March 2013 by Texas Fish & Game

Digital Edition

www.FishGame.com

HYDRILLA:

Curse or Blessing?

MARCH 2013 | VOL. XXIX • NO. 11 | $3.95

Rick Clunn

ON CRANKBAITS SUPPRESSOR HUNTING:

Silence of the Hogs Cobia

VICIOUS, DELICIOUS PREDATORS

The Flood Effect:

HOW FRESHWATER FLOODS IMPACT BAY FISHING

Quest for

THE UNIVERSAL BOAT coastal cover

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Digital Edition

www.FishGame.com

HYDRILLA:

Curse or Blessing?

MARCH 2013 | VOL. XXIX • NO. 11 | $3.95

South Bay

SOUTHERN COMFORT QUEST FOR THE

Universal Boat Cobia

VICIOUS, DELICIOUS PREDATORS

Clunn on Crankbaits The Flood Effect:

HOW FRESHWATER FLOODS IMPACT BAY FISHING

SUPPRESSOR HUNTING:

Silence of the Hogs inland cover

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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

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Chester moore Executive EDITOR

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

Joe Doggett Doug Pike Ted Nugent Bob Hood Matt Williams Calixto Gonzales Lenny Rudow Steve LaMascus Lou Marullo Kendal Hemphill Reavis Wortham Greg Berlocher Paul Bradshaw Capt. Mike Holmes Dustin Ellermann Lisa Moore John Gisel

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR BOWHUNTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR HUMOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR WEB CONTENT MANAGER

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CONTENTS FEATURES

March 2013 • Volume XXIX • NO. 11

The Coastal Flood Effect When heavy rains dump waves of freshwater into a bay system, is it good or bad for the fishing?

by Chester Moore

The Silence of The Hogs The use of suppressors has added a whole new dimension to the hunting of hogs, exotics, and predators in Texas.

Inland cover: Clunn on Crankbaits Rick Clunn may not have invented the crankbait, but the 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion popularized them and turned their use into an art. Story and Cover Photo by Chester Moore

STORY:

by Mike Holmes

The Universal Boat Is there any one hull that fits most any hunting or fishing application? Among the world’s most unanswerable questions — i.e., “what is the meaning of life?” — this is one that we’re willing to tackle.

by Lenny Rudow

coastal cover: Southern Comfort Nestled in a spot below the bottom of the Lower Laguna Madre, South Bay, with its mangorves and gin-clear, oyster-strewn shallows, is arguably the most unique bay on the Texas coast Story by Calixto Gonzales Cover Photo by CanStock

STORY:

Cobia: Vicious, delicious predators Highly mobile, cobia (aka lemonfish, ling) roam up and down the Texas coast, appearing off jetties at 20-foot depths, or 100 miles offshore in 400 feet of water.

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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

March 2013 • Volume XXIX • NO. 11

COLUMNS

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Notes 10 Hysteria

Texas Bow Hunting 37 The Crossbow

by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

by Lou Marullo TF&G Bow Hunting Editor

& Gun Powder

Controversy

Chester’s Wild Life 14 The Bears

defense

of Sharkarosa

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

Doggett at Large 16 Thump &

Hunt Texas 41 A True

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

Pike on the Edge 18 Unlikely

Texas Freshwater 46 Showtime

by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by Matt williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

TexasWild 20 Tony Dukes:

Texas Saltwater 55 Ramble

by Ted nugent TF&G Editor At Large

by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

Commentary 21 Bodyguard

Open Season 56 Whodunit?

by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor

Thunder

Pairings

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A Great Texas Hunter

of Lies

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catches

34 texas dept. of

8 letters 12 TF&G Report 12 big bags &

42 True green

Calling

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Letters to the Editor All I ask is a Tall Ship… That was a good article, “A Star to Steer Her By,” by Lenny Rudow in the January 2013 issue. I would like to add my two cents worth. I fish Choke Canyon a lot, and I always ask whoever my partner-for-the-day was after several hours fishing, “Where is the boat ramp? What if I have a heart attack out here and you have to get me back to the ramp?” Never has anyone been within miles of the ramp direction, and in some cases, even the opposite direction. (My wife is the world’s worst and she knows I am going to ask her.) Then I preach, “landmarks, landmarks, landmarks.” Sometimes when a fog bank moves in, I

dig out the compass or, if possible, listen for truck traffic, wild turkeys, or the check the wind direction. Gerald Callaway Brownwood, TX

Wild Hog Breakfast Sausage Thanks for the wild hog recipe for sausage. (January 2013). I have had many years experience preparing wild game and, at least sometimes, my results can be pretty good. I have often fed venison to people who swear they hate the stuff and they cannot believe it can actually taste that good. I think my initial prep after taking an animal has a lot to do with it as well, but that is another story. Thought I would share a simple process I use for sausage and similar preparation. I have used grinders, knives etc., to process meats for sausage and burger/chili meat. The cleanest and fastest I ever used and use exclusively now is a food processor and the double flat knife-type attachment. Cut the meat semi-small for easiest results. Place no more than 1/2 pound at a time. Use the momentary button. It only takes a few seconds. Too long and you have puree (yuck). Note, this process also partially separates the white skin stuff mixed in rougher cuts of venison and makes for easy fingerpicking removal of at least part of it. It does not cut easily so it tends to separate and be in a stringy state. It can be left in, but a little extra work sure makes the product more tender when removed. Easy to clean up, too--10 times easier than a grinder. I also may or may not add a dribble of real maple syrup to sausage batches depending on the spices. I use basic spices, the syrup matches; not so good if heavy on garlic. I never use sage anymore.

Randy Pitman Georgetown, TX 8 |

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The Lost Prairie I recently read Doug Pike’s column, “The Lost Prairie,” in Texas Fish & Game. What a great article and it is well written. It brought back many memories of duck and goose hunting on the Katy Prairie back in the late 1970’s and 80’s. I remember the days of hunting out of Larry Gore’s operation in Katy, and the Katy Prairie, Brookshire, Sealy, and many other places as well. I remember spending hours scouting for birds so we would know where to hunt the next day. I remember coming back to Cecil White’s later in the morning and piling up all of our birds from the morning hunts. The camaraderie and friendships from that time are priceless. That the land we all used to hunt is now covered up with housing and shopping centers. What a shame that progress and development have taken over what was once prime roosting and hunting areas for thousands of us to enjoy. It seems these days we have to go farther and farther to have even a decent hunt, much less a fantastic hunt like we used to have back then. We all had a lot of good times.

Rodney Daab Via email

May Reason Prevail Thanks to Kendal Hemphill for his clearly stated and delightfully presented commentary in the February issue. My husband and I have voiced the same reactions to the many tragic events in our nation, but to read your analysis is a great encouragement to us. Perhaps reason still exists and may prevail eventually. May the Lord bless you also.

David and Jeanne Rae Wommack Paducah, KY

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

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Editor’s Notes by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Hysteria & Gun Powder

t seems that some things never change, no matter how desperately they should. Consider the following from the July 2009 issue and see if it rings any bells. Bouts of hysteria are endemic to the human condition. The recent outbreak of “swine flu” sparked everything from school and business closures to people walking around in surgical masks; local emergency medicine protocols mandated the masks for first responders. Ostensibly enacted as prophylactic measures against the disease, the true reasons amounted to nothing more than media-hype-induced hysteria. The number of deaths worldwide stood at 108 at the end of May--108 deaths among a world population of 6 billion. Do the math. “Closing schools is not effective” in stemming spread of the virus, said Dr. Richard E. Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “So far, the severity of illness we’re seeing in this country is similar to what we’re seeing with seasonal flu.” In other words, swine flu is no bigger deal than any other flu strain; the tiny number of deaths attributable to individuals weakened by pre-existing health conditions. Media-induced hysteria is not new. Orson Wells’ 1938 radio broadcast of an adapted version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds prompted credulous listeners to panicked actions that included shooting an innocent water tower mistaken for an invading alien spacecraft. The most pervasive and sustained modern hysteria involves firearms and appurtenances thereto. Media hype, misinformation, and outright lies has convinced many that guns are not only evil incarnate, but capable 10 |

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of autonomous mayhem. Ammunition is the newest object of gunphobic hysteria and related propaganda, inciting panic over everything from lead poisoning to possible injury from exposure to loose ammunition. The case of one George Fath of Steuben County, Indiana, well illustrates the extremes of ammo hysteria. While cleaning his yard, Fath found a .22 rimfire cartridge, the detritus of a previous tenant. Fearing for the safety of his children, Fath decided to destroy the evil object--by smashing it with a hammer. Now, the ignorance factor alone is sufficient to make the event remarkable, but Fath’s recollection of events juxtaposed with the facts pushes this into Twilight Zone territory. Predictably, the tiny cartridge exploded when Fath struck it with his mighty hammer. According to news reports, Fath stated: “It went off and went into my belly and knocked me on my butt.” His wife called 911 and the police came, but responding officers reported that the “bullet” didn’t actually hit Fath. “Fath was not bleeding, and it did not appear that Fath was struck with the bullet. Fath suffered a minor abrasion to the area of his stomach,” according to the official police report. Nonetheless, Fath told a local TV news crew the bullet did go in his stomach, and doctors removed it at the hospital: “I smacked by the bullet and fell down and blood came pouring out. I was hitting it to smash it. I didn’t expect it to go bang.” Fath vowed to never again hit a bullet with a hammer; Steuben County Sheriff Rick Lewis said no one should ever hit a bullet with anything. Okay, sound advice, perhaps, but then Lewis pulled a real boner. After first demonstrating a severe lack of understanding of simple physics (more on that shortly) by stating, “The round can go anywhere. It could hit the person striking it with a hammer, a neighbor, a child in the yard. There’s just no controlling where the bullet will go,” Lewis compounded the absurdity of the situation and struck a blow in the name of F i s h

hype and hysteria by stating that, if someone finds a “bullet,” don’t throw it in the trash but, “Call local law enforcement and we can take care of it.” Let’s think about that last statement. As most Texas Fish & Game readers know, finding a “bullet” is equivalent to finding a stone. A bullet is just a chunk of cuprous lead, harmless unless thrown forcefully at someone. I suspect the sheriff meant “cartridge,” the complete system of case, primer, powder, and bullet that comprises bona fide ammunition. Ammo ignorance notwithstanding, of all of the insipid hysteria attached to this incident, one aspect eclipses all others from a law enforcement standpoint--the sheriff’s suggestion to “Call local law enforcement [if you find a cartridge] and we can take car of it.” Imagine if you will the potential mayhem unleashed by a single individual with a mischievous streak and armed with a single 500-round “brick” of .22 rimfire ammo, seeding streets and neighborhood lawns with “bullets” for the citizenry to find: ensuing panic, 911 system jammed with calls, and the entire police force tied up with “ammo recovery duty.” Absurdity is hysteria’s stepchild, evidenced by incidents like the preceding and nonsensical governmental actions such as California’s lead bullet ban; attempts to mandate serial numbers on individual bullets; suspending students on “weapons charges” for making gun-finger gestures; et cetera ad nauseam. Pertaining to the danger of loose ammunition: When an unconfined cartridge explodes, the bullet might move a few inches at most. The much lighter case can travel a few tens of feet at a far from lethal velocity. An unconfined cartridge explodes with a tiny fraction of the power released when confined in a firearm chamber. But, it is a component of a gun, for God’s sake! Won’t someone please think of the children!

Contact Don Zaidle at DZaidle@fishgame.com

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The TF&G Report Texas Warhorses The chase for the new Pope and Young nontypical state record took an interesting twist in mid-January when A.J. Downs of Conroe learned that Robert Taylor of Aubry had stepped to the plate with a world-class whitetail buck that may challenge for the title as the highest scoring non-typical ever taken by a bow hunter in Texas. That may come as a surprise to a lot of folks, mainly because the Downs buck is such a warhorse. Taken on Sept. 29, opening day of the 2012-13 Archery Only season, the enormous 28 pointer has been officially scored at 263 1/3 gross and 253 3/8 net. That’s nearly two feet larger than the former record, which stood for roughly 21 months. Pope and Young is the official records keeper for North American big game animals taken by archers on open range. In

early January, the organization recently issued Downs an official certificate of acceptance on the rack’s final score after a mandatory 60-day drying period. The deer was officially scored last November by A.J. Downs with his 28-point buck. Randy Reeves, an official Boone and Crockett scorer, and Bob on that deer is 229 6/8 net. Sweisthal, one of the longest standing P&Y Downs’ buck also is the highest scorers in the state. scoring non-typical entered nationally Downs, 39, arrowed the monster buck during P&Y’s last two-year recording while hunting on a 12,000-acre open range period. Even more impressive is the lease that gobbles up real estate in San fact it currently ranks No. 9 of allJacinto and Liberty counties. He made the time among non-typicals entered in killing shot at a distance of 15 yards. the P&Y registry since the club was The former P&Y non-typical state founded in 1961. record belongs to Thomas Friedkin. The How the Taylor buck will fit into Friedkin buck, a 19 pointer, was killed in all of this remains to be seen. But 2010 in Dimmit County. The official score one thing is for certain. The wicked

& big bags catches

REDFISH

Feral Hog

Swordfish

Aransas Pass

East Texas

Texas Coast

Emily Hurt caught this 26.5-inch redfish while fishing Estes Flats at Aransas Pass with Capt. Noel Guerrero of Fin Fever Guide Service.

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Michael Preston of Pasadena shows off this boar he took in a hay bottom on a weekend adventure in East Texas.

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Ten-year-old Brandon Lam has been fishing offshore for the last 3 years, and has recently been shooting for a state record swordfish. This past July, he finally got his swordfish. It currently holds a pending TPWD record for Junior unrestricted gear swordfish.

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Photos Courtesy AJ Downs & Robert Taylor

Robert Taylor’s 42-pointer.

ers, here. Instead, we are looking at a pair of 250inch racks that look as if they have been in a train wreck. One miscalculation, one bad judgement call or one wrong measurement can result in a bunch of ground gained or lost in a hurry on a deer of this caliber. Both sets of original scorers say

they are confident their numbers are rock solid and will hold up. If that’s the case, then the owner of the P&Y non-typical state record has already been decided. Only time will tell the true tale of the tape. —Matt Williams

looking 42-pointer is making some major league rumbles across Grayson County that are stronger than any since Jeff Duncan arrowed a former state record scoring 225 7/8 there in 2001. Adding to the mystique of this fairy tale hunting story are the fact Taylor killed the buck, his first ever with a bow and arrow, off a tiny 4.7 acre spread he owns adjacent to Lake Ray Roberts. Like the Downs buck, the Taylor deer is “stud duck” in every respect. The basic eight-point frame sprouted a ton of abnormal bone totaling a remarkable 121 7/8 inches. According to measurements turned over to the Texas Big Game Awards by official B&C scorers Jennifer Barrow and Eric Stanosheck, the gross “green” score on the rack is 256 3/8, 249 2/8 “green” net. Green scores are tallied ahead of a mandatory 60-day drying period required before racks can be officially scored for Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett records. Taylor’s buck will be eligible for official rescoring in early March. The Downs buck will be panel judged right along side some of North America’s other top scoring big game animals just ahead of the Pope and Young Club’s 28th Biennium Awards Banquet and Convention set for April 10-13 in Dallas. The panel judging, which will take place Feb. 28 - March 2 at Cabelas in Ft. Worth, will include animals in 34 P&Y categories. According to P&Y policy, the panel judging is done in order “to verify the accuracy of the measurements involved on these ‘top end’ specimens.” P&Y’s Glen Hisey says Taylor has been invited to bring his deer to Cabelas, as well, where it will be officially taped by an P&Y scorer. While the 4 1/8-inch margin dividing these two Texas giants might sound like a lot, it is important to remember we are not talking about a couple of slick 10 point-

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

The Bears of Sharkarosa

he eyes always tell the story. Having encountered thousands of wild animals over the years, my attention is always drawn to their eyes because they reveal so much about demeanor and intelligence. The eyes looking at me from just a couple of feet away revealed a thinking creature, a curious creature. In this case, it was a 350-pound black bear named Barnaby. Last fall I filmed a bear segment for my WebTV series, God’s Outdoors with Chester Moore, at Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch near Denton with founder Scott Edwards. For the episode, we filmed a bear encounter with Barnaby and a similar-sized female named Bailey, three-year-old bears both rescued from a bad situation and trained to be ambassador animals. “You can train wild animals but you cannot make them tame. There is a difference,” Edwards said. Sharkarosa is an amazing facility that propagates a variety of endangered species and does educational outreach on behalf of everything from sloths to Pere David’s deer. I came to get a little deeper understanding of bears since these great animals are returning to Texas in surprising numbers. “Black bears are one of the few large mammals in North America that wasn’t endangered at some point. They continue to thrive and in many areas even live right alongside large numbers of people,” Edwards said. “When people leave them alone they go stealth and are very rarely seen but when people start feeding them and treating wild bears as if they are pets then trouble starts.” Wildlife managers say “a fed bear is a dead bear” and the reason is bears accustomed to receiving food from people are

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Encountering a trained bear is one thing but conditioning and feeding wild bear is a whole other thing that causes problems for both people and bears.

often removed from the population as to not harm people. “Black bears rarely attack people but you don’t want to invite problems by conditioning them to come around people. And the truth is the bear will probably get hurt before a person ever does. We need to keep the interest of the animals in mind as well,” Edwards said. One of the chief reasons for filming me interacting with these bears was to show that once bears become accustomed to people they lose fear. There has been a sharp increase in bear sightings in East Texas, the Hill Country along with an expanding population in the Trans-Pecos region. “The black bear is a part of Texas’ natural heritage and forest ecology, the Louisiana black bear is on the federal threatened species list and is thus the focus of an ongoing restoration effort in Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, and black bears appear to be poised for a slow return in East Texas,” said Nathan Garner, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist in Tyler. A possible obstacle the bear’s return in the region is poaching, which still looms F i s h

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large in some areas. Shooting a Louisiana black bear (which all bears in East Texas are considered) is a state and a federal crime and since they come under auspices of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), fines could be as high as $25,000 and come with six months jail time.   Another potential problem is misidentification since bear and feral hogs can look similar at a distance especially when someone is not expecting to see a bear.    That is why it is important for people entering bear country to get educated about these great animals. Their comeback is happening right now. Four years ago we created black bear educational posters that were distributed as digital downloads to hundreds of individuals, teachers, scout leaders and church groups. If you would like one, email me at cmoore@fishgame.com and I will get you a copy. Just the thought of seeing a black bear here in Texas makes things seem a bit wilder and gives hope to those of us concerned about the wildlife and wildlife habitat. My encounter while filming at Sharkarosa gave me an even deeper respect for the black bear than I had before. In their eyes, I saw a glimpse of wildness and in my wild life that serves as a deep source of inspiration. (NOTE: On March 9, Bears Den Food Safari opens at Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch. They will offer a four course inclusive meal with artisan gourmet pizzas, wood fired vegetable dishes, hearty appetizers, and homemade desserts. The best part is there will be nightly bear demonstrations and wildlife viewing. Reservations are currently being taken Thursday through Saturday. For more information go to www.bearsdentexas.com.)

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

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

Thump & Thunder ”For I was headed for some tall timber gunning and never believed in sending a boy on a man’s errand.” Nash Buckingham, on the virtues of using a heavy 3-inch, full-choked 12-gauge shotgun for serious duck hunting.

hen Buckingham wrote those words (“Great Day in the Morning”, Field & Stream, April 1941), he was regarded as one of the finest waterfowl hunters in the world. This ranking was based on a natural talent plus the opportunity to shoot thousands and thousands of ducks dating to the late 1800’s. He reigned amid marsh and prairie and timber when seasons were long, limits were liberal (or non-existent), and techniques such as baiting and live decoys were standard. Most important, ducks funneling down the Mississippi and Central Flyways literally blackened the autumnal sky. And, based on this experience, Buckingham was a firm believer in using a big gun. In this stance, he echoed the great Fred Kimble, originator of choke boring during the late 1800’s. If anything, Kimble (an ex-market hunter) killed more ducks than Buckingham. Buckingham wrote in Long-Range Duck Shooting (Derrydale, 1938), “Mr. Kimble still favors long, heavy guns and big shot for rough wildfowling.” During his 70-year gunning career, Buckingham shot Winchester pumps, Parker doubles, Winchester 21 doubles, and, ultimately, “Bo Whoop,”--a 3-inch magnum, 32-inch, side-by-side 12 gauge built by Burt Becker on a heavy A. H. Fox action. Bo Whoop, choked full and fuller, reportedly could average patterns of “91 and 92 percent” with coppered 4’s (lead, of course) at 40 yards on a standard 30-inch circle. Put 16 |

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another way, it was not a quail gun. I recall these things because Buckingham was a beautiful wordsmith and I greatly enjoyed reading his stories. Plus, he could back up his typewriter in the field. According to Buckingham, 40 yards represents the start of legitimate long-range duck shooting. The qualified shooter can crumple birds at 50-plus with a full-choked 3-inch 12. Beyond that, well, you should know your limits. (Incidentally, on the subject of big guns, I suppose we could include the 3 1/2-inch 12’s and 10’s, but these really are specialized goose guns, a different realm.) Conversely, a light 26-inch barrel tends to be jerky, too easy to stop. And the open pattern from an improve cylinder starts blowing apart beyond about 30 yards, creating holes and gaps for missing or, worse, crippling. Now here’s the strange part: During the early ‘80s I bought a classic long-range mallard boomer, a Winchester Model 12 Heavy Duck Gun. I think I paid $400. The old 3-inch magnum was built in 1951; it’s all factory-original and still retains most of the bluing. It sports a thick-walled 30-inch barrel and a very cool solid rib. To help absorb recoil and balance the heft, a length of lead weight was inserted into a drilled hole in the butt of the stock. A hard-rubber red pad was fitted to the butt, and a three-shot magazine plug was installed to conform with federal migratory bird regulations. The wooden fore end is of the slim “corn cob” style, but with a rounded semi-flat bottom. It looks graceful, feels positive, and “shucks” the big cases with authority. The length of pull (trigger to butt) is only 13-1/2 inches, deliberately cut short to accommodate the waterfowler’s bulky jacket. The Duck Gun weighs a manly 8-1/2 pounds unloaded; according to Winchester records, the big 3-inch Model 12, available with a 30- or 32-inch barrel, was not a major seller (probably because the typical buyer on a budget wanted an all-around gun, not a heavy magnum). On long or high ducks the heft and length F i s h

encourage a confident swing and a smooth follow-through; indeed, the gun wants to keep moving--a huge and often-overlooked advantage in deliberate shooting. This great gun with its time-honored attributes sat mostly neglected in my gun cabinet for 25 years. Early on, I shot a couple of turkeys with it but lacked the resolve to tote it into a duck blind. I guess, with tightpatterning steel shot, I was afraid of looking bad with the full choke. This past duck season I eyeballed the patient old boomer and, with a nod to Messrs. Buckingham and Kimble, pulled it from the rack. We finally started going duck hunting together. I, well ... shot well. Surprisingly well. The old Winchester Duck Gun has authority. It radiates confidence. My point here: During the sum of a duck season, for every one of those classic 20-to 30-yard, webs-down, decoying birds, you’ve probably got at least three or four 40-yard (plus-or-minus) chances outside the blocks. Some days, that’s about all you get. The Model 12 supposedly is safe with steel, but I’m afraid to touch that hyper-stuff. I really am drawn to the aura of the old pump; I’d rather have it than several modern guns of comparable thump and purpose, and don’t want to risk “ringing” or otherwise damaging the barrel. If the conscientious hunter has the resolve to wait with an open choke for nothing but the “ice cream” shots inside 30 yards, great, but Winchester’s “perfect repeater” is a classic reminder of what all-around duck shooting is all about. In the words of master waterfowler Buckingham, “The whole force behind such tools is to be overgunned rather than undergunned when birds won’t decoy, and cannot be called within reasonable range.” The biggest mystery is why it took me more than 25 years to figure that out.

Contact Joe Doggettl at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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

Unlikely Pairings

n idle mind often follows whimsical paths. I was reminded of that when the following thoughts crept into my head one late-winter evening: For no reason, I pondered the marked similarities between specific species of terrestrial and aquatic life. If you think of the plane on which air and water meet as a looking glass, it is fairly easy to see some of the creatures that live on one side reflected in those that live on the other. Take hardheads, for example. (And take

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all you want--nobody will miss them.) The hardhead catfish is a generally despised, potentially harmful waste of flesh that never met anything it wasn’t willing--enthusiastically--to bite. My immediate thought as its counterpart was the cottonmouth, but I actually respect snakes and do not share that feeling for the hardhead. Ultimately, the nod went to sewer rats. City rats. Garbage eaters, not field mice earning their hardscrabble existence on waste grain and wild seed. Scale tipper for the sewer rat-hardhead play was that if you were hungry enough, although you wouldn’t like doing so, you could eat either one. I couldn’t eat a water moccasin. Moving on to a more glamorous path, consider the Spanish and king mackerels.

Both are high-velocity, acrobatic predators that take most of their meals at full speed. This one is easy. The smaller and larger mackerels are to schools of sardines and mullet what falcons and hawks are to meadow mice and pigeons. By water or air, the attacks of these lightning-bolt predators are swift, and death of the prey is instant or nearly so. Somewhere near the bottom of the visible food chain, you will find shrimp in the bays and grasshoppers in the fields. Both can seem amazingly agile to any of us who try to catch one by hand, but neither is a match for the stabbing beaks of birds, rushing mouths of big fish, or bullwhip tongues of lizards. Where shrimp and grasshoppers live, almost everything bigger than them eats them. On the cuddly side, there is commonality

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I wanted to liken largemouth bass to bobcats.

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between crappie and cottontails. Each is relatively delicate in its world and, as prey, must constantly watches over its finned or furred shoulder. Nervous by nature and prolific by same, white perch and bunnies are the marshmallows of fish and wildlife. I wanted to liken largemouth bass to bobcats, both being opportunistic ambush feeders, but the latter tends to remain lean throughout its life. A bass, on the other hand, becomes relatively fat and lethargic in seniority, still capable of feeding itself but more apt to take one big meal than six smaller ones. I will stick with the comparison for lack of a better one but, in my mind, add a beer belly to the cat. There are solid matches in the world of biting, stinging creatures. The first is stingrays and scorpions, both of which respond to threat with a swift upturning of their tails. Stingrays are much larger, of course, and capable (with a few exceptions) of inflicting a more painful wound, but either can ruin an outdoorsman’s day with one swing of its tail. No roll call of natural annoyances is complete without mention of what most coastal

residents call sea lice, which actually are the pinhead-sized larvae of blue crabs. One the right spring tide, they can be so thick in the surf that paddling a surfboard through them feels as if you are pulling your arms through a giant bowl of grits. They have tiny pincers with which to attach themselves to any unsuspecting host that happens along. Hitchhikers, they are, with a preference for dark, damp places. (Draw your own conclusions.) Their terrestrial mirror image, of course, is the chigger. Evolution left no clues as to whether chiggers crawled to sea and became crab larvae or crab larvae got tired of the

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marine life and crept up the beach into the nearest open field. It doesn’t matter. A few dozen of either can generate an excruciating, ceaseless itch in places it is not polite to scratch publicly. There are plenty more--blue marlins and lions, wahoos and wolverines--for which there isn’t room here, but there is one more that must be shared. My favorite pair grow big and aggressive and fearless, and as adults, individuals can defend themselves against anything they might encounter. Each of their populations has risen steadily through the past two, maybe three decades, and both like to feed in the mud with their noses down and tails up. As if either needed identification after those descriptions, they are the redfish and feral pig. And like all those other animals, I am convinced each would be proud to be associated with the other.

