty. He’s not being snotty. They don’t get their jollies by writing a ticket, nor do they have a monthly quota to meet. They have a job to do, and sometimes that means they have to cite someone for breaking the law. Deal with it.

2. Tournament Weighmasters Aren’t Allowed to Negotiate

I have the privilege of serving as weighmaster at several tournaments throughout the year. I am amazed at the remarkable level of indignation some anglers show when they run afoul of a tournament rule that won’t be bent for them. On more than one occasion I have had anglers bring a fish to the measuring stick that was either too short or too long, sometimes by over a half-inch and they feel like I’ve cheated them by disallowing the fish. Some stomp around and huff and puff about the unfairness of the rule, but none claim that they are not in violation of the rule (it is especially tough if the contestant is a child, because I really believe that the parent is setting me up to be the bad guy because he just can’t tell his kid there are rules that must be followed). I’ve also had to deal with such rules violations as bringing a mutilated fish to the table or trying to weigh-in after time had been called (in one case, the only reason a redfish was legal was because its tail had

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been chewed down to the nub. That made the fish unallowable for two reasons, and I was still lambasted for sticking to the rules). The rules of any tournament are established for a reason, and they apply to every entrant into the tournament. Making an exception for one person is unfair, and shouldn’t be expected. Deal with it.

3. Game Laws are Not Written to Prevent Anglers from Catching Fish

I have heard and read a lot of opinions about how strict some bag limits should be, not to protect the fishery, but to make sure only a few fishermen actually fished for them. I remember one reader writing and telling me that the Texas snook fishery should be release-only because, “too many people think it’s okay to eat them. Another advised me that I should write a column calling for a reduced bag limit of two speckled trout per person per day because too many people try to catch their limits. State fishery officials have to balance regulations between protecting the resources and allowing a maximum number of people to enjoy the resource. They establish the current size and possession limits based on data that show how much pressure each fishery can withstand. They don’t tailor their rules to cater to any special interest groups. If their data says a species can withstand a certain level of harvest, they adjust the regulation accordingly. It is unreasonable to expect them to make law at the whim of any group of anglers who think certain species of fish are their personal preserves. The weekend angler who uses live bait is just as entitled to catch — and keep — a 27-inch snook as much as anyone else. The state says so. Deal with it.

Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzalez@fishgame.com

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Necessity is the Mother of a Clever Invention for Baiting Hogs by Chad Ferguson

We hunt hogs on several small properties around Fort Worth. The landowners allow access but often want feeders removed at various times of the year due to other activities on the properties. Setting feeders and building pens is hard work so I quickly grew frustrated and started looking for other options. I started with cheap feeders and didn’t build cattle pens. The feeders lasted about four days before the cattle turned them into mangled pieces of scrap metal. I resorted to “pig pipes” because they were quick and easy to set and we’d had success using them before. It takes the

work out of setting up a feeder and they can be moved quickly and easily. The design is simple and a quick trip to the plumbing store and $25 or less can build a solid pig pipe. If you’re willing to search for scraps and throw in some “redneck engineering” you might be able to build them for free or at least close to it. There are no set rules or requirements only a need to get to the end goal of a T e x a S

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long, securely closed PVC tube that can be staked on one end.

The Basics of Building a Pig Pipe: • Cut a piece of 4-inch to 6-inch diameter PVC pipe to five feet in length. • Take a slip cap and drill a

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Pig Pipe Components

T-Post

Eye Bolt

Swivel Snap

Five-foot length of 4- to 6-inch PVC pipe. Five-foot length of Chain

Slip Cap

Male Clean-Out Cap

Female Clean-Out Fitting

Quick Link

hole in the end, inserting an eye bolt and securing it. • Slip the cap (with eye bolt) on the pipe, securing it with a few screws. • Slip a female clean-out fitting on the other end of PVC and secure with screws. • Screw a male clean-out cap onto the fitting creating an enclosed tube. • Approximately 18 inches from the clean out fitting drill one 1/2-inch diameter hole in the pipe. • Attach a five foot chain to the eye bolt using a swivel snap and quick link. • Cut a two to three foot section of t-post to serve as a stake. Make sure the chain is securely attached to the eye bolt because it will take some abuse. Load up your pipe, stake and a bag of corn and head out to set the pipe. Hammer the stake in the ground securely and attach the open end of the chain to the stake, leaving the length of the chain loose between the stake and pipe. Fill the pipe with corn by removing the clean-out cap and pouring it in. Make sure you fill it completely so it’s stuffed tight and then replace the clean-out cap and screw it on securely. You can also “supercharge” the pipe by adding a package of dry strawberry Jell-O mix to the corn but it’s not necessary. With one end of the pipe secured firmly to the stake, the pipe lies on the ground waiting for hogs to find it. When setting pipes the first time, throw some excess corn on the ground in the area. Scatter the corn around well, like you’re feeding chickens and cover a good 50-foot radius. This helps draw the 38 |

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hogs in and gets them eating and looking for more food. They’ll follow their noses until they find your new invention. To draw them in even more quickly, dump a pile of soured corn around the pipe. They’ll often show up within hours. The hogs move in and begin bumping the pipe with their heads. When they roll it around a kernel or two of corn falls out and they keep working for food, moving and bumping it, often growing more aggressive by the minute. I’ve caught groups of hogs on game cameras—and monstrous lone boars as well—who’ll stick around working the pipes for food for over an hour. The key is making them work for the food so they stick around for long periods of time. If you drill too many holes, they’ll empty it quickly so stick with one to make the hogs work at getting the corn. The real magic happens when you set multiple pipes with some minor additions. Build multiple pipes and set them where you have hog activity. Keep them in a line or pattern where they’re not bunched up. You’ll want the ability to access one without disturbing the others as much as possible. Keep the pipes within a total spread of two hundred yards end to end. Drill two small holes in the male cleanout cap and secure a cowbell to the outside. I’ll typically use bailing wire wrapped around the handle of the bell and through the holes multiple times. If you’re setting multiple pipes in the

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area, adding a chemical light stick to the end with the bell works well. Just securely attach it to the pipe with duct tape. Using different colors and alternating them helps to quickly identify locations in the dark if you want to get super-deluxe with your setup. We travel and walk the areas well when setting pipes and go out of our way to leave our scent. It spooks them at first, but they’ll eventually get used to it. This allows you to run out late in the afternoon, refill pipes with corn, add light sticks and not spook everything. Once the line of pig pipes is set, move downwind and sit back a good distance from the pipes, staying as close to the center of the set as possible. You can sit back, relax and wait for the bells to start ringing. When you hear the sound of the cowbell, watch for light sticks dancing around in the darkness. Follow the sound of the bell, and you’ll have the location identified quickly. From there you can move in quickly with a downwind approach and let the lead fly. You’ll be back home with bacon in the morning and will never long for a night vision scope again. The first few times out, the bells can spook the hogs. If you’ll leave them in place and let them warm up to the sound, they’ll be hitting the feeding areas on a regular basis in no time. What started from a need to be mobile with our feeders and reduce workload, turned into a preferred way of setting up for hogs. The only down side is you can’t control feeding times like you can with a timer-controlled feeder. When you use a pig pipe, the pork shows up on their schedule, not yours.

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Texas Department of Defense Cops vs. Armed Citizens

efore you get the wrong idea, the title of this piece does not denote a confrontation between the two groups mentioned. Rather, I intend to demonstrate the differences between the needs and actions of the two when faced with the possibility of armed conflict. First, law enforcement officers, at least most of them, by the very nature of their jobs are looking for trouble. Or, rather, they are looking to prevent trouble by their presence. Thus a police officer is forced to confront trouble face on. The armed citizen, on the

other hand, is armed not because he is out there actively looking for trouble, but so that if trouble finds him he can cope with it. A police officer is expected to walk into a situation that the armed citizen should do everything in his power to avoid. For instance, should the armed citizen (AC) see an armed robbery in progress, he should not try to intervene. His very presence will complicate things and could cause death and destruction. It will cause law enforcement personnel responding to the call to consider him an armed antagonist rather than a fellow cop. If an AC sees such a situation he should retreat and phone the robbery in to the police. Even if he is in the

| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical | by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann establishment when the robbery is occurring he should try to hide until help arrives. Only when placed in a situation where he cannot hide or retreat and where he thinks he has enough of an advantage that he can complete his draw and neutralize the threat without getting shot, or where nothing but his immediate intervention can prevent the death or grievous bodily injury of innocent people, should he react with force. Instead of screaming “Stop, I’ve got a gun,” he should seek cover and concealment and try to put himself into a position where, if he is forced to use his weapon, he and not the scumbag has all the advantages. The average citizen is in no way trained to handle such situations

CZ P-09 CZ has always had a great reputation among shooters, and the new P-09 deserves every bit of your attention. The new polymer-framed pistol is the latest in a long line of reliable pistols, and I found it to be one of the most accurate handguns I’ve shot in a while. To begin with the P-09 is the “duty” sized upgrade of the more compact P-07. It holds 19 rounds of 9mm, includes two magazines and three interchangeable, different-sized backstraps, a long, fiveslot picatinny rail on the underside of the muzzle, and a smooth, traditional, double-action trigger. It is also avail40 |

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p The CZ-P09 pictured here with Black Hills 9MM Luger ammo.

able with tritium night sights and even a threaded barrel, but our test model had only the glow-in-the-dark sights, which

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held a flashlight charge pretty well. CZs look a tad different from other manufacturers in that the slides ride inside the rail of the frame as opposed Continued on page 42 u Photo: Dustin Photo Ellermann credit

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and should do everything he can to avoid them. There is no shame is running away or hiding. Even cops and soldiers do it when they are out-gunned or out-maneuvered. If you, an AC, are leaving the mall with Christmas presents and notice a group of suspicious men loitering around the parking lot, the wise thing to do is return to the mall, find a security guard, explain the situation to him, and ask the guard to accompany you to your vehicle. Unlimbering Old Equalizer is your last resort, not your first. You want to go home with your gifts, not spend the next week at the police department explaining your actions over and over again and appearing on the local news channel as an armed

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Law enforcement officers, by definition, look for trouble. Armed citizens should take every precaution to avoid it. Otherwise they could end up in custody, or worse.

nut and a vigilante. And you should always contemplate the possibility that you may not win the gunfight. Being dead lasts a very long time. I am very leery of the stand-your-ground laws that are being enacted all across the country. I understand the reason they are being passed, but I am not sure that the average AC understands it. Those laws are not being passed to force you to stand your ground and fight, but I am afraid that is the way many uninformed people see it. There are no laws now, and there never will be any such laws, that prevent you from retreating from an armed confrontation. It is simple common sense that if you can safely escape such an encounter, you should. As I said, you are probably not trained to tackle such situations. What those laws are for is to protect you if you find yourself in a situation you cannot see a way to avoid, and end up having to use your weapon in self-defense.

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Texas Department of Defense Then if the pundits and naysayers who study your reactions for a few months find what they believe is a way you could have escaped, you are not subject to arrest for standing your ground rather than falling to your knees and begging for mercy. Far too many ACs seem to see themselves as plain clothes cops. That is so far from reality that it amazes me. Not only has the police officer been trained to use his weapon by many hours on a range with a qualified instructor, he also has a thorough understanding of the laws and regulations pertaining thereto. He is taught how to approach an armed encounter in a way that gives him the best possible chance to survive and most have spent at least some time on shoot and don’t shoot scenarios using projectors and movies

on a screen. Some larger agencies even have shooting houses such as the famous Hogan’s Alley. Having spent time on such simulators myself, I can tell you that the adrenaline flows quite freely, and you find yourself almost believing it is real. This is as close to reality as you can get without actually being in a gunfight. On the other hand the AC has probably not been to any such training. Most have done a bit of practice on their own and have taken the test that gives them their concealed carry license. That course is not a training course. It is a test to see if you can qualify

and to familiarize you with the laws that pertain to your carrying a gun. It does not compare with the training a police officer gets. Do not kid yourself that you are well-trained if you pass the concealed carry course. I personally believe that every person who wants to carry a concealed weapon should take some real training course such as those offered by Thunder Ranch. It would be best if you took that course before you went for your concealed carry license. That is my advice. Take it or not. It is up to you. —Steve LaMascus

CZ P-09 t Continued from page 40 to the outside. Some shooters might not prefer the lower profile of the slide, but it’s said it gives the pistol a tighter lockup that in turn allows greater accuracy. My experience with this pistol has my agreement because it was extremely accurate. Somehow I found myself at 100 yards shooting eight-inch steel plates with this pistol. I know some readers might think t Continued from xx my I’m exaggerating, so page I grabbed video camera and posted the proof on YouTube. You could check it out yourself. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a pistol shoot that well for me right out of the box, and I’m still quite impressed. Another perk was the lighter trigger. Most stock pistols come with a heavy, gritty trigger weighing anywhere from five to seven pounds. The CZ P-09 breaks at a crisp 3.5 pounds in single action mode. That’s competition grade to me. The double action was a smooth eight pounds, not bad at all when I’ve had other guns come in at 10 to12. The pistol’s controls are convertible to cater to any shooter’s preference. It comes with a decocker installed because

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p The CZ P-09 proved to have exceptional accuracy as this 10 round Black Hills 9mm group shows. Hits were made on 8-inch steel plates out to 100 yards.

most shooters prefer to carry in double action mode as opposed to “cocked and locked.” But if you want to go single action style in a few minutes you can exchange the decocker out for the included safety selector switch. I did this myself in less than 10 minutes by following the owner’s manual. Then I swapped it back again in under three. The full size P-09 carries an impressive 19 rounds of 9mm that puts it in the highest of its class. With this plentiful capacity, great trigger and excellent

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accuracy, not only would it be a dependable defensive sidearm, but I would feel plenty comfortable wielding it in any IDPA or three-gun competition. The P09 retails at a surprisingly low $530 for the standard model and $596 for the Flat Dark Earth finish or $577 for the suppressor-ready model. And yes, it is also available in .40 S&W. This pistol is definitely worth a look next time you see one in the local gun shop, or if it’s too large for your taste check out the P07 for a more compact package. —Dustin Ellermann

Photo: Dustin Ellermann

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Texas Bowhunting by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

ELL IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT another season has passed us by. I am not talking about autumn, but another deer season. I hate to think about it. I absolutely love bow hunting deer, and when it ends, I feel lost. I have no more excuses at home; and jobs that I had decided to put on hold, are now waiting for me. After looking over my “honey-do” list, I see that my wife forgot one of the most important jobs waiting for me. I have to take the time to go through my hunting gear and make sure I re-stock what I need to. I reminded her that this job just HAS to get done. After much discussion, we finally came to a decision, but I went ahead and got my hunting gear out, anyway. I do not know about you, but before the season begins, I make sure that everything in my hunting pack has a place. Of course, by the third week, I cannot find a thing, but I know I have it in my bag — somewhere. I have a check-off list that I follow to make sure I do not forget anything. My friends tell me all the time that I carry too much in the field, but the way I see it, you never know what you might need, and I try to cover my bases. I carry everything from extra batteries to extra flashlights and everything in between. I have a strong suspicion this it is why my friends call me to go hunting. Then if they forget something, I usually have it. The first things I check are my tree stands. I make sure they are not missing any parts and are still safe to hunt out of. It might need a little maintenance where a few drops of lubricant is the answer. Are any of my ratchet straps weathered? Do they need

“ I absolutely love bowhunting deer and when it ends, I feel lost.

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It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

to be replaced? If so, then now is the time to take care of it, so it will be ready next summer when you set them back up again. I inspect my bow carefully. I want to make sure that there are no small pieces of hardware missing. Once I had a lock washer gone, and I never knew it. The only way I found out was when I brought my bow to a professional bow shop to have them give it the “once over.” Imagine my surprise. One thing I like to do at the end of the season is to go through all of my hunting clothes. I grab some garbage bags and separate my warm clothes from my lighter

ones. Under Armour and any insulated underwear go into one bag. Insulated coats and warm vests along with my cold weather pants go in another; Gloves, hats and hunting socks in yet another. I find that before the season, when it is time to wash my hunting clothes, I can do them in sections. This way, I know I have not forgotten anything. By taking the time now, you will be ready to go and have no trouble locating your outer gear when you need it next hunting season. I also gather up my smaller items and place them in a plastic bin. Things like my range finder, releases, scents, knives and all of my calls go in this bin. Talking about smaller items, how about T E X A S

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those field tips and broadheads. You should always remove the broadheads from the arrow after the season. I just do not like the idea of razor sharp broadheads around. Put them away in a safe place where little hunters cannot reach them. Here is a helpful hint: some people choose to use plastic bins with covers that fit tight. I have done that myself. If you use the clear plastic containers, then it makes it much easier to see what is in the bin. If the plastic bin is being used for storing your hunting clothes (which is a great idea), then use a few of the scent wafers. I will tape an earth scent wafer to the inside lid. I might even decide to use a couple of them, if the plastic bin is large. This really works well. The earth scent permeates the hunting clothes which, of course, will help to control your human scent. If you are not yet tired of waking up at oh-dark-thirty in the morning, then be happy you live in Texas. Although whitetail season might be over, there are still plenty of opportunities to take game with your bow. Exotics are available all year long as well as wild pigs. Personally, I have never hunted for exotics. I have, however, hunted pigs with my bow and loved every minute of it. If you have never done it, then I suggest you grab your bow and have at it. Remember, with a bow and arrow, you must wait for the pig to quarter away from you to get the best shot placement possible. The natural shield that pigs have behind their shoulders will affect how much penetration your arrow will have. If you are not an exotic hunter and just do not feel like hunting wild pigs with a bow, then it still is a perfect time to get out there and do some shed hunting. Hey, it’s Texas! There is always something to hunt here. Don’t you love it? Have fun and hunt safe out there.

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Contact Lou Marullo at LMarullo@ﬁshgame.com

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TRUE GREEN

Edited by Will Leschper

Lionfish Stalking Texas Coastal Waters The most dangerous creature lurking off the Texas coast doesn’t have massive teeth, isn’t particularly fast and often can also be found fluttering in home aquariums. In fact, a large one is only about a foot long, but the consequences of this invasive species could have a huge negative impact on a variety of ecosystems. It’s the lionfish, and it’s the scariest

thing imaginable for biologists and fisheries managers. Though the threat of the venomous critter has been on the radar for years, its destructive path is only increasing in warm-water climates. Much like pythons in the Florida Everglades, these alien invaders have no natural predators in their new environments – except for man – and can’t be held in check by any other means than being captured and killed.

Report: Gulf Menhaden Not Overfished

ern Gulf of Mexico, which shows that the population isn’t overfished and not undergoing overfishing, and has not experienced overfishing since the early 1990s. The Southeast Data Assessment, and Review Program report is the culmination of a three-year effort to gather and analyze available data for Gulf menhaden from the commercial

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Lionfish have venomous spines, are ravenous predators, and have no natural predators of their own— except man. The good news? They do yield a delicious bounty of meat.

