September 2012

Digital Edition

www.FishGame.com Dove Hunting

BASICS

SEPTEMBER 2012 | VOL. XXIX • NO. 5 | $3.95

5 Reasons YOU DON’T CATCH BIG TROUT

RULES OF THE GAME:

Waterfowl

EARLY AUTUMN

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Gator

Bait

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www.FishGame.com Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. Texas Fish & Game is the largest independent, family-owned outdoor publication in America.

Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

Roy Neves PUBLISHER

Don Zaidle EDITOR-in-chief

Chester moore Executive EDITOR

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

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

A D VE R T I S IN G

Ardia Neves

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

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CONTENTS

ter Moore photo: Ches

FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 2012 • Volume XXIX • NO. 5

20

5 REASONS YOU DON’T CATCH BIG TROUT

Truly big speckled trout are challenging to catch. Few of the highly targeted fish make it to their genetic potential, and the ones that do are wiley and elusive. Here’s why most anglers struggle to find and catch them, with a few remedial tips.

by Chester Moore

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early autumn channel cats

ON THE COVER:

Gator Bait As hundreds of thousands of waterfowlers, and their dogs, head to marshy duck blinds, they are also heading into the habitat of hundreds of thousands of gators.

STORY:

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by John N. Felsher

Chad Ferguson is a North Texas catfishing guru. With autumn approaching, we caught up with him to channel some wisdom for chasing early fall fat cats.

ALSO IN SEPTEMBER:

by Matt Williams

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Loaded for Dove

ON, SCOUT!

When you find a new hunting lease, fixing up the bunk house or clearing a campsite should not be your first priority. Scouting new land for its hunting potential can be a productive and exhilirating first mission.

STORY:

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Gauging the best shotgun shells for dove hunting.

by Steve LaMascus

by Bob Hood

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rules of the game: waterfowl

ICAST Highlight Reel

The laws and regulations governing duck, goose and other waterfowl hunting in Texas. Part 8 of a yearlong series.

STORY:

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by Chester Moore

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Over 70 interviews from the 2012 Sportfishing Industry trade show.

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CONTENTS COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

SEPTEMBER 2012 • Volume XXIX • NO. 5

COLUMNS 10 Chester’s 12 Editor’s Notes Notes

35 Hunt Texas

X Snakes!

X

Be Patient and Learn

Much in the Outdoors

by CHESTER DON ZAIDLE MOORE TF&G Executive Editor-in-Chief Editor

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

14 Doggett Chester’satNotes Large

21 Texas Saltwater Bow Hunting 42

by CHESTER JOE DOGGETT MOORE TF&G Senior Executive Contributing Editor Editor

Lou Marullo

by Calixto Gonzales Bow Hunting Editor TF&G Saltwater Editor

16 Pike Doggett On the at Large Edge

43 Hunt Texas

X Appreciation X

X Run. Hide.

XFight.

XNeed to X Haves

X X

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

by Doug JOE DOGGETT Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

by bob hood TF&G Hunting Editor

18 TexasWild 17 Pike On the Edge

47 Texas Saltwater

by Ted Doug nugent Pike TF&G Editor SeniorAtContributing Large Editor

by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

20 Commentary 18 TexasWild

51 Texas Freshwater 43

by Kendal Ted nugent Hemphill TF&G Politcal Editor AtCommentator Large

by matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

X Fence Row Grizzly Bears Xand Deer

DEPARTMENTS

X X

32 NEW! texas

department of defense

40 True green

XCarping Over XLake Austin

X No XReason

56 Open Season 21 Texas 19 Commentary Bow Hunting 48

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X Wounding a XDeer

XIssues of XSight

by Lou Kendal Marullo Hemphill TF&G Bow Politcal Hunting Commentator Editor

by reavis wortham TF&G Humor Editor

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Letters to the Editor Biofuel Fix Thank you for your recent Texas Boating column titled “Biofuel Fix” (July 2012 issue).

It addressed a topic of great concern to me, and Texas boaters generally.

I operate three boats. Two have old 2-stroke engines (‘85 Evinrude; ‘89 Mercury). The third is a 2012, 4-stroke, 300 hp Yamaha. I have constant ethanolrelated trouble with the 2-strokes, and I shudder to think what it will cost me when the Yamaha starts acting up.

Last year, while driving through Oklahoma, I noticed that almost every gas station had a special sign outside trumpeting the fact that it had ethanol-free gasoline for sale. I mentioned this to a Texas game warden during our recent CCA banquet.

He said he noticed the same thing during his visit to South Carolina.

If those guys (Oklahoma and South Carolina) can have ethanol-free gasoline, why can’t we? I recall when growing up that there was a fuel called “marine gas.” I think it essentially was what also was known as “white gas,” the same as Coleman stove fuel. So, there’s precedent for a special marine fuel.

Seems like that would be a good idea given the havoc wreaked on marine engines and components by ethanol. If I had a choice to purchase ethanol-free gasoline, I would choose it, even if I had to pay more or travel farther to get it.

Earl Hines Via email

The Death of Hunting It seems to me that the term “hunting” has lost its luster. I’ve seen in recent years hunting has become more of a cattle auction with people paying more for antler points than the actual experience itself.

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what you can afford” rather than “hunting” by definition. What’s next, fishing in tanks stocked with nothing but 12-pound bass?

Or pay a little bit more for the tank stocked with 14-pound bass?

I was taught a trophy is a trophy no matter how many points or pounds. Hunting to me is all about the trickery involved in getting the game into bow range. Fishing will be called “catching” if the fishing industry follows the new type of “hunting” industry.

Javier Moreno Via email

Hiding from Helicopters A few years ago while fishing in New Zealand, I noticed they were helicopter-shooting deer for the market. After a while, when the deer heard a helicopter, they would go stand by a tree trunk. I wonder if the hogs will soon smarten up.

Robert D. Lewis Wichita Falls, TX

Marksman’s Challenge In your July issue there was an article about Marksman’s Challenge by Dustin Ellermann (“Texas Department of Defense,” July 2012 issue). Was he spot-on with this article.

He was right: It was an amusement park with guns. Daryl Parker and his crew were outstanding: One-on-one instruction before shooting, plenty of practice, and great challenges.

If you ever wanted to be on “Top Shot,” this is the next best thing. There were no paper targets, but there was plenty of glass, ceramics, wood, metal, moving targets, and an occasional boom!

This was a gift from my wife for our 35th

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wedding anniversary. I had an awesome time and the best part about it was my wife, Brenda, was with me.

Thank you Fish & Game for letting us know about this memorable awesome event.

Tim Goodenough Via email

Feral Cats I enjoyed Doug Pike’s column article about the impact of feral cats on the song bird population of Texas. Too bad we don’t have the statistics on the impact of ocelots, margays, jaguarundis, and bobcats prior to the destruction of their habitat and their decline. You think they had an impact? I believe that they might have!

Kenneth Elrod Camp Creek Lake, TX I grew up in Southeast Oklahoma in the 1940’s and 50’s. The wildlife people, whatever they were called, came to our school about once a year. They gave out flyers with the hunter safety rules. At the end, there was a note saying you should kill any housecats you saw in the woods. That would not now be popular with animal lovers.

The animal rights people advocate clipping an ear to mark these cats after trapping and releasing them. It would be better to clip the tail right behind the ears. I have heard they make good fertilizer for tomatoes.

Edwin Smith Via email

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

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The TF&G Report TPWD Expands Zebra Mussel Regulations The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) issued an executive order in July effective immediately to expand zebra mussel regulations to include all impounded and tributary waters of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River above the Lake Lewisville dam.

New regulations went into effect May 17 requiring boaters on Lakes Texoma and Lavon to drain all bait buckets, livewells, bilges, and any other systems or receptacles that could contain water prior to traveling on a public roadway. Those requirements now apply to Elm Fork of the Trinity River impoundments, most significantly Lake Ray Roberts after

zebra mussels were recently confirmed in that North Texas lake.

“Unfortunately, from an environmental and economic standpoint, this is very bad news,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director Carter Smith. “For a host of reasons, the implications of this discovery are substantial to Texas waters and their future use and management. We intend to continue working with our partners to do everything reasonably possible to try and prevent the further spread of this harmful invasive species.”

Smith emphasized that the discovery underscores the importance of boaters helping to prevent the spread of zebra mussels, which can be unknowingly spread when boats and trailers are moved from lake to lake. TPWD and a coalition of partners has a public education campaign underway in North Texas encouraging lake users to clean, drain and dry their boats, trailers and

gear. An instructional video and other tips on how to prevent the spread are available at http://www.texasinvasives.org Tests conducted in October 2011 found low levels of zebra mussel DNA in six lakes: Eagle Mountain, Lewisville, Ray Roberts, Arrowhead, Bridgeport, and Caddo. Earlier reports also placed evidence of the invasive bivalves in lakes Lavon and Ray Hubbard, as well as Sister Grove Creek, which feeds Lavon.

Normally new regulations require a minimum 30-day notice before becoming effective, but TPWD considers the recently discovered presence of zebra mussels in Ray Roberts and the Elm Fork an “emergency.”

The executive order states: …the Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department finds that zebra mussels present an immediate danger

Big Bags&Catches

Amberjack

Redfish

Yellow Fin Tuna

Port Aransas

Aransas Bay

Atlantic Ocean

Ryan Elrod caught this very nice amberjack while fishing in 225-foot water about 65 miles out of Port Aransas, using cut mullet.

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Jennifer Gallian caught this 42-inch bull redfish in Aransas Bay. She caught it using live shrimp.

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TF&G Boating editor Lenny Rudow, the uber-proud father of 12-year-old Max, sends in this photo of Max’s first yellow fin tuna. It may look like the fish is bigger than the boy, but Max actually outweighed the tuna... by two pounds!

MusselPhoto photo:credit TPWD

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to species of wildlife regulated by the department (specifically, all indigenous aquatic species whose food supply and/or habitat quality could be altered by zebra mussels, which includes game and nongame fish, nongame aquatic wildlife such as turtles, and mussels). The need to prevent the spread of zebra mussels from Lake Ray Roberts and Lake Lewisville to additional impoundments and drainages creates an imperative necessity to engage in emergency rulemaking. The Executive Director also finds that due to the potential for the rapid spread of zebra mussels, it is necessary to adopt the rules with fewer than 30 days notice. As a result, the emergency rules will take effect immediately.

The regulation is intended to prevent further spread of zebra mussel larvae, or veligers, which are so tiny they cannot be seen without a microscope. Veligers can survive

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for days in water trapped in a boat, livewell, bait bucket, or other container. “The regulation does allow persons to travel from one boat ramp to another on the same water body without draining water,� said Ken Kurzawski, regulations and information director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division.

Originally from the Balkans, Poland, and the former Soviet Union, zebra mus-

sels found their way to the Americas in the 1980s via ballast water of a ship. The small invaders were first found in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, Mich., and are currently known to have infested 29 states and more than 600 lakes or reservoirs in the United States.

Zebra mussels can have economic and recreational impacts in Texas reservoirs.

They can clog public-water intake pipes, harm boats and motors left in infested waters by covering boat hulls and clogging enginecooling systems, annoy boat-dock owners by completely covering anything left under water and can make water recreation hazardous because of their razor-sharp edges.

From the environmental perspective, zebra mussels are filter feeders, which mean they compete with baitfish such as shad for available forage. Any impact on baitfish in turn can affect their predators--game fish such as bass, striped bass, and catfish.

Zebra mussels are also very harmful to native mussel populations because they will colonize on their shells and essentially suffocate them.

8/7/12 2:49 PM

Chester’s Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

Snakes!

N

o other creature draws such strong reactions.

From deeply paranoid fear to wonder, the world’s serpents have a unique place in the wild and in culture.

I have been fascinated by snakes since childhood and after doing a series of blogs on them for fishgame.com found out they are an extremely popular topic with TF&G readers. Over the summer that inspired me to seek out snake experts and conduct a unique series of video interviews that are in our fishgame.com video center.

My first stop was with the amazing Pets-A-Plenty: The Ultimate Reptile Shop in Hockley. Manager Andy Maddox is a Facebook friend and after seeing a shot of an awe-inspiring albino cobra on his profile I decided to contact him for a visit.

Maddox and owner Eric Haug rolled out the red carpet so to speak and gave yours truly and frequent TF&G photographer Gerald Burleigh incredible access to their snakes. My mind was blown when Maddox took out a 12-foot long green anaconda and put it around my neck. These snakes which are the world’s heaviest are known for their aggressive disposition but this one was as gentle as a kitten.

“This one is a pro. It is sort of our ambassador snake and has done lots of public events,” Maddox said.

Having held many large snakes over the years, nothing compared to this one. I could feel the muscles around my neck as it got itself into a comfortable position. Suddenly the fact they rou-

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tinely attack, crush and kill caimans made it perfect.

My favorite venomous snake since childhood is the Gaboon viper from Africa.

They have the largest fangs of any snake, deadly venom and have a camo pattern that would make a copperhead envious. To top it off they have enormous girth. A five-foot Gaboon would be easily three times as heavy as a comparable western diamondback.

Pets-A-Plenty has a venomoid (one with venom glands surgically removed) someone gave to them and it was a dream come true getting to handle the snake and also watching it eat a mouse. The strike which you will see on one of the videos at fishgame.com was mind blowing.

The true star of the day however was their king cobra. Haug and Maddox took it out and gave us a unique look at these “thinking” snakes. Yes cobras think, at least more than any other snake and it was creepy watch it keep an eye on everyone in the room. Every time someone would move, the nine foot long cobra would mark their spot. If you have ever had a fascination with cobras, this video clip will put a big smile on your face. If they creep you out, it might give you nightmares.

Maddox and Haug run a very clean, well stocked and safety conscious pet store. Find them on the Web at http://www.ultimatereptiles.com.

For those who want to see all kinds of snakes (including every venomous species in Texas) as well as tons of other exotic animals, make a trip to New Braunfels and check out Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo. Located on I-35, this facility has been there for decades but in recent years it has seen many new additions and more expansions are planned.

I got to spend a morning behind the scenes

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with Jarrod Forthman the Outreach Director who gave me a killer video interview with a large western diamondback.

“We love to educate people on wildlife and we have a real love for snakes here.

Getting to show people snakes and giving them the truth about them is always exciting and we welcome the opportunity,” Forthman said.

We also had the opportunity to get a unique video featuring two young cougars, one four months old and the other at three months. This gave us a rare chance at seeing the development of the cat’s coat as they go from dark gray and spotted to lighter brown with faint spots and eventually no spots at all.

We also got to film clips with a beautiful bull snakes and spotted hyenas. You do not want to miss them nor do you want to miss a chance to check this place out. For more information go to http://www.exoticanimalworld.com.

TF&G is expanding our work with Texas schools. We have created a newsletter and lesson ideas to help teachers working with wildlife, animal science and other classes.

Part of that involves expanded videos and we are getting all kinds of interesting footage.

Recently we added a clip of my friends Ken and Cheryl Swenson’s albino whitetail buck fawn that has a strong trophy pedigree.

They are state permitted whitetail deer breeders and recently they acquired “Rusty” after it was rejected by its mother.

“Cheryl has enjoyed taking care of ‘Rusty’ and has been making a special mixture of milk for it. We are very proud to have it on our ranch,” Ken said.

These are just some of the unique things you will see in our video center at fishgame. com. Look for much, much more in the near future.

Catch Chester on the radio Fridays, 6pm on 560 KLVI Beaumont, (www.klvi.com) Email him at CMoore@fishgame.com Photo Chester Moore

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Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Appreciation

O

n August 30, 1999, I bought a Bogdan fly reel. The invoice for the delivered reel is in my gun safe. Not to mention the reel, itself.

I purchased the Model 50 from custom maker Stan Bogdan, who crafted each reel in his home workshop in Nashua, NH. For more than 50 years the Bogdan reels have been regarded by A-Team salmon anglers as the finest in the world.

It’s an image thing; but the unique double-braking system with the manually adjusted “detent” click drag lever is superior. The 2-to-1 multiplier models are superfast in recovering line. And the Bogdan reels with softly glowing anodized frames and flowing “S” handles just look correct over classic salmon and big-trout water.

I had to wait approximately six months —and that was a prompt delivery. The global list of Bogdan customers was long and only a few reels were hand-turned each month. A wait of several years was not unusual, and if you badgered the old man you might never see a reel.

Oh, yes—the cost for my Model 50 Bogdan Salmon Reel back in 1999, including shipping and insurance, was $1,220.

Several of my friends called me “Stupid” and “Idiot,” maybe worse, for spending that kind of money for a fishing reel.

But, wait—Stan Bogdan passed away several years ago. His son, Steve, continued to produce a few reels from inventory parts, then closed the shop. New Bogdan reels, the finest at the high table of Atlantic salmon fishing, are no longer available.

Now and then, an old one comes up for sale. The last Bogdan reel I saw on eBay sold for $5,100. Another several months ago that was “NIB” went in England for $7,420. Those are extreme prices; most that I’ve monitored during the past year or so sold in the $2,500 to $3,500 range.

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an avid salmon angler or a serious collector of fine fly tackle, there’s absolutely no reason why you would. That’s not the point.

The point is that select items of fishing and hunting equipment can appreciate dramatically during these uncertain times.

Put another way, I wish I had pulled some funds from my savings about 10 or 15 years ago and bought every clean Bogdan I could put my hands on. I would have at least doubled, maybe tripled, the investment while enjoying a collection of super-fine reels.

Oh, no—I wouldn’t want to do that, not with “Stupid” and “Idiot” still ringing in my ears. But I knew what they were and I was confident they would appreciate. Especially with the inevitable passing of the elderly Stan Bogdan.

Same thing with the late Jack Cowan, the sporting artist. I actually knew Cowan (through the old Gulf Coast Conservation Association), even fished with him several times at his home in Rockport during the late-70s. Did I ever buy or commission an original Cowan watercolor?

Hell, no. I was too cheap, too lacking in vision. I have several remarqued prints, but no originals. A diversification in several Cowan works would have weathered our troubled economy very, very nicely.

The beauty is that a market among affluent collectors always seems to exist for the quality items with real pedigree.

The key to successful investing in outdoor items is to concentrate on an area in which you are familiar. Also a consideration, some items are physically easier to collect than others.

The high-end fly reels are a good example—durable (unlike, say, rare duck/conservation stamps) and compact (unlike, say, 10-foot, 40-pound balsa surfboards) and no hassle (unlike, say, pre-64 Winchester Model 70 rifles).

Custom knives are another fine example of user-friendly collectibles. I wish I had a dozen original Bo Randall hunters stashed in a drawer.

Problem now with most custom items is that the word is out (thanks mainly to the

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internet) and it’s difficult to “steal” stuff.

But bargains do come along at garage sales and estate auctions and flea markets.

Mass-produced items seldom skyrocket because so many exist, but quality items can be worth collecting. You’re most likely not going to lose and may see a decent profit.

Fishing lures are a good example—but be careful. In addition to the all-important condition, much can depend on color/pattern, even size. Having the original box and paper can be a major plus. The limited-issue plugs usually command the best prices.

Bingo Lures (Texas-made) have been hot for several years. The right model might be worth several hundred dollars but many are only $10 to $20. Or less.

Same thing with old casting reels. Most are minor-league, even in clean condition, but the prized models bring decent prices. Know before you go, and don’t allow sentiment to cloud judgment; just because Grandpa Ed favored a Shakespeare Criterion doesn’t mean much. The reel in clean condition might fetch $25 or $30, while a clean Shakespeare President or Sportcast (narrow- framed steel model) might demand three times that amount.

Oddly, the casting reel market seems down; this might a good time for the astute investor to buy some coveted models in mint or near-mint condition and hold them. Worst case, you’ll have some fun and functional old reels at bargain prices for a “retro” fishing trip.

Hundreds of specialized niches are available. The “right stuff” can be a great investment but you need to understand what’s really good, what’s semi-good, and what isn’t going anywhere. The latter bracket usually is called “junk.” It’s a risk, as all speculative ventures.

But collecting can be a lot of fun, a serious hobby. And, with the right opportunities, the potential for real profit is there. This is assuming you have the gumption to act when the time is right.

Email Joe Doggett at JDoggett@fishgame.com

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Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

R

un. Hide. Fight.

The City of Houston paid handsomely this summer for a video that tells Houstonians those are their options, to be exercised in order, should any of those folks be faced with what is now being termed an “active shooter” situation.

So much money could have been saved if the city had merely borrowed the pamphlet issued to (armed and highly trained) U.S. Border Patrol agents and other federal workers a month prior that instructed them similarly. Or told us to watch any horror film.

Ever see one? They’re instruction manuals for these situations. The deranged villain appears, and the scantily clad young woman runs. And when she tires or sprains an ankle, she hides. And when the bad guy catches up, she fights.

Small children and dumb animals will run first, hide second and fight as a last resort.

Most (but not all) of us don’t need to be told not to play with venomous snakes or ride bikes on the freeway or avoid making ourselves targets for nuts with guns. That’s already filed upstairs under Survival Instinct.

The video and the pamphlet shouldn’t make anyone feel safer, either. They’re merely two more examples of authority figures telling us we’re incapable of taking care of ourselves.

I already know not to challenge an active shooter…unless I’m in position to follow another three-step plan: Draw. Aim. Fire.

That’s what a man did earlier this year, in an Internet café, when two thugs walked in waving guns. The bad guys beat feet when he opened up, and the only things they got away with were a couple of bullets.

The theater tragedy in Aurora, worst mass shooting in American history, took

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“ Small children and dumb animals will run first, hide second and fight as a last resort.

“

Run. Hide.

Fight.

a dozen lives and scarred hundreds more.

Could it have turned out differently? After all, Colorado allows concealed carry.

Anti-gun film critic Roger Ebert was quick to point in the New York Times that concealed-carry doesn’t work because nobody in that Aurora theater shot back. He missed an important detail.

Turns out, Plano-based Cinemark Century Theaters, which owns that facility and hundreds more around the country, has a “no-weapons” policy. Which, oh, by the

way, not only was ignored by accused mass murderer James Holmes but gave him assurance that, indeed, none of the law-abiding, policy-abiding patrons of that theater could shoot back.

According to the Houston video, since they couldn’t run or hide, those folks in Aurora should have thrown hard or sharp objects at a gunman firing wildly into the crowd. I’m guessing, however, that the video doesn’t identify what hard or sharp objects you might find in a movie theater that has a no-weapons policy.

The gun-control fans have been surprisingly quiet – because anywhere their favorite laws already are in place, they’re only followed by law-abiding citizens. And that group, last I checked, doesn’t include bank robbers, home-invasion thugs or mass murderers. Without guns, we’d read instead about deranged bombers or people who

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drove their vehicles onto crowded sidewalks.

Here’s the truth: No gun-control law ever cured a mental illness. Merely owning guns and ammo doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you, as a law-abiding citizen, capable of defending yourself from people who, if they know you’re unarmed, will beat the tar out of you (or worse) and take your stuff.

President Obama, in a speech to the National Urban League in late July, said, ““I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals; that they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.”

Cleverly phrased, that was, and no accident. It deliberately ignores a few hundred million of us, neither active military nor criminal, who (so far, and with proper documentation) have the right to own an assault weapon.

Also this summer, he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were dealt a setback when our Congress made perfectly clear its disinterest in the United States participating in a United Nations- proposed global gun treaty. That document, if ever signed and ratified, essentially would scrap the second amendment. (Keep an eye on that one; it’s nowhere near gone and has powerful support both hear and abroad.)

It must puzzle the anti-gun crowd as to why cities with the strictest gun controls tend to have higher violent-crime rates, and why a high percentage of multiple shootings perpetrated by calculating individuals happen in places where it’s unlawful for anyone else to carry a weapon.

Guns are equalizers. They protect good people – no matter their size or race or religion or color – from bad people, who also come in a variety of packages. People who don’t like guns can choose not to own them.

If they’d listen, I would advise them not to announce that choice publicly.

Email Doug Pike at DPike@fishgame.com

G a m e ®

8/7/12 1:54 PM

Ted’s TexasWild

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

Fence Row Grizzly Bears and Deer in wildlife paradise. In all states but Texas, a high fence land owner can hunt deer year round, since no access is legal to anyone else, something that has always puzzled everybody since Texas pioneered the concept of high fence private deer management.

So we were hoping to get a crack at an

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In all states but Texas, a high fence land owner can hunt deer year round.

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h, summertime, and the living is easy. Well, not this year it isn’t! My insane rock-n-roll tour, fifty plus years later, is throttling across America at breakneck warp speed, and the energy level is through the roof. Surely the greatest tour of my life. Thank You Lord!

Now that is nothing new, but add the slight inconvenience of two wrecked knees , a third knee surgery with nonstop pain off the Richter Scale, and the challenge takes on a whole new dimension.

So even though I am able to base operations from my beloved Michigan cabin while rocking across the Midwest, I am much too tired after such brutal concerts to get up early enough to do any meaningful outdoor activities in between gigs.

But alas, a rare night off came to be, and after a full day of media interviews and hobbling through my chores and some various shooting fun, I decided to grab the Excalibur crossbow and head to my favorite woods.

For more than 40 years, the Nugent family has celebrated springtime by planting trees and autumn olive bushes as habitat enhancement here there and everywhere.

Not only do all the creatures eat the little red berries from these plants, but the thick bushy rows have provided ideal escape and security cover for everything from deer, turkey, songbirds, gamebirds, rabbits, ground-squirrels and one of my favorite critters, the furry woodchucks that inhabit every type of terrain there is in the Midwest and East.

With VidCamDude Jim Knapp operating our SpiritWild vidcam, we settled into our ole reliable Shadow Hunter elevated coop for a hot afternoon of my kind of summer fun.

With fresh alfalfa and clover sprouting in the foodplots between the autumn olive rows on the edges of our forests, we knew we were

un-bred yearling doe for some midsummer straps and a good TV show.

We try to control the populations of coons, possums, skunks, coyotes and groundhogs all year long in order to minimize the damage they wreak upon everything, so we hoped for a shot at all of the above.

Being hammered relentlessly, the critters on our ground are very, very wary, and it is usually impossible to get a daylight shot at them. But today would be the day, since no hunting pressure had been exerted here for many months.

In less than an hour, a prime, fat, roly poly woodchuck stuck its twitching nose out of a mound nearby, and slowly made its way down the fencerow. Slow, cautious step after slow, cautious step, it finally ended up directly in front of our blind at twenty yards.

I’m telling you, it was as if I was drawing down on a trophy grizzly bear in the wilds of Alaska we were so psyched for the shot.

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head, and my Lumenok bolt drove a Rage broadhead clean through the little grizzly for an instant kill.

We couldn’t have been happier, but we were willing to try, so I loaded up another bolt, settled down, and renewed the waiting game.

Crows cawed in every direction, doves cooed from the evergreen cathedral, red squirrels chattered, song birds never stopped flitting about, and I literally got high just sucking up the precious air of my sacred hunting grounds that have provided me indescribable joy for more than 50 years.

Then there she was. Appearing from the shadows of the pine grove behind us, a perfect she deer and twin forked horn brother emerged into the dangerzone, and Jim rolled high definition footage.

I examined the doe closely with my binocular and confirmed she was dry and ready to rock straps.

When she turned broadside to get a lick of the Swamp Donkey block, I eased off the safety and settled the crosshairs on her pumper.

Thoonk! Thar’ she blows! A perfect hit right where the Dr. ordered, and we knew we had a perfect dream double crossbow hunt for the day.

We recovered our dandy little fencerow grizzly bear groundhog and the handsome doe, rejoicing that the hunt never ends.

Some may not understand deer hunting in the summer, but with the California deer season kicking off in early July, and South Carolina’s season opening August 15, it is not unheard of. This perfect doe had to go in order to maintain balance on a given piece of habitat, so it really doesn’t matter when she is taken as long as she is removed and utilized.

It was a great hunt and I am convinced that my guitar has a better tone following a hunt and some grilled straps. Perfection is fun.

G a m e ®

Email Ted Nugent at tnugent@fishgame.com |

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Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

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hen a tragedy occurs anywhere in America, the rest of the country grieves with the victims.

There are a dozen families still in mourning over lost loved ones because of the senseless shooting in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater in July, not to mention those who were wounded. The country, as a whole, wants to reach out, to help, to offer comfort.

Except there isn’t any comfort. When someone we love is taken away, especially for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, there are not words that will ease the pain. Laughter, it is said, is the best medicine. Well, not for this.

When Lydia Bixby, a widow, was thought to have lost five sons during the American Civil War, President Lincoln wrote her a letter of consolation. He eloquently expressed his inability to soften her grief, and offered hope that God might assuage her anguish. I am sure the letter did no good whatever. Nothing would have.

Adding insult to this loss are those who have, predictably, decided to use the tragedy to call for stricter gun control laws. This is basically an opportunistic, knee-jerk reaction, and is typical of those who misplace blame for the actions of the unhinged onto inanimate objects. Unfortunately, this attitude only assures that this type of horrible attack will occur again.

An event similar to the movie theater shooting occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech about five years ago, when a disturbed young man killed over 33 people. In March of 2012, a Virginia jury found Virginia Tech negligent in the shooting, because the administration failed to promptly notify the campus of the danger after the first two victims were shot.

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Gun laws need to be changed.