Contact Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com

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

Tony Dukes: A Great Texas Hunter

would like to introduce my fellow hunters to a great American and wonderful Texan. I first met Tony Dukes way back in the roaring 70s in the wild world of rock-nroll. As a respected bass player and guitar aficionado, Tony had earned a great reputation in the musical world for performing real down home all American blues and rhythm and blues, and probably more importantly, identifying, finding and selling vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars way before the rest of the world figured out their unique and about to explode values. I bought two world-class collectables from him back then, and they are now worth about fifty times what I paid for them. That intense musical connection would have been more than enough to establish a solid friendship with this spunky Texan, but as the song says, I want the best of both worlds, and Tony Dukes was a lifelong hunter of the highest order, so to say we struck it off immediately would be a gross understatement. Before our 40-year jam session was even started, plans were set in stone for Tony to introduce this Motown North woods bowhunter to the incredible hunting opportunities of the mighty Lone Star State, and clearly, I haven’t been the same since. Tony was a master marksman with his pre-64 Winchester model 70 .264 Winchester magnum, a savvy, stealthy hunter and a classic ambassador and promoter for his beloved Texas. Many a glowing campfire was shared with Tony, his parents Faye and Nelson Dukes, along with my dad Warren Nugent and my son Toby and daughter Sasha. Sasha killed her first beau-

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tiful Texas whitetail buck near Rock Springs in the winter of 1981 on Seco Mayfield’s ranch and it hangs on the wall to this day. I suppose if you are looking to blame someone for bringing me to Texas, Tony would be more than happy to shoulder the responsibility. Texas is special, and I’ve never met anyone who better represents the

genuine neighborliness and friendly hospitality like Tony did. On this dark, rainy morning, the first in many months too nasty to be in my tree stand, the drought busting rains finally comes just as Tony leaves. His long time pain is gone now, his heartbreaking frustration from not being well enough to hunt finally over, Tony died last night in his hospice bed in Dallas, at 5pm. I was in my stand at the time, and there was a defining silence to the Texas Hill Country that Tony so loved. In his final years after being diagnosed with terminal health complications, Tony didn’t back down on his indefatigable efforts to help the heroes of the US Military, F i s h

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but rather increased his nonstop charitable activities to give back to those most deserving human beings that sacrificed dearly for freedom. Tony had organized many hunting trips and events for the wounded warriors and their families, even producing his Red White and Blue television series to bring much needed relief and joy to the heroes. We all know that the great outdoors and especially our sacred hunting time does indeed cleanse the soul, and the temporary and extended relief brought to the lives of the heroes as organized by Tony represented God’s work at its best. Tony’s body had been hit hard for a long time by his deteriorating health issues, but his warrior spirit actually got stronger, and he fought hard right up to the very end. We will go to Tony’s favorite honeyhole hunting locations around Texas, find a good shady spot where the sun is at his back, the wind in his face and with a killer view of game trails pounded into the rich Texas soil and rock. We will spread his ashes upon these sacred grounds and hunt with him forever. Tony was one lucky deer hunter and I have a feeling that his luck will permeate these areas. I look forward to hunting at his side and using some of that Tony Dukes luck every chance I can. I wanted to be sure you knew this definitive Texas deer hunter, because Tony brought much spirit and positive energy wherever he went. Please remember the name Tony Dukes. He was a great man, a great American, a killer Texan, talented musician, amazing hunter, and a man with a heart of gold that gave and gave and gave and gave. Tony Dukes, from San Angelo, Texas. Remember his name. Adios, mi amigo. In the Texas wind, he’s still alive. Very.

Contact Ted Nugent at TNugent@fishgame.com

PhotO: Ted Nugent

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Commentary by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

enator Dianne Feinstein (D-Pluto) didn’t let her shirttail hit her before she introduced her new ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ when congress reconvened in January. This bill is being pushed as a result of the horrible school shooting in Connecticut just before Christmas. Never mind that the weapons to be banned by the AWB are not ‘assault weapons.’ Never mind that the 1994 ban made no difference on crime, as there were 562 people per 100,000 killed annually using guns during the ban, and have been only 443 per 100,000 killed with guns annually since it expired. Never mind that only about 400 people per year are killed using rifles, and that the weapons targeted by the ban account for a small fraction of that number. Never mind that far more people, according to the FBI, are killed with hammers and clubs each year than with rifles. And never mind that the guns in the proposed federal ban were already banned in Connecticut before the shooting. In other words, never mind that the bill now before congress will not make any difference to the U.S. crime rate whatsoever. What matters, to the gun control crowd, is that they appear to be doing something. Doing something constructive is optional. It doesn’t help that the mainstream sleazia, during the weeks following the tragedy, made it abundantly clear that it, collectively, has no knowledge of guns whatever. The talking heads have trouble pronouncing the name of any gun manufacturing company more complicated than ‘Colt.’ They have no concept of the difference between ‘automatic’ and ‘semiautomatic,’ and seem not to comprehend that there even is a difference between the two, or that it could matter. They use the terms ‘clip’ and ‘magazine’ interchangeably, as if they were the same

“ They have depicted themselves as dolts. Even so, they may be winning.

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Bodyguard of Lies

thing. They say ‘bullet’ when they mean ‘cartridge.’ They continually use the verb ‘assault’ as a noun. It seems inconceivable that any of these people are familiar with the English language; much less have frequent contact with humans. They have depicted themselves as obtuse dolts. Even so, they may be winning.

But bashing the media does no good, especially since we don’t expect them to know anything about guns. We do, however, expect law enforcement officers to know something about guns. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. The Los Angeles Police Department periodically holds gun buy-back events. The idea, ostensibly, is to get some guns off the streets, so they won’t available to criminals. This is very much like drawing a bucket of water from the Pacific Ocean twice a year, to prevent drowning’s, but we’re not talking about Mensa, here, after all. Gun buy-backs don’t do anything at all to affect the crime rate. The police know this. The municipal authorities that sponsor them know this. The citizens know this. Above all, the criminals know this. The only people delusional enough to think any difference is made are people like Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Saturn), who have concealed carry permits and are accompanied by several armed guards everywhere they go. At a recent gun buy-back event held by the LAPD, besides a lot of worthless guns that would not have been a threat to anyone T e x a S

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unless thrown like a rock, someone turned in two AT4 rocket launchers. The local cops, the mayor, and the media made a big deal of these launchers, patting one another on the back; talking about how many lives they’d saved. And then Paul Szoldra, writing for Business Insider, pointed out an Inconvenient Truth – the rocket launchers weren’t really, technically, real. They were trainers. Fake launchers used only for training. They were never capable of firing rockets. Szoldra cites his experience with rocket launchers as a Marine infantryman to verify his assertions. Even if they’d been real, AT4 rocket launchers are never reloaded. They come with one round, and once used to fire that one shot, they’re trash. The ones the LAPD got were empty, so would not have been a threat even if they weren’t trainers. Remember this – those who are pushing gun control are not making any effort at all to save anyone. Their only desire is to further their own agenda of power and control over the rest of us. They don’t, after all, intend to be subject to the laws they pass, anyway, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Neptune) included. There’s a reason mass shootings happen in gun-free zones – that’s where the unarmed, vulnerable targets are. No one ever shoots a bunch of people at a gun show, firearm store, or police station. It ruins their day when people shoot back. If gun-free zones were as safe as is claimed by liars such as Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Uranus), our president would disarm the Secret Service agents at the White House, Camp David, and all the many golf courses he spends so much time at. He’d be safer without all those men and women standing around him with guns. That won’t happen, because despite what our august leaders say, they know the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

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2/11/13 1:54 PM

Rick Clunn invented crankbaits.

Well, he did not actually invent them but the 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion popularized them and turned their use into an art more than any angler past or present. 22 |

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According to Clunn, a huge part of successfully fishing crankbaits is choosing the right rod, a lesson he learned many years ago. Already winning events with crankbaits in the 1970s, his friend and fellow pro Gary Klein asked Clunn to teach him crankbait fishing and something unusual happened. “Gary had custom 7 foot flipping sticks made out of glass and all I had were six foot pistol grip rods you casted like a pitcher. I immediately saw he got more distance and they were much easier to cast. I had shoulder injuries from high school football so casting with those old rods was wearing me out,” Clunn said. Upon returning home to his native Houston, Clunn went to Cut Rate Tackle (now Fishing Tackle Unlimited) and found a very similar rod that was a seven-foot glass popping rod designed for speckled trout. “I bought that rod and to this day it is the favorite rod I’ve ever had for crankbait fishing.” Clunn said glass rods are not quite as sensitive as graphite and other composite type sticks and that offers a big advantage

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for crankbait fishing. “Bass will start inhaling a crankbait before they have it in their mouth as they are chasing it. When the rods are super sensitive like most of the market today, you end up setting the hook as soon as the bass ‘pushes’ it and misses the bite. That doesn’t happen with glass rods,” he said. Clunn learned this early in his career when he qualified for the 1976 Bassmaster Classic. “I was dead broke and barely could afford to get to the tournament. I had to hock a Browning deer rifle to get there. A company sent all qualifiers brand new glass rods and I figured I might as well look good if I was going to be there,” he said. Clunn was in third place the first day with seven fish out of a 10 fish limit and he lost six fish. “I didn’t lose six fish in a year and here I was losing six in one day at the Classic. The next day I take the lead but I lost seven fish that day.” On the final day he had a chance to turn things around and continue his fishing career and something clicked.

“The first three fish I get on I lose them,” Clunn said. “I was throwing a little square bill. Everybody thinks they are a modern phenomenon but they have been around forever. I don’t know where it came from but on the fourth fish when the fish hit, I stopped, pushed the toward the fish and set the hook and after that every one of the fish had the lure in its throat.” The rest is history. Clunn won that tournament, as well as the following year and then again in 1984 and 1990 along with an “Angler of the Year” title and many more accolades. Clunn said super sensitive rods are great on lures where bass hit on slack line like worms, for example, but when 80 percent of your strikes come on a tight line, the better fishermen you are, you set the hook when you feel the first tap. “The technology actually works against you,” he said. That is why he collaborated with Wright & McGill to bring to life his S-Glass Series of rods that use old technology with modern flare.

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Photos: Chester Moore; Roy Neves

realistic appearance, tight wobble and contain no rattles, which serves a very important purpose according to Clunn. “There are certainly times when rattles are important for crankbaits but we are dealing with a different issue than in the past. By far the most important factor in catching bass is working around fishing pressure. Obtrusive, rattling baits are commonplace and I wanted something that could get a reaction or feeding bite but that fished a little differently than much of what is out there,” he said. Even in the 70s, some of his best Rick Clunn uses new-generation catches were on wooden crankbaits fiberglass rods with no rattles, proving that what is when fishing with old is new and what is new is old. cranbaits. “Sometimes you have to just take an honest look at things and for what works. Sometimes it is the latest in technology and sometimes it involves sort of going back to basics or perhaps bringing the two together,” he said. Known for his visionary approach to bass fishing Clunn reminds anglers that there are no limits and that they should always be hyper-aware of everything. “Awareness is so important,” he said. “Being aware of how a bass feels when “Each rod has a very specific purpose it is inhaling a crankbait or how they sound and design. To make it easy for you to select when striking at something on the surface the right rod for the way you fish, and comes or even subtle changes in weather that you with peak performance tips to learn about feel and do not see help make a complete the key elements in using each rod for its angler.” optimum purpose and to achieve maximum “Over the years the industry has sort of performance,” Clunn said. made the mistake of giving the impression Lengths range from 6’6 to 7’8 and come you absolutely must have the most expensive with applications for jerkbait fishing, squareof everything to bass fish and that’s not true. bills, clear water squarebill, murky water You certainly need good gear but the most squarebill, lipless crankin’ and important tool is your mind. Use it wisely deep crankin. Watch and you will catch fish.” These rods come Chester Moore’s finished with Clunn’s crankbait interview signature turquoise with Rick Clunn at crackle finish and sell www.fishgame.com/ for less than $100. VideoBlog.php “It is important for me to have gear out there with my name on it people can afford,” he said. That is why he went with LuckE-Strike to produce his line RC2 (squared) squarebills. They have a T e x a S

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2/7/13 3:22 PM

When Heavy Rains Dump Freshwater into a Bay, Is It Good, or Bad for Fishing? by chester moore

In the mid 1990s the Sabine Lake area had massive rain in

the months of February and March. On top of the rain there, it also poured in East Texas so the floodgates and Toledo Bend reservoir were open sending billions of gallons of water downstream into the ecosystem. 26 |

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“The fishing is going to be terrible.” “The floods ruin the fishing.” Complaints ran rampant except with an in-the-know contingent of anglers who understood something that was not obvious. When floodwaters move onto the lake (actually a bay) in the spring, it concentrates speckled trout on the deep oyster reef on the extreme south end between Mesquite and Blue Buck Points. Instead of complaints these anglers were saying things like, “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel” and “This is the best trout fishing I have ever seen.” The saltiest water stays at the bottom. Since that area is deeper than much of the bay, it’s linked to the Sabine-Neches Waterway and only a short way from the Gulf. Saltwater will hold there, and so will the trout, thousands of trout. And yes, at times it is almost like shooting fish in a barrel. The popularity of the then rising Internet and the writing of a few outdoor writers (yes, I am guilty) let the cat out of the bag and that phenomenon is no longer a secret. Coastal flooding has a big impact on

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saltwater fishing and it is not always a negative one. Sure if you have been catching tons of trout at the north end of a bay at the mouth of a river and floodwaters come, those will move but they can usually be found and sometimes in great numbers. Coastal anglers should be aware that water boards and various entities would use coastal flooding to sell interbasin water transfers. That is where water is sold from one basin to another to fill the burgeoning demands of cities like Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Coastal Fisheries Biologist Jim Tolan explains the impact in a report called “An Estuary’s Need for Freshwater Flow.” “The most immediate result of large inflows is the displacement of saltwater fish, in seeking their preferred salinity, they shift their location within the bay. Some species, which can withstand low salinity, tend remain in the same locations until conditions change back.” “Both red drum and pinfish are species that can be caught in the saltiest parts

of Laguna Madre or in the freshest parts of many tidal rivers. Another option for immobile species like oysters is to close up and remain isolated from unfavorable conditions.” “Although oysters can close up tightly and stay that way for some time, warm summertime temperatures combined with low salinities for long periods can be quite detrimental.” The report goes on to say displacement of species also applies in a positive way to the larvae and juveniles that are seeking out the nursery grounds of the estuary. “Instead of concentrating large numbers of larvae only in the upper portions of the bay, species seeking lower salinities have a much larger nursery-ground habitat. This can lead to increased larval rearing, better growth, and ultimately better survival for estuarine-dependent species. And this applies also to the forage fish that make up most of the food base for the sport-fish. Species like gobies, anchovies, and silversides all respond well to increases in freshwater inflow, especially when timed with their spawning periods.”

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Photo: Army corps of engineers

Bays were made to have freshwater inflow and it is vitally important to the health of these ecosystems. The fact that floods do impact fishing opportunities and have an undeserved bad reputation which can be exploited by water boards and other entities looking to promote the sale of water through interbasin water transfers. There are designs on the water from virtually every basin, with the Sabine and Trinity being two that are being looked at extremely closely According to the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) “Bays in Peril” report, it is important for people to be informed on the importance of rainfall and flooding to bays. “Even if humans were not using any water, the estuaries would not always receive enough freshwater inflows to satisfy these two criteria. Rainfall varies from year to year and the fish and wildlife that depend on estuaries are adapted to these naturally varying conditions.” The challenge is to avoid patterns of water use (and reuse) that push inflows

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below one or both criteria so often that fish and wildlife can no longer cope. The results of the NWF analysis show troubling trends, with five estuaries receiving a ‘danger’ ranking. These are Sabine, Galveston, Matagorda, Corpus Christi and San Antonio. “During dry times, four of Texas’ seven major estuaries would face serious problems under the ‘future use’ scenario, with sustained periods of very low flows happening much more frequently than under ‘naturalized conditions.’ During these low flow periods, many species are on life-support and are just able to survive.” “If they are on life-support too often or for too long, they may be unable to recover quickly, or at all, when inflows increase with wetter times. The key spring and early summer inflow pulses needed to support strong productivity would not be impacted as heavily.” Water is already the largest battleground issue pertaining to the Texas environment. Coastal flooding can and does have an impact on catching speckled trout and other species but a lack of flooding could have an

High-water release from Lake Whitney on the Brazos River.

even greater impact. As these issues come up, look into what is best for our bays and in turn best for the fisheries and fishermen. At the end of the day those wanting to take water from the bays are probably going to win but perhaps with some education and persuasion it can be done in such a way that gives our bays a fighting chance.

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2/7/13 10:20 AM

Captain Gilbert Vela eased his Shallow

Sport off of plane and cruised to an easy stop in the glassy water parallel to a row of mangrove trees that lined the shoreline. A peregrine sat atop a channel marker and scrutinized the trio of anglers, Captain Vela, Monique Hensler, and me, with a sharp eye, seemingly questioning our right to be in his hunting spot.

Mullet flicked nervously about along the overhanging mangrove trees as unseen predators harassed them from below. An occasional explosion marked a spot where another hapless baitfish had met a brutal fate. “Cast out, now!” whispered Vela. Hensler and I flung out pearl Skitterwalks as close to the tangle of branches and leaves as we dared and started waling them back in frantic cadences. Monique’s didn’t make more than 10 feet before a 40-inch snook nailed it. After three gill rattling jumps and an irresistible run to the trees, the big line-sider snapped the 10 pound monofilament with little trouble. He kept jumping, a mocking adversary celebrating his decisive victory over another overmatched opponent. An hour later, after hooking and landing several redfish and a couple of smaller snook, Captain Vela fired up the big Evinrude to make a run to another honey hole. As we cruised into deeper water, Monique spotted her Skitterwalk floating on the surface.

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“He’s inviting us to come back to play,” said Vela as he scooped up the topwater with a landing net. “Just another day in Paradise.”

A Class of Its Own No place has a greater mystique along the Texas Coast than the legendary South Bay on the Lower Laguna Madre. The bay within a bay looks almost out of place in the Lone Star State. The mangrove groves, gin-clear, oysterstrewn shallows and vast grass flats hearken to a hidden backwater in Walker’s Kay or Lime Key in Florida, not the rowdy, brawling waters of Texas. It doesn’t look like it belongs, but it is uniquely Texana in the flavor of its fishery. “There is not body of water anywhere in Texas like South Bay,” said Captain Vela in a 2007 interview. “If you fish it one time, you can’t ever get it out of your head. The fish, the atmosphere, the water…it’s a special, special place to a lot of fishermen.”

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It is also an angler’s best shot of catching the mystical Texas Slam; speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and—the most special part of the slam—a snook. Catching one of the surly linesiders is an accomplishment, to catch the fish as part of a bag with the traditional Big Three of Texas saltwater fishing is especially noteworthy. Realistically speaking, there aren’t very many other areas along the coast to pull it off. Unique Qualities, Unique Fish What makes South Bay special is that

it has the only viable, self-sufficient snook fishery along the Texas Coast and anywhere in the Continental United States west of Florida. “There are three specific species of snook in South Bay,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Lower Laguna Madre Coastal Fisheries Leader Mark Lingo. “There is the common snook, and two varieties of fat snook.” The most plentiful are the smaller fat

snook, which rarely grow beyond 20 inches. There a plenty of common snook, however, that sulk and stalk along the mangroves and in the deep-cut boat channels of South Bay. Some are real beasts too. Captain Jimmy Martinez and I once encountered a small school of 30 plus inch snook in the back of the bay. We tossed Top Dogs and Heddon Super Spooks at them and hooked into big fish after big fish. We landed a few, including a 39-inch pig that still stands as my largest snook ever. More often, though, the fish would dive jump and send our offerings screaming back at us, or drag our leaders against an oyster shell and leave us with broken hearts. The snook add to the mystique of South Bay.

‘Yak Attraction The shallow water and tight confines of South Bay make it an inviting locale for kayak fishermen. In fact, there are some situations where a kayak is preferable to a boat or wadefishing. The aquadynamic design of a one-man kayak allows anglers to move from spot to spot more quickly and nimbly than even the most fleet-footed wader (especially with the soft bottom in so many parts of the bay. And the super-shallow draft facilitates access to spots that a boater can only look at enviously. “Give me a choice of how to fish South Bay, and I will take a ‘yak over anything else,” said longtime South Bay angler John Henry Moore. “I love the maneuverability and versatility of my kayak. I have access to some really tight spots, and I have a lower profile than even wadefishermen. That’s a real asset when fish are spooky.” Access to South Bay via kayak is usually by Brazos Island on the south side of Brazos Santiago Pass (Boca Chica Beach). Fishermen will usually park on Boca Chica near the jetties and will walk the half mile to the backside of the island, where South Bay lies. The other alternative is a long scull from boat ramps in Port Isabel. Even with the relatively limited access to kayakers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has designated a Texas Paddling Trail around the perimeter of South Bay. Dedicated kayakers can refer to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website to find a copy of the rout, or purchase a copy of the map by contacting Shoreline Publishing (Shoreline Publishing at 713-973-1627).

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maps: texas lakes & bays

SOUTH BAY

South Bay is located on the southernomost tip of the Lower Laguna Madre

You can find other unique places in Texas. It is, after all, Texas. South Bay, however, is a gem of the coast that

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truly shines. It is a crown jewel of the Lower Texas Coast fishery and one that anglers and outdoorsmen in general treasure. Anyone who has drifted along flat on a clear summer morning or paddled into a

school of big trout or snook haranguing bait near the mangrove-laden shoreline, can easily understand why.

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Texas Department of Defense Random Points to Ponder

Point: As stated above, you cannot foresee when you will need your handgun, so the only possible way to be prepared is to carry it all the time.

oint: A concealed sidearm is carried because you cannot forecast when you might need the protection that only a firearm will provide. If you know when and where you were going to need a firearm, you should forget the pipsqueak handgun and carry a rifle, or better yet, a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot. However, since you cannot so foresee, the handgun is carried. It is a poor choice for serious self-defense, but it is the only choice that can be carried all the time, and in public without wholesale panic.

Where Has All the Ammo Gone? Anyone who has tried to purchase ammunition in the past month has discovered that the shelves are bare and the pickings are mighty slim. Why? Here is the short answer: Everybody is buying it like there is no tomorrow. 34 |

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I am amazed at the number of people with concealed carry permits who almost never carry their handguns. One tells me that he doesn’t carry it around our quiet little town because he doesn’t “feel threatened” when he is so close to home. He does, however, carry it when he goes on a trip or to a big city. I sincerely hope that his prophesying ability is working on all the cylinders. Another keeps his under the seat of his pickup. I asked him to show me his fast draw.

Every time there is a gun control threat, guns and ammo fly off store shelves. It happened during the election season of 2008. Ammo was in short supply for several months. It happened again after the re-election in 2012. But it never was as crazy as what is happening now with the gun-control war drums beating in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Ammo is scarce. Shipments arrive regularly at stores but it is out the door immediately after the store opens. I remember in 2008 the discount F i s h

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| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical | by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann Point: Since you cannot so prophesy, and since it is almost a certainty that when you need the gun it will be under circumstances in which you are surprised, and in poor light. It only pays to practice getting the gun into service in the least amount of time, and hitting what you are shooting at without

stores couldn’t even get the ammunition pallet inside because smaller shop owners would be waiting in the parking lot in the middle of the night, trailer in tow, Continued on page 36 u Photo: Photo Canstock credit

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taking time to carefully aim. Most of your practice should be from the holster, shooting without aiming, at ranges of less than 10 yards. I was told many years ago that a person with a knife would almost certainly do damage to you if he started at less than 21 feet, and if you did not have your gun in your hand when he started. I therefore do a lot of practice at that range and closer, drawing the gun and shooting by feel, from the hip. One drawback hereto is that drawing and shooting at top speed can be as dangerous to the shooter as to the shootee. I know of incidents where experienced shooters managed to shoot themselves in the, well, lower parts, when practicing such fast draw. The truth is, it is better all around if you do most of your practice with plastic or wax bullets propelled only by a primer. They do not function through an automatic, but can be loaded individually. These loads can be easily made by a reloader or purchased. Speer makes plastic bullets in .38, .44, and .45 caliber, and wax bullets are available from a couple of Internet sources.

Point: Determination can overcome a lot. Never quit. If you are shot, cut, stabbed or beaten, never quit fighting.

One Border Patrol officer survived being shot by sheer determination. He was surprised and shot by a drug smuggler. Hit in the lower abdomen, he drew his weapon and fired three times as he was falling. The drug smuggler, a well-known cholo with a record of brutality, ended his career in the nearby

canal where he fell after being shot by the wounded officer, who then crawled back to his vehicle and called for assistance. The officer survived because he never quit, and because he had practiced with his weapon and was very good at point-shooting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shooting without seeing the sights. This, as with most such incidents, happened at night. Mental toughness is a necessary weapon. Point: If you are forced to use your weapon, use it.

Point: Whereas when you are faced with a situation in which your sidearm is your only defense, you will be wearing it in your concealed holster, it only makes sense to practice with that holster.

Do not practice with a quick-draw rig, worn outside your pants and uncovered by clothes, and then wear your inside-thewaistband rig when you go to town. Practice with what you carry, and practice with it concealed, like you carry it. It is much more difficult to draw quickly from a holster that carries the gun concealed, with the grip of the weapon pulled tightly against your side, than it is from a holster that allows a solid grip on the gun without having to forcefully insert the thumb between the grip and your side, or your clothing. You will only become proficient in so doing if you practice the technique over and over again. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel self-conscious practicing in front of a mirror. There is no better practice in the world and the best shots, ever, practiced this way. The late Bill Jordan, the fastest man I ever saw with a six-gun, advocated this type of practice and I am not going to argue with Mr. Jordan. I saw him shoot.

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Texas Department of Defense If you have to shoot, shoot and keep on shooting until your adversary is well and truly incapacitated. Be aggressive. Don’t fire one shot and stop to stare as the armed robber charges you. If one shot has done the job, fine. However, if he is still on his feet and not running away, he can still do you harm. He started it, you finish it. Don’t feel guilt or compassion. Shoot the sonuvawhatever until he is down and out. Then keep him

Where’s the Ammo? t Continued from page 34 and purchase the entire pallet on the spot and haul it away. I can’t say that the scare is unfounded. As I write this, Senate Bill S35 has just been introduced that would require face-to-face purchases of ammunition (banning online sales), licensing of ammunition dealers and require reporting bulk ammunition purchases. At the SHOT show this year, I pleaded with Federal looking t Continued for a source of from rim- page xx fire ammunition for our Youth Marksmanship Camps. They informed me that they just suspended their youth discount program and I was out of luck. I heard Federal ATK took over $2 billion in orders and is now manufacturing 24/7, with backorder stretched until 2015. The week prior I received three emails announcing 5.56 and 7.62 ammunition was in stock and clicked on them immediately. On all three attempts the supplier’s web servers had crashed from all the traffic (Aim Surplus, Natchez, and Primary Arms). Now, there are rumors of Wal-Mart blocking ammo sales of certain calibers.

covered while you seek cover – he may be playing possum. Scream for help at the top of your lungs. Then after you have found cover, call 911 and report the incident, tell the operator that you are legally armed and have just been forced to use your weapon on an armed aggressor. Make certain that they understand that you hold a concealed carry license. Then be prepared to be covered by a drawn weapon when the police arrive. Do

exactly as they say and be prepared to be handcuffed and arrested. Those officers are doing their best to protect themselves and don’t know you from Adam. Do what they say, immediately and without backtalk.

Then you also have the opportunists who are purchasing all the ammo they can and reselling it to fools online. In November a case of Federal 725 .22LR was going for $169 shipped. I saw auctions today at Gunbroker.com where cases were going for over $500. Some folks have suggested getting into reloading, but you need to purchase four components for that endeavor. I

ments of lessening round counts and training courses now accepting .22LR substitute rifles and pistols. The reason why there is no ammo is simply because we are buying it all. It may be for fear of it not being available later, the government imposing restrictive taxes on ammunition, banning bulk purchases and online sales, and even fear of civil unrest and war. Either way, I pre-

—Steve LaMascus

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placed a few Signs orders late of the December for times. competition bullets only to be called a few weeks later telling me they were completely out of stock with no estimated time of arrival for the next supply. Even at our local gun shop, Evans Brothers Guns, there were only a few pounds of powder and very few rare style primers. This shortage is affecting competition shooters, young marksman courses, training, and even our law enforcement. I’ve seen several competition announceF i s h

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dict this won’t go away soon. Whatever ammunition you have in your closet now, it’s probably all you will have for the next few months. Even if we escape legislation, the market won’t recover for quite some time. —Dustin Ellermann Photos: Dustin Ellermann

2/11/13 9:44 AM

Texas Bowhunting by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

The Crossbow Controversy

here I was…high above the forest floor, taking in all the beauty that Mother Nature provided on this cool Autumn day. Time seemed to stand still for a while as I took in the parade of colorful leaves cascading all around me. The bright sun just made the leaves that still remained hold fast to their tree, shine even more than they already did. My mind was lost in the moment when the silence was interrupted by the sound of an approaching whitetail. Oh yeah, he’s a shooter and one that I had not seen in these woods before. I thought for a moment that this would be a perfect opportunity to try the crossbow. I do realize that using a crossbow is frowned upon by some bowhunters out there, but I am not one of them. It is my opinion that the crossbow controversy is similar to the argument that bow hunters had when the compound bow was first introduced to the archery world. I remember hunters complaining about how it is too easy to draw back and hold, unlike its predecessor, the recurve bow. If we look back at the evolution of bows, we will see that with new designs came with it technology that made every generation of bows a little easier. First was the long bow, which is still used by some traditional archers. Then came the recurve, which proved to be a little easier to draw back because of the recurved limb design. This popular bow is still used by some archers that demand a little more of a challenge to their hunt. Soon after that came the early versions of

the compound bow. Although primitive by today’s standards, the compound bow made it much easier to draw back more weight and hold it still for a longer time. Today, many different companies are manufacturing a new and improved compound bows every year and this is all accepted by the archery world. These modern bows shoot deadly groups of arrows at high speeds. Bows are so fast, that for some, it is no longer necessary to judge distance as accurately as you once were forced to if you wanted success in the deer woods. Some come with an 85% let off which means that 85% of the weight drawn is taken over by the cam/wheel design depending on the model you are looking at. This, in turn, makes it much easier for the hunter to hold back a heavier weighted bow with ease for a much longer time. This too has been accepted by the archery world. Why then has the crossbow caused so much controversy in some States? Oddly enough, if we look back in time, the crossbow was used by archers way back in the Middle Ages and is just being re-introduced to archers of today. Recently, Ten Point / Wicked Ridge wanted me to try out their new Raider CLS crossbow. I spent a few weeks before the season dedicated to practice with this crossbow. It was all very new to me. I had never shot one before and I have to tell you, I loved it. It was so accurate that it was scary, quick and scary. I found it easy to cock and load. It was a little heavy but with the kind of torque it uses, the weight is a welcome sight and helps with the accuracy of the bolt. I installed a Trijicon ACOG sight on the crossbow and was amazed at how accurate that was. Of course it comes with that famous Trijicon fiber optic technology which really is second to none. For the first 30 yards you use the green triangle, the VERY bright green triangle. Anything beyond 30 yards has a corresponding crossbar that is in 10 yard intervals. There is even a built in range finder that shows you how far your T e x a S

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target is. Very cool. Have I mentioned I love this sight? The majestic buck that I mentioned in the beginning of this column slowly worked his way toward my position. He seemed to use his nose on every piece of brush that was near him looking for any signs of danger. I was excited at the chance that I may get to use the crossbow for the first time and my heart was thrust into overdrive. Earlier that morning, I placed a blow-up doll in the field—now get your minds out of the gutter. It was Tinks version of a doe decoy called “Miss November.” It looks very realistic and is lightweight for easy transport in the field. To be honest, I will never hunt without it. It really works and works well. As the deer moved closer to his unfortunate demise, I slowly moved the crossbow into position. I was hunting from a tree stand and my eyes were glued on the buck. I accidently touched the side of the stand with the crossbow. The sound was deafening to me. I thought to myself that it was all over, but Miss November came through and the whitetail had all of his attention on her. He was about to have a bad day. The Trijicon ACOG sight showed me the exact distance of my target and when the buck turned broadside, he offered a perfect broadside shot at 50 yards. I settled the pin just behind the front shoulder and let the bolt fly. The arrow found it’s mark and with the power of the Wicked Ridge crossbow, the bolt went through the whitetail and into the field beyond him. The memory of that hunt will last a lifetime. It reminded me of the first deer I ever harvested. The feeling and excitement was the same. This is what hunting is all about and we as hunters should not spend time complaining with each other about using a crossbow. I just feel that it is not worth the time. Use that time for something more productive, like bow hunting. Have fun and hunt safe.

