Texas Fish & Game September 2015 by Texas Fish & Game

THE TEXAS OUTDOOR AUTHORITY

www.FishGame.com

Bow Hunting

Invisible Bucks

September 2015 $3.95

Top 5 Texas Lakes for

Small

Take a Swimbait for a Swim

mouth Trout Vomit & Migration

Speck Myth Busting

Dead Trees,

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Going Blind: Tools & Skills

for Hiding from Game

The Deal on

Early Teal

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2016 EDITION Coming Soon!

BIGGER. BETTER. 60 FRESH & SALTWATER LOCATIONS OVER 2500 GPS FISHING SPOTS AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER

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

ROY NEVES PUBLISHER

CHESTER MOORE EDITOR IN CHIEF

C O N T R I B U T O R S JOE DOGGETT DOUG PIKE TED NUGENT LOU MARULLO MATT WILLIAMS CALIXTO GONZALES LENNY RUDOW STEVE LAMASCUS DUSTIN ELLERMANN KENDAL HEMPHILL WILL LESCHPER REAVIS WORTHAM TOM BEHRENS GREG BERLOCHER PAUL BRADSHAW CAPT. MIKE HOLMES DUSTIN WARNCKE STAN SKINNER LISA MOORE JOHN GISEL

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDITOR AT LARGE HUNTING EDITOR FRESHWATER EDITOR SALTWATER EDITOR BOATING EDITOR FIREARMS EDITOR SHOOTING EDITOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR CONSERVATION EDITOR HUMOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR COPY EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR STRATEGIC ADVISOR

A D V E R T I S I N G ARDIA NEVES VICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR LARRY DALTON • ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 1745 GREENS ROAD HOUSTON, TX 77032 PHONE: (281) 227-3001 • FAX (281) 227-3002 EMAIL: ANEVES@FISHGAME.COM

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SUBSCRIPTIONS 1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032 PHONE (800) 725-1134 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: subscriptions@fishgame.com Email new orders to: subscriptions@ fishgame.com Email subscription questions to: subscriptions@fishgame.com. Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.

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Table of

SEPTEMBER 2015 Volume 32 • NO. 5

Contents FEATURES

COVER STORY: Smallmouth Showdown Texas may not be STORY: known as a big smallmouth bass state, but these five lakes are starting to gain reputations as smallie fisheries.

GOING BLIND

Since the dawn of time, hunters have had to devise tools and skills for hiding from game animals. This has culminated in a vast assortment of modern day options for every type of hunting.

by John N. Felsher

Story by Matt Williams

TROUT VOMIT AND MIGRATION MYTHS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

This article examines speckled trout feeding behavior (from stomach contents) and lays to rest a few of the myths about this storied gamefish.

by Chester Moore The Deal on Early Teal STORY:

Texans get an early crack at waterfowl with September bluewing migration.

Story by Chester Moore

DEADWOOD DOVES

Expressing this dove hunting strategy in mathematical terms, Dead Trees = Dead Birds. For dove, going out on a limb is literally a fatal mistake.

by Greg Berlocher

GO FOR A SWIM

Invisible Bucks

Bowhunting is tough when deer get spooked and crank up their instincts for disappearing. Tough, but not impossible.

STORY:

Whether in freshwater or saltwater, swimbaits are successful because they mimic natural baitfish.

by John N. Felsher

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Contents (continued)

Inside FISH & GAME

COLUMNS

10 by ROY and ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners

THERE ARE REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE NEXT sporting generation and the future of ﬁshing and hunting. The exponential growth of high school and college bass teams is one example. This high school wildlife class is another. Kids in this program are making a connection to the outdoors, and many will carry it with them into their futures. We are extremely proud to have been a part of this ground-breaking merger of academic and recreational interests from its beginning. Anyone who would like to join us in the effort is certainly welcome.