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be a victory for advocates of the Second Amendment, but it isn’t. Virginia Tech was definitely guilty, but not because of any failure to let everyone know they were suddenly transformed from students into targets.

The crime committed by the school was in ensuring none of the targets would be able to defend themselves.

A similar crime was committed by the city of Aurora, although the law there is unenforcable, because it is preempted by state law. The town has an ordinance against carrying concealed weapons, even

by licensed individuals. Because of this rule, many of the movie-goers may have thought they could not legally carry firearms into the theater.

If any of them had been armed, they would have broken a city law if they’d fired at James Holmes, the attacker. Not that that would have stopped them, I hope.

This incident may have been more personal for me, because my son, Paden, and I went to a movie in Colorado Springs about a month before the shooting. The same thing could have happened there. Of course, I had a small pistol in my back pocket at the time.

Which brings up the question of whether anyone would have been able to stop the shooter, even if they’d been armed. Many have said that one person in the theater with

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a gun would have made no difference, and that’s probably true. The odds are against it.

But the fact is that if everyone in the theater had been legally carrying firearms, there’s little chance that Holmes would have managed to kill more than one or two people, let alone a dozen. An armed society is a polite society. It’s also much safer from psychos.

A telling aspect of this sordid story is the incredulity displayed by the media over the ease with which Holmes, a man with no criminal record or history of mental problems, was able to buy guns. As if there should have been some way to know he was going to go crazy before he did. Short of a crystal ball, I can’t think of a guarantee of such a prediction.

The media also, inexplicably, repeatedly called Holmes’s four guns an “arsenal.”

Four guns is, realistically, a starter kit. I know plenty of kids under ten who have more than four guns. And if Holmes’s parents had bought him four guns before his tenth birthday, and taught him to handle them responsibly, I guarantee you would not be reading this column right now, because this tragedy would not have happened.

I agree with those, such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who are calling for President Obama and Mitt Romney to revisit the issue of gun control.

The laws need to be changed. All heads of households in America should be required to carry guns at all times. That’s the only way to keep the loss of life to a minimum in these insane attacks.

And a little compassion toward the victims and families wouldn’t hurt, although I see no way to force people to care for one another. If Americans insist on being as unfeeling, uncaring, and disdainful of their fellowman as Bloomberg and his cronies are, we’re doomed, anyway.

Email Kendal Hemphill at khemphill@fishgame.com

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8/7/12 1:55 PM

Texas Bowhunting

by Lou Marullo | TF&G Bowhunting Editor

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f you have followed my column at all, then you know that I write about the importance of practicing with your bow.

And I write about this a lot! You owe it not only to yourself as a person, but to every other ethical hunter out there as well as the animal you are pursuing. It is paramount that we pick a spot on the animal and resist the urge to just shoot at the animal. This will result in good shot placement and make us a more responsible, ethical hunter. This is what we, as bow hunters and hunters in general, strive for. Still, every once in a while, even the best archers in the field have a shot they wish they could take back.

What happens when, even after all that practice, we still wound an animal? I can tell you from experience it is not a pleasant feeling. Your aim might be a little off, the animal might have moved just a bit or your arrow might be pushed to the side from a strong gust of wind. It does not matter, it will still have the same result; a wounded animal and it is your fault.

I remember the first time it happened to me. I shot at a spot behind the front shoulder and hit the shoulder bone instead. My heart sank as I watched the deer run with an arrow that had very little penetration from my recurve bow. I followed the blood trail for hours but finally had to admit that I would never find this deer. My philosophy is that as long as I have blood to follow, I WILL follow, no matter how long it takes.

My friends all feel the same way. We are a group of dedicated hunters that help each other locate a deer that has been wounded.

We stay looking for that deer, even when all hope is gone, until the shooter decides to quit. It is always his or her call.

It is not uncommon among ethical hunters to feel terrible for the wounded animal.

I used to be like that as well, but one day

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Looking back at the first deer I ever wounded and how bad I felt about it, I am sure the doe succumbed to a much more humane death than what Mother Nature might have dealt it. She simply suffered from loss of blood, got dizzy and laid down to await her death. No pain, no traumatic incident that would have made her scared out of her wits, just a sleep that she would never wake from.

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Stuff happens.

Although we try to make the perfect shot, there are factors that get in the way.

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Wounding a Deer

up in the North, I watched what happens when Mother Nature decided to take a whitetail. I watched in horror as a group of coyotes chased down a small 4 pointer in the cold snow. The deer made it to a lake, but the frozen surface was no match for the hooves of the deer. He slid and fell and was literally ripped apart by the hungry coyotes.

Terrible? Absolutely, but that is Mother Nature’s way. Would it be any less appalling if it had been a rabbit or a rodent?

A deer that has starved to death is no easy sight either. Every whitetail needs to eat 5 pounds of wet browse every day to survive.

Think about that! If Mother Nature provides an unforgiving winter, the food is much harder to find for all those hungry deer.

I was in my deer stand one day and watched a hawk swoop down on an unsuspecting field mouse. After just a few minutes, the hawk flew in my direction and passed me no more than 10 yards away. I could see the wide eyes of the mouse as he was carried to the hawk’s dinner plate. I must admit, that sight did bring a smile to my face. It was like the mouse was saying “Hey!!! I’m afraid of heights.” It still makes me smile when I think of it.

The point I am trying to make here is that Mother Nature can be very cruel. Every animal in the outdoor world has to eat every day and it boils down to survival of the fittest. When you come to grips with that undeniable fact, then you might be able to accept your errant shot that caused you to wound an animal.

Stuff happens. Although we try very hard to make the perfect, ethical shot every time, there are factors that get in the way. It is certainly not our intent to wound the animal, but after you have decided that it is time to give up on the blood trail, you must know that the whitetail or any animal you just took a shot at will not be wasted. On the contrary.

You have just provided dinner for all of the meat-eating animals in the field. Nothing gets wasted. If it has not happened already, one day you will find an old carcass in the woods and you will be amazed at how the bones have been picked clean.

Today, I have a few more deer under my belt and consider myself much wiser about the habits of a deer. I have put my time in and even though I am thought of as a decent shot with a bow, every once in a while my arrow does not go exactly as planned and I might lose the animal. It is unfortunate. I still feel bad. But I do not feel bad about wounding the animal as much anymore. I guess what I am trying to say is it helps feed the other animals that need the food to survive.

I never wound an animal on purpose, who would? But I can go to my bed now knowing that I practiced all year, I scouted hard and knew the habits of the animal I was hunting.

I know that I prepared myself to be successful and bring home the venison.

G a m e ®

Email Lou Marullo at LMarullo@fishgame.com |

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8/7/12 2:01 PM

TRULY BIG SPECKLED TROUT are challenging to catch. Being the most popular fish on the Gulf Coast ensures that many end up in the frying pan and while that is a perfectly worthy destination, it stops many fish from getting to their maximum size.

Those that do make it to their genetic potential are elusive and sometimes downright tricky to catch. The following are five reasons anglers do not catch big trout more frequently and suggestions for reversing the trend.

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Big trout are relatively rare, elusive and highly sought after by anglers.

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Location, Location, Location A water body with a history of producing big fish of the variety you prefer is an obvious choice for what you are looking to accomplish. If you find an area with either a consistent history of producing monster fish in line with a recent history trending toward big fish you are in good shape. If an angler wanted to catch a 25-plus inch speckled trout, he could study Texas’ San Antonio Bay and find out it has produced a whole lot of those in the past. However, when looking at recent history it would become obvious that the fishery has declined in trophy production in recent years and chances of catching a fish of that size are not as great as they could

be. If you looked up the Lower Laguna Madre near Port Mansfield you would find out there is a rich history of big trout production and recent trends due to our next factor show it producing more than ever.

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Improper Topwaters Perceptive anglers know big speckled trout will eat big baitfish.

The species’ dietary habits change when they cross the 20-22 inch threshold to eating primarily shrimp and small baitfish to targeting larger baitfish.

Topwaters, which essentially mimic mullet, are one of the most effective means of fooling big trout and there are numerous methods to making them work.

However many anglers have a hard

Mullet imitating plugs like this Catch 2000 from Mirrolure are an important part in the arsenal of the trophy trout hunter.

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time fishing them properly, especially the walking style plugs. Baffin Bay guide Jim Onderdonk introduced me to a method a few years ago involving taking a chugger and removing the back hook and replacing it with a foot long fluorocarbon leader and a soft plastic like a Bass Assassin. He said many of his clients want to fish topwaters but are not proficient with them so he gives them this rig and they catch fish.

The splashing on the surface draws fish up to look but sometimes an unrealistic cadence or lack of consistency stops them from taking it. When there is an offering below the surface, it is hard to resist.

Topwaters are a great tool but the angler needs to know how to fish them. If you strike out on topwater fishing, try this method.

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Salinity Salinity can be a factor in locating trophy trout. Researchers with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have found that big trout tend to prefer water that is close in salinity to seawater to more brackish water. As we enter the fall and winter fishing seasons when we typically have the most rains, anglers should keep in mind fluctuations in salinity can make a difference.

During summer when saltwater reaches far north of the legal saltwater line in most Photos: Chester Moore

8/8/12 10:45 AM

4

Visible Line In my experience big trout get super sensitive to the color of fishing. This is particularly important in areas of ultra clear water like that found on much of the Lower Coast. I truly believe anglers could boost their opportunities to catch big trout by a large margin by simply switching to fluorocarbon line.

Flurocarbon is a material code name for PVDF, a blend of fluoride and carbon. It was originally used in various industrial capacities.

“The reason most anglers use fluorocarbon is become of its visibility. It has the some reflective properties as water so in

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essence the only thing a fish can see on the line is reflections,” said Clay Norris of Pure Fishing.

Fluorocarbon also has the advantage of being more “sensitive” than monofilament line.

“If you pull on fluorocarbon it has similar stretch to mono but it doesn’t soak up water.

Mono has more stretch when it is wet, so that makes a big difference,” Norris said.

“We think is the reason why fluorocarbon feels more sensitive is because we think the material is denser and transmits vibration like a hard cable. Secondly, the line sinks so there is less bow or slack in the line and it keeps better contact with the rod shaft so you can feel more vibrations.”

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Forget the Birds Catching trout under birds is tons of fun and it is super easy but it is the last place you are likely to find trophy trout. The anglers that consistently catch big trout ignore the birds and focus their efforts on the types of areas big trout dwell. They fish jetty

Photo: JinYoung Lee, Bigstock

areas, big trout can be all over the place.

However, as more freshwater lows into bays, bigger trout are more likely to be found on the southern tier of the bays. In winter and early spring in particular, big, incoming tides bring warmer Gulf waters onto trout friendly areas like shallow flats along channels and with them come baitfish.

Lots of trout can be caught under birds... just not very big ones.

systems, mud flats near channels, shell reefs and shorelines thick with mullet.

Catching big trout is an awesome experience but actually pursuing them can be a grind. It requires lots of casting, the ability to fish all day, get one or two bites and remain motivated and lots of stamina. It is not an easy game which is why relatively few of these prized fish are caught.

If you find yourself wanting to catch more big trout, look at these tips and you will increase your odds by eliminating problems and enhancing your tackle, location choices and overall strategy.

8/8/12 10:45 AM

Channel Cats EARLY AUTUMN

BY MATT WILLIAMS

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FOR MANY ANGLERS, it all began with bream. Others, like me, got their start in fishing with thick-shouldered channel cat tugging on their line.

While I can’t remember every whiskered fish I caught as a child, I can certainly recall the biggest. It was 1960-something and there was a July 4 celebration going on along the shores of the late Glen Justice’s stock tank in Collin County. I was more interested in fishing than popping firecrackers.

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I can remember standing in waist-deep water with my trusty Garcia spinning outfit in hand, hoping for a bite, when my little red/white bobber suddenly disappeared in the black, clear water. The drag gave and I inched into deeper water to compensate.

Next thing I knew my dad had a death grip beneath my armpits and was dragging me to shore.

I’m not sure how it happened, but I somehow managed to hang on to my rod through it all. Amazingly, I landed the fish, too. It was a plump, 28-inch beauty that briefly became the life of the party.

Chad Ferguson can relate to all the excitement over the fat cat. Like me, Ferguson started fishing at a very young age. He grew up pond hopping and chasing catfish on lakes all across Texas.

Today, he runs a successful guide

service specializing in putting clients on catfish on numerous reservoirs and rivers in close proximity to the D/FW Metroplex. Eagle Mountain, Lake Worth, Lewisville and Brazos River are among his favorites. He also maintains a very informative website (learntocatchcatfish.com) that is like one-stop shopping for everything catfish.

I recently caught up with the Texas catfish pro and ask him to share some tips for finding and catching fall channel cats. Here is what he had to offer, along with a few more useful fishing tips gleaned from other catfish guides around the state: Shallow is the Ticket: To catch big numbers of catfish, you have to soak your baits in areas where the fish are concentrated. Ferguson says you can catch fish in deep and shallow water alike this time of year, but he prefers skinny water overall.

“When it comes to locating channel catfish in the fall my approach varies depending on when in the fall it is and how quickly the weather cools off,” Ferguson said. “Often times we have days in early to mid October

where it is still like summer. In September/ October, when the weather stays warm, I continue to target fish using some of the same patterns I use in the summer. I like water to be anywhere from 1-3 feet deep. If you catch me fishing for channel catfish in water deeper than five feet during this time it is pretty rare.”

Looking for Cover: Ferguson says channel catfish are cover nuts, so he always looks for shallow water that offers the fish something for the fish to relate to such as flooded trees, log jams, brush piles, cattail beds, stumps or stick-ups.

“Anything that provides thick cover where the channel catfish can lay up in it is a plus,” Ferguson said.

Wind Factors: Given the choice, Ferguson had rather fish during windy conditions than on slick water. Wind pushes zooplankton and other tiny microorganisms against the bank, which in turn attracts small bait fish. “I like to target areas with the wind blowing into them,” he said. “Days with no wind are the toughest days to fish. A good strong wind that is been blowing in the same direction for a day or two does wonders for the fishing.”

Baiting a Hole: One of the best ways to improve your chances of catching channel catfish is to “bait a hole” using soured maize, wheat or range cubes. This is accomplished by pouring chum down either side of the boat for vertical fishing, or scattering it along a shoreline you want to cast to. Channel cats are attracted by the foul stench and it will usually trigger a feeding frenzy once they find the source of the smell.

“The biggest key when chumming is to not use too much,” Ferguson said. “Most people go way overboard. I take a plastic water bottle and cut the top off and fill it about 3/4 of the way full. I also dump chum in a whiffle ball bat with the end cut off.

This allows me to really sling the chum out there and get it spread out well.”

Tie It Off: When fishing vertical over a baited hole, be sure both ends of the boat are securely tied to stumps or anchored. This will prevent the boat from drifting off the sweet spot allow you to keep your bait in the strike zone 100 percent of the time.

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shiners and grasshoppers will always get you bit, Ferguson is a bigger fan of “punch baits” and “fiber baits.” His favorites are Sure Shot Catfish Punch Bait and Team Catfish Sudden Impact Fiber Bait.

“I prefer the punch baits because they stay on the hook well and don’t require me to use an sponges, dip tubes or other additional tackle to hold the baits on the hook.

They are also much less messy to fish with.”

The Right Rig: The two most popular ways to rig for channel catfish is to use a slip cork to catch suspended fish or a Carolina style rig to get at fish on bottom. Ferguson prefers to use as light a weight as he can get away with when using slip cork set-up.

For bottom fishing, he likes what he calls the “Secret Channel Cat Rig.” He sells the instructions for the rig for $19.95 over the Internet and claims it is the most effective channel cat rig ever because it reduce missed strikes and increase catch ratios exponentially.

One of my favorite bottom fishing rigs is a Carolina rig matched with a 1/2 or 3/4ounce sinker (depending on wind) and a No. 6 treble hook. A short, 12-inch leader will help detect subtle bites.

Another key ingredient to the Carolina rig is a two-inch Comal cork in either chartreuse, red or pink. Pegged about three inches above the hook, the cork will float the bait slightly off the bottom and adds some color beneath the surface.

Hold That Rod: Channel cat are notorious for biting very light. For that reason, Ferguson prefers keep his fishing poles in hand as opposed to stabbing them in a rod holder.

“It amazes me how many people want to sling a bunch of baits out and sit their rods down and wait for a bite,” he said. “If you do that with channel catfish you are never going to catch as many fish as you should. The anglers who will hold their rod and set the hook when they have the slightest indication of a bite will always catch more fish.”

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On, Scout!

SO, NOW YOU HAVE

acquired a new

hunting lease. What’s next? Fix up the cabin, clear off a place for campers, or just learn where to spend the night close-by? If you are really interested in getting the most out of a hunting lease, you do none of the above first. Sure, where you plan to lay your head at night is important, whether on the lease or in a nearby motel, but

that concern may have little difference in whether you bag a deer next season.

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Getting the Lay of the Land on a New Lease I was fortunate to acquire a new hunting lease in Lampasas County recently along with a few hunting buddies from a really great landowner who I admire greatly.

Landowner-hunter relationships are very important, but they should go farther than simply hunting relationships. They should be based upon the individuals and their values relating to families, the land, wildlife, and much more.

Any time I have gained the privilege of hunting on a different ranch, I have approached it the same way as in the past.

And it is so much fun to scout a new area, learn what’s there and appreciate it..

First, I choose a period of the week prior to the season when I am alone. No problem with another hunter helping out and joining me but this has been my path.

I begin by choosing a starting place and walk the entire perimeter fence lines of the ranch. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a 600acre ranch, 1,000-acre ranch or larger. I walk the entire perimeter. In most cases, I

can do it in a day’s time, but if it’s large enough to require another day or two, what the heck. I want to learn not only what is on the lease but what other things such as deer trails leading to and from the other side of the fence line, ridges, creeks, openings and such.

To me, that’s one of the most important “beginning points” of scouting a new lease.

You can drive a truck or four-wheeler almost anywhere but you will never see the things you can find on foot.

Unfortunately for some hunters, they are virtually married to their deer stands or blinds. They are creatures of habit, heading near daylight in a truck or four-wheeler to and sometimes almost underneath their box or tripod hunting blinds, climbing aboard and then hunting until 8:30 or 10 a.m. and heading back to camp with few reports of deer being sighted.

That’s fine if you really aren’t interested in harvesting a deer or have a lack of time, but if you want to increase your chances of bagging a deer, expand yourself. Use common practices that have been proven by other hunters for decades.

First, of course, is pre-season scouting. Time in a blind, huddled beneath a tree or easing across a ridge with a good pair of binoculars to watch, identify and judge the size of bucks’ racks is priceless.

You can never learn too much through pre-season scouting.

In recent years, trail cameras have helped many hunters “pre-scout” areas. Trail cameras, when set up properly, will show you not only how much activity has been around a deer feeder, food plot, natural food source or trail but they also will provide you with the growing antler procession of bucks day per day or week per week along with other T e x a S

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wildlife activity around where they were set up.

Trail cameras are very beneficial for identifying bucks and showing the different sizes of antlers they have when coming into a deer feeder, however you, yourself, can do the same and have a lot of enjoyable mornings and evenings doing the same through your own eyes.

A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope set up in a deer blind or from a natural stand is a great way for a hunter to learn how to judge the bucks traveling through various areas. This can be especially important to archery hunters who are looking for places to set up for the archery-only or general hunting seasons where a 20-40-yard shot at a deer is so important.

I did just that two months prior to last year’s archery-only hunting season with my crossbow. I had earlier followed tracks of deer from three trails that funneled into a corner of a pasture bordered on one side by very tall and thick cedars along a fence row and on the other by a draw lined with oaks and mesquites.

I set up deep in the cedars with my crossbow before daybreak. By 30 minutes after the break of dawn, 11 whitetail deer had cross within 30 yards of me. I didn’t see one I wanted to shoot so simply watched them come and go.

An hour or so later, two large doe came down the oak and mesquite line from the east. One was much larger than the others I had seen earlier and at 20 yards presented a very easy shot. The whole result was a combination of pre-scouting, setting up with the wind direction in my favor, and patience.

On this occasion, I had chosen a natural ground blind. Had I chosen to hunt from a tripod or other elevated blind, I would have had to considered the angle of a shot I had anticipated. Bottom line: pre-scout the area where you plan to hunt, measure your opportunities of hunting from the ground or an elevated position, practice a few shots from both positions and, most of all, consider normal wind directions and ways to reposition yourself when those wind directions may change.

It’s all in the planning, and now is the best time to plan for the next season.

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8/7/12 3:03 PM

Keeping Dogs from the Jaws of Dinosaurs

by john n. felsher

FLOWING INTO A MAJOR LAKE, the little creek—barely inches deep for most of its length—periodically widened into slightly larger pools. Under a bridge where a hiking path crossed the creek, it deepened to about four feet.

Tired, I decided to rest a bit at the bridge. Typically, I sit on a bench along the hiking path while Samson, my Labrador retriever, disappears under the bridge for a swim in the pool. On this day, however, the sun unbearably heated the metal bench, so I sought refreshing refuge near the shady creek shoreline.

Just as I reached the creek bank, a 10-foot alligator began to slither across a sandbar separating his pool from the one where Samson played in the water. Moments before it slipped into the pool with Samson, the gator saw me and froze on the sandbar.

I began yelling at the toothy dinosaur and desperately calling Samson to exit the pool where he swam oblivious to danger less than 12 feet away. After what seemed like hours, but probably just seconds, the alligator backed into his own pool beyond the T e x a S

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sandbar. Finally, still blissfully unaware of T-Rex’s menacing cousin, Samson reluctantly climbed onto the bank where he expresses his annoyance about leaving the pool by shaking water all over me.

At the southern terminus of the Central Flyway and bordering the Mississippi Flyway, southeast Texas wetlands traditionally attract dense waterfowl populations. Many sportsmen enjoy hunting ducks with retriever dogs. These rivers, lakes, ponds,

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River and west to about Interstate 35. A big alligator can easily eat a retriever. Alligators sit at the bottom of ponds and people may never know they are there.”

During the annual September teal season, alligators feed heavily because they need warm temperatures to digest their food.

Lacking a fear of man, alligators sometimes learn to associate gunfire with food. When the shooting starts, gators may surround a duck blind waiting for the next teal meal to fall from the sky. Sportsmen sometimes must

race reptiles for possession of feathery prizes.

“I’ve had multiple encounters over the years with alligators and dogs,” recalled Lance Stancik of Backwater Waterfowl in Garwood (979-966-7732/www.backwaterwaterfowl.com.) “Personally, I have never seen a retriever killed, but I have heard of a few incidents from credible sources. I did see a young Labrador try to grab a gator’s head in the water thinking it was a dead duck on the surface. Luckily, the gator was small so it left the scene.”

Usually, alligators disappear after the first cold snap in October, well before the regular waterfowl season begins. During cold temperatures, gators go underground or hole up in thick vegetation. They remain inactive, but don’t really hibernate. When the weather warms, reptiles may emerge, even in January. During a warm winter, alligators may sun themselves at any time.

Photo courtesy backwater waterfowl

estuaries and marshes also create outstanding alligator habitat. Once endangered, thousands of prehistoric predators again populate much of Texas, putting them in occasional conflict with humans and their pets.

“Alligators are very common in southeast Texas,” explained Amos Cooper, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department alligator program leader in Port Arthur. “We probably have about 500,000 alligators in Texas.

They range from the Rio Grande to the Red

Waterfowl hunting puts dogs in prime gator territory. Fortunately, the reptiles get scarce for most of the season.

“During 2011-12, we saw alligators throughout the regular duck season,” said Larry Robinson of Coastal Wings Guide Service [866 HUNT-TXS, (486-8897)/ www.coastalwings.com] in Bay City. “We always have alligators hanging at the edge of the decoys watching where birds fall. We hunt one creek that holds good numbers of ducks, but it also holds a lot of big alligators so we don’t bring our dogs there. A few years ago, I received a call of a big gator hanging around one of my properties. We harvested him during the alligator season. It measured 13 feet, 1 inch.”

Some habitats attract more alligators

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Photo Courtesy Fin & Fowl Outfitters

Even when hunting relatively safe areas, keep a close watch on the dogs. An alligator can pop up anywhere. An obedient dog that would not hesitate to respond to commands would less likely fall prey to an alligator as one that runs off wildly into the high reeds.

“We keep our eyes open and keep the dogs in plain view,” Davenport advised.

“We try to keep them out of cattails and canes. We also try to take shots so that the birds fall in places where the dog is safe to retrieve them.”

Sportsmen may not kill alligators except when legally hunting during the highly regulated annual season. Fortunately, alligators seldom attack humans or dogs. If necessary, shoot close to an alligator to chase it away.

However, sportsman can exercise the right of self-defense in dire circumstances, Cooper said. If someone does shoot an alligator in self-defense, that person must immediately notify the game warden who will conduct an investigation.

Killing an alligator outside the strictly enforced hunting season is illegal, unless self defense is claimed.

than others. While alligators can and do go into brackish and salty systems, they prefer sweeter water. Although fresh, rice field potholes don’t hold nearly as many gators as river delta marshes. In addition, sportsmen hunting in blinds floating in a deep impoundment probably won’t see as many alligators as someone hunting thick reeds along the lake shoreline.

“We hunt some brackish marshes that are less than three feet deep,” said Brian Davenport of Fin & Fowl Outfitters who hunts near Anahuac (281-852-1939/www. finandfowloutfitters.com). “We don’t usually see alligators over four feet long in the marsh ponds, but we have a few deeper ponds where we don’t hunt with dogs. It’s amazing how many red eyes we see while running the boat to the duck blind in the dark.”

Like Robinson, Davenport also hunts alligators during the state season so he often harvests big bruisers before waterfowl season begins. Duck hunters should scout where they plan to hunt, not just to find mallard concentrations, but look for alligator signs.

Look for tracks and tail trails in the mud, slides on muddy banks or trails through thick reeds. Waterfowlers might also talk to alligators hunters. Any alligator hunter would welcome news about a big beast and may possibly remove that predator before duck season begins.

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Texas Department of Defense Doing What is Necessary

I

recently had a friend come to me requesting that I teach him how to use his new .40 caliber semi-auto.

At the appointed time we met at my

| Self Defense | | Concealed Carry | | Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus & Dustin Ellermann

range for the first of what I thought would be a series of lessons.

Since he had almost no experience with a semi-auto handgun, and very little with any other kind, I started him out slow. First we practiced dry-firing, so that he could get the feel of the trigger. Next we worked on some loading drills, necessary to get the magazine in the gun and a cartridge in the chamber without shooting a hole in the scenery.

When I felt he had a sufficient understanding of the gun we headed for my range.

With live ammo I started him out slowfire at close range. His groups were scattered like dead leaves in a tornado, and like almost all first-time students with a semi-auto, he wanted to shoot it like a machine gun. When I finally got him slowed down he began to shoot some acceptable groups.

At the end of the first range session,

Controlling Carbine Recoils FOR DEFENSIVE AND HUNTING purposes our primary training position should be offhand where the shooter is standing without any support. Of course there are several different variations of positions to accomplish stable shots in various scenarios but most are familiar with the traditional offhand position.

This traditional position is great for hunting, yet in a tactical situation it needs to be modified to provide a stable platform to control recoil and rapidly fire several subsequent shots.

In the traditional position your body is canted to the target, support arm below the forend supporting the majority of the weight, with the firing arm cocked high.

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Traditional Offhand Stance – fine for single shot, but recoil will control the shooter.

exposed around cover.

To modify this into a tactical fighting position, it is easiest to start from the bottom up with the shooter’s stance. Start by pretending that you are preparing to throw a punch at the target. This boxing position will plant your feet in the best place to control recoil and keep your balance. New shooters will always have

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a backwards lean, most likely because they are afraid of the gun and awkwardly centering its weight over their feet, but when the physics of recoil begin to affect their body it will only take 2-3 shots for them to lose their balance and have to take a step backwards to keep from Continued on page 34 u Photo: Hannah Photo credit Royer

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which took about an hour, I told him he was doing pretty well for a first-timer and asked when he would like his second lesson. He looked at me with question marks in his eyes and said, “I thought one lesson would do it.”

When I explained that to acquire a thorough grasp of his new gun he would need at least 40 hours of range work and would need to fire a minimum of a thousand rounds through his gun. His comment was, “Well, I just wanted you to show me how to use it in case somebody broke into my house.”

I tried to explain that this was what I was doing, but it wasn’t sinking in. He believed that just showing him how the gun worked was plenty. If he could load it and make it go “bang” he was good to go. Sadly enough that seems to be the attitude of far too many people. They buy a gun, get someone to show them how to load it, and think they’re ready for the OK Corral. Or, worse, they buy a gun, go to a concealed carry class, and believe they are trained and deadly.

Let me tell you, if you have not put in a month on the range, and if you have not put at least a thousand rounds downrange

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with your new gun, you are not ready for anything. And the concealed carry classes mandated by the State of Texas are not training clinics; they are nothing more than tests; and they are not really sufficient even in that regard. If you are going to carry your gun and depend on it to defend your life, you need to find a real, honest-to-John combat instructor, such as Clint Smith, and get some real training, preferably before you take your concealed carry class.

Training takes many different forms.