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation are at the forefront of the lionfish fight, with their researchers finding a number of startling insights into lionfish behavior. This includes: • The lionfish’s continued expansion includes the Gulf of Mexico and Texas. A specimen was even caught at the Packery Channel jetties in Corpus Christi last summer. The fish also has been found at the

purse-seine fishery and the fisheryindependent sampling programs of Gulf states. The findings will be included in a draft Fishery Management Plan, which should be available for public comment in 2014.

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TRUE GREEN Photo: wikimedia commons

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the northern most coral reef bank in North America, about 100 miles south of Galveston.

• Lionfish have a huge appetite and have been found to have eaten almost any other marine life they can snag. Those other critters include shrimp, crabs and more than 100 other species, according to stomach content findings. They’ve even been found to eat other lionfish and have been detrimental to a number of prized game fish including snapper, choking out food sources for other species as well. • Although lionfish have been linked to warm habitats, they have shown they can survive in a range of conditions and depths, and can reproduce quickly, able to breed roughly a year after being born. Predators in their native habitats in the western Pacific Ocean feed on their eggs and parasites there also help control those populations, but in new areas without these control factors, the lionfish has thrived. While the lionfish infestation has been attributed to pets that were released when they were unwanted – much the way the python has risen to power in Florida – there is one approach fisheries officials have urged to throttle back the lionfish figure: eat them, as many as you can, in fact. The lionfish’s menacing spines contain venom, but if you know how to handle and avoid them you can extract a delicious bounty of meat. On a recent trip to Belize, lionfish was among the abundance of sea-

Wintermann WMA Upgrade Includes Solar Well Wintermann Wildlife Management Area is a 245-acre property near Eagle Lake owned and managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Donated to Ducks Unlimited by the D.R.R. Wintermann family, DU transferred ownership to TPWD and assisted with converting the former agriculture lands into managed waterfowl habitat back in the mid-1990s. Over time the infrastructure and management abilities of these wetlands have degraded, and the Wintermann

WMA needs a bit of renovation. Though small, the Wintermann WMA is surrounded by thousands of acres of traditional rice agriculture, making it both unique and important for resident and wintering waterfowl and other wildlife. DU and TPWD are working together to improve the area through increased water delivery and improved water management. The technology and expertise that we have now far exceeds what was used 20 years ago, and the new project will include adding a shallow, T e x a S

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food fare offered, though I wasn’t brave enough to try the cuisine. From what I gathered, the meat is quite tasty and can be used in a variety of dishes, including paired with coconut milk and other spices. There is even a pair of Houston eateries that offer lionfish on the menu. Other attempts to curb the invasive menace have popped up, including derbies in Florida and other locales that have proved successful in large hauls of speared lionfish destined for the dinner table. To spread the word of the good eating from such a bad creature, REEF has partnered with federal agencies and seafood companies to tout the lionfish market while also publishing a book of recipes. For more information, including how to safely handle lionfish, visit www.reef.org/programs/exotic/ lionfish/resources. Texas is home to a number of invasive species, though none poses quite the same risk as the lionfish, a creature that has made itself right at home in the Gulf of Mexico and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Hopefully the bark can’t stand up to the bite when it comes to our vital fisheries. «TG Will Leschper’s work has won state and national awards. Contact him at leschperw@yahoo.com solar-powered water well. Solar well installation is one of the cost-effective conservation practices that DU expects to implement on many projects across the Gulf Coast. These wells provide a moderate, yet valuable source of water independent of rainfall to create opportunities for brooding mottled ducks and other water birds. Adding to its efficiency, the mechanism is fairly passive and doesn’t require substantial attention from land managers, thus freeing up important and limited staff capacity for other management needs.

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—by Andi Cooper «TG

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1/9/14 2:00 PM

The sheer amount of biodiversity in Texas is stunning. From the thick forests of the Piney Woods to the deserts of West Texas and from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the canyons of the Panhandle, Texas has many wild creatures. Many of these are rarely encountered so this month we are going to focus on wild surprises.

q Although rarely caught or encountered, the sand tiger shark, pictured here, is native to the western Gulf of Mexico and Texas waters. These spooky looking sharks are favorites for public aquariums due to their gnarly teeth and chilled out demeanor. In other words, they look a lot worse than they act. They are among several shark species that experts believe declined in the region due to overharvest.

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Black bears arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t supposed to live in Texas, right? Wrong! These bears are native to the state and they are becoming increasingly common in the Big Bend area as well as in portions of the Piney Woods. This photo was submitted to us a few years ago by reader Al Weaver for a story I did on bears in the state. It was encountered by him and his son Ty while hog hunting near Bay City. Bears are not only here but you could encounter them virtually anywhere due to the roaming nature of sub-adult males.

Aoudad (barbary) sheep were released into the Palo Duro Canyon of the Panhandle 60 years ago and on many exotic ranches since then. They flourish in the western third of our state and I have a feeling if we could get an accurate population count outside of high fences we would be stunned. These animals are smart and hardy and although they have a tough reputation, you have to admit this little one is cute. Photos: Shark, Aoudad, shrew, Chester Moore; Bear, Al Weaver; Ferret, USFW

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The black-footed ferret was once common in certain areas of the state such as the Panhandle where prairie dog cities were abundant. They are now extinct here but there is a good chance they will be released back into the state as early as fall 2014. Keep a close eye on TF&Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daily news updates for up to the minute information.

The shrew is a mouse-sized insectivore that is arguably the most voracious predator on the planet and the two most common varieties are the southern short-tailed shrew and the least shrew. Shrews have an extremely high metabolic rate. According to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, this rapid conversion of food to energy requires that these animals consume up to their own body weight in food every single day. This is a short-tailed shrew photographed by the author. This variety actually has a toxic saliva. T e x aS

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1/9/14 12:50 PM

Open Season by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

A Deer Tale

he Hunting Club membership were gathered around the large corner booth in Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Cafe when Delbert P. Axelrod, my personal albatross, came in brandishing one half of what would have been a 12-point rack. “Hey guys, look what I found up behind Rev’s stand!” He held the discarded antler aloft. “Rev must have missed this old boy during one of his naps.” I glared at him, wishing for a genie from a bottle to wish him into some other dimension. Seeing that our round booth was full, he sat down in the last empty seat at the domino table at the opposite end of the cafe. I was glad, because the last time he wanted to join us in our booth, he squeezed into the three inches left on the end, forcing the rest of us to wiggle from cheek to cheek in a bizarre merengue dance shift toward the middle. That day, the guys paused in their game of Forty-two to watch and make disparaging remarks. Delbert thumped the antler onto the table, knocking over several unplayed dominoes in the process. I perked up, excited by the possibility that an annoyed player would attempt to perform an anatomically impossible maneuver upon Delbert’s person with the antler. However, Delbert has become such a nuisance that one of the players simply swatted the antler away as if a one-pound fly had landed on the game table. Delbert leaned his chair back on two legs. “Yeah, Rev got him a deer this year, but that little basket-rack looked like it belongs on one of those talking deer mounts.” Of course he was loud enough for everyone to hear. Doc blew across the surface of his cup. “Delbert, you remind me a lot of a guy we took hunting several years ago.”

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He launched into the story about Dickey Lee, and the last time we took him hunting with us. For years, Dickey Lee had begged us to take him to our deer lease. We put him off, until Dickey Lee’s wife, and Doc’s sister, put enough pressure on us to saddle ourselves with that boozer just the one time. He’s nearsighted and can barely see through those coke-bottle-thick glasses of his. Half the time he doesn’t know who he’s talking to, if the person doesn’t say something. The man is a walking disaster. He’s worse than that for causing accidents or getting in trouble. Knowing Dickey Lee’s predisposition for trouble, we loaded him into a truck and drove to the far side of the lease. A weatherwarped old ground stand leaning against a live oak was just what we needed for Dickey Lee. He was safely away from the rest of us, and couldn’t fall out of the stand and hurt himself. The Club members hurriedly climbed into the truck and hightailed it back to camp. It was Doc’s intention to wait until well after dark, when Dickey Lee was sure to be asleep, and then retrieve his brother-in-law. At dusk, we straggled back into camp. A roaring fire kept everyone warm while we ate steaming beef stew and discussed whether Dickey Lee had seen anything past his nose, or had even remembered to include ammunition in his backpack. The last of the dishes were done (pitched into the fire), and the night filled with the soft sounds of comfortable burps and satisfied sighs. “Well,” Doc began. “Some of us have to go out after Dickey Lee.” It sounded like a classroom full of kindergartners had been told that summer vacation was canceled for the year. Doc and I stood to leave, and from the darkness, just beyond the campfire’s glow, came a hiss and then a loud, wet burp. “Doc!” “Y’all hear something?” Jerry Wayne asked. He can’t hear it thunder, which told me that hiss was somewhere at the decibel

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level of an AC/DC concert. “Doc!” The stage whisper was slightly softer, but more urgent. He hiccupped. “That’s Dickey Lee!” Wrong Willie said and ducked for cover, knowing the probable results of Dickey Lee’s sight issues, clumsiness, and a rifle. “DOC!!!” “What!” “It’s me, Dickey Lee.” We peered into the darkness. Doc sighed. “I know. What are you doing out there?” “Hey, Doc, is everybody inna camp?” Doc answered. “Yep, we’re all here.” “You sure?” He looked around. “I’m sure. We’re all here.” “Count ‘em.” Doc dutifully counted heads. “Yep, we’re all here Dickey Lee. Why?” “Hurray!” Dickey Lee shouted and then burped. “I shot a deer!” Back in Doreen’s, the cafe broke up. Someone slapped Delbert on the shoulder and upset his precarious balance on the chair’s back two legs. He went over, kicking the domino table in the process, and scattering the rocks over the entire cafe. Unfortunately, the table also held several just-filled coffee cups. Screeches of indignation rose from the crowd, somewhat reminiscent of those heard by outdoorsmen who present their wives with a present of muddy, stinking clothes from a recent outing. With practiced agility, Delbert grabbed his deer antler and shot out the cafe door. He streaked past an elderly couple who had just driven up for a quiet cup of coffee. Delbert rushed past their battered old Lincoln, followed by several steaming hunters brandishing various blunt instruments. The elderly gentleman shook his head in despair. “Must have been a bad deer season for these boys to be so jealous one of one little antler.” Contact Reavis Wortham at RWortham@fishgame.com

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1/10/14 10:02 AM

Digital Edition

The Late

Goose Chase by craig stone

PHOTO: GRADY ALLEN

“WHOA, GIRL!” I SAID AS I TRIED TO QUIET THE MARE MY WIFE and I were riding. The horse could sense our excitement. We were 300 yards from at least 500 screaming snow geese. What started out as a late season snow goose reconnaissance mission on a cold winter day had turned into a Hollywood-style adventure. My wife and I were driving around our part of Northeast Texas looking for feeding snow geese. It was February, and leaden skies threatened snow. It was cold, and the last thing on our minds was getting involved in a horseback snow goose hunt. Nevertheless, here we were trying to get within shotgun range of a blizzard of snow geese feeding on winter wheat before a real snowstorm set in. Snow geese are fairly intelligent animals and quickly learn T F & G

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that all those little white rags hunters use to lure them can be their undoing. Young of the year that have not run the gauntlet are the most susceptible to traditional decoying tactics. Those that survive the regular season have wised up. Even with the usual restrictions removed, bagging snow geese is not a sure thing. Geese need to eat, and the No. 1 thing hunters can do to improve the odds is to hunt ‘em where they eat. By late

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TF&G Almanac Table of Contents GEARING UP SECTION

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TEXAS TESTED • Abu Garcia & Wiley X | by tfg staff INDUSTRY INSIDER • P-Line, Cortland | by tfg staff FISH AND GAME GEAR • Hot New Outdoor Gear | by tfg staff

FISHING FORECAST SECTION

COVER STORY • The Late Goose Chase | by craig stone

HOW-TO SECTION

52 TEXAS KAYAKING • Chained 56 Thunder | TIPS • Internet Camping 57 PAUL’S Myths | GUNS & GEAR • A Walk 58 TEXAS in the Dark |

TEXAS BOATING • iPad Boating | by lenny rudow

by greg berlocher

by paul bradshaw

by steve lamascus

January, harvested grain fields are cleaned out and geese have turned to winter grains and grasses. Most of Texas’s best regular season hunting occurs in the rice, wheat, and rye grass fields west and south of Houston. Flocks are aggregated of thousands thanks to abundant food and nearby refuge areas. Most of the prime locations around Eagle Lake to El Campo and down to Matagorda are well served by outfitter and guide services. Information on these hunting companies is available from area chambers of commerce. By late January, geese begin to move out of the area, breaking into smaller flocks as they slowly drift north looking for new sources of energy. North Central and Northeast Texas are not known as traditional goose hunting areas. Migrating light geese usually ride the north winds over the agricultural areas in the northern counties on their way to traditional wintering grounds farther south. By late January, as geese start easing north, thousands of acres of wheat and rye grass fields (traditional crops in these areas) have grown enough to attract geese looking for food. Most North Texas farmers consider geese a nuisance. The birds can graze down 50 |

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HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER COAST • February on Sabine | by capt. eddie hernandez HOTSPOTS FOCUS: GALVESTON • Cold Weather Hotspots | by capt. mike holmes

TEXAS HOTSPOTS • Texas’s Hottest Fishing Spots | by tfg

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

staff

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

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TEXAS TASTED • Jalpeño Glazed Feral Hog Ham | by bryan slaven OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | by tfg staff TF&G PHOTOS • Your Action Photos | by tfg readers

FOCUS: MATAGO68 HOTSPOTS RDA • An Outing | HOTSPOTS FOCUS: UPPER MID 70 COAST • Trout Suggestions | . by mike price

capt chris martin

FOCUS: ROCKPORT 71 •HOTSPOTS The Purist | . FOCUS: LOWER 73 HOTSPOTS COAST • Winter Grass |

by capt mac gable

www.FishGame.com

by calixto gonzales

a wheat field faster than a herd of cattle, so farmers generally welcome polite hunters who request permission to hunt. Counties with enough farmland to attract geese include Kaufman, Hunt, Delta, Fannin, and Lamar. Many of these counties will hold geese well into March, depending on weather patterns. Hunting pressure has been nearly nonexistent in these areas. Traditionally, the season was closed by the time geese started moving into this part of Texas. Hunters who had only been able to look wistfully at geese grazing by the hundreds, now have an excellent opportunity to hunt them. This is do-it-yourself country for goose hunters since most fields are small, usually less than 100 acres. Area chambers of commerce and the county agricultural agent are good sources for locating willing farmers. Then of course, there is the No. 1 information center in rural Texas for locating farmers — the local Dairy Queen. Just about every small Texas town has one, and they are the place for local news, including news about which farmers are tired of geese eating their wheat. Scouting is mandatory for success during the late season. Geese are in smaller flocks, and rarely stay in one field for any length

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of time (abundant food does have its disadvantages). However, they will use an area repeatedly if it meets their requirements. Hunters need to establish the flight pattern from an overnight roost to a feeding field. It is important to set up where geese want to be. Based on my experience, it is difficult to draw them away from a spot they are determined to use. Get there before them and set up all the rag and hard-bodied decoys you can carry. Lie down in the middle of the spread and try to look like a snow goose. Call sparingly. Your spread probably will be the only one around, so just getting a flock’s attention usually is enough to draw them in. Another spot with great potential is the Northern Panhandle. Thousands of ducks and Canada geese spend the winter growing fat on the abundant waste grain left after harvest. Recent trends have included a significant population of snow geese electing to over-winter in the area, especially around Dumas. Playa lakes are about the only source of standing water in the Panhandle, and Cactus Playa provides refuge to as many as 150,000 snow, blue, and Ross’s geese. The

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Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow | TF&G Boating Editor

Why You Need to Take Your iPad on the Boat (And throw it over the side)

ORGET ABOUT THREATS LIKE THE COLlective consciousness of the world wide web, HAL 9000, and Skynet. IPads have beaten them all to universal domination. You doubt me? Think about this: Today, you can use your iPad to do everything from changing the TV channels to tracking that wild boar you just shot. (Seriously, an app called Hunting Light & Blood Tracker emits green and blue light that illuminates the blood trail). So while that little tablet may not be “ruling” us, it’s wormed its way into nearly every facet of modern life. Soon, we’ll even need one to brush our teeth and pick out a shirt. Oops—too late—see the Time2Brush app and the Snap Fashion app.

best one out there. Then, whenever you get on a friend’s boat or rent one, you’ll always have a portable nav device on hand. You can even set up your pad to do specific nav functions, such as displaying a virtual compass, or your speed over ground in gigantic numerals.

Hate these electronic gizmos if you will, as I know I do, but don’t let that hatred blind you. These things are amazingly helpful onboard your boat. Here’s why: NAVIGATION – iPads do a great chartplotter imitation. If you didn’t get a version with built-in GPS (shame on you) you can plug in an add-on, such as the Bad Elf GPS antenna. Download a few digital charts, and now the iPad provides a back-up in case your real chartplotter goes haywire. It can act as a very up-to-date source of back-up information when data on navaids or underwater features seems questionable. It can also be used for real-time navigation. There are plenty of charting programs or apps to choose from. Check out Navionics, which is the most popular and IMHO, the

COMMUNICATIONS – What happens when your boat breaks down, the VHF radio doesn’t work, and your other gadgets and gizmos have ceased functioning? Reach for the iPad. Although it doesn’t act like a phone, you can email people (as long as you didn’t cheap-out, and fail to get a service plan). You can also activate apps like the BoatUS app, and your tow boat will be on the way in no time. At night, the iPad can be a communications life saver. You can turn it into a flashlight, then use it to blink out Morse code. Or, if you get the Morse SOS app (which is free) it will turn your screen into a signaling device. But instead of a mere white light it becomes a flashing, non-stop SOS in Morse code. Don’t scoff—this app has actually been credited for helping the USCG locate an unlighted boat that was sinking with six people

COVER STORY: The Late Goose Chase areas. Full information on dates and fees is available from TPWD (800-792-1112).

t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50 common practice of over-seeding harvested cornfields with winter wheat on many farms attracts the white horde. This area of Texas is vast and landowners are difficult to track down. Using an outfitter is a good idea if you decide to hunt this region. Dumas Chamber of Commerce can provide information on local conditions and services. Another option is the state-managed coastal Wildlife Management Areas. Last year, 14 public hunting units and WMAs participated in the extended light goose season. Details vary with each unit, but generally, hunters must possess the Annual Hunting Permit to gain access to these 52 |

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••• THE BORROWED MARE TOSSED her head and pranced as we angled toward the geese. It was snowing steadily now, growing colder by the minute. In broad daylight, 500 snow geese busily stuffed themselves on tender wheat 300 yards from the nearest cover. We settled on a strategy to get within shooting range: We would stalk them using a horse for cover. Remember the movie “Jeremiah Johnson?” Young guy wants to become a mountain man, meets old guy who is one and is willing to teach him how to survive in the mountains. The young dude (Robert

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Redford) asks the old guy (Will Geer) if the elk they are stalking using a horse for cover won’t notice the extra legs. The old man replied with a snort, “Elk don’t know how many legs a horse has got.” We could get within 100 yards of the snows using that Hollywood technique, and no closer. Apparently, they could count legs. The geese would fly just far enough to keep that distance between us. It was great fun, and might have worked, but didn’t. My brother and I came back early the next morning and set out a 100-rag decoy spread. The geese came back, and both our families had fresh snow for dinner the following Sunday.