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by Joe Doggett

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F I S H

Pike on the Edge by Doug Pike

TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Nugent in the Wild by Ted Nugent

TF&G Editor At Large

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill

TF&G Political Commentator

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales

TF&G Saltwater Editor

Bare Bones Hunting

by Lou Marullo

DEPARTMENTS

8 LETTERS 12 TF&G REPORT 32 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

40 TRUE GREEN Texas Freshwater 62 INDUSTRY TF&G Hunting Editor

by Matt Williams

TF&G Freshwater Editor

Open Season

by Reavis Wortham

TF&G Freshwater Editor

Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow

TF&G Boating Editor

Practical Angler by Greg Berlocher

TF&G Contributing Editor

Texas Guns

INSIDER

64 FISH AND

GAME GEAR

66 HOTSPOT FOCUS

74 TEXAS

HOTSPOTS

86 TIDES &

PRIME TIMES

94 TF&G PHOTOS

by Steve LaMascus

TF&G Firearms Editor

Texas Tasted

by Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

www.FishGame.com

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Doggett at Large TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

HE NEXT GENERATION OF HUNTERS AND anglers (also the next generation of parents, leaders, and voters) is growing up engulfed in a tornado of stimuli that prior generations could never have imagined. Mobile devices, seemingly grafted onto their hands, emit a constant stream of texts, social media updates, games, videos, music and—occasionally—emails and phone calls. This new wave of jabber is combining with the still-potent “established” teenage temptations to form a super-powered force that pulls them away from more constructive pursuits, like hunting and fishing. Shining through this maelstrom is a traditional high school class that not only teaches the conservation, skills, values and heritage of outdoor sports, but is one of the most popular elective high school classes in Texas. Wildlife, Fisheries, and Ecology Management is an Agriculture Department course that is taught in high schools across the state. It is probably one of the most popular Ag classes ever offered, for 2 reasons. One, it covers subjects that a huge number of teenagers are passionately interested in—fishing and hunting. Two, it also includes the mandatory hunter safety course, which allows them to earn their state-required certification. TEXAS FISH & GAME has been a part of this class since its beginning over 25 years ago—back when teachers were struggling to find materials with which to teach the course as they waited for textbooks to wind their way through the State’s sluggish approval process. At this summer’s Ag Teacher and FFA conventions, we were able to meet with hundreds of teachers and students to renew their annual participation in this classroom subscription program. It was gratifying to hear how much of an impact TF&G issues are having on the classrooms and on these kids. Our monthly articles on wildlife behavior, habitat, and the techniques and technology involved in outdoor recreation provide a useful supplemental tool in class—as well as being a welcome break from the textbook grind. We call this program WILDlife EDucation (WILD ED) and have structured it so that the material is available in both printed form and on our new digital platforms for all of the students—at no cost to the schools. In 2015-16, we will reach more than 30,000 high school students in more than 500 schools. It is a massive and costly effort. But worth it.

S E P T E M B E R

by Chester Moore

TF&G Editor in Chief

Wild Ed

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LETTERS to the Editor Myers Bayou I AM WRITING TO YOU ABOUT THE beautiful cypress stump marshes off of Myers bayou. Workers have been building levees and tearing up a lot of marsh. I have been told the plan is to pump Neches river dredge into those very important marshes which will kill them. We have very few marshes in this area and seems destroying it would be devastating to fishing in this area. Those marshes produce tons of bait each year. I have been catching reds, flounder, bass and specks in this area for 30 years. Myers has been so muddy the last couple months that l would not run up it because I thought it would ruin my water pump. No joke. It is so disheartening. If there is anything you can do or find out I would appreciate it. Seems like it would be illegal. Melvin Head Editor: At the time of this writing we were not able to get exact details on the situation. Enclosing some areas and pumping with silt is pretty common and often permitted. The idea on paper at least is to take the silt and fill in areas where coastal marsh has been degraded so new vegetation can grow, etc. This has been done twice in the Lower Neches Wildlife Management Area in Bridge City. As we find out details of this situation we will let you know.

Blacktip Sharks ENJOYED YOUR FEATURE ON blacktips, as they were always one of my favorite sharks. We hooked a big one just past the surf line years ago that jumped spectacularly many times and then broke the leader at the boat just before I could gaff him. On another trip—a charter on my old 24-foot outboard boat that had chosen that particular day to blow its engine and leave us adrift—my customer hooked into what was likely a BIG tiger that locked the drag on his 80 Penn International and nearly yanked

him overboard before rolling in the leader and cutting the line. Since we weren’t going anywhere until one of my buddies gave us a pull on his way in that afternoon, I brought out a rod of mine with an old 10/0 Penn Senator and baited the hooks with a whole bonito. The big bait hardly had time to sink behind the boat when something strong (but not as strong as the fish we had just lost) took it After a very respectable battle during which time the fish never showed itself, I gaffed a big blacktip to help salvage the day. Back at Beach Bait & Tackle, he weighed 135 lbs. and the state record had just been raised to—I think—165 from the 136 pounds that had held that position for several years. In deference to my blown engine, I was allowed to keep the meat —most of it, anyway—and it provided my small family with a lot of very good meals that summer. I spent the rest of the season co-captaining a 45 Hatteras on billfish and tuna trips, but that day of shark fishing was the most exciting of the year. Capt. Mike Holmes