For instance, yesterday as I writing, this my friend and fellow TF&G columnist, Kendal Hemphill, dropped by for a visit. Naturally, we ended up on my firing range. Kendal is a pretty fair shot. However, he has not yet acquired all the skills that a real pistolero needs.

Kendal started out on rifles when he was just a skinny kid (He’s still skinny).

He has shot all his life. However, when he transitioned from rifles to handguns he bought a .45 ACP, among one of the best of the best manstoppers. He now has a good holster and a fine Smith and Wesson 1911.

The problem is that he has acquired a minor flinch, due to the significant recoil of the big .45. He also has a tendency, as most people do, to shoot his semi-auto much too rapidly.

If you can shoot your gun in rapid fire and keep all the shots in a pattern the size of your hand at 15 yards, you are probably okay. If you find that your rapid-fire groups tend to scatter into the 5-ring, you need more trigger time in slow fire. Don’t rush it!

The two by-words in handgunning, and for shooting in general, are “trigger control and sight alignment.” Work on those two things each and every time you go to the range. Align your sights, concentrate on the front sight, and squeeze the trigger until the gun goes off. The more you work on the basics, the faster you will become. And always start your shooting from the holster. It is not necessary for you to draw as fast as you can; that will come by itself and at the proper time, if you practice the basics.

Draw the gun, align the sights, and squeeze the trigger. Do it again and again and again. Do it with loaded ammo, and do it about a thousand times in dry fire for

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Texas Department of Defense every round you fire with live ammo. When you press the trigger the sights should not move (After a period of time you will learn to squeeze the trigger more rapidly until it becomes a press more than a squeeze, but it still does not disturb the sights. Just do not rush it.). If you press the trigger and the sights move, at all, you need more practice.

This is one of the benefits of dry-fire practice. It clearly demonstrates deficiencies that are hidden by the recoil of live-fire. This is also why you should work with a friend or instructor who can load the gun for you with dummy rounds that fail to fire. This way you can see what you do when you are expecting a “bang” and get a “click.”

Note: Let me again (and you will hear it again and again) say, that when you dry-fire, make sure the gun is empty, and remove all live ammo from the area. Put it where you cannot get to it until you are finished with dry fire. Then if you reload the gun, put it up or holster it and do not do any more dryfire practice. I have seen a dozen instances of unloaded guns getting mysteriously loaded and shooting all kinds of things -- during dry-fire practice. Be religiously careful.

Always. You cannot call back a bullet once its one its way.

Once you have acquired a good grounding in the basics you can move on to other, more advanced types of practice. We will discuss these further in later articles.

I would beg you to do your practice. Do not be like my friend in the beginning of this piece. A simple knowledge of how the gun works is one of the most dangerous times in your trip to becoming a good handgunner.

The old adage, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” is absolutely true.

Kendal is one of the best students I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Even though he is a shooter he realizes that there are many things to learn and has an open

mind and good work ethic. Unlike too many people who were raised around guns, he does not think he is Wyatt Earp. He listens and learns and tries each new thing with an open mind. You do the same and you might just make a pistolero one day.

Note: If you have a 1911, one of the best training tools on the market is a .22 long rifle conversion kit. Kimber makes one of the best. This is a slide, magazine, spring, and barrel that turns your .45 into a .22.

Twenty-two long rifle ammo is many times cheaper than .45 ACP. —Steve LaMascus

Recoil Control t Continued from page 32 falling over. After your feet are in this position, slightly bend your knees and lean your torso towards the target, again, just as if you were throwing a punch.

Your shooting hand will be high on the grip, shooting elbow low to protect your body and minimize your outline. Then your support hand either at the end of the forend “driving” the rifle towards the target as your thumb points to it or in a more traditional position in the middle of the forend. The major adjustment for the rifle is that instead of the butt out near the end of the shoulder it will be as far into the center of your chest that you are able to manage.

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Modified Offhand Stance – forward and more aggressive, shooter will control the recoil.

ine how recoil affects your rifle. For a right-handed shooter, the rifle will recoil upwards and to the right. This is simply the result of the body giving way to the rifle’s energy. The more body mass that is put behind the buttstock, and the more bodyweight put into the rifle, the more recoil the shooter will control. The use of tactical optics such as a red dot sight have an unlimited amount of parallax so this position won’t affect your aiming, and with a little practice it will start to feel

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more natural.

Dryfire practice is always recommended while training new tactics, but the shooter won’t really appreciate this stance until firing full power rounds through a .223 or .308. This is when you will realize how much this position truly helps you control your weapon. Adapt, train, and stay safe.

—Dustin Ellermann

Photo: Hannah Royer

8/7/12 3:07 PM

Hunt Texas

by Bob Hood | TF&G Hunting Editor

Be Patient, and Learn Much in the Outdoors to Colorado, using the same size traps for beaver and bobcats. To be a good trapper, you must do what Marvin explained about hunting deer or elk: study the tracks, plan an approach, set up and wait for the results.

Do not, by any means, simply hike through the countryside hoping to “jump” an animal.

Indeed, I have shot many deer and elk by happenchance, simply being in the right place at the right time while traveling, but you just can’t beat a great hunting experience complemented with scouting, planning, and strategy implemented with absorbed patience.

“

Do not, by any means, simply hike through the countryside hoping to ‘jump’ an animal.

“

I

f there were any one thing more important than experiencing life itself that my dad taught me it was patience and selfreliance while in the outdoors. That is something that eases into my mind almost anytime I am sitting in the brush calling turkeys, hunting deer, javelina or any other animal or bird.

My dad wasn’t the only person who taught me that, though. Life, itself, is a great teacher, and with it comes the friendships and knowledge we gain from other hunters we meet along the path. One of those other hunters was Marvin Burough of Gypson, Colo., near the White River National Forest.

Marvin worked for the county, plowing roads free of snow and other things that men operating maintainers do. He also was a devout hunter, and his roots into hunting ran deep. After all, his father led former president Teddy Roosevelt on hunting excursions in the Gypson area in the early 1900s and I once enlarged a photograph of Roosevelt and several of his hunting buddies and dogs with a black bear Roosevelt had killed. The photograph was taken outside a log cabin on Gypson Creek bought in the 1970s by David Pillow, a friend of mine in Fort Worth who sought Marvin as a sort of care-taker.

One thing Marvin taught me was not to get into a hurry. Study the deer and elk tracks, evaluate the terrain they travel in, watch with binoculars for bedding deer below the rimrock or hillsides, and move slowly, he said. Never walk through the woods, rather slip through them quietly.

Trapping is a great patience-teacher, and I learned that on my own while trapping coyotes and bobcats in the Southwest brush country with Nos. 3 and 4 Victor traps.

I later expanded the patience of trapping

Spring turkey hunting is one of the best examples of that. Many turkey hunters prefer a run-and-gun approach to bagging a gobbler. Not me. I had rather choose a place to set up, call briefly upon occasion, hear a gobbler’s response and then coax him in to 15 or so yards. Yes, it is a cat-and-mouse game but one I enjoy more than runningand-gunning with the possibility of letting the turkeys know I’m in the woods.

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critical. Like calling ducks, over-calling is possibly one of the most critical mistakes a turkey hunter can make other than letting his presence be known. In fact, that’s true for any type of using a call to attract wildlife. If ducks and turkeys don’t make all that noise you are making, why should you? Relax, call occasionally and be normal in the terms of the wildlife you hope to attract. Hunting should not be a calling contest.

My idea about hunting any game is scouting, relying upon knowledge you have learned about your quarry, setting up so you are concealed and exercising patience. And even when you are not expecting something to happen, expect it to do so. If you are walking back to camp and hear a gobbler or maybe see a big buck on a ridge, expect to see the unexpected and be prepared to react to it.

I did that a few years ago on a ranch near Van Horn when two buddies and I were sitting in my truck near a narrow, high-rising rock ridge. We saw a mountain lion cross over the rocks opposite us as we took a midday pause.

I grabbed my .243 and slipped around the end of the ridge of rocks to see the mountain lion enter into a draw about 60 yards away. The lion remained out of sight for almost 10 minutes and we figured it had escaped up the draw into higher grounds.

But here is where patience played a big role.

I remained behind a row of rocks watching where I saw the mountain lion disappear and thought three times about easing down into the draw and maybe getting sight of the mountain lion. But instinct I had been taught by my dad, Marvin and other great hunting friends told me to stay put and wait.

Eventually, I spotted the mountain lion sitting on a ledge about 70 yards away, staring at me. He, too, had plenty of patience and was simply waiting for me to leave before proceeding. It was an easy shot but it wasn’t made without a pause and patience.

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PHOTOS: BIGSTOCK; CANSTOCK

8/7/12 3:17 PM

The Laws and Regulations Governing Duck, Goose and Other Waterfowl Hunting in Texas

NO FORM OF HUNTING IS MORE REGULATION HEAVY than the pursuit of waterfowl. The virtue of interstate migration puts ducks and geese under federal control for the most part and with that comes a mind-numbing array of dos and don’ts. In fact, it would take five times as much space as we have available for this feature to get in all of the waterfowl regulations.

This is a look at some of the more obscure and easy to miss rules of the game as well as some of the ones that most routinely get hunters in trouble.

PART 8 OF OUR YEAR-LONG SERIES T e x a S

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Let us start with those.

Do you hunt doves, ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, woodcock, rails, snipe, coots or gallinules in Texas?

You are probably thinking, “Of course I do or I would not be reading this story.”

Well, before you buy a hunting license, the vendor should ask that question along with some follow ups on the number taken.

That is the Harvest Information Program (HIP) and you must be HIP certified before hunting or face fines.

You cannot completely field-dress waterfowl before taking them from the field.

The head or one fully feathered wing must remain attached to the birds while you transport them to your home or to a facility that processes waterfowl.

In addition, you cannot put or leave waterfowl at any place or in the custody of another person unless you tag the birds with your signature, address, number of birds identified by species, and the date you killed them. Even if you have the birds

separated you must have the birds properly documented if they are in your possession.

It is illegal to hunt with a shotgun that can hold more than three shells, unless you plug it with a one-piece filler that cannot be removed without disassembling the gun.

Hunter should make sure any home made plugs are adequate to keep a fourth shell from being put into the gun or else a ticket will be issued if stopped by a warden.

Duck identification has been confusing in Texas for the last few years because of a regulation pertaining to “dusky ducks”.

The “dusky duck’ which is an aggregate bag limit for mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black ducks and their hybrids. You can only shoot one of those per day.

A Mexican duck is a fairly rare mottledduck like species. The reason TPWD puts this in the aggregate is it saves hunters who might mistake one for being a mottled duck from getting a fine.

A Mexican duck is not however a blackbellied whistling duck or fulvous tree duck, which are sometimes called “Mexican whistlers” or “Mexican squealers”. You can shoot a full limit of those birds.

Baiting and hunting around agriculture is by far the most confusing area of waterfowl regulations and we are going to focus on some of the places where hunters could most easily get into trouble.

The following is directly from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: “You cannot hunt waterfowl by the aid of baiting or on or over any baited area where you know or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited. Baiting is the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other feed that could lure or attract waterfowl to, on, or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.”

“A baited area is any area on which salt, grain, or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, if that salt, grain, or feed could serve as a lure or attraction for waterfowl. A baited area remains off limits to hunting for 10 days after all salt, grain, or other feed has been completely removed. This rule recognizes that waterfowl will still be attracted to the same area even after the bait is gone.”

Service officials say you can hunt waterfowl in fields of unharvested standing crops.

You can also hunt over standing crops Photo: Bigstock

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that have been flooded. You can flood fields after crops are harvested and use these areas for waterfowl hunting.

“The presence of seed or grain in an agricultural area rules out waterfowl hunting unless the seed or grain is scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, normal agricultural harvesting, normal agricultural post-harvest manipulation, or normal soil stabilization practice.”

“These activities must be conducted in accordance with recommendations of the State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Cooperative Extension Service).”

“The Fish and Wildlife Service does not make a distinction between agricultural fields planted with the intent to harvest a crop and those planted without such intent so long as the planting is in accordance with recommendations from the Cooperative Extension Service.”

“Normal agricultural plantings do not involve the placement of seeds in piles or other heavy concentrations. Relevant factors include recommended planting dates, proper seed distribution, seed bed preparation, application rate, and seed viability.”

Did you know that you cannot legally hunt waterfowl over freshly planted wildlife food plots where grain or seed has been distributed, scattered, or exposed because these plots are not normal agricultural plantings or normal soil stabilization practices.

“Wildlife food plots may be considered a normal agricultural practice, but they do not meet the definition of a normal agricultural planting, harvest, post-harvest manipulation, or a normal soil stabilization practice. In some areas, it is a legal hunting practice to place grain to attract some State-protected game species (i.e., white-tailed deer). But these areas would be illegal for waterfowl hunting, and the 10-day rule would apply.”

How close to bait can you hunt without

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breaking the law?

“There is no set distance. The law prohibits hunting if bait is present that could lure or attract birds to, on, or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

Distance will vary depending on the circumstances and such factors as topography, weather, and waterfowl

flight patterns. Therefore, this question can only be answered on a case-by-case basis.”

In other words if you decide to hunt one of the wood ducks that are feeding a couple of hundred yards behind your deer feeder, you could potentially be in trouble.

Remember, there is no set distance and the decision would me made by the warden conducting the investigation.

8/9/12 12:05 PM

TRUE GREEN HSUS Could Face RICO Charges

Feral Hogs Pose Threat to Alligators photo: Patrick Lamont, bigstock

Alligator farmers have reported the increase in feral hogs has lead to an increase in alligator egg predation.

About 590 alligator nests were

Hogs have been blamed for destroyed nests on more than half of the alligator farms in Louisiana.

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destroyed on 36 different properties in Louisiana, according to a paper in Southeastern Naturalist. The paper also mentions that reducing the number of feral hogs on a property helps alligator nest survival rates.

Over half (51.4%) of farmers reported loss of alligator nests in 2011.

Four farmers, some of whom have 20 or more years experience collecting alligator eggs, reported 2011 was the first year in which they have lost nests to feral hogs.

Other farmers reported seeing wild hogs while in the field or seeing sign of hogs, which suggests future potential losses may be incurred and that the range and population level is expanding in important alligator nesting habitat in Louisiana.

Nearly all farmers who had nests destroyed by feral hogs (94.7%) reported hog damage is increasing on their properties.

—Staff Report «TG

The animal rights organization, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and its executives could face charges under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute for misrepresenting itself in its fundraising campaigns across the nation.

In a little-reported ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia in July, HSUS is going to court on racketeering, obstruction of justice, malicious prosecution, and other charges for a lawsuit it brought and lost against Ringling Brothers Circus’ parent company Feld Entertainment, Inc. After winning the case alleging mistreatment of elephants in its circuses brought by Friends of Animals (later merged into HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), lawyers at Feld filed a countersuit with a litany of charges ranging from bribery to money laundering and racketeering. The attorneys for the animal rights groups asked the judge to dismiss all charges, but most remained because the evidence was overwhelming.

So, HSUS will be facing the music in a case that should attract the attention of hunters, ranchers, farmers and anyone impacted

by HSUS’ radical animal rights agenda.

—Staff Report «TG

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8/7/12 3:20 PM

TRUE GREEN Taxpayer Millions Paid to Anti-Hunting Groups Documents provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to the House Natural Resources Committee show that the federal government is giving millions of taxpayer dollars to anti-hunting organizations.

Anti-hunting groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife, and Sierra Club are cashing in.

On cases listed as “active” between October 1, 2008 and April 4, 2012, more than $21 million was paid to attorneys for groups suing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Of that $21 million, more than $6 million in taxpayer dollars went to pay attorneys for some of the nation’s largest anti-hunting organizations.

At least two people reported sighting a black bear near the Starr-Zapata County line in early August.

Although black bears lived all over Texas about a century ago, it’s been “quite a while” since one was spotted in the Rio Grande Valley, said Eric Garza, the natural resource specialist for Starr, Jim Hogg, and Zapata counties for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Black bears can be found in other parts of Texas, including Big Bend National Park to the northwest, Garza said.

—Staff Report «TG

Provisions within the ESA allow plaintiffs--typically animal rights and environmental groups suing the government--to recover attorney fees in cases where they have at least “some success on the merits” of the case.

Often these groups sue on purely technical grounds (not based on science or in the best interests of wildlife conservation) simply because they know they will win the technical argument and the government will be forced to pay their attorney’s fees.

Ultimately, many these lawsuits have no impact on the recovery of endangered or threatened species.

—Staff Report «TG

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Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

Need To Haves

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was worried sick.

I was the weighmaster at the Dargel Owner’s tournament. It started out a beautiful day with sunny skies, big white fluffy clouds, and a soft southeasterly breeze.

The cannon start had gone off without a hitch, one contestant brought in the winning 18-inch trout (a category) by 9 a.m., and it looked like a tournament to remember.

It was a memorable tournament, but for different reasons. By noon the skies to the northeast began to darken. What worried Dargel Boats Owner Cleve Ford and I were that the clouds weren’t a large wall of clouds like the typical summer storm. They were starting to circle, which is always an ominous sign. Long story short, a tropical disturbance just short of a tropical depression had formed just east of Port Mansfield and was making landfall. By 1:00, there was heavy rain, 40 mile per hour winds, and thunder and lightning. The worst part was that several fishermen were trapped as far away as Cullen Bay, 12 miles north of the weigh in. The worst of the worst was that my wife and son were on one boat with Captain Jimmy Martinez, and my dear friends Marn Alvarado, Sarah Cuellar, and Marin’s, Don Marin and Santa, were on another boat, in the teeth of it all.

Fortunately, everyone made it through the storm and came back to port safe and sound. Actually, the mood was quite jovial among the anglers, especially after surviving a sequel to Noah’s deluge. At the time of this writing, I am waiting to see if there will be a “I Survived the 2012 Dargel Owner’s Tournament” t-shirt. Keep checking Fishgame.com to see if a photo is posted.

Cleve and Miriam Ford care a lot about their boat owners, and every tournament opens with an early-morning safety check where everyone on the boat must show an

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appropriate life jacket for each person on board. It’s commendable, but a storm like the one of June 29th makes you wonder if every owner out there is aware that a life jacket is the bare minimum of what they should have as standard on-board safety equipment. Every boat should have a list of NTH’s-Need to Haves—that should be filled out.

Off course there are the standards that every Coast Guard Safety check looks for; live jackets, throwable flotation device, fire extinguisher, loud sound maker such as a airhorn or whistle, and flares. I remember one reader wrote complaining about having to buy the flares. I responded by citing the different stories of anglers being stranded at sea and not having a signal device to hail a passing search boat or plane that was passing by. The standard safety kit shouldn’t end there. There are a few other items anglers might want to keep handy.

First, an extra coil of line should find its way into any anchor locker. It is amazing how handy an extra 20 to 30 feet of ¼ inch line can be. If a dockline snaps, you can quickly replace it. In the unlikely event that someone falls overboard, you can quickly lash it to your floatation cushion, fling it to your foundering partner, and pull him in. Most importantly, if you suffer a breakdown, you can link up with a friendly rescue boat and get towed in or tow someone else.

Along with the coil of line, a basic knowledge of sailor knots can come in very handy.

Second, rain gear is important. I was struck with how many anglers came back after the storm drenched and chilled to the bone because they were stuck tied off to a locked fishing cabin and had no rain gear to keep them dry and comfortable. Among them were the Alvarados. I got a text from Marin after the storm saying, “We look like a bunch of drowned rats!” Santa was relegated to holding a bucket over her head to keep out of the rain. Sandie and Calito, on the other hand, did have some rain coats to keep themselves relatively comfortable.

(Sorry Jimmy, in the future I’ll pack an extra set of gear). Rain gear doesn’t just keep

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you dry, it prevents you from losing body heat due to wind on wet skin. I have seen documented cases of some anglers suffering hypothermia in 85 degree weather due to being soaked by rain. The astute angler packs raingear in the event of getting caught in weather, and warmer stuff when fishing in winter and spring, when a blue northern can sneak up on you.

Extra clothing is not a bad idea, either.

Stowing a spare shirt or even a pair of socks is a Godsend when you’re cold and wet.

An old bathroom towel in a plastic bag is also helpful.

I’m often amazed at how many anglers lack a basic First Aid Kit on board their boats. A kit should be a must on every boat.

It needn’t be a doctor’s bag with catgut, needles and ether, but it should have some bandaids in a variety of sizes, some peroxide, antibiotic gel (such as Neopsporine®), and some sort of antiseptic. With all the scratches, cuts, and scrapes that anglers suffer, a kit would seem to be a mainstay, but they often aren’t.

The biggest argument I often here about not carrying some of these NTH’s is the lack of storage space in a small boat, especially a sub-20 foot vessel like a scooter or technical boat.

Bull neers!

Anglers carry an incredible amount of materiel in the typical boat. Nets, tackle, drift socks, food, drinks, more drinks, tackle bags, rods, more drinks, and still more tackle. Certainly among all the nooks and crannies where they put everything they can find a little space for safety equipment.

It shouldn’t take seeing your mother wearing a bucket over her head to remind you how important some of this stuff actually is.

Email Cal Gonzales at CGonzales@fishgame.com

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8/9/12 1:36 PM

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

Carping Over Lake Austin

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exas Fish & Game recently learned that the City of Austin, with permits obtained through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is planning to release as many as 15,000 triploid grass carp into 1,600-acre Lake Austin in coming months to combat what some are calling a “hydrilla explosion.” Some scientists estimate the vegetation has reached a total coverage area of about 30 percent, or about 480 acres.

Not surprisingly, locals are divided on the issue.

Many lakeside homeowners, jet skiers and recreational boaters are all for grasseating carp, because the fish will whittle the weeds back and open more water so people can have more room to play.

Fishermen — bass fishermen in particular — are extremely concerned about it, mainly because grass carp have a rich history of doing their jobs so well.

These worries are compounded by the lingering possibility of drought, flooding and a host of other natural variables that can impact hydrilla growth from year to the next. Bottomline: In one fell swoop Mother Nature can throw a grass carp stocking strategy so out of whack that the fish can eliminate hydrilla and many other aquatic plants from a reservoir system in short order.

It is a biological fact that fishing quality typically takes a downward turn when this occurs. It has happened more than once on Texas waters.

I’m with the bass fishermen on this one.

I buy my fishing license every year with the understanding that the money is going to pay the salaries of people who are dedicated to taking care of our fisheries, will stand up to

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protect them and go down swinging. Not lay down the moment a politician starts yanking on department’s purse strings.

I addressed TPWD Inland Fisheries chief Gary Saul on this issue with the following letter.

We’ll share his response next month.

Gary, I understand the Lower Colorado River Authority and TPWD are about to stock grass carp in Lake Austin to combat hydrilla growth.

This saddens me, because Lake Austin in a gem-of-a-bass fishery that has been kicking out some giant bass during the last few years. My guess is the lake will eventually end up like Conroe, Martin Creek and Jacksonville.

At one time all three were great bass lakes, but the fishing slowly cratered once the grass carp were introduced and the hydrilla was pretty much eradicated.

I realize all three of these lakes still maintain viable bass populations, but nothing to compare to what existed when hydrilla was in the picture.

Conroe’s history in the ShareLunker program during the late 1990s through 2009 is a glowing example of this. The consistently good weights turned by various tournament circuits that were recorded prior to the most recent grass carp stocking also have decreased significantly.

I’m certainly no fisheries biologist, but I do chase bass on a regular basis. And like most avid fishermen in this state with experience on “grass lakes,” I can tell you that the fishing quality and overall “catchability” of bass takes a downward turn when the hydrilla is removed from the lake. My thought is hydrilla serves as nursery and a playground for bass and other game fish species. Plus, it helps position the fish so they are much more catchable than those that are roaming harum-scarum in open water like a bunch of nomads.

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agree with me when I say TPWD has one of the progressive, and successful, inland fisheries programs in the country. That said, it makes me wonder why the department continues to go along with these detrimental grass carp stockings -- seemingly without a fight -- whenever a bunch of homeowners bond together and start raising hell because they don’t like the way the hydrilla looks, or because they can’t their jet skis or ski boats out of their boat houses.

Interestingly, it seems like almost an admission of error on the department’s part to step in several years down the road and hold an organized bow fishing tournament in hopes of thinning grass carp populations

in the very lakes where they were stocked, all in hopes that some sort of aquatic vegetation might be able to reestablish. To my knowledge this has been attempted a couple of times with very minimal success -- once on Jacksonville and once on Conroe.

I know there are alternate methods of controlling hydrilla (spraying) in isolated areas (like around boat houses) that can be carried out by the individual property owners at their own expense. That seems like a much fairer, and fishery friendly, solution than using state dollars collected partly by fishing license sales to carry out grass carp stockings that have a rich history of turning great bass fisheries into poor ones.

My intention is publish your response in full. Please respond ASAP just as you would like to be quoted.

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Gauging the Best Shotgun Shells for Dove Hunting by steve lamascus

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this time of year the shotgun shell manufacturers are absolutely salivating over their profits. Also, as you walk into your favorite sporting goods locations you will see giant stacks of shotgun shells on the floors. These are usually marked “Game Loads,” or “Dove Loads,” or something similar.

Don’t be fooled by the labels on the boxes. Sometimes these loads are great; sometimes they are okay; but too often they are sub-par. Here’s why.

To make a good shotgun shell, the company must use the best components. That means the best primers, the best shot cups or wads, and the best, hardest, and most uniform shot. This is expensive. If you buy the cheapest shotgun shells, you get the poorest components. This is especially true of shot cups (commonly called wads, although they are not wads), and shot. The best shot is very uniform. That means each individual pellet is almost perfectly round, is almost exactly the same size as all the others in the shell, are all of extremely uniform hardness, and are very hard. Being all these things, they pattern well.

The opposite is true of some cheaper

shells. They may use shot that is all different sizes. They may in some rare instances use shot that has been scraped off the ground at some skeet range. Most often the shot used in cheaper shells is quite soft. Soft shot deforms when the gun is fired and this deformation destroys patterns. Because new hard shot costs more, you will not find it in cheap shells unless the shot charge is reduced. Hard shot uses antimony (rhymes with alimony), an elemental metal that if used in small quantities makes lead much harder. The problem is that antimony is very expensive, so the cheaper shot uses less, or none at all, and is therefore softer.

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(they do not protect the shot as well), the cheapest primers (inconsistent, dirty, and possibly corrosive) the cheapest powder (may be very dirty burning), and the cheapest hulls (poorly made, inconsistent, and not easily reloaded). All this adds up to a shell that is sub-par and that will cost you birds.

So, do yourself a favor. Unless you are intimately familiar with the inexpensive shells you shoot, meaning you have cut some of them open to check out their components and are satisfied that they are using good stuff, spend a bit more money and buy some quality ammo. It will mean the difference between a bunch of “feathered” and wounded birds, and dead birds in your bag.

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Personally I think the raccoons and coyotes can find plenty of food without my adding to their larder by shooting crappy ammo.

Here is the actual measurement of the various shot sizes, in thousandths of an inch: #8: .089-inch #7.5: .094-inch #7:.100-inch #6: .109-inch #5-.120-inch #4: .130-inch The smallest of these are used for the smaller upland birds like dove and quail, and the larger for the bigger birds like pheasants and prairie chickens. We will only dis-

cuss the 4 smaller sizes, since almost no one uses shot larger than #6 for doves.

When you are loading your own shells, stick with name brand magnum shot.

Magnum shot is hard shot. If you are buying chilled shot, it does not have the antimony content of magnum shot and is softer.

And one other thing; don’t let the old trick of more velocity and fewer pellets as now used by some manufacturers fool you.

Magnum velocity is not something you need in a shotshell. Anything over 1250 feet per second is unnecessary and could be detrimental to your pattern. The fact is that a sphere, which a shotgun pellet is, when started faster, just slows down faster. So higher velocity really gets you almost noth-

The author, his dog “Sweety,” and his “Sweet Sixteen” on a South Texas dove hunt.

ing except more recoil. If you are looking for more range, use more or larger shot, not more powder.

Less shot, strangely enough, can improve patterns, but only if kept to moderate velocities. Three-quarters of an ounce of shot at 1500 feet per second in a 12-gauge is not better, it is only a gimmick to make you think you are getting more for you money, when the opposite is almost certainly true.

Now let’s talk about what we look for in loads for different types of shooting.

The hot dove tank: This is where you can make use of your smaller gauges. The 20- and 28-gauges are really well-suited for this situation because the shots will usually be quick and close, and a lightweight, small-gauge gun that is properly balanced is quicker to swing than a heavier 12-gauge. On the other hand, a short, quick 12-gauge with an open choke, such as improved cylinder, will really clobber those dodging doves at ranges up to about 35 yards, and will give you a wider kill zone. An improved cylinder choke is very forgiving.

The loads I prefer: 12-gauge – one ounce of #7 or #7 ½ shot at about 1150 feet per second. An equal load of #8 shot is also good, but inferior to the slightly larger shot sizes.

20-gauge – 7/8 ounce of #7 or #7 ½ at 1200 feet per second.

28-gauge – ¾ ounce of #7 ½ at 1200 feet per second .410 – 3-inch shells with 11/16-ounce of #7 ½ at 1150-1200 feet per second. Note: I recommend only the 3-inch .410 load for hunting. The smaller 2 1/2” shells hold only a half-ounce of shot and are best relegated to the skeet fields, where they are cursed roundly by most of the competitors.