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Texas Boating aboard at night, on the Niagara River last year. The boater who used it downloaded the app on the spot. WEATHER PREDICTION – You’ll find a million apps out there that can help you predict the weather—Well, okay, according to Apple there are only about 300 of them that pertain to those of us living in the south central United States. Take your pick; some are good, some are pretty lame, and some have very specific purposes, but most are free. In fact, you can find dozens of freebies that give you data such as animated weather maps and Doppler radar, real-time wind reports, sea buoy condition reports, and more. FISHING – Much as I hate to admit it, these evil little boxes of electrons can even be helpful to fishermen. IMHO most fishing apps are pretty irrelevant to experienced anglers, in the real world. But we aren’t all experienced. A beginner might find it quite helpful to poke through the different databases that assist in judging which color or type of lure to use in situation X, Y, or Z. SHOPPING FOR A NEW BOAT – This function may be of more use to you on dry land, but it’s still certainly boating-

related. With an iPad in-hand, you can check out everything from “For Sale By Owner” used boat ads, to manufacturer web sites, to critical boat reviews, to dealer listings, to book values. Check out Boats.com, to see what I mean. ENTERTAINMENT – Plug it in, and play the tunes you like or stream a channel you appreciate. ‘Nuff said. Okay, so all of these perfectly good reasons exist to bring your iPad onboard. Notice that I say iPad, not iPhone or smart-phone. That’s because some of the best nautical functions, such as navigation and weather prediction, are much easier to do on a tablet than on the tiny screen of a phone. Yes, truth be told, you can do most of this stuff with your phone, too. But, who really wants to be digitally tethered to the “real” world, when they shove off the dock? I know I don’t. So let’s examine a few reasons not to bring your iPad onboard. NAVIGATION – Messing around with an iPad can be distracting, which is downright dangerous. It won’t do you any good to have access to all the latest charts if you’re so busy tapping the screen, that you run right into that channel marker.

COMMUNICATIONS – The USCG has specifically requested that boaters not attempt to communicate via email in case of emergency. If you really need help and email is the only way you have to communicate, you’ll have to email someone else and ask them to call the authorities for you—which is going to delay things and potentially add a lot of confusion. WEATHER PREDICTION – It’s easy to get a false sense of security, when you think you know more than you really do. You may be eye-balling a line of thunderstorms moving in from the west, without ever realizing that a boomer is developing right above you at that very moment. FISHING – I’ve watched friends fiddle with their pads while I’ve reeled in fish after fish. When the bite is good, those fishing info apps aren’t necessary and serve as a distraction. Besides, if you depend on an iPad’s advice every time you choose a bait, you’ll never learn for yourself. SHOPPING FOR A NEW BOAT – Unless you really know what you’re looking at, resist the Craig’s list temptation. There’s a lot of junk out there, and everyone’s looking to make a buck. ENTERTAINMENT – Do you really want to risk your teenage kid putting on Iron Maiden and cranking it up, when you’re trying to enjoy a day on the water? —Or for that matter, your wife putting on Beethoven? So, which is it going to be? Will you bring that iPad with you when you go boating, or not? I have one final item for your consideration. Why do you go boating, in the first place? For most of us, it’s a relief; an escape from the stresses and restrictions of modern life. And if you have your iPad with you when you go boating, you’ll have one stressrelieving option that trumps all else. If that digital dictator seems to be taking over your world, you can always throw it over the side.

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Texas Kayaking by Greg Berlocher | TF&G Kayaking Editor

Chained Thunder

N A BRIGHT BLUEBIRD DAY IN FEBruary, I was slow rolling a small safety pin spinnerbait down the chilled, winter shoreline of a friend’s stock tank when an unmistakable thump charged up the nylon line. The little spinning rod arched downward and without notice I was fast to a fish. It had been a hard winter and the bright sunshine tugged me outdoors from my sulking lair. Truth be told, I was merely going through the motions that day many years ago, not expecting to catch anything in the chilly water, but the line cutting across the surface verified that my lure was pinned to a fish and not a snag. When it finally slid to hand, it wasn’t a bass, crappie, catfish, or bream. No, it had a long and tubular body with a ducklike snout that sported some wicked looking teeth. It was my first encounter with a southern chain pickerel but it wouldn’t be the last. Esox niger is a handsome fish with bright green sides, dark back, and yellow or cream colored belly. The common name comes from the distinctive pattern of chain-like markings on the fish’s back. The pickerel is a long, streamlined fish.Deeply forked caudal and pelvic fins are set well back on their bodies. One glance at the recurved, needlesharp teeth confirms the oft-made comparison between pike and wolves. Pickerels spawn during the coldest months of the year and aquatic vegetation plays an important role. Unlike bass, chain pickerels do not build nests; instead a female releases her eggs in the shallows. With a sweep of her tail, she broadcasts them, and the sticky eggs cling to vegetation. Meanwhile, males release milt, fertilizing the eggs. The hatchlings remain attached to the vegetation for a number of days until they

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consume the yolk sac. Then they drop off and begin eating plankton and aquatic insects, progressing finally to bait fish, even reptiles and small birds. Fishery biologists estimate that first year chain pickerel can attain lengths between 13 – 15 inches and reach 20-inches within three years. Pickerel fishing is a great option for kayak anglers suffering from cabin fever. Pickerel action picks up after the first really hard cold front and lasts through March, with the best two months being January and February. The best time to be on the water is three to four days after a front has passed and the wind has completely abated. Kayak anglers targeting chain pickerel should key in on shorelines and shade. Pickerels, like their cousins the northern pike, like to loiter in the shadows, making it easier to ambush unsuspecting prey. Lilly pads and submerged vegetation provide both structure and shade. Often overlooked is the thin margin of shaded water at the water’s edge. Trees and brush in their native state overhang the water and shade the first few feet out from the bank. Pickerels hold tight to shorelines, finning in the darker water. I didn’t realize how tight they hold until I fished Lake Dangerfield with Robert Woodruff, an Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide. “Cast close to the bank,” Woodruff instructed. I dropped a nattily tied chartreuse and white Clouser Minnow two feet from the bank. Proud of my accomplishment, I started stripping, only to be interrupted by Woodruff who politely counseled me, “I said close to the bank.” I adjusted my casts accordingly and started catching fish. Woodruff taught me that a pickerel will hold just inches off the bank; if your fly or lure lands too far away it will be summarily ignored. Conventional anglers should spool reels with six- to eight-pound test, adding several feet of fluorocarbon leader to the business end of the line. Unlike pike and muskies, a pickerel doesn’t require steel leaders, which can actually be counter-productive in clear water.

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Light monofilament will readily conquer the spry pickerel. However, it is prudent to check knots and line for nicks after each fish. If needed, clip off a section of line and re-tie your lure or fly. Ultra-light-sized spinner baits, both in-line and safety pin styles, work well. Small crank baits, floating minnows and broken backs are also good choices. Fly fishermen should cast small streamers, bendbacks and poppers. Weed guards are essential on all flies when fishing in thick vegetation. Regardless of your tackle preference, remember that chain pickerels are ambush feeders and dropping your offering as close to fishy looking structure as you can will improve your odds. If there is one knock against chain pickerel, besides their tendency to shred expensive bass lures, it is their perceived lack of stamina, but this must be kept in perspective. Admittedly, a one-pound fish isn’t much of a fight on a fast action worm rod; scale down your rod and reel to suit the species. The state record chain pickerel, weighing 4.75-pounds, was caught from Pat Mayse Lake (about 12 miles north of Paris) by Robert Finch in 1996. What they lack in size, southern chain pickerels make up for in attitude. A. J. McLane, the late editor of Field & Stream, captured their essence when he coined the phrase chained thunder to describe them. You face inherent risks when you mix kayak angling and frigid water. Hypothermia is a real threat should you capsize. Always fish with a buddy and wear your PFD when you are on the water. February is a great time to get reacquainted with your sit-inside hull. If you own a sit-on-top, wear waders and cinch them down tight at the waist. When other species are hunkered down waiting for the cold weather to pass, The Southern chin pickerel is at the peak activity level. Grab your kayak and get acquainted with this underutilized species.

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Contact Greg Berlocher at GBerlocher@fishgame.com. A L M A N A C

Paul’s Tips

Internet Camping Myths

it, and it didn’t even think about glowing. All it did was fizz a little bit and ruin a perfectly good Mountain Dew. Even though there probably isn’t anything good for you in Mountain Dew, it doesn’t have anything in it that will glow when you add the other ingredients. Sorry.

MYTH NUMBER 1 — if you forget all your lights, but happen to have a spare Mountain Dew sitting around, you can mix it with baking soda and peroxide to turn it into a homemade glow stick in a bottle. No doubt you’ve seen this. There are even YouTube videos showing how to do it, so it must be true. Really, it’s about time we stopped wasting money on store-bought glow sticks isn’t it. Hate to burst your bubble, but this one is 100 percent false. How do I know? I tried T F & G

“ This one is actually true.

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OR YOU READERS WHO ARE UNDER 30 years old, I’m going to share a little secret with you. As shocking as this may seem, the internet has not been around forever, and not everything on it is real. I know, it’s crazy, but when I was growing up you couldn’t just jump on the internet at any time and Google the answers to your homework. We actually had to use books called encyclopedias. Ask your parents about them because I don’t have space to explain. Although the information in a set of encyclopedias (yes they came in sets) was limited and sometimes dated, it was at least accurate. The same cannot be said for the internet. So in an effort to shed some light on some internet camping myths, I looked up a few, tried them myself, got strange looks from my wife, and figured out whether they really worked — or not.

MYTH NUMBER 2 — Lets say you’re out camping. When you go to start the mandatory campfire you realize you have plenty of fuel wood but no tinder to get the fire g oi ng .

If you have young kids then there is a good chance that you have some old, lost crayons in your car somewhere that can be used as tinder. Once lit, the crayon will burn for 30 minutes. This one is actually true. Well, I assume it’s true. I lit a crayon, but got tired of watching it burn, so I put it out after about 15 minutes. I still had about half of it left, so I figure the other half would take another 15 minutes to burn. The crayon won’t just immediately catch

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fire from a single spark. You have to expose it to an open flame for a few seconds, but once it gets going, it puts off a surprisingly impressive flame. Another fire starting tip: keep a pencil sharpener in your outdoor gear — no, not the old school kind that mounts to a table and has a handle. Get one of the small plastic kind that kids keep in their pencil bag. You can use this to shave down a stick, and then use the curly shavings as tinder to start a fire. MYTH NUMBER 3 — You’re camping, possibly lost (don’t act like it never happened to you), and the only water you have may be contaminated with little bugs that will make you sick. If all you have is two Coke cans, a lighter, and a few little sticks, you can easily boil the water in three minutes and have sterile water to drink. This one is kind of true. It just takes a little work and longer than three minutes. Yes, I tried it, too. First, cut out the lid from one of the cans. Then poke about five or six holes around the outside about half an inch from the top. Do the same thing near the bottom, plus cut out a larger hole (about an inch tall and two inches wide) on the side near the bottom. Stuff tinder in the can (you should have a pencil sharpener in your pocket), and stack small sticks on top of this all the way to the top. Light the fire through the hole near the bottom. Fill the other can with water and place it on top of the fire can. The water inside should start boiling in a few minutes. You can keep the fire going by feeding small twigs into the large hole near the bottom of the fire can.

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Contact Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com F E B R U A R Y

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ILLISTRATION BY PAUL BRADSHAW

by Paul Bradshaw | TF&G Contributing Editor

Texas Guns by Steve LaMascus | TF&G Shooting Editor

A Walk in the Dark

approached. At least we hoped that’s how it would work. Since this was the first time we had done this, we were flying by the seat of our pants. It could be either a brilliant plan or a complete disaster. Only time would tell which.

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The bobcat was stalking the call — and me.

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PHOTO: CANSTOCK

T WAS A COLD, DARK NIGHT, WITH A chill, but gentle, breeze playing across the top of the brush. The goal this night was to call in and kill a wily old bobcat that had been making regular meals of the rancher’s Angora goats. This old bobcat had been called up before by other hunters, and missed. Now he refused to come to a call when the stand was done in the normal way, and the trappers had had no better luck. My brother David and I, in a fit of mild desperation, as our deer hunting privileges depended at least partly on our ability to keep the bobcats under control, had put our heads together and come up with a new tactic. Instead of driving from place to place and calling from the back of the pickup with an electronic caller, using a spotlight that plugged into the truck, we were going to drive near enough to walk to our calling location, use a mouth call, and instead of the so-called “million candlepower” spotlight with a red lens, we would use a high intensity, rechargeable flashlight. It was approaching midnight when we parked near the old quarry on Muela Creek. Using a very dim flashlight we picked our way through the thorn brush. Finally, after getting turned around once in the brush, we found the old slag heap we had decided to call from. The pile of rocky rubble was a leftover from the long disused rock quarry. It was about 15 feet high, which allowed us to look down into the brush, but which would give the bobcat a false sense of security as he approached – if he

We had with us two new rechargeable MagCharger Mag-Lite flashlights. These lights were new to the market at the time, were claimed to last for nearly an hour of continuous use, and to register almost 30,000 candlepower. The “million candlepower” spotlights were actually nowhere near that powerful, so a relatively small flashlight of 30,000 actual candlepower was utterly fantastic. David and I were both in the Border Patrol, and we had each bought one of these new lights as soon as they were available. The truth is that a good flashlight is at least as important to a law enforcement officer as his handgun. A test a few days earlier had proved the claim of an hour of continuous service was a bit optimistic. Three quarters of an hour was closer to the truth. We planned to stay on each stand at least a half-hour, longer if we saw eyes shining in the distance. We decided we would use one light on each stand while the other light was plugged into the car charger. That way, we could use one light while the other recharged. After several hours of calling,

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we had managed to kill a few gray foxes, but no bobcats. We were tired and hungry and a bit chilled. It was time to try for the old bobcat by the creek and call it a night. We set up, and I started to call. To conserve the light, we used it for a few minutes and then turned it off for a short time. The light was pointed up, with just the bottom edge of the beam brushing the ground. For nearly 45 minutes I called as David and I watched for the dim glow of the bobcat’s eyes in the brush below us. I was ready to leave, disappointed, and convinced the night was a bust, but for no special reason I decided to give it one more try. I blew the call for all it was worth, making sounds no cottontail rabbit would ever make. My rifle was lying in my lap and the flashlight was in my left hand, when I caught a glimpse of something in the brush a hundred yards out. It was either an eye or a firefly. Since it was too cold for fireflies, I felt sure it was an eye. I held the light as high as I could and still be sure the bobcat’s eyes would reflect the light, as I blew gently on the call. The bobcat was coming, stalking the call – and me — slinking from bush to bush, staying hidden. He was smart and had been shot at before. He was taking no chances. If this was a free lunch, he would just have to eat it cold. It took the bobcat another 15 minutes to cover the 50 yards between where we first saw him and the opening in the brush where David shot him. The light died as we were climbing down from the slag pile to go claim our prize. If we had done the usual, calling from the truck, using the electronic caller and big spotlight, I doubt seriously whether we would have collected the cat. But by doing something out of the ordinary, being as quiet and as sneaky as we could, and especially staying far from the stinking, clinking, rattling truck, we finally persuaded the bobcat to come close enough for a shot. This is a technique we have used many times through the years, and it works very, very well. With the newer flashlights now available, it is easier to keep a working light ready to go. These days I use SureFire lights. These flashlights are not rechargeable, and the batteries are a bit pricey. On the other hand, all I have to do when the batteries run down is replace them. With the rechargeable light I T F & G

had to wait several hours for the light to be fully charged. Also, SureFire makes a red lens for these lights which works very well. In addition, they make a device that allows the flashlight to be attached to the scope of the rifle. This frees up the hands and does away with the need to shoot with one hand and hold the light with the other — something that is difficult to do under the best of circumstances. Some of the best calling is in areas you can’t drive to — along wooded creeks, deep in thickets where small clearings allow enough visibility to hunt, and along bluffs and on the sides of brushy hills. These are also the kinds of habitat where the smartest predators make their homes. A caller might lure one far enough from its home and near enough to a pickup for a shot, but it is much more likely to come to a call if it doesn’t have to travel far and if it thinks it is concealed as it approaches the ersatz small animal in distress. This is where full camo is almost mandatory. When I call from a vehicle I seldom wear camo, just dark or dull-colored cloth-

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ing. But when I go after a big tom bobcat in his home territory I wear the whole megilla, including, usually, a face net and gloves. I have even spray painted my little .223 with the stainless barrel and synthetic stock, so it doesn’t shine in the light. I prefer mouth calls for most of my calling, and I believe I am usually more successful with mouth calls. One of the new electronic calls with a remote control, however, can be astoundingly effective. Couple it with a small decoy and you have the makings of a first-rate bobcat or fox set-up. If you have gotten past the thrill of seeing a dumb, young, or inexperienced predator come running toward the pickup on a dark night, and want to start working on the old, smart predators that are difficult to call, this is the best way I know to be successful. It is also more effective on coyotes, which are renowned for their aversion to spotlights and the aroma of gasoline and burnt motor oil.

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Contact Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com

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Lightweight Champ: Abu Garcia Revo SX MY SON’S FIRST REEL LASTED HIM FROM when heMy son’s first reel lasted him from when he was five until he retired it at age 13. Despite eight years of heavy use he didn’t hang it up because it was damaged, in bad condition, or in need of repair, he just wanted to mount his own very first rod and reel on his wall. That reel was an Abu Garcia, and it served him so well that when we replaced it, he knew exactly which brand he wanted without any question. His first pick, naturally, was a new Abu

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Garcia Revo Primo. But at a cost of $250, it was simply

Abu Garcia Revo SX

comes in at about $160. We also discovered that even though this isn’t what one would call “inexpensive,” the Revo SX is a bargain. The SX has the high-

out of range. So we went shopping and discovered the Revo SX, Abu Garcia’s mid-priced Revo, which

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end C6 carbon body to reduce weight, along with a machinedaluminum spool, eight stainless-steel bearings, an X-Craftic alloy frame, a stainlesssteel main shaft, and an EVA grip. In other words, it should hold up just like that first Abu Garcia did — for the long haul. Four sizes are available, the SX10 (with a gear ratio of 5.2:1), SX20 (with a gear ratio of 5.1:1), SX30 (with a gear ratio of 5.8:1), and SX40 (with a gear ratio of 5.8:1). All are braid-ready, including the spool design, which was developed to tie to directly. There’s no need to tie on a length of mono first to eliminate spoolslip. Weights range from 7.4 to 10.2 ounces, and this line-up is designed to handle braid or mono from four to 14-pound test. With some use, a few characteristics about the Revo really stand out. First off, the carbon-matrix drag is as smooth as they come. When you’re fishing with light line, this is more important than ever. Having that drag behind the six-pound test on a SX10 really brings confidence. Second, cranking the reel is also extremely smooth, and there’s very little wobble. Chalk that up to good design

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PHOTO: ABU GARCIA

Texas Tested

PHOTO: WILEY X

work, which shouldn’t be surprising since Abu Garcia has been designing and building reels since 1921. Ready for some icing on the cake? The red and black anodized finish is red-hot. If you’re looking for a new lightweight weapon to add to your fishing arsenal, make sure you check out the Revo SX. Visit abugarcia.com for more info.