Zebra Thanks THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTting the picture of my family with the harvested zebra from South Africa that my daughter shot and the caption as well. It meant a lot to my wife that you mentioned that my daughter had shot the zebra with the gun that was handed down from my wife’s dad. We lost him to cancer a couple years ago and just mentioning that fact, it meant a lot to her. Thanks again. PS: I let my subscription slip this year with TF&G but will be renewing now.

“Women’s Screams and Deep Growls.” It took me back to a time when I was younger. First off I have to mention that I don’t have an audio file to send you, sorry about that, but I do have a sound you should definitely look into. I was a teenager on a turkey hunting trip with my dad and brother in the town of Dilley, TX on the Antex Ranch. The owner of the ranch is a commercial roofing contractor in Houston by the name of Mike Hudson and his company name is Antex Roofing. The sun had not yet come up as my brother, my dad and I were making our way through the woods towards the turkey roost. We each had a shotgun in our hands which might as well have been a stick because when we all heard that strange sound echo through the woods my brother and I found ourselves tucked under our fathers arm pit like two chicks hiding from the rain under the mother hen’s wing. I will go ahead and spoil the surprise and tell you the sound came from the famous snow monkeys of south Texas. My dad got a big chuckle out of the whole ordeal because he was well aware of the tiny little creature making the unexplainable sound unlike my brother and I which I am pretty sure were in need of a new pair of underwear after that morning in the woods. Although Mike is still in business, I don’t know if he still owns that ranch or if the snow monkeys are still, but it is worth the time looking into it. I have his contact info if you would like it just give me a call. Phillip Cooke Editor: Thanks so much for sharing that story. I have heard of the snow monkeys of South Texas and once hunted with a man who had a similar encounter. Fun stuff.

Shawn Holden

Mysterious Sounds I WAS READING YOUR LATEST article in FISH & GAME magazine entitled

Send Your Comments to: Texas Fish & Game 1745 Greens Rd Houston TX 77032

editor@ﬁshgame.com

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EDITOR’S Notes by CHESTER MOORE :: TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Animals I Will Not Hunt

HIS IS GOING TO BE A CONtroversial statement. It shouldn’t be but in today’s climate over oversensitivity in the hunting community, it will ruffle some feathers. There are animals I would never kill. There I said it. Let the PETA comparisons begin. I say that because I actually had someone ask me if I was turning into a PETA-style animal activist because I have a wildlife TV program that is about observing and photographing wildlife and not hunting. I was shocked but I should not have been. There is a segment of our industry that gets offended if we simply choose not to hunt certain animals or dare say that they don’t understand how someone could shoot (fill in the blank.) I would not have killed Cecil the lion (or any lion), a wolf, cougar, giraffe, leopard, elephant and a host of other animals. Those are animals I would rather observe, capture on video and photograph. That is my choice. I have deep admiration for those particular creatures and would receive no joy from taking their lives. Years ago I killed a bobcat to get it mounted and a rattlesnake to eat but I would never kill either of those two creatures again. It’s not in me and the fact is I quite enjoy knowing both of those species are alive and roaming our wild lands. I fully support legal science-based hunting and as long as the hunting of whatever species does not create a decline and the funds benefit conservation of habit, scientific study, etc. I am good with it.

It is just that I will never participate in many hunts. I hunt deer, hogs, ducks, and geese and if I could find a good place to hunt quail you would find me there. There are few things finer than grilled quail in my humble opinion. It is the stuff I eat and that we use to supplement our family’s diet of domestically raised and killed beef, pork and poultry that leads me into the field. I write this column because I wonder what happened in our hunting culture that we will throw our own under the bus because of opinions. And for some reason it always seems to center on the elite end of the hunting industry. Let’s face it. If you can fork up $50,000 to shoot a lion, you’re in the elite range of the hunting community. There were people all over social media after the Cecil story break slamming others because they said things like, “I don’t think the dentist should be arrested, but I couldn’t shoot a lion.” What has gotten us to this point? And why is it that the industry will circle the wagons if it’s some safari hunting issue but ignore things that happen to waterfowlers and deer hunters every year on public land? People get locked out, restricted and over regulated on public hunting lands throughout America, but as I have said before the “leaders” of the industry are often much more interested in having a show and tell of their Big Five hunt photos than they are seeing what the average hunter faces. Public land? Why worry when you can spend most of your life savings on a lion or an elephant in a foreign land? I salute all of the wealthy, influential hunters who do stand for all of us, but wish the others would get out of the way. The other issue has more to do with the soul. There is a young generation reared on shoot-to-kill video games including some hunting ones along with other electronic