For you 16-gauge fanatics, of which I am one: 1 ounce of #7 or #7 ½ shot at 1200 feet per second is as fine a load as I have ever used and it will function in most semi-autos.

Lighter loads will sometimes fail to cycle the auto-loaders.

Open fields – cut grain, sunflowers, etc.: 12-gauge – 1 1/8 ounce of #6, #7, or #7 ½ at 1250 feet per second.

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find. I get mine from the Bexar Community Shooting Range in Marion, Texas (www. claytargetsonline.com, 830-914-2182).

20-gauge – 7/8 ounce of #7 or #7 ½ at 1250 feet per second.

Note: Increasing the amount of shot in a 20-gauge does not make it the equivalent of a 12-gauge. It just makes it kick harder.

28-gauge – ¾ ounce of #7 ½ at 1250 feet per second. .410 – Not recommended. But if you feel you must use it, then use the 3-inch shell with #7 ½ shot.

I mentioned light loads above, so let’s take a look at those.

The less shot you have in any particular shot shell, the shorter will be the shot string.

All the shot does not impact the target at the same time, but is strung out in a long oval that can be as much as several feet long. Thus the term shot string. A short shot string is almost always conducive to better killing power because more of the shot arrives at the target at the same time.

This is why the 2 3/4-inch 28-gauge is much more efficient than the 3-inch .410, even though both use almost exactly the same shot charge.

The 28-gauge shot string is much shorter, which means all the

shot gets there at more nearly the same time, instead of being strung out and arriving at the target over a longer period of time. The late Bob Brister did a lot of research on this subject by shooting targets towed behind the family station wagon driven by his wife.

His book, Shotgunning, The Art and the Science, is still available and well worth reading, if you are a shotgunner.

If we apply this to the other gauges, a 12-gauge with one or even 7/8-ounce of shot will usually pattern beautifully, if the velocity is held to around 1200 feet per second.

Winchester, as well as other companies, makes wads for both these loads. I have shot a lot of them over the years. In fact, the longest single run I ever made in 12-gauge skeet was with my own 1-ounce handloads of #9 shot at 1150 feet per second.

Using a 12-gauge load in a 20-gauge, which is exactly what is being done in a 3-inch 20-gauge, is generally a great way to destroy your patterns, but the opposite will often bring about amazing results. It will allow you to shoot more without being pummeled into a quivering mass of purple jelly, and it can produce truly amazing results, especially when the range is not overly long.

Here are a few tidbits that I have picked up over the years: The British have made a science out of shotgunning. They long ago concluded what

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the load weight to shotgun weight should be a ratio of 96 to one. That is, the gun should weigh 96 times as much as the load fired in it. As maximums, a six-pound gun can shoot 1-ounce loads, a 6 3/4-pound gun can shoot up to 1 1/8-ounce loads, and a 7 ½-pound gun can handle 1 ¼-ounce loads. This, however, does not mean you are required to shoot heavy loads in a heavy gun. In fact, shooting light loads in a heavy gun is one of the more pleasant things I can think of.

A dove is a small, frail, easily killed bird.

If hit by 3 or 4 pellets of reasonable size it will fold up and hit the ground with a thud.

It does not take goose loads or Super Pigeon Loads to take a limit of mourning or whitewinged doves. This is one place where you can increase your pleasure and save a few bucks, as well as improve your shooting. Try hand-loading a few light loads with premium components. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

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Highlight Reel CHESTER MOORE CONDUCTED over 70 interviews at this summer’s 2012 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST. Held this year in Orlando, it is the world’s largest sportfishing trade show. But it is not open to the public. ICAST is where manufacturers of all types of fishing equipment introduce their new products for the coming year.

Most of the new gear will not hit the market until 2013, so these interviews provide a first look at many of the innovations months in advance of their official introductions.

Chester interviewed product developers such as John Prochnow, inventor of Gulp! for Berkley, as well as a number of pro anglers who consult on and do the field testing for the products,

such as Rick Clunn, Jimmy Houston, Denny Brauer, Paul Elias and many others.

Below are descriptions of most of these video interviews, and the new gear that they explore. To view all of the videos, go to www.FishGame.com/ video and select the Fishing/ICAST Channel.

Click on any VIDEO STILL to view Chester’s interviews.

Accessories Fish Vector Fish Vector has a patented system that combines underwater light with sound technology to

produce a fish-catching environment in 20 minutes.

Both dock mount and portable systems enable you to attract fish from as far as 5 miles.

T-Reign T-Reign invented the retractable key ring 60 years ago. Now they have developed a wide range

of retractable tool fasteners for fishing, hunting and outdoor use.

Boating BioBor BioborEB is a fuel additive that protects outboard motors from the devastating effects that etha-

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Humminbird has introduced a value-priced model that is within the budget of just about everyone.

Humminbird PiranhaMax For very budget conscious anglers, Humminbird

nol can inflict. And a little bit of it goes a long way

Hobie Hobie, a leader in the kayak industry, has a new 12-foot kayak that is “boatish” in design, with

weather. Polymers in the fabric absorb sweat and in the process expand, creating a noticeable cooling affect. The fabric is available in shirts, neck gators, caps and even in footwear.

Frabill Frabill has a new rainsuit, inspired by their heavy-duty storm suit (but more climate appropriate for Texas weather). Notable is the fact that Frabill

has introduced a line of GPS fishfinders priced at $129 for black and white and $199 for color.

Lowrance HDS The new Lowrance HDS Generation 2 Sonar

many angler-friendly features and storage, and the stability that allows standing easily.

Power Pole Power Pole revolutionized fishing, eliminating shallow water anchors with their hydraulic systems.

is a fishing company designing apparel for fishermen; not a clothing company trying to fit its apparel design to a fishing application.

Electronics

has a faster processor, and new features that allow you to overlay sonar scans onto your electronic maps.

Lowrance 4-in. Displays Lowrance introduced a line of 4-inch display

Humminbird 360 Humminbird’s new 360 Imaging offers unprecedented views for anglers. The Ethernet-connected

Now, they are eliminating drift anchors, or “socks,” with their ingenious Drift Paddles.

Clothing Aqua Designs Aqua Designs has created a full line of camouflage patterns for fishermen. From the fish’s

sonar/gps units in both black & white and color that will retail for as low as $199. module works with current Humminbird side-imaging models and allows a full radius view surrounding your boat, out to 150 feet (and 150 deep).

Minn-Kota Minn-Kota’s innovative I-Pilot system has been upgraded to work with Humminbird electronics units,

Humminbird Side-Imaging Humminbird’s side-imaging sonar has become an indispensable tool for elite anglers. Now,

perspective, they make the angler blend into the sky or dominant background.

Columbia

allowing your trolling motor to pinpoint locations on your GPS.

Columbia showed their revolutionary fabric, OminFreeze Zero. This high-tech fabric uses Sweat Activated Cooling to provide a chilling effect in hot T e x aS

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Eyewear Costa Conservation Costa Sunglasses and Kenny Chesney have

teamed up to promote conservation and raise money for CCA.

growing line of eyewear for anglers featuring their original light-masking gasket design.

also featured a new hook series designed with Denny Brauer for soft plastic bait.

Hooks

Knives

Easy 2 Hook

Kershaw Knives

Easy 2 Hook, the knotless fish hook, now has a lure adapter that makes any lure completely knotless.

Chester looked at an impressive selection of blades for fishermen while visiting the Kershaw booth.

Costa Geo Fish

Costa is backing an extraordinary quest to explore remote fishing opportunities on all 7 continents in the next 7 years.

Costa, a leader in functional eyewear for fishing, unveiled Sunrise, a new high-performance lens design.

designed for wacky worm fishing, including a model that is weedless. Shaw Grigsby explains how it works.

Lazer TroKar Saltwater

Strike King Eyewear Strike King has developed a unique eyewear design for anglers. Using a special gradient design,

Shaw Grigsby shows Chester a wide selection

of TroKar hooks for saltwater fishing, with Lazer TroKar points and application-specific designs.

the lens filters out glare while allowing sharper vision.

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Lansky Sharpeners has come up with a handy new pocket utility for knives: the Blade Medic. It’s 4 sharpeners in one, including a hook sharpener.

fishing Line Power Pro Power Pro’s extremely popular Super Slick fishing line made a big splash at last year’s ICAST.

This year, they rolled out more color selections in this silent, long casting line.

Spiderwire EZ Fluoro

Mustad

Wiley X S E P T E M B E R

Lansky Sharpeners

Lazer TroKar has come out with a hook

Costa Sunrise

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Spiderwire has a new line series aimed at entry-level anglers. It includes EZ Fluorocarbon, a line that is designed to give less experienced Video Stills: Texas Fish & Game

anglers the benefits of fluorocarbon without some of the tricky drawbacks.

(the inventor of Gulp!) says, they didn’t just want to make another jig... this one had to be special.

And it is.

off his new Biffle Rattlin’ Craw.

Spiderwire ZillaBraid

Berkley Gulp! Salt Gulp! inventor John Prochnow and Chester Moore took a look at some of the offerings Berkley

Heddon Lures, with a decades-old heritage that includes the “granddaddy” of chuggin lures, the Lucky 13, has come out with a new topwater

has for saltwater anglers from their growing line of Gulp! baits.

that combines the chug with the walk of their other famous lure, the Spook.

Spiderwire has also come out with a new braided line: Zilla Braid, for MONSTER fish. The

braid combines the strength of Dyneema – the strongest fiber on earth – with the durability an stretch of Cordura.

Bomber Lures Berkley Havoc

Mike Iaconelli and Skeet Reese have designed distinctive new swimbaits for the Berkley Havoc line.

Berkley Gulp!

John Prochnow, the Berkley chemist who developed Gulp! shows Chester Moore what’s new for 2013 in freshwater bait.

Berkley Gulp! Jigs Berkley has designed a series of jigheads specifically for Gulp! baits, and as John Prochnow

Bomber has produced a variation on the “umbrella” rig that works in both fresh and saltwater.

Kim Norton, of Bomber, tells Chester Moore how he used Bomber’s Tag Team to catch 65-pounds of

redfish with one cast.

Heddon

Johnson Johnson Fishing has two new additions to join the Silver Minnow and Sprite in their lineup of topselling spoons; the Slimfish and Slamaspoon.

Kicker Fish Bait Co.

D.O.A. D.O.A. Lures’ Mark Nichols invented the soft

With their Hightail Series, Kicker Fish Bait Co. has a patented technology that allows flotation without the use of “flotation” plastics that would restrict

plastic shrimp lure that has been knocked off by countless competitors. Mark’s response is to package his made-in-America originals in a too-good-topass-up value pack.

the options for color and flexibility. The result is a series of worms and creature baits that are highly visible and lifelike.

Gene Larew

Texas-based Livingston Lures created a lot of buzz at ICAST 2012 with their Scuttle Buzz, which

Longtime Pro bass angler Tommy Biffle shows T e x aS

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Strike King Tungsten

is a hybrid buzzbait/spinnerbait on steroids. They also showed off an effective wake bait, the Pro Wake that works as a sub-surface lure.

Logic Lures Texas-based Logic Lures impressed the ICAST

crowd with their new Wiggly Jiggly broken back soft plastic jig.

P-Line P-Line, long known for their excellent fishing lines has entered the bait market with a kick. Tehier KickR Minnow is a hand-poured soft plastic lure that is perfect for Alabama-style rigs, but also works as

Pro angler James Niggemeyer introduces the new line of Strike King Tungsten jigs and rigs.

Washington State, nowhere near prime redfishing country!). With Elaztec body material, super-strong wire, and an innovative TIN head, the bait should perform red-catching miracles in Texas saltwater.

Strike King Dream Shot

Yum Baits

Strike King pro Jonathon VanDam showed us the Dream Shot soft plastic that he won a major Elite tournament on just before the ICAST show.

Zell Rowland showed us three new soft plastics designs Yum has planned for 2013; a swimming creature bait, a swimming craw, and a swimmer that works on top, or down deep.

Strike King Cranks

Reels

Strike King pro Mark Menendez talks about their new one-two crankbait punch, the new silent

Abu Garcia

a deadly single-hook bait... in both freshwater and saltwater applications.

Series 5 XE and the rattling Red Eye Shad.

Sebile

Uncle Josh

Patrick Sebile gave a tour de force demonstration of his new soft plastic A.T. Worm, which is buoyant without using ordinary floating plastic.

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Uncle Josh has come up with a new live-baitlike line of lures that combine real pork with real squid, fish and shrimp oils to create an incredibly

Ardent

effective lure for both fresh and saltwater fishing.

cated flippin’ & pitchin reel with a fixed level-wind eye, narrow spool and built-in permanent 22.5-lb. drag. The new Edge series features Ardent’s Drag Tracking Technology, which keeps the drag positioned perfectly with the movement of the level-wind eye for consistency.

Yakima Bait Yakima Bait nailed it in designing a spinnerbait for redfish (despite the fact that they are based in |

Abu Garcia took Best in Show for freshwater reels with their newly redesigned Revo series. They made it smaller, lighter and, yet, more powerful.

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Video Stills: Texas Fish & Game

its near friction-free casting technology (as well as for its under-$100 price tag).

Rods Ardent Denny Brauer has partnered with Ardent to design a series of signature rods that include 9

Daiwa T-Wing

Penn

Daiwa’s T-Wing casting reel utilizes a unique t-shaped guide in place of the standard levelwind eye, greatly reducing friction and adding both distance and backlash-free casting.

Penn showcased two new reels at ICAST: the 50th anniversary Spinfisher V, a new generation spinning reel with watertight seal in its design; and Squall, a baitcaster made for inshore, nearshore and offshore anglers on a budget.

Daiwa Lexa Daiwa’s new Lexa 300 baitcasting series has been designed to accommodate more line... a lot

Shimano Calcutta Shimano came to ICAST with a brand-new design for its highly popular Calcutta line of baitcast reels. This new Calcutta features a revolutionary

baitcasting actions, plus a spinning version. Best of all... they’ve been put to the test by Denny on Texas lakes.

Daiwa Daiwa’s new Cielo rod makes use of a new manufacturing process that wraps the lower end in a binding of strong woven fibers similar to those in

more. 240 yards of 40-LB braid, in fact. It also has an open design that makes it easier to work with the line on the spool.

Daiwa Aird

drag system and an equally innovative body style that makes this “round style” reel fit the hand more like a low-profile reel.

The new Daiwa Aird series of baitcasting reels comes equipped with many of the signature Daiwa

Shimano Saros Shimano redesigned their Saros spinning reel, using a new high-performance graphite that is 200 times stronger than standard graphite. The result is

a heavy-duty water hose. The result is a rod that is much stronger than its weight and sensitivity imply.

G Loomis G Loomis unveiled two newly redesigned rod series at 2012 ICAST: a GLX flippin’ rod series,

features, including 8 ball bearings and Mag Force line control, but it is priced at just $89.95.

Okuma Okuma’s new Helios spinning reel is made from a carbon fibre material that is stronger and lighter than standard graphite. It also has Okuma’s

a strong, corrosion-proof reel that stands up to any punishment a fish, or the elements, can dish out.

US Reel Chester caught up with his fishing buddy,

and a GLX crankbait rod series. Both series benefit from the GLX construction, combining strength with unprecedented sensitivity.

Penn

Alumalite gear system (lighter, stronger) and their Hydro Block water tight drag seal.

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Penn showed us 2 new rod series, a lightweight spinning rod for finesse fishing, and a series of boat rods priced from $59.99 to $69.99 in both spinning and baitcast models.

Seeker Tommy Martin and Paul Elias, two legendary names in competitive bass fishing, are both still going strong. One reason is their success with with an aerator to keep bait alive and insulation to keep bait from cooking in the Texas heat.

combinations and sizes ranging from 1/16 to 1/2 ounce, they add a new dimension to fishing with soft plastics.

Engel Dry Bag Engel, the innovating manufacturer of premium coolers, has developed a backpack dry bag that is

Bullet Perch Rig

completely water tight, and constructed for insulation and durability.

Bullet Weights may have designed their Perch Rig for freshwater fishing, but Chester Moore is convinced it would also be a killer rig for flounder.

S-Glass rods from Seeker. These lightweight fiberglass rods give them a more sensitive, stronger casting action – especially Paul, who has garnered a late career reputation as the king of the Alabama rig–which needs a special rod to cast all day long.

St. Croix St. Croix redesigned their Legend Xtreme rod series, with a proprietary handle construction, new Fortified Resin System, and Enhanced Taper

Plano Hydro Satchel

Shakespeare One of the most impressive new products at 2012 ICAST was one of the simplest: Shakespeare’s Hide-A-Hook Bobber. This clever

Technology. The result: ICAST Freshwater Rod Best in Show.

The new Plano Hydro Flo Satchel comes equipped with a number of features that make fishing more convenient.

Wright & McGill

Plano Lumbar Pack

Bass fishing icon Rick Clunn talks about his new/old fiberglass series of rods, along with shar-

ing some great personal history as a bass tournament pioneer.

For 2013, Plano is introducing a new Lumbar Fishing Pack, designed to be worn as a low backpack, and holding plenty of lure and tackle storage.

little bobber lets a kid handle his or her own fishing line without fear of hooking either themselves, or anyone else.

Click on any VIDEO STILL to view Chester’s interviews.

Tackle Storage

Bullet Weights

Engel Cooler Engel, the leader in premium ice chest and cooler technology, introduced a new cooler/dry box

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Open Season

by Reavis Wortham | TF&G Humor Editor

Issues of Sight

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hotguns popped. The sun beat down. Sweat rolled.

Dove season was in full swing and the shotgun barrels were hot.

The Hunting Club members were scattered around a harvested maize field. I bent to pick up a bird when Wrong Willie called my cell phone.

I saw him waving from a hundred yards down the fence line. I waved back as the phone continued to ring. Instead of answering, I put the bird in my vest and returned to my seat in the shade of a live oak.

A minute later the phone beeped with a voice message. Another crossing bird surprised me and I hammered at him twice.

Nary a feather flew and he continued on.

Willie cut down on it and the bird folded with a puff of feathers. He hurried out to retrieve his bird and returned to his shade.

My phone rang again. Willie. Since no birds were close, I punched the talk button.

“Why didn’t you answer a minute ago?”

“Because I could see you waving down there, and I’m hunting. I don’t like to talk on the phone when I’m hunting.”

“Well, I needed to know something.”

“Just a minute.” I put the phone on my knee and shot at an incoming bird. Since I missed, I put the phone back to my ear.

“That was a lousy shot,” Willie said.

“Thanks, but I didn’t need to you to tell me that. What do you want?”

“What does a white-tipped dove look like?”

“A lot like any other dove, why?”

“Well, I was reading the hunting regulations and…”

“You’re reading the regulations while you hunt? Aren’t you supposed to be watching the sky for birds?”

“Yeah, but anyway, I think I shot a

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white-tip and since I can only have two in the bag, I want to be sure what they look like.”

“They have white tips on their tailfeathers and if I remember right, they have some red on their cheeks. Their feet might be red, too… just a minute.”

I put the phone down and shot, connecting this time. Back in the shade, I retrieved the phone from the dirt, dusted it off and put it to my ear. “You still there?”

“Of course I am. You almost shot behind that bird.”

“He fell, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. Anyway, can you come over here and look at this bird to see if it’s a white tip?”

“Have you forgotten I’m colorblind?”

“Oh. Bye.” The phone rang again five minutes later.

I looked at the screen and saw I had a text message. It was a photo of Willie’s bird.

Another text followed. Is this a white tip?

I responded. I don’t know. I’m still color blind.

Doc joined me in the shade. “You’ve been on the phone a lot. Problems back at work?”

“Problems with your friend,” I pointed down the fence. “Willie keeps asking if he has a white tip in his bag.”

“So?’ “You can’t have more than two.”

“Uh oh.” Doc dumped his limit of birds on the ground and gave them a thorough examination. “Is this one?”

I sighed. “I can’t tell for sure. I’m colorblind, remember, but it looks like a mourning dove to me.”

“This one is a white wing,” he said.

“I have a couple of those,” Willie’s voice came over the speaker in my phone.

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“How did you do that?” I asked the voice. didn’t.

“I You called me and must have put me on speaker phone.”

“I can fix that,” I said and hung up.

Doc held up a bird, and before he could ask again, Willie joined us with his phone “Hey, I in hand.

Googled white tip dove, but the pictures on this little screen are too small for me to see. Doc, do you have your reading glasses? I left mine at the motel.”

Glasses perched on his nose, Doc compared the photo to the bird in his hand. “It looks like one.”

Willie fiddled with his phone for a minute and sent the photo of his dove to his son at home. “He can look it up for me.”

Jerry Wayne joined us and the three of them huddled around the image on Willie’s phone. They deliberated at length, while I watched the game warden walking toward us.

“How are you boys doing?” he asked.

“We were doing great before cell phones came along.” I explained the boys’ dilemma. The game warden glanced over their shoulder and shook his head. “That’s a collared dove, and they can shoot all they want.”

“I’ll tell them later,” I told him and banged away at an incoming bird. “They’ll talk about this for another hour and I can get more shooting while they’re over there.”

“Call if you need me,” the game warden said and left.

“Not on your life,” I told him, turned the power off on my phone and finished the hunt in pleasant silence.

Email Reavis Wortham at rwortham@fishgame.com Photo: Canstock

8/24/12 8:28 AM

Digital Edition

Dove Hunting

Basics

Photo: Natureguy, Canstock

by bob hood

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SIGHTS OF SUNFLOWER and maize fields, the smell of spent gunpowder, the coolness beneath a shade tree or beside water in a stock tank, and those little brown rockets we call doves.

If you never have hunted mourning or white-winged doves, or if you are relatively new at the sport, here is a simple course of information that could help you improve your chances of success on your next dove hunting trips.

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texas tested • Skegg Pro, G3 Boats, GunVault | by TF&G staff

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

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COVER STORY • Dove Hunting Basics | by bob hood

HOW-TO SECTION

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ever gun was handed down to you by your father, brother, uncle, or friend.

The main thing in choosing a dove gun is to be comfortable with it and have confidence in it. As a general rule, a shotgun of any gauge with a modified choke will

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CLASSIFIED 104 OUTDOOR DIRECTORY • Guides, Gear and More | TF&G

price

by steve lamas

Any shotgun is capable of taking down a dove but the most popular gauges are the 12 and 20-gauge varieties, ranging from singleshots to over-and-unders, side-by-sides and semi-automatics. The type you choose is usually a matter of choice but often is what-

OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE SECTION by bryan

hotspots focus: galveston • A September to Remember? | by capt. mike holmes

by greg berlocher

staff

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hotspots focus: upper coast • Transition Time | by capt. eddie hernandez

by lenny rudow

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

texas tasted • Cajun Spiced 103 Redfish Wraparunds |

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62 texas boating • Chore Leave | texas kayaking • Autumn is 82 66 Knocking | tips • You’re Doing it 67 paul’s Backwards | 84 texas guns & gear • Heavy 68 vs. Light Bullets | -

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

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suit most people but for some a gun with an improved cylinder choke or one with a combined improved cylinder-modified choke is their best choice.

Again, it is a matter of choice, a matter of one’s shooting ability and, often, the various shooting conditions such as the average range presented by the doves. Birds coming into a watering hole the side of your average back yard, for instance, might present a better choice for an improved cylinder whereas a gun with a modified or closer choke may do better on birds zipping at longer ranges across a wide-open sunflower field.

Personally, I use a 20-gauge on most of my dove hunts. I survey the area I am going to hunt, try to position myself in the best place for close to moderate-range shots, and where I can best be hidden with a safe shooting area around me and away from my fellow hunters.

I realize a 12-gauge is by far most dove hunters’ choice, but again that is what it is, a hunter’s choice.

Along those lines, 7 ½ shot is the most popular shot size among dove hunters. Nos. 6 and 8 are preferred by some dove hunters but, like the gauge of their shotgun barrels, it is mostly a personal choice and for some beginners, a matter of cost for the shells.

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Cover Story Today, there are many ammunition sales of “dove loads.” These loads are the cheapest to purchase but they also are the most that are prone to fall short in performance of higher-priced loads with more powder and shot pellets. Most of these higher-priced shells are referred to as “high brass” shells because that’s what they have on their ignition end.

I often have wondered why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for a good shotgun and then buy the cheapest box of shotshells. Many “dove loads” to me are better used for sporting clays and not killing a dove. After all, dove hunting is like any other hunting sport. When the trigger is pulled, the hunter should want to make a clean kill, not produce an injury and watch the bird fly away crippled.

The basics of this are a 12 or 20-gauge shotgun loaded with 7 ½ shot in a high brass shell will work best under most conditions. Sure, low brass (lighter load) shells will kill doves, but go figure on the numbers wounded vs. the numbers killed. This may not fit well with ammunition manufacturers seeking the market of the “average” hunter who seeks the lowest shotshell prices but if you want the best performance from your

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One of the streaking brown rockets also referred to as “doves.”

shotgun, give it your best, too.

If there is anything new that has entered the dove hunting circle in recent years it is the many innovative dove decoys. The lineup ranges from the traditional clip-on decoys

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that can be placed on fence lines or in trees to the wind and battery-operated decoys whose wings that spin in a lifelike manner.

If you plan to hunt in the shade, such as beneath a tree, or with something dark behind you, one of the darker camouflage patterns will help conceal you. However, if you are going to stand or sit in a sunflower or maize field, a sunflower pattern will help you blend into your surroundings.

just as importantly, watch their movement. It is not uncommon for some dove hunters to become impatient and begin to change locations without telling or signaling to hunters around them that they are going to move to another place.

Any type of hunting always should be safety first.

Regardless of your camouflage and where you decide to take your stand, make sure you know where other hunters are and

The bottom line is that dove decoys, regardless whether stationary or motionactivated, do work. The eyesight of a dove is keener than a lot of people realize, plus they are crowd seekers. In other words, if they sight one, two or a dozen doves sitting on a high-line, in a tree or landing in a field, they want to be included in that crowd.

Give them another dove to see and they will come. It’s just the way they are made.

If you want to go the cheaper route, place four to six or more clip-on dove decoys on the top strand of a barbed wire or net fence along a sunflower field. It’s a good maneuver and will attract doves. However, the more modern battery-powered dove decoys with spinning wings and mounted on slender stakes a few feet off the ground work even better.

Many doves that see the spinning wings from a distance often will fly straight to them and flutter over them or land on the ground.

Camouflage clothing has come a long way in the past half century. In the mid1900s, there were only two or three camouflage patterns designed to attract hunters.

Today, there are numerous camouflage patters ranging from those with leafs, tree bark and grass to cedars and sunflowers.

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Chore Leave

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ost boaters can barely stand to work through their list of seemingly endless, ho-hum, megaboring regular maintenance chores. But those chores are important, and although we can’t make rubbing and buffing more fun, we can help you get it done faster.

We can’t tell you why emptying the PortaPottie is appealing (it isn’t), but we can tell you how to do it less often. And we can’t explain how to make oil changes interesting, but we can explain how to get them done with less time and effort. So as the end of the month draw near and these tedious tasks need taking care of, don’t tremble in trepidation—use these tricks and the pain will be over before you even know it.

THE TASK: Waxing the hullsides YAWN FACTOR: Yes, we agree: waxing the hullsides is one of the most boring chores in the entire boating universe. But it’s also one you need to keep up on. Wax not only makes your boat look good, it helps seal off pores in the gel coat and creates a protective barrier.

Bees (paste) wax offers the most protection and lasts the longest, while carnauba wax provides the brightest shine but gets weathered away in a few short weeks. That means real maintenance mavens will apply a coat of bee’s wax every month or so, and refresher coats of carnauba wax every other week.

TIME SAVING TACTICS: So, how are we going to make all this waxing go by a little faster? First off, let’s make sure of one thing: you are using an orbital buffer, aren’t you? If not, go out and buy one right now, to cut the waxing time 62 |

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in half. And for those of you who are using a buffer already, stop leaning on the buffer as you wax, because this will only slow you down without improving the finish. Instead, just apply just enough slight pressure that the wax doesn’t “spin off ” when you hit the power button. Apply the wax in a deliberate pattern, running back and forth horizontally, overlapping strokes by about 20-percent.

That way, you won’t blindly swing the buffer in circles hoping you’ve covered the entire hullside. Wait a sec—don’t they say you should rub wax on in circles? That’s only if you’re stuck in the dark ages, putting it on by hand; orbital buffers oscillate in a random pattern, so you don’t have to worry about making those circles anymore.

EXTREME TIME SAVING TACTICS: Those of us who are in a real hurry to get this job done will wait for a hot, sunny day. Then, after downing a few coffees which are super-sized so they’d earn you a ticket in New York City, you’ll haul the boat onto an exposed asphalt parking lot, take off your shoes, and get to work. As the burning pavement sears your soles, your arms will start moving at the speed of light.

THE TASK: Emptying the Porta-Pottie YAWN FACTOR: This job is a bit less boring than some, but only because of the fear factor of spills.

Still, it’s something you’d best take care of unless you relish the thought of an over-filled portable head sloshing around in your boat.