Will you have to worry about flying sinkers and ejected shotgun shells while wearing the Wiley X Saint? We think not. The glossy black frames are extremely light. They have a rubberized nose bridge and temple grips to keep things comfortably in place. Or, maybe we should call them half-frames. This style leaves the bottom section open and grips the lenses from about halfway up, around the top, and halfway down

the other side — part of what makes it easy to swap those lenses out. But don’t worry about them falling out unexpectedly, because these frames hold them securely until you decide it’s time for a lens change. The Saints MSRP at $75, and they come with a leash, cleaning cloth, and zipper case. Prescription versions are available from local dealers (check out the “dealer locator” on the Wiley X web site), or, if you have a military ID they can be ordered directly from Wiley X. For more info, visit wilyx.com.

WileyX Saint

Eye Candy: Wily X Saint WHETHER YOU’RE INTO FISHING, HUNTING, or any other outdoor activity, one thing all outdoorsmen need is a good pair of sunglasses. Many of us will need two or even three pairs to cover all the bases — if, that is, you don’t know about the Wiley X Saint, This is one pair of sunglasses that can fit many needs. The idea behind the Saint is to have interchangeable lenses. The 100-percent polarized lenses are removable, so you can put in yellow for those days you need to heighten light levels and water color changes, for fishing in the shallows. When it’s blazing bright out, and you need to cut glare, you can take the yellow lenses out and put in the polarized, smoke-green lenses. Or you can swap them with a different set of lenses to match up whatever situation you encounter. Either way, these lenses are ANSI Z87.1 compliant, which means they meet high-velocity and high-massimpact safety standards. In fact, they also meet MIL-PRF 32432 (GL) MCEP standards, which qualifies them as military protective eyewear. And yes, OSHA accepts them as protective eyewear, too. T F & G

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Industry Insider

WHAT DO BRYAN THRIFT AND HANK CHERry have in common? Besides the fact that both anglers reside in the Tar Heel state, they have also joined the P-Line Prostaff. Each has spooled P-Line on their reels for years, but in 2014 they will officially wear the P-Line logo on their jerseys and use P-Line braid, copolymer, and fluorocarbon exclusively for all of their fishing applications. Bryan is currently the number one ranked angler in the world by Bassfan. com. It’s impossible to look at an FLW leader board and not see the Bryan North Carolina resident somewhere Thrift in the top 10. “When you’re fishing against the top 300 anglers in the world and receiving a check in virtually

PHOTOS:P-LINE

P-Line Adds Serious Talent to Their Pro Staff

Hank Cherry

every tournament, it says something about your skill set as an angler,” stated P-Line President Stefano Pucci. Also included on Thrift’s resume is the 2010 FLW Angler of the Year title. Bryan will focus his efforts on the FLW Tour for the 2014 season. “I have been a professional bass fisherman for seven years, and P-Line has been there for every one of them. It doesn’t matter whether I’m skipping a jig under metal boat docks or flipping into the nastiest brush piles on the lake, I know P-Line is not going to fail me. I make my living on the water where every ounce counts, and my line has to hold up under any circumstance. I know when the money is on the line P-Line will put them in the boat.” Hank spent 2013 making his rookie debut in the BASS Elite Series. A solid season landed Hank the coveted Rookie of Year title, while also finishing 14th in the AOY standings and qualifying for the 62 |

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Cortland and Jarvis Walker Announce Joint Venture CORTLAND LINE COMPANY AND JARVIS Walker Pty Ltd are pleased to announce a new joint venture, Cortland International Pty Ltd, which will market Cortland products to all countries outside the USA and Canada, effective immediately. Cortland CEO Randy Brown and Jarvis Walker Brands Director Trevor Maundrell made the joint announcement and both are excited about the possibilities. “The recent change of ownership at Cortland has seen an increase in investment in the development of new technologies and products, and we’re looking forward to working with Jarvis Walker Brands on expanding Cortland’s global market share,” said Brown. Maundrell said: “It’s fantastic to see such exciting changes taking place at Cortland, a brand with such a rich history in the fishing industry. We are looking forward to working with the new-look team at Cortland and will enjoy seeing the investment in research and development bear fruit. “Jarvis Walker sees great potential in the Cortland brand and in the coming range expansion that will develop a significantly broader product mix for both the fly fishing and sportfishing markets. The combined resources in this joint venture have T F & G

PHOTO: CORTLAND LINE CO.

Bassmaster Classic. Hank received a spot in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic by winning a Southern Open on Smith Lake. With an impressive rip-bait pattern established, Hank was within an arms distance of winning the Classic when a seven-pounder shook the hook next to the boat. Hank went on to finish in third place, but knows he had the pattern and the fish needed to beat the top anglers in world. There is such a wealth of on-the-water knowledge with Bryan and Hank, which P-Line will use to create technique specific YouTube video clips, Facebook updates, and continue to innovate an already impressive group of fishing lines.

Trevor Maundrell and Randy Brown join forces for worldwide venture.

some impressive capabilities in many categories, and we are eager to start building Cortland’s bright future,” said Maundrell. The new company will continue to

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work closely with existing distributors while exploring opportunities for new distributors and new markets.

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Attraxx Lures with Sci-X Stimulants JOBU OUTDOORS, MAKER OF ATTRAXX FISHing lures with scientifically engineered and patented SCI-X feeding stimulants, has revamped the old formula and products and put them in new packaging. JOBO re-evaluated the already outstanding older recipe for the SCI-X attractant with Dr. John Caprio and added some new and improved formulas for both marine and freshwater applications. They also tested the potency of the new formulas to see how many parts per million they were exuding into the water with great results. Dr. John Caprio, a worldrenowned fish neurobiologist and Louisiana State University (LSU) pro-

SCI-X a natural chemical compound that engages the predatory instinct of fish to feed. Caprio spent most of his life studying how fish react to certain stimuli. He developed a formula containing several natural chemicals that fish expect to detect when looking for and tasting food. When an ATTRAXX Lure with Sci-X hits the water, it immediately begins releasing massive amounts of these watersoluble, natural stimulants and continues to release the most powerful feeding stimulant ever introduced to the world of fishing. As a result, it kicks in a natural predatory instinct to attack the lure reflexively. In addition, fish often hold onto the bait longer because it tastes like natural prey. Unlike some lures, which must be kept moist, reusable ATTRAXX baits do not wilt or dry up, and they don’t need to be retreated

when left exposed to the elements, a major benefit over other such lures.” The products carry U.S. Patent numbers 5,664,362 and 5,720,996. Anglers may also see the complete

fessor, developed

p Attraxx Lures in new packaging and with improved stimulant formulas.

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line of potent ATTRAXX products or order products on-line with the new shopping cart at attraxxbaits.com or follow the ATTRAXX Baits w/Sci-X page on Facebook.

Barnett Ghost 350 WEIGHING ONLY 7.6 POUNDS, THE GHOST 350 may be one of the lightest crossbows to ever come out of Barnett’s factory, but it still packs a powerful punch. With a speed of 350 feet per second and 116-foot

Barnett Ghost 350

pounds of kinetic energy, the Ghost 350 is exactly what the big-game hunter needs. In addition to speed and power, the Ghost 350 features cutting-edge technology and innovations that also help ensure a successful hunt Barnett’s unique Carbon Riser Technology, which removes weight from the front end of the crossbow, shifts the center of gravity from the front end to the back end of the stock to drastically increase balance and maneuverability, allowing for faster target acquisition and more accurate shots. In addition, the crossbow comes with an Anti Dry Fire Trigger Safety System, making it even more reliable in all conditions. The CROSSWIRE® string and cable system blends Barnett’s fibers with the industry’s toughest serving materials, ensuring the shooter has the most stable and

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PHOTO: JOBU OUTDOORS

Fish and Game Gear

reliable string in the industry. As a result, shooters experience a faster, quieter and more precise shot. The Ghost 350 is available through retailers as a complete package with the crossbow, a Barnett illuminated 3x32 multi-reticle scope, a quick-detach quiver and three high-quality Easton 20” arrows. A rope-cocking device is included, but it also allows for the integration of a crankcocking device. The Barnett Ghost 350 is made in the U.S. Visit barnettcrossbows.com.

Pro Ears Ultra PROTECT YOUR HEARING WHILE SHOOTING both indoors and out with the new Ultra Series ear muffs by Pro Ears, the world’s most advanced electronic ear and hearing protection manufacturer. Designed for high-noise environments, the Ultra Series ear muffs will replace the Ultra 26, 28 and 33 models.

“Pro Ears Ultra Pro Ears are extremely Ultra u series comfortmuffs. able with their soft, adjustable headband and leather ear cushions,” Max Michel, star of Sportsman Channel TV show “Hot Shots,” said. “If you are looking for great hearing protection to be worn for long periods of time, these lightweight muffs are perfect! Made here in the USA, this product is another great addition to the Pro Ears line.” The Ultra Series is available in two styles. The Ultra Sleek ear muffs offer a classic, contoured ear cup that allows for a smooth weld, and has a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 26 decibels. This style is appropriate for long gun shooting and outdoor use. The Ultra Pro ear muffs are built more rugged, yet comfortable with

Pro Form Ear Seals. This style provides the ultimate protection with a NRR of 30 decibels and is ideal for indoor and outdoor shooting ranges. All Ultra Series ear muffs feature a new lineup of various colors and patterns suited for everyone, and come with a one-year warranty. Like all of the Pro Ears hearing protection products, the Ultra Series is made in the U.S. Visit proears.com/Ultra-Series.

Shop TF&G’s ONLINE STORE for innovative, new and hard-to-find outdoor gear at

FishandGameGear.com

Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez | TF&G Contributor

HE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, IF GIVEN the chance, can be very productive on Sabine Lake if you’re in the right place at the right time. The iffy weather that comes with this month, however, could very well mean that the right time will probably be a lot harder to find than the right place, so you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the good days if you can. There are plenty of fish to be caught on Sabine Lake in February. It’s just a matter of finding them. Fishing the warmest water possible will definitely work to your advantage.

“ Fishing the warmest water will work to your advantage.

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February Fishing on Sabine

One of our “go to” spots is the Entergy Outfall Canal, located about a mile west of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in the Neches River. The discharge from the plant keeps the water warm year ’round. Often times the fish will be stacked in there when you can’t find them anywhere else. Redfish are always plentiful and will take an assortment of baits. Live bait, cut bait or fresh

dead shrimp will keep the rod bent more consistently, but artificials like Hoginars, gold spoons, and dark plastics will also get the job done. This is a long channel with plenty of good fishing real estate. The mouth is a good place to start because it seems to always hold fish. Key on points and cuts on the east side as you work your way down. Work these areas over good, down the ledges all the way back to the boat. A lot of good fish are also taken from the middle of the channel on live or cut bait Carolina-rigged with a 1.0 Kahle hook. Use an egg sinker and let it roll with the current along the ledge. Redfish, black drum and the occasional bonus flounder should keep things interesting. If it’s trophy trout you’re looking for, hit the flats and either wade or drift with an arsenal of jerk baits, topwaters and soft plastics. Any sign of bait or surface activity means you are probably in a good spot. Depths between 1½ to 4 feet are what you are looking for once the sun begins to warm things up. These flats give up some really nice trout every winter. MirOLure Catch 2000, Corky’s and light colored soft plastics worked a little slower than normal usually do the most damage.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Port Neches Riverfront Park SPECIES: Redfish and croaker BAITS/LURES: Finger mullet, mud minnows, fresh dead shrimp BEST TIMES: High Tide

Contact Eddie Hernandez at EHernandez@fishgame.com

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Hotspots Focus: Galveston

by Capt. Mike Holmes | TF&G Contributor

F WE ARE TO HAVE ACTUAL COLD IF WE are to have actual cold weather on the upper Texas coast maybe even a freeze, February is the most likely month for it. Because of this, February is a good time to dig in the freezer for packages of fillets, fish that can be enjoyed indoors, with the heater controlling the “weather.” In spite of this, there can be some good fishing during our short winter, for those who really want it. Marinas, public or private, need to be in deep enough water to allow boats to get in and out under all but the lowest of tidal conditions, and sometimes this means rather large boats. Marina docks are also usually lighted, giving us lights over deeper water, a perfect combination for attracting hungry fish. I have spent many enjoyable hours using the little tandem rigged jigs sold as “Spec Rigs” for speckled trout under marina lights. Normally, once a slip is located that has a school of specks in residence, the action can be nearly non-stop. If it does stop, just walk down the dock to another slip. The fish will be visible just under the surface. Although most of these will be smaller specks, among the undersized ones will usually be a few large enough to invite home for dinner — legally. Every now and again, usually outside the very last slip on a dock, and often just outside the reach of the dock lights, you will find larger fish — sometimes a lot larger. These bigger specs are what you might invest in live shrimp for, should they be available. Of course, you should always ask permission before fishing a private marina, and it is T F & G

winter night fishing trip — provided I did catch fish — was when a large area of water in a marina was holding schools of small shad. The fish that were in a feeding frenzy among them turned out to be hardhead cats — store-bought, frozen fish sticks, anyone? One other caution about winter night fishing is that occasionally fishermen have returned home from a trip such as this in February to find their significant others not so happy about their choice of nights to fish. This caused the infamous “Valentine’s Day Massacre” we’ve all heard about.

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THE BANK BITE

If we are to have actual cold weather on the Upper Texas Coast, February is the month for it.

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Cold Weather Hotspots

better if you or a friend actually keep a boat there. Public areas also might have a locked gate at night, so find the marina office and ask whether they will allow you to fish there. As a former boat owner, I feel it is probably better to have someone on the docks at night who has asked for permission and thus announced they will be there — and who might discourage prowlers — than one who just arrives and helps himself. If permission to walk the docks is not in the cards, similar situations can be found around lighted boat ramps and public piers.

Just outside the immediate Galveston area, for instance, piers in parks on Bastrop Bayou and Oyster Creek are open to the public, lighted, and free to fish on. For those who might follow the first advice of the column, and stay inside where it is warm, I confess to really enjoying those just legal-sized specs fried nice and crisp on the outside. Flounder can be found in winter also, and it’s hard not to cook a flounder well. Croakers and sand trout should not be spurned, either. The only times I’ve really failed to get a good meal or two out of a

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LOCATION: Anyplace you can cast to relatively deep water, especially in a cold spell, when most species will be seeking protection from cold water. Under lights on a dock or pier is especially good for speckled trout. SPECIES: Anything is possible, but pan fish, drum, a few reds, and maybe a flounder are most likely. BEST BAITS: In cooler water, fresh dead bait is often as productive as live bait, and lures also work surprisingly well. Gold spoons for trout and reds, small jigs for specks and pan fish are the rule. BEST TIMES: Interestingly, fishing under lights at night is good in cooler weather, but fish also feed in warmer sunshine on shallow flats and reefs at mid day. As always, watch the tides.

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Contact Mike Holmes at MHolmes@fishgame.com.

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Hotspots Focus: Matagorda

by Mike Price | TF&G Contributor

It Was an Outing

WO OLD GUYS IN AN AIR BOAT WERE telling stories and laughing and fishing when I paddled by in my kayak. I said hello and asked how their fishing was going. One of the fishermen said, “We aren’t catching fish, but we are having an outing.” I fished hard that day, but I had an outing too, with no fish. In February the weather is usually cool, ducks, geese, and

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many other species of birds that winter in Texas constantly entertain. Being out on the water doing anything is food for the soul, so I have no complaints if our catch of the day is an outing, but there are good fishing days in February as well. In late February the wind was blowing strong out of the east, the outgoing tide was strong, and the water was low when I talked to guide Captain/Coach Floyd Ciruti before we left Matagorda Harbor. He told me that trout were in the guts in West Matagorda Bay on the south shore. We headed in that direction. We drifted and fished and fished without a bite, and then I started catching small trout near the confluence of a bayou and the

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bay. We found fish where there was a gut, five feet deep, surrounded by one to three feet of water. That was where we anchored and concentrated our casting. Soon we got into sizable trout, 18-19 inches. On another trip to the south shore of West Matagorda Bay in February, we had a similar experience. My wife, Janet and I started working the shoreline without any success and then I said, “I’ll go south to the peninsula and you continue to go along the shoreline and we’ll see if we can find some fish.” A few bait fish scattered in front of my kayak, but my soft plastic had not attracted any bites when Janet radioed me and said, “I just caught a 16-inch trout, and I think more are here.” I started moving in her direction when she called again and said, “I just caught another one, come on over.” At that point I got serious about paddling in her direction. It is hard to get a photo of someone catching a fish, but I set up to take a photo of her catching and said, “OK, go ahead and catch a fish now” — and by golly she did. She stopped stringing keepers (between 16-18 inch trout) at six and I stopped at five, but we caught 16 keepers and about 10 undersized trout, plus one 15-inch redfish. Similar to our other experience on the south shore of West Matagorda Bay we found a spot where the water depth dropped about three feet, and that is where we located the trout. Both of these guts had been formed by current moving in and out of the backwaters, and both were ten feet or so from the shoreline. One of the challenges you have in February is low water, so low you may not want to risk hitting your boat’s lower unit on an oyster reef, log, or the bottom to get to your favorite spot. Tide predictions at www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov show that water levels at Port O’Connor will be low, as usual, this February. Strong winds from the north (northers) push water out of the bays. A day with a combination of north winds and low tides

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PHOTO: MIKE PRICE

February is a challenging month for fishing the bays. You may have dense fog, strong winds, very cold air temperatures, and low tides, but fish have to eat too. If you go fishing on that rare beautiful sunny day, and you catch fish, there is a good chance that you will describe your day as a good day of fishing instead of just an outing.