Contact Lou Marullo at LMarullo@fishgame.com G a m e ®

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HUNTING HOGS, EXOTICS, AND PREDATORS WITH SUPPRESSED FIREARMS BY MIKE HOLMES

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Photos: hog composite, tF&G; Inset, Mike Holmes

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Suppressed rifles are especially useful at night, when all sounds seem louder.

Most serious hog hunting takes place at night, and any-

one who has hunted at night knows that a rifle shot seems much louder than during daylight hours, when there is more activity to mask the sound. The use of a suppressor on a hog rifle can help dampen that sound considerably, although it will not completely eliminate it. Suppressors on TV and in the movies are not real – far from it – and the sonic “crack” from a center fire rifle will still be quite noticeable. A suppressor used on rifles firing anything that has a muzzle velocity over the speed of sound will normally be quiet enough to shoot

without hearing protection for the shooter and close companions. Recoil will be less, muzzle flash almost eliminated, and barrel harmonics might be improved enough to help accuracy. To get that gun really quiet, however, means shooting sub sonic ammo. Killing big game cleanly with sub sonic T e x a S

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ammo means choosing a caliber that shoots a heavy, round or flat nosed bullet close to the speed of sound with enough energy to penetrate muscle and bone. The best choice is also a caliber that doesn’t normally shoot at a muzzle velocity much over 1100 fps, so the drop in power is less dramatic. The speed of G a m e ®

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Deer Hunting with a Suppressor Ever shoot from a “box” stand with a high velocity rifle and no hearing protection? If it were easier to own a suppressor in this country, I doubt any sane hunter would be without one, and a lot of us would not have to ask people to repeat what they just said nearly as much. Some skeptics worried that legalizing suppressors for general hunting would lead to their use by poachers, but I talked to Col. Pete Flores, Director of Law Enforcement for TPWD before that move was completed (and before Pete retired) and he had no such worries. He told me his department had never filed

a case of illegal hunting with a suppressor and he didn’t expect to. On the plus side, besides protecting the hearing of the shooter and anyone nearby, an early shot does not mean deer on the other side of the lease will be spooked, and someone on a neighboring property trying to sleep late won’t be jarred awake. If you get a shot at a hog or coyote, taking it does not necessarily mean your morning deer hunt is over. Suppressed rifles shooting sub-sonic ammo will not be the best choices for most deer hunters because of range limitations, but those needing a “brush gun” for shooting in thick cover at close range might find

sound varies according to elevation, humidity, and temperature, but a good rule of thumb with temperature is at 32F, it will be 1087 fps, at 50F - 1100 fps, at 70F - 1128 fps, and at 90F - 1150 fps. When looking for the ideal sub sonic caliber, large bore pistol cartridges are possibly the best, .30 caliber rifle cartridges among the worst. A 300 gr .44 magnum bullet fired at 1000 fps will have half again as much muzzle energy as a 220 gr .308 bullet at the same speed and the flat nosed bullets are less prone to tumble or yaw. Also, sub sonic ammo will often not cycle the action on semi-autos, so it is not a good choice for those who hunt with AR type rifles. The most efficient action types, to get the most from a suppressor, are single shots, bolt actions, and suitable lever actions. Because of the reduced velocity, no sub sonic round is going to be a long range sniper cartridge. With the .44 magnum in a suppressed rifle, 75 yards is going to be about the maximum effective killing range on an animal the size of a feral hog, and neck shots would probably be most effective. My own suppressed .44 magnum is a Thompson Contender which started out as a pistol, with a 14” barrel. I had Jim Rodgers of Class III Arms in Longview (longviewclassiiiarms@ yahoo.com) build a titanium suppressor 12” in length and weld it to my barrel. This gives me a total barrel length, allowing for some overlap of 19”, meaning when I use it with a shoulder stock, a Short Barreled Rifle permit is not needed. Only the original 14” are rifled with a 1-12 twist, but the heavy, blunt nosed bullets are very accurate out to

75 yards. I have experimented with 300 gr jacketed bullets from Speer, Sierra, Nosler and Barnes, using Universal, H-110, and Trail Boss powders. The best accuracy I got was with the Barnes all copper Buster and H-110, but since that powder performs best with magnum primers, it was the least silent. Trail Boss and solid lead bullets at just over 900 fps sound like a BB gun and would be fine for predators. My favorite hog load right now is a 355 gr hard cast lead bullet from Montana Bullet Works with Universal powder and standard Large Pistol primers. This combination is reasonably quiet, and I recently killed two hogs with one shot with it, and failed to recover the bullet, so the penetration is there. A good way to decide if a suppressor is for you is to book a trip with Randy Tausch and Gerald Hollub of Night Hogs in Seguin, Texas (www.nighthogs.com). These guys use .44 magnum Ruger 77 bolt action rifles with fully integrated suppressed barrels that are very quiet. Gerald loads their sub sonic ammo using 300 gr Hornady XTP bullets, and they have killed hundreds of hogs with this setup, often getting complete pass-throughs but sometimes recovering bullets showing considerable expansion. They also use Gen III Night Vision scopes and goggles as well as thermal imaging equipment and only hunt “spot and stalk,” getting as close to the hogs as possible and using shooting sticks. Not only have they invested in the best equipment so their customers don’t have to, but they will skin, gut and quarter the kill as part of their service. Using suppressed rifles and sub sonic ammo

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a heavy bullet at sub sonic velocity to be a good match. A 300 gr or heavier flat-nosed slug moving at 1100 fps will be less easily deflected, and is certainly not going to blow up on leaves or small branches. Out to 75 yards, a suppressed .44 magnum rifle will be as accurate and deadly as a .44 magnum without the suppressor, using proper sub sonic loads. A good, careful shot could probably extend this to 100 yards. Management hunts of exotics are normally done at night with suppressed rifles, and a professional in this line of work tells me that species like Axis deer wise up to hunting quickly, so he uses every advantage at his disposal. —Mike Holmes allows them to hunt multiple spots on the same property without chasing off the hogs for the night with their first shot. Even with sub sonic ammo, don’t expect to wipe out an entire “sounder” of pigs without spooking them. Often the sound of the bullet whacking a hog is loud enough to alarm the others. Hogs are also very intelligent animals and the sight of one or more of their companions falling to the ground, bleeding and kicking, generally gets them moving. In the event of a missed shot, however, a suppressed rifle gives the shooter a better chance at a second shot. For serious predator hunting, a suppressor on a varmint caliber rifle shooting full power loads not only helps reduce the need for hearing protection, but can confuse the sound of the shot so that its source is hard for the quarry to pinpoint. In calling, where shots might be close enough for a shotgun at times, a suppressed .44 or .45 rifle shooting 240 gr lead bullets can make the hunter a truly silent killer. Having both options available would make for a very interesting hunt. When I was a kid in East Texas, landowners would often allow night hunting on their property with shotguns only, as even a .22 LR could kill or injure livestock with an errant shot or a ricochet. When seeking permission to hog hunt at night from someone who already wants the hogs taken out, the safety factor of a suppressed rifle shooting sub sonic ammo that has a shorter effective range and most likely will not ricochet might be a convincing factor.

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Hunt Texas by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

A True Calling

here are few things more rewarding to me than sitting hidden in a prime spring turkey hunting area and awaiting a response from a gobbler to my call. If a tom turkey answers from far away, that’s great because I know I may be able to coax him in, but if his startling gobble-gobble-gobble comes from just around the corner, I shift into the panic mode. I suppose that’s natural with most spring turkey hunters. The more critical a hunter’s ability is to remain hidden, avoid excessive movement and to use his call sparingly, the better chances he or she has to bag even the smartest gobbler. But having a gobbler slip in close without you realizing it and then being shaken almost out of your boots by his thunderous gobble will make you start talking to yourself. Indeed, spring turkey hunting is one of the most thrilling types of hunting in which we have the privilege of participating. It also is one of the easiest for even a novice hunter to learn the tricks. It is all about setting up well hidden, remaining still and using one of a variety of types of turkey calls. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes novice turkey hunters make is over-calling. Basically, it’s a lot like calling ducks. You don’t need to sound like an orchestra of ducks to draw a flight of them into shotgun range. You only need to sound like a duck. It’s the same for calling turkeys. Can you imagine two or more turkey hunters calling at the same time, purring, clucking, putting, gobbling, and making all the other turkey sounds? A simple sound of a hen will do the job most of the time. The 2013 spring turkey season is just around the corner, and I think it is important for young hunters and others who will be making their first spring gobbler hunts this year to know about its history.

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I feel fortunate, like other hunters my age, to have been there when the first Texas spring turkey season was held in the 1969. It began as an experimental spring season in only one Kerr County and only 12 gobblers were taken that season. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials quickly realized this new sport of hunters calling turkeys to them rather than ambushing them with their rifles while hunting deer during the fall. They opened the spring season in five counties the following year, and later as its popularity boomed, eventually opened it in all counties with a huntable population of Rio Grande turkeys. Eastern turkeys had been virtually removed from East Texas by the 1920s due to market hunting, habitat losses and other factors. Efforts to re-establish easterns in their former range in counties east of the Trinity River were begun in the 1930s with poor overall results. In fact, the jury still is out on those efforts in all but Red River County and a few others where landowners are making strides to provide adequate habitat for the birds. The first spring eastern turkey seasons were established in the mid-1990s, starting with Red River County and spreading to 42 other counties before being reduced to only 28 counties last spring due to poor reproduction efforts. When the first spring Rio Grande turkey seasons were established in 1969, law enforcement officials saw no reason to place a weapons restriction on taking the magnificent birds. And that is how it remains today with hunters allowed to use firearms including rifles, handguns and shotguns as well as archery equipment during both fall and spring seasons. The majority of today’s spring Rio Grande hunters use shotguns only. Most T e x a S

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hunters who use rifles do not use calls to get the birds in close as required for clean kills for shotgunners . Eastern turkey hunters, on the other hand, may not use rifles or handguns. They are required by law to use shotguns or archery equipment only. Why the difference? Why can’t eastern turkey hunters use rifles or handguns? It all is about how spring turkey hunting has grown as a sport in the minds of the majority of hunters ever since that first spring season was held for Rio Grande in 1969. With the exception of a smaller but seemingly growing number of hunters who prefer archery equipment, the majority of spring hunters prefer to call a gobbler to within 15 to 25 yards and make a good head shot rather than ambushing them at longer ranges with a rifle or handgun and taking a chance of ruining a large portion of the bird. And it is because of that preference why rifles and hand guns were outlawed for spring eastern turkeys 25 years later. Spring Rio Grande turkey hunters still have a choice of weapons, as it should be. That has resulted in more hunting opportunities for all. It all boils down to how the sport of spring turkey hunting has become to be perceived. There are some hunters who take the spring season lightly, like a man I once heard describe it as “dressing up like a bush, making noise like a rusty gate, feeding herds of ticks, and not shooting a turkey.” And then there are some of us who look at it with a passion. And I look forward to each spring of almost being shaken out of my boots by a sneaky, loud-mouthed gobbler trying to outwit me. Contact Bob Hood at BHood@fishgame.com G a m e ®

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2/11/13 9:45 AM

TRUE GREEN DU Shoring Up Coastal WMAs

Fish Killer ‘Cheats’ for Success

produce any of the toxins that protect the algae against competition from other species of algae. “When those ‘cheaters’ are cultured with their toxic counterparts, they can still benefit from the toxins produced by their cooperative neighbors – they are true ‘free riders’,” Driscoll explained. The toxic species lives mostly in oceans and only recently has invaded freshwater environments. —Staff Report «TG

Cheating to score a free ride is a well-documented behavior by many animals, even plants and, according to new photo: TPWD research, microscopic algae. “There are cheaters out there that we didn’t know of,” said William Driscoll, lead author of a research report on the topic who studied environmentally devastating golden alga, Prymnesium parvum–the alga that has devastated a number of Texas freshwater fisheries in past years. Driscoll noted that some golden algae strains grew more A backhoe is required to remove fish killed by golden algae at Lake Granbury. quickly and did not 42 |

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Ducks Unlimited is working on the McFaddin Beach Ridge project, which involves construction of approximately 20,000 linear feet of earthern berm to retard saltwater intrusion into the 30,000-acre Salt Bayou Marsh complex. McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge consists of the largest remaining freshwater marsh on the Texas Coast and thousands of acres of intermediate to brackish marsh, important feeding and resting habitat for migrating and wintering populations of waterfowl. Large portions of the refuge are open to hunters free of charge. Elsewhere, for $10 a day reserved “spaced hunt areas” are available and can be accessed by hunters on foot or by boat. A handicapped accessible hunt blind can be reserved for hunters with a disability. DU also has received a Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) grant of just over $1.4 million to support a shoreline protection project at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area in Port Arthur. This grant will enable DU to protect important coastal marsh through the construction of more than 7,000 linear feet of rock breakwater. CIAP is a federal funding program administered by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation & Enforcement. —Staff Report «TG

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TRUE GREEN CONTINUED...

Montana May Adopt Old Texas Wildlife Model The Montana legislature is examining a proposed plan to create a separate state parks board and largely remove parks responsibility from the Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission. A new Parks and Recreation board would resemble the FWP commission, with five members appointed by the governor from different districts across the state. The new board would review and approve parks and recreation spending, land acquisitions and land

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use, while the FWP commission — to be renamed the Fish and Wildlife commission — would continue to oversee issues related to fish and wildlife. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was formed in 1963, when the legislature merged the State Parks Board and Game and Fish Commission.

—Staff Report «TG

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NPS Can Use Elk Control Hunters A federal appeals court sided with Rocky Mountain National Park in a suit by environmental extremists to reintroduce wolves to manage elk populations rather than leaving the task to volunteer hunters. Using the trained volunteers to help Park employees kill excess elk doesn’t violate a hunting ban in national parks, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, in a suit brought by WildEarth Guardians. —Staff Report «TG

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TRUE GREEN

First High School DU Chapter in Texas In February 2012, several students at Episcopal High School in Bellaire made an inquiry about forming a Ducks Unlimited chapter at their school. At the initial meeting, following a “What is DU?” presentation by Regional Director Tim Soderquist, approximately 30 students expressed an interest in participating and officially formed the DU Episcopal High School Chapter. The students, together with their school adviser, planned their first event which had over 50 in attendance and generated proceeds of more than $9,000 to support DU’s wetland conservation mission. Parents supported their children’s conservation spirit, opening one home for the event, donating tables & chairs, and pick-

ing up the cost of dinner. In addition, their school adviser donated a Brittany puppy

Salvinia Infests E. Texas Lakes Giant salvinia, a non-native invasive aquatic plant, has been found at boat ramps on Lake O’ the Pines, Lake Wright Patman, Lake Gilmer, and Lake Murval. This has led to increased efforts by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries District 3A staff to inspect

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to be auctioned at the event. These young people have clearly demonstrated that we can all do something to give back to the resources we cherish and enjoy. A friend of one of the students at another high school has already made inquiries about forming a chapter at their high school. Good news travels fast! —Staff Report «TG boat ramps for invasive plants and remove them before they can become established. Giant salvinia is usually spread unknowingly by boaters when the plants cling to their boats and trailers. A probable source of giant salvinia in East Texas is Caddo Lake, where the giant salvinia coverage is particularly high this winter. —Staff Report «TG

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2/7/13 10:38 AM

Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

Showtime Shopping Some tips to take the guesswork out of buying that new fishinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rig

f you are in the market for a new fishing rig, there may not be a better time to start shopping than now. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boat show season in Texas. From now through the end of spring, boat dealers and manufacturers will gather in big cities and small towns alike to display many of their new models and all sorts of accessories. Show time is prime time for prospective

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boat buyers, largely because it provides an opportunity to see and compare an assortment of makes and models all under the same roof. In many cases there are some pretty good bargains floating around, too. Particularly for qualified buyers able to take advantage of low interest rates. Several factors can sway a decision when purchasing a boat. Cost is biggie with most buyers, while others place a whole lot of emphasis on brand, fancy paint jobs or sleeklooking appearance. These are all elements worth thinking about. Just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let any of them win you over without taking a long look at the big picture. Here are some boat buying tips to follow before you turn over the cash or sign on the dotted line:

THE PURPOSE One of the most important aspects to be considered when purchasing a boat is the type of fishing it will be used for. If you plan to use it for tournament fishing or fishing big water lakes, it would be a good idea to go with a 18-21 foot fiberglass rig, not a 14-foot flatbottom. Not only will a high-performance boat get you to and from your fishing holes faster, but it will be much safer on the larger bodies of water when the wind gets up. Weekend/pleasure fishermen may be perfectly satisfied with a flatbottom or semi-V made from aluminum long as it is outfitted properly. Metal boats are typically smaller, lighter and less expensive than fiberglass rigs. While best suited for small bodies of

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water and rivers, they also can be used on large reservoirs provided the navigator keeps a close watch on the weather. Still another option is the combination fish/ski rig. These family-oriented boats generally provide more room for occupancy, whereas full-scale bass boats lean more towards casting room and storage space. There is still plenty of room to fish, just not as much. No matter what style of boat you choose, be sure at outfit it with an outboard and meets the maximum horsepower rating. While a smaller engine might save you a few bucks, it will cost you in the performance department.

THE RIDE Dryness, comfort and maneuverability are three things to weigh very heavily in the selection. In my book, a boat that continually gets you wet in rough water or doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle well at high speeds is as counterfeit as one that beats you to death in two-foot

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swells. So, how do you know for certain a boat is all itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cracked up to be? Talking to other boat owners would be a good start, but you ultimately wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know for sure until you drive one. Ask the dealer for a test run. Most will have demos on hand for this purpose and will be more than happy to arrange a test drive for someone who is really serious about buying.

THE GUTS I like a boat with plenty of guts. A durable hull built to take a beating is a must. I also like one that offers lots of dry storage for things like tackle, rain gear and other accessories. Large rod boxes are another feature to keep in mind, particularly for bass anglers who own multiple baitcasting outfits and rods longer than seven feet. The size of casting deck and amount of available floor space are two more elements to keep in mind. A boat with a dual console will naturally have

less room to move around in than one with a single console. However, the dual console will provide two anglers with a windbreak rather than just one. You sacrifice room for comfort when choosing a dual console over a single and vice versa.

PRICE Price is always a major factor to consider when buying a boat. The amount you can expect to pay for a new fiberglass bass boat rigged for and ready to go will range from around $25,000 for a new entry level rig to $60,000 or more for a top-of-the-line rig outfitted with all the bells and whistles. Fully-rigged flatbottoms and semi-V hull aluminum rigs cost significantly less.

Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@fishgame.com

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THE

Is there any one hull that fits most

any hunting or fishing application? Yes. No. Maybe. And, of course… not. There are a handful of unanswerable questions that have stymied mankind for eons: What is the meaning of life? Is there life on other planets? Is world peace really possible? Can a true outdoorsman survive with just one boat? We’re not going to touch those first three questions, but we’d like to take a shot at that last one. The answer is amorphous in nature, because each and every one of us has our own set of particular circumstances that dictate how we respond. If you had a gazillion dollars, for example, you’d probably own a fleet of highly-specialized boats, each with its own specific purpose. I know I sure would. I’d have a bass boat for fishing lakes, a car-topper for ponds, a bay boat for inshore water, a big center console for offshore runs, a convertible for overnights offshore, a Jon boat for duck hunting, a pontoon boat for sea duck hunting, and so on and so on. I think two dozen or so

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boats ranging from 10’ to 110’ should do the trick. If, on the other hand, your income is limited to the national average or below, it may be a stretch to afford more than two or three boats. And in this currently tight economy, you may even be forced to survive with (gasp!) just one boat. So, how are you going to choose? Is there any one hull that will fit the bill for all of your outdoor activities? Let’s find out.

Species Specific Boats come in two essential flavors, special purpose, and general use. Naturally there are numerous degrees in between each

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BOAT Quest for the Perfect All-Purpose Hull BY LENNY RUDOW T e x a S

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end of the spectrum, and plenty of boats are designed to serve multiple purposes. But think of a boat like any other tool. It’s no different that choosing an adjustable wrench and using it for different nuts and bolts, versus choosing a crescent wrench that’s exactly the right size and using it for one size nut or bolt, only. Boats are exactly the same way; those that can work for just about everything rarely do any one specific thing well, and those that are designed for one particular job are usually terrible at doing everything else. Complexity goes hand-in-hand with specialization. The boats designed for the most specific purposes are often engineered to the max, and have many details and doo-dads that help them achieve their goals. And all of this specialization gets in the way when it comes to being multi-use. Some boats are even so specialized, they’re appropriate for just one species of fish or one style of fishing. Think of a highly-refined bass boat, as an example. It’s designed to run extremely fast, has multiple aerated livewells, casting decks with elevated pedestals, glittery hullsides and built-in tackleboxes that are perfect for bass lures. Now try to go duck hunting in one. It’s not going to happen. Nor will you use that boat for trolling offshore, bottom fishing in the Gulf or making long cruises through open waters on a rough day. On the other hand, a simple hull of the appropriate size with a flat deck and an outboard hanging on the transom could potentially be used for any of these purposes. Its beauty and its utility lies in its simplicity.

The Hull Truth Wait a sec, if we’re talking about hulls, we need to know what design is the best pick. Our basic choices include flat-bottom boats, tunnel hulls and catamarans, deepV’s and semi-V’s. Once again, specialization assists in making a hullform best at one thing, but reduces its usefulness at other things. Flat bottom boats are a top choice for duck hunters and anglers in enclosed waters, since they have minimal draft, maximum stability and are easy to shove on and off sandbars or marsh. But that flat bottom will beat you to death if you try to run quickly through a chop, so they aren’t of much use to open-water anglers. Tunnel boats and catamarans can be designed to minimize draft even farther, and/ or to ride exceptionally smoothly. So they may be ideal for running the shoals and/

or charging through waves. But quirks like a snap roll, ventilating propellers, outwardleaning turns, and “sneezing” (when they blow spray out the front of the tunnel, soaking the boat’s occupants) make them the wrong choice for many different activities. Deep-V hulls are awesome when it comes to busting through large waves, and you’ll find a ton of hulls using this design for offshore angling, and high-speed platforms that have to charge through rough seas. But to get all of that V in the bottom you pay the prices of increased draft, reduced stability, and reduced efficiency. That leaves us with the semi-V hullform. Since it splits the difference between a flat bottom and a deep-V, it enjoys some of the benefits of each, as well as some of the deficits of each. It may not be able to match tunnels or cats for specific uses, but it doesn’t suffer from any of their downfalls, either. If you need a hull that does just about everything well without being perfect at any one thing or horrible at any other, a semi-V is definitely the way to go.

Size Matters How big should our do-everything boat be? This is an arguable point and will depend quite a bit on where you do your fishing and hunting, what your budget is and how many people you usually invite along for the ride. But it’s safe to say that the 20’ to 22’ range is going to be about right. Boats in this class are easy to trailer, launch and handle, no matter where you’re going or what you’re doing. They’re large enough to poke through the inlet on relatively calm days, yet small enough to navigate tight waters and to blind-up when hunting. And although you may not want to bring a large crowd onboard, they’ll fit two or three guests without any problems. That’s not to say that this is exactly the right sized universal boat for you, in particular. If you never travel into open waters and spend most of your hunting time with just one pal, an 18-footer will probably suit you better. And if you like to run to the rigs when the wind is down, a 24-footer would be a better choice. But as usual, between the extremes you’ll find the most diverse application.

If You Build It Now that we know what type of hull we want and about how large it will be, we need to decide on what it’ll be built of. Forget about wood in this day and age. Photo: canstock

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Most woods are too heavy and require too much maintenance to be used for universal purposes. Also forget about high-tech stuff like carbon fiber or Kevlar. Sure, they make great boat-building materials, but cost goes through the roof. Polyethylene might make a good alternative, but poly boats are often on the heavy side, are limited in size, and your choices will also be relatively limited. That leaves us with the two big dogs in the boatbuilding world: aluminum, and fiberglass. Each of these materials has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Aluminum is lighter than fiberglass, which makes it better as a hunting boat since it’s easier to move around by hand, and shove on and off the marsh, makes it easier to tow and launch, and makes it more efficient to run. But that extra heft fiberglass has improves its seakeeping abilities in rough water. When it comes to relatively small, simple boats, aluminum is less expensive to build with. But on the flip side, it’s tougher to craft compound curves and complex designs into aluminum, while fiberglass can be molded into nearly any shape. Another distinction that’s commonly drawn between aluminum

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and glass is finish; fiberglass simply looks better than aluminum. But when we add hunting into the mix, even though it may not look as pretty, aluminum gets a big leg up. When was the last time you saw a fiberglass boat with an effective camo paint job? Each material has weight advantages and disadvantages, so this consideration is a wash. Aluminum wins for price, and since we already know we don’t want those complex curves and hullforms that fiberglass can offer, aluminum gets another point as the building material of choice. Again it wins, when it comes to versatility in its finish. After considering the properties of each material, it’s no contest. Our universal boat will be built out of aluminum.

tom is almost certainly the best do-it-all choice. And we also know that aluminum construction is going to give you the most versatility. Congratulations, simple semi-V 20’ to 22’ aluminum boat. You are truly the do-everything, do-anything Universal Boat.

And the Winner is… So you’re limited to just that one boat and you want to enjoy many different styles of fishing, in many different types of waters, as well as duck hunting and lord knows what else? We know that a simple design is a must. For hull design a semi-V bot-

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Vicious, Delicious Nearshore Predators Highly mobile, cobia roam up and down the Texas coast

seeking what they can devour. They may appear off jetties in water as shallow as 20 feet or 100 miles offshore in more than 400 feet of water. Also called lemonfish or ling, these vicious and delicious predators can exceed 100 pounds, but most run in the 40- to 60-pound range. Michael Albanese set the Texas standard with a 108.44-pound monster he caught in May 1998. They usually 52 |

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lurk around offshore platforms, buoys and rock piles, but also cruise weed lines or hang under floating debris. “Most often, we see cobia before we catch them,” said Capt. Leaf Potter with Texas Saltwater Adventures (832-428F i s h

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3340, www.texassaltwaterfishingguide.com) who fishes near Freeport. “We catch them as close as the first buoy about a half-mile from the beach all the way out to 50 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. A lot of people standing on the rocks catch them off the jetties.” PhotOS: COURTESY reel rush charters (www.reelrushcharters.com)

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Story by John N. Felsher

Often, chasing cobia more resembles hunting than fishing. The highly nomadic beasts could appear at one platform or weedy patch today and vanish tomorrow. Few anglers leave the dock planning to boat a load of cobia because no one ever knows exactly when or where these capricious fish might appear. “It’s not uncommon to catch them in 60 to 70 feet of water, but I’ve heard of people catching them in West Bay,” recalled Capt.