TIME SAVING TACTICS: Half the reason portable heads fill up so fast is because they get over-flushed; those hand-pump flushers just don’t work very well at clearing the bowl, so everyone pumps and pumps and pumps. Instead, ask people to flush by sloshing a cup of water into the bowl. It works better, and in the long run, uses less water.

EXTREME TIME SAVING TACTICS: Warn everyone who gets on the boat that whoever uses the head first has to clean it at

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the end of the day. It’s amazing how long someone can hold it in, when they want to.

THE TASK: Changing lower unit oil YAWN FACTOR: This job will hold your attention—at least, the repercussions of screwing it up should do the trick. And as we’re sure you already know, changing the lower unit oil on the regular schedule recommended by the manufacturer is paramount to the drive’s longevity. Also make sure you give the old oil a close inspection once it’s drained out.

If it’s a milky color or you spot some water, the lower unit has a leak. Take the boat out of service, until you can get it to a marine mechanic.

TIME SAVING TACTICS: Draining the old oil out will go a lot faster if you tilt your engine up a bit, and let gravity do its thing. When using a handpump to re-fill the lower unit, you can shave a few seconds off the job by holding the tube low and pumping it full of oil, before you screw the fitting into the lower unit. It takes fewer pumps and less effort, if you again get gravity on your side.

EXTREME TIME SAVING TACTICS: As the oil’s draining, pucker up and kiss the upper drain hole, which acts as a vent.

Then blow as hard as you can, to force the oil out of the lower drain hole faster.

THE TASK: Scrubbing the non-skid deck YAWN FACTOR: Here it is folks, one of the least-stimulating jobs in the world. But, it’s got to be done. Fail to scrub that deck clean, and soon you’ll discover those spills have turned into stains. A good, foamy deck cleaner will help you get this job done, as will a stiff-bristle brush; soft brushes are nearly useless on non-skid.

TIME SAVING TACTICS: Start off with a little preventative medicine. You can’t use regular wax on non-skid

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(which would make it a lot easier to wash away dirt during those scrub-downs), or it’ll become slick. But Woody Wax in specific will add a protective barrier to the fiberglass, without making it slippery. When it’s time to get to work, soak down the entire deck with sudsy water then go about some other

task for a few minutes. Clean the canvass, wipe down the windshield or pipework, or whatever. Just give that soapy water a few minutes to soften up the grime before you start scrubbing. And when you encounter a really tough stain, instead of scrubbing ad infinitum, hit it with a squirt of Soft Scrub.

This stuff is a bit harsh on fiberglass finishes for extensive use, but there’s no denying it will do the job on stubborn stains.

EXTREME TIME SAVING TACTICS: Do you have kids? If so, I have two words for you, slave labor. Lock them out of the house and go about your business, until the job’s done.

THE TASK: Freshwater flushing the outboard(s) YAWN FACTOR: The most exciting thing about flushing the motors is watching water spill out onto the ground. Yippie. But don’t neglect this imperative chore—getting rid of salt, grime, and sand that’s been sucked up by the motor will prevent internal corrosion, extend the life of your water pump impellor, and prevent clogs in the cooling system.

TIME SAVING TACTICS: You can’t speed up the flushing process itself; the experts recommend you let fresh water flow through the engine for a minimum of five minutes, each and every time. But you can speed the connection and disconnection of the hose and engine, by preparing the right fittings. Just use a hose clamp to attach a few inches of hose with male threads--which you’ll spin onto the earmuffs, or in some cases, directly onto the engine’s flushing port--to a quick-disconnect fitting. Then attach the matching quickdisconnect to a few inches of hose with a female fitting which you’ll spin onto your garden hose. Viola, you’ll have the hose hooked up in a matter of seconds.

EXTREME TIME SAVING TACTICS: Dig a trench in your backyard from the spigot to the boat’s parking spot. Then bury your garden hose in it, so you don’t have to drag it out every time you need to flush the engines. Remember, folks, every second counts!

E-mail Lenny Rudow at LRudow@fishgame.com Get more boating tips in LENNY RUDOW’s Texas Boating Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs

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id you notice that cold front that just went through? Probably not, but, the first cold fronts of the season typically make their appearance around Labor Day, setting in motion events that will transition both air and water temperatures across the state. Most of us overlook early cold fronts but they have significant impact on our fisheries.

Cruel temperatures are the face of August and September in Texas and while the first cold fronts don’t do anything to lower air temperatures, the invading masses of cold air trigger rain storms. Cold air triggers cold rain, and the chilly precipitation gushing into warm lakes and reservoirs starts ratcheting down water temperatures.

After languishing in “bathtub water” for 60 days, sport fish start smiling at the arrival of cooler water.

The cold runoff also chases shad from the safety of creeks out into the warmer, but unprotected, water of major reservoirs.

With no structure to help them evade predators, self preservation instincts kick in and shad form giant schools. Largemouth and stripers begin shadowing the big balls of bait, relentless attacking them. Nothing gets my heart pumping like watching the surface go from flat to frothy in a heartbeat as bass boil the surface and fill their bellies.

With the pumping summer breezes replaced by gentle puffs, late summer is a great time for kayak fishermen to explore open waters that are normally too rough for safe paddling. Large creek mouths are a great place to start. Shad will migrate down creeks over the next few weeks and eventually will pass through these creek mouths before moving into the main body of the lake.

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“ If your schedule allows, chase schooling bass on weekdays.

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Autumn is Knocking

As the season continues, the shad will take up exclusive residence in the main body of the lake. Like lions shadowing gazelles, bass never stray far from their food source and periodically slash through the schools.

Frantic to escape the relentless attacks, the balls of bait are pushed to the surface.

Queue the music from Jaws.

Shad flipping about on the water’s surface attract another type of predator, but this one has wings. Seagulls have keen eyesight and their aerial skills allow them to swoop in and pick off dying baitfish littering the water’s surface.

Kayakers chasing schooling bass should always keep an eye out for working birds.

Wheeling and crashing gulls are a solid clue that fish are feeding below. Terns are known as “liar birds” for good reason; rarely will you find hungry fish below a flock of diving terns Terns resemble gulls from a distance and it is frustrating to paddle a quarter mile before you discover the mistake. A good pair of waterproof binoculars is a great investment that will help you make better decisions.

Even a few working gulls is worth checking out. Large flocks of gulls will draw the attention of everyone on the lake and outboards will beat double bladed paddles to the punch every time. Don’t despair, just change tactics.

If your schedule allows, chase schooling bass on weekdays. You will be amazed how few boats there are compared to a weekend. Without all of the boat traffic, you will also surprised at how long schools of bass stay up on top and continue feeding.

If you must fish on weekend and boat traffic is making the fish play hide and seek, kayakers should turn their attention to smaller flocks of working gulls. While everyone else is chasing the large flocks, target the small groups of feeding birds that everyone else is ignoring.

Once feeding fish have been found, stay in the same vicinity for a while to see if the

feeding fish will cycle through the area periodically. If you find the fish returning every 10 minutes, stop paddling and loiter for a while. Use the periodic downtime to drink some water or reapply sunscreen.

While I love catching busting bass on topwaters, I keep a second rod rigged and ready with a lipless crankbait or Little George. As soon as the fish stop feeding on top, I will shift rods and start probing the water column to find out what depth the fish are holding in.

I usually catch the biggest fish of the day while fishing deep. Most schooling bass are in the 1 -3 pound range, with the occasional 4- or 5-pounder mixed in. Larger fish will linger deep below the ball of bait waiting to pick off shad that have been wounded by their younger, more energetic, brethren. If you want bragging rights with your friends, avoid the adrenaline rush of surface strikes and fish below the activity on the surface.

If catching fish on the film is your favorite activity, the next 60 days is the prime time to load up on schooling bass. Although the weatherman on your favorite news channel may chuckle about Labor Day cold fronts, they signal good fishing in the upcoming weeks.

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

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tapered end first, followed by a worm hook.

The only change to make to this rig is to turn the bullet weight around so that the back end of the weight is now on the front. The purpose behind turning it around is to cause a great disturbance when working the bait.

As you drag, or bounce, it along the bottom the

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Fishing baits as they were originally intended is not the only way to put fish in the boat.

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o say it had been a slow day fishing would have been overly optimistic. I don’t remember much about that day other than we had been bouncing Texas-rigged worms around trees for hours and hadn’t so much as had a bump on the end of the line.

On what seemed like the 3000th fishless cast I was mindlessly reeling in the worm the last few feet to the boat, skimming it across the top of the water, when it was mauled by a bass. That’s right, the only fish we caught all day was on a Texas-rigged worm, on the top of the water.

It was about this time that I figured out that fishing baits as they were originally intended is not the only way to put fish in the boat. The first person to try a wacky worm was way ahead of me on this front, but then again I am kind of dense sometimes.

So, now you’re sitting there thinking, “What is in my tackle box that I can rig in a different manner to catch fish?” Lucky for you, I have a short list of baits that I’ve tried rigged in a different manner than what the manufacturer suggests. Yes, these will catch fish but you might get a funny look or two at the boat ramp.

We’ll start with the easy one first. The very first soft plastic rig that the majority of bass anglers learn how to tie on is the Texas rig. I won’t go into great detail about this one since you probably already know how to tie it but the standard Texas rig consists of a bullet weight slid on the main line with the

weight will dig in instead of sliding along, kicking up more mud and debris and attracting more fish.

Only use this backwards weighted Texas rig in areas with a sandy or muddy bottom, without a lot of brush or rocks, since the weight will no longer slide through structure easily and has a better chance of getting stuck.

Another bait that can be rigged differ-

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You’re Doing it Backwards

ently with a great deal of effectiveness is the standard soft plastic jerk bait. Just because the manufacturers of baits like the Bass Assassin or Super Fluke recommend you rig them in a certain manner doesn’t mean you have to.

To rig up a soft plastic bait in a different manner all you have to do is turn it around.

That’s right, turn the whole bait around and now rig it on the hook just like you would if it was facing the right direction. One tip, bite the top of the tail off the bait so that you will have a flat surface to push the point of the hook through when threading it through the lure.

The purpose of rigging the jerkbait backwards is to have the bait glide away from you slightly when you let it fall, kind of like the infamous Flying Lure.

Don’t laugh too much, it works. To make this rig move a little further away when it sinks you’ll need to add some weight to the nose of the lure, which is now technically the tail. Add weight by sticking a small nail in the nose of the bait. Don’t go crazy with a huge nail, use the smallest you can find.

To make the bait sink more vertically you can crimp a split shot onto the hook itself.

By sliding the split shot forward or back on the hook you can make the bait fall level, nose down, or nose up.

Another tip when fishing this rig is to be sure to set the hook hard. The point of the hook is now in the thicker body section of the bait so you might have to put some muscle behind the hook set to make sure you get it into the fish.

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E-mail Paul Bradshaw at PBradshaw@fishgame.com

Get more tips from PAUL BRADSHAW’s Outdoor Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs S E P T E M B E R

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Heavy vs.

Light Bullets

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hen the U.S. Army began its search for a cartridge to replace the 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester), there were several candidates in the running. Two of those had been entered by Remington. They were, to use the civilian terms, the .223 Remington

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and the .222 Remington Magnum. In the end the .223 was found to be the best for military uses and became the 5.56x45 NATO. As originally loaded it contained a 55-grain hardball, flat-base bullet at approximately 3200 feet per second.

As with most military cartridges, the .223 has become very popular with both civilian and police markets. In law enforcement realms the officers were at first using the same 55-grain hard ball ammunition that the military had used in Vietnam.

Sadly, this type of ammunition is very poorly suited for civilian law enforcement.

In two recent armed encounters with which I am familiar the .223 failed, miserably. One of these was a gunfight in which

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a Texas Game Warden was killed by his foe after he had put several 55-grain hardball (non-expanding) bullets into the bad guy. The other was an incident in which a U.S. Border Patrol Agent shot an armed foe several times, also using hardball (I do not know what bullet weight), also failing to put the bad guy down. In both instances the agencies involved have withdrawn the hardball from service and replaced it with soft point ammo.

Because of the above, and several more such encounters that I am familiar with, I strongly recommend that if you are intending to use your AR15 for home defense, you stick with 55-grain soft point or other expanding bullets, such as the Nosler Ballistic Tip or the Hornady SST or TAP (Tactical Application Police). For these purposes as much expansion as possible without complete fragmentation is what you need.

Now, we have been hearing a lot about heavier bullets for the .223 Remington. Bullets as heavy as 80 grains have been introduced, and bullets of 62 to 70 grains seem to have become the norm, and are being issued to our soldiers for their M4 battle rifles. I think this is a mistake. Here’s why.

The .223 (and the military 5.56mm) gets its power and manstopping ability from velocity, especially in the military hardball configuration. In Vietnam the soldiers were told that the little bullets were as effective as the larger 7.62 NATO that they replaced, given that the bullets would tumble and yaw when they struck flesh, thereby causing terrible, incapacitating wounds. (This was done to increase the soldier’s confidence in their new weapons, which were obviously much smaller in caliber that the M14 had been.)

Sometimes this was true. Sometimes it was not. Even in Vietnam there were numerous reports of soldiers having to shoot an opponent several times to make him stop fighting.

In one instance the two antagonists actually met each other after the war to discuss the incident, showing that the killing power of

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Texas Guns the little .22 caliber round was minimal, even with the fast 55-grain loading.

If you replace the 55-grain bullet with a heavier bullet you lose a considerable amount of velocity, taking away the striking energy that is needed for instant incapacitation, and causing more bullet drop. A standard 55-grain .223 load achieves about 3200 feet per second velocity in a 22-inch barrel. As you increase bullet weight you decrease velocity until the 69-grain bullet only achieves about 2600 feet per second. If all you are looking for is long-range accuracy where the exact range is known, this is of no import. If you are wanting more wounding ability from your bullet, or if you are shooting at relatively long and unknown ranges, it is of vast importance.

An M4 carbine in the civilian semi-auto configuration has a 16-inch barrel, and a 14.5-in barrel in the military and police version. Velocity loss between the standard sporting rifle barrel 22 to 24 inches long is considerable. In my 24-inch Remington 700, the 69-grain Black Hills remanufactured ammo trucks along at just over 2800 feet per second, as compared to 3215 for 55-grain bullets. In my 16-inch Smith and Wesson M4 that same 69-grain bullet plugs along at 2600, and the 55-grain at 2900.

That is a big difference if you are depending on velocity for your stopping power.

It is true that the longer, heavier bullets maintain their accuracy to longer ranges, but at those longer ranges they have very little striking energy, causing minimal wounds, very much like poking holes with an icepick.

The military holds to the belief that a bullet striking an enemy combatant causes a wound, removing the victim from combat, which is as good as total incapacitation.

Well, maybe. In the civilian or police uses, however, that is far from true. In these instances what is needed is as much striking energy and wounding potential as is possible, causing the bad guy to stop fighting immediately. I don’t believe it is valid in the military uses, either, but I wasn’t asked.

Accuracy with the heavier bullets is very good. As I write this I just came in from a range session with my Remington R15 rifle, shooting handloaded 69-grain Sierra Match hollow points and Black Hills “re-manufac70 |

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tured” blue box ammo (new Black Hills ammunition comes in a red box, but the re-manufactured ammo is good stuff) also in 69-grain weight. My rifle has a 1-in-9” twist and still shoots the heavier bullets into just over an inch at 100 yards. It shoots 55-grain bullets into groups that average less than an inch. I expect it would do better with the heavier bullets if it had a 1 in 7” twist, but I won’t quibble over spilled BL-C2. Still, a shorter, lighter bullet is easier to stabilize than a long, heavy bullet, so the 55-grain bullets shoot better in my rifle. They also shoot better in an M4 version I am testing at the moment, which also has a 1-in-9 twist barrel. Additionally, with my Remington and its 22-inch barrel, drop with the 69-grain Sierra at 300 yards, when sighted at 100, is around a foot, as measured on the target. The 55-grain bullets drop only about 7 inches, again as measured on the target, not figured on a computer program.

Wind drift at extended range is greatly in favor of the heavier bullets, because of their better ballistic capabilities. Groups with the 69-grain Black Hills remanufactured ammo was very good — much better than I expected – running right at one minute of angle, even in a stiff breeze on a day when mirage was very pronounced. Also, the groups were nice and round or triangular and were close enough to center to be an incapacitating hit. But because of the much lower velocity of the heavier bullets, bullet upset or fragmentation would most likely have been very insignificant, and death, if it resulted at all, might have taken some time.

The 55-grain bullets dropped some 4 or 5 inches less, but were strung out from left to right, obviously caused by wind drift. I did not measure the wind, but it was probably in the neighborhood of 15 miles per hour from the left. This moved the center of the group about 4 inches to the right and spread it out for another 4 inches, making it 8 or 9 inches from the center of the target to the farthest shot to the right. With this ammo a couple of the shots would have been out of the kill area. However, the lighter, faster, more frangible bullets would have been more likely than the heavier bullets to cause instant incapacitation, which is the desired effect in civilian encounters.

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Reloaders: No matter what you have read on the Internet forums, there is no measurable difference between the cartridge cases of the .223 Remington and the 5.56x45mm NATO. If you have access to a bunch of 5.56 cases, you may reload them for your .223 with no thought to the widely advertised dimensional differences.

Just ream or swage out the military primer pocket crimp and go to it. As with any new load, start low and work up.

There may be, however, some difference between the pressure levels of the .223 and the 5.56 NATO as they come from the factory. I have read that the 5.56x45 NATO is loaded to pressures approaching 72,000 PSI. I personally have serious doubts about this, since the cartridge is intended to be used in full-automatic weapons (which get, literally, red hot, and if so loaded would have pressures in a hot barrel that would approach 80,000. I simply do not believe this, but I cannot disprove it with the tools I have.) and in widely varied climates and temperatures. I would think that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would consider these differentials and load the ammunition to more reasonable pressures so as to allow their usage in any climate and prevent stoppages caused by excessive chamber pressures. But who am I to tell NATO what is reasonable and logical, and besides, I have no way to measure the chamber pressure of the 5.56x45. If true, it is far beyond the standardized SAAMI (Small Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) specifications of 55,000 PSI, and would be completely unusable in a sporting rifle.

I do know that the “published” velocity of the 62-grain SS-109 load is 3100 feet per second, with a maximum chamber pressure of 62,366 pounds per square inch.

That is maximum. Thus the average pressure would be much lower, probably near the SAAMI standard of 55,000. I suspect that the real reason for any notable difference is that the different organizations use different methods for measuring chamber pressures. Anyway, that’s an argument better saved for another time.

E-mail Steve LaMascus at SLamascus@fishgame.com Find more shooting tips in STEVE LaMASCUS’s Texas Guns Blog at www.Fishgame.com/blogs T F & G

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Trailer boaters have their own unique set of issues, and some are tough to address – take transom saver brackets, for example. They don’t fit on many rigs, they cost over $50 in most cases, and many need bungee cords, ropes, and hooks to secure in place. But they’re a must-have because there’s a lot more stress on your transom when you’re hauling down the road than there is when you’re cruising across the bay. Meanwhile, you certainly don’t want to leave the motor tilted down and drag the skeg along the asphalt and without added support, your trim cylinder seals could be under constant pressure.

You’d think someone would think of a better mouse-trap. That’s where the Skegg Pro comes in.

The Skegg Pro, which was dreamed up, designed, and built by TR Coastal Innovations right in Athens, Texas, eliminates the need for that transom saver bracket by holding up your engine with a 5 ¾” long support built from fiber-filled engineering-grade resin. It has slots that fit your tilt mechanism rams, so you just tilt up the engine, slide it in place, and tilt the outboard partially back down. The Skegg Pro is designed to fit on just about any outboard (Yamaha, Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, Suzuki, and others) from 70 to 300 HP, and can be inverted to fit onto unusual rigs. Once it’s in place and the engine is tilted back against it, it has the same supportive effect as a transom bracket—and then some.

Building a better mouse trap is good, but building a better mouse trap that costs less is even better. So one thing I liked about the Skegg Pro is its list cost of $19.95. That’s significantly less than the cheapest transom saver around, and less than half the cost of most units.

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Skegg Pro

one of the best features noted was its rugged construction.

Take hull plating, for example. On most boats in this size range you’ll find 0.08” aluminum, but on this rig, the hull plating is a full .100” thick aluminum, which is crafted from two all-welded pieces. Once those welds are complete, the hull is injected with closed-cell foam to dampen sound and add rigidity to the longitudinal stringers and add floatation. Other major parts like the transom, deck and hatches are also built from aluminum, which eliminates the usual danger of rot in those built with ply.

Net result? When we shoved off the dock and started zinging across a slight chop at speeds exceeding 30-mph, the boat felt solid and vibration-free.

Speaking of zinging across the water, with a 70-hp Yamaha F70 four-stroke outboard on the transom, this boat has plenty of pep for a 17-footer. Top speeds exceeded 32-mph and at a cruising speed I

It also comes with a two year warranty, although after using one of the Skegg Pros I can’t imagine how you could break one; the resin construction is solid as a rock.

Check it out or order a Skegg Pro at TR Coastal Innovation’s web site, www. trcoastal.com.

—Lenny Rudow

G3 Eagle Talon 17 DLX Looking for an aluminum fishboat that’s hardier than the norm? When I tested out the new G3 Talon 17 DLX, G3 Eagle Talon 17 DLX

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Skegg Pro

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of 21.5-mph (while turning 4500 RPM) I recorded an amazingly efficient 6.5 miles to the gallon – sweet! And if speed is more important than efficiency to you, it’s no problem because you can upgrade the powerplant up to 90 horses on the Talon 17 DLX. When you idle down after reaching the hot-spot dejure, you’ll also discover that the 17 DLX is chock-full of fishing features. It has a 33 gallon rear-aerated livewell with an 800 GPH pump and an insulated lid, an insulated cooler built-in, a pair of folding fishing seats (plus cockpit seating for three), lockable rod stowage boxes for rods up to nine feet long, locking bow stowage, and a pair of two-tray tackle boxes. In fact, the 17 DLX also comes with some big-ticket items which virtually all competing boats consider cost-adding options.

There’s a 70-lb. thrust, 24-V Minn Kota trolling motor with recessed foot controls at the bow, and a pair of Garmin fishfinders (an Echo 200 at the helm an Echo 100 at the bow). Most impressive, though, is the tubular steel Trail Guard trailer, which comes with a transom saver, aluminum wheels, a spare tire with a cover, and transom tie-downs.

The G3 Eagle Talon 17 DLX is 17’10” long, has a beam of 92”, carries 21 gallons of fuel, and weighs in at 1,040lbs. You can find more info on the boat at www.G3boats.com.

—Lenny Rudow

G3 Eagle Talon 17 DLX

Accessing it is easy – depress the button directly above the reader then drag your fingerprint over the reader for one second.

If the correct fingerprint was swiped the box will confirm with a soft beep, green LED light and unlock. If a non-programmed finger is read, it will beep three times and flash a red LED. I found the GunVault Microbiometric to be quite reliable, the only time I was able to make it fail was by swiping my finger too quickly or smearing oil on my fingerprints. In live fire speed tests with a shot timer I was able to access my pistol, fire, and hit a 20 yard target in less than 3.4 seconds.

The GunVault also comes equipped with a cable to anchor the safe and a backup key in cases of electronic failure.

One main advantage I found in the biometric over digital code pads is that you won’t get locked out in case of a failed entry, because no one is going to be able to hack a fingerprint. GunVaults start at $229 for the biometric series.

Find out more at www.gunvault.com and see my live fire range test video on www.fishgame.com —Dustin Ellermann

GunVault Biometric Micro Firearm security should always be a priority, especially if you have children in the home. Yet a balance needs to be found between security and authorized accessibility. GunVault has been improving on this need for several years. One of the newest improvements is their Biometric line of GunVaults.

Available in various sizes, these small steel vaults provide easy, safe and secure accessibility to authorized users while protecting the contents from all others. They have models that open with a simple code with 4 finger keys and the biometric line which has a programmable fingerprint reader installed on the top of the vault that can store up to 120 different fingerprints.

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Dargel boat owners proved themselves a hardy lot as they braved heavy rain, gusting winds, thunder and lightning to make the tournament in company owner Cleve Ford’s words, “a huge success.”

The June 29th tournament saw 450 contestants in 100 Dargel, Explorer, and Bay Quest boats compete for $40,000 in cash and prizes in spite of a tropical system that lashed the Lower Laguna Madre for three hours during the middle of the event. All proceeds from the event went to Operation Spots for Tots, a fund that provides college scholarships for the children of fallen heroes.

Contestants vied in three different divisions, Adult, Junior and Kids’, for redfish for with the most spots. Calcutta tournaments included “Blackjack Trout” (speckled trout close to, but not exceeding, 18 inches), longest oversized redfish, and largest hardhead catfish.

Other events included a charity auction, with the featured item a Labrador retriever puppy with champion bloodlines.

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Photos: Dargel Boats

Dargel Hosts Third Annual Owners Tournament

450 contestants participated in the 3rd Annual Dargel Boats Owners Tournament and Banquet.

There was also a drawing for a 2012 136 Skooter. Weigh-in was held at Tequila Sunset on South Padre Island and was run

by Texas Fish and Game Saltwater Editor Calixto Gonzales. It was Gonzales’ second year serving as weigh master.

Longtime Port Isabel guide Captain Jimmy Martinez won top honors with an 8-spotted redfish, edging out Captain Raymond Shears, who brought in a 7-spotted read.

Third place went

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to Chuck Fultz with a 6 spotted red. Brad Schuster and Jorge Ramirez tied for fourth, each bringing in redfish with 5 spots.

Calito Gonzales won the Junior Division, and Rey Garza topped the Kids’ Division. Winners in the adult division earned $3,000 for 1st place. The Junior and Kids’ Division winners won $1,000 savings bonds from petroleum giant Valero.

In the side-tournaments, Team JR Gaitan won oversized redfish by bringing in a 35 1/8th inch bull, Team Trey Garza won Blackjack Trout by bringing in the first 18 inch speckled trout of the day (two other were brought to the dock, but tournament rules award the win to the earliest fish weighed Two young Dargel in). Not to be tournament anglers outdone, Team team up on a bull Chris Stark won red. the Hardhead with a “trophy” that taped out to 18.75 inches.

Jesse DeLeon shared in the good fortune of the

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Daley’s Hunt-NFish Gears Up Keith Daley lives for family, fishing and hunting.

“That is what it is all about for me. I wanted to be able to create a place where people could come and get good products for fishing and hunting and enjoy their time with their families outdoors.

I espe-

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tournament winners by holding the lucky ticket that sent him home with the 136 Skooter.

“This was by far the best tournament we’ve had to date,” said company owner Cleve Ford. “We had contestants come from as far away as Oklahoma to fish.

The oldest models (of boats) we had were two 1978’s that are still going strong.”

“We introduced a new Dargel model, the 230 HDX KAT, and awarded the first Operation Spots for Tots scholarship,” Ford continued. “It was a remarkable weekend.”

Ford admitted that there were some tense moments when a tropical system--a few millibars short of a tropical depression one contestant quipped--made landfall during midday and inundated Lower Laguna Madre with torrential rain, winds gusting to 30 knots, and lightning strikes on the water until late afternoon. Ford said that everyone in the tournament made it back to port safely and no injuries were reported.

“I think we’re going to make a t-shirt that says ‘I survived the 2012 Dargel Owner’s Tournament,’” Ford said with a smile.

—Calixto Gonzales

Daley’s offers southeast Texas sportsmen a wide selection of fishing and hunting gear.

cially wanted to be able to get some of the more obscure products and help people connect with exactly what they need,” Daley said.

And it’s working.

Despite being a relatively new facility, Daley’s Hunt-N-Fish, located on Jade Avenue in Port Acres (Port Arthur/ Sabine lake area) is growing leaps and bounds.

“Our goal at Daley’s Hunt N Fish Supply is to minimize the amount of time you lose shopping and maximize your time spent in the field and on the water. We pride ourselves in stocking the newest and most innovative gear available as well as a complete line of those proven and trusted items no longer available in many of the larger department stores,” Daley said.

A prime example is anglers who are seeking particular colors of soft plastics or more local lures not carried in larger stores.

“You have certain colors of plastics that work really good on Sabine Lake or are really popular over in East Galveston Bay or at Calcasieu.

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They may not be the ones mass-produced but they are what get the job done.

Because we are always talking to anglers and as anglers ourselves we make sure and have those in stock,” Daley said.

“The reason we have grown so quickly and continue to expand our services can be directly attributed to the fact that our knowledgeable staff not only enjoys sharing their own expertise upon request, but listens and values customer input as well.

We hear what you are saying and we will make every effort to get the product in your hands.”

And it is not just fishing gear.

Daley’s has some hunting gear as well as Yeti Coolers and also has a relationship with Joyner UTVs. “At the end of the day it is all about the customer and addressing their needs.

We can’t be everything to everyone but for the people who are serious about their outdoors and want something specific we will make every effort we can to get the product they need into their hands,” Daley said.

Daley encounters people to take advantage of their unique time saving “phone-inorder” service.

“To avoid one of those frustrating, ‘we had it yesterday’ trips, simply phone in your order ahead of time and we will have it bagged and ready when you arrive,” he said.

The fall fishing and hunting seasons are coming up and those sportsmen and women wanting to check out a place that is a little different from the competition should drop by Daley’s. You will not be disappointed.