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devices and these kids have a super short attention span. For many of the ones I have spoken with, it is all about the kill. And I mean the kill only. The day we as a hunting people lose the reverence of nature and actually caring about the game we pursue, we lose it all. That’s when the kid who inherits the family ranch sells it off to an industrial farmer or developer for a quick buck because he can go kill something anywhere. To hell with the family’s years of land and wildlife conservation efforts. If it’s all about the kill, that’s easy to get. It’s when a newly elected young politican sells out a giant chunk of wildlife habitat and historical hunting land because they can’t relate to the land and the people who use it. There are other people’s ducks to go shoot at those big lodges in Canada, right? At some point, there will not be. Unless we invest time into young outdoors lovers’ lives, the spiritual connection to the land we hunt and the game we pursue will be severed for this generation and those to come—perhaps irreparably. I’ve admired wolves my entire life and would fight to keep their habitat in the Great North intact, so I know their kind has a future. I wonder how young hunters have that kind of respect for a species versus those who simply want to kill stuff for the sake of killing it without really knowing why. Hunting that keeps conservation as a focus is an honorable pursuit. It’s one I have engaged in my entire life. It is the basis of all hunting regulations in the United States and certainly the great state of Texas. Here’s to keeping the honor of our quarry in the pursuit and recognizing that some hunters still go by the “I won’t kill it unless I’m going to eat it” standard. Now excuse me while I throw some backstrap in the frying pan.

Email Chester Moore at CMoore@ﬁshgame.com

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The TF G Report TPWD Examines Chronic Wasting Disease THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Department (TPWD) Commission today heard testimony from staff and invited guests on a variety of issues relating to Chronic Wasting Disease during a special meeting at Texas Parks and Wildlife Headquarters. Presenters provided background, information, concerns and options to the commission in response to the recent discovery of CWD in a two-year-old white-tailed deer in a Medina County deer breeding facility. Included in the testimony were possible measures to further minimize the risk of CWD spreading into Texas’

free-ranging white-tailed deer herd, and to protect the captive deer breeding industry. Following the presentations, TPW Commission Chairman Dan A. Hughes Jr., offered the following statement: “First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for being with us here today and for your interest in this important issue. Audio from today’s meeting will be available online over the next couple of days. I have also asked staff to make the powerpoints presented today available on the TPWD website for everyone who was not in the room today to review. It is important for all of us to remember that Chronic Wasting Disease does not pick sides. It doesn’t make alliances. It affects all of us in this room. We (staff, commission, hunters, breeders, etc.) are all connected to this. I believe that we owe it

to the people of Texas and the more than 4 million free-ranging and captive deer, to do everything we can to contain this threat and ensure it doesn’t spread. It is important that we hear and consider all perspectives. I want to thank TPWD staff and the Texas Animal Health Commission for the countless hours and tireless efforts spent to assemble, review and consider an overwhelming amount of information as they work to make the best recommendations for moving forward. We want to get business back to normal as soon as possible, as well. But, it is important that we do so in a manner that smart and safe for everyone involved. Texas is going to be the gold standard for how to appropriately respond to Chronic Wasting Disease. We want to use every opportunity to learn from this event as we proceed. In moving forward, it is crucial that we not lose sight of the three primary goals of any response:

BIG BAGS CATCHES

PERMIT

WATERBUCK

Florida

South Africa

Ashley Nelson with her ﬁrst Permit, completing a Florida grand slam (Tarpon, Boneﬁsh, Permit) in Islamorada Florida. With captain Mark Krowka.

Greg Wilson of Houston shot this waterbuck while hunting in South Africa at Limcroma Safaris. Hunting plains animals is one of Greg’s passions. He also successfully hunted a hartebeest, wildebeest, a 53-inch kudo, an impala and a warthog on this trip.