Mike Kubecka of Reel Rush Charters (979240-9490, www.reelrushcharters.com) who runs out of Matagorda. “Many anglers pass them up heading farther offshore. Don’t ever pass up a buoy without looking for cobia and have something ready to throw at them really fast.” Keep watch while running from place to place or back to port. With binoculars and polarized sunglasses, look for movement or color under any drifting objects. Sometimes, T e x a S

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anglers find cobia lurking around objects as small as a drink can, but at other times, something significantly larger. “The best cobia fishing around here is when we find a whale shark,” said Capt. Chad Kinney with Bamm Bamm Charters (956802-2269, www.bammbammfishing.com) in Port Mansfield. “I’ve seen whale sharks with 50 to 70 ling around them. Unfortunately, we never know when we’ll find a whale shark. In 2011, we saw one 12 miles from the beach G a m e ®

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Anglers targeting

bottom fish often catch cobia as a bonus.

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that was covered with ling.” After spotting a cobia, toss a bait beyond the fish and run it past its nose. Even when not feeding, these opportunistic predators may instinctively grab anything that presents an easy meal. If it doesn’t hit a bait reactively, tease it. When a fish charges at a bait, most anglers naturally stop or slow down the retrieve. No angler can reel fast enough to outrun a cobia intent on gulping a meal. Instead, tease the fish. Every time it comes at the bait, pull it away a foot or two. Keep doing that until the cobia can’t stand it any longer and it smashes the morsel. “Cobia are like cats,” Kubecka advised. “The more you entice them, the better they strike. Big ling are super smart and often leader shy, but they’ll go for a live bait and nail it. Throw the bait in front of the fish and pull it across the surface like a topwater plug.” While nobody can predict where or when a hungry cobia might surface, some anglers try “calling one up.” Highly curious and competitive, cobia frequently rise from the depths to investigate any unusual surface activity. Some captains run circles around structure to stir up the bait before anchoring. Others beat the water with their gaffs or rod tips to make a commotion. Others entice them up with chum. “In April and May, we sometimes chum up cobia over the rocks,” Kinney explained. “When we get them chummed up, we’ll catch them on topwaters or by free-lining squid. When someone hooks a fish, we may leave it on the line because other fish might come up to see what’s happening. When we’re fishing over rocks or coming up to a buoy or other floating object, we’ll sometimes rev up the engines to make them come up.” Anglers targeting bottom fish often catch cobia as bonus fish. Keep a rod or two rigged and ready to tempt any cobia that may appear. Many anglers tip jigheads with F i s h

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Curious cobia often rise to check out surface activity.

6-inch curled tail trailers, minnow imitations or soft plastic eels to toss at cobia prowling the surface. “Cobia usually sit in the current or circle the structure on the surface,” Potter revealed. “If we don’t see any cobia on top, we’ll drop a big curly-tail on a 2- to 3-ounce jighead to the bottom and jig it really fast back up to the surface. They’ll usually at least chase the jig. If they chase the jig, but won’t hit it, pitch a live bait to them.” Cobia eat just about anything they can swallow, but particularly love crunching blue crabs and hardhead catfish. Other favorite enticements include eels, cigar minnows, pogies, squid, blue runners, mullets, croakers, pinfish and white trout. For pitching livies to rising cobia, rig a bait weightless on a circle hook. For fishing a live crab, insert the hook through the shell near the back “swimmer fin.” With finfish, run the hook through the upper back to keep it thrashing near the surface. Pitch these temptations in front of cobia or set a free line in the chum slick. As the bait swims around, it might attract a big cruising cobia. Cobia don’t always rise to the surface. Sometimes, they snatch squid, Spanish sardines or cigar minnows bouncing off the bottom to tempt amberjack, grouper and snapper. Some people vertically fish large diamond jigs, butterfly jigs or spoons. While dropping bait to reef fish, lower a flashy jig to the bottom and crank the reel up two or three times. Put the rod in a holder and leave it there. Wave action bouncing the boat works the bait. While fishing offshore, always keep a rod or two handy with something that might tempt a curious cobia. Investigating any buoys, weed lines, floating debris or small satellite rigs may add extra meat to a fish box.

PhotOS: COURTESY reel rush charters (www.reelrushcharters.com)

2/7/13 10:51 AM

Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Ramble Rumble

’ve got a pretty important piece for May, so I’m timing my annual rambling session for March. Why not? It’s a windy month, and plenty say I’m a huge windbag, so it’s most apropos, no? • • • In January, the Rio Hondo City Council held a meeting to discuss the contract it had signed for the city water plant and a San Antonio company, Dewatering Partners Industrial, to create an industrial waste processing facility at the plant. The facility would process, among other things, the liquid waste from grease and oil traps from restaurants and carwashes. DPI has run a similar waste processing facility in La Costa since 2002 that has been cited 25 times for environmental violations. Oh, yeah, Rio Hondo’s water plant is on the Arroyo Colorado, which is the primary fresh water source for Lower Laguna Madre. There are still several steps to go before the waste processing facility becomes a reality, if it does. There are environmental impact studies to be conducted, hearings, negotiations, more hearings and licensing. There is still a chance that the state won’t sign off on the deal. After a Jan. 18 public meeting at Rio Hondo City Hall hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality drew over 100 concerned citizens, including members of CCA, the state has a lot to think about. Another thing to think about: had the story not been broken by a local television station (a tip of my hat to KGBT-TV and Nature reporter Richard Moore) Rio Hondo mayor Alonzo Garza, Sr. and the Rio Hondo City Commission could have snuck this by on everyone with a vested interest in the health and future of Lower Laguna Madre.

Politicians wouldn’t do something like that, would they? • • • Every so often, a reader—or a close associate—asks me if I had any tips for them about entering the professional guide business. Every time I get that question, I think about a trip I had with Captain Chad Kinney during a writer’s event in Port Mansfield. It was a slow day offshore, but Kinney worked very hard for the entire day to find numbers of fish for us for photos. By the time we got back to the dock with a mess of fish and pictures, Kinney was exhausted, and he still had to wash down his boat and process fish. He did everything he could to ensure we had a successful trip, as I’m sure he does for all of his clients. “The best guides aren’t afraid to work hard,” I always say. “Really hard!” • • • One thought on gun control: It isn’t the cure. What we must do as a people is take a long, hard look at ourselves and see what we can do to heal the evil that lurks in the heart of so many around us. Until then, anything we try, gun control, more prisons, stiffer sentences, arming teachers, is akin to trying to clear the sand from a beach with an umpire’s broom. • • • Best boat name I’ve seen in a long time: Shut Up It Floats. • • • A few years back I wrote about 90 year old Albert Rutledge, who had fished Lower Laguna Madre for a then incredible 80 years. He had seen the boon years of fishing, as well as the lean years. I actually get occasional inquiries about him and how he’s doing. Mr. Rutledge is 95 years old now, and he’s still going strong, mowing his own lawn, arguing Texas Longhorn football recruiting with anyone who’ll listen, and still going up to the Mud Hole north of Port Mansfield on overnight fishing adventures with his friends and relatives. I see him at Mass every weekend, and I even see him going to Confession (what does a 95 year old man confess?). He is truly a marvel. T e x a S

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We all know an Albert Rutledge. Cherish them. They are irreplaceable resources. • • • Got a call from Gene “Scooter” McGee regarding the opening vignette in “Mosquito Fleet,” which detailed his then-teenage son Mason going out of the Mansfield Jetties in a 16-foot scooter to catch kingfish. It wasn’t 16 feet. It was 13. • • • 95 years old and still going strong…wow. • • • I must be getting old or something. I’ve discovered that I am getting as much pleasure out of watching my friends and family catch fish and have fun as I do when I’m catching fish and having fun. Watching my son catch a redfish, or putting the net under my best friend’s flounder makes me feel great. Joy is a social emotion that is infectious. There was a time where watching someone catch fish while I was just tiring out my shoulder casting and ruining my eyes by tying on different lures would have driven me nuts. Now, not so much. Well, maybe a little once in a while. • • • One last fishing tip: If you are like I am and have a monstrous time trying to thread a shrimp tail straight onto a jighook, try running the hook through the tail’s belly rather than the back. The segmented design of most shrimp tails make it difficult to flex it against itself and the hook sometimes doesn’t pass true. The bait bends more easily when following the natural contour of the body and threads better. Fish don’t seem to notice that the bait is essentially swimming upside down. • • • Yup. A 13-foot boat. I don’t think my mom would have ever let me on a boat ever again if I had pulled a stunt like that.

Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzalez@fishgame.com G a m e ®

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Open Season by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

Whodunit?

violent thunderstorm thrashed the trees outside of Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café. Lightning flashed and the wind slapped rain against the large windows. Darkness was so thick that it seemed to be midnight. The usual suspects were gathered around Doreen’s large corner booth. I stood and addressed the crowd. “I’ve called you all together because a crime has been committed.”

Shocked, the Hunting Club recoiled when they realized that I, the Outdoor Detective, was on the scrap. Doc leaned over. “Move your foot so I can pick up this scrap of paper.” He handed it to me. “What’s this?” “The bill.” “I don’t know any Bill.” I hid it from Doreen’s sight. “I’ve gathered you all tonight…” Woodrow rubbed his hands together under the table. “It’s one in the afternoon.” “This afternoon, then. In this room, there is someone, a potential criminal, who borrowed my skinning knife this past season and didn’t give it back.” The Cap’n sighed in relief. “I thought you were looking for whoever took your last sinus pill. I feel better, now that I know what you’re looking for.” “Do you feel better because you took the pill, or because you think you’re off the hook?” “Both.” “I’ll get back to you later.” I thoughtfully perused the room. “My handmade knife is gone and after a long investigation through my own house and car, I know one of you has it.” Delbert P. Axelrod tried to effect a Bogart sneer that looked as if his nose itched. “What makes you think it was any one of us?” 56 |

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“Because you’re the only suspects I have,” I argued, exasperated. “I didn’t do it and I’m leaving,” Woodrow started to get up. “You can’t leave.” I held out a hand, remembering the murder mystery movies of my youth. In them, the detective gathered the suspects in a spooky old house during a storm and interrogated everyone. “The bridge is washed out and the electricity will probably go out before we’re finished. Usually at this point a gun fires and some girl screams.” Wrong Willie looked embarrassed. “I’ve been known to scream like a girl if a gunshot surprises me.” “Isn’t someone supposed to faint at this point?” Jerry Wayne asked. “That’s usually a female,” I explained. “I’ll just take a nap, then.” “I bet the butler did it,” Wrong Willie suggested. “We don’t have a butler.” “If we had one, he’d have stolen your knife, I bet.” In order to make the culprit nervous, I paused. It didn’t work. I almost completely lost their attention when they went back to doing what they do, and that’s drink coffee and talk. I tried not to whine. “Guys, one of you borrowed my knife and didn’t give it back.” “He’s not as good of an Outdoor Detective when he’s standing here in the café.” Doc sipped his coffee and suddenly lLightning flashed, illuminating the large mole on Doreen’s chin in its harsh illumination. Wrong Willie shrieked like a little girl. Doreen didn’t bat an eye. “Are any of you idiots going to order?” “Yes!” I shouted over the thunder. “I order someone to confess to having my knife!” “I don’t have it!” the Cap’n shouted back. “Coffee!” “What?” “She said order. I want coffee.” F i s h

“I want my skinning knife. I might need to skin something.” “What does it look like?” Willie asked. “The Something I want to skin?” “No, this alleged knife.” “It has a silver blade and a handle made from elk antler.” They pondered the description. “It’s sharp on one edge.” They nodded in understanding. “It cuts stuff.” They began to look uncomfortable. As a trained detective, I knew something was up. “One of you knows something. So just come forward with it and the rest of you can go.” Lightning flashed again, and in the supersharp illumination, I saw the answer to my question. “Willie! You are the guilty one!” The others looked upon the accused in shock. “Is he right?” Willie put both hands on the table and laced his fingers. A bandage covered one digit. A digit that had been cut…with a very sharp knife. “All right!” he cried. “I confess. I borrowed your knife and it’s in the truck. And you know what? I proud I did it.” We looked upon the Guilty One. “And that old saying is right. Confession is good for the soul. I feel much better now. Doreen, bring me a chicken fried steak.” “And a dull knife,” I told her. I try to take care of my friends, even though they’re guilty of overextended borrowing. While he sawed at the steak, I rushed through the rain to retrieve my own very sharp skinning knife…so I could cut my own chicken fried steak that sat cooling on the table. I just needed my knife.

Contact Reavis Wortham at RWortham@fishgame.com

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Digital Edition

r i d l l a y H Curse or Blessing? by matt williams

Photo: Matt Williams

When I think of hydrilla, my thoughts immediately shift to bass. That’s because the two go together like honky tonks and cowboys or beer and peanuts. Find the right stuff and Micropterus salmoides probably won’t be too far away. Bass are predators and they gravitate to hydrilla for several reasons. For starters, it provides them cover for ambushing baitfish that are lured there to dine on smaller members of the food chain. It also offers them a secure place to loaf when they aren’t feeding, and plenty of shade when the heat turns oppressive. Bass fishermen are particularly fond of hydrilla for all of those reasons and more. In many cases it creates definitive edges for soaking their baits. It also helps position the fish so they are much easier to catch than those roaming around in open water like T F & G

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nomads. Still another benefit is grass provides a nursery of sorts to bolster survival of young-of-the-year largemouths and other sport fish that are born in the shallows. Native to Europe and Asia, hydrilla is believed to have found its way to the U.S as an aquarium plant. It was first discovered in Texas in the late 1970s and has since taken root at varied depths from 2’ to as deep as 30’ in several public impoundments, most in eastern Texas. The spread is attributed to the fact that hydrilla can propagate quickly in clear water environments through

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TF&G ALMANAC Table of Contents

GEARING UP SECTION

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texas tested • Alumacraft, Humminbird | by TF&G staff

knighten

industry insider • Harborwalk, The Hawg Waller, Zancudo Lodge | by TF&G staff

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

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION

FISHING FORECAST SECTION

COVER STORY • Hydrilla, Curse or Blessing? | by matt williams

HOW-TO SECTION

60 63 64 65

texas boating • Heavy Reading | by lenny rudow texas kayaking • Lake Naconiche Beckons Kayakers | by

texas guns & gear • Gun Shopping | by steve lamascus

hotspots focus: galveston • Forward - March! | by capt.

hotspots focus: matagorda • Pulling the Triggers | by

hotspots focus: rockport • Tourney Time | by capt. mac

hotspots focus: lower coast • Channeling March Madness | by calixto gonzales

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

gable

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texas tasted • Teal Tenderloin 100 Wraps | OUTDOOR CLASSIFIED 102 DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | TF&G

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can crowd out native vegetation species. The seed for controversy lies in the fact that all three parties are right to some degree. As a result, TPWD sometimes finds itself caught in the middle of public debates about hydrilla and searching for ways to pacify the different user groups in regards to how it should be dealt with. The most commonly used methods for controlling hydrilla are introducing grasseating carp or spot treatments with herbicide around boat ramps, docks and piers. The department must sign off and issue permits before either can be carried out on a public reservoir. Many anglers would prefer that nature be left alone and allowed to run its course. The plant has shown to be cyclic in nature, coming and going because of fluctuating water levels, migrant coots and other natural factors. Sometimes it knocks itself back for no explainable reason, but almost always comes back. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon multiple times on lakes Nacogdoches, Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Kurth and Pinkston in East Texas. While most folks in this neck of the woods have learned to live with hydrilla, not all of them have. And some great bass fisheries have suf-

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fragmentation and can be transported from lake to lake on boat trailers and outboard propellers. I don’t know for sure how hydrilla found its way to Texas, but I’m glad it did. And so are a passel of other bass junkies like me. The correlation between lakes with hydrilla and quality bass fishing is undeniable. Bring the grass and fishing quality goes up. Take it away and the fishing quality goes down, particularly on lakes where other forms of favorable cover lack in abundance. I challenge anyone to debate that. Several Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries managers are big fans of hydrilla as well, though most are reluctant to say so publicly for fear of repercussions that might arise from skating down a road cloaked in so much controversy. The controversy stems from the fact that not everyone looks at hydrilla in same positive light that bass fishermen do. Many lakeside property owners hate it because it can choke access around boat docks, hinder jet skiing and water skiing and it isn’t pretty to look at. Some water controlling authorities aren’t very fond of hydrilla, either. Not kept in check, they say the invasive grass can clog water intake vents and result in costly upkeep to keep machines running smoothly. It also M A R C H

sportsman’s daybook • Tides & Prime Times | by TF&G

by bryan slaven

hotspots focus: upper coast • Find Your Therapy on Sabine | by capt. eddie hernandez

greg berlocher

paul’s tips • Spring Crappie Binge | by paul bradshaw

Texas Hotspots • Texas’ Hottest Fishing Spots | by calixto gonzales, bob hood & george

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fered as the result. Lakes Martin Creek and Jacksonville come to mind. So does Lake Austin, where the local news media recently dramatized the weed as reaching so called “dangerous” levels despite the stocking of thousands of grass eating carp earlier in the year. Perhaps the most famous example is Lake Conroe, where hydrilla first gained a foothold and spread to nearly 9,000 acres in the mid1970s. Wealthy homeowners around the reservoir screamed so loud about the infestation that a legislative directive authorizing the stocking 270,000 non-sterile grass carp was issued in the early 1980s. Not surprisingly, the vegetation was eradicated in fast order. The homeowners were happy but the bass fishermen weren’t, mainly because the fishing quality cratered. Shift to the mid-2000s. Hydrilla flexed its resilient muscle and returned to Conroe, eventually covering about 2,000 acres (10 percent) by January 2008. The lake was fishing off the charts at the time, but the homeowners and other powers that be weren’t having any of it. Instead, they went knocking at TPWD’s door for another grass carp permit. Following several “town CONTINUED ON PAGE 60

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Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow | TF&G Boating Editor

Heavy Reading

ou want to be a better boater? Reading Texas Fish & Game is a good start. But naturally, we don’t have enough pages to cover all boating topics all the time. So you might be tempted to do some research, which in this day and age usually consists of Googling something enough times to hopefully separate the fact from the fiction. And this brings up one of the worst things about the internet—there’s a ton of misinformation out there. Thus, you old-timers may be tempted to resort to looking at ancient, dust-covered devices known as “books”. The good thing about books is that they usually have editors and are produced by publishers. These added layers of protection ensure that the book’s contents weren’t writ-

ten by some bozo who has no earthly clue as to what the heck he or she is talking about. On the Internet, however… The next question you’ll have to address is how to choose a book on the topic you’re interested in. Again, you could Google it. And again, you may well come up with information that’s about as useful as a bait-bucket of live shrimp at a bass lake. Or, you could check out some of the ten books I’ve listed here. I’ve read them and can vouch for them. And although you’ve never before seen book reviews here in this column, I figured it was about time. I just got done researching books about fish-finders and discovered that most of the results focused on the video game “World of Warcraft.” Go figure. Or, go check out one of these: 1. Chapman’s Piloting, Seamanship, and Small Boat Handling – This is a classic stand-by, how-to book for mariners of all types. It’s a thick one, too, with close to 1,000 pages between its hard covers.

Chapters on everything from weather to the Rules of the Road to basic piloting are included, and the book (which was first published as Practical Boat Handling in 1917) has been through 65 revisions and updates by multiple well-respected authors. This is truly the Bible of boating. 2. Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual – By noted boating authority Nigel Calder, this 800-page guide covers boat’s systems on a case-by-case basis. Electrical, electronics, powerplants (though not outboards) tanks, pumps, and more— even refrigeration systems. But don’t plan to sit down and read this book, it would be a painful endeavor. Instead, think of this as a reference guide for hands-on DIY boaters who plan to maintain and fix their boats themselves. It’ll come in especially handy when your boat’s systems fail, thanks to 16 troubleshooting charts. 3. Outboard Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair – This book is available new in first (1997) and

COVER STORY: Hydrilla, Curse or Blessing? hall” style meetings, they got it. TPWD had hoped to control the hydrilla with grass carp this time around instead of eradicate it, but the plan failed. Once again, the fish were reintroduced at an excessive rate and the hydrilla disappeared lake wide within months. So did several years worth of work aimed at restoring native vegetation to the lake. Almost immediately, the fishing quality began another downward spiral. “There is no doubt it hurt the fishing when the grass was taken out -- I watched it happen,” said Jim Brockman of Pinehurst. “Without it the bass are much harder to find. It makes guys struggle to catch fish. A lot of them have quit coming altogether.” Brockman is the tournament director for Ignition Bass, one of the few weekend circuits

that still frequents Conroe. He said he has noticed a significant reduction in angler participation and lighter weights since the grass was removed. “A lot of the circuits don’t even come anymore,” he said. “In 2008 we averaged about 70 teams and 1,000 pounds of fish. Now I’m averaging around 50 teams and 400 pounds per tournament. The top weights are still good and the fish are fat, but the weights have fallen way off down the line. Used to, it might take 20 pounds to get a check. Now it’s taking 13 pounds. Anglers just aren’t catching as many fish and it is having a big impact on the number of anglers who want to come to Conroe. It has got to be having an economic impact. Plus, it is bound to hurt recruitment of young fish. But I guess people around the lake just don’t care.” Judging from past events at Conroe and

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the most recent grass carp stockings at Lake Austin, some believe that TPWD might one day launch an anti-hydrilla campaign aimed every Texas lake lucky enough to have it. According to Dave Terre, the agency’s Inland Fisheries Chief of research and management, that just isn’t so. “Hydrilla provides good fish habitat -- no question about it -- so long as it stays at a density that is not problematic,” Terre said. “We like to see 20-30 percent vegetative cover for optimum fish habitat in our lakes. In lakes where it (hydrilla) is not creating any problems or causing any issues we tend to leave it alone.” Terre said lakes Conroe and Austin are unique in that water levels there tend to remain more stable than on most Texas reservoirs. He added that those lakes are heavily CONTINUED ON PAGE 62

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Texas Boating second (2008) editions, so make sure you get the latest one. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. The book is just 132 pages long. The fact of the matter is that with most modern outboards, when you have a problem it’s likely to either be something very straightforward, simple and easy to fix or it’s going to require a computer and a trained tech. So this book doesn’t attempt to go into the highly complex issues that an average boater can’t deal with. Instead, it simply lays out the basics of outboards, trouble-shooting them and maintaining them. The author, Ed Sherman, is a well-known expert who has written several other books on boating and is the Curriculum Director for the American Boat and Yacht Council. 4. Fiberglass Repair – This one’s another shortie (just 102 pages including the index) but again, it’s great because it doesn’t try to take you places you shouldn’t go. Repairing fiberglass can be a daunting task but in many ways, simple jobs are easier than you’d expect. The authors (David and Zora Aiken), are live-aboards who have repaired everything from stress cracks to blisters, and it shows. I’ve reached for this book a dozen-odd times before starting projects and have found their tips and techniques incredibly helpful. 5. The Big Book of Boat Canvass – Here’s another one I find myself reaching for a lot more than I ever would have thought. How can I fix the clear vinyl curtains? How do I replace that busted snap? Author Karen Lipe is a canvass designer and manufacturer and is eminently qualified to answer all your canvass questions. Much of the book won’t be of interest to the average Texan boater

(there are long sections on how to make things like sail covers and wind chutes) and this is an old book, first published in 1988. But things haven’t changed much in the world of canvass, and what was true then is still true today. If you’re interested in canvass repair, this is the book to get. 6. Quick & Easy Boat Maintenance, 1001 Time Saving Tips – This is one of my all-time favorite books on boat maintenance and repair. Unlike most, it’s actually an entertaining read, and author Sandy Lindsey, who’s written for a slew of marine magazines through the years, does a fantastic job of keeping things interesting. It includes some of the wackiest yet most useful tips you’ll ever hear about, like how to use ice cubes to fix your carpet and how to clean electrical connections with pickle juice. A new edition of this book was published this past summer, so make sure you don’t buy the old one by accident. 7. The Hungry Ocean – This non-fiction book isn’t about boating or boats in specific, but it’s the account of Linda Greenlaw, the sword-boat captain made famous by the book and movie The Perfect Storm. It’s incredibly good reading and anyone interested in boating and fishing will be riveted by her stories and experience. Added bonus: You’ll learn plenty about sword fishing. 8. A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes – Even though it was just published in 2011, I can’t recall how I came across this book but I sure am glad I did. It’s a shockingly comprehensive guide which illustrates and details 937 different species which you might encounter from the shoreline down to 600’.

Author Kent Carpenter is an ichthyologist, and illustrator Val Kells is a well-known marine science illustrator. If you’ve ever wondered what was dangling off the end of your line, this book will tell you. 9. The Texas Fish & Game Gear Library – Okay, this isn’t just one book – there are actually over a dozen in the TFG Library. And, they aren’t about boating so much as they’re about fishing and hunting. But there are titles on redfish, speckled trout, flounder, kayak fishing, and a whole lot more. Better yet, they’re all written by authors you know, whose work you’ve been reading on these very pages. And don’t forget to check out the Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas, the best-selling outdoor publication in the state for 12 years running. 10. Lenny Rudow’s Fishing E-Books – Insert shameless self promotion, here! You can find a slew of very inexpensive species-specific e-books I’ve written on Smashwords.com (just type “Rudow” into the search box) covering everything from deep dropping offshore, to targeting drum, to perch fishing. A traditionally-published book you anglers might also like is Rudow’s Guide to Modern Jigging. Check ‘em out.

Contact Lenny Rudow at LRudow@fishgame.com

Get more boating tips in LENNY RUDOW’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

COVER STORY: Hydrilla, Curse or Blessing? used by recreational boaters and other folks who like to play in the water, which doesn’t mix well with vegetation known to form surface mats in water beyond 20 feet deep. “Hydrilla has a propensity to do very well on those two lakes,” Terre said. “And it can create issues for multiple users, all types of boaters, anglers and water supplies. These are all things we have to consider.” Many Texas anglers believe these types of

decisions are driven by politicians who yank at TPWD’s purse strings just to get their way, but Terre denied that claim. “The decisions to stock grass carp in those lakes were made collaboratively by a cross section of anglers, river controlling authorities, homeowners and others who had an interest in controlling the hydrilla,” Terre said. “It wasn’t done under a blind eye or the pushing of an agenda. We strived to find balance between all users with a committee type approach, and those committees still exist on

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both lakes.” It remains to be seen what the outcome will be on 1,600-acre Lake Austin. Hopefully, it won’t mirror the latest Conroe debacle, but if it does, it may not be a bad idea for someone to take a long look at hydrilla control policies in this state and pencil out a different plan before another great bass fishery suffers a serious setback. Eradication just doesn’t cut it.

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Texas Kayaking by Greg Berlocher | TF&G Kayaking Editor

Lake Naconiche Beckons Kayakers

othing stokes the excitement of bass anglers like the opening of a newly impounded reservoir. Fertile waters enriched by nutrients from dead vegetation and decaying timber supercharge the fishery and both forage and predators explode in number. Largemouth bass grow thick on a high protein diet of shad, bream and crappie. After much fanfare and a delayed public debut, Lake Naconiche opened in September 2012, and the early results are encouraging. As an added bonus, the reservoir is kayak friendly. Located roughly13 miles northeast of Nacogdoches, Naconiche’s permanent pool area is listed as 692 acres but the surrounding park acreage totals 1,254 acres, allowing the little impoundment to swell when it rains and then release water grudgingly when droughts come calling. Few reservoirs trace their lineage back to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Administration, but Naconiche’s lineage is anything but expedited. Call it “The little lake that could”. Naconiche is a county park overseen by Nacogdoches County. Named for the indigenous people that lived in the area several centuries before, the reservoir opened with great fanfare last fall after several years of high expectations. A lottery system was imposed for the first several weeks after the impoundment opened, severely limiting the number of anglers. Catches of 80 bass per day were common, creating the false sense that the newly impounded reservoir was filled to the brim with fat, stupid bass. Weeks passed and catch rates fell. It turns out the bass wised up quickly. Texas Fish & Game subscriber Dr. Michael Banks, DDS, an East Texas kayak confidant who lives in Jacksonville, provided T F & G

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a firsthand report on the fishery shortly after the official opening. Banks, who lives within an hour’s drive of Lakes Fork, Purvis, and Nacogdoches, is an avid kayak fisherman. His in-depth report, along with images of fat bass festooning the cockpit of his olive drab hull, got my attention. “Naconiche is full of flooded timber,” Banks said. “The two main creek channels are lined with timber and they are easy to track without a depth finder.” Banks noted that all the bass he caught were chunky and he postulated several reasons for the fish’s healthy stature. “It starts with a good water supply. The southern creek is fed by a 600-gallon per minute spring, which used to reside on the property of the old Boy Scout Camp. That property is now an RV park. A major brand of bottled water used to harvest some of that water from that spring.” “The forage base is also important to the bass population’s health. There is a good population of baitfish, allowing the bass to pretty much feed nonstop,” Banks continued. There is one boat ramp inside Nacogdoches County Park and it serves as the only launch site for kayaks. Day access costs $5.00 per vehicle/driver, with additional passengers costing $1.00 each. FM 2435 crosses the northern branch of the lake but it isn’t possible to launch from this site. Banks waited several weeks after the official lake opening for the pandemonium to die down and he discovered an empty parking lot on his weekday trip. “I fished during the week and there were only two cars at the ramp when I arrived. I suspect it is quite different on weekends but the lake was very A L M A N A C

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quiet and peaceful during the week.” The little lake that would not be denied has already coughed up several ten-pounders promoting Banks to suggest that it wouldn’t be long before the new impoundment would produce its first ShareLunker. “The lake has shown good promise and with good management, Naconiche is going to produce some very large fish.” Hearing his comments, I could only reflect on the wasted opportunities of my youth. Having witnessed firsthand the incredible fisheries of Lakes Livingston and other Texas reservoirs in their heydays, I can only imagine what they would be like today if they had been managed in the same vane as Lake Fork and other new reservoirs. Lake Naconiche’s small size makes it kayak friendly. “Flooded timber is prevalent and just a short paddle will put you in reach of structure-oriented fish. But many of the treetops are starting to decay and rot. All boaters, not just kayakers, need to be careful in the spring when winds are blowing. A big gust of wind will bring some of those big limbs crashing down and they can really hurt you,” Banks advised. TPWD has intensively managed this lake and has regularly stocked it since 2009. Bass stocking include both adult and fingerling Florida strain bass and also offspring from the ShareLunker program. Although largemouth bass get the lion’s share of the attention from anglers, don’t discount the lake’s healthy population of crappie and sunfish. For additional information on the park, contact Nacogdoches County officials at (936) 559-9038.