—Chester Moore

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HPR Storms the Firearms Industry HPR (High Precision Range) is manufactured in Payson, Arizona and has been distributing ammunition regionally for the last 18 months. HPR is opening their doors to national distribution to the firearms and hunting industry.

HPR’s factory uses the latest equipment and technology to meet SAAMI Specs. All production is carefully and directly handled by highly trained ammunition technicians and quality control inspectors led by their engineering staff. With design engineers, HPR built a manufacturing plant that includes a state of the art test lab per SAAMI specifications utilizing the finest testing equipment from Oehler Research, and PCB Piezontronics.

With the latest equipment, hand inspection, hand packaging and attention to detail, HPR is aiming to give shooters the confidence of safety and consistent accuracy between shots. HPR is poised to be one of the finest commercial production ammunition brands on the market. HPR is currently producing ammo in the following calibers: .223 Remington, .223 V-Max, 10mm Auto, 10mm Auto XTP, .380 Auto, .380 Auto

Photos: HPR Ammo; Leupold; Truglo; Phantom Calls

HPR (High Precision Range) ammo.

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XTP, .38 Special, .38 Special XTP .40 S&W, .40 S&W XTP, .45 Auto, .45 Auto XTP, 9mm Luger and 9mm XTP. For more information, visit their website: www.hprammo.com.

Leupold Spotlights Four New Laser Rangefinders At just over four inches in length and weighing seven ounces or less, each model fits in a shirt pocket, yet is packed with features

Leupold RX800i laser rangefinder.

that can help users confirm desired targets, shoot with confidence and boost their effective range. Each model features DNA (Digitally eNhanced Accuracy), Leupold’s exclusive next-generation rangefinder engine technology that delivers superior ranging speed and accuracy to within 1/2 yard out to 125 yards, regardless of target color.

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In addition, DNA enhances ranging dependability against soft, non-reflective targets such as deer and trees.

The RX-800i, RX-800i TBR and RX-FullDraw also offer Trophy Scale, a feature that allows hunters to determine if the animal’s rack measures up to the desired spread size. With Trophy Scale, users can instantly and accurately judge the width and/or height of the target after setting the preferred baseline measurement (between 10 and 60 inches).

RX-800i TBR and RX-FullDraw have Leupold’s proven True Ballistic Range® (TBR) technology. These units automatically calculate the shot angle and provide the True Ballistic Range rather than straight-line distance to the target. With Trig, a new function of the RX-800i TBR, users can also determine the height or length of objects.

The RX-FullDraw’s TBR provides archers with accurate aiming ranges to 175 yards regardless of angle, and delivers line-of-sight readings out to 800 yards. Its 5x magnification delivers an exceptionally wide field of view, allowing users to quickly acquire a target at closer distances.

Each of the four new models has a multicoated lens system and a new Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that produce an image up to three times brighter than competitive rangefinders.

For more information, go to www. leupold.com or call 1-800-LEUPOLD.

TruGlo Goes Micro TRUGLO, manufacturer of the world’s most advanced line of sights and accessories for archery and firearms introduces the TSX PRO SERIES – MICRO·ADJUST sight. The TSX Pro Series is based off of the original, award winning, TRU·SITE XTREME SERIES.

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TruGlo Micro-Adjust site.

The ultra- strong, lightweight construction of the TSX PRO SERIES – MICRO·ADJUST models feature ultra-fine click adjustments for windage and elevation that aid in sighting in your bow. The unique stainless steel tube pin was designed for increased durability and brightness. The MICRO·ADJUST models feature the TRU·TOUCH soft-feel technical coating.

Other features of the MICRO·ADJUST models include a large circular field of view, an aperture with a 2” inner diameter and a glow-in-the-dark shooter’s ring.

The adjustable second and third axis level with two vertical bars is illuminated with luminescent tape. The reversible bracket is designed for greater vertical adjustability.

The MICRO·ADJUST models feature an adjustable rheostat light to reduce unwanted pin glare. All TSX PRO SERIES - MICRO·ADJUST models are CNC machined and are adjustable for right and left handed users.

For more information visit www.truglo. com.

and up to 110db of volume, wild game will be charging to your blind.

For example, the Mini Phantom Whitetail comes with the Mini Whitetail Sound Stick. The stick includes five sounds: buck rattle, snort/wheeze, social grunt, estrus bleat and antler tree rub. The mute button and volume control offer

added control for hunters. It can even play two sounds at once and overlap the same sound.

The Mini Phantom Whitetail, Predator, Gobbler, Moose, Crow and Duck are sold as complete units. All Sound Sticks are sold as accessories: Whitetail, Predator, Gobbler, Moose, Elk, Bear, Snow Goose, Deer 2, Predator 2, Predator 3, Moose 2, Duck and Crow. Pull one sound stick out and slip in another; one call unit can be used for a variety of game species.

MSRP is $39.99.

Available at popular sporting retailers and online at www.phantomcalls.com.

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

Mini Phantom Game Call.

www.FishandGameGear.com

Mini Phantom Game Call The Mini Phantom Game Call from Extreme Dimension is the smallest game call in its class. At just the size of a flashlight, it’s chock full of advanced features not normally found in an affordable compact game call.

The most notable feature of the Mini Phantom are the interchangeable Sound Sticks. You can purchase just one call unit then add soundsticks for the animal you wish to hunt. SImply pull one sound stick outand slip in another. The Sound Sticks, which are the size of a stick off gum and each hold five of our most effective sounds.

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Transition Time

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hat’s not to love about September? This is the month when outdoorsmen across the great state of Texas are finally able to switch gears and begin to slowly change their angling strategies, as well as entertain thoughts of toting shotguns afield.

Seasonal changes are in our very near future, and the mere thought of it brings butterflies to my stomach.

Here on Sabine Lake, the transition from traditional summer patterns to those geared more toward fall fishing is gradual.

We are not quite done with the dog days yet.

Therefore, most of our time will still be spent south of the Causeway Bridge work-

ing the ship channel and jetties over real good.

The early and late topwater bite should stay good for the next few weeks with some very impressive speckled trout and redfish.

Once the sun begins to penetrate the water, and the topwater bite tapers off, soft plastics bounced off the bottom on a 1/8 oz. jig head, or about 24 inches under a popping cork, should keep you on the fish.

Proven locations with good bait holding bottoms and fluctuating depths like the LNG plant and Lighthouse Cove are what you want to key on. The abundance of baitfish, coupled with very good tidal movement is what keeps these spots at the top of most people’s lists.

The same holds true for the jetties, as we’ve got a few more weeks of very consistent trout fishing there also. Again, throwing topwaters early, then switching to soft plastics around mid-morning should result in some impressive stringers. Skitterwalks and She Dogs in pink, pearl and black with

chartreuse are excellent choices for topwater baits.

For soft plastics, it’s hard to beat Flounder Pounder’s CT Shad and Mullet in glow or glow/chartreuse, or Zoom Super Fluke in white ice.

When those occasional September cool fronts decide to pay us a visit, however, we are quick to switch into fall fishing mode and take full advantage of a much welcomed change of pace. It may be early, but when we get north winds in September, I have visions of shrimp and baitfish pouring out of the marsh and the mouths of the bayous on the eastern side of Sabine Lake. Fishing the points and the mouths of these bayous can be super productive in these conditions.

Tidal movement is crucial if you’re going to be successful, so check the charts and plan your trip accordingly. Of course you’ll want to check behind you periodically for working gulls.

I know it’s early, but as soon as we get the slightest cool front this month, we’ll be out there trying our best to jump start the transition from the dog days, to some fantastic fall fishing on Sabine.

the bank bite Location: North Revetment (Pleasure Island) Species: Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder Baits/Lures: Live Shrimp, mud minnows, D.O.A. shrimp Best Times: Moving tides, especially early and late Contact Eddie Hernandez at, EHernandez@fishgame.com

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A September To Remember?

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eptember is a month that can never decide if it should be a part of summer or fall on the upper Texas coast. Most years September is merely an extension of August, possibly cooling slightly after mid-month. Other years the first real cool front of the season may blow through in September, with temperatures dropping into the low 50’s. In 2012, with an early spring, and heavier than normal rainfall beginning just after the first of the year – it could be more difficult than usual to predict what September will bring.

As long as daytime temperatures stay hot, summer techniques and fishing conditions should continue without a break.

Anglers should fish early and late in the

areas. Boaters should be careful fishing shallow areas on a falling tide, or of getting too confident on a good high tide. Many modern bay boats with tunnel hulls and jack plates can get up on plane in very shallow water, but digging “holes” in the bay bottom to blast out of a shallow flat after the tide had left you stranded is not very environmentally friendly. Old timers who liked to “fish a tide out” when in vessels not so shallow water capable often left an anchor out in deeper water, then let themselves drift back on the flat or over a reef with the current by letting out line. When they had to come out, pulling themselves back to the anchor was much better for both the outboard and the

bay bottom.

Live bait might be difficult to come by if the weather is still hot, and bait dealers sometimes slack off on their efforts after Labor Day. A fisherman handy with a cast net can usually find sufficient live bait of some kind if he does not choose to go strictly to artificials. Fresh dead bait is always better than no bait at all, and often is very good indeed. I knew a talented and skilled fisherman who would sneak live shrimp out of the bait tank and leave them in the splash well of the outboard motor to sun dry, then use these for redfish bait. He told me the extra smell seemed to often attract reds better than a live shrimp. My own best speckled trout was taken in the surf on a strip bait cut from the belly of a small shark, and my largest flounder took the head portion of a large mullet being fished on a big circle hook as alligator gar bait.

Again, I doubt it would be wise to try CONTINUED ON PAGE 80

u

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In 2012, September may be more difficult to predict.

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day, stay hydrated, and wear plenty of sunscreen. Fish will move and feed more readily in a moving tide. Falling tides trigger feeding around outfall canals or ditches, where predator species hang in wait for shrimp or small baitfish to be pulled out of the marshes and off flats into deeper water. This also applies to passes and river outlets into the Gulf. Rising tides flood shallow reefs and reverse the process of pulling bait – and the fish hungry to feed on them – out of marsh T F & G

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Surf’s Up in Sept.

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ight winds and blue water up to the beach bring great surf fishing in September. Look for days when the wind is less than 10 mph from the southeast, or from the north. Natural bait fishermen will get plenty of action on live shrimp, but fresh dead shrimp will also yield results. In Matagorda, live bait can be purchased at Russell’s in Matagorda Harbor or Rawling’s Bait Camp on the road leading to the beach. Expect to catch a variety of fish species in the surf. Redfish, trout, and spanish mackerel are very common, but ladyfish, shark, gafftopsail, and hardhead are abundant as well.

Striped mullet migrate offshore in September, and you will see them by the

tens of thousands cruising parallel to the shoreline. These mullet eat small bits of vegetation and tiny animals on the surface; consequently they can be seen going along the surface with their mouths open. Drop an artificial lure under a school of striped mullet, because large predators stalk them from below.

When the water is blue and clear, use a light colored lure such as a Bass Assassin Glow/Chartreuse 5-inch Saltwater Shad; and when the water is super clear select an artificial lure that closely approximates a real bait fish, such as a Stanley Wedgetail White Diamond/Chartreuse 5-inch Mullet.

The best time to fish in the surf is when the tide is incoming. Both bait fish and predators will be moving closer to the beach with an incoming tide. If you are using a boat to access surf fishing from the town of Matagorda you have access to over 40 miles of beach (about 20 miles east and 20 miles west), but using a vehicle to fish from the beach between Matagorda and

Sargeant will give you an advantage over a boat on stormy days: it is safer to be in a vehicle with rubber tires between you and the ground when lightning strikes. There

GALVESTON t CONTINUED FROM PAGE 79 to predict in advance which would be the best bay spots around Galveston for September of 2012. Keep doing what worked in August until cool weather arrives, then water temperatures might see specks on shallow water for more than a few hours per day, instead of hiding in the cool depths of the ICW where it crosses East or West bays. The keys to finding fish will be water temperature, water clarity/ salinity, and water movement. These three factors attract bait, and the fish that must feed on them.

the bank bite Location: September is for waders!

Work from the top of the second sandbar in the surf, casting into the seaward gut.

Also try running lures parallel to the bar. The north shore of Galveston Island has accessible areas for waders, also the flats off the Texas City Dike and in the Seabrook area.

Species: Trout, reds, pan fish - even flounder can be taken by waders.

Best Baits: Soft plastics and spoons are good for prospecting, topwaters are fun when fish are found actively chasing mullet. Natural bait is always, “the reel deal”.

Best Times: Early and late in the day, especially with cooperating tides.

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

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Photo: Bink Grimes

are many days in September when the wind is strong enough to kick up the surf, and on those days fishing in the surf is not possible.

However, fishing in East or West Matagorda Bays is a good alternative.

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The sometimes stifling heat in September makes morning, when it is cooler, the best time to fish in the bays. Shrimp and bait fish are abundant in the Intracoastal Waterway, bays, lakes, and bayous, and predators such as trout, flounder, and redfish begin to feed aggressively in preparation for winter and/or migration to the Gulf of Mexico. Water visibility can be very poor in September, especially when the wind comes from the west or southwest. Artificial bait fishermen should seek the lee side of the barrier islands or peninsulas to have enough visibility for fish to see your lures. The water temperature is typically in the low 80s.

Either an incoming or outgoing tide can yield good fishing on a September morning.

A couple of good spots to use artificial lures on outgoing tides are: Hog Island in East Matagorda Bay and Green’s Bayou in West Matagorda Bay. Pick a spot where the water is pouring out of the marsh into the bay, and try a gold spoon. Redfish face into the moving water, waiting to ambush shrimp, crabs, and bait fish, so run your spoon across the current. Crevalle jack often

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move into West Matagorda Bay in September. They offer a thrilling fight, but if you do not want to battle with a fish that has tremendous power, weighs about 18 pounds, and tastes terrible, cut the line. Shark are in West Bay also, so wading fishermen should use a long stringer.

September is still very hot, so morning is the best time to fish. The bays and surf are loaded with prey and the predators are hungry. Thunderstorms sometimes interfere with fishing plans, but if the wind is calm enough to fish the surf, drive down the beach instead of taking a boat into the bay and use your vehicle for a safe haven from lightning. East and West Matagorda Bays and Matagorda Beaches offer a variety of fishing choices. Just watch the weather, and pick your fishing venue.

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Contact Mike Price at MPrice@fishgame.com

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Early Morning Matters

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s time has moved forward, it seems I have become a friend of the wee hours of the morning.

Twenty years ago, getting up at 5:00 a.m. seemed somewhat excessive just to guide clients on a day of fishing. Little did I know that the game would evolve to even earlier hours, especially in the peak of the summer when good bait can be at a premium and at times as scarce as hen’s teeth. Add the summer peak to a tournament weekend and a guide must be up sometimes as early as 2:30 a.m. to insure quality live bait.

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My wife recently said to me that I might as well just stay up after cleaning my boat and getting rods ready for the next day, as it was close to 11:00 p.m. before my head hit the pillow. A well-known female tournament the next day required that I be up at 2:30 a.m. for this always-busy day.

When one slows down long enough and does the math, 2:30 a.m. until around 6:30 p.m. before one sits down to dinner is a 16-hour day. Some guides during the heat of the summer months return to the dock after limiting out, no matter what time it is.

Most guides, however, can see that many anglers/clients want a day-on-thewater experience as well as some fish to take home, and I am getting more clients that want catch-and-release only.

For most guides, an 8-hour or so fishing trip is more than likely a 12- to 16-hour day that began when most everyone else was still in bed counting sheep. The thought process in those early hours for me includes: – Is the boat ready and what was that

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ticking noise I heard coming from the motor while flushing it with freshwater?

– Did I fix all the broken items from the day before?

– How much gas do I need and can I trust the finicky gas gauge?

– Make sure to track down some ice for fish, drinks, and clients’ needs.

- Did I forget to re-spool the one reel that had a wind loop, which can result in a bird’s nest after being cast?

And the list grows.

A good day is when the bait shop greets you with “Good morning, Capt. Mac. What do you need today”? A bad day sometimes starts with, “Had a bad night, Capt. Mac. The electricity went off and all the pumps were dead, so all I have is five tanks of dead bait.”

This is when you find out just how good a guide you are. This is “guide-op” time.

Any decent guide can catch fish with good bait. No bait or bad bait, and it is game-face time with an attitude that embraces a hard and serious fishing day.

Worse, have all your fishing rods, terminal tackle, and every fishing tool you have accumulated stolen as you are getting the few hours sleep that one gets in this business, as happened to me just a few weeks ago.

Suffice it to say it’s hard to put together enough tackle to fish four people at 3:30 a.m.

Thank God for the few friends I do have in this business, as they came to my aid in grand fashion to allow me to fish the day.

When you are down and out, you find out who your real friends are, especially with the sun 5000 miles below the horizon.

On good mornings, which thankfully are most of the time, there is a peace at this hour. Things are quiet and you can reflect and take note of things that help balance your life. You can focus on fishing, talk to God, feel the wind, see the stars, and on the cold mornings really enjoy that cup of coffee.

Things make sense at this hour, even

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dodging hogs and deer with my truck and boat trailer (which is better than dodging idiot drivers on cell phones).

A non-guide friend once commented to me when I shared one particular, shall we say, “challenging morning” I had: “Well, it’s just fishing. I mean, does it really matter?” It’s not just fishing to a good guide; it’s his livelihood, his reputation, his passion, and for the most part reflects him to his clients. Yes, my friend, early morning matters matter.

••• Things slow down a bit in September, and our beloved bays get a little rest as the mad chase of summer comes to an end.

Mid September can be a good time to be on the water, especially as hints of winter nudge fish to feed and prepare for the colder months. Being in the right place at the right time can be an angler’s paradise this month.

Copano Bay – Focus on high tide timeframes and fish the transitions from shallow to deep water with tenacity, using soft plastics in salt and pepper, bone, and white.

The shell reefs this time of year are less pro-

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ductive, so focus on weed lines or salt grass areas, like the Far Northwest shoreline close to Turtle Pen for trout and slot reds. Cut menhaden is the ticket in the sand pockets at the mouth of Mission Bay, with patience the key to success.

Aransas Bay – Mack Reef is good for trout and a few reds using croaker and finger mullet on a light Carolina rig. Hamilton Reef is a good wade using topwaters in blue/gold, bone, and white. Work the lures much faster than usual, then a sudden stop for 30 seconds, then speed up again. Strikes usually come on the second retrieve. Cut mullet is hard to beat as well, especially on high tide. Throw the bait right on top of the shell and wait for a hit. Do not reel in or you will break off.

Carlos Bay – The mouth of Cedar Dugout that feeds into Mesquite Bay is good place to anchor and drift piggies in the current for reds and trout. The key is to keep the bait down in the current, with weight if necessary. Multiple casts are the ticket here. Carlos Dugout is holding some slot reds using cut mullet or finger mullet on

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a light Carolina rig.

Mesquite Bay – Good sheepshead action in East Pocket using cut squid and small Kahle hooks. Drift-fishing Brays Cove has been good for flounder using tandem grubs in white and chartreuse tipped with shrimp or squid; the key here is working the grubs across the bottom.

Ayers Bay – Good gafftop fishing here using shrimp free-lined or under a cork. Look for birds working and fish just upwind. Some keeper trout on the small shell reefs off of the east shoreline using free-lined croaker.

the bank bite Don’t wade in the water. Stay on the bank, as fish will be feeding shallow this time of year, especially on high tide. The waterfront at Goose Island state park is good for reds and trout, using free-lined croaker and shrimp. A light north wind is perfect for this area. Note: Goose Island requires a park fee to fish.

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Following Convention

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or years, the biggest selling point of the Lower Laguna Madre is the vast expanse of grassy flats that beckoned to fishermen to wade and cast to trout that lurk in every pothole and redfish that prowl the grassy expanse. An added perk was that these knee-to-thighdeep angling playgrounds aren’t exclusive to outboard crowds. The 2010 Hurricane season changed all that. Atlantic and Pacific tropical cyclones overfilled reservoirs in Mexico and South Texas, which led to a huge slug of freshwater overflowing into the South Texas Flood Plain and into the Lower Laguna Madre. The floodway, also known as the Big Ditch, served its purpose and prevented massive flooding in the Rio Grande Valley, but it was a catastrophe for the LLM Complex. The freshwater wiped out native seagrasses from just south of the Arroyo Colorado to the East Cut. The “Texas Keys” have been left barren flats for the next several years, or until the grasses recovered.

There is hope in Mudville, however.

There’s plenty of excellent grassflats available for wading well south of the Arroyo Colorado. One of the finest examples is located north on Park Road 100, next to the Port Isabel/South Padre Island Convention Center.

The broad flat north of the Convention Center is accessible to drive-and-park next to Laguna Madre. Fishermen then can wade across the hard sand bottom to the grass line 100-200 yards from shore. The sand/grass boundary is a good early morning spot to work for speckled trout that use the change in bottom to ambush baitfish.

Wade parallel to the grassline and cast perpendicular into the grass. Topwaters in chrome/blue, Halloween (black/gold/

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orange) are very effective for this early morning operation. I’ve also had success fishing the grassline with swimbaits such as Storm’s WildEye Shad in pearl/red tail. Reel the swimbait so that it runs just underneath the surface so that the large boot tail creates a wake. That, combined with the wobbling of the bait’s action will cast off a ton of vibration that will draw a trout’s attention. The Tsunami Bloodhound in bone/foil sides or Pearl/yellow belly is another excellent choice, especially if the water is slightly offcolored, which happens after a squall passes through. Bloodhounds are sub-surface lures that slowly sink in the water column. Trout will usually strike as the bait drops.

Sharpshoot around the potholes here with gold spoons, soft plastics, and topwaters in blue/chrome, Halloween, or limetreuse. Keep a keen eye for redfish tailing throughout the area, because they’ll be forming pods and foraging through the area. Of course, live shrimp fished under a popping cork or Mansfield Mauler is the traditional go-to rig for shorebound waders.

You will always see a few hoofers pulling the familiar yellow bait bucket behind them, and with good reason; live shrimp are most effective, although you will have to deal with pinfish and the transient oystertoad from time to time. Fishermen who spurn the yellow bucket can have a try with one of the myriad of shrimp imitations on the market.

The Gulp! Shrimp is an excellent in gold/ metalflake. If you want to go Old School, then try a RipTide Shrimp tail in pink/ chartreuse or pearl/chartreuse.

Boaters can also find success fishing the flats near the Convention Center. Color changes form due west of the area. The first one is usually 500 yards off the shoreline, where the water depth drops to 3-4 feet. The water goes from clear to “margarita green,” and trout and redfish both use the color change as cover for both protection and feeding. Start just inside the color change and fish with the same baits and lures, only focusing on chartreuse and

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pumpkinseed (motor oil) patterns (fire tiger is an excellent choice). If you don’t hookup after about 15 minutes, then move further into the color change at 100-foot increments until you start hooking up. Popping corks, maulers, and noisy lures are well chosen in this area.

An underutilized lure in this area, but one I’ve found very handy is a crankbait such as the Mann’s Saltwater Baby 1 Minus, which runs just under the surface and makes a fish attracting wake. If there is no floating grass, you may want to give it a try. Trout love it, but redfish will blast the color off of it. Another bold choice in this area would be the classic 3/8-ounce Arboghast Jitterbug. You may be surprised.

While wading the Convention Center Shoreline, be aware of the boat channel that runs some 15 yards into the grass, and sometimes into the sand bottom. The channel is 6-7 feet deep in points, and you can get an unwelcomed soaking if you aren’t careful. Also, don’t forget to shuffle your feet. Stingray love to hide out in the sandy bottom, and it doesn’t take a very large one to end your day with a barb in your heel or ankle.

That would be no way to enjoy action at the Convention Center.

the bank bite Hot Spot: Padre Island Shoreline, North Side of Causeway Location: Left side, immediately after crossing.

Species: Speckled Trout, Redfish Lures/Baits: Live shrimp or soft plastics under a Mauler or Popping Cork, topwaters early.

Best Times: Early morning, late afternoon, especially with a rising tide. Wade out towards boat channel, fish dropoffs.

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UPPER GULF COAST 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.

Take Out a Lease on Specks

by GEORGE KNIGHTEN gtkphoto@yahoo.com

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: A Lease Wells GPS: N29 32.12382, W94 50.33262 (29.535397, -94.838877) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro-Lure 5” soft mullet, bass assassins or similar soft plastic jerkbaits CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Work your lure close to the bottom on the down current side of the well.

Beware of broken gas pipes at the surface in this area, GO SLOW!

Bass Assassins or other soft plastic lures CONTACT: Capt. Thomas Barlow 281-827-6815 Notoriosguideservice.com TIPS: Great drifting area, shell bottom.

Watch for slick and bait.

LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Halfmoon Shoal GPS: N28 43.33686, W95 46.39884 (28.722281, -95.773314) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Bass Assassins, Top dogs CONTACT: Capt. Bill Pustejovsky 979-863-7353 www.goldtipguideservice.com TIPS: Drift fish using soft plastic lures & topwaters. 1/8 to 1/4-ounce. leadheads.

Best bite will be early, incoming tide will help.

LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N29 31.61526, W94 40.57938 (29.526921, -94.676323) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastic lures, MirroLures 5” Provoker, Bass Assassins, or similar lures CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Drift the reef, work the water column from top to bottom. Key on slicks and bait.

LOCATION: East Galveston HOTSPOT: Lady’s Pass GPS: N29 28.66932, W94 44.1141 (29.477822, -94.735235) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro Lures 4” Soft Shad, 86 |

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LOCATION: East Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Kain Cove GPS: N28 39.72696, W95 51.2148 (28.662116, -95.853580) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top Dogs, Super Spooks & Norton sand eels CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Wade the South shoreline coves. topwater lures and soft plastics both will work. Fish coves with active bait fish. (mullet).

LOCATION: Trinity Bay

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HOTSPOT: C Lease Wells GPS: N29 40.70154, W94 45.381 (29.678359, -94.756350) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Mirro-Lure 5”Provoker, Bass Assassins, Mirro-Lure Lil John’s CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Drift or troll around the platform working the baits close to the bottom, pop it up and let it flutter down like a wounded bait.

LOCATION: Trinity Bay HOTSPOT: East Shoreline GPS: N29 35.47332, W94 43.65324 (29.591222, -94.727554) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Top Dogs or He Dogs, 51M Mirro-Lures, CONTACT: Capt. George Knighten 832-310-9146 gtkphoto@yahoo.com TIPS: Good wading spot, look for the presents of baitfish. Look for slicks and signs of feeding fish.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Greens Lake GPS: N29 16.37538, W94 59.80314 (29.272923, -94.996719) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwaters, soft plastic shad bodies CONTACT: Capt. Thomas Barlow Texxan2000@yahoo.com 281-827-6815 TIPS: Troll or drift the shorelines and work the edge of the grass.

LOCATION: West Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Snake Island GPS: N29 9.58842, W95 2.57376 (29.159807, -95.042896) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Super spooks, Top dogs, Bass Assassins CONTACT: Captain Greg Francis: capt-

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greg@saltwaterassault.net 409-939-1684 TIPS: Can be waded or drift fished.

Good shell bottom. Fish it on a moving tide, look for bait fish and signs of feeding like slicks.

LOCATION: West Matagorda Bay HOTSPOT: Cotton’s Bayou GPS: N28 30.56124, W96 12.61326 (28.509354, -96.210221) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: topwater lures or soft plastic CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz, 281450-4037 TIPS: Fish topwaters over grass beds and soft plastics like the Norton minnow in the guts, behind the sandbars.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmord’s Hole GPS: N27 30.057, W97 19.546 (27.50095, -97.325767) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, pinfish, croaker; soft plastics in Tequila Gold CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361985-6089, 361-449-7441, brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: The grasslines in Emmord’s are

still productive in September. Redfish become more active as their time for migration into the Gulf of Mexico. They are aggressive, and hungry. Work live pinfish under a Paradise Popper around the grasslines early in the morning. There will be speckled trout lurking and waiting for the sort of meal a noisy pin will provide.

Late afternoon means tailing redfish, which means you can sight cast with soft plastics on light (1/8-ounce) jighead.

MIDDLE GULF COAST

Third Chain is a Charm for Reds

by GEORGE KNIGHTEN gtkphoto@yahoo.com

LOCATION: Port O’Connor HOTSPOT: Third Chain Islands GPS: N28 11.63616, W96 48.5571 (28.193936, -96.809285) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Soft plastic baits CONTACT: Back Bay Guide Service Captain Lynn Smith Port O’Connor, TX 77982 361-983-4434 TIPS: This area can be waded or drift fished. Wade the edges of the ridges and the tips of the ridges, drift the guts between the ridges. This area is loaded with shell, great structure.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Allyns Bight GPS: N27 58.61808, W96 58.81086 (27.976968, -96.980181) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Bass Assassin, Mirro-lures 5” Provoker CONTACT: Capt. Ben Wells 361-790-8107 TIPS: Work the shorelines close to the grass and drift the open water in the back end of the cove.

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LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline GPS: N 27 32.478, W 97 19.776 (27.541306, -97.329597) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, pinfish, croaker; Gulp! Baits/Paradise Popper CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361985-6089, 361-449-7441, brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Fish the area slowly and thoroughly. If you are fishing a weedline, then use a live pinfish or shrimp without a cork.