THE BANK BITE THE MATAGORDA LOCKS are located at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Fishing at this intersection offers a good chance to catch trout, gafftopsail catfish, red and black drum, and other species. The current can be strong so bring weights that will get your bait to the bottom and keep it there. To get to this fishing spot take Fisher Street west, past Stanley’s grocery, turn left to Matagorda Street and then right on Matagorda Street, and then left on the road to the locks.

p Janet Price netting a trout.

guarantees very low water in the bays. But don’t let the low water discourage you. You can still find good fishing. The Diversion Channel is always accessible and protected from strong winter winds. If it’s a cold, blowy day, anchor and fish. But if it’s a calm day with light wind and very few boats are using the Diversion Channel to get to West Matagorda Bay (because the water is so low), try drift fishing. The Colorado and Tres Palacios Rivers hold trout when the water temperature is in the 50s to low 60s. If there has been very little rain, salt water will move miles up these rivers from the bays, and the fish move as well. I was at Carl Park boat launch on the Tres Palacios River (at FM 521) on a cool winter day when two fishermen returned from fishing up river. They said that they had caught more than 150 trout, mostly small, but they also caught six keepers. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is another deep water haven for fish during the winter months. You may want to try anchoring where water is draining from a lake or bayou into the ICW during a strong outgoing tide. Predator fish wait at places like this for concentrations of bait to be pushed into the ICW by the current. The weather in February can be mostly bad, so look for a break. If the sun comes out, the wind shifts to the south or southeast, and the afternoon air temperatures are in the 70s, fish will move out of deep water T F & G

areas onto nearby flats. Drift fishing over the oyster reefs in East Matagorda Bay on a sunny afternoon with light winds can be very productive.

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Contact Mike Price at MPrice@fishgame.com

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Hotspots Focus: Upper Mid Coast

by Capt. Chris Martin | TF&G Contributor

Suggestions for February Trout

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won’t always be able to get to the far reaches of the back lakes, and we will instead look to area drains as a convenient option. Area drains such as small sloughs or bayous connect one back lake to another, or connect one of the back lakes to one of the main bay systems. The very best time we have found to set up along these drain areas is during a fall-

“ The shell is a proactive choice this month because it produces cover for baitfish.

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S WE CHASE BIG WINTERTIME specks this month, we will look for the fish to be holding over mud and shell, or a mixture of both. We will wade throughout the many back lakes situated all along Matagorda Island from West Matagorda Bay all the way down to Mesquite Bay. This vast segment of this huge barrier-island provides plentiful numbers of coves and drain areas filled with just the right amount of mud and shell mixture that make these places very attractive to the fish this time of the year. We like concentrating on mud right now simply because mud serves as a solar panel that soaks up the sun’s heat and then releases it throughout the night and day. This is a big attraction for cold-water fish, and they will naturally stay closer to it than they normally would to sand during the colder months. The shell is a proactive choice for anglers this month because it provides cover and protection for small bait fish and crustaceans, which in turn, attract trout and red fish alike. Tide levels will also be a consideration this month. If we experience higher tides, we should be able to get to some of the more remote corners of the back lakes. When this becomes a possibility, we always like to make our way over to the windward shoreline of the lake. February can be very windy on occasion, so the windward shoreline may contain stained water as a result of the winds. However, we generally are able to find that suitable numbers of bait fish have been blown against the windward sides of the lakes, thus making for a great fishing opportunity regardless of the color of the water. When tide levels are low, however, we

ing tide. Settle on the drain of your choice, then get situated near the mouth of the drain where the water empties out of the drain into another main body of water. On a significant falling tide, there will generally be a good flow of water through the drain area, carrying with it many varieties of food sources for whatever might be waiting for them. Trout and red fish like to sit at the mouths of these drains so they can catch all the tiny morsels of food that are being swept their way. In the past, these have proved to be very effective places for us to be in February whenever we have timed

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it properly. As to the subject of which artificial baits are best when presented to February’s trout, we really like using some of the more popular slow-sinking plastic lures like the Corky and the Corky Fat Boy. If you decide to use one of your favorite plastic tails instead, that’s fine, too. When we throw tails during the cold months of the year we usually like going with a lighter presentation by downsizing the jig head from a quarter or eighth ounce to a sixteenth ounce, and we’ll also re-spool our reels with lighter line so we can enhance the feel of the sometimes very subtle wintertime bite. Although many anglers reserve them for the warmer months of the year, top water baits will also produce this month. When we throw surface walkers in February, we are going to be tossing the big ones – they are easier to work in heavier wind, and they more closely represent the big mullet that the trout and reds are feeding on right now. February trout may only feed once a day, so it will be important for you to remain patient when fishing this month - don’t let anxiety get the best of you in your expectation of receiving a lot of hits. Regardless of the type of lure you select, a key to success will be your ability to choose one that produces for you and that you have the utmost confidence in. Stick with that same bait throughout the course of the day, thereby minimizing your number of lure changes and, consequently, maximizing your comfort and confidence level with that particular bait – an extremely important thing to do whenever you feel certain there are fish in the immediate area. Be quiet, and remember to fish slowly. Keep grindin!

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Contact Capt. Chris Martin at bayflatslodge@gmail.com or visit bayflatslodge.com A L M A N A C

Hotspots Focus: Rockport

by Capt. Mac Gable | TF&G Contributor

The Purist

HE OLD MAN SHOWED UP AT THE boat ramp almost every day in February for at least the past four years. I began to take notice, for the boat ramp is usually pretty empty in February, so his presence was noticeable. He was in a small Majek, and although it was old it was still in great shape. He always traveled light, and I never saw more than one rod and never any bait. He was what I affectionately call a grinder, for his day was always eight hours. You could almost set your watch by his comings and goings. I suspected he was a trout purist but trouters seem to have a certain way about them — almost smug, almost emotionless yet every bit passionate, for still waters run deep. When you spend as much time in the outdoors as I do, you tend to notice when things or people just seem different. He was different in almost everything I was used to seeing. He moved more slowly than the hurried crowds we see these days, and he exuded a confidence, or better yet, a purpose, that was only his for the telling. He had a secret, I was sure of it. One day I heard a knock on my door and it was him. I figured him to be a snowbird but upon his greeting I instantly picked up the south Texas twang. His cap had STEC (South Texas Electric Co-Op) labeled on it, which was a dead giveaway. He looked down at the ground while I answered the door in a humble type fashion and then looked me directly in the eye. He said “Capt. Mac Gable?” “Yes sir,” I said. “You any kin to Clark Gable?” “Well, my folks claim yes, I guess. He was in the family somewhere, but I got none of his looks and none of his money.” He grinned and gave a chuckle that was probably as good a laugh as one could get out of him. T F & G

“Hate to bother you on such a cold day, but I have a dead battery. It is my second battery in three months so must be my generator.” I said “A bad alternator can be hard to diagnose.” “Is that what they call them?” he said. I got the feeling he was embarrassed about the correction so I said “Well, they just charge the battery one way or the other. Let me give you a jump.” I headed out the door, coat in hand, and moved in the direction of the only vehicle in the parking lot (his). As we popped the hood on his old Chevy truck he introduced himself with a firm and calloused hand shake. We got him going and then I backed his truck to help him load his boat and get out of the cold wind. Even his truck was simple, clean to a T with none of the junk you find in today’s newer trucks. It had the old granny 4-speed and rubber floor lining instead of floor mats. I said “Mr. Purist (he’d rather I not share

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his name), nice truck. Old but clean.” “A man who keeps his truck in order is hard to stop” he said. “I feel the same way about boats” I said. “I don’t recommend a man much that keeps a dirty boat or trailer in disrepair. This stopped him in his tracks, and he looked at me for what seemed like five minutes then smiled and pointed to his old Majek and waved me over. It was immaculate, and simple. No frills. No trolling motor, no GPS, no awning, no live well, no speedometer, no tachometer, no radio; just a water pressure gauge and a device he hung over the edge that he made to check water temperature. I looked twice to make sure there was a motor and not oars. “Catch any?” I asked. He shook his head no. “Well, they haven’t been biting much” I said defending his prowess. “I don’t want much” he said, “just one good one.” “A purist?” I asked.

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Rockport Focus “What does that mean?” he asked, really wanting to know. “It means you are either a trout man, a reds man, or flounder man and more than likely you’re a crank bait chunker who looks down his nose at those who use live bait as you’d never concede to using live bait. “I will not concede,” he said. “And that’s all a person really needs to know about me.” “Well, for a man that’s such a purist you sure are packing light. One rod, don’t see a tackle box full of lures, and sir, where the hell is your anchor?” He was smiling and laughing by now and said “Capt. Mac, you might could learn a thing or two from me.” I conceded that two years ago, I thought to myself. He grabbed his rod and a small tin and walked over to me. He handed me his rod. It was custom made by him, light, the action on the rod was slow and ultra-sensitive, a combination hard to find. It had a custom handle made out of some sort of wood, the eyes were vintage porcelain and chrome and they were expertly wrapped such that one could see the thread used. The reel was an all-brass Meek and Milam reel — no telling how old, maybe close to 100 years. The line was mono and was light, maybe six pound or lighter. The tin had three lures, all were rough looking, not the sleek smooth character of today’s lures — one top water, one medium runner and one deep runner. They had what looked like carved markings on them. One was bone white, one was red and one was a cross between chartreuse and lime green. The bills on the lures were all carved as part of the lure and they were all made of what I think was balsa wood. They were different weights, which I discovered later was due to lead BBs he could add to hollow spots as needed. The eyes were red, orange and blue with glitter added to the center, they were all homemade. I felt like I was holding his greatest treasures. Now that I had his tickle button turned on I thought I’d get his dander up a bit and said “Well, with this rig, these lures and the way you’re outfitted, I am glad you ain’t catching supper for me!” “The kind of fish this catches never go on a fish cleaning table,” he said with what I 72 |

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believed was his whole heart. I decided I liked him immensely! He said “Well, let me tell you how it works for me.” And he proceeded to lay down the gospel to me. He said “I fish in February because that’s when the really big trout bite and all the boat traffic is gone. My boat looks plain, but it’s made and outfitted to cover a lot of water in order to catch a true trophy trout, so I don’t need an anchor. I don’t use a trolling motor, for they scare the fish that I’m after. Rather, I drift constantly and the wind down here is not my enemy — it’s my help-mate. “That rod you see, I made; and that handle was on my daddy’s favorite rod. The reel belonged to my great-great granddad. That deep runner lure was made by my great-granddad and the other two are my versions of that lure just with different length and angle bills. “You see, it’s not just catching a big trout for me. It’s about how you catch it and what you catch it on, and with. You catch a prized fish like that, and no amount of description can tell the way it makes me feel. You see the trout is there, I’m there, my great granddads are there and my Daddy is there. Capt. Mac I can’t explain it any better than that. I’ve caught quite a few and I never mount a trophy like that, just can’t kill a fish that grand. And plaster casting — it just doesn’t seem right either.” Then he showed me some pictures and pointed from them to his head and said “that’s where I treasure them.” He got in his old Chevy, put his hand up as a gesture of goodbye and drove off. Why this article? It’s dedicated to him and those like him who understand the journey is just as important as the destination, and the true journey is the one within. Thank you Mr. Purist for the sharing and the teaching, the boat ramp will be emptier this February without you. • • • COPANO BAY — The black drum bite is good at Turtle Penn using peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig. On calm days, midday top water works well at the mouth of Mission Bay for reds. Cut mullet on a light Carolina and free-lined rig works well for

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reds off of Redfish Point. Move into this area quietly as the reds spook easily here. ARANSAS BAY — Half Moon Reef is holding some keeper trout using free-lined live shrimp if you can find them. The pockets on the north side of Mud Island are good for reds using soft plastics like sassy shad in chartreuse/pearl and white. Cut menhaden is working for reds on a light Carolina rig off Nine Mile Point. The key is patience, so grab some coffee and wait ’em out. ST CHARLES BAY — Some flounders may be found in the middle of Cavasso Creek using white grubs tipped with squid or shrimp. Fish slow, dragging the lure across the bottom. Still some black drum at Twin Creeks using peeled shrimp on a light Carolina rig. CARLOS BAY — On a falling tide, the red action is good at Spalding Bite. Live finger mullet is the best bait here, either freelined or on a fish finder rig. Ballou Island is good for some black drum using peeled shrimp under a silent cork. On high tide Cedar Reef is a good bet for trout, using Jerk shad in new penny and Chartreuse Pepper Neon. MESQUITE BAY — Beldon Dugout is a good place for reds using cut mullet on a light Carolina rig. Third Chain is a good bet for sheepshead using squid or fresh, dead shrimp. Use as a small-as-you-can-get, wide-gapped hook and set the hook at the slightest tap. AYERS BAY — On a falling tide, reds are good at Ayers Dugout using finger mullet or mud minnows on a medium Carolina rig. Second Chain is a good place for trout and black drum using live shrimp under a popping cork. Top waters in bone and red / white work well on a south wind.

THE BANK BITE THE BEACH FRONT off of Goose Island State Park is a good place for reds using finger mullet. North wind is best as well as high tide. A cork works well using cut mullet.

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Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 A L M A N A C

Hotspots Focus: Lower Coast

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Winter Grass

HE LAST THING MOST ANGLERS ARE really keen on doing in the teeth of winter is to make a very long run. The weather is unpredictable. Sometimes you have a north wind to negotiate, and even when you don’t, it can get pretty chilly at 40 miles an hour. Fortunately, Lower Laguna Madre anglers have options available for fishing that are a relatively short run from the safe confines of South Padre Island and Port Isabel. The flats north of the Convention Center are accessible to anglers hoping to keep the running time under 10 minutes. On mild days, or after a stretch of sunny days, the sand/grass boundary is a good early morning spot for speckled trout that use the change in bottom to ambush baitfish. The sand warms up fairly quickly on a nice day, and trout will set up over it to get comfortable. Drift parallel to the grassline and cast perpendicular into the grass. Topwaters always work well on warmer days when fish are more active, with the most popular patterns ranging from chrome/blue back to bone. An effective pattern on cloudier days is black sides/orange belly (although you have to fish more slowly than usual because water temperatures will be cooler). I’ve also had success fishing the grassline with eel-style soft plastics such as Down South Lures and Kelly Wigglers Ball tail Shad in pearl/red tail. Reel the swim bait to run just underneath the surface so the large boot tail creates a wake. That, and the wobbling of the bait’s action will cast off a ton of vibration to draw a trout’s attention. Or, hop a faux shrimp such as a Gulp! Shrimp or Kelly Shrimp tail along the grass line or the channel that runs parallel to the shoreline. Best colors are chartreuse, glow, glow/orange, and pink. T F & G

Fishermen who drift past the grass line will find potholes of sand scattered throughout the flats. Sharpshoot around these holes with gold spoons, soft plastics, and topwaters. Keep a keen eye for redfish tailing throughout the area, because they’ll be forming pods and foraging. Of course, live shrimp fished under a popping cork or Mansfield Mauler is the traditional go-to rig for shore-bound waders. You will always see a few hoofers pulling the familiar yellow bait bucket behind them. Fishermen who spurn the yellow bucket can have a try with one of the myriad of shrimp imitations on the market. If shrimp are hard to come by, bring a cast net with you. There are scads and scads of small pinfish and mullet in the shallows and grass lines of the Convention Center Shoreline, and you should get a ready supply. Pinfish up to three inches can be hooked just under the dorsal fin and fished under a popping cork, as can finger mullet. If you catch pinfish that are four to six inches long, don’t despair. Tossing them in the potholes on a freeline is a fine way to maximize your chances at catching a pig of a trout. Use a 3/0 Khale-style hook such as the Mustad MT Point 37140BE. The hook is large enough to be clear of the bait’s back for maximum hookup, but not so large as to discourage trout in the 15-18-inch range. Redfish will also take a swing at a pinfish, if they can. If the grass line and pothole action is slow, don’t give up hope. Color changes form due west and toward the Intra-Coastal Waterway. The first one is usually 500 yards off the shoreline, where the water depth drops to 3-4 feet. Deeper water is also slightly warmer, which will draw the fish in a post frontal situation. The water goes from clear to “trout green,” and trout and redfish both use the color change as cover for both protection and feeding. Start just inside the color change and fish with the same baits and lures, only focusing

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on chartreuse and Pumpkinseed (Motor Oil) patterns (Firetiger and Morning Glory are also excellent choices). If you don’t hookup after about 15 minutes, then move farther into the color change at 100-foot increments until you start hooking up. Popping corks, maulers, and noisy lures are well-chosen in this area. Sound carries quite a ways in water, and it will help predators key in on the location of your offering. An underutilized lure in this area, but one I’ve found very handy is a crankbait such as the Mann’s Saltwater Baby 1 Minus, which runs just under the surface and makes a fish-attracting wake. If there is no floating grass, you may want to give it a try. Trout love it, but redfish will blast the color off of it. Another bold choice in this area would be the classic 3/8 ounce Arbogast Jitterbug. You may be surprised. While wading the Convention Center Shoreline, be aware of the boat channel that runs some 15 yards into the grass, and sometimes into the sand bottom. The channel is 6-7 feet deep in points, and you can get an unwelcome soaking if you aren’t careful. Also, don’t forget to shuffle your feet. Stingrays love to hide out in the sandy bottom, and it doesn’t take a very large one to end your day with a barb in your heel or ankle. Finally, watch for the occasional shark fin. Small sharks, mostly under four feet, have been reported prowling the areas, especially later in the month.

THE BANK BITE HOT SPOT: Padre Island Shoreline, North Side of Causeway SPECIES: Speckled Trout, Redfish LURES/BAITS: Live shrimp or soft plastics under a Mauler or Popping Cork, topwaters early. TIPS: Wade to the grassline and cast perpendicular to the grass/sand border. Fish slowly.

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Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com F E B R U A R Y

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UPPER GULF COAST

East Mat Reds at the Boiling Point by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Boiler Bayou GPS: N28 38.685 W95 54.06696 (28.64475, -95.901116) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: 3/8 to 1/4 oz. lead heads, Norton Sand Shad in Margarita, sometimes a Black Magic CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: :” We will be doing a lot of drifting over scattered shell, Normally the water is pretty cold and clear. What we look for is off-color streaks. If we can find streaks of off-color water, that’s where the fish are going to be. Just make long drifts, bouncing it off the bottom.” — Tommy Countz. LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Siever’s Cut GPS: N29 26.562 W94 42.13788 (29.4427, -94.702298) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: MirrOLures series 51 and 37 in chartreuse/silver side or orange/black/gold side CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Lot of fronts in February...fish up to the front and then two days after frontal passage LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Colorado River GPS: N28 40.539 W95 58.07898 (28.67565, -95.967983) SPECIES: speckled trout

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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.