Greg Berlocher can be reached for question or comment at GBerlocher@fishgame.com. G a m e ®

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Paul’s Tips

Spring Crappie Binge

plenty of sunlight so that it warms up quickly and you will find fish. The crappie won’t be quite as concentrated, but they will be there.

y wife is a petite, gentle, softspoken angelic woman who won’t hurt a fly but I’m fairly certain she would slap a grizzly bear for a crappie fillet. Really, who could blame her? Deep-fried or even grilled, I dare you to find a better tasting fish on this planet. This love of crappie must be genetic because our kids have the same addiction. It takes a lot of fillets to fill up the herd eating fish at my house. Luckily, this time of year the crappie are congregating in easily accessible areas making local lakes better than a grocery store for putting food in the freezer. Catching crappie when they move up to spawn really isn’t brain surgery, as a matter of fact, it’s probably one of the easier times you’ll ever have fishing if you know where the fish are and what to use. Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious and if it was really that easy then anyone could do it. The first key to catching springtime crappie is locating them, and to locate them you have to go shallow, really shallow. If your local lake has multiple creeks running into it, then start at the mouth of these and move back until you start catching fish. On a local lake I fish, there are creeks but there are also man-made channels that lead into neighborhoods so the residents can get their boats out. These channels are fish magnets and the crappie will stack up in them so deep that a fish on every cast isn’t uncommon. Even if there aren’t many creeks or channels on your lake, the crappie will still move shallow to spawn. Find a grassy bank on the northern end of the lake that receives

Also, with all things being equal, a shallow bank with cover will hold more fish than a shallow bank without any. Crappie are structure-oriented fish, even when spawning. So brush piles or man-made structure in just a few feet of water will attract fish. Those limbs you sunk to hold bass will also hold crappie this time of year. I had a spot last year at the back of a creek where a single limb had broken off a tree and fallen into a few feet of water. For weeks I could go to this spot for a little bit after work and catch crappie. This was after other anglers had been pulling fish off it all day while I worked. So if you’re going shallow for crappie,

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what kind of baits should you use? You can always go with the standard minnow rig. This is a simple rig starting with a thin wire hook on the end of the line with a bobber about a foot above it (the distance depends on how deep the water is). Just a few inches above the hook, crimp on a split shot. Thread a minnow on the hook and you’re ready to go. The problem is that you might catch up to a hundred crappie and that means you will have to re-bait a lot. Plus that many minnows can get expensive. To get around this go with something a little more user friendly. Instead of a bare hook on the end of your line, put on a small jig head (1/32 to 1/16th ounce). The weight of the jig head eliminates the need for a split shot on the line. If the water is clear, put a white or pearl colored body on the jig. If the water is muddy, which it often is this time of year, go with a darker colored body with chartreuse on the tail to make it more visible. Again, about a foot above the jig put on a bobber on the line. Fishing either of these rigs is easy. Just cast it to likely fishing holding cover and let it sit. Some anglers get too aggressive when fishing a jig and want to bounce it around or reel it slowly. Really, this is unnecessary most of the time.

illistration by paul bradshaw

by Paul Bradshaw | TF&G Contributing Editor

Contact Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com

Get more tips from PAUL BRADSHAW’s Outdoor Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

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Texas Guns by Steve LaMascus | TF&G Shooting Editor

Gun Shopping

ot long ago I walked into a big gun shop in one of our Texas cities. I was looking for some reloading components that I couldn’t find locally. Since I was in the city for other purposes, I decided that killing two ducks with one shot was a good idea and after my appointment I headed for the gun shop. When I walked in I was flabbergasted by the number of guns and the amount of other shooting related stuff they had. I walked on through the store and into the part where they sold what I was looking for. There I stood for 15 minutes waiting for someone to pay enough attention to me that I could tell them what I needed. Just as I decided to walk out, one of the clerks decided to grace me with his presence, walked over and said, “Whaddaya need?” Not “may I help you, sir,” or “Howdy, buddy, what can I do for you?” But “whaddaya need?” like I was interrupting his more important duty of drinking that 5th cup of coffee, or of gossiping with his drinking crony about the big party last night. Instead of telling him I didn’t need a danged thing from him, I told him what I needed, got it, paid for it, and walked out. I was mad for an hour afterward. I do not like very many big things in the world of sales. The bigger a store (or any other organization, for that matter) gets, the more impersonal and incompetent it gets. The bigger it gets, the worse, usually, it treats its employees. The employees don’t appreciate it and pass it on to the paying customers. How such places stay in business is beyond me, but they do. I was in a big discount store a couple of weeks ago. I always try to buy .22 long rifle cartridges there because they are cheaper there than anywhere else I know of. I buy T F & G

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one or two of the big 550 cartridge boxes each time I go to this store. This time I went to the sporting goods department, stood around for 10 minutes without anyone showing up at the register to sell me the ammo. I went looking for someone, finally found someone (it was a her, if that matters to you) hidden in the automotive department. She came over, walked behind the counter and said, “Can you point them out to me?” I did so. Then she was going to take them to the front of the store and give them to someone to hold for me until I showed up at check out. I finally convinced her that I wasn’t a serial shoplifter, so she graciously allowed me to put the .22 cartridges in the shopping cart with the other items my wife and I were buying. I’m not sure the few dollars I save there is worth the hassle. A couple of days ago I walked into Oasis Outback in Uvalde, Texas (830278-4000). I had a .22 handgun that I bought a few months ago that I just never could like, so I was looking to trade it off. I walked into the gun shop, handed the gun to Bob Porter the general manager, and said, “Hey, Bob, I don’t like this gun and want to trade it off. I’ll give you a hundred dollars difference between it and that new Ruger 22/45 Lite.” Bob looked at the gun, checked the price tag on the Ruger, and said, “Okay, Steve. Come on and I’ll ring it up. Can you bring the box for this one by the next time you’re in town?” Clean, simple, sweet, and painless. Thanks, Bob. Also in Oasis Outback is my old shooting buddy, Rodney Deorsam. I have known both Rodney and Bob for a lot longer than I care to admit. Bob and I went to college together, and Rodney was just a scrawny kid when we first started shooting together at the Uvalde Gun Club. Both of them are starting to look too danged old, unlike your correspondent. As you have gathered, Oasis Outback is my friendly neighborhood gun shop. There are a couple more that could fill that bill, A L M A N A C

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but most of my business these days is with Oasis. This is not because I have known the folks there for a long time, although that helps, but because they are friendly, carry a very wide stock of shooting and hunting related items, and because I don’t have to point it out to them. That is, they have the knowledge required to run such a business. If I walk in and ask for a box of .338 Lapua ammunition, I will most likely be told, “Okay. Anything else?” If I need something really arcane they would tell me, “Well we don’t carry that caliber, but if you can wait a couple of weeks we can order it for you. Sorry we don’t have it, but we don’t get very many calls for that around here.” Then again, they may have it in stock. It is cheaper to buy some of your shooting supplies at a big discount store. This is absolutely true. However, as I said, I am not sure it’s worth the heartburn involved. On top of that, it isn’t that much cheaper, and every dollar I spend at a neighborhood gun shop helps keep it in business, something I am very much in favor of. If you have a gun shop in your neighborhood, I strongly suggest you get to know the guys that run it and give them all your business possible. They will be veritable mines of information, and will be able to supply you with many things the big stores will not have. And they will do it with a smile and a firm handshake. And you won’t have to point it out to them, either.

Contact Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com

Find more shooting tips in STEVE LaMASCUS’s Texas Guns Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs G a m e ®

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Texas Tested

Double-Plater: Alumacraft Dominator 175 CS

features that you’ll pay extra for on many competitors include fold-away aft jump seats, No-Feedback steering, and fold-away cleats. The 175 CS weighs in at 1,390 pounds, which is more than most competitors of this size, mostly because of that .080” thick double-plated hull. But that’s also part of what gives this boat its solid feeling. And if you want to blast off across a chop that would rattle your teeth on most small aluminum boats, the Dominator 175 CS is going to be a good choice. Check it out at www.alumacraft.com.

Eyes Wide Open: Humminbird 360 How many times have you wished your fishfinder could look not only down, but also all around? Well, it’s time to stop wishing and start fishing. Humminbird’s latest and greatest, the 360 Imaging sysPhoto: Alumacraft

You’ve gotta love a boat with a double-plated aluminum hull, a single-piece keel, nylock locking nuts on the bolts, and aircraft-grade rivets. Talk about tough— the one I tested had a Yamaha F115 hanging on the transom which took us up to a full-throttle speed of 42 MPH, and even going this fast, thanks to those rugged construction techniques, the boat shot over a foot-high lake chop without any vibrations or hard landings. Better yet, I stayed dry thanks to the Alumacraft’s large spray rails. At a mellow cruise of 3500 rpm, we made around 22-mph. What’s really startling, however, is fuel economy at this speed. The engine sipped up just 3.3 gallons per hour, delivering 6.5 miles to the gallon. You say to heck with economy?

You want to blaze across the water at highway speeds? No problem – the 175 CS can take up to 150 ponies on the transom. Unlike a lot of aluminum rigs, the 175 CS is actually quite an attractive boat. It has a double-baked enamel paint job, and our test rig’s two-tone red and gray finish was excellent. The interior was carpeted which also looks good, although some utility-lovers may want to choose the vinyl floor option for easier maintenance. Fishing-wise, the boat is ready to rock and roll right out of the box. A pair of standard livewells, one forward and one aft, hold 13 gallons each. A huge rodbox is located under the foredeck, seat pedestals are spread throughout the boat, and there’s a dedicated stowage box for a set of three electric trolling motor batteries. The boat also features an “AlumaTrac” system in the inwales. It’s essentially a track built into the sides which receives mounts for items like fishing rod holders, cup holders, and other accessories. Some other standard

Alumacraft Dominator 175 CS

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Photo: Johnson Outdoors:

if you forget to retract it before running and gunning at 15-mph an alarm sounds. When the transducer has been deployed, you can choose to look forward, aft, to either side, or all around in pre-set views. Or, you can adjust the size of the viewing angle (10 to 360 degrees) to get the best view for the situation; the smaller the viewing area, the faster the refresh rate. When you spot something that looks fishy, just move the cursor over it on-screen and you can save the location as a waypoint in your GPS. You can also split your screen views to look at 360 Imaging and traditional down-looking sonar at the same time, or for both fish-finding and chart-plotting. Humminbird units which are compatible with the 360 Imaging system include the 1198 SI Combo, the 998 SI, 898c SI, and the 798ci HD SI. For more information, go to www.humminbird.com.

Humminbird 360

tem, gives you a view to kill for in each and every direction. Sweep range is 150’, and you’ll still get a bottom depth while looking around laterally. The system relies on much of the same technology as Humminbird’s side scanning, which essentially utilizes much higher frequency beams to take an incredibly detailed snapshot of what’s under the water. Speaking generally for a frame of reference, common dual-frequency fishfinders will have beams reaching out in the 100/200 kHz range while these detailoriented beams are closer to the 400/800 kHz range. Higher frequencies put out shorter, quicker sound waves, which can’t travel very far but are sensitive to small returns. Lower frequencies, on the other hand, can travel much farther but those longer, less frequent pulses aren’t as sensitive. As a result of using these uber-high frequencies, you go blind after 150’ but what you see in those first 150’ includes items as small as sprigs of weeds and individual tree branches. Of course, in order to look in every direction you need a multi-element transducer that can see in every direction. And traditionally on large commercial boats, this required mounting a retractable dome the size of a basketball in your boat’s hull— not exactly ideal, for a sport angler. The Humminbird 360 system does, however, follow this same basic principal. A round transducer pod that’s closer to the size of T F & G

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a baseball deploys via a retractable pole which mounts to your boat’s transom. You can control it with either your Humminbird fishfinder or a button on the pole itself, and

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Industry Insider

Harborwalk Accents Galveston’s Tropical Flavor West Galveston Bay is seductively tropical. Ask any angler who has sight-casted to huge speckled trout on its clear flats and you will discover a Florida sort of feel right

portions of the giant Galveston Bay complex are a short ride down the Intracoastal. “We are 10 nautical miles from the Galveston Jetties and 30 from Freeport which make us a draw for offshore enthusiasts. We are an important place for the Galveston/Houston area anglers who still pursue offshore fishing,” Cunningham said. Harborwalk has an eight to 11- foot deep canal with 38 and 60-foot transient boat slips available on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. There is also a marina with on the

Photo: Harborwalk

Harborwalk’s world class yacht club.

here in the Lone Star State. For anglers and other coast lovers, Harborwalk is the premier master-planned lifestyle community right at the juncture of West Galveston Bay and Buoy Marker 59 on the Intracoastal Waterway. It features beautiful canal and bay front homes with breathtaking views and much, much more. Harborwalk offers select custom home sites, coastal cottages, and lifestyle bungalows. Dock your yacht at the marina and spend time in the gorgeous Yacht Club. “We have a really great location for anglers, boaters and people who just want to get out in a beautiful area and relax. That is one of our keys to success,” said marina manager Rob Cunningham. Galveston Bay itself offers tremendous fishing opportunities with the clearest water found on the Upper Coast and the other

water fuel as well as various types of live and dead bait used for inshore and offshore fishing. “We really have all you need to get supplied up and on the water,” Cunningham said. Harborwalk recently reached some important milestones that cleared the way to begin new construction of improvements and amenities to the property. These include some improvements to the grounds, including the relocation of access gates, signage and new landscaping. Architects are also drawing up plans for our new entry monument, fitness center, tennis courts, and lighthouse to take things here to a new level. Harborwalk is the perfect place for someone who enjoys the coastal lifestyle whether they want to sip drinks and watch the sun set over the bay or engage in

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intense coastal sportfishing. “This is all about the coastal lifestyle. We are excited to offer something high quality, unique and conveniently located for Houston/Galveston area residents. If you want to see something special come see what Harborwalk is all about,” Cunningham said. —Staff Report

Spirits, Mules & Hogs in San Saba San Saba is a unique community. Located in the northern tier of the Texas Hill Country it is known widely for its pecans. In fact, San Saba is known as the “Pecan Capital of the World”. Those who visit the friendly community know it for a unique local flavor, great hunting and fishing and now for “The Hawg Waller.” “The Hawg Waller is a liquor store as unique as our city. We of course have a full stocking of liquor but we also have much, much more,” said Elizabeth Moody. A fine example is the Texas-based foods and crafts. “We carry a wide selection from Fredericksburg Farms food items for example. They have lots of spices and sauces and preserves and jellies and things like that,” Moody said. “And if it is unique gifts you want we have great liquor sets as well as crafts like beautiful wind chimes.” Deer season is a busy time for The Hawg Waller and once it ends things get even more interesting. “We book hog hunts and we do most of them from horseback and muleback. If someone wants a truly unique Texas experience, hog hunting from a horse or a mule is a hit,” Moody said. A horse or mule helps the hunter traverse the rugged country and keep up with dogs that are seeking out and chasing the

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Photo: The Hawg Waller

John Hoenow and Elizabeth Moody of The Hawg Waller in San Saba.

wily beasts but not everyone is required to ride an animal. “We have ATVs available for those who want to participate but maybe can’t ride a horse and we also have other kinds of hog hunts available as well. Our hog hunting team are true experts and we have plenty of hogs,” Moody said. Plenty indeed. The region like much of the state is inundated with hogs and last year they held a big hog contest to much fanfare. The Hill Country has been known as a deer haven for decades but hog hunting is gaining equal popularity and drawing in people from around the country due to reality television shows based on hogs and their bad reputation. “We hope people stop by and visit us. There is always something going on here whether it is a little barbecue outside or a hunter dropping by with a big hog. We are in a beautiful part of the state and we are very friendly in San Saba. If you are coming through or just want to make a trip out to see what is all about we would love to have you,” Moody said. (Hawg Waller Liquors is located at 808 S Hwy 16, San Saba, Texas 76877. You can reach them at 325-372-2337 and “like” them on Facebook.) —Staff Report

all of this and more – and at the Zancudo Lodge, a fishing lodge like no other, you’ll find a tropical retreat that offers an unparalleled sportfishing experience in a lush, beach resort setting. The Zancudo Lodge is the leading exclusive Costa Rican fishing lodge with over 70 IGFA world records to its credit. The Zancudo Lodge is located just four miles from Golfito, Costa Rica on the southern Pacific coast and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Coto River to the east, making it the perfect location for sportfishing. The lodge has a fleet consisting of 12 modern 28-foot center consoles powered by twin Suzuki four-stroke engines and are equipped with the latest in electronics, live wells and outriggers. Zancudo’s captains are second to none and are experts at helping you find and land some of the most beautiful, hardest fighting fish in the world. Regardless of what you want to catch, Zancudo can offer a variety of species and there are no limits to what you can target.

Photos: Zancudo Lodge

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Rooster fish provide plenty of inshore excitement.

in between 30-200 lbs – and Zancudo specializes in popper fishing for these drag screamers. If you prefer inshore fishing, you can go head-to-head with species including the prized rooster fish on all types of tackle

Double-digit yellowfin tuna, marlin and sailfish are always a possibility at Zancudo.

Experience Costa Rica at Zancudo Lodge If you’re like most fishing enthusiasts, you’re always on the lookout for exciting new adventures and the thrill of landing the perfect fish after a memory-making, muscle- straining fight. Costa Rica offers

If you want to get in the ring with a giant marlin, offshore both blues and blacks frequent Costa Rican waters. Pacific Sailfish are the biggest draw to Costa Rica with double digit days always possible on large pacific sails from 75- 150 lbs. Mahi mahi often invade Zancudo Lodge waters in the early part of the season and yellowfin tuna can show up at anytime with fish weighing

and, if you can handle the challenge, you could even land a huge cubera snapper. If you prefer fly fishing, Zancudo can accommodate your every fishing need – all species can be targeted on fly, in fact, fly fishing is considered a lodge specialty. Zancudo’s fleet and professional, English-speaking captains and crew are Lush ocean views included! A L M A N A C

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Fish and Game Gear

Pathfinder Bay Crusher

be converted from dry storage to a fishbox with an optional macerator. Other notable options are a newly designed fiberglass hardtop, a third livewell, aft deck seating, dual 10’ Blade Series Power Poles and an array of two-tone color packages. “We’ve had this boat in development for quite a while now to be sure that the finished product would offer something

as a console seat, designated cast net and battery storage boxes in the floor and 5 large dry storage compartments. Additional standard features include two livewells (15 gallon bow and 48 gallon stern with 1100 GPH pump), lockable and under gunwale rod storage for rods to 9’ and a forward 80-gallon insulated bucket that can

truly unique to the market. In our opinion, the Bay Crusher does that and more. Imagine chasing birds offshore one hour and pitching to potholes on the flats the next. I know this boat is going to completely change the way I fish, and I expect it will do the same for a lot of other serious anglers,” commented Scott Deal, CEO

Photo: Maverick Boat Co.

Maverick Boat Company Inc, (MBC), builders of the Pathfinder brand of bay boats, announced the release of its newest Pathfinder, the 2600 HPS Bay Crusher. The latest addition to the fully revamped

unencumbered cockpit. Designed for high performance running in big-water conditions, the hull’s running surface combines a technical arrangement of two steps, lifting strakes and a bustle transom, and accepts up to a single 350 HP outboard mounted on a standard 6” jackplate. The boat comes with a gelcoat –matched fiberglass cooler that doubles

Pathfinder’s new 2600 HPS Bay Crusher.

Pathfinder model line –up, the boat is designed to offer offshore running and fishing capability never before seen in a trolling motor compatible bay boat with a 15” draft. At 26’ 2” and with an 8’10” beam, the Bay Crusher has substantially increased casting deck space fore and aft, 27” of interior freeboard at midships and a large,

industry insider there to make your fishing adventure one you won’t forget.  The lodge has recently undergone an extensive renovation and features a tropical-themed bar, open air dining room and game room – all overlooking a picturesque private beach and the magnificent Golfo Dulce. While you’re

enjoying the postcard-worthy view, you can dine on exceptional meals – prepared with the freshest local ingredients by the lodge’s resident chef. After a day of fishing, you can chill out by the pool or retire and relax in your spacious room. All of Zancudo’s luxuriously-appointed rooms and suites have all of the comforts of home, including air conditioning, com-

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plimentary Wi-Fi and international phone service.  There’s never been a better time to fish in Costa Rica, and there’s no place like The Zancudo Lodge. Book your reservation now at www.zancudolodge.com.  —Staff Report

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Photo: Streamlight

Stinger Classic LED Streamlight has introduced the Stinger Classic LED, a rechargeable flashlight that is similar in size, shape and feel to the original Xenon Stinger, but that also features an extremely powerful LED. The new light is an update to the standard flashlight used by law enforcement and other professionals the world over. It was designed in response to customers who appreciate the compact size and simpler functionality of the original Xenon Stinger model, but who also want the advantages of the latest in LED technology.” The updated model offers three microprocessor-controlled variable intensity modes and a strobe function. It delivers 390 lumens and 13,200 candela peak beam intensity on the high setting, 210 lumens and 6,500 candela on medium, and 100 lumens and 3,100 candela on low. Run times range from 6 hours and 45 minutes on low to 1 hour and 45 minutes on high. The Stinger Classic LED features a C4 LED for extreme brightness that is impervious to shock with a 50,000 hour lifetime. The new light is available with either a 3-cell, 3.6 volt Ni-Cd or Ni-MH sub-C battery, both of which are rechargeable up to

Stinger Classic LED also includes a multifunction, push-button switch, designed for extremely long life. The new light measures 7.65 inches in length and weighs only 11.1 ounces. It fits all existing Stinger series charger-holders. It is IPX4 rated for water-resistant operation and is impact resistance-tested to up one meter. For additional information please call 800-523-7488 or visit www.streamlight.com.

World’s Fastest, Most Powerful Rimfire Cartridge In 2013, Winchester Ammunition will arm small game hunters with the most revolutionary rimfire cartridge in the company’s almost 150-year history – the .17 Winchester Super Magnum. The The .17 Winchester Super Magnum rimfire high velocity varmint cartridge with polymer tip.

.17 Win Super Magnum offers the downrange performance of a centerfire cartridge at only a fraction of the cost. For the first time in history, hunters can expect pinpoint accuracy and Streamlight Classic devastating perforLED rechargeable mance from a rimfire flashlight. cartridge at ranges well past 200 yards. 1,000 “At 3,000 feet per second it’s the fasttimes. Fabriest modern rimfire cartridge on the planet. cated from 6000 The downrange energy deposited by the series machined aircraft .17 Win Super Mag will be a game-changaluminum with an anodized finish, the er for varmint and predator hunters everyT F & G

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where,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing, sales and strategy. The .17 Win Super Mag will initially be offered in three bullet types: a 20-grain plastic tip in the Varmint HV (High Velocity) line, 25-grain plastic tip in the Varmint HE (High Energy) line and a 20-grain jacketed hollow point in the legendary Super-X™ line. Each .17 Win Super Mag bullet will far surpass the longrange wind drift and bullet-drop limitations of popular rimfire calibers like .22 Win Mag and .17 HMR, while depositing more than 150 percent more energy than both. Each of the brand-new .17 Win Super Mag symbols will be offered in a 50-round box and 1,000-round case. The ammunition will be available at Winchester dealers by April 2013. Photo: Winchester

and president of MBC. Pathfinder Boats are built by Maverick Boat Company, Inc. of Fort Pierce, FL. Maverick Boat Company is privately owned and operated and is the manufacturer of the best in breed boat brands Maverick, Hewes, Pathfinder and Cobia. For more information call Charlie Johnson at 772.465.0631 or visit www.pathfinderboats.com or www.mbcboats.com.

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For more information on the .17 Win Super Mag, visit www.winchester.com.

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

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Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast

by Capt. Eddie Hernandez

arch is without a doubt, one of the most exciting times of the year for me. When it comes to spending time outdoors it is hard to beat the month that kick starts a warming trend that will carry us deep into the summer months on Texas’ upper coast. Most days will be pleasant and breezy so you should be able to enjoy God’s great outdoors comfortably without having to worry too much about off the chart temperatures and humidity levels. Granted, Old Man Winter may still have a few tricks up his sleeve, especially during

“ Old Man Winter may have a few tricks up his sleeve.

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Find Your Therapy on Sabine

the first half of the month, but there should be plenty of mild, spring like days for you to take advantage of while you pursue your favorite outdoor therapy. Mine happens to be coastal fishing and that’s why you should have little problem finding me breathing the salt air somewhere on Sabine Lake. The actual fishing part of it takes a back seat to just being out there, bonding with nature. There is no better time to do this than now because with the month of March

comes an abundance of new life. From trees to flowers to butterflies to baitfish, new life begins to blossom as the early stages of a new season gradually warms the earth. The fishing can be pretty darned good too. That is, if those breezy days don’t get too carried away. Some of the finest flounder fishing of the year cranks off this month. The Louisiana shoreline, from Blue Buck Point to Coffee Ground Cove has the potential to come alive this month, especially if we can string a few mild days together. Water temperatures continuing to climb, coupled with big, strong March tides should bode well for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Curl tailed grubbs like Flounder Pounder’s CT Shad and Gulp swimming Mullet in limetreuse and glow\ chartreuse are hard to beat. Trout and redfish will also cruise the shoreline as they aggressively feed on mullet, shad and shrimp and should be more than willing to accept any offering you have for them. Topwaters, soft plastics and slow sinkers should all get the job done on the protected shoreline with a good, strong incoming tide. As usual, your odds go way up if you concentrate your efforts on areas that are holding bait. You owe it to yourself to come join us for some good ol’ March therapy on Sabine.

the bank bite Location: North Levy Rd. (Pleasure Island) Species: Flounder Redfish Trout Baits/lures: Finger mullet, live shrimp Best Times: Incoming Tide

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Hotspots Focus: Galveston

by Capt. Mike Holmes

hile we can never really be sure what sort of temperatures we will face in March, wind will normally be in the forecast. The direction that wind is coming from will have a lot to do with the temperatures, but the velocity is of more concern to fishermen. Our prevailing breezes in spring and summer will usually be from the Southeast, but March winds are as likely to have a westerly or easterly origin. Either of these plays hell with surf fishing, as they influence currents to run side-to-side down the beach. Any seaweed or debris in the water will then wind up on fishing lines of the long rod guys, and enough in the guts will make it difficult to work lures or bait on smaller tackle. A cold wind blowing down the beach is also more uncomfortable than one that hits you face-on. An east wind will at least support decent tide height, while one from the west of sufficient strength and duration can almost empty the bays. For those who can catch a decent window of opportunity to fish, cool water temperatures will still favor natural bait over artificials. Fish of all types are more attracted by scent in this weather than by sight or sound. Luckily, crabs and even hardhead catfish are not anywhere nearly as active as in warm water, so a dead natural bait will last longer on a hook than in spring or summer. Unfortunately, most fish will still be a lot less active, so moving baits around may produce better results than allowing them to sit in one spot. This is where a combo offering such as a small jig tipped with a piece of shrimp or even squid really shines. Combining the scent, taste and feel of natural bait with the ability to be cast better and worked slowly over a larger area T F & G

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“ Cool water will still favor natural bait over artificials.