If you’re drifting potholes, then rig a live shrimp or 3-inch Gulp! or Bayside Shrimp under an Old Bayside Paradise Popper.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: ICW GPS: N27 37.167, W97 15.004 (27.61945, -97.250067) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: topwaters in Bone; soft plastics in Tequila Gold CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361985-6089, 361-449-7441, brushcountrycharters.com TIPS: Redfish will be prowling the shallows along the ICW in the afternoon.

Work the shallows (as in 1 inch deep) with topwaters to get these fish’s attention. If the wind is up, back off and fish the edges of the ditch with jerkbaits and soft plastics.

Gold and chartreuse are good colors.

LOWER GULF COAST

Arroyo Reds Go on Green

by CALIXTO GONZALES cgonzales@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: Green Island GPS: N26 23.61798, W97 19.01022 (26.393633, -97.316837) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters, gold spoons, cut ballyhoo or mullet, live shrimp or piggy perch under a popping cork, Gulp! shrimp 88 |

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under popping cork CONTACT: Captain Richard Lopez, 956-207-4715 TIPS: Tides are back up from their typical summer lows by around the second week, and the flats around Green Island are in deeper water during flood tides. Try topwaters early, live bait if the fish are scattered.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay HOTSPOT: North Spoils GPS: N27 21.33798, W97 22.55802 (27.355633, -97.375967) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live bait, Soft plastics in strawberry/black back plum/chartreuse, rootbeer/red flake, Morning Glory, Pumpkinseed/chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Mike Hart, 361449-7441 TIPS: Plenty of redfish will be cruising the spoils near the ICW and will be easy to spot while sight fishing. When you spot them, ease up and intercept them, then cast a live shrimp or soft plastic rigged under a Paradise Popper. Try topwaters early.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: North of Bennie’s Shack GPS: N26 29.865, W97 23.50098 (26.497750, -97.391683) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: soft plastics in Pearl/red, strawberry/white, topwaters in Bone, chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Danny Neu, 979942-0165 TIPS: Your best bet is to cast your lure onto the sandy bottom that rings the spoil islands. Most trout are waiting in the color change in ambush. You can fish a topwater very aggressively early in them morning.

LOCATION: South Bay HOTSPOT: The Washing Machine GPS: N26 1.785, W97 11.031 (26.029750, -97.183850) SPECIES: snook BEST BAITS: live shrimp or finger mullet, Gulp! baits in Glow, glow/chart CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581

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TIPS: September is a blue moon month, so why not take advantage and night fish the beginning and end of the months? Set up early evening and either fish live shrimp or finger mullet, or Gulp shrimp for snook along the drop-offs on low tide.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Holly Beach GPS: N26 8.29098, W97 17.004 (26.138183, -97.283400) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp, cut ballyhoo, Gulp! shrimp in Rootbeer/Gold and New Penny CONTACT: Captain Richard Cadengo, 956-434-2521 TIPS: Look for the channel that feeds out of the canal that cuts into the shoreline.

Fish live or cut bait along the edges of the channel. Gulp! Shrimp can be fished under a popping cork or on the drop-off with a jighead.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Gaswell Flats GPS: N26 16.30902, W97 16.22202 (26.271817, -97.270367) SPECIES: redfish BEST BAITS: live shrimp, cut bait, gold spoons, Topwaters in Bone, black/gold/ orange soft plastics in black/glow, glow/ chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Watch for schools of reds prowling for forage. Use live bait or cut bait while drifting. Try a fresh dead mullet or ballyhoo swum on a nose-pinned 3/0 Khale hook. topwaters and gold spoons are effective, too.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Laguna Vista Cove GPS: N26 6.80802, W97 17.63298 (26.113467, -97.293883) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, gold spoons, cut ballyhoo or mullet, live shrimp or piggy perch under a popping cork, Gulp! shrimp under popping cork CONTACT: Captain Richard Cadengo, 956-434-2521

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TIPS: Make long drifts parallel to the shoreline and fish with either bait or lures.

Pay particular attention to the boat cuts that lead to docks and marinas. Look for depth breaks and drop-offs.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: The Pasture GPS: N26 5.85702, W97 11.1702 (26.097617, -97.186170) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: live shrimp/popping cork, DOA shrimp in gold/glitter, Logic Tandems in Tequila Gold, Rootbeer/glitter CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez, 956-551-9581 TIPS: Trout move into the deeper water to feed on pinfish and mullet hiding in the grass. Live or cut bait under a popping cork is a good choice, as are Kelly Wiggler soft plastics such as their shad tail. Use a 1/8th-ounce jighead.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: North Jetties GPS: N26 4.06044, W97 8.68824

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(26.067674, -97.144804) SPECIES: kingfish BEST BAITS: live mullet, ribbonfish rigs large topwaters, swimbaits CONTACT: Quik Stop, 956-943-1159 TIPS: Calm September Mornings mean blue water comes inside the jetties and within casting distance of rockhoppers.

Kingfish are a popular target when that happens. Use live finfish under a lemon rig or a ribbonfish for kings. Noisy topwaters are fun.

LOCATION: South Padre Island HOTSPOT: Laguna Vista Cove GPS: N26 6.80802, W97 17.63298 (26.113467, -97.293883) SPECIES: speckled trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters, gold spoons, cut ballyhoo or mullet, live shrimp or piggy perch under a popping cork, Gulp! shrimp under popping cork CONTACT: Captain Richard Cadengo, 956-434-2521 TIPS: Make long drifts parallel to the shoreline and fish with either bait or lures.

Pay particular attention to the boat cuts that lead to docks and marinas. Look for depth breaks and drop-offs.

PINEY WOODS

Lake O’ the Largemouth

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake O the Pines HOTSPOT: Highway 155 Islands GPS: N32 52.02516, W94 42.00528 (32.867086, -94.700088) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Zara Spooks, Pop Rs, jigs CONTACT: Sonny Kopech, 903-5928221, Marion.Kopech@HDSupply.com TIPS: Fish Zara Spooks and Pop Rs around the lily pads and stumps at the islands above the Highway 155 bridge early then head to Alley and Johnson

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Creeks and pitch jigs in the grass and around stumps. A lot of big bass are caught in these two creeks.

on days with a slight breeze.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Big Cypress Channel GPS: N32 42.48204, W94 7.03602 (32.708034, -94.117267) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Pop Rs, jigs, soft plastic worms and lizards CONTACT: Paul Keith, caddoguide1@att.net, 318-455-3437, caddolakefishing.com TIPS: Fish the cypress trees and boat docks along the edges of the channel with a jig and Pop R early in the mornings. A Carolina rig fished off the points and intersections also works very well at mid-day.

LOCATION: Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake Ripraps GPS: N30 26.2887, W95 35.23698 (30.438145, -95.587283) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Pop Rs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft plastic worms CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, admin@fishdudetx.com, 936-291-1277, fishdudetx.com TIPS: Fish will be very active early in the morning or about the third day after a cold front. Locate riprap and retrieve a spinnerbait very fast. Alternate with a Pop R. Later in the day, fish a Carolina rig at 12-16 feet over humps and ridges.

LOCATION: Livingston HOTSPOT: Deep Water Area GPS: N30 39.61968, W95 1.15878 (30.660328, -95.019313) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: live shad, 1 1/4-ounce white Slabs, spoons, Tsunami Holographic Swim Shad CONTACT: David S. Cox, dave@palmettoguideservice.com, 936-2919602, palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: The stripers are chasing shad in deep water near the points throughout this area to the dam. Live shad often work best but jigging spoons and Slabs also produces a lot of fish. The best action usually comes 90 |

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LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Wilson Creek GPS: N31 38.11296, W93 49.545 (31.635216, -93.825750) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, soft plastics, buzz baits, frogs CONTACT: Greg Crafts, gregcrafts@yahoo.com, 936-368-7151, toledobendguide.com TIPS: We are in typical summer pattern.

Work the shallow water that has vegetation close to deep-water drop-offs early and late.

At mid-day, back out into deeper water off points, creek and river channel ledges. Keep a Rat-L-Trap handy for schooling bass.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

White Bass Go to School on Cooper

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Cooper HOTSPOT: Harper’s Crossing GPS: N33 19.128, W95 42.03462 (33.318800, -95.700577) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: 4-inch Sassy Shad, Strike King Sexy Spoon CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahoo.com, 903-3481619, tawakonifishing.com TIPS: White bass will be schooling early off main points and humps close to the banks. Fish spoons and Sassy Shads, chrome or white. Watch for shad jumping out of the water to signal chasing white bass and hybrid stripers.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek HOTSPOT: Twin Creek Docks GPS: N32 17.85384, W96 7.1454 (32.297564, -96.119090) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits

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CONTACT: Jason Barber, kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com, 903603-2047, www.kingcreekadventures.com TIPS: The docks in Twin Creek always are a good place to start at this time of the year but any docks that are in 5-10 feet of water can produce fish. Pitch into the shaded areas of docks and boathouses.

Occasionally work crankbaits beside them.

LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: Pekema Creek GPS: N29 56.0946, W96 43.0308 (29.934910, -96.717180) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shad, worms, punch bait, chicken liver CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTalesGuideService.com TIPS: There is submerged structure here in about 15 feet of water. Fish a tight line.

Chum the area to increase your chances of catching fish. Use a No.6 or 8 treble hook.

Expect the bites to be very light.

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek.

HOTSPOT: Eagle Point GPS: N30 37.80972, W96 4.32246 (30.630162, -96.072041) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: shrimp, shad, punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon-edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-GuideService.com TIPS: There is timber at various depths here. The fish are most active during earlymorning hours and at night. The fish feed in Sulphur Creek and then move out to the more shallow water in the timber. Tie up and use very little chum.

LOCATION: Aquilla HOTSPOT: Dam Riprap GPS: N31 53.96988, W97 12.56028 (31.899498, -97.209338) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, Slabs CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck01@hotmail.com, 817-8225539, teamredneck.net TIPS: White bass will school early along the riprap. Make long casts with Rat-L-

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Traps or tie a Slab on with a jig trailer and make long casts to often catch two at a time. When the sun is high, bounce slabs off the bottom. The bites will come on the fall.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon HOTSPOT: Culleoka Park GPS: N33 5.91078, W96 29.16474 (33.098513, -96.486079) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Medium minnows, jigs CONTACT: Billy Kilpatrick, straightlineguide@yahoo.com, 214-2327847, straightlineguide.com TIPS: The hot temperatures have moved the crappie into deep water where the shad are. Fish brush and trees in water up to 25 feet deep close to any drop-offs you can find. Use your sonar units to locate schools of shad near the drop-offs.

LOCATION: Lewisville HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N33 5.03754, W97 0.71928 (33.083959, -97.011988)

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SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Fresh shad, cut buffalo, punch bait CONTACT: Bobby Kubin, bobby@bobby-catfishing.com, 817-4552894, bobby-catfishing.com TIPS: Drift fishing for blue catfish is good off main lake points and ledges at 15-30 feet. Use fresh shad or cut buffalo on a Santee Cooper rig. Keep your drift speed at 1/2 m.p.h. Channel cats are along channels at 15-20 feet. Chum sour maize.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Blackburn Points GPS: N32 4.62684, W95 26.33988 (32.077114, -95.438998) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, Football Shakers, Yellow Magic topwaters CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Target the points with spinnerbaits, Football Shakers and Yellow Magic topwater lures during the morning hours.

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Also fish any laydowns near the points.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Hwy.155 Bridge Brushpiles GPS: N32 8.7054, W95 28.48746 (32.145090, -95.474791) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs, minnows CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff, ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Crappie are holding deep around the brushpiles beneath this bridge. You can catch them on both live minnows and jigs.

Look for the brushpiles in 20-25 feet of water close to the pilings. The bites may be light so set the hook at the slightest tap.

LOCATION: Palestine HOTSPOT: Dam Points GPS: N32 3.66888, W95 26.40942 (32.061148, -95.440157) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, Rat-L-Traps CONTACT: Ricky Vandergriff,

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ricky@rickysguideservice.com, 903-5617299, rickysguideservice.com TIPS: Look for surfacing schools off any of the points near the dam. Also watch for bird activity even when the fish are not on top. Fish chrome or chartreuse lures near the surface for feeding fish or jig Slabs off

the bottom when the fish are down.

LOCATION: Somerville HOTSPOT: Spillway Area GPS: N30 19.1217, W96 31.56828 (30.318695, -96.526138) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, shad, worms CONTACT: Weldon Kirk, weldon_edna@hotmail.com, 979-2293103, FishTales-Guide Service.com TIPS: Chum near the drop-off and fish straight down on a tight line. Hold the bait just off the bottom. Set the hook at the slightest indication of a bite, as the catfish usually hit very lightly this time of year.

LOCATION: Tawakoni HOTSPOT: Tall Man’s Reach GPS: N32 51.18324, W95 53.8815 (32.853054, -95.898025) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: 4-inch Sassy Shad with 3/4-ounce leadhead, Fiesta Slab CONTACT: Tony Parker, tawakonifishing@yahhoo.com, 903-3481619, tawakonifishing.com TIPS: Look for surfacing fish early in the mornings and cast surface lures or Sassy Shads. Move out to 15-30 feet of water off points and fish large chrome or chartreuse spoons off the bottom.

LOCATION: Tyler West HOTSPOT: Langley Island GPS: N32 13.92234, W95 10.29852 (32.232039, -95.171642) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Sonny Kopech, 903-5928221, Marion.Kopech@HDSupply.com TIPS: Look for schooling activity at the surface during the early morning hours around the island, mouths of creeks, and in Old Omen Cove. Also fish the main lake humps and grass beds during mid-day.

LOCATION: Whitney HOTSPOT: Whitney Hump GPS: N31 54.67194, W97 20.87298 (31.911199, -97.347883) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Cut gizzard shad, live giz-

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zard shad CONTACT: Randy Routh, teamredneck@hotmail.com, 817-8225539, teamredneck.net TIPS: The lake is turning over and I use cut shad on a Carolina rig, making long casts onto the hump. Big stripers move onto the hump early. After the sun rises, move out to about 22 feet of water and fish live shad along the edge of the hump.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N31 59.2677, W96 8.85732 (31.987795, -96.147622) SPECIES: hybrid striper BEST BAITS: RSR Glitter Slabs, DD 22 crankbaits CONTACT: Royce and Adam Simmons, royce@gonefishing.biz, 903-389-4117, www.gonefishing.biz TIPS: If you want to troll for hybrids, use a DD 22 crankbait and troll the 25-foot water off the Highway 309 Flats.

White bass also will be stacked up on the drop-offs in the same area and can be caught on slabs bounced off the bottom.

PANHANDLE

West Texas Bass, Cats and Whites

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: O.H. Ivie HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 31.98648, W99 41.4888 (31.533108, -99.691480) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, finesse worms CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: Bass will be feeding early on the main lake points close to the river channel, especially in the main lake area where the forage base is strong. Low water conditions continue with no noticeable reduction in

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the size of the bass.

LOCATION: O.H. Ivie HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N31 31.03824, W99 39.67092 (31.517304, -99.661182) SPECIES: catfish BEST BAITS: Cheese baits, punch baits CONTACT: Dave Caudle, fishinwithdave@aol.com, 325-365-1020, fishinwithdave.com TIPS: Early morning and late evening action is best. Channel catfish will be feeding in the grass beds early and then move out to the river channel. Fish cheese under corks when fishing the grass beds. Chum areas along the river channel for mid-day action.

LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Costello Island GPS: N32 53.8908, W98 28.1397 (32.898180, -98.468995) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: live shad, Slab, jig CONTACT: Dean Heffner, fav7734@aceweb.com, 940-329-0036 TIPS: White bass and stripers will stage around the island before moving to the stained, cooler and shallower water to the north. Live shad is best but a slab or jig will better replicate a wounded shad, which is the fish’s main food source.

BIG BEND

Let the Bed Bass Bite on Amistad

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Main Lake Grassbeds GPS: N29 32.00202, W101 1.8426 (29.533367, -101.030710) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Zara Spooks, Pop Rs, Ribbit Frogs CONTACT: Stan Gerzsenyl, stan@amistadbass.com, 830-768-3648, amistadbass.com TIPS: Fish the Ribbit Frog over the shallow grass along the shorelines and off shallow points at mid-lake. Zara Spooks T F & G

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and Pop Rs are good off points without grass and on the outside edges of grass beds where they drop-off into deeper water.

HILL COUNTRY

Put it in Park for Canyon Bass

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Canyon Park GPS: N29 53.31666, W98 13.74834 (29.888611, -98.229139) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Whacky Sticks, Kandie Bass Bait Worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Kandie Candelaria, kandie@gvtc.com, 210-823-2153 TIPS: Work the drop-offs on the larger secondary and main lake points with finesse worms and spinnerbaits early. The fish will be close to the banks. Later, switch to Texas or Carolina-rigged worms and move out to the deeper drop-offs.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Comal Cove GPS: N29 51.77682, W98 14.48736 (29.862947, -98.241456) SPECIES: striper BEST BAITS: Hoagie’s Supershad CONTACT: Steve Nixon, steve@sanantoniofishingguides.com, 210573-1230, sanantoniofishingguides.com TIPS: Look for feeding fish on the surface on the east side of the cove and cast into them. Hoagie’s Supershad in Pearl with a black back and root beer- chartreuse colors often produce the most fish.

LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Brushpiles GPS: N30 42.68598, W97 21.00648 (30.711433, -97.350108) SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Slabs CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: The white bass are feeding heavily on the abundant shad population. Bounce the slabs off the bottom here. Also, cruise

A l m a n a c

T e x a S

F i s h

&

the area out from the dam and look for surfacing action with topwater lures handy.

LOCATION: Granger HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points GPS: N30 41.68092, W97 21.42876 (30.694682, -97.357146) SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live minnows CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell, crappie1@hotmail.com, 512-365-7761, www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: The crappie still are in brushpiles all over the lake in water from 6-15 feet deep. The larger keeper crappie are in the smaller, shallower brush. Standing timber also is a good place to find larger crappie, especially at the mouth of Willis Creek.

SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS

Bass Piercing Action on Falcon

by BOB HOOD bhood@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Falcon Lake HOTSPOT: Pierce’s Cove GPS: N26 50.77806, W99 15.52848 (26.846301, -99.258808) SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, plastic worms, spinnerbaits CONTACT: Robert Amaya, robertsfishntackle@gmail.com, 956-7651442, robertsfishntackle.com TIPS: Start early with topwater lures in the shallows along the bank, switching to spinnerbaits if the bite is slow. During midmorning and mid-day use a Texas rig to fish the brush and stickups. Braided lines are suggested.

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

G a m e ®

S E P T E M B E R

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Tides and Prime Times

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SEPTEMBER 2012

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

SYMBOL KEY

l

New Moon

3«

PRIME TIME

Low Tide: 12:13 am High Tide: 6:11 am Low Tide: 12:35 pm High Tide: 7:38 pm

0.82 ft.

1.36 ft.

0.47 ft.

1.39 ft.

2:00 — 4:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:13a Set: 7:59p Moonrise: 1:26p Set: 11:57p AM Minor: 11:07a AM Major: 4:53a PM Minor: 11:37p PM Major: 5:22p Moon Overhead: 6:42p Moon Underfoot: 6:13a

10

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 3:42 am Low Tide: 7:02 pm

1.56 ft.

0.36 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 PM

º

First Quarter

4

Low Tide: 12:40 am High Tide: 6:24 am Low Tide: 1:16 pm High Tide: 8:50 pm

¡

Full Moon

PRIME TIME 1.01 ft.

1.37 ft.

0.42 ft.

1.37 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:14a Set: 7:58p Moonrise: 2:28p Set: None AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 5:53a PM Minor: 12:08p PM Major: 6:23p Moon Overhead: 7:40p Moon Underfoot: 7:12a

11

High Tide: 3:35 am Low Tide: 9:55 am High Tide: 11:22 am Low Tide: 7:46 pm

PRIME TIME 1.58 ft.

1.43 ft.

1.44 ft.

0.35 ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 7:50p Moonrise: 6:44p Set: 5:44a AM Minor: 4:28a AM Major: 10:39a PM Minor: 4:50p PM Major: 11:01p Moon Overhead: None Moon Underfoot: 12:17p

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 7:49p Moonrise: 7:14p Set: 6:38a AM Minor: 5:08a AM Major: 11:19a PM Minor: 5:29p PM Major: 11:40p Moon Overhead: 12:38a Moon Underfoot: 12:59p

17«

18«

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:03 am Low Tide: 11:22 am High Tide: 6:29 pm Low Tide: 11:48 pm

1.55 ft.

0.43 ft.

1.70 ft.

1.07 ft.

7:30 — 9:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 7:41p Moonrise: 10:36p Set: 12:01p AM Minor: 9:45a AM Major: 3:33a PM Minor: 10:08p PM Major: 3:56p Moon Overhead: 4:56a Moon Underfoot: 5:20p

24

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 2:25 am Low Tide: 8:51 am High Tide: 10:07 am Low Tide: 6:50 pm

1.75 ft.

1.52 ft.

1.52 ft.

0.20 ft.

2:30 — 4:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 7:32p Moonrise: 4:15a Set: 5:30p AM Minor: 3:12a AM Major: 9:25a PM Minor: 3:38p PM Major: 9:51p Moon Overhead: 10:56a Moon Underfoot: 11:22p

94 |

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PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:18 am 1.57 ft.

Low Tide: 12:09 pm 0.25 ft.

High Tide: 7:44 pm 1.71 ft.

8:30 — 10:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 7:40p Moonrise: 11:22p Set: 12:55p AM Minor: 10:37a AM Major: 4:25a PM Minor: 11:02p PM Major: 4:49p Moon Overhead: 5:44a Moon Underfoot: 6:09p

25

High Tide: 2:53 am Low Tide: 8:42 am High Tide: 12:14 pm Low Tide: 7:53 pm

PRIME TIME 1.70 ft.

1.38 ft.

1.51 ft.

0.31 ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 7:31p Moonrise: 5:21a Set: 6:08p AM Minor: 3:58a AM Major: 10:11a PM Minor: 4:24p PM Major: 10:37p Moon Overhead: 11:48a Moon Underfoot: None

»

«

Last Quarter Good Day

5

Low Tide: 1:02 am High Tide: 6:31 am Low Tide: 2:02 pm High Tide: 10:17 pm

PRIME TIME

best days

PRIME TIME 1.17 ft.

1.38 ft.

0.39 ft.

1.36 ft.

10:30A — 12:30P

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 7:56p Moonrise: 3:25p Set: 12:53a AM Minor: 12:37a AM Major: 6:51a PM Minor: 1:05p PM Major: 7:19p Moon Overhead: 8:37p Moon Underfoot: 8:09a

12

High Tide: 3:44 am Low Tide: 9:02 am High Tide: 12:59 pm Low Tide: 8:26 pm

PRIME TIME 1.58 ft.

1.36 ft.

1.47 ft.

0.37 ft.

4:00 — 6:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:18a Set: 7:48p Moonrise: 7:43p Set: 7:32a AM Minor: 5:49a AM Major: ----PM Minor: 6:10p PM Major: 12:00p Moon Overhead: 1:20a Moon Underfoot: 1:40p

19

Low Tide: 12:31 am High Tide: 5:32 am Low Tide: 1:01 pm High Tide: 9:07 pm

PRIME TIME 1.29 ft.

1.61 ft.

0.12 ft.

1.71 ft.

9:30 — 11:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:22a Set: 7:39p Moonrise: None Set: 1:47p AM Minor: 11:30a AM Major: 5:17a PM Minor: 11:56p PM Major: 5:43p Moon Overhead: 6:34a Moon Underfoot: 7:00p

26

High Tide: 3:15 am Low Tide: 9:00 am High Tide: 1:41 pm Low Tide: 8:47 pm

PRIME TIME 1.64 ft.

1.21 ft.

1.54 ft.

0.45 ft.

3:30 — 5:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:26a Set: 7:30p Moonrise: 6:29a Set: 6:46p AM Minor: 4:46a AM Major: 10:59a PM Minor: 5:12p PM Major: 11:25p Moon Overhead: 12:41p Moon Underfoot: 12:15a

6

Low Tide: 1:13 am High Tide: 6:15 am Low Tide: 2:55 pm

PRIME TIME 1.30 ft.

1.42 ft.

0.39 ft.

6:30 — 8:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:15a Set: 7:55p Moonrise: 4:15p Set: 1:51a AM Minor: 1:30a AM Major: 7:44a PM Minor: 1:58p PM Major: 8:11p Moon Overhead: 9:31p Moon Underfoot: 9:05a

13

High Tide: 3:57 am Low Tide: 9:06 am High Tide: 2:09 pm Low Tide: 9:05 pm

PRIME TIME 1.58 ft.

1.24 ft.

1.52 ft.

0.42 ft.

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:19a Set: 7:46p Moonrise: 8:13p Set: 8:25a AM Minor: 6:32a AM Major: 12:21a PM Minor: 6:52p PM Major: 12:42p Moon Overhead: 2:01a Moon Underfoot: 2:22p

20

Low Tide: 1:15 am High Tide: 5:42 am Low Tide: 1:59 pm High Tide: 10:42 pm

PRIME TIME 1.48 ft.

1.65 ft.

0.05 ft.

1.72 ft.

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 7:37p Moonrise: 12:12a Set: 2:38p AM Minor: ----- AM Major: 6:10a PM Minor: 12:23p PM Major: 6:36p Moon Overhead: 7:26a Moon Underfoot: 7:52p

27

High Tide: 3:34 am Low Tide: 9:23 am High Tide: 2:53 pm Low Tide: 9:34 pm

PRIME TIME 1.58 ft.

1.02 ft.

1.59 ft.

0.62 ft.

4:30 — 6:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 7:37a Set: 7:25p AM Minor: 5:37a AM Major: 11:51a PM Minor: 6:04p PM Major: 12:18p Moon Overhead: 1:35p Moon Underfoot: 1:08a

2 S TFei x x ee d® i t iNO o nR xT xH AA lLM m aA nN aA cC T2 e0 x1 a s ah S & F iGsahm e & ® G ax m

8/20/12 5:17 PM

Tides and Prime Times

FRIDAY

High Tide: 5:36 am Low Tide: 11:21 am High Tide: 5:32 pm Low Tide: 11:41 pm

High Tide: 5:24 am Low Tide: 3:58 pm

High Tide: 4:13 am Low Tide: 9:30 am High Tide: 3:13 pm Low Tide: 9:44 pm

PRIME TIME 1.47 ft.

0.40 ft.

7:30 — 9:30 PM

PRIME TIME 1.58 ft.

1.07 ft.

1.57 ft.

0.52 ft.

5:30 — 7:30 PM

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 7:45p Moonrise: 8:44p Set: 9:18a AM Minor: 7:17a AM Major: 1:06a PM Minor: 7:38p PM Major: 1:27p Moon Overhead: 2:42a Moon Underfoot: 3:04p

21

Low Tide: 2:07 am High Tide: 5:39 am Low Tide: 3:06 pm

PRIME TIME 1.63 ft.

1.69 ft.

0.03 ft.

10:00A — 12:00P

Sunrise: 7:23a Set: 7:36p Moonrise: 1:08a Set: 3:25p AM Minor: 12:48a AM Major: 7:01a PM Minor: 1:14p PM Major: 7:27p Moon Overhead: 8:18a Moon Underfoot: 8:45p

28

High Tide: 3:51 am Low Tide: 9:50 am High Tide: 3:56 pm Low Tide: 10:15 pm

1.39 ft.

0.69 ft.

1.45 ft.

0.61 ft.

PRIME TIME 1.54 ft.

0.84 ft.

1.63 ft.

0.80 ft.

5:00 — 7:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:27a Set: 7:27p Moonrise: 8:48a Set: 8:08p AM Minor: 6:33a AM Major: 12:19a PM Minor: 7:02p PM Major: 12:47p Moon Overhead: 2:31p Moon Underfoot: 2:02a

8»

High Tide: 5:07 am Low Tide: 5:06 pm

PRIME TIME 7:00 — 9:00PM

PRIME TIME 1.52 ft.

0.40 ft.

9:00 — 11:00 PM

8Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 7:53p Moonrise: 5:38p Set: 3:50a AM Minor: 3:05a AM Major: 9:17a PM Minor: 3:29p PM Major: 9:41p Moon Overhead: 11:10p Moon Underfoot: 10:47a

15

High Tide: 4:29 am Low Tide: 10:02 am High Tide: 4:17 pm Low Tide: 10:24 pm

PRIME TIME 1.56 ft.

0.86 ft.

1.63 ft.

0.67 ft.

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:20a Set: 7:44p Moonrise: 9:18p Set: 10:12a AM Minor: 8:04a AM Major: 1:53a PM Minor: 8:26p PM Major: 2:15p Moon Overhead: 3:25a Moon Underfoot: 3:47p

22

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 12:25 am 1.75 ft.

Low Tide: 4:20 pm 0.06 ft.

11:00A — 1:00P

SEPTEMBER 2012

2«

PRIME TIME

High Tide: 5:54 am 1.37 ft.

Low Tide: 11:57 am 0.56 ft.

High Tide: 6:33 pm 1.42 ft.