BEST BAITS: Heavy lead heads with chartreuse, soft plastic double tail or paddle tail grubs CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: The River is a good option as long as you don’t have any rain. Drift the river, feeding the lure out behind the boat, feeding it out at different depths until you find where the fish are. Use the trolling motor to keep the boat straight in the current. LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoals GPS: N28 33.02796 W96 18.081 (28.550466, -96.301350) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Norton Sand Shad CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: : “If I wanted to fish out of the boat, my first choice would be East Bay. The main areas we fish in February are the west end because it’s all scattered shell across the bottom. The shell holds a lot more bait and your chances of catching fish are enhanced by the amounts of bait that is in the area. Don’t look for crystal clear water; crystal clear water is probably the least productive water in the wintertime. Look for off-color water. A lot of times that murky water is caused by baitfish. They are near the bottom where it’s warmer. They stir up the bottom and that’s what makes off color water. Find off-color water and your chance of catching fish is a lot better.” — Tommy Countz

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LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cleveland Reef GPS: N28 39.98298 W95 51.9819 (28.666383, -95.866365) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins in Pumpkin Seed, Opening Night, Space Guppy or Texas Roach CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com TIPS: Drift fishing—”In February we are fishing pretty deep, 5-6 feet of water, over shell. Use a heavier lead head than you would use in the warmer months. Get down as deep as you can without getting hung up.” -- Tommy Alexander LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Half Moon Shoal GPS: N28 43.371 W95 46.22796 (28.72285, -95.770466) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkys in chartreuse. Pink is always a good color. CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: “I like to move into the shallow areas, some of the drains coming out of the peninsula and fish. Work the lures slow, also anywhere you can find bait.” — Tommy Countz LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: HLP Spillway GPS: N29 45.22296 W94 48.85692 (29.753716, -94.814282) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins in Red Shad or Limetreuse colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Tough month...traditional weather along the Gulf coast in February is anything but pleasant. Pick the 6 or 8 days during February that has

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the optimum tide—3 days before new moon and 3 days before a full moon. LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Jack’s Pocket GPS: N29 44.07696 W94 45.852 (29.734616, -94.764200) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: There are some tremendously big fish caught in February both near the mouth of the Trinity River at Anahuac and near the HL&P spillway LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Starvation Cove GPS: N29 3.906 W95 11.93898 (29.0651, -95.198983) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corky or Corky Devils in pearl or plum colors CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com TIPS: Concentrate near bayous and drains, no matter whether wading or fishing from a boat. The drains hold significant bait at those ambush points. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef GPS: N29 15.75498 W94 55.17696 (29.262583, -94.919616) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics if drifting, slow sinking plugs if wading CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: “In late February we do pretty good for big trout, not numbers, but big trout” — Steve Hillman. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: North Deer Island GPS: N29 16.96398 W94 56.22294 (29.282733, -94.937049) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: MirrOdine XL and Corky Fat Boys CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: “If you get a blue norther, I wouldn’t waste T F & G

my time leaving the house. Two days after is when I would be back on the water. Fish a lot in the afternoon in February, in the evenings, even after the sun goes down. That’s when everything stabilizes, bait gets active, and a lot of times the bigger fish feed at that time.” — Steve Hillman LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Chocolate Bay GPS: N29 11.31996 W95 8.7489 (29.188666, -95.145815) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins in plum, 10W40, or Limetreuse colors when the water is green CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman 409-256-7937 captsteve@hillmanguideservice.com TIPS: : “Chocolate Bay is a reliable place in February, not very many big fish, but a lot of throw backs—one keeper for every five throwbacks.” — Steve Hillman LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Maverick Bayou GPS: N28 34.66296 W96 3.705 (28.577716, -96.061750) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins on 1/4 oz. jig heads. Opening Night and Texas Roach are two good colors. CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Alexander 979-709-8242 captalexander@yahoo.com TIPS: Wading—”I like to wade ankle deep mud, 4-6 inch deep mud. Do not set the hook right away; give them an extra second or so. The fish are lethargic at this time of the year.” — Tommy Alexander LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Green’s Bayou GPS: N28 29.73798 W96 13.56498 (28.495633, -96.226083) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: MirrOLures in chartreuse/gold or Hot Pink colors CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: “If I wanted to wade fish, my first choice in February would be West Bay. Work the bait really slow because the fish will be really sluggish. Fishermen who are using braided line in the wintertime have an advantage over fishermen using monofilament. There is no stretch and you can feel much more of the bite. In the wintertime some-

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times the fish just pick the bait up and start moving with it. If you don’t feel that movement, you aren’t going to catch that fish.” — Tommy Countz LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton’s Bayou GPS: N28 31.34196 W96 12.48894 (28.522366, -96.208149) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: 1/8 oz. lead heads with Black Magic or Roach colored soft plastic baits CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net TIPS: “I like to go into West Matagorda Bay when the tides are super low and wade fish for redfish, targeting guts.” — Tommy Countz

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Copano Reds Speak Italian by DUSTIN WARNCKE and CAPT. CHRIS MARTIN LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Italian Bend GPS: N28 2.56596 W97 8.08896 (28.042766, -97.134816) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Kevin McCoy 361-775-2027 reelmccoy@cableone.net TIPS: Drag the lure along the bottom. You are looking for a mud/shell bottom. LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Middle Copano Reef GPS: N28 7.60896 W97 7.09998 (28.126816, -97.118333) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins in plum/chartreuse; Brown Lures Devil Eye in chartreuse CONTACT: Capt. Kevin McCoy 361-775-2027 reelmccoy@cableone.net TIPS: Live bait such as pinfish and croaker are not available in February. McCoy promises that soft plastics will work just as well. LOCATION: Nueces Bay

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Texas Hotspots HOTSPOT: Oyster reefs GPS: N27 51.59796 W97 25.31496 (27.859966, -97.421916) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in plum/chartreuse or chartreuse colors CONTACT: Capt. Kevin McCoy 361-775-2027 reelmccoy@cableone.net TIPS: Nueces Bay is a good place to catch some big trout in February, primarily shell reefs. The deeper side of the reef where the shell meets mud, is going to hold your fish. LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Jetties GPS: N27 49.98498 W97 2.48298 (27.833083, -97.041383) SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: Shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Marvin Engel 361-658-6674 CaptMarvinEngel@yahoo.com TIPS: Cast out and let the shrimp fall while reeling it in. Once you hang up a couple of times you will know where the rocks are and you can better place you’re casts. Fishing around the jetties, you’re bound to lose some terminal tackle.

LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Fina Docks GPS: N27 50.71296 W97 3.65292 (27.845216, -97.060882) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: Peeled shrimp CONTACT: Marvin Engel 361-658-6674 CaptMarvinEngel@yahoo.com TIPS: Engel prefers freshwater over saltwater shrimp. “They work better at this time of the year. I put three or four shrimp on my hook at a time.” LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Inside Ransom GPS: N27 52.46796 W97 8.4999 (27.874466, -97.141665) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Brown Lures Devil Eye in chartreuse CONTACT: Capt. Kevin McCoy 361-775-2027 reelmccoy@cableone.net TIPS: Redfish Bay is mostly grass flats with shallow water. Fish the open sand holes in the grass.

HOTSPOT: Mustang Point GPS: N27 49.44396 W97 8.21094 (27.824066, -97.136849) SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: Shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Marvin Engel 361-658-6674 CaptMarvinEngel@yahoo.com TIPS: Freeline shrimp—cast and let it sink to the bottom. Something will probably pick it up before it gets to the bottom. LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Dagger Flats GPS: N27 49.75398 W97 10.60992 (27.829233, -97.176832) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins in plum/chartreuse color CONTACT: Capt. Kevin McCoy 361-775-2027 reelmccoy@cableone.net TIPS: Put the bait on the bottom in the sand holes.

LOWER GULF COAST

LOCATION: Redfish Bay

Badlands Good for Baffin Specks by CALIXTO GONZALES LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: The Badlands GPS: N27 18.228 W97 24.33792 (27.3038, -97.405632) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters early, soft plastics in limetreuse, pumpkinseed/chartreuse, corkies. CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-449-7441 TIPS: When a north wind limits your options, set up a wade on this popular winter spot. The mud bottom retains warmth more effectively than sand, and trout and redfish, as well as forage species, gravitate to it. Fish around and through color changes with lightly weighted soft plastics. The wading is a bit tough because of the soft mud, but

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he quality fish make it worth the effort. LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Unnecessary Island GPS: N26 22.002 W97 18.82398 (26.3667, -97.313733) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, soft plastics in red/ white, LSU, Rootbeer/chartreuse, New Penny. CONTACT: LG Outfitters 956-371-0220 lgoutfittters.com TIPS: Tuck into the leeward side of Unnecessary and drift the length of the flats near the ICW. Watch for mud-boils to cue you into where redfish are cruising. Live shrimp is good, so are scented soft plastics. Long casts may be necessary if the water is very clear. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Black’s Bluff GPS: N27 14.23698 W97 33.93498 (27.237283, -97.565583) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics in limetreuse, pumpkinseed/chartreuse. CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361-449-7441 TIPS: Look for nervous bait popping about near dropoffs. That’s usually a sign that there are predators lurking. Plastics should be fished on light jigs. 1/8th ounce is good. 1/16th is even better. Once you begin working the area, fish deeper water with soft plastics and suspending plugs for trout. Work your lures slowly, and pay attention. The bites can be very, very subtle. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: New Queen Isabella Causeway GPS: N26 4.96998 W97 12.06 (26.082833, -97.201000) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: Live or fresh shrimp, crab chunks, mantis shrimp (sea lice). CONTACT: Captain Carlos Garcia 956-433-6094, 956-433-6028 southtexasredfish20@gmail.com TIPS: Schools of drum roam this broad flat, which can be reached by shore-bound anglers from Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier. Some of the fish will be big uglies in the 20-30 pound range, which you’ll have to release. Fish the edges of the Intracoastal Waterway with either live shrimp, or fresh crab, shrimp, or sea lice on a dropper or Carolina Rig works. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre T F & G

HOTSPOT: Long Bar GPS: N26 12.16398 W97 15.95694 (26.202733, -97.265949) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Cut mullet, ballyhoo; live shrimp. Gulp! Shrimp in ,New Penny, Rootbeer/ Chartreuse, Grape/Chartreuse. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Trout congregate around the dropoffs in winter, and come up on the top of the bar on warm days. Live bait/popping cork setups or cut bait on bottom rigs are best here. If the tide is down, or cooler weather is prevailing, the fish the edges and deeper water. The slower, more methodical retrieve keeps the bait in the fish’s face longer and may prompt it to strike.

BEST BAITS: Fresh Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp CONTACT: Quick Stop 956-943-1159 TIPS: Fish two hook rigs with 1 to 2 ounce sinkers (spider weights are best if the surf is sloppy) in the first or second gut (the latter on an outgoing tide) to target pompano and whiting. You can purchase live shrimp and keep them alive in sawdust for easy portability, or fresh shrimp. Use longshanked hooks. You’ll be impressed by the size of some of these “bull” whiting.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: The Saucer GPS: N26 28.149 W97 23.87394 (26.46915, -97.397899) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Corkies, soft plastics in red/white, LSU, Rootbeer/Chartreuse. CONTACT: LG Outfitters 956-371-0220 www.lgoutfitters.com TIPS: Fish the edges of potholes on warm days with sub-surface plugs and soft plastics. On cloudy or cooler days, fish deeper water such as guts and drop-offs near spoil islands. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Land Cut Spoils GPS: N26 52.27008 W97 27.7995 (26.871168, -97.463325) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Catch 5s in smoke, pinfish patterns. Soft plastics in LSU, gold or chrome spoons. CONTACT: Captain Danny Neu 979-942-0165 Danny.Neu.39@facebook.com TIPS: Fish topwaters early on mild days, and throughout the whole trip when clouds dominate. If the fish are sitting deeper, switch to suspending plugs in natural patterns, or soft plastics on small (1/16-1/8 ounce) jigheads. LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Andy Bowie Park Shoreline GPS: N26 11.55918 W97 10.53294 (26.192653, -97.175549) SPECIES: all species

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Texas Hotspots PINEY WOODS

Fork’s Trophy Bass Season Kicks Off by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Creeks GPS: N32 50.7174 W95 33.492 (32.84529, -95.5582) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: jig, spinnerbait / chatterbait, jerkbait, rattle bait, weightless worm, drop shot. CONTACT: Lance Vick 903-312-0609 or 903-312-0608 lance@lakeforkbass.com www.guideonlakefork.com & www.lancevick.com TIPS: February is the true start of trophy bass season on Lake Fork as the lake starts to let bait climb out of the grips of winter. Big bass have one thing on their mind - making future big bass. In February, my main six tactics are: jig, spinnerbait/ chatterbait, jerkbait, rattle bait, weightless worm and drop shot. Water will be 47 to 55 degrees during this time of year on average. he jig can be and should be used throughout the whole month. Pitching and casting to vertical cover creek channel bends, points, edges of grass. When water temperature is 48 degrees and below, use the jerk bait on points and creek channel swings. When water temperature 48 to 52 degrees, use rattle baits covering water. The rattle baits will be a player as fork is covered in grass. Fish the rattle bait over and in grass points and secondary points creek channel edges. When water temperature is 53 to 55 is when things start picking up. On windy and rainy days, use spinnerbaits and chatter-type baits. Cover water start at the mouth of a creek and fish points, creek channels grass flats. When the weather is nice throw a drop shot on the deeper areas and the weightless worm in the shallower cover. Lake Fork has big bass everywhere. Three of the main early season creeks are Little Caney, Birch, and Glade Creek. Do not get disappointed if you get up early and don’t catch them. As the day grows, the sunlight warms the water and positions fish where your lures will get to them. Stick it out if you get a bite early and go back later. You may find the mother load of big bass.

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LOCATION: Caddo HOTSPOT: Alligator Bayou GPS: N32 43.419 W94 5.32164 (32.72365, -94.088694) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Lipless crank baits, chatter baits, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide@att.nEt caddolake-fishing.com TIPS: Concentrate on the outside edges of the weed beds along the banks and out toward the slightly deeper water here. Fish slowly with lipless crank baits, Chatter Baits and spinnerbaits, working them along the outside edges of the structure. Texas-rigged plastic worms and weightless soft plastics also will work good at times around the bases of the cypress trees with moss gathered around their bases. LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake Channel GPS: N30 28.005 W95 35.064 (30.46675, -95.584400) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Primos Dip Bait CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277 admin@fishdudetx.com fishdudetx.com TIPS: Target the stumps lining the river channel and tie off to one of them in 20-25 feet of water. Use one bag of cattle range cubes for chum. Dump one half of the bag in two different places and alternate fishing from one to the other. Use a spinning rod with a treble hook wrapped with a piece of sponge. Dip the treble hook and sponge in the Primos Dip Bait and lower it to the bottom. Stay in contact with the bait, lifting it slowly up and down off the bottom. Limits of catfish often are caught here using this method. LOCATION: Fork HOTSPOT: Caney Creek GPS: N32 50.18886 W95 33.30618 (32.836481, -95.555103) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Seth Vanover 903-736-4557 svanover2008@hotmail.com

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TIPS: During early February the crappie will still be in deep water but by mid to late February will begin to move shallow to spawn. Target deep areas with access to the backs of the coves and creeks. Minnows rigged beneath corks work very well this month. Drop the minnows around every stump you come to. Many times you will catch several crappie from the same stump. I like to use a 10-foot rod to fish this way. LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: River Channel GPS: N32 50.24298 W94 40.95048 (32.837383, -94.682508) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, Senkos CONTACT: Sonny Kopech 903-592-8221 Skopech@hotmail.com TIPS: Fish the timber along the edge of the river channel slowly with Black and blue or blue and orange jigs and worms. On warmer, sunny days, fish Senkos and similar weightless lures close to the banks on the outside edges of the grass beds. LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: Deep Trees GPS: N32 48.07764 W94 38.13228 (32.801294, -94.635538) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Sonny Kopech 903-592-8221 SKopech@hotmail.com TIPS: Fish the jigs and minnows vertically tight against the trees lining the river channel, especially on the inside bends of the channel in 22-25 feet of water. Fish the baits very slowly. The fish will be bunched up in small schools. If the bite stops, keep moving from tree to tree but return occasionally to fish the areas where you caught crappie earlier. Some of the trees have man-made brush piles around their bases. Feel for them with your baits using 1/8 to 1/4-ounce weights. Tie up to the trees and fish off the bottom, slowly working the baits upwards until you find the strike zone. LOCATION: Livingston HOTSPOT: White Rock Creek GPS: N31 4.94316 W95 22.99392 (31.082386, -95.383232) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Roadrunners, Bear Paw Ribbed

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Shad, Blue Fox Sassy Shads, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Dave Cox 936-292-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: The white bass are moving up the river to its far channel or into the mouths of the major tributaries like White Rock Creek to spawn. Use Bear Paw Ribbed Shads, 1/8 of 1/16-ounce RatL-Traps, Roadrunners or Blue Fox Sassy Shads and try a slow retrieve at first at the mouths of the creeks close to the banks and working them back out to your boat. If the slow retrieve does not work, try varying the speed of your retrieve. Once you catch a fish, concentrate on fishing that exact area. LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Upper River Channel GPS: N31 53.57598 W93 55.88196 (31.892933, -93.931366) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, Roadrunners, Rat-L-Traps. CONTACT: Greg Crafts 936-368-7151

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gregcrafts@yahoo.com toledobendguide@yahoo.com TIPS: The white bass have moved up the river channel to its sand bars for spawning. Focus on the inside bends of the river channel sand bars if the river’s level is high. Use Roadrunners, Rat=LTraps and Slab spoons. If the river channel is low, focus on the flooded sloughs off the main river channel.

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White Bass Action Fit for a King by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Cedar Creek HOTSPOT: Kings Creek GPS: N32 20.13096 W96 11.93622 (32.335516, -96.198937) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Swim baits, Roadrunners

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CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Use 1/16 to 1/4-ounce Roadrunners or swim baits in this creek and others on the upper end of the lake to catch spawning White Bass and hybrid stripers. watch for gulls to lead you to the white bass activity. The warmer the winter temperatures, the more numbers of fish will move into the creeks. LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Humps GPS: N31 54.18084 W97 12.4677 (31.903014, -97.207795) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Mann’s Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com teamredneck.net TIPS: Use 1/4 or 3/4-ounce Mann’s Slabs. Chartreuse is the best color. Watch your graph to locate schools of white bass or baitfish. The white bass usually hold or feed along the outside edges

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Texas Hotspots of the humps. Keep a pair of binoculars handy to look for gulls and other birds that feed on the injured baitfish or baitfish being pushed to the surface by the white bass. Vary the speed and depths of your lure presentations. LOCATION: Bastrop HOTSPOT: Humps and Ledges GPS: N30 9.84576 W97 17.16906 (30.164096, -97.286151) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Texas Rigged Mister Twister Pockit Craws in Bull Bream Color, Carolina Rigged plastics, Shad Colored Crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, topwater lures CONTACT: Robert Brown 512-658-5530 ciscobb@yahoo.com www.bassmanaustin.com TIPS: Focus on the outside edges of grass any time of the year. Fish Carolina and Texas Rigs on main lake humps, any ledges you can find or outside edges of the grass. LOCATION: Belton HOTSPOT: Southeast Shore Cove GPS: N31 6.53616 W97 30.44082 (31.108936, -97.507347) SPECIES: hybrid striper

BEST BAITS: TNT180 slab, 3/4 oz. white CONTACT: Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service 254-368-7411 Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com TIPS: Fish first 2 hours after sunrise and last 2 hours before sunset. Fish breezy, cloudy days and look closely for bird activity from cormorants, gulls, terns, and loons.

similar instruments. Knowing where these humps and ridges are will pay off once the water levels rise to cover them. The hybrid activity usually slows during the cold-weather months. If you are able to get on the lake, fish the deeper humps and the ridges and bends of the main channel with Sassy Shads, slabs and spoons. Channel and blue catfish also can be caught on fresh cut shad on Carolina rigs off the edges of the humps and channels.