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Forward – March!

of bottom can work really well. Using the tail section of a fresh finger mullet behind a jig head works well even if you do not use a plastic shrimp tail, but some sort of skirt partially covering the bait is even better. Live baits like finger mullet, small croaker and mud minnows can also be slowly crawled over sand or mud bottoms. On a shell bottom it is best to float the bait above obstructions. This can be done with a small plastic bubble in front of the bait with just

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enough buoyancy to keep the hook off the bottom, but still let the bait ride well under the surface. A few reds and trout will be taken with these techniques in deeper water, and there will be a few flounder and croaker around also. Whiting don’t get very big, but can make for a nice fish fry. March will usually see big black drum migrating from deeper water offshore into shallower areas to stage for spawning. Prime spots to wrestle with them will be the channel side of the jetties, beachfront piers and rock groins, and around the Texas City Dike. Black drum are nowhere near the fighters their red cousins are, but it is still best to use stout tackle for them. Besides having to contend with barnacles, rocks and pier pilings, big drum must be released. Any fish to be released should be caught as quickly as possible, within reason, to help insure that it survives the release. Not many folks eat big drum (although the smaller, CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

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Hotspots Focus: Matagorda

by Mike Price

Pulling the Triggers

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The triggers were water temperature and strong current.

he temperature above and below the water was 67°F in early March when Brian Tulloch, my wife Janet, and I fished Spanish Lake and its adjacent bayous on the south shore of West Matagorda Bay. The water was low and the tide was outgoing. This combination made the fish active. We caught a dozen redfish, six trout, and one flounder (not all keepers) on Clouser Minnow flies, gold

spoons, and Gulp soft plastics. The triggers that made this day come together were water temperatures approaching 70°F, and a strong current flowing out of the marsh into the bay. Most of the fish were caught in the bay less than 50 yards from where the

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bayous drained into the bay. March is a good time to set up a long drift on the west side of East Matagorda Bay in search of large springtime trout. If you have the predominate southeast wind, start your drift by lining up with the tall cell tower just north of the Intracoastal Waterway and east of the Harbor and the offshore oil rig on the south. You will drift over several oyster reefs. Fishing maps show Long Reef and Raymond Reefs in this area. Live shrimp are the preferred bait, but they are not always available. Becky Porch from Russell’s Bait and Tackle at the Matagorda Harbor said, “We try to always have live bait shrimp, but it is harder to find during the cold water months.” Artificial lures like the slow sinking MirrOlure Catch 2000, or a topwater like the Heddon Super Spook tend to draw strikes from big trout. Kayak fishermen may want to try Parker’s Cut. I fished Parker’s Cut on a strong incoming tide and found hungry redfish. After paddling across the Old Colorado River and pulling my kayak over 150 yards of land, I launched into Parker’s Cut. The water was brown/green because recent rains were pushing fresh water into the back waters of the Diversion Channel which is adjacent to Parker’s Cut, and nothing was hitting, so I continued into West Matagorda Bay, which was about a 45 minute paddle, and then fished the shoreline to the south. The water color changed to green and that is where the redfish were. They hit on red and white Bass Assassins tipped with a bit of Gulp. Flounder come back into the bays from their offshore migration in February and March. To fish for them on an outgoing tide, look for a place where water flows from a vast marsh area through a narrow entrance to the Bay or larger channel. Spring Bayou Cove on the southwest side of East Matagorda Bay and the west side of the Diversion Channel in West Matagorda Bay are good flounder fishing spots. Live mud minnows or menhaden work well for bait, or if you like to fish for flounder with soft plas-

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Galveston focus tics, try my favorite flounder lure, pumpkin/ pearl, 4 and ½ inch, Norton Sand eel Jr.

the bank bite Location: When the water temperature is from 65° to 70°F, you may catch the spring black drum run. Nathan and Krista Moczygemba were fishing from the pier that goes out into the Gulf of Mexico, next to the Matagorda Bay Nature Park in March. Nathan said, “We fished from the pier for a couple of hours and caught 25 black drum. Krista seemed to have the best touch. She caught seven in 30 minutes.” Live or dead shrimp, fresh cut crab or cut mullet work well for black drum. Use fairly heavy tackle and a drop net so that you can bring in oversized drum quickly and release them live. The limit is five black drum, between fourteen and thirty inches. Drop your line on the west side of the pier, because there is a rock jetty on the east side that will snag your tackle.

Contact Mike Price at MPrice@fishgame.com

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deeper, warmer water.

t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 73 puppy black drum eat nearly as good as redfish), so there is little reason to keep and kill them. Stout rods with reels spooling at least 30# test—which will handle big offshore fish that fight a lot harder than drum—with a heavier line shock leader” of several yards, will allow an angler to use some muscle on a big drum, but probably not overpower it. Blue crabs quartered with a strong circle hook run through the leg holes not only make it easier to successfully release a fish, but also aid in hooking them. March is not usually the kind of month the tourist bureaus like to feature in their advertising, but it only lasts for, well, a month. Spring is around the corner with better weather and better fishing!

the bank bite

Species: A few reds and trout will still be found, but more likely pan fish and black drum will make up most catches. Best Baits: Live or dead bait finds few bait stealers to molest it, and jig and bait combinations offer the best of natural and artificial lures. Best Times: Tidal changes and current movement might not pay off as well as in warmer weather, but you have to play the hand you are dealt.

Capt. Mike Holmes runs tarpon, shark, and bluewater trips on a classic 31 Bertram. To book a trip, call 979-415-0535. Email him at MHolmes@fishgame.com.

Location: Piers, rock groins, and walk-able portions of jetties allow anglers on foot to reach

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Hotspots Focus: Rockport

by Capt. Mac Gable

Tourney Time

in charge of our nation’s budget; we would end up with a balanced budget. The up side to these tournaments is you meet a lot of special people and at the end of the day when I lay my head on the pillow I just feel better about myself. Just being around these special cause events give’s one hope about our future. The truth is I hesitate to participate every time I am asked and when I put these in my schedule book I know I will have to make special arrangements for that day. My good friend and kindred spirit (and outstanding guide) Danny Goyen (1-361-564-7471) and I often joke that just getting bait and getting your boat launched without injury to life, limb or equipment on these challenging days is a victory for the day in itself. I can’t recall the last time my clients or I won one of these tourneys, but I do try my best given the circumstances. As I get older, just being around such special people seems to be the reward I appreciate the most. I would like to mention the tourneys that I have participated in over the years and because of the sheer scope will try and limit it to just those events that are for supportive causes and are generally in the Rockport area. Please forgive if I leave some out. If you like to get involved in special events that help folks out or support our fishing future, please contact the organizers of these special events. If you can’t donate money, no problem! Most would welcome a helping hand in whatever way you can assist. Following is a list of those with a brief description or mission statement representing their cause or organization. Please contact them directly for dates and entrance fees.

s springtime peeks around the corner at us, the month of March is also a time when special event coordinators are busy laying the groundwork for the many tournaments that engulf (no pun intended) our gulf coast cities. I have to admit that I am a sucker for “worthy causes” and in these challenging times more of these charities are springing up. It’s hard here in Rockport to find a weekend during the spring and summer months when there is not some sort to tournament going on. Some are just sport related money makers while the majority seem be bona fide heart-felt causes to help those less fortunate than ourselves. I get numerous requests every year to help in one way or another with many of these fund raising tournaments and honestly have a hard time saying no. As a guide I am often asked to cut my fee or help coordinate such events. My knee jerk reaction after many years in this business is “oh boy here we go again,” but unless my calendar is booked I almost always say yes. For most saltwater guides, fishing tournaments make our daily lives “more challenging” and while we do want to support good causes, the added traffic at bait stands and boat ramps, the sheer number of fishing boats on our waterways and the extra time spent at weigh in or in meetings at the end of the guide’s day can make for one worn out guide. Bait stands, especially those that service guides, will increase their normal inventories with no guarantee that the extra bait will even be purchased. I know of several bait stands that geared up for big tournaments only to have several thousand dollars of live bait go unused. My hat is off to these bait businesses, for I don’t know how they balance supply and demand. I am thinking we need to put them

Zazu Fishing Tournament (sponsored by Camp Aranzazu - Camp Aranzazu was founded in March 2002 by Houston and Rockport residents Holly and Tom Forney who acquired an 86-acre property on Copano Bay in Rockport, Texas, and in November 2004, gifted it to Camp Aranzazu. Valued at over $1.8 million, the site was originally an Episcopal Church retreat facility with

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existing camp grounds that was completely renovated for the camp as part of a successful $1.4 million Phase I Capital Campaign. It is a place that serves those who have difficult paths before them: physical disabilities, chronic illnesses and terminal diseases. At Camp Aranzazu they will find respect, love and freedom from the obstacles that challenge them so that they may enjoy the independence so many take for granted. This is a special place, and those who serve this organization, like Tom and Holly Forney, Tammie and Tracy Shelton and all those special workers will surely be given special crowns in heaven for their dedicated support of such special children. Get involved in this special camp and you will walk away with much more than you give. Contact: info@camparanzazu.org Rockport Yak-Attack Kayak Fishing Tournament. www.rockportyakattack.com. This non-profit event is organized with the goal of generating proceeds and publicity to directly benefit Camp Aranzazu while promoting kayak fishing in the Rockport area. Copano Energy Cast for the Cure Fishing Tournament is held every year in Aransas County. This is a well-run and organized event with the proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If this dreaded disease has ever touched your life this is a good way of getting involved in its hopeful cure while at the same time having a lot of fun. People like Lori Beth Carreon with The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation make this a very special event for us all! The event will be in August 2013. lcarreon@ cff.org Texas Game Wardens Association, Go for Fish, Not Drugs Fishing Tournament For more than a generation, the Texas Game Warden Association (TGWA) has introduced young Texans to the beauty and value of our land and wildlife. TGWA’s members have devoted millions of hours, as well as funding, to educate more than 300,000 boys and girls. Natural role models, game wardens are uniquely qualified

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professionals teaching outdoor skills to youth hungry for one-on-one relationships and for hands-on experience with the outdoors. You are invited to become a part of this special organization. Your support is critical to the association’s ultimate goal of “Conservation for Future Generations.” tpwdgw0206@ yahoo.comcom Casting For a Cause Tournament Pack up your best lures and bring them for the most exciting and fastest growing fishing tournament in the Coastal Bend –Casting for a Cause. Proceeds from Casting for a Cause benefit Heroes on Water, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and other Coastal Bend charities. steven.schmidt@nustarenergy.com Texas CCA Star Tournament - The State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo (STAR) Tournament is the annual membership recruitment drive for CCA Texas. The tournament spans the entire Texas Gulf Coast and offers current CCA Texas members the chance to win over $1,000,000 in prizes and scholarships. Fishing categories include speckled trout, flounder, sheep head, gaff top, dorado, king mackerel and ling (cobia). There is also a special tagged redfish division in which winners receive complete boat and truck combos. In order to ensure a fair and impartial outcome, the tournament is professionally directed. It is also zero-budgeted, which means that the money raised is put back into the event in the form of media, prizes and more scholarships. The STAR Tournament runs from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. Babes On The Bay - If you have been in the Rockport area for any length of time then you are aware of this tournament and for all the frivolity displayed during Babes on the Bay, the event actually is a serious fundraiser organized by Karol Scardino and a team of CCA volunteers. Over the years, the event has raised tens of thousands of dollars, mostly to fund coastal fish hatcheries through the Lone Star Legacy endowment, a program of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation. A portion of the cash supports the Texas Game Wardens Association’s Go for Fish Not Drugs kids fishing tournament each June, along with several other charities. In 2012 CCA Babes donated $20,000 to the Cedar Bayou Project. Contact: ccababes@ gmail.com Salt Water Sweeties Tournament - The Coastal Bend Guides Association (CBGA) T F & G

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hosts the Annual Saltwater Sweeties Ladies Amateur Fishing Tournament. The CBGA is a non-profit organization that was established to increase the awareness among guides and outdoors men and women of the affairs of the Texas state government relating to the outdoor sportsman industry. By helping those less fortunate, CBGA has also become a leader in community interaction. For over ten years, CBGA has been a vital provider to organizations such as Driscoll Children’s Hospital and the South Texas Children’s Home; as well as, hosting Texas Driscoll Chemo Kids Fishing. The Saltwater Sweeties Tournament is their annual fundraiser that helps make all this possible. Supporting Saltwater Sweeties is a wonderful opportunity for those that cater to the fishing industry. Over 200 women across Texas will be participating in this year’s tournament. Contact: info@cbga.org Hooked on Youth Fishing Tournament - San Antonio Oink Inc. is a non-profit based organization that supports youth engaged in agricultural projects as well as agricultural career goals through education. Agriculturally geared youth receive financial support from the proceeds made at youth livestock shows and auctions. Fundraising for this organization comes through benefit auctions, fishing tournaments and of course the generous support of our business community. www.saoinkinc.com. There are many other tournaments that take place in Rockport. These are the ones I have participated in and invite you to get involved in as I know the donations and/ or help would be much appreciated, you just might feel better about the world when your do. • • • Copano Bay - The bait bite is still slow but on the warmer days live shrimp, when you can find it, is a good choice. Used free lined or on a light Carolina rig, the bite will be subtle with delayed hook sets, the ticket for putting fish in the box. The west shoreline close to Black Point is good for reds and black drum with the occasional nice trout caught as a bonus. The mouth of Mission Bay is still good for reds using cut menhaden. Patience is the key here, letting scent from the bait work its way into reefs in the bay. A L M A N A C

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Aransas Bay - The grass lines adjacent to the north end of the new causeway is a good place for trout. Fish the edge of the grass line on top of the black mud, as the mud holds heat the trout seek on cooler days. Sheep head action is still good on mid-bay rigs; use small hooks and cut squid. Braided line works best to horse the fish away from the rig pilings. St. Charles Bay - East shoreline across from the boat ramp is a good wade for reds using red/gold spoons. In clear water conditions stealth is the key. Cast 360 degrees about 50 yards away from the east shoreline. The mouth of Twins Creeks is still producing keeper black drum using peeled shrimp. A light Carolina rig is best here. If you are missing fish, delay your hook sets and/or go to smaller wide gapped hooks. Carlos Bay- Slow drifts across Carol Lake will produce some keeper trout using soft plastics in watermelon and new penny colors. Carlos Dugout is still holding some trout on colder days; use deep running lures in bone and white and red colors. On warmer days top water lures work well here using poppers or skitter- walked super spooks. Mesquite Bay - The mouth of the bay close to the ICW is a good setup for reds using finger mullet. It’s best when the current is mild. Add weight to a Carolina rig when the current picks up to keep bait down close to the bottom. Ayers Bay - Still some good black drum on the east shoreline using peeled shrimp or cut squid. The west shoreline has been holding some keeper reds using soft plastics in morning glory and electric grape colors.

the bank bite The west shoreline of St. Charles Bay is good for black drum and a few slot reds using live shrimp. The key here is getting the bait far enough out as the fish this time of year frequent the deep-water edges.

Contact Capt. Mac Gable at Mac Attack Guide Service, 512-809-2681, 361-790-9601 G a m e ®

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Hotspots Focus: Lower Coast

by Calixto Gonzales

Channeling March Madness

here are two things that in March that are as close to sure bets as you can ever have. First, it is a lead-pipe cinch that some no-hope team from a tiny college in a remote part of the United States will win four NCAA Tournament games it’s supposed to lose, make the quarter finals, and absolutely trash everyone’s brackets, except for the housefrau in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, who added that team to her bracket because the coach had nice eyes. Second: the wind on the Lower Texas Coast is going to blow. And blow. Anglers who pull up to the boat ramps in Port Mansfield, Arroyo City, and Port Isabel will see the trees swaying from the stiff southeasterlies that dominate March weather. When you see that, you can either call no-joy or go back to the café for breakfast, or you can gird yourself and go anyway. You can always try and find some shelter from the wind by making a run up into the Brownsville Ship Channel. This big ditch is the artery that links Lower Laguna Madre and the Intracoastal Waterway to the Port of Brownsville, the southernmost major port in the United States. The combination of deep water, ledges, pilings, shoreline structure, and side canals also makes for an ecosystem that provides for excellent fishing opportunities for anyone willing to make the long run up the Channel. Moreover, the buildings on the southern bank help to act as a windbreak in most situations. The ride back to home may be a bit rough, but stick to the shallows on the southern bank, and you should be safe. One of the most accessible fishing sites on the Ship Channel is the area known as the

Y (26.042067, -97.204833). This linkup between the Port Isabel Canal and the Ship Channel has a large island that bisects the intersection between the two water bodies. The shoreline of the island holds good-sized redfish, especially where small guts push into the island. On a flood tide, it is possible to see redfish tailing inside these guts and indentations. On calmer days, large speckled trout also hang out along the shoreline and closer to the drop-off edges. The best bet to tempt these bruisers is a live shrimp under a Mansfield Mauler or Cajun Thunder, especially if the wind is up. The standard marsh lures (topwaters, gold spoons, and soft plastic jerkbaits) are also excellent for this situation. If a cold front does cause temperatures to dip, or if the trout and redfish don’t seem to be very cooperative, it doesn’t take too much to back up a bit and fish the drop-off around the edges of the island. Trout will hold on the edges, as do some chunky sheepshead. Black drum of varying sizes (ranging from slot-sized fish to beasts over 40 inches) also roam up along the deeper part of the channel, especially on the south side of the island. If you move further up the channel, you’ll note some concrete riprap lining the edge of the shoreline. It doesn’t hurt to pull up to these formations and bounce a soft plastic, Gulp! Shrimp, or live shrimp on a split shot rig to see if anyone is to home. Reds like this area, and when there is a warm trend, you will find mangrove snapper and sheepshead. Even further up the channel is the Highway 48 Boat Ramp channel and Low Water Bridge. In March, there is little boat traffic coming out of this ramp. Fish the points that are formed by the mouth of the channel with live or fresh shrimp on a Carolina Rig for both drum and snapper. Don’t be surprised if you latch on to some 12-14 inch croaker while working the area. The loud panfish is starting to have a greater presence along the lower Texas Coast, and Texas Parks and Wildlife indicates that numbers are beginning a slow, but steady increase.

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Once you start to approach the industrial part of the Ship Channel, you will begin to notice side channels, such as the one at 25.972089, -97.343159. The riprap on the points of the channel entrances hold sheepshead and mangrove snapper in March, and some of those fish can get rather large. Last year, several mangroves in the 5 to 7 pound range were yanked out of one of the side channels. Use live shrimp on a free-line rig, and let it sink along the contour of the point. Standard trout tackle will work, but leave the 10-pound test at home. These fish require at least 14 pound, and perhaps even 17-pound line to horse them out of their environment. 8/30 braid is even more effective, and if the fish are really holding tight to the structure, I’ll go to 10/40 or even 12/60. Trout and redfish will also cruise along the riprap, especially in areas where it lines a section of the Channel. They’ll also take a live shrimp that is intended for other species. The docks in the industrial area are fish magnets, but exercise caution and common sense while fishing up in the ship channel. A lot of these areas have work going on around them 24 hours a day, and the dockworkers and security personnel don’t take kindly to boats getting too close because of safety and security concerns. There are plenty of areas to fish where you maintain a respectful distance from the oil rigs being built or the ships being loaded/unloaded. There is no need to become a nuisance.

the bank bite Location: Highway 48 Bridge at Laguna San Martin Species: Snook, Mangrove snapper Best Baits: Live Shrimp, finger mullet. Soft plastics in red/white, chartreuse/white. Tip: Fish bridge pilings on incoming tide.

Contact Calixto Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins, mirr-o-lure provoker, CONTACT: Capt. Greg Francis 409-790-8107 captgreg@saltwaterassault.com TIPS: Use soft plastic lures. Slow down your retrieve and use lighter leadheads. Look for muddy streaks that will hold bait and in turn game fish. Watch for bait & slicks.

UPPER GULF COAST

East Bay Reds Go to the Dogs by GEORGE KNIGHTEN gtkphoto@yahoo.com LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Yates Cove GPS: N29 29.57256, W94 35.82018 (29.492876, -94.597003) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Top Dogs, Corkys, Bass Assassins, CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 GalvestonBayGuideservice.net TIPS: Can be waded or drifted. boat traffic can affect this spot. Work up close to the shoreline. LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Wildlife Refuge GPS: N29 34.3356, W94 32.9775 (29.572260, -94.549625) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top Dogs, Corkys, BassAssassins, 51 M mirr-o-lures CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 GalvestonBayGuideservice.net TIPS: Drift or wade, good spot for winter trout. Use mullet imitation lures. Slow sinking mullet imitation lures like the corky or 51 series Mirr-o-lure can work well. Soft plastics worked real slowly can be effective. LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Moses Lake GPS: N29 26.6673, W94 55.88412 (29.444455, -94.931402) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins, Mirr-o-lures, Soft plastic CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten

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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.

832-310-9146 GalvestonBayGuideservice.net TIPS: If real cold fish the deep hole in the NW corner, if warm fish the flats. Work the lures Slow this time of year. LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Jacks Pocket GPS: N29 46.86384, W94 44.36382 (29.781064, -94.739397) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top dogs, Bass Assassins, mirro-lures, corks CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 GalvestonBayGuideservice.net TIPS: Good wading in the flats on the top end. topwaters can be effective, also slow sinking mullet imitations. LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: Scotts Bay GPS: N29 44.79852, W95 2.43978 (29.746642, -95.040663) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastic, mirr-o-lures, live shrimp, Bass Assassins CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 GalvestonBayGuideservice.net TIPS: Great spot to drift in the winter, lots of scattered shell. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Cut GPS: N29 16.11912, W94 58.73694 (29.268652, -94.978949) F ish

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LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Offatts Bayou Long Reef GPS: N29 16.7976, W94 51.6123 (29.279960, -94.860205) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastic or live bait CONTACT: Capt. Thomas Barlow 281-827-6815 texxan2000@yahoo.com Notoriosguideservice.com TIPS: Work the drop-offs and shell humps, watch for active bait to key you in to the fish. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Campbell’s Reefs GPS: N29 19.67616, W94 53.5614 (29.327936, -94.892690) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwater, Soft plastic lures, Bass Assassins CONTACT: Capt. Greg Francis 409-790-8107 captgreg@saltwaterassault.com TIPS: Drift or wade the shell humps along the shoreline, look for active bait and slicks. LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Jones Bay GPS: N29 18.61644, W94 55.593 (29.310274, -94.926550) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: BassAssassins or other soft plastic lures CONTACT: Capt. Thomas Barlow 281-827-6815 texxan2000@yahoo.com Notoriosguideservice.com TIPS: Drift or wade the shell islands. Also the wade the grass on the shoreline.

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LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Chocolate Bay GPS: N29 11.70162, W95 7.36818 (29.195027, -95.122803) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastic lures, Bass Assassins CONTACT: Capt. Greg Francis 409-790-8107 captgreg@saltwaterassault.com TIPS: Work the edges of the shell humps, also the mouths of the bayous can produce. LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Sabine Neches Canal GPS: N29 53.84622, W93 54.29346 (29.897437, -93.904891) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Black Gillraker worm soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Edie Hernandez 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 ehernandez@fishgame.com TIPS: Using the drift of the boat, drag worms along the bottom. LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: Blue Buck Point GPS: N29 47.77998, W93 54.43902 (29.796333, -93.907317) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Pink Skitter Walk, Bone Top Dog topwaters CONTACT: Capt. Eddie Hernandez, 409-721-5467, or 409673-3100 TIPS: Topwaters early in the morning, switching off to soft plastics, such as Flounder Pounder later in the day.

TIPS: Throw 51 series when wading; 52 series when drifting. LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Half Moon Reef GPS: N28 33.84102, W96 14.166 (28.564017, -96.236100) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, black Norton Sand Eels CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordafishing.com TIPS: Start the morning throwing topwater lures working the guts; switch to Sand Eels later in the morning.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Go West for Copano Specks by GEORGE KNIGHTEN gtkphoto@yahoo.com LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: West Shoreline GPS: N28 8.865, W96 58.197 (28.147750, -96.969950) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp under a popping cork;

B&L Corky lures or Catch 2000 in Bone or natural colors CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth 361-790-8354 TIPS: Look for bait rafting up on the shorelines. LOCATION: Copano Bay HOTSPOT: Turtle Pen Cut GPS: N28 12.18798, W97 1.227 (28.203133, -97.020450) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp under a popping cork; B&L Corky lures or Catch 2000 in Bone or natural colors CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth 361-790-8354 TIPS: If water is cold look for fish over mud bottoms LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: JFK Causeway GPS: N27 38.07102, W97 14.46102 (27.634517, -97.241017) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: 3/4-ounce; gold spoons CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails 361-949-0133 jonfails9@gmail.com www.landcut.com TIPS: The flats around the Causeway can produce some good redfish action in March. LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay

LOCATION: Sabine Lake HOTSPOT: South Causeway Reef GPS: N29 47.22102, W93 55.91898 (29.787017, -93.931983) SPECIES: flounder BEST BAITS: live finger mullet or mud minnows; Pearl or chartreuse colored plastic grubs CONTACT: Capt. Edie Hernandez 409-721-5467, 409-673-3100 ehernandez@fishgame.com TIPS: Tip the grubs with a piece of fresh shrimp. LOCATION: San Luis Pass HOTSPOT: San Louis Pass Flats GPS: N29 5.673, W95 6.88002 (29.094550, -95.114667) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 52 and 51 series Mirr-O-Lures CONTACT: Capt. Steve Hillman, 409-256-7937 T F & G

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Texas Hotspots HOTSPOT: Packery Channel GPS: N27 37.4856, W97 12.8826 (27.624760, -97.214710) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails 361-949-0133 jonfails9@gmail.com www.landcut.com TIPS: Good location for anglers without a boat; take Hwy 361, exit at the bridge. Free line lived shrimp with a lightweight. LOCATION: Port Aransas HOTSPOT: Quarantine Shore GPS: N27 55.00602, W97 4.06998 (27.916767, -97.067833) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastic baits or live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree 361-222-0477 jebarbree@yahoo.com www.barbree-guide-service.com TIPS: Water temperature will determine what water depth fish will be found. LOCATION: Redfish Bay HOTSPOT: Inside Hog Island GPS: N27 56.35998, W97 1.24998 (27.939333, -97.020833) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp or mullet CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree 361-222-0477 jebarbree@yahoo.com www.barbree-guide-service.com TIPS: Best time to fish is in the afternoon after the water has warmed. LOCATION: Rockport HOTSPOT: Blackjack Shoreline GPS: N28 7.27302, W96 57.31998 (28.121217, -96.955333) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastic baits CONTACT: Capt. John Barbree 361-222-0477 jebarbree@yahoo.com www.barbree-guide-service.com TIPS: Work the shoreline while drifting. LOCATION: San Antonio Bay HOTSPOT: Panther Reef

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GPS: N28 18, W96 43.19802 (28.300000, -96.719967) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp under a popping cork CONTACT: Capt. Brad Smyth 361-790-8354 TIPS: Fish mid bay oyster shell bottoms if the wind allows. LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Pure Oil Channel GPS: N27 31.57002, W97 17.85 (27.526167, -97.297500) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: 1/2-ounce jigheads with soft plastics in either brown/chartreuse tail or white CONTACT: Capt. Jon Fails 361-949-0133 jonfails9@gmail.com www.landcut.com TIPS: Look for heavy grass areas.