7:30 — 9:30PM

Set: 8:00p Sunrise: 7:13a Moonrise: 12:19p Set: 11:04p AM Minor: 10:04a AM Major: 3:50a PM Minor: 10:33p PM Major: 4:19p Moon Overhead: 5:44p Moon Underfoot: 5:15a

9

High Tide: 4:54 am Low Tide: 6:09 pm

PRIME TIME 1.55 ft.

0.38 ft.

2:00 — 4:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:17a Set: 7:51p Moonrise: 6:12p Set: 4:47a AM Minor: 3:48a AM Major: 9:59a PM Minor: 4:10p PM Major: 10:22p Moon Overhead: 11:55p Moon Underfoot: 11:33a

16«

High Tide: 4:46 am Low Tide: 10:40 am High Tide: 5:21 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

PRIME TIME 1.55 ft.

0.64 ft.

1.67 ft.

0.86 ft.

6:00 — 8:00 AM

Sunrise: 7:21a Set: 7:43p Moonrise: 9:55p Set: 11:07a AM Minor: 8:53a AM Major: 2:42a PM Minor: 9:16p PM Major: 3:05p Moon Overhead: 4:10a Moon Underfoot: 4:33p

23 º

High Tide: 1:42 am Low Tide: 5:37 pm

PRIME TIME 1.77 ft.

0.12 ft.

12:00 — 2:00 PM

Sunrise: 7:24a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 2:07a Set: 4:10p AM Minor: 1:38a AM Major: 7:51a PM Minor: 2:04p PM Major: 8:17p Moon Overhead: 9:11a Moon Underfoot: 9:38p

Sunrise: 7:25a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 3:10a Set: 4:51p AM Minor: 2:25a AM Major: 8:39a PM Minor: 2:52p PM Major: 9:05p Moon Overhead: 10:04a Moon Underfoot: 10:30p

29«

30«

High Tide: 4:08 am Low Tide: 10:19 am High Tide: 4:54 pm Low Tide: 10:51 pm

PRIME TIME 1.52 ft.

0.68 ft.

1.66 ft.

0.98 ft.

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:28a Set: 7:26p Moonrise: 9:59a Set: 8:55p AM Minor: 7:35a AM Major: 1:20a PM Minor: 8:04p PM Major: 1:50p Moon Overhead: 3:29p Moon Underfoot: 3:00a

NO x x Re Td Hi t Ai o LM n A x N x A AC l m T a e n x a c a

ALMANAC Digital.indd 95

SUNDAY

Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 8:01p Moonrise: 11:10a Set: 10:17p AM Minor: 9:01a AM Major: 2:47a PM Minor: 9:29p PM Major: 3:15p Moon Overhead: 4:46p Moon Underfoot: 4:18a

Sunrise: 7:16a Set: 7:54p Moonrise: 4:59p Set: 2:51a AM Minor: 2:20a AM Major: 8:33a PM Minor: 2:45p PM Major: 8:58p Moon Overhead: 10:22p Moon Underfoot: 9:57a

14«

SATURDAY

Sep 1 ¡

7

High Tide: 4:23 am Low Tide: 10:49 am High Tide: 5:49 pm Low Tide: 11:24 pm

PRIME TIME 1.51 ft.

0.55 ft.

1.67 ft.

1.14 ft.

6:30 — 8:30 AM

Sunrise: 7:29a Set: 7:25p Moonrise: 11:09a Set: 9:47p AM Minor: 8:41a AM Major: 2:26a PM Minor: 9:11p PM Major: 2:56p Moon Overhead: 4:30p Moon Underfoot: 4:00a

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

-1:06

-0.09

-0.09

-0:44

-1:02

0:00

-1:20

-0:03

-1:31

-0:24

-1:45

+1:02

-0:42

i Bs Es Ru e2 x0 x1 x 2 S TFei xs ah S & F iGsahm e & ® G aSE m Pe TEM ®

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Tides and Prime Times

SEPTEMBER 2012

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T4

T11

T10

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

T3 T2 T1

T9 T8 T7

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

T17

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY data is provided to indicate major and minor feeding periods for each day, as the daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many wildlife species.

T13 T5

T14

T15 T16

T6

TIDE PREDICTIONS are shown in graph form, with High and Low tide predictions in text immediately below.

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

T18

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

T19

T20

PEAK DAYS: The closer the moon is to your location, the stronger the influence. FULL or NEW MOONS provide the strongest influnce of the month.

PEAK TIMES: When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes to an hour of sunrise or sunset, anticipate increased action. A moon rise or moon set during one of these periods will cause even greater action. If a FULL or NEW MOON occurs during a Solunar Period, expect the best action of the season.

T21

Tide Correction Table

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

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

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

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

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

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

KEY PLACE

Pt Barrow, Trinity Bay T12

Gilchrist, East Bay T13 Jamaica Beach, W. Bay T14

Alligator Point, W. Bay T15

Christmas Pt T16

Galveston Pleasure Pier T17

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

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

KEY PLACE

San Luis Pass T18

Freeport Harbor T19

Pass Cavallo T20

Aransas Pass T21

Padre Island (So. End) T22

Port Isabel T23

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

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

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK IS SPONSORED BY:

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION T22 T23

KEYS TO USING THE TIDE AND SOLUNAR GRAPHS TIDE GRAPH:

Yellow: Daylight

12a

Tab: Peak Fishing Period

6a

12p

6p

12a

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Green: Falling Tide

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

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

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:

12a

AM/PM Timeline

96 |

AM/PM Timeline

AM Minor: 1:20a

PM Minor: 1:45p

AM Major: 7:32a

PM Major: 7:57p

Moon Overhead: 8:50a 6a

12p

6p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 96

12a

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

2 0 1 2

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A l ma n a c

8/20/12 5:17 PM

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION = Peak Fishing 7:45-9:40 AM Period BEST:

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

27

Sunrise: 6:53a Set: 7:47p Moonrise: 4:56p Set: 6:39p

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 7:44p Moonrise: 6:22p Set: 7:57p

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 7:43p Moonrise: 7:00p Set: 8:36p

Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:42p Moonrise: 7:35p Set: 9:17p

29

«30

«31

SATURDAY

¡ Sep 1

«2

SSunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:41p Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 7:40p Moonrise: 8:09p Set: 10:01p Moonrise: 8:43p Set: 10:49p

AM Minor: 2:15a

PM Minor: 2:43p

AM Minor: 3:05a

PM Minor: 3:32p

AM Minor: 3:53a

PM Minor: 4:18p

AM Minor: 4:39a

PM Minor: 5:04p

AM Minor: 5:26a

PM Minor: 5:49p

AM Minor: 6:13a

PM Minor: 6:35p

AM Minor: 7:01a

PM Minor: 7:24p

AM Major: 8:29a

PM Major: 8:57p

AM Major: 9:18a

PM Major: 9:45p

AM Major: 10:06a

PM Major: 10:31p

AM Major: 10:51a

PM Major: ——-

AM Major: 11:13a

PM Major: 11:37a

AM Major: 12:02a

PM Major: 12:24p

AM Major: 12:50a

PM Major: 1:12p

Moon Overhead: 10:24p

12a

28

Sunrise: 6:54a Set: 7:46p Moonrise: 5:41p Set: 7:18p

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:43p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

Moon Overhead: None 6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:08a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:42a

Moon Overhead: 12:56a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2012

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

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 2:27a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 9:56a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30PM

High Tide: 3:55 am Low Tide: 9:33 am High Tide: 11:11 am Low Tide: 8:03 pm

1.61 ft.

1.44 ft.

1.45 ft.

-0.19 ft.

High Tide: 4:18 am Low Tide: 9:29 am High Tide: 12:59 pm Low Tide: 8:57 pm

1.58 ft.

1.34 ft.

1.45 ft.

-0.11 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 12:32p

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30PM

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 97

Moon Underfoot: 11:43a

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00PM

High Tide: 4:39 am Low Tide: 9:48 am High Tide: 2:18 pm Low Tide: 9:45 pm

A l m a n a c

1.52 ft.

1.19 ft.

1.46 ft.

0.02 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 1:19p BEST:

6:00 — 8:00PM

High Tide: 4:58 am Low Tide: 10:15 am High Tide: 3:27 pm Low Tide: 10:28 pm

T e x a S

1.47 ft.

1.02 ft.

1.47 ft.

0.19 ft.

F i s h

6:30 — 8:30PM

High Tide: 5:17 am Low Tide: 10:47 am High Tide: 4:31 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

&

1.42 ft.

0.85 ft.

1.47 ft.

0.39 ft.

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 2:04p

Moon Underfoot: 2:49p

BEST:

High Tide: 5:36 am Low Tide: 11:21 am High Tide: 5:32 pm Low Tide: 11:41 pm

+2.0

BEST:

7:00 — 9:00PM

7:30 — 9:30PM

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 10:51a

1.39 ft. High Tide: 5:54 am 1.37 ft.

0.69 ft. Low Tide: 11:57 am 0.56 ft.

1.45 ft. High Tide: 6:33 pm 1.42 ft.

0.61 ft.

S E P T E M B E R

2 0 1 2

|

+1.0 0 -1.0

97

8/20/12 5:17 PM

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

WEDNESDAY

4

Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 7:39p Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:38p Moonrise: 9:19p Set: 11:42p Moonrise: 9:56p Set: None

6

Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:36p Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:35p Moonrise: 10:35p Set: 12:38a Moonrise: None Set: 1:36a

FRIDAY

7

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:34p Moonrise: 11:17p Set: 2:35a

SATURDAY

»8

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:33p Moonrise: 12:03a Set: 3:34a

SUNDAY

9

Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:32p Moonrise: 12:51a Set: 4:31a

AM Minor: 7:51a

PM Minor: 8:13p

AM Minor: 8:41a

PM Minor: 9:04p

AM Minor: 9:33a

PM Minor: 9:56p

AM Minor: 10:24a

PM Minor: 10:47p

AM Minor: ——-

PM Minor: 11:14a

AM Minor: 11:39a

PM Minor: 12:03p

AM Minor: 12:27a

PM Minor: 12:51p

AM Major: 1:39a

PM Major: 2:02p

AM Major: 2:30a

PM Major: 2:53p

AM Major: 3:21a

PM Major: 3:44p

AM Major: 4:12a

PM Major: 4:35p

AM Major: 5:02a

PM Major: 5:26p

AM Major: 5:51a

PM Major: 6:16p

AM Major: 6:39a

PM Major: 7:04p

Moon Overhead: 3:12a

12a

5

THURSDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:43a

Moon Overhead: 3:57a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:30a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:06a

Moon Overhead: 6:17a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:55a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

«3

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2012

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 3:34p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 AM

98 |

0.82 ft.

1.36 ft.

0.47 ft.

1.39 ft.

ALMANAC Digital.indd 98

1.01 ft.

1.37 ft.

0.42 ft.

1.37 ft.

2 0 1 2

Low Tide: 1:02 am High Tide: 6:31 am Low Tide: 2:02 pm High Tide: 10:17 pm

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 6:42p

BEST:

10:30A — 12:30P

Low Tide: 12:40 am High Tide: 6:24 am Low Tide: 1:16 pm High Tide: 8:50 pm

S E P T E M B E R

Moon Underfoot: 5:54p

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 AM

Low Tide: 12:13 am High Tide: 6:11 am Low Tide: 12:35 pm High Tide: 7:38 pm

Moon Underfoot: 5:06p

6:30 — 8:30 PM

1.17 ft. Low Tide: 1:13 am 1.38 ft. High Tide: 6:15 am 0.39 ft. Low Tide: 2:55 pm 1.36 ft.

F i s h

&

BEST:

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 PM 9:00 — 11:00 PM

1.30 ft. High Tide: 5:24 am 1.42 ft. Low Tide: 3:58 pm 0.39 ft.

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 7:30p

1.47 ft. High Tide: 5:07 am 0.40 ft. Low Tide: 5:06 pm

T F & G

Moon Underfoot: 8:19p

+2.0

BEST:

2:00 — 4:00 PM

1.52 ft. High Tide: 4:54 am 0.40 ft. Low Tide: 6:09 pm

1.55 ft.

0.38 ft.

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 4:20p

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n a c

8/20/12 5:17 PM

ALMANAC Digital.indd 99

8/20/12 5:17 PM

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

10

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:30p Moonrise: 1:43a Set: 5:26a

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 3:34a Set: 7:12a

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:27p Moonrise: 4:32a Set: 8:05a

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:26p Moonrise: 5:32a Set: 8:57a

12

13

«14

SATURDAY

l 15

Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:24p Moonrise: 6:33a Set: 9:51a

SUNDAY

«16

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:23p Moonrise: 7:35a Set: 10:44a

AM Minor: 1:13a

PM Minor: 1:38p

AM Minor: 1:58a

PM Minor: 2:22p

AM Minor: 2:41a

PM Minor: 3:06p

AM Minor: 3:25a

PM Minor: 3:49p

AM Minor: 4:08a

PM Minor: 4:33p

AM Minor: 4:54a

PM Minor: 5:19p

AM Minor: 5:43a

PM Minor: 6:09p

AM Major: 7:25a

PM Major: 7:50p

AM Major: 8:10a

PM Major: 8:35p

AM Major: 8:54a

PM Major: 9:18p

AM Major: 9:37a

PM Major: 10:01p

AM Major: 10:21a

PM Major: 10:45p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 11:31a

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 12:22p

Moon Overhead: 8:44a

12a

11

Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:29p Moonrise: 2:37a Set: 6:20a

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:22a

Moon Overhead: 9:33a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:10a 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:48p

Moon Overhead: 11:59a 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:39p 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2012

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 9:08p

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

High Tide: 3:42 am Low Tide: 7:02 pm

100 |

1.56 ft.

0.36 ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

High Tide: 3:35 am Low Tide: 9:55 am High Tide: 11:22 am Low Tide: 7:46 pm

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 100

1.58 ft.

1.43 ft.

1.44 ft.

0.35 ft.

2 0 1 2

Moon Underfoot: 10:46p

Moon Underfoot: 11:25p

BEST:

BEST:

4:00 — 6:00 PM

High Tide: 3:44 am Low Tide: 9:02 am High Tide: 12:59 pm Low Tide: 8:26 pm

1.58 ft.

1.36 ft.

1.47 ft.

0.37 ft.

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: None BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM

High Tide: 3:57 am Low Tide: 9:06 am High Tide: 2:09 pm Low Tide: 9:05 pm

F i s h

&

1.58 ft.

1.24 ft.

1.52 ft.

0.42 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 12:23a BEST:

G a m e ®

1.58 ft.

1.07 ft.

1.57 ft.

0.52 ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 4:29 am Low Tide: 10:02 am High Tide: 4:17 pm Low Tide: 10:24 pm

+2.0

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 PM 5:30 — 7:30 AM

High Tide: 4:13 am Low Tide: 9:30 am High Tide: 3:13 pm Low Tide: 9:44 pm

Moon Underfoot: 1:13a 6:00 — 8:00 AM

1.56 ft.

0.86 ft.

1.63 ft.

0.67 ft.

High Tide: 4:46 am Low Tide: 10:40 am High Tide: 5:21 pm Low Tide: 11:06 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 9:57p

1.55 ft.

0.64 ft.

1.67 ft.

0.86 ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n a c

8/20/12 5:17 PM

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

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2012 TUESDAY

«17

WEDNESDAY

19

«18

Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:22p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:21p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:19p Moonrise: 8:40a Set: 11:38a Moonrise: 9:46a Set: 12:32p Moonrise: 10:53a Set: 1:24p

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:18p Moonrise: 11:59a Set: 2:14p

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:17p Moonrise: 1:02p Set: 3:02p

20

21

SATURDAY

22

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:16p Moonrise: 2:00p Set: 3:48p

º 23

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:15p Moonrise: 2:53p Set: 4:30p

AM Minor: 6:37a

PM Minor: 7:04p

AM Minor: 7:36a

PM Minor: 8:04p

AM Minor: 8:39a

PM Minor: 9:08p

AM Minor: 9:44a

PM Minor: 10:14p

AM Minor: 10:49a

PM Minor: ——-

AM Minor: 11:27a

PM Minor: 11:51a

AM Minor: 12:20a

PM Minor: 12:48p

AM Major: 12:24a

PM Major: 12:51p

AM Major: 1:22a

PM Major: 1:50p

AM Major: 2:24a

PM Major: 2:53p

AM Major: 3:29a

PM Major: 3:59p

AM Major: 4:34a

PM Major: 5:04p

AM Major: 5:36a

PM Major: 6:05p

AM Major: 6:34a

PM Major: 7:02p

Moon Overhead: 2:31p

12a

THURSDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 4:24p

Moon Overhead: 3:27p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 5:24p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 7:23p

Moon Overhead: 6:24p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Moon Overhead: 8:20p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 2:05a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

7:30 — 9:30 AM

High Tide: 5:03 am Low Tide: 11:22 am High Tide: 6:29 pm Low Tide: 11:48 pm

8:30 — 10:30 AM

1.55 ft.

0.43 ft.

1.70 ft.

1.07 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 4:54a

BEST:

A l m a n a c

Moon Underfoot: 5:54a

BEST:

9:30 — 11:30 AM

BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 PM 10:00A — 12:00P

High Tide: 5:18 am 1.57 ft. Low Tide: 12:31 am Low Tide: 12:09 pm 0.25 ft. High Tide: 5:32 am High Tide: 7:44 pm 1.71 ft. Low Tide: 1:01 pm High Tide: 9:07 pm

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 101

Moon Underfoot: 3:55a

1.29 ft.

1.61 ft.

0.12 ft.

1.71 ft.

Low Tide: 1:15 am High Tide: 5:42 am Low Tide: 1:59 pm High Tide: 10:42 pm

T e x a S

1.48 ft. Low Tide: 2:07 am 1.65 ft. High Tide: 5:39 am 0.05 ft. Low Tide: 3:06 pm 1.72 ft.

F i s h

&

G a m e ®

Moon Underfoot: 6:54a

Moon Underfoot: 7:52a

BEST:

12:00 — 2:00 PM

1.63 ft. High Tide: 12:25 am 1.75 ft. High Tide: 1:42 am 1.69 ft. Low Tide: 4:20 pm 0.06 ft. Low Tide: 5:37 pm 0.03 ft.

S E P T E M B E R

+2.0

BEST:

11:00A — 1:00P

2 0 1 2

|

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST:

Moon Underfoot: 2:59a

1.77 ft.

0.12 ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

101

8/20/12 5:17 PM

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best Good Score Graph Score Score

TUESDAY

24

Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:13p Moonrise: 3:40p Set: 5:10p

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:11p Moonrise: 4:59p Set: 6:27p

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:10p Moonrise: 5:35p Set: 7:08p

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:08p Moonrise: 6:09p Set: 7:51p

26

27

28

SATURDAY

«29

Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:07p Moonrise: 6:42p Set: 8:39p

SUNDAY

«30

Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 7:06p Moonrise: 7:17p Set: 9:32p

AM Minor: 1:13a

PM Minor: 1:40p

AM Minor: 2:02a

PM Minor: 2:28p

AM Minor: 2:47a

PM Minor: 3:11p

AM Minor: 3:29a

PM Minor: 3:52p

AM Minor: 4:10a

PM Minor: 4:33p

AM Minor: 4:52a

PM Minor: 5:15p

AM Minor: 5:37a

PM Minor: 5:59p

AM Major: 7:27a

PM Major: 7:54p

AM Major: 8:15a

PM Major: 8:40p

AM Major: 8:59a

PM Major: 9:23p

AM Major: 9:41a

PM Major: 10:04p

AM Major: 10:22a

PM Major: 10:44p

AM Major: ——-

PM Major: 11:04a

AM Major: 11:24a

PM Major: 11:48a

Moon Overhead: 9:13p

12a

25

Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:12p Moonrise: 4:21p Set: 5:48p

WEDNESDAY

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 10:51p

Moon Overhead: 10:04p 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 11:22p 12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 12:22a

Moon Overhead: None 12a

6a

12p

6p

12a

6a

12p

6p

Moon Overhead: 1:06a 12a

6a

12p

6p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times for SEPTEMBER 2012

12a

feet

feet

Moon Underfoot: 8:47a

+2.0

-1.0

TIDE LEVELS

0

BEST:

BEST:

2:30 — 4:30 PM

High Tide: 2:25 am Low Tide: 8:51 am High Tide: 10:07 am Low Tide: 6:50 pm

102 |

1.75 ft.

1.52 ft.

1.52 ft.

0.20 ft.

3:00 — 5:00 PM

High Tide: 2:53 am Low Tide: 8:42 am High Tide: 12:14 pm Low Tide: 7:53 pm

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 102

1.70 ft.

1.38 ft.

1.51 ft.

0.31 ft.

2 0 1 2

Moon Underfoot: 10:28a

Moon Underfoot: 11:15a

BEST:

BEST:

3:30 — 5:30 PM

High Tide: 3:15 am Low Tide: 9:00 am High Tide: 1:41 pm Low Tide: 8:47 pm

1.64 ft.

1.21 ft.

1.54 ft.

0.45 ft.

T e x a S

Moon Underfoot: 12:00p BEST:

4:30 — 6:30 PM

High Tide: 3:34 am Low Tide: 9:23 am High Tide: 2:53 pm Low Tide: 9:34 pm

F i s h

&

1.58 ft.

1.02 ft.

1.59 ft.

0.62 ft.

Moon Underfoot: 12:44p BEST:

G a m e ®

1.54 ft.

0.84 ft.

1.63 ft.

0.80 ft.

T F & G

High Tide: 4:08 am Low Tide: 10:19 am High Tide: 4:54 pm Low Tide: 10:51 pm

+2.0

BEST:

5:00 — 7:00 PM 5:30 — 7:30 AM

High Tide: 3:51 am Low Tide: 9:50 am High Tide: 3:56 pm Low Tide: 10:15 pm

Moon Underfoot: 1:29p 6:30 — 8:30 AM

1.52 ft.

0.68 ft.

1.66 ft.

0.98 ft.

High Tide: 4:23 am Low Tide: 10:49 am High Tide: 5:49 pm Low Tide: 11:24 pm

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 9:39a

1.51 ft.

0.55 ft.

1.67 ft.

1.14 ft.

+1.0 0 -1.0

A l ma n a c

8/20/12 5:17 PM

Cajun Spiced Redfish Wraparounds

T F & G

ALMANAC Digital.indd 103

a platter and dust with Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice.

If you want to save some of these delectable morsels for a later time , simply clip off the ends of the toothpicks with kitchen

Photo: bryan slaven

A

s the fall nears, the birds are working on the coast, and fishing for redfish on topwater lures is a great way to spend a morning with my boys. IThis recipe combines fresh redfish with a Cajun Classic to create an awesome flavored dish. The Jambalaya sausage is available at B&W Meat Market in Houston. This is an awesome market with a great selection of sausages, steaks, chops, etc. Bring your cooler. You’ll probably fill it up! Check them out @ www. bwmeatcompany.com.

4 filets of redfish- good sized filets, approx. ½” thick or more, (you can substitute trout or even freshwater catfish if desired) Skins removed, then carefully butterfly each filet open 2- lbs. of smoked Jambalaya sausage, or fresh Jambalaya, cooled and mixed with some chopped smoked sausage will be OK 10 to 12 – pieces of thin sliced bacon Texas Gourmet’s Sidewinder Searing Spice 1 ½ sticks of butter 1- Lemon juiced, or ¼ cup of lemon juice.

Toothpicks 1 ½ lbs. of fresh spinach, rinsed and steamed 1 lb. of Long grain and wild rice Preparation Lay the filets out flat, place approx. 5 to 6 tablespoons of the Jambalaya mixture in the middle of each filet long ways, and then carefully roll the filet up tucking in the ends. Pick up a filet and starting at one end, begin wrapping the filet tightly using a couple pieces of bacon to go from one end all the way to the other. Seal into place with a few toothpicks, then set the filet on

Place the rolls indirectly on a charcoal or gas grill; be sure to oil the grates first.

Baste with the lemon butter mixture and close the cover; the grill should be around 350 to 375 degrees. Turn carefully or simply roll and baste the other side and close the cover again, when the bacon is browning a bit, approx. 7 to 8 minutes, remove the rolls to a warm platter and cover with a loose piece of foil for 5 to 6 minutes Carefully remove the toothpicks, and slice the rolls into ¾” thick pieces.

shears and then you can either vacuum seal them or wrap them individually with Saran Wrap, place in a freezer zip style bag and freeze until ready to use. When thawing, remember to allow ample time in the refrigerator (3 to 4 hours) to assure a quality and safe meal. Then proceed with the cooking instructions in this recipe.

Melt the butter and add the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the Searing Spice.

A l m a n a c

Brush once more with the basting brush, and then place a serving of steamed spinach in the center of a plate. Then arrange 4 to 5 roll pieces on the spinach, then a serving of long grain and wild rice on the side. Pour yourself a nice glass of white wine and enjoy!

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

F i s h

&

G a m e ®

S E P T E M B E R

2 0 1 2

|

103

8/20/12 5:17 PM

Sara Gantt RAW Ranch Hunts

TEXAS HUNTING

TEXAS SALTWATER

SOUTH TEXAS

ROCKPORT / BAFFIN BAY

HUNTING

BAFFIN BAY

OHIO

Just Add Water Guide Service

www.FISHGAME.COM

TEXAS SALTWATER

GALVESTON

ROCKPORT

TEXAS HUNTING NORTH EAST TEXAS

104 |

S E P T E M B E R

ALMANAC Digital.indd 104

2 0 1 2

T e x a S

F i s h

&

G a m e 速

T F & G

A l ma n a c

8/20/12 5:17 PM

Hook and Ladder

Just Add Water Guide Service

TEXAS SALTWATER

TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS FRESHWATER

MIDDLE Coast

LAKE TEXOMA

DFW METROPLEX

Upper Coast (Sabine Lake)

LAKE AMISTAD

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SPOTLIGHT: 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.

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Flounder Freeport Brynlee Auer caught a 3.32pound flounder to take Second Place in the Freeport Fishing Fiesta. It was her first year to compete and she “was awesome,” said her dad, Brandon.

Bass

Redfish

Porter Hyatt Hightower, 2, caught his first fish in a private pond in Porter.

Mom Tenille Hightower says he was very proud.

Port Mansfield Chris Rowan of Brownsville caught this 30-inch, 15-pound Redfish along the spoil banks north of the East Cut near Port Mansfield, Texas. He and best friend Randal Fuller were fishing with local legend Captain Trish as their guide.

Flounder Bass

Crappie

Bay City

Lake Lavon

Tori Condit of Bay City made a quick trip to the local fishing pond after school. She caught this monster on a topwater. A quick picture and back in the water she went.

Christian Pivarnik, 9, and his brother Joseph,8, caught this nice stringer of crappie at night on Lake Lavon. Their mom fried up the tasty fillets for the boys.

Catfish

Mixed stringer

Lake Texoma

Galveston

Jackie Bruton of Saint Jo, Texas caught this 85-pound blue cat on a jug line near Juniper Point east on Lake Texoma. The cat bit on a hotdog on a red hook. The cat was weighed, photographed, and released.

Jo McAdams of Houston had a great time fishing at the Galveston North Jetty. She caught her very first black drum, her very first spanish macks and specks. The biggest speck was a 27-inch 10 pounder.

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Sargent Drew Hooey, 10, caught this 20-inch flounder while visiting Grama and Gramps in Sargent. This was her first flatfish, and biggest fish, to date.

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Red Snapper Offshore Chance Underwood caught his first red snapper, on his first offshore fishing trip, on a “rough day” out on the Fish & Fun II.

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MAIL TO: TFG PHOTOS 1745 Greens Rd, Houston TX 77032 NOTE: Print photos can not be returned.

EMAIL: photos@FishGame.com

For best results, send MED to HIGH quality JPEG digital files only, please.

Bluegill

Duck

Catfish

Huntsville

Belton Bryce Egger of Belton shot this canvasback duck one day before his 10th birthday, at a pond near his house. He was hunting with his Papa and two brothers.

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

Tyler

Tabitha Sweet age 4 of Richmond caught her first Bluegill from a private pond at her Granma’s place outside of Huntsville Texas.

Addison McCleskey Harman, 6, caught this catfish in a private pond near Tyler with her uncle David Moore cheering her on. It was not the first big fish she has landed by herself.

Whitetail Bee County Gentry Fox, 8, of College Station killed his first deer while hunting on his grandfather’s ranch in Bee County. He shot his deer with a .223.

King Mackerel Gulf of Mexico

Redfish

Lee Armola of Mesquite caught these King Mackerel out on a trip in the Gulf.

Ribbon fish was used as bait.

Cole Scott, age 13, of Locust Grove, Ga., caught this 22-inch Redfish while on vacation, at Aransas Pass with his Grandpa, Joe Scott, of Elgin.

Aransas Pass

Whitetail Brazoria County Nathaniel Martinez, 14, killed his first deer while hunting with his grandfather on a private ranch in Brazoria County.

He used a 22-250 Remington 700.

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Speckled Trout

Speckled trout

Seadrift

Port O’Connor

Ethan Flores, 10, of Victoria caught this 27-inch speckled trout at Seadrift. The nice speck weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

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Haley Olsovsky, 11, of Schulenburg caught this 17-inch speckled trout, fishing at Port O’Connor with her dad and brother Nathan.

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