LOCATION: Cooper HOTSPOT: Main Lake Humps GPS: N33 18.10068 W95 39.52086 (33.301678, -95.658681) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Spoons, Slabs, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Although the lake entered the year about 13 1/2 feet below its conservation pool elevation which prevented many larger boats from being able to launch at the available state park ramps, anglers interested in hybrid striped bass especially can take advantage of low-level periods by scouting the lake in shallow-draft jon boats and other small craft to mark any humps and ridges showing above or just below the surface with GPS units or

LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: Intake Canal GPS: N29 55.62336 W96 45.03114 (29.927056, -96.750519) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: Use a No. 2 Kahle hook and a slip cork with shad and a 4-0 treble hook for punch bait and fish the edges of the canal. The right side of the canal usually produces more fish. Target the rocks and grass in this area. Expect light bites at this time of the year. Channel cats and blue cats congregate in this area to feed on baitfish such as threadfin and gizzard shad. Set the hook at the slightest indication of a strike. Mid-morning and late evening often produce good catches. LOCATION: Gibbons Creek HOTSPOT: Upper Lake GPS: N30 37.73196 W96 3.82782 (30.628866, -96.063797) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shrimp, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: The fish are in 15 to 16 feet of water in the two areas of the channels. Move into slightly deeper water if you are after larger blue catfish. I like to dip the shrimp into the stink bait for best results. Use a No. 4 Kahle hook. Expect light bites but watch your line for the slightest movement from a fish when it picks up the bait and tries to move off with it. LOCATION: Lavon HOTSPOT: Dam Area GPS: N33 2.25114

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W96 28.21644 (33.037519, -96.470274) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, small minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick 214-232-7847 straightlineguide@yahoo.com TIPS: The crappie will suspend near the dam in 20-30 feet of water as well as at the pump station. Use spider rigs with black and blue 1/8 or 1/16ounce jigs or small minnows. I like to troll the spider rigs at this time of the year to catch a mess of fish for lunch. This way you can cover more water and locate the schools of crappie suspended out from the dam or pump station. LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Kickapoo Creek GPS: N32 16.69596 W95 29.64402 (32.278266, -95.494067) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Big Eyes Jigs, Shimmy Shakers CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@ickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Largemouth bass have moved up the lake to the river channel near Cades Lake and the upper Neches Rive with the water temperatures in the 40s and lower 50s. Use 1/4-ounce Big Eyes Jigs and black and blue Shimmy Shakers. Target brush and logs along the banks and edges of the channels. The nearby Old Folks’ Area also produces lots of big catches of bass this time of year. LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Bridge GPS: N32 8.83542 W95 28.19004 (32.147257, -95.469834) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, small live minnows CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 Ricky@rickysguideservice.com Rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The crappie still are holding under the Highway 155 bridge, especially around the sunken bridge piles. Fish vertically for them with 1/8 to 1/4-ounce jigs but expect to find them suspended and not necessarily in the brush piles. Vary your lure presentations at different depths. The crappie also are beginning to move up the lake into the coves and pockets for spawning areas. Black and blue colors work good on the jigs. If the action is slow on jigs, switch to small live minnows. LOCATION: Palestine T F & G

HOTSPOT: Coffee Landing Point GPS: N32 7.6791 W95 28.08522 (32.127985, -95.468087) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, spoons, top-water lures CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 Ricky@rickysguideservice.com Rickysguideservice.com TIPS: The white bass are moving up the river to spawn. Look for them holding occasionally off the main-lake points as they make their move. Use spoons, slabs and top-water lures to locate them close to the banks. Move from one point to another to locate where they are. Some bird activity also may help you locate where the fish are feeding. LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: River Intersections GPS: N31 58.54848 W96 11.08458 (31.975808, -96.184743) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh dead shad, punch bait CONTACT: Bob Holmes 214-728-3310 Bob@texasfishingguides.net texasfishingguides.net TIPS: The big blue catfish can be found where the Richland and Chambers river channels come together between Pelican Island and Ferguson Point. Some blues also will be in shallow water in the backs of the major creeks and flatheads will be in the shallow mud flats off the creeks. This also is a good time of the year to set jug lines baited with shad in these areas.

W96 12.2862 (32.007002, -96.20477) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, 1/8-ounce jigs CONTACT: Bob Holmes 214-728-3310 Bob@texasfishingguides.net texasfishingguides.net TIPS: The crappie are holding tight close to the brush piles under the Highway 287 bridge, especially near the levy that runs under the bridge about middle way. Use black and blue or chartreuse and red jigs or minnows and work them slowly in a vertical up and down pattern. Expect the bites to be very light. LOCATION: Somerville HOTSPOT: Rock Island GPS: N30 18.66948 W96 31.48416 (30.311158, -96.524736) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Monster Punch Bait, shrimp CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N31 58.27716 W96 6.65502 (31.971286, -96.110917) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 royce@gonefishin.biz gonefishin.biz TIPS: The white bass and hybrids will begin moving toward the creeks to spawn at this time of the year. Otherwise, you should be able to catch them in 20-30-feet if water in the 309 Flats and at 40 feet off Windsock Point. Use silver slabs or 1-ounce Sassy Shads fished off the bottom. LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: Highway 287 Bridge Levy GPS: N32 0.42012

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Texas Hotspots Fish-TalesGuideService.com TIPS: There are lots of stumps in this area so motor your boat here carefully. Fish the stumps and sharp drop-offs in 16 to 26 feet of water, using an anchor to hold your position. Move out to slightly deeper water for larger blue catfish. LOCATION: Stillhouse Hollow HOTSPOT: Creek & River Channels GPS: N31 0.57906 W97 32.71992 (31.009651, -97.545332) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Carolina-Rigged Lizard and Jigs, Shakeyhead tipped with a 6-inch watermelon / Red Trick Worm, natural colored Jerkbait. CONTACT: Henry Niemiec - Sure Strike Guide Service 254-368-0294 surestrikeguideservice@yahoo.com www.surestrikeguideservice.com TIPS: The month of February on Central Texas lakes means the early stages of the spawn and big bass. Water temperatures have begun to warm and the bass are beginning their move towards their spawning areas. In early February look for bass staging on the deep sides of spawning areas or in river channels that run close to spawning flats. Sit in the shallows and cast into deeper water, working your bait slowly out of the deep will trigger strikes. Later in the month and on into March as the water temperature continues to rise, these fish will be moving closer to the shallow flats and into the backs of coves that are protected from north winds. A Carolina-Rigged Lizard and a Jig will continue to catch fish, however you can now add a Shakeyhead tipped with a 6” Watermelon / Red Trick Worm and a natural colored Jerkbait to your choice of baits. Keep in mind that at this time of the year as these fish begin to move up they have one thing on their minds and that is to spawn. Also remember, how quickly these fish move from their deep winter holding areas and into the spawning areas will depend greatly on how mild the winter was and how fast the water warms. LOCATION: Stillhouse Hollow HOTSPOT: Dam Area GPS: N31 0.55476 W97 32.7276 (31.009246, -97.545460) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: TNT180 slab, 3/4 oz. white CONTACT: Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service 254-368-7411 Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com

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www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com TIPS: Fish slowly with your boat in a hover mode, line hanging vertical. Use marker buoys to prevent moving off the fish you’ve found LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Deep Channel Trees GPS: N32 53.66232 W95 59.0337 (32.894372, -95.983895) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, punch bait, shrimp CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tonyparkerfishing.com TIPS: Fish the edges of the channel and the trees in the small openings with Carolina-rigged shad or punch bait. Let the baits go all the way to the bottom. A slip cork also works very well here. Keep an eye on the cork to detect any slight movement. The fish often take the baits very lightly. Set the hook at the slightest movements. LOCATION: Texoma HOTSPOT: Cedar Mills GPS: N33 54.138 W96 39.21594 (33.9023, -96.653599) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad Jigs, Slabs, live shad CONTACT: Bill Carey 877-786-4477 bigfish@striperexpress.com striperexpress.com TIPS: The stripers have moved up the main river and creek channels in an effort to spawn. Target these movement patterns by positioning yourself at the mouths of the river and creeks. Fish your lures very slowly. Chartreuse and chrome are the best colors but black-blue, chartreuse-orange and red shad also are good choices. LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: State Park Flats GPS: N31 54.65724 W97 21.7683 (31.910954, -97.362805) SPECIES: striped bass BEST BAITS: Storm Wide Eye Shad, Bass Assassins CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com teamrednedk.net

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TIPS: The cold weather has moved the baitfish from the creeks. They are roaming the flats in large schools for safety of large numbers. Make long casts behind the boat with swim baits. Keep your trolling motor on slow speed and troll the flats and expect slow strikes. The stripers and baitfish also are congregating and feeding up the Brazos River channel around the mouth of the Nolan River. I prefer to dead stick Bass Assassins in this area. If the water clarity is stained, used motor oil colors. If it is clear, use chartreuse or pearl colors on one-half ounce lead head jigs and let them fall 10 feet before letting the river current provide them with action.

PANHANDLE

Brazos Mouths Off on PK White Bass by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Mouth of Brazos River GPS: N32 57.92244 W98 25.26774 (32.965374, -98.421129) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, slabs, cut shad CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: This is the time of the year to pay particular attention to inflows from rains. The stripers will disappear far above the lake in the river channel during heavy inflows due to their urge to spawn. White bass will do the same but often will stage at the mouths of the river as well as Caddo and Cedar creeks. When there are no heavy inflows, crappie and white bass should be found throughout the lake. Use 1/8 to 1/16 ounce jigs as well as Slabs. LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Brazos and Rock Creek GPS: N32 57.9009 W98 24.54606 (32.965015, -98.409101) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036

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fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: Big blue catfish and channel catfish will congregate around the mouths of the Brazos River, Rock Creek as well as Caddo and Cedar Creeks at this time of the year to feed on shad that also gather there. Use Carolina-rigs baited with fresh cut shad and fish off the bottom off the points at the mouths of these major tributaries and the river. Expect light bites. This also is a good time of the year to set out jug lines just off the channels. Larger pieces of cut shad often will catch larger fish.

(29.505419, -101.00241) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, Senkos, CONTACT: James Burkeen 830-734-9652 jjburkeen@gmail.com amistadbassin.com TIPS: Concentrate on the main lake points and the drains near bends in the creek channels. Drop shot rigs work well in these areas as well as jigs in the brush and Senkos along the banks.

BIG BEND

HILL COUNTRY

Amistad Bass Make Their Points

February Flats Attract Austin Bass

by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N29 30.32514 W101 0.1446

by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Austin HOTSPOT: Deeper Flats GPS: N30 20.97414 W97 47.76594

(30.349569, -97.796099) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Use Cyclone and Picasso spinnerbaits along the edges and River2Sea S-Waver swim baits and crankbaits as well. If the moving baits arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pulling the bigger fish out, tie on a T-rig or weightless rig to a Custom Angle Rod and put a V&M Wild Thang 8.5 worm or Chopstick to work just off the grass. CONTACT: Brian Parker and Clint Wright 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: February can be a great time for fishing Lake Austin if you take time to find the right areas that hold the bigger fish. The bigger fish are generally moving up and filling their bellies for the spawn. Try to find flats that are close to deeper/thick grass as this is the typical pattern for ambushing shad and smaller fish. Be prepared to throw multiple baits at the same area. Work from shallow to deeper water from February on as the metabolism of the fish should be adjusted by this time. LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Shaw and Garret Island

Texas Hotspots GPS: N30 49.07616 W98 25.47744 (30.817936, -98.424624) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Live shad and small perch CONTACT: Ken Milam’s Guide Service 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com TIPS: Stripers and Hybrids should be around the Garret Island area also around Shaw Island. Fish live shad and small perch and look for schooling groups of fish. LOCATION: Buchanan HOTSPOT: Paradise Point GPS: N30 51.14778 W98 25.64742 (30.852463, -98.427457) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Live shad and small perch or slab lures. CONTACT: Ken Milam’s Guide Service 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com TIPS: White bass will be headed up the river staging for the spring run due to low lake they will be around the Paradise point area. Troll around the trees along the river channel and fish with live shad and small perch as well as slab lures. LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Jentech Creek GPS: N29 53.3451 W98 18.10104 (29.889085, -98.301684) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Luhr Jensen Radar 10s, Slabs, spoons, Sassy Shads CONTACT: Steve Nixon 210-572-1230 steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Work the edges of the creek channel, especially where the creek channel meets the Guadalupe River channel. Work the Luhr Jensen Radar 10m Slabs, spoons and Sassy Shads very slowly off the bottom. Both white bass and striped bass congregate in this area at this time of the year. it is not unusual to catch largemouth bass, crappie and catfish here along with stripers and white bass. LOCATION: Canyon Lake

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HOTSPOT: Potters Creek GPS: N29 54.2496 W98 16.07622 (29.90416, -98.267937) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Finesse worms, jigs, small swim baits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com TIPS: Use finesse worms or small jigs and cast them towards the rocky drop-offs, letting them fall slowly. Small crank baits and Roadrunners will also work well during the early morning hours around the rocks and drop-offs where the bass are feeding on small baitfish. Work the lures very slowly and work them back to the boat with a steady retrieve or with a slow up and down motion. LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Friendship Park Area GPS: N30 42.93186 W97 19.9845 (30.715531, -97.333075) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cut shad, cut buffalo, punch bait CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com gotcrappie.com TIPS: Cold, miserable weather means great blue catfishing at Granger Lake, especially near the wind-blown points such as those near Friendship Park. Jug lines also produce a lot of big blue catfish at this time of the year, but rod and reel fishing also can be very productive. Use cut bait on jug lines or while drifting across the points at a low speed using cut bait. Anchoring off the points and fishing off the bottom near drop-offs also can produce big fish. The area just out from the public boat ramp at Friendship Park can be a hotspot. LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: San Gabriel River GPS: N30 40.81158 W97 22.31508 (30.680193, -97.371918) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com gotcrappie.com TIPS: The crappie are moving up the main river channel, Willis Creek and other major creeks in

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preparation to spawn. Use jigs and fish the brush piles, log jams and other cover along the edges of the channels. Black and blue, chartreuse and black and red and black are good colors for the jigs.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Bravo for Falcon’s River Bass Action by BOB HOOD and DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Rio Bravo GPS: N26 57.35124 W99 23.62398 (26.955854, -99.393733) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, soft plastic worms, deepdiving crank baits CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: The bass will be following the main river channel, especially as it narrows from the Texas and Mexico banks. Concentrate on fishing the jigs in any stickups along the main channel as well as those close to slight drop-offs in the numerous coves, especially those coves with rocks visible along the banks close to the brush lines. The water temperatures will be slightly warmer in these areas as well as the far backs of the coves. Fish the jigs and Texas-rigged plastic worms slowly in the brush. Deep-diving crank banks worked off the rocky points during the mid-morning hours also can produce some good catches of bass.

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

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Sportsman’s Daybook FEBRUARY 2014

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.

T3 T2 T1

T9 T8 T7

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

T15 T16

T6 T17

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

AM/PM Timeline

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

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

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:

12a

AM/PM Timeline

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AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

F E B R U A R Y

12a

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

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

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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

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

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:52p Moonrise: 3:51a Set: 2:46p

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

29 «

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 5:53p Moonrise: 4:51a Set: 3:49p

FRIDAY

30 l

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:54p Moonrise: 5:47a Set: 4:57p

SATURDAY

31 «

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 5:54p Moonrise: 6:39a Set: 6:05p

Feb 1 «

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:55p Moonrise: 7:27a Set: 7:13p

2 «

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 5:56p Moonrise: 8:11a Set: 8:19p

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:57p Moonrise: 8:53a Set: 9:23p

AM Minor: 1:34a

PM Minor: 2:04p

AM Minor: 2:28a

PM Minor: 2:58p

AM Minor: 3:23a

PM Minor: 3:54p

AM Minor: 4:21a

PM Minor: 4:50p

AM Minor: 5:19a

PM Minor: 5:48p

AM Minor: 6:19a

PM Minor: 6:46p

AM Minor: 7:18a

PM Minor: 7:44p

AM Major: 7:49a

PM Major: 8:19p

AM Major: 8:43a

PM Major: 9:14p

AM Major: 9:39a

PM Major: 10:09p

AM Major: 10:35a

PM Major: 11:05p

AM Major: 11:01a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:05a

PM Major: 12:32p

AM Major: 1:05a

PM Major: 1:31p

Moon Overhead: 9:18a

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 11:20a

Moon Overhead: 10:19a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:20p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 2:12p

Moon Overhead: 1:17p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2014

Moon Overhead: 3:05p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 9:49p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

Low Tide: 6:51 AM High Tide: 3:23 PM Low Tide: 7:25 PM High Tide: 11:11 PM

BEST:

3:30 — 4:30 AM

-0.75ft. Low Tide: 7:45 AM 1.02ft. High Tide: 4:00 PM 0.89ft. Low Tide: 8:20 PM 0.96ft.

Moon Underfoot: 11:50p BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

-0.88ft. High Tide: 12:31 AM 1.06ft. Low Tide: 8:37 AM 0.84ft. High Tide: 4:34 PM Low Tide: 9:06 PM

1.00ft. -0.93ft. 1.06ft. 0.74ft.

Moon Underfoot: None BEST:

11:30A — 1:30P

High Tide: 1:44 AM Low Tide: 9:27 AM High Tide: 5:07 PM Low Tide: 9:53 PM

1.01ft. -0.90ft. 1.02ft. 0.60ft.