LOWER GULF COAST

Laguna Specks Take a Drumming by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: The Drum Boat GPS: N26 10.713, W97 11.10702 (26.178550, -97.185117) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, live or dead mullet, topwaters, gold spoons, soft plastics in red/white, gold/metalflake, mullet CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the deeper water to the west for speckled trout. Trout will hold around the edges of potholes and will hit soft plastics or live shrimp under a popping cork. Gulp! Shrimp are a good choice if bait is scarce. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Black’s Bluff GPS: N27 13.97202, W97 31.11198 (27.232867, -97.518533) SPECIES: speckled trout F i s h

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BEST BAITS: live bait; Catch 5 or Catch 2000’s or Topwaters in chrome/blue, baby trout, soft plastics in Baffin Magic, Morning Glory, plum/ chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Wade around the rocks with suspending lures or an eel-type plastic bait. Use fluorocarbon leader for abrasion resistance and invisibility. Use light (1/16the ounce) heads. LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: Tide Gauge GPS: N27 18.08202, W97 27.51198 (27.301367, -97.458533) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live bait; Catch 5 or Catch 2000’s or Topwaters in chrome/blue, baby trout, soft plastics in Baffin Magic, Morning Glory, plum/ chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: This is the month, and this is the spot, for the trout of your dreams. Wade the area with topwaters or soft plastics fished slowly. Watch for nervous mullet to tip off the presence of Ms. Big. Be patient, though; these trout hit when they want to. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Unnecessary Island GPS: N26 13.81098, W97 16.34202 (26.230183, -97.272367) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, live or dead mullet, topwaters, gold spoons, Logic Tandem Rigs in Gold/metalflake, black/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: If March is true to form, weather will start warming up, and the redfish will start spreading out on the shallow flats. You can fish more aggressively and work lures faster than normal for reaction strikes. Live bait or tandems are good with a Mauler. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Stover Cove GPS: N26 13.93002, W97 19.39002 (26.232167, -97.323167)

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SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, Logic Solo or Tandem rigs in Pearl/chartreuse, pearl/pink, black/ chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Fish the windward shoreline where the waves start to push bait into the shallows. Fish your lures or bait in a frantic retrieve. Use live shrimp on cloudy days or in stained water. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Horsehead Bay GPS: N26 20.87298, W97 19.70802 (26.347883, -97.328467) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, gold spoons, Logic Tandems in gold/glitter CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: This is very, very skinny work; best suited to technical skiffs, tunnel boats, and kayaks. If

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you get in there, look for mud boils or tailing reds. Keep your rod tip high while retrieving to keep your lure visible. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Coast Guard Station GPS: N26 4.36002, W97 10.03098 (26.072667, -97.167183) SPECIES: sheepshead BEST BAITS: live shrimp, fresh shrimp CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Fish the channel drop-offs and channel markers in the boat channel that passes in front of the Coast Guard station with live shrimp or fresh shrimp on free line rigs. The bigger fish are on the edges. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Coast Guard Station GPS: N26 4.36002, W97 10.03098 (26.072667, -97.167183) SPECIES: black drum BEST BAITS: live shrimp, fresh shrimp CONTACT:

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Captain Mike Hart 361-985-6089, 361-449-7441 captmike@brushcountrycharters.com brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Black drum are available along the channel edges, especially when tidal flow is pushing water off the flats. Use a 1/2-ounce egg sinker on fish finder rig with large shrimp. Most will be 14-20inch fish, but there will be some big bruisers, too. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: King Ranch GPS: N26 46.30602, W97 28.35198 (26.771767, -97.472533) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft baits in Pearl/chartreuse, glow/chartreuse, purple/chartreuse Topwaters in baby trout, mullet, Bone CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries 956-289-3631 TIPS: Fish the deeper water near the spoils with soft plastics. If there has been a warm stretch, try topwaters in shallower water early in the morning. Look for weedlines and fish them thoroughly. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: The Saucer

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Texas Hotspots GPS: N26 27.64002, W97 22.24992 (26.460667, -97.370832) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft baits in Pearl/chartreuse, glow/chartreuse, purple/chartreuse Topwaters in baby trout, mullet, Bone CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries 956-289-3631 TIPS: This area offers both a chance to put some good solid trout in the box, and a shot a truly big fish. Fish topwaters slowly near spoils for the bigger trout, or the weed and potholes with plastics for chunky trout hungry after the winter. LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Bennie’s Shack GPS: N26 30.23898, W97 23.64798 (26.503983, -97.394133) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft baits in Pearl/chartreuse, glow/chartreuse, purple/chartreuse Topwaters in baby trout, mullet, Bone CONTACT: Captain Steven Devries 956-289-3631 TIPS: I don’t know who Bennie is, but he picked a good spot. Watch for birds working over feeding trout in deeper water West of what’s left of the shack. Drift past the island, and, come back around to 200 in front of it, repeat.

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Take a Drive for Conroe Hybrids by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Lakeshore Drive Point GPS: N30 24.738, W95 34.926 (30.412300, -95.582100) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: live shad, Storm Swim Shad CONTACT: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277 admin@fishdudetx.com fishdudetx.com TIPS: Fish the main lake points and humps for trophy hybrids in water 28-40 feet. Follow the fish on your graph as they move up and down the water column hour by hour. Live shad is the bait of choice. LOCATION: Caddo HOTSPOT: Ames Basin GPS: N32 42.99354, W94 6.26364 (32.716559, -94.104394)

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SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: swimbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Paul Keith 318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Concentrate on fishing the lures as close as possible next to the moss and roots at the bases of the cypress trees in 2-4 feet of water. More trophy-sized bass are caught this way from February through April than at any other time of the year. LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Chaney Creek GPS: N32 47.848, W95 33.603 (32.797467, -95.56005) SPECIES; largemouth bass BEST BAITS: spinnerbait, Shimmy Shakers, Long A’s, and Mister Twister Comida worms in Watermelon Red flake and black/blue flake CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Bass are beginning their spawn and can be found in main lake pockets and in the back of main lake creek channels. LOCATION: Livingston HOTSPOT: White Rock Creek GPS: N30 58.44222, W95 20.22444 (30.974037, -95.337074) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Roadrunners, Bear Paws Ribbed Shad, Rat-L-Traps, Blue Fox Sassy Shad CONTACT: David S. Cox 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: The best time is following a warming trend. Go all the way up the creek until the water clears. Fish the sand bars and points where they drop-off into deeper holes. Fish slowly until you find the fish. LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Islands GPS: N32 52.4979, W94 41.67036 (32.874965, -94.694506) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, crankbaits CONTACT: Sonny Kopech 903-592-8221 Marion.Kopech@HDSupply.com

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TIPS: This is a great spawning area for bass in March and April. Target the button willow islands, fishing tight in the willows with worms and jigs. Prior to going on their nests, the bass will hold tight in the willows near future nest areas. LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Bayou Seipe GPS: N31 44.08698, W93 51.32694 (31.734783, -93.855449) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Crappie jigs, shiners CONTACT: Greg Crafts 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com toledobendguide.com TIPS: The crappie are moving to shallow water to spawn. Work the back pockets in the coves that are protected from the wind. If you catch a fish, slow down because there will be more. LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Bayou Seipe GPS: N31 43.9512, W93 51.14664 (31.732520, -93.852444) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, stick baits, Rat-LTraps, topwater lures, shallow crankbaits CONTACT: Greg Crafts 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com toledobendguide.com TIPS: The bass are beginning to seek shallow water to spawn. Work the creeks and ditches leading to the flats early in the month. The bass will be moving in and out from the spawning areas. Fish the area slowly.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Fayette Catfish Eat at Joes by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com LOCATION: Fayette County Res. HOTSPOT: Joe’s Jigging Hole GPS: N29 55.56996, W96 43.37112 (29.926166, -96.722852) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shad, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com

LOCATION: Cedar Creek HOTSPOT: Caney Creek Feeder Creek GPS: N32 12.1452, W96 2.36106 (32.202420, -96.039351) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, plastic worms, jigs CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Bass are on the upper end of the spawning season with most females still looking for nests prepared by the males. Fish slowly between the docks with spinnerbaits and under them with worms and jigs. Also fish any isolated stumps and stickups nearby.

HOTSPOT: Dam Area Points GPS: N33 20.38422, W95 39.38238 (33.339737, -95.656373) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: swimbaits CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tawakonifishing.com TIPS: Hybrids will be in shallow water this month. Target points close to deep water with four-inch

LOCATION: Cedar Creek HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake Humps GPS: N32 16.24296, W96 8.99418 (32.270716, -96.149903) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs, swimbaits, minnows CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-603-2047 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish main-lake humps and longer points early, starting shallow and moving out to 18-22 feet as the sun rises. Most of the fish will be just off the bottom but expect some to be suspended halfway down. Keep a close watch on your graph for schools. LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N31 55.33284, W97 12.89472 (31.922214, -97.214912) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Little Georges, Tail Hummers CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com teamredneck.net TIPS: Have your binoculars handy. The birds still are working and following white bass feeding on shad spawning around the island. Triplet Point also is producing lots of white bass at this time of the year. Chrome and chartreuse are good colors. LOCATION: Cooper

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FishTalesGuideService.com TIPS: This water is as deep as 50 feet. Anchor and cast chum or range cubes around the boat. Fish straight down on a tight line or with a large slip cork with a large weight to get the bait to the bottom. There is a sunken bridge east of the GPS point.

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Texas Hotspots swimbaits with 1/2-ounce jigheads. Concentrate on points 10 feet deep or less and cast all the way to the bank. White bass also use these areas to spawn. LOCATION: Lavon HOTSPOT: Tickey Creek GPS: N33 6.72168, W96 29.56632 (33.112028, -96.492772) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Black-blue, black-chartreuse jigs, small minnows CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick 214-232-7847 straightlineguide@yahoo.com straightlineguide.com TIPS: As the water warms, the fish are moving to the backs of the creeks looking for spawning water. I use a 1/16-ounce head rigged 18-inches below a bobber. Most females are staging in 6-10 feet of water. Small minnows also work well at night. LOCATION: Lewisville HOTSPOT: Shallow Flats GPS: N33 8.35452, W96 56.48088 (33.139242, -96.941348) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh gizzard and threadfin shad CONTACT: Bobby Kubin

817-455-2894 bobby@bobby-catfishing.com bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: This is a good time to target big blue catfish in shallow water. Look for wind-blown banks close to deep-water drop-offs and channels. Use fresh shad with Dead Red Blood Spray on a Carolina rig or Santee Cooper rig with two-ounce weights. LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Upper River Area GPS: N32 18.07644, W95 26.85996 (32.301274, -95.447666) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Fish live minnows or crappie jigs under slip corks around the stumps and laydowns along the edge of the channel and in the small creeks and cuts. Chartreuse, black-blue and black-red are good color selections. LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Caney Tributary GPS: N32 9.40728, W95 30.05796 (32.156788, -95.500966) SPECIES: largemouth bass

BEST BAITS: Floating plastic lizards, plastic worms, topwaters CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Start at the small island at the mouth of the creek and fish the shallow shoreline on the right all the way to the back of the creek. Also fish the stumps on the north side of the island and nearby boat docks with Texas or Carolina-rigged worms. LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Upper Lake Flats GPS: N32 13.80012, W95 28.30698 (32.230002, -95.471783) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Earthworms, dead minnows, shrimp CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 ricky@rickysguideservice.com rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Rig the minnows, earthworms or shrimp on single hooks Carolina-sytle. Drift the baits across the humps near the channels at about 12 to 15 feet. Baiting stretches you plan to drift across with soured maize can increase the number of fish you catch. LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Open Water Points GPS: N32 49.55208, W95 57.61518 (32.825868, -95.960253) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: Sassy Shads CONTACT: Tony Parker 903-348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com tawakonifishing.com TIPS: Fish the shallower humps and wind-blown points in water 2-20 feet deep where stripers and hybrid stripers will go with spawning on their minds. Fish numerous areas with four-inch lures. LOCATION: Texoma HOTSPOT: Cedar Mills Area GPS: N33 50.39496, W96 47.76108 (33.839916, -96.796018) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Pencil Poppers, Chug Bugs, Sassy Shad jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey 877-786-4477

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bigfish@striperexpress.com striperexpress.com TIPS: Stripers are moving up-river at this time of the year in the spawning mood. Target the shallow points and flats off the islands and creeks on the upper reaches of the lake. Chartreuse and white are good colors. LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney-Towash Shallows GPS: N31 54.74622, W97 20.61546 (31.912437, -97.343591) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Cut gizzard shad, live gizzard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck@hotmail.com teamredneck.net TIPS: The gizzard shad are spawning in the brush and grass between the creeks. Make long casts into the open pockets and retrieve slowly. Watch for herons to lead you to feeding fish. Expect to catch black bass here, too. LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: Nolan River GPS: N32 5.21904, W97 28.08774 (32.086984, -97.468129) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Sassy Shads, Flea Fly CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck@hotmail.com teamredneck.net TIPS: The mouth of the Nolan River attracts lots of spawning white bass, just as does the mouth of Whitney Creek on the lower end of the lake. Tie the Fles Fly 10-inches above the Sassy Shad, make long casts and bump the lures across the bottom.

Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: Fish the mouth of this creek as well as Bluff Creek and the mouths of the larger coves for pre-spawn bass. Fish the ledges and other dropoffs close to deep water. Occasionally move out to 15 to 20 feet on the rocky points.

PANHANDLE

PK Bass Cranked Up and Jerky by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

BIG BEND

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Rock Creek GPS: N32 58.50246, W98 24.23094 (32.975041, -98.403849) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, Slabs, spoons CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: Watch for herons and gulls feeding on shad chased to the surface by white bass and stripers. Concentrate on shallow water, especially after a fresh runoff. If the fish are not shallow, back off to 20 feet and jig the lures off the bottom. LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Caddo Creek GPS: N32 51.18756, W98 32.59932 (32.853126, -98.543322) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: crankbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits, jigs CONTACT:

Roughing It on Amistad by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Rough Canyon Area GPS: N29 34.20456, W100 58.4892 (29.570076, -100.974820) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, crankbaits, soft plastic jerkbaits CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl 830-768-3648 stan@amistadbass.com amistadbass.com TIPS: Fish the shallow pockets in the various arms off the river channel. Start at the mouths of the coves and work your way to the back of them

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N31 59.2065, W96 8.45046 (31.986775, -96.140841) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Silver Glitter RSR Shad Slabs CONTACT: Royce & Adam Simmons 903-389-4117 royce@gonefishin.biz www.gonefishin.biz TIPS: Watch for the gulls and pelicans diving down to pick up shad. Concentrate on drop-offs and ridges in 20 to 30 feet of water. Bounce the slabs off the bottom. Most fish will be white bass but you can catch some big hybrids here, too.

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Texas Hotspots slowly. On bright days, make long casts with soft plastic jerkbaits and Carolina-rigged worms.

HILL COUNTRY

Spook Some Canyon Stripers by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Turkey Cove Area GPS: N29 51.597, W98 13.18998 (29.859950, -98.219833) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Bass Kandie Brush Buster CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com, TIPS: Fish with a Castaway Drop Shot rod or Shaky Head rod. Good colors for the lures are blue fleck, Watermelon red or candy and June bug on bright days and green pumpkin if overcast. Look for fish attractors in the cove. LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Potter’s Creek GPS: N29 54.612, W98 14.1474 (29.910200, -98.235790) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Zara Spook CONTACT: Steve Nixon 210-573-1230

steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Look for striped bass to surface while feeding on shad. They will be suspending over the river channel and chasing shad on the flat next to Potter’s Creek Park. Stay with the topwater lure for the best action. LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: San Gabriel River GPS: N30 41.2779, W97 21.7377 (30.687965, -97.362295) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: In-line spinners, plastic grubs, jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: This is a great time of the year for bank fishermen to catch just as many fish as boaters. Fish the eddy areas for spawning white bass. Fish the thickest, shallow brush for male crappie and straight out from it at the same depths for the females. LOCATION: Lake Granger HOTSPOT: Willis Creek GPS: N30 41.67216, W97 22.89144 (30.694536, -97.381524) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Small white jigs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell 512-365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com gotcrappie.com TIPS: Walk in from County Road 348 and fish the eddies below gravel bars with small white jigs.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Put in Some Road Work for Bass by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: FM 3074 Roadbed GPS: N26 51.72222, W99 16.78482 (26.862037, -99.279747) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Fish the brush in two to four feet of water slowly with pumpkin green, black and blue or black-chartreuse jigs. Work the open areas between the brush with crawdad-colored crankbaits and spinnerbaits, especially over submerged rocks near the banks. LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Veleno Creek GPS: N26 53.60664, W99 14.57088 (26.893444, -99.242848) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Lake Fork swimbaits, Skinny Deepers, 10-inch plastic worms, magnum plastic lizards CONTACT: Robert Amaya 956-765-1442 robertsfishntackle@gmail.com robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Veleno Creek is a big bass haven in the early spring. Fish the flats close to the main creek channel and tributary creek channels. You will find post-spawn bass there along with spawning bluegills. The best lure colors are Watermelon red.

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Sportsman’s Daybook Tides and Prime Times

MARCH 2013

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T11

T10

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

T9 T8 T7

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

T15 T16

T6 T17

T3 T2 T1

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

T13 T5

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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

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

T21

Tide Correction Table

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:

Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

12p

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/PM Timeline

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

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

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NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY

= Peak Fishing 7:45-9:40 AM Period BEST:

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 6:48a Set: 6:15p Moonrise: 6:26p Set: 6:22a

Sunrise: 6:47a Set: 6:16p Moonrise: 7:24p Set: 6:58a

Sunrise: 6:46a Set: 6:17p Moonrise: 8:23p Set: 7:35a

Sunrise: 6:45a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 9:24p Set: 8:13a

Sunrise: 6:44a Set: 6:18p Moonrise: 10:27p Set: 8:54a

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

« 26

« 27

Mar 1

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 6:43a Set: 6:19p Moonrise: 11:31p Set: 9:39a

Sunrise: 6:42a Set: 6:20p Moonrise: None Set: 10:29a

AM Minor: 4:28a

PM Minor: 4:52p

AM Minor: 5:15a

PM Minor: 5:39p

AM Minor: 6:05a

PM Minor: 6:29p

AM Minor: 6:59a

PM Minor: 7:24p

AM Minor: 7:56a

PM Minor: 8:22p

AM Minor: 8:55a

PM Minor: 9:23p

AM Minor: 9:56a

PM Minor: 10:25p

AM Major: 10:40a

PM Major: 11:03p

AM Major: 11:27a

PM Major: 11:57p

AM Major: -----

PM Major: 12:17p

AM Major: 12:46a

PM Major: 1:11p

AM Major: 1:43a

PM Major: 2:09p

AM Major: 2:41a

PM Major: 3:09p

AM Major: 3:42a

PM Major: 4:10p

Moon Overhead: None 6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:32a

Moon Overhead: 12:45a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 2:21a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:05a

Moon Overhead: 3:12a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

¡ Feb 25

12a

Tides and Prime Times for MARCH 2013

Moon Overhead: 5:01a 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 12:21p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

High Tide: 2:54 am Low Tide: 9:42 am High Tide: 4:41 pm Low Tide: 9:49 pm

Moon Underfoot: 1:56p BEST:

6:30 — 8:30 PM

1.00 ft. -0.16 ft. 0.95 ft. 0.42 ft.

High Tide: 3:48 am Low Tide: 10:16 am High Tide: 5:00 pm Low Tide: 10:25 pm

1.01 ft. -0.04 ft. 0.93 ft. 0.27 ft.

7:30 — 9:30 PM

High Tide: 4:46 am Low Tide: 10:51 am High Tide: 5:17 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

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1.01 ft. 0.11 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.12 ft.

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Moon Underfoot: 2:46p

Moon Underfoot: 3:38p

BEST:

8:30 — 10:30 PM

High Tide: 5:50 am Low Tide: 11:28 am High Tide: 5:33 pm Low Tide: 11:51 pm

Moon Underfoot: 4:33p

9:30 — 11:30 PM

BEST:

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BEST:

10:30P — 12:30A

1.00 ft. High Tide: 7:03 am 0.98 ft. Low Tide: 12:42 am 0.30 ft. Low Tide: 12:07 pm 0.51 ft. High Tide: 8:28 am 0.92 ft. High Tide: 5:45 pm 0.93 ft. Low Tide: 12:46 pm High Tide: 5:54 pm -0.03 ft.

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 5:30p 11:00P — 1:00A

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:08p

Low Tide: 1:42 am High Tide: 10:07 am Low Tide: 1:30 pm High Tide: 5:58 pm

-0.27 ft. 1.00 ft. 0.89 ft. 1.02 ft.

2 0 1 3

+1.0 0 -1.0

2/26/13 4:02 PM

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 Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 6:41a Set: 6:20p Sunrise: 6:40a Set: 6:21p Sunrise: 6:39a Set: 6:21p Moonrise: 12:34a Set: 11:24a Moonrise: 1:35a Set: 12:23p Moonrise: 2:32a Set: 1:25p

Sunrise: 6:37a Set: 6:22p Moonrise: 3:24a Set: 2:28p

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 6:36a Set: 6:23p Moonrise: 4:11a Set: 3:32p

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 6:35a Set: 6:23p Moonrise: 4:53a Set: 4:34p

SUNDAY

DST « 10

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 7:24p Moonrise: 6:33a Set: 6:35p

AM Minor: 10:57a

PM Minor: 11:26p

AM Minor: 11:56a

PM Minor: -----

AM Minor: 12:22a

PM Minor: 12:51p

AM Minor: 1:15a

PM Minor: 1:43p

AM Minor: 2:05a

PM Minor: 2:32p

AM Minor: 2:52a

PM Minor: 3:18p

AM Minor: 4:39a

PM Minor: 5:04p

AM Major: 4:42a

PM Major: 5:11p

AM Major: 5:41a

PM Major: 6:10p

AM Major: 6:37a

PM Major: 7:06p

AM Major: 7:29a

PM Major: 7:57p

AM Major: 8:18a

PM Major: 8:45p

AM Major: 9:05a

PM Major: 9:31p

AM Major: 10:51a

PM Major: 11:16p

Moon Overhead: 5:59a

12a

THURSDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:57a

Moon Overhead: 6:59a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:54a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:41a

Moon Overhead: 9:49a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:31p 12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

»4

Tides and Prime Times for MARCH 2013

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 6:29p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Low Tide: 2:50 am High Tide: 11:55 am Low Tide: 2:35 pm High Tide: 5:48 pm

92 |

-0.35 ft. Low Tide: 4:06 am 1.06 ft. High Tide: 1:20 pm 1.02 ft. 1.05 ft.

M A R C H

ALMANAC Digital.indd 92

2 0 1 3

Moon Underfoot: 8:26p

Moon Underfoot: 9:22p

BEST:

12:30 — 2:30 AM

-0.40 ft. Low Tide: 5:22 am 1.12 ft. High Tide: 2:06 pm Low Tide: 7:40 pm High Tide: 9:57 pm

T e x a S

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

-0.44 ft. 1.15 ft. 1.00 ft. 1.02 ft.

F i s h

Low Tide: 6:32 am High Tide: 2:38 pm Low Tide: 7:48 pm High Tide: 11:45 pm

Moon Underfoot: 10:16p

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

T F & G

-0.39 ft. High Tide: 1:07 am 1.09 ft. Low Tide: 8:26 am 0.74 ft. High Tide: 3:27 pm Low Tide: 8:46 pm

Moon Underfoot: 12:07a

+2.0

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 AM

-0.44 ft. Low Tide: 7:32 am 1.13 ft. High Tide: 3:03 pm 0.89 ft. Low Tide: 8:14 pm 1.04 ft.

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 11:07p

4:00 — 6:00 AM

1.09 ft. -0.29 ft. 1.05 ft. 0.56 ft.

High Tide: 3:17 am Low Tide: 10:13 am High Tide: 4:49 pm Low Tide: 10:21 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 7:28p

1.13 ft. -0.15 ft. 1.01 ft. 0.38 ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

2/26/13 4:02 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 93

2/26/13 4:02 PM

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 Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Sunrise: 7:33a Set: 7:25p Moonrise: 7:10a Set: 7:34p

Sunrise: 7:32a Set: 7:25p Moonrise: 7:47a Set: 8:33p

Sunrise: 7:31a Set: 7:26p Moonrise: 8:23a Set: 9:30p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

l 12

« 13

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

« 14

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 7:26p Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 7:27p Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 9:01a Set: 10:26p Moonrise: 9:41a Set: 11:21p Moonrise: 10:22a Set: None

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 11:06a Set: 12:15a

AM Minor: 5:26a

PM Minor: 5:50p

AM Minor: 6:14a

PM Minor: 6:38p

AM Minor: 7:04a

PM Minor: 7:27p

AM Minor: 7:56a

PM Minor: 8:19p

AM Minor: 8:49a

PM Minor: 9:12p

AM Minor: 9:42a

PM Minor: 10:06p

AM Minor: 10:35a

PM Minor: 10:59p

AM Major: 11:38a

PM Major: 12:02p

AM Major: 12:02a

PM Major: 12:26p

AM Major: 12:52a

PM Major: 1:16p

AM Major: 1:44a

PM Major: 2:08p

AM Major: 2:37a

PM Major: 3:01p

AM Major: 3:30a

PM Major: 3:54p

AM Major: 4:22a

PM Major: 4:47p

Moon Overhead: 1:20p 6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 2:54p

Moon Overhead: 2:07p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:41p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:17p

Moon Overhead: 4:29p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:05p 12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

« 11

12a

Tides and Prime Times for MARCH 2013

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 12:56a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 AM

5:30 — 7:30 AM

High Tide: 4:21 am Low Tide: 10:57 am High Tide: 5:11 pm Low Tide: 10:57 pm

94 |

1.16 ft. 0.04 ft. 0.98 ft. 0.22 ft.

M A R C H

ALMANAC Digital.indd 94

High Tide: 5:21 am Low Tide: 11:37 am High Tide: 5:32 pm Low Tide: 11:35 pm

2 0 1 3

Moon Underfoot: 2:31a

Moon Underfoot: 3:18a

BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 AM

F i s h

0.01 ft. 1.12 ft. 0.61 ft. 0.97 ft.

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 4:53a

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

1.16 ft. High Tide: 6:21 am 1.15 ft. Low Tide: 12:14 am 0.23 ft. Low Tide: 12:15 pm 0.43 ft. High Tide: 7:21 am 0.97 ft. High Tide: 5:53 pm 0.97 ft. Low Tide: 12:49 pm High Tide: 6:12 pm 0.09 ft.

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 4:05a

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Low Tide: 12:55 am High Tide: 8:25 am Low Tide: 1:19 pm High Tide: 6:28 pm

T F & G

-0.03 ft. 1.08 ft. 0.76 ft. 0.98 ft.

9:00 — 11:00 PM

Low Tide: 1:39 am High Tide: 9:37 am Low Tide: 1:43 pm High Tide: 6:34 pm

-0.02 ft. 1.05 ft. 0.89 ft. 1.00 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 5:41a

+2.0

BEST:

10:00P — 12:00A

Low Tide: 2:30 am High Tide: 11:03 am Low Tide: 1:58 pm High Tide: 5:57 pm

0.01 ft. 1.03 ft. 0.98 ft. 1.03 ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 1:43a

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

2/26/13 4:02 PM

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Best Day SUNDAY

Tides and Prime Times for MARCH 2013

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 7:29p Moonrise: 11:53a Set: 1:06a

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 7:29p Moonrise: 12:41p Set: 1:55a

Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 7:30p Moonrise: 1:32p Set: 2:40a

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 7:30p Moonrise: 2:25p Set: 3:23a

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 7:31p Moonrise: 3:20p Set: 4:04a

º 19

Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 7:32p Moonrise: 4:15p Set: 4:42a

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 7:32p Moonrise: 5:12p Set: 5:18a

AM Minor: 11:26a

PM Minor: 11:50p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:15p

AM Minor: 12:39a

PM Minor: 1:02p

AM Minor: 1:24a

PM Minor: 1:47p

AM Minor: 2:07a

PM Minor: 2:30p

AM Minor: 2:48a

PM Minor: 3:11p

AM Minor: 3:29a

PM Minor: 3:53p

AM Major: 5:14a

PM Major: 5:38p

AM Major: 6:03a

PM Major: 6:27p

AM Major: 6:51a

PM Major: 7:14p

AM Major: 7:35a

PM Major: 7:59p

AM Major: 8:18a

PM Major: 8:42p

AM Major: 9:00a

PM Major: 9:23p

AM Major: 9:41a

PM Major: 10:04p

Moon Overhead: 6:54p

12a

SATURDAY

12p

Moon Overhead: 8:29p

Moon Overhead: 7:42p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 9:16p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:49p

Moon Overhead: 10:03p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 11:36p 12a

12p

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 6:30a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Low Tide: 3:30 am High Tide: 1:04 pm Low Tide: 1:55 pm High Tide: 5:02 pm

8:00 — 10:00 AM

0.05 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.07 ft.

Low Tide: 4:40 am High Tide: 4:33 pm

Moon Underfoot: 8:05a BEST:

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 95

Moon Underfoot: 9:40a

BEST:

1:00 — 3:00 AM

0.09 ft. Low Tide: 5:53 am 1.09 ft. High Tide: 2:58 pm

Moon Underfoot: 8:53a

BEST:

1:30 — 3:30 AM

0.12 ft. Low Tide: 6:55 am 1.10 ft. High Tide: 3:06 pm Low Tide: 8:55 pm High Tide: 11:59 pm

A L M A N A C

Moon Underfoot: 10:26a BEST:

T e x a S

F i s h

4:00 — 6:00 AM

0.14 ft. High Tide: 1:14 am 1.12 ft. Low Tide: 8:26 am 0.91 ft. High Tide: 3:35 pm Low Tide: 8:47 pm

G a m e ®

+2.0

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM 3:00 — 5:00 AM

0.13 ft. Low Tide: 7:44 am 1.11 ft. High Tide: 3:19 pm 0.98 ft. Low Tide: 8:38 pm 1.03 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 11:13a

1.08 ft. 0.17 ft. 1.12 ft. 0.80 ft.

M A R C H

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 7:18a

High Tide: 2:17 am Low Tide: 9:04 am High Tide: 3:51 pm Low Tide: 9:10 pm

2 0 1 3

1.15 ft. 0.22 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.65 ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

2/26/13 4:02 PM

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 Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 6:10p Set: 5:55a

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 7:10p Set: 6:31a

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 7:34p Moonrise: 8:12p Set: 7:10a

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 7:34p Moonrise: 9:16p Set: 7:51a

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 10:21p Set: 8:36a

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

« 26

¡ 27

« 28

« 29

SATURDAY

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 11:26p Set: 9:25a

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:36p Moonrise: None Set: 10:19a

AM Minor: 4:11a

PM Minor: 4:35p

AM Minor: 4:55a

PM Minor: 5:19p

AM Minor: 5:43a

PM Minor: 6:08p

AM Minor: 6:36a

PM Minor: 7:02p

AM Minor: 7:34a

PM Minor: 8:02p

AM Minor: 8:36a

PM Minor: 9:05p

AM Minor: 9:41a

PM Minor: 10:11p

AM Major: 10:23a

PM Major: 10:46p

AM Major: 11:07a

PM Major: 11:31p

AM Major: 11:56a

PM Major: -----

AM Major: 12:22a

PM Major: 12:49p

AM Major: 1:20a

PM Major: 1:48p

AM Major: 2:22a

PM Major: 2:51p

AM Major: 3:26a

PM Major: 3:56p

Moon Overhead: None 6a

12p

Moon Overhead: 1:13a

Moon Overhead: 12:24a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 2:04a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:55a

Moon Overhead: 2:58a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:53a 12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

« 25

12a

Tides and Prime Times for MARCH 2013

12a

feet

Moon Underfoot: 12:00p

+2.0

-1.0

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

TIDE LEVELS

BEST:

High Tide: 3:14 am Low Tide: 9:41 am High Tide: 4:09 pm Low Tide: 9:41 pm

96 |

1.22 ft. 0.30 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.48 ft.

M A R C H

ALMANAC Digital.indd 96

Moon Underfoot: 1:38p BEST:

6:00 — 8:00 PM

High Tide: 4:11 am Low Tide: 10:20 am High Tide: 4:27 pm Low Tide: 10:16 pm

2 0 1 3

1.30 ft. 0.41 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.30 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 2:31p BEST:

7:00 — 9:00 PM

High Tide: 5:08 am Low Tide: 10:59 am High Tide: 4:44 pm Low Tide: 10:55 pm

T e x a S

1.36 ft. 0.55 ft. 1.14 ft. 0.11 ft.

F i s h

Moon Underfoot: 3:26p BEST:

8:00 — 10:00 PM

High Tide: 6:07 am Low Tide: 11:41 am High Tide: 5:01 pm Low Tide: 11:38 pm

Moon Underfoot: 4:24p BEST:

G a m e ®

T F & G

+2.0

BEST:

9:00 — 11:00 PM 3:00 — 5:00 AM

1.41 ft. High Tide: 7:11 am 1.43 ft. Low Tide: 12:26 am 0.71 ft. Low Tide: 12:24 pm 0.88 ft. High Tide: 8:21 am 1.15 ft. High Tide: 5:17 pm 1.19 ft. Low Tide: 1:10 pm High Tide: 5:30 pm -0.04 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 5:23p 10:00P — 12:00A

-0.16 ft. 1.43 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.23 ft.

Low Tide: 1:19 am High Tide: 9:38 am Low Tide: 2:03 pm High Tide: 5:41 pm

-0.23 ft. 1.42 ft. 1.18 ft. 1.26 ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 12:48p

+1.0 0 -1.0

A L M A N A C

2/26/13 4:02 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 97

2/26/13 4:02 PM

Sportsman’s Daybook Tides and Prime Times

MARCH 2013

TIDE forecast for GALVESTON CHANNEL (29.3166° N, 94.88° W) SOLUNAR forecast for TEXAS CENTER (31.14° N, 99.39° W) MONDAY

25 ¡

High Tide: 2:54 am Low Tide: 9:42 am High Tide: 4:41 pm Low Tide: 9:49 pm

TUESDAY PRIME TIME

1.00 ft. -0.16 ft. 0.95 ft. 0.42 ft.

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 6:32p Moonrise: 6:44p Set: 6:42a AM Minor: 4:46a AM Major: 10:58a PM Minor: 5:10p PM Major: 11:21p Moon Overhead: 12:17a Moon Underfoot: 12:40p

4»

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 2:50 am High Tide: 11:55 am Low Tide: 2:35 pm High Tide: 5:48 pm

-0.35 ft. 1.06 ft. 1.02 ft. 1.05 ft.

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 6:37p Moonrise: 12:57a Set: 11:39a AM Minor: 11:15a AM Major: 5:00a PM Minor: 11:44p PM Major: 5:30p Moon Overhead: 6:18a Moon Underfoot: 6:48p

11 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:21 am Low Tide: 10:57 am High Tide: 5:11 pm Low Tide: 10:57 pm

1.16 ft. 0.04 ft. 0.98 ft. 0.22 ft.

5:00 — 7:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:52a Set: 7:42p Moonrise: 7:29a Set: 7:54p AM Minor: 5:44a AM Major: 11:56a PM Minor: 6:08p PM Major: 12:20p Moon Overhead: 1:38p Moon Underfoot: 1:14a

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 3:30 am High Tide: 1:04 pm Low Tide: 1:55 pm High Tide: 5:02 pm

0.05 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.07 ft.

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:43a Set: 7:47p Moonrise: 12:07p Set: 1:29a AM Minor: 11:44a AM Major: 5:32a PM Minor: ----- PM Major: 5:56p Moon Overhead: 7:12p Moon Underfoot: 6:48a

25 «

High Tide: 3:14 am Low Tide: 9:41 am High Tide: 4:09 pm Low Tide: 9:41 pm

PRIME TIME 1.22 ft. 0.30 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.48 ft.

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:34a Set: 7:51p Moonrise: 6:29p Set: 6:14a AM Minor: 4:29a AM Major: 10:41a PM Minor: 4:53p PM Major: 11:04p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:18p

98 |

M A R C H

ALMANAC Digital.indd 98

2 0 1 3

26«

WEDNESDAY PRIME TIME

High Tide: 3:48 am Low Tide: 10:16 am High Tide: 5:00 pm Low Tide: 10:25 pm

1.01 ft. -0.04 ft. 0.93 ft. 0.27 ft.

6:30 — 8:30 PM

Set: 6:33p Sunrise: 7:07a Moonrise: 7:43p Set: 7:17a AM Minor: 5:33a AM Major: 11:45a PM Minor: 5:57p PM Major: ----Moon Overhead: 1:03a Moon Underfoot: 1:27p

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 4:06 am High Tide: 1:20 pm

-0.40 ft. 1.12 ft.

12:00 — 2:00 AM

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 6:38p Moonrise: 1:57a Set: 12:38p AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:59a PM Minor: 12:14p PM Major: 6:28p Moon Overhead: 7:17a Moon Underfoot: 7:47p

12 l

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:21 am Low Tide: 11:37 am High Tide: 5:32 pm Low Tide: 11:35 pm

1.16 ft. 0.23 ft. 0.97 ft. 0.09 ft.

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:50a Set: 7:43p Moonrise: 8:05a Set: 8:53p AM Minor: 6:32a AM Major: 12:20a PM Minor: 6:56p PM Major: 12:44p Moon Overhead: 2:26p Moon Underfoot: 2:02a

19 º

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 4:40 am High Tide: 4:33 pm

0.09 ft. 1.09 ft.

8:00 — 10:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:42a Set: 7:47p Moonrise: 12:56p Set: 2:17a AM Minor: 12:09a AM Major: 6:21a PM Minor: 12:33p PM Major: 6:45p Moon Overhead: 8:00p Moon Underfoot: 7:36a

26 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:11 am Low Tide: 10:20 am High Tide: 4:27 pm Low Tide: 10:16 pm

1.30 ft. 0.41 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.30 ft.

6:00 — 8:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:33a Set: 7:52p Moonrise: 7:30p Set: 6:49a AM Minor: 5:13a AM Major: 11:25a PM Minor: 5:37p PM Major: 11:49p Moon Overhead: 12:42a Moon Underfoot: 1:07p

T e x a S

F i s h

27«

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 4:46 am Low Tide: 10:51 am High Tide: 5:17 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

1.01 ft. 0.11 ft. 0.92 ft. 0.12 ft.

7:30 — 9:30 PM

Set: 6:33p Sunrise: 7:06a Moonrise: 8:43p Set: 7:52a AM Minor: 6:23a AM Major: 12:11a PM Minor: 6:47p PM Major: 12:35p Moon Overhead: 1:51a Moon Underfoot: 2:15p

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 5:22 am High Tide: 2:06 pm Low Tide: 7:40 pm High Tide: 9:57 pm

-0.44 ft. 1.15 ft. 1.00 ft. 1.02 ft.

12:30 — 2:30 AM

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 6:38p Moonrise: 2:54a Set: 1:40p AM Minor: 12:40a AM Major: 6:55a PM Minor: 1:09p PM Major: 7:24p Moon Overhead: 8:16a Moon Underfoot: 8:45p

13 «

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 6:21 am 1.15 ft. Low Tide: 12:15 pm 0.43 ft. High Tide: 5:53 pm 0.97 ft.

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:49a Set: 7:43p Moonrise: 8:40a Set: 9:51p AM Minor: 7:22a AM Major: 1:10a PM Minor: 7:46p PM Major: 1:34p Moon Overhead: 3:13p Moon Underfoot: 2:49a

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 5:53 am High Tide: 2:58 pm

0.12 ft. 1.10 ft.

1:00 — 3:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:40a Set: 7:48p Moonrise: 1:47p Set: 3:03a AM Minor: 12:57a AM Major: 7:09a PM Minor: 1:20p PM Major: 7:32p Moon Overhead: 8:48p Moon Underfoot: 8:24a

27 ¡

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:08 am Low Tide: 10:59 am High Tide: 4:44 pm Low Tide: 10:55 pm

1.36 ft. 0.55 ft. 1.14 ft. 0.11 ft.

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:32a Set: 7:52p Moonrise: 8:33p Set: 7:27a AM Minor: 6:01a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:26p PM Major: 12:14p Moon Overhead: 1:31a Moon Underfoot: 1:57p

G a m e ®

T F & G

THURSDAY

High Tide: 5:50 am Low Tide: 11:28 am High Tide: 5:33 pm Low Tide: 11:51 pm

PRIME TIME 1.00 ft. 0.30 ft. 0.92 ft. -0.03 ft.

8:30 — 10:30 PM

Set: 6:34p Sunrise: 7:04a Moonrise: 9:45p Set: 8:30a AM Minor: 7:17a AM Major: 1:04a PM Minor: 7:42p PM Major: 1:29p Moon Overhead: 2:39a Moon Underfoot: 3:04p

Low Tide: 6:32 am High Tide: 2:38 pm Low Tide: 7:48 pm High Tide: 11:45 pm

PRIME TIME -0.44 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.89 ft. 1.04 ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 6:39p Moonrise: 3:46a Set: 2:44p AM Minor: 1:33a AM Major: 7:47a PM Minor: 2:01p PM Major: 8:15p Moon Overhead: 9:13a Moon Underfoot: 9:41p

14 «

Low Tide: 12:14 am High Tide: 7:21 am Low Tide: 12:49 pm High Tide: 6:12 pm

PRIME TIME 0.01 ft. 1.12 ft. 0.61 ft. 0.97 ft.

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:48a Set: 7:44p Moonrise: 9:18a Set: 10:48p AM Minor: 8:14a AM Major: 2:02a PM Minor: 8:37p PM Major: 2:26p Moon Overhead: 4:00p Moon Underfoot: 3:36a

Low Tide: 6:55 am High Tide: 3:06 pm Low Tide: 8:55 pm High Tide: 11:59 pm

PRIME TIME 0.13 ft. 1.11 ft. 0.98 ft. 1.03 ft.

1:30 — 3:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:39a Set: 7:48p Moonrise: 2:41p Set: 3:45a AM Minor: 1:42a AM Major: 7:54a PM Minor: 2:05p PM Major: 8:17p Moon Overhead: 9:35p Moon Underfoot: 9:11a

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High Tide: 6:07 am Low Tide: 11:41 am High Tide: 5:01 pm Low Tide: 11:38 pm

PRIME TIME 1.41 ft. 0.71 ft. 1.15 ft. -0.04 ft.

8:00 — 10:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:30a Set: 7:53p Moonrise: 9:37p Set: 8:07a AM Minor: 6:54a AM Major: 12:40a PM Minor: 7:20p PM Major: 1:07p Moon Overhead: 2:23a Moon Underfoot: 2:49p

A L M A N A C

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SYMBOL KEY

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

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

FRIDAY

Mar 1

9:30 — 11:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 6:35p Moonrise: 10:49p Set: 9:10a AM Minor: 8:14a AM Major: 2:01a PM Minor: 8:40p PM Major: 2:27p Moon Overhead: 3:30a Moon Underfoot: 3:57p

Low Tide: 7:32 am High Tide: 3:03 pm Low Tide: 8:14 pm

PRIME TIME -0.39 ft. 1.09 ft. 0.74 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 6:40p Moonrise: 4:32a Set: 3:48p AM Minor: 2:23a AM Major: 8:36a PM Minor: 2:50p PM Major: 9:03p Moon Overhead: 10:08a Moon Underfoot: 10:34p

Low Tide: 12:55 am High Tide: 8:25 am Low Tide: 1:19 pm High Tide: 6:28 pm

PRIME TIME -0.03 ft. 1.08 ft. 0.76 ft. 0.98 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:47a Set: 7:45p Moonrise: 9:56a Set: 11:43p AM Minor: 9:07a AM Major: 2:55a PM Minor: 9:31p PM Major: 3:19p Moon Overhead: 4:48p Moon Underfoot: 4:24a

Low Tide: 7:44 am High Tide: 3:19 pm Low Tide: 8:38 pm

PRIME TIME 0.14 ft. 1.12 ft. 0.91 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:38a Set: 7:49p Moonrise: 3:36p Set: 4:25a AM Minor: 2:25a AM Major: 8:36a PM Minor: 2:48p PM Major: 9:00p Moon Overhead: 10:22p Moon Underfoot: 9:58a

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High Tide: 7:11 am 1.43 ft. Low Tide: 12:24 pm 0.88 ft. High Tide: 5:17 pm 1.19 ft.

PRIME TIME 9:00 — 11:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 7:53p Moonrise: 10:43p Set: 8:51a AM Minor: 7:52a AM Major: 1:38a PM Minor: 8:20p PM Major: 2:06p Moon Overhead: 3:17a Moon Underfoot: 3:45p

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

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

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

SATURDAY PRIME TIME

High Tide: 7:03 am 0.98 ft. Low Tide: 12:07 pm 0.51 ft. High Tide: 5:45 pm 0.93 ft.

Low Tide: 12:42 am High Tide: 8:28 am Low Tide: 12:46 pm High Tide: 5:54 pm

PRIME TIME -0.17 ft. 0.98 ft. 0.72 ft. 0.97 ft.

High Tide: 1:07 am Low Tide: 8:26 am High Tide: 3:27 pm Low Tide: 8:46 pm

10:30P — 12:30A

PRIME TIME 1.09 ft. -0.29 ft. 1.05 ft. 0.56 ft.

3:30 — 5:30 AM

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 6:41p Moonrise: 5:14a Set: 4:52p AM Minor: 3:10a AM Major: 9:23a PM Minor: 3:36p PM Major: 9:49p Moon Overhead: 11:00a Moon Underfoot: 11:25p

Low Tide: 1:39 am High Tide: 9:37 am Low Tide: 1:43 pm High Tide: 6:34 pm

PRIME TIME -0.02 ft. 1.05 ft. 0.89 ft. 1.00 ft.

9:00 — 11:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:45a Set: 7:45p Moonrise: 10:38a Set: None AM Minor: 10:00a AM Major: 3:48a PM Minor: 10:24p PM Major: 4:12p Moon Overhead: 5:36p Moon Underfoot: 5:12a

High Tide: 1:14 am Low Tide: 8:26 am High Tide: 3:35 pm Low Tide: 8:47 pm

PRIME TIME 1.08 ft. 0.17 ft. 1.12 ft. 0.80 ft.

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:37a Set: 7:50p Moonrise: 4:32p Set: 5:02a AM Minor: 3:06a AM Major: 9:18a PM Minor: 3:30p PM Major: 9:41p Moon Overhead: 11:08p Moon Underfoot: 10:45a Low Tide: 12:26 am High Tide: 8:21 am Low Tide: 1:10 pm High Tide: 5:30 pm

PRIME TIME -0.16 ft. 1.43 ft. 1.05 ft. 1.23 ft.

LOW

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

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

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

SUNDAY

Set: 6:36p Sunrise: 7:02a Moonrise: 11:53p Set: 9:55a AM Minor: 9:13a AM Major: 2:59a PM Minor: 9:41p PM Major: 3:27p Moon Overhead: 4:24a Moon Underfoot: 4:52p

New First Full Moon Qtr Moon

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

Tide Correction Table

3:00 — 5:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 7:54p Moonrise: 11:48p Set: 9:40a AM Minor: 8:54a AM Major: 2:40a PM Minor: 9:23p PM Major: 3:09p Moon Overhead: 4:13a Moon Underfoot: 4:43p

Low Tide: 1:42 am High Tide: 10:07 am Low Tide: 1:30 pm High Tide: 5:58 pm

PRIME TIME -0.27 ft. 1.00 ft. 0.89 ft. 1.02 ft.

11:00P — 1:00A

Set: 6:36p Sunrise: 7:01a Moonrise: None Set: 10:44a AM Minor: 10:14a AM Major: 4:00a PM Minor: 10:43p PM Major: 4:29p Moon Overhead: 5:20a Moon Underfoot: 5:49p

10 «DST

High Tide: 3:17 am Low Tide: 10:13 am High Tide: 4:49 pm Low Tide: 10:21 pm

1.13 ft. -0.15 ft. 1.01 ft. 0.38 ft.

PRIME TIME 4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:53a Set: 7:41p Moonrise: 6:52a Set: 6:53p AM Minor: 4:57a AM Major: 11:09a PM Minor: 5:22p PM Major: 11:34p Moon Overhead: 12:50p Moon Underfoot: 12:25a

Low Tide: 2:30 am High Tide: 11:03 am Low Tide: 1:58 pm High Tide: 5:57 pm

PRIME TIME 0.01 ft. 1.03 ft. 0.98 ft. 1.03 ft.

10:00P — 12:00A

Sunrise: 7:44a Set: 7:46p Moonrise: 11:21a Set: 12:37a AM Minor: 10:53a AM Major: 4:41a PM Minor: 11:17p PM Major: 5:05p Moon Overhead: 6:24p Moon Underfoot: 6:00a

High Tide: 2:17 am Low Tide: 9:04 am High Tide: 3:51 pm Low Tide: 9:10 pm

PRIME TIME 1.15 ft. 0.22 ft. 1.13 ft. 0.65 ft.

4:00 — 6:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:35a Set: 7:50p Moonrise: 5:30p Set: 5:38a AM Minor: 3:47a AM Major: 9:59a PM Minor: 4:11p PM Major: 10:22p Moon Overhead: 11:55p Moon Underfoot: 11:31a

Low Tide: 1:19 am High Tide: 9:38 am Low Tide: 2:03 pm High Tide: 5:41 pm

PRIME TIME -0.23 ft. 1.42 ft. 1.18 ft. 1.26 ft.

10:00P — 12:00A

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:55p Moonrise: None Set: 10:34a AM Minor: 9:59a AM Major: 3:44a PM Minor: 10:29p PM Major: 4:14p Moon Overhead: 5:12a Moon Underfoot: 5:42p

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

PRIME TIME

best days

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

HIGH -0.09 -0:44 0:00 -0:03 -0:24 +1:02

LOW -0.09 -1:02 -1:20 -1:31 -1:45 -0:42

Tide Station Correction Table (Adjust High & Low Tide times listed in the Calendar by the amounts below for each keyed location)

NOT FOR NAVIGATION

PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse (29.47° N, 93.72° W) Sabine Pass Jetty (29.65° N, 93.83° W) Sabine Pass (29.73° N, 93.87°W) Mesquite Pt, Sabine Pass (29.77° N, 93.9° W) Galv. Bay, So. Jetty (29.34° N, 94.7° W) Port Bolivar (29.36° N, 94.77° W) TX City Turning Basin (29.38° N, 94.88° W) Eagle Point (29.5° N, 94.91° W) Clear Lake (29.56° N, 95.06° W) Morgans Point (29.68° N, 94.98° W) Round Pt, Trinity Bay (29.71° N, 94.69° W) Pt. Barrow, Trin. Bay (29.74° N, 94.83° W) Gilchrist, E. Bay (29.52° N, 94.48° W) Jamaica Bch., W. Bay (29.2° N, 94.98° W) Alligator Pt., W. Bay (29.17° N, 94.13° W) Christmas Pt, Chr. Bay (29.08° N, 94.17° W) Galv. Pleasure Pier (29.29° N, 94.79° W) San Luis Pass (29.08° N, 95.12° W) Freeport Harbor (28.95° N, 95.31° W) Pass Cavallo (28.37° N, 96.4° W) Aransas Pass (27.84° N, 97.05° W) Padre Isl.(So. End) (26.07° N, 97.16° W) Port Isabel (26.06° N, 97.22° W)

HIGH LOW -1:46

-1:31

-1:26

-1:31

-1:00

-1:15

-0:04

-0:25

-0:39

-1:05

+0:14

-0:06

+0:33

+0:41

+3:54

+4:15

+6:05

+6:40

+10:21

+5:19

+10:39

+5:15

+5:48

+4:43

+3:16

+4:18

+2:38

+3:31

+2:39

+2:33

+2:32

+2:31

-1:06

-0.09

-0:44

-1:02

0:00

-1:20

-0:03

-1:31

-0:24

-1:45

+1:02

-0:42

2/26/13 4:03 PM

Texas Tasted by Bryan Slaven | The Texas Gourmet PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

Teal Tenderloin Wraps (Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer)

his year’s duck season has been a great one with lots of good hunts and stories to tell. Many people will not even consider tasting duck, but a lot of that is due to a lack of understanding of what needs to be done to the meat before you even consider grilling or baking it. Certain factors can determine the taste of duck including the diet, age, and species. Also, there are hormones and blood that should be removed before cooking as well. So, even with brining some ducks will exhibit a bit of

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a wild taste, but if you will follow these steps it should produce some pretty darned good tasting duck. Hope you guys enjoy!

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Ingredients: 6 to 7- Teal or other duck breasts 24- Slices of thin sliced Center Cut bacon 1- Large purple onion- peeled, cored, and cut into ½” strips 12- Fresh jalapenos, halved, and seeded, and scraped inside 1 – 8 oz. cake of cream cheese, allow to sit out until softened 3- Green onions, sliced thin 1- tablespoon- fresh chopped cilantro 30 to 40 - round toothpicks- uncolored -place in a shallow cup or bowl of water Baste1—bottle of cold St. Arnolds Santo Beer (or your favorite amber ale) - open and take a good sip out to make sure it’s OK! 1 Jar- Texas Gourmet’s Habanero Pepper Jelly 2 Cloves fresh garlic – minced Tsp. Sesame seeds 2 ½ Tsp. Tarragon leaves 1 T. Black pepper 2 Tsp. Soy Sauce A L M A N A C

2/26/13 4:03 PM

1 Tsp. Coarse mustard 3 Tsp. Olive oil Powdered ginger (Heat basting ingredients over a low fire until well blended, and then remove from heat.

Preparation Remove the breasts from the bone, carefully inspect, rinsing and removing any pellets or feathers from the meat, then slice long ways into ½ “thick strips- you should have at least 24 strips, then place in a bowl of iced brine water (3 T. sea salt to 1 qt. of water along with 25 to 30 ice cubes, double water if needed to fully submerse all meat) for 1 hour, pour off the water, then refill the bowl with straight cold water and soak for an additional 30 minutes. Pour off water again, then drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over the strips, toss well to be sure and touch all pieces, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until time to prepare. T F & G

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In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, chopped green onion and cilantro, add 1 teaspoon of fresh black pepper, stir well until well blended. Place approx. ¾ teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture into each jalapeno half and spread evenly. Lay the bacon strips separated on a cookie sheet,, and lightly dust with powdered ginger, fresh cracked pepper, and sesame seeds. While holding a strip of bacon in 1 hand with the spices to the inside, lay a jalapeno half on the bacon, and then top it with a duck breast strip. Wrap the bacon around tightly from one end all the way to the other end to hold in the cream cheese mixture, then seal with a moistened toothpick. Use 2 if necessary. Repeat until all wraps are made up.

A L M A N A C

Grilling NOTE—Keep lid closed as much as possible to evenly cook the wraps and hold in the heat. Grill over a mesquite, charcoal, or gas fire with a med. High fire. Cook the wraps indirectly over the heat, turning frequently and basting often to keep them moist. When bacon appears done, approx. 10 to 12 minutes, move the wraps to a warmed platter, and cover loosely with a piece of foil for 8 to 10 minutes to rest the meat. Remove all toothpicks, and serve.

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

Join the Texas Gourmet Fanclub on Facebook, at http:// www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=152165096156. Come and share your favorite recipes, restaurants, and hangouts. The Texas Gourmet is waiting on you! T e x a S

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Just Add Water Guide Service

TEXAS SALTWATER

ROCKPORT / BAFFIN BAY

GALVESTON

ROCKPORT

FISHandGAMEgear.COM

Upper Coast (Sabine Lake) Just Add Water Guide Service

TEXAS HUNTING NORTH EAST TEXAS

Just Add Water Guide Service

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MIDDLE Coast

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WEST TEXAS

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2/26/13 4:03 PM

Just Add Water Guide Service

Rockport Red Runner

TEXAS FRESHWATER

LAKE AMISTAD

DFW METROPLEX

LAKE TEXOMA

FISHandGAMEgear.COM

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SPOTLIGHT: JUST ADD WATER GUIDE SERVICE Hello folks, Captain Jay Nichols here. I operate Just Add Water Guide Service out of Rockport, Texas. I grew up fishing bass tournaments with my father and Matagorda and Galveston with my grandfather. While fishing both types of water, fresh and salt, I learned a great deal through both of my family mentors at a young age. I began fishing bass tournaments at the age of 12 with my dad, Randy Nichols of Humble, Texas. These will always be some of my fondest memories. For this reason I truly enjoy taking families out to catch big redfish. To see the look on a young person’s face matched with the pride in their parents face gives me great pleasure knowing they have just created a memory that will last for eternity. If you like fishing the majestic clear waters that our Rockport areas hold, I would like to invite you on a fishing trip to remember. I specialize in bay fishing, targeting Trophy Trout and Trophy Redfish, along with Black Drum, and Flounder in the shallow flats from Rockport to Baffin Bay. From a group of friends, a day on the water with the family, or a corporate outing, wade fishing, drifting, or anchored, you are sure to have an enjoyable time! Give me a call to book your next adventure today. Let’s Go Fishing! God Bless, Capt. Jay Nichols Call Captain Jay today to book your next trip - 361-813-4120.

Also visit his website @ www.jawgs.com.

ORDER CHESTER’S GRAND SLAM FROM OUR STORE : WWW.FISHANDGAMEGEAR.COM T F & G

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Speckled trout

Flounder

Whitetail

Surfside

Baffin Bay

Edwards County

Laura Vogel caught her first big surf trout while wading at Surfside. Her husband has been teaching her the “finer points” of surf fishing, and she says she is having “the best time!”

Elliot Veron, 15, caught this keeper flounder while dock fishing at night under pier lights on a live mud minnow. It was his first Baffin Bay flounder. He was guided by William Anderson III.

Mason Rinker shot his first deer while hunting with his family on the Hyde Ranch in Edwards County.

Redfish Whitetail

Double Bayou

Edwards County

Flounder

Eight-year-old Wyatt Tulley of Liberty caught this 26.5-inch redfish while fishing with his family at Double Bayou on father’s day.

Tanner Rinker shot this deer on the Hyde Ranch in Edwards County. His brother Mason also killed a buck the same weekend (see photo above).

Chocolate Bayou Jessica Vasquez caught this 17-inch flounder at Chocolate Bayou while fishing with her dad on the Forth of July.

Speckled trout Port Mansfield Seven-year-old Jacob Hasson caught this speckled trout at the Port Mansfield Jetties.

Turkey De Leon

Speckled Trout Nueces Bay Capt. Noel Guerrero caught this 23.5-inch speckled trout while fishing Nueces Bay.

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Philip Schoeneck of Dallas shot this jake just North of De Leon with his Winchester Model 9410, lever action .410 shotgun. It was the first turkey he had ever shot with a .410.

A L M A N A C

2/26/13 4:03 PM

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.

Redfish

Feral Hog

Catfish

Port O’Connor

Lee County Erin Hoefer of Bastrop took her first wild boar while hunting with her fiance in Lee County.

No guarantee can be made as to when, or if, a submitted photo will be published.

Private Pond

Doug Curry of Houston caught his first Redfish, measuring 28 inches, while fishing off the jetty in Port O’Connor.

Five-year-old, Jackson Polk of Allen, Texas shows of the catfish he caught from a pond with the help of his Papaw, Wes Pyfer.

Whitetail Waters Creek Ranch Tripp Parker, age 8, shot his first deer, an 8-point, with a .223 while hunting on Waters Creek Ranch with his dad Allen Parker.

Speckled Trout Sabine Lake Lauren Parrish,17, of Vidor with her first specked trout. She caught the 26-inch, 6.5pound speck in Sabine Lake while fishing with her father, Capt. Jeff Parrish.

Mixed stringer Baffin Bay Adrian Garcia of Bishop shows his stinger of Baffin Bay black drum, slot redfish, and trout as well as a 50 inch bull redfish all caught using fresh cut skipjack and mullet. The redfish was tagged after photo.

whitetail & turkey Duval County Twelve-year-old Dustin Alvarez harvested a whitetail and a turkey while hunting in Duval county with his 243. They were his first 2 shots ever at game of any kind.

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C4_ALL.indd 4

2/7/13 11:07 AM