Moon Underfoot: 12:49a BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 PM

High Tide: 2:54 AM Low Tide: 10:16 AM High Tide: 5:39 PM Low Tide: 10:42 PM

1.00ft. -0.79ft. 0.97ft. 0.43ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:45a BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 PM

High Tide: 4:04 AM Low Tide: 11:03 AM High Tide: 6:09 PM Low Tide: 11:34 PM

Moon Underfoot: 2:39a

+2.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

0.94ft. High Tide: 5:16 AM 0.86ft. -0.59ft. Low Tide: 11:49 AM -0.34ft. 0.91ft. High Tide: 6:39 PM 0.86ft. 0.24ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 10:50p

+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

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 5:58p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 5:59p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 6:00p Moonrise: 9:34a Set: 10:24p Moonrise: 10:14a Set: 11:24p Moonrise: 10:55a Set: None

SATURDAY

7 º

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 6:00p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 6:01p Moonrise: 11:38a Set: 12:23a Moonrise: 12:21p Set: 1:18a

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 6:02p Moonrise: 1:07p Set: 2:12a

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 6:03p Moonrise: 1:54p Set: 3:02a

AM Minor: 8:16a

PM Minor: 8:42p

AM Minor: 9:13a

PM Minor: 9:38p

AM Minor: 10:08a

PM Minor: 10:32p

AM Minor: 10:59a

PM Minor: 11:24p

AM Minor: 11:48a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:10a

PM Minor: 12:34p

AM Minor: 12:55a

PM Minor: 1:19p

AM Major: 2:04a

PM Major: 2:29p

AM Major: 3:01a

PM Major: 3:26p

AM Major: 3:55a

PM Major: 4:20p

AM Major: 4:47a

PM Major: 5:12p

AM Major: 5:36a

PM Major: 6:00p

AM Major: 6:22a

PM Major: 6:46p

AM Major: 7:07a

PM Major: 7:31p

Moon Overhead: 3:56p

12a

FRIDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:37p

Moon Overhead: 4:47p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:26p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:04p

Moon Overhead: 7:15p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2014

Moon Overhead: 8:52p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 3:31a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Low Tide: 12:30 AM High Tide: 6:33 AM Low Tide: 12:35 PM High Tide: 7:08 PM

88 |

0.07ft. 0.76ft. -0.07ft. 0.82ft.

3:30 — 5:30 PM

Low Tide: 1:30 AM High Tide: 7:59 AM Low Tide: 1:19 PM High Tide: 7:37 PM

F E B R U A R Y

-0.08ft. 0.68ft. 0.20ft. 0.79ft.

2 0 1 4

Moon Underfoot: 5:12a

Moon Underfoot: 6:02a

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 6:51a

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 7:40a

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 PM 8:00 — 10:00 AM

Low Tide: 2:36 AM High Tide: 9:39 AM Low Tide: 2:05 PM High Tide: 8:07 PM

-0.20ft. 0.65ft. 0.44ft. 0.77ft.

Low Tide: 3:46 AM High Tide: 11:39 AM Low Tide: 3:03 PM High Tide: 8:38 PM

T E X A S

F I S H

-0.30ft. 0.68ft. 0.63ft. 0.77ft.

Low Tide: 4:56 AM High Tide: 2:05 PM Low Tide: 6:25 PM High Tide: 9:15 PM

G A M E ®

T F & G

Low Tide: 6:00 AM High Tide: 3:16 PM Low Tide: 8:00 PM High Tide: 10:07 PM

A L M A N A C

+2.0

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 AM

-0.37ft. 0.77ft. 0.74ft. 0.77ft.

Moon Underfoot: 8:28a 10:00A — 12:00P

-0.42ft. 0.84ft. 0.76ft. 0.78ft.

Low Tide: 6:55 AM High Tide: 3:46 PM Low Tide: 8:39 PM High Tide: 11:09 PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 4:22a

-0.46ft. 0.88ft. 0.77ft. 0.81ft.

+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: 7:02a Set: 6:04p Moonrise: 2:43p Set: 3:49a

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 6:05p Moonrise: 3:34p Set: 4:33a

FRIDAY

13 «

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 6:05p Moonrise: 4:25p Set: 5:14a

SATURDAY

14 «

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 6:06p Moonrise: 5:17p Set: 5:53a

SUNDAY

15 ¡

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 6:07p Moonrise: 6:10p Set: 6:29a

16 «

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 6:08p Moonrise: 7:02p Set: 7:04a

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 6:09p Moonrise: 7:55p Set: 7:38a

AM Minor: 1:38a

PM Minor: 2:01p

AM Minor: 2:20a

PM Minor: 2:43p

AM Minor: 3:01a

PM Minor: 3:24p

AM Minor: 3:43a

PM Minor: 4:06p

AM Minor: 4:26a

PM Minor: 4:48p

AM Minor: 5:10a

PM Minor: 5:31p

AM Minor: 5:55a

PM Minor: 6:17p

AM Major: 7:49a

PM Major: 8:13p

AM Major: 8:31a

PM Major: 8:55p

AM Major: 9:13a

PM Major: 9:36p

AM Major: 9:54a

PM Major: 10:17p

AM Major: 10:37a

PM Major: 10:59p

AM Major: 11:21a

PM Major: 11:51p

AM Major: -----

PM Major: 12:06p

Moon Overhead: 9:39p

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 11:11p

Moon Overhead: 10:26p 12a

12p

12a

12p

12a

Moon Overhead: 11:56p 6a

12p

12a

Moon Overhead: 12:39a

Moon Overhead: None 6a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2014

Moon Overhead: 1:23a 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 9:16a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

Low Tide: 7:41 AM High Tide: 4:04 PM Low Tide: 8:56 PM

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

-0.47ft. High Tide: 12:09 AM 0.88ft. Low Tide: 8:20 AM 0.76ft. High Tide: 4:17 PM Low Tide: 9:02 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:48a 10:00P — 12:00A

0.84ft. -0.46ft. 0.87ft. 0.73ft.

High Tide: 1:03 AM Low Tide: 8:54 AM High Tide: 4:30 PM Low Tide: 9:09 PM

0.87ft. -0.43ft. 0.86ft. 0.68ft.

Moon Underfoot: 11:33a BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 12:18p BEST:

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM 12:00 — 2:00 AM

High Tide: 1:52 AM Low Tide: 9:23 AM High Tide: 4:46 PM Low Tide: 9:27 PM

0.89ft. -0.38ft. 0.86ft. 0.60ft.

High Tide: 2:39 AM Low Tide: 9:50 AM High Tide: 5:05 PM Low Tide: 9:54 PM

Moon Underfoot: 1:01p

High Tide: 3:25 AM Low Tide: 10:17 AM High Tide: 5:25 PM Low Tide: 10:26 PM

+2.0

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 AM

0.90ft. -0.31ft. 0.86ft. 0.52ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:44p 1:00 — 3:00 AM

0.89ft. -0.22ft. 0.86ft. 0.43ft.

High Tide: 4:12 AM Low Tide: 10:45 AM High Tide: 5:45 PM Low Tide: 11:01 PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

10:30A — 12:30P

Moon Underfoot: 10:03a

0.87ft. -0.11ft. 0.85ft. 0.33ft.

+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 FEBRUARY 2014

17 «

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 6:09p Moonrise: 8:49p Set: 8:12a

TUESDAY

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 6:10p Moonrise: 9:44p Set: 8:47a

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 6:11p Moonrise: 10:40p Set: 9:25a

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

21 »

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 6:12p Sunrise: 6:52a Set: 6:12p Sunrise: 6:51a Set: 6:13p Sunrise: 6:50a Set: 6:14p Moonrise: 11:38p Set: 10:05a Moonrise: None Set: 10:49a Moonrise: 12:38a Set: 11:38a Moonrise: 1:38a Set: 12:33p

AM Minor: 6:42a

PM Minor: 7:04p

AM Minor: 7:32a

PM Minor: 7:54p

AM Minor: 8:23a

PM Minor: 8:47p

AM Minor: 9:17a

PM Minor: 9:41p

AM Minor: 10:11a

PM Minor: 10:38p

AM Minor: 11:07a

PM Minor: 11:35p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:03p

AM Major: 12:31a

PM Major: 12:53p

AM Major: 1:20a

PM Major: 1:43p

AM Major: 2:11a

PM Major: 2:35p

AM Major: 3:04a

PM Major: 3:29p

AM Major: 3:58a

PM Major: 4:24p

AM Major: 4:53a

PM Major: 5:21p

AM Major: 5:48a

PM Major: 6:17p

Moon Overhead: 2:06a

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:36a

Moon Overhead: 2:50a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:24a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:09a

Moon Overhead: 5:15a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:06a 12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 2:28p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 AM

High Tide: 5:03 AM Low Tide: 11:13 AM High Tide: 6:03 PM Low Tide: 11:38 PM

2:00 — 4:00 AM

0.83ft. 0.02ft. 0.84ft. 0.23ft.

High Tide: 6:01 AM 0.80ft. Low Tide: 11:43 AM 0.18ft. High Tide: 6:19 PM 0.82ft.

Moon Underfoot: 4:00p BEST:

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Low Tide: 12:20 AM High Tide: 7:10 AM Low Tide: 12:15 PM High Tide: 6:28 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:49p

Moon Underfoot: 5:42p BEST:

BEST:

10:00P — 12:00A 4:00 — 6:00 AM

0.12ft. 0.77ft. 0.35ft. 0.82ft.

Low Tide: 1:07 AM High Tide: 8:36 AM Low Tide: 12:49 PM High Tide: 6:32 PM

0.00ft. 0.76ft. 0.54ft. 0.85ft.

Low Tide: 2:03 AM High Tide: 10:18 AM Low Tide: 1:28 PM High Tide: 6:31 PM

Moon Underfoot: 6:37p

Low Tide: 3:08 AM High Tide: 12:07 PM Low Tide: 2:20 PM High Tide: 6:36 PM

+2.0

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

-0.12ft. 0.80ft. 0.71ft. 0.89ft.

Moon Underfoot: 7:35p 12:30 — 2:30 AM

-0.24ft. 0.89ft. 0.86ft. 0.95ft.

Low Tide: 4:18 AM High Tide: 1:29 PM Low Tide: 4:04 PM High Tide: 7:03 PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 3:13p

-0.36ft. 0.99ft. 0.96ft. 0.98ft.

+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

Sunrise: 6:49a Set: 6:15p Moonrise: 2:37a Set: 1:32p

TUESDAY

Sunrise: 6:48a Set: 6:15p Moonrise: 3:33a Set: 2:36p

Sunrise: 6:47a Set: 6:16p Moonrise: 4:26a Set: 3:43p

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

27 «

SATURDAY

28 «

Sunrise: 6:46a Set: 6:17p Moonrise: 5:15a Set: 4:50p

Mar 1 l

Sunrise: 6:45a Set: 6:17p Moonrise: 6:01a Set: 5:56p

2 «

Sunrise: 6:44a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 6:44a Set: 7:02p

Sunrise: 6:43a Set: 6:19p Moonrise: 7:25a Set: 8:06p

AM Minor: 12:28a

PM Minor: 12:58p

AM Minor: 1:22a

PM Minor: 1:52p

AM Minor: 2:15a

PM Minor: 2:44p

AM Minor: 3:07a

PM Minor: 3:35p

AM Minor: 3:59a

PM Minor: 4:27p

AM Minor: 4:53a

PM Minor: 5:20p

AM Minor: 5:48a

PM Minor: 6:15p

AM Major: 6:43a

PM Major: 7:13p

AM Major: 7:37a

PM Major: 8:06p

AM Major: 8:29a

PM Major: 8:58p

AM Major: 9:21a

PM Major: 9:50p

AM Major: 10:13a

PM Major: 10:41p

AM Major: 11:06a

PM Major: 11:33p

AM Major: 11:31a

PM Major: 12:01p

Moon Overhead: 8:04a

12a

WEDNESDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:02a

Moon Overhead: 9:04a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 11:00a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:50p

Moon Overhead: 11:56a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for FEBRUARY 2014

Moon Overhead: 1:43p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 8:34p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 AM

92 |

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Low Tide: 5:29 AM High Tide: 2:16 PM Low Tide: 6:37 PM High Tide: 9:36 PM

-0.47ft. 1.06ft. 0.97ft. 0.99ft.

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Low Tide: 6:34 AM High Tide: 2:50 PM Low Tide: 7:26 PM High Tide: 11:33 PM

F E B R U A R Y

Moon Underfoot: 10:31p

-0.56ft. Low Tide: 7:32 AM 1.09ft. High Tide: 3:20 PM 0.90ft. Low Tide: 8:06 PM 1.02ft.

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

Moon Underfoot: 11:28p BEST:

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 AM

-0.59ft. High Tide: 12:58 AM 1.08ft. Low Tide: 8:26 AM 0.77ft. High Tide: 3:48 PM Low Tide: 8:47 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:23a

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 AM

F I S H

Moon Underfoot: None

1.07ft. -0.55ft. 1.05ft. 0.59ft.

High Tide: 2:12 AM Low Tide: 9:17 AM High Tide: 4:15 PM Low Tide: 9:30 PM

G A M E ®

12:00 — 2:00 PM

1.11ft. -0.44ft. 1.02ft. 0.39ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 3:21 AM Low Tide: 10:05 AM High Tide: 4:42 PM Low Tide: 10:15 PM

A L M A N A C

1.13ft. -0.26ft. 0.98ft. 0.20ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:16a

+2.0

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 PM

High Tide: 4:28 AM Low Tide: 10:51 AM High Tide: 5:08 PM Low Tide: 11:02 PM

1.12ft. -0.04ft. 0.96ft. 0.03ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 9:33p

+1.0 0 -1.0

Texas Tasted by Bryan Slaven | The Texas Gourmet

Jalapeño Kiwi Glazed Feral Hog Ham

HAVE PREPARED AND SHARED THIS recipe for many years and I hope you will enjoy it with your favorite people this season.

1 bone-in 8- to 10-lb. or larger shank ham 1 jar Texas Gourmet’s Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly 1-1/2 cup sherry 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs chopped rosemary leaves 3 Tbs black pepper

PHOTO: THE TEXAS GOURMET

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the ham on a wire rack in a baking pan. Score the ham on all sides to about 1/2-inch deep.

p Jalapeño kiwi glazed ham.

Cover with foil and bake for approx 1 hour with nothing on the ham, then baste the ham liberally with the Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly. Cover 94 |

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 4

Pit Instructions

with foil again and bake for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until the ham starts to pull away from the bone. Remove foil and baste with collected juices and jelly in pan. Increase the temp to 400 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 more minutes, basting every 10 to 15 minutes until a glaze begins to form on the ham. Remove from the oven and allow the ham to rest with a piece of foil loosely draped over it for 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Remove foil and slice ham into 2- to 3-inch pieces, and lay them in the juices until ready to serve.

The Sugar Cure

For a 6- to 10-pound ham: Mix 1 pint each of sugar and sea or kosher salt into 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of cold water. Stir until all salt is dissolved. Place the ham in a large disposable plastic bag. Using your turkey injector, draw up two to three full syringes of the solution and inject it in next to the bone in several places on the ham. (This will help the curing process to get to the places most vulnerable to spoiling when on a pit.) Then pour the rest of the cure solution in the bag with the ham. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and tie it up tight and close to the meat. Place the bag in a refrigerator or a cooler lined with plenty of ice and allow it to sit in the solution for 24 to 48 hours. Remove the ham from the bag, rinse it off, and it is ready for the pit.

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

After preheating your pit (I like to start with about 5 pounds of lump hardwood charcoal, then add seasoned pecan, post oak, and a little hickory wood for smoke and flavor enhancement), place the ham in the pit at the far end from the firebox with the temperature at about 250 to 275 degrees, and baste every 45 minutes or so. Flip the ham every 1-1/2 hours and continue basting. (Use 45 minutes to the pound as a guide for smoking time, or until a meat thermometer inserted next to the bone registers 160 degrees.) Remove from the pit to a platter and drape a loose piece of foil over the ham for 30 to 45 minutes before carving. Heat the remaining baste to a boil on the stove, then use it as a sauce when serving. Try not to hurt yourself by attempting to eat the whole ham while carving it. Enjoy with your favorite sides. Baste for the ham: 1 jar Texas Gourmet’s Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly.

T F & G

Email Bryan Slaven, “The Texas Gourmet,” at BSlaven@fishgame.com

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

Visit FishandGameGear.com A L M A N A C

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HUNTING

LAKE AMISTAD

UPPER COAST (SABINE LAKE)

SOUTH TEXAS

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OUTDOOR SHOPPER HUNTING & FISHING GEAR

NEW 2013-14 EDITION

DFW METROPLEX MIDDLE COAST

ROCKPORT / BAFFIN BAY LAKE TEXOMA Over 2500 Fishing Spots (with GPS) on 50 Texas Fresh and Saltwater Destinations

ROCKPORT

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Courtesy: Redfish www.FishandGameGear.com Charters

WWW.FISHGAME.COM T F & G

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E 速

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 4

BLACK DRUM

FERAL HOG

Clear Lake

Central Texas

Ella Shipper caught this black drum on cracked crab while fishing at Clear Lake.

Mitch Robinson, 13, stalked and shot this 350-pound boar while hunting in Central Texas with his dad and his grandfather.

STRIPED BASS

SPECKLED TROUT

Brazos River Don Hull caught this 17-pound striper in the Brazos River below the Lake Whitney Dam while fishing from his kayak.

WHITETAIL

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

Columbus Twelve-year-old Ethan Campos shot this 7-point buck while hunting near Columbus. The buck scored a 117.

WHITETAIL

REDFISH

Private Ranch

Laguna Madre

Bill Sowa shot this 13-point buck while hunting on a family ranch. The deer was taken by a neck shot at 130 yards using a .270 Remington. It scored a net B&C of 155-1/4 and was aged at 4-1/2 years.

Seven-year-old Andrew Vallejo of San Antonio caught his first fish, a throw-back redfish, while fishing the Land Cut with his dad. He went on to outfish Dad five to one.

96 |

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 4

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

T F & G

A L M A N A C

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.

REDFISH REDFISH

Galveston Jay and Will Loeffler show off one of five bull reds they caught while fishing the concrete ship at Galveston. They also caught a dozen sharks.

Port O’Connor Lexie Sappington, 8, caught this 22-inch redfish while fishing with her family in Port O’Connor on her dad Nathan’s birthday. She later pointed out that Dad was the only one who did NOT catch a fish that day.

WHITETAIL Rusk County Eight-year-old Jonathan Holland shot his first buck, an 8-point, while hunting with his mom Karen Holland in Rusk County. He shot this buck with a .270.

WHITETAIL Panola County Andrea Weesner, 14, of Highland Village shot this 10-point, drop tine buck in Panola County. It was her first buck.

ELK

FERAL HOG

Colorado

Jackson County

Coulton Kresta and his dad David went to Delores Colorado elk hunting for the first time this year. While up there Coulton bagged his first cow elk with his Remington 700 30-06, fitted with a Nikon 3x9x40 scope at 125 yards. His first trip, he got his first ell. How cool is that?

T F & G

A L M A N A C

T E X A S

Jack Nini shot this 300pound Russian boar at his ranch in Jackson County. It took three shots with his 30-06 to bring the boar down.

F I S H

G A M E ®

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 4

C3_ALL.indd 3

1/10/14 11:05 AM

C4_ALL.indd 4

1/10/14 11:03 AM