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• Minimize CWD risks to the wild and captive white-tailed deer, mule deer, and other susceptible species in Texas. • Establish and maintain support for prudent CWD management with hunters, landowners, and other stakeholders. • Minimize direct and indirect impacts of CWD to hunting, hunting related economies, and conservation in Texas. • No decision will be perfect. Each possible decision involves some level of risk, and based on the information heard today, I would like to encourage staff to: • Support the CWD Working Group’s recommendation to initially test those animals deemed highest-risk at the index facility as expeditiously as possible. • Assess the risk on all other breeder facilities and place a premium on allowing TAHC Certified Herds and whollydisconnected facilities to resume movement of deer soon.

Rains boost Freshwater Fish Stocking WIDESPREAD RAINS IN MAY AND June did more than end the drought and raise lakes to levels not seen in years. Many lakes that had been scheduled for stocking contingent on significant spring rains were able to be stocked to take advantage of improved habitat. Fortunately, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) freshwater fish hatcheries had a better-than-expected production year for such popular species as Florida largemouth bass, blue catfish, striped bass and palmetto bass (hybrid

fry; 157,000 Guadalupe bass fingerlings; 55,000 smallmouth bass fingerlings; 129,000 bluegill fingerlings and 7.5 million largemouth bass fingerlings. The good news doesn’t stop there. Spring rains brought many reservoirs to levels not seen in several years, so the hatchery fish were stocked into great habitat. When reservoir levels go down for several years, vegetation grows up in the dry lake bottom. When levels rise, the flooded vegetation gives little fish a place to hide from predators and, as it decays, releases nutrients into the water that jumpstart the food chain. Water level rises came to many lakes in time for spawns from resident fish to enjoy good habitat conditions, adding to the bounty. Those water level rises benefit all species of fish, which means that fishing

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TPWD fisheries technicians Steven Hise (L) and Wes Dutter prepare striped bass fingerlings for stocking into Possum Kingdom Reservoir. Possum Kingdom received 267,748 striped bass fingerlings and 213,209 Florida largemouth bass fingerlings in 2015.

WHITETAIL LaPryor Ten-year-old Baker Wardell took his ﬁrst whitetail deer last season, and what a deer it was – a ten point, 190pound, 5 1/2-year-old buck, taken at 102 yards with one shot to the neck from a Bushmaster .223 suppressed riﬂe with a 4x AGOG scope. It was on a low fenced ranch near LaPryor.

striped bass), making more fish available. TPWD has five inland fish hatcheries. One is currently closed because of water supply problems caused by drought. In 2015 TPWD hatcheries produced and stocked almost 500,000 channel catfish fingerlings; 800,000 blue catfish fingerlings; 4.8 million striped bass and hybrid striped bass fingerlings and 4.7 million T E X A S

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should see significant improvement in the next several years, and predator species like bass, striped bass and hybrid striped bass will have plenty to eat and grow quickly. Information on where and how many fish were stocked can be found at tpwd. texas.gov/fishboat/fish/management/stocking/.

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DOGGETT at Large by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor

Holding on to Great Memories

some corporate afterthought. The sheath is mashed and bent, stained with sweat and dirt and blood and looks like something exhumed from the Alamo, but it remains as sound as the shears. I never recall wearing the sheath and shears on my hip. I usually stash them in the game pouch of my King Ranch-style belt bag. I am amazed that this casual indifference hasn’t lost the shears in the field. The hefty weight must help keep them anchored in the bottom of the pouch. All I know is that

VERY VETERAN ANGLER and hunter possesses accessories with sentimental significance far exceeding monetary value. I suppose that’s because we carry these things “out there” and, over the years, they become part of our outdoor memories. For example, a good friend was crushed when he lost an old pocket knife. The ancient Case stag-handled folder was given to him by his father when he was a boy. I never saw him use the trim little blade for anything much more significant than slicing limes for Cuba Libres in camp, but he rarely was without it. The pocket knife was worth no more than a few dollars but, to my friend, it was a precious item. On the subject of Case (and they obviously make fine cutlery), one of my prized accessories is a pair of Case Sportsman’s Shears. The model number is 47-8, although no such thing is available now. The heavy eight-inch shears are stainless steel, made for the real world, with one blade serrated for no-nonsense cutting of game-bird wings and legs and necks. Best of all, the two blades twist apart on a bolt at the base for easy washing and cleaning. If memory serves, they retailed around $18 or $20 during the mid-1970’s, a bit pricey for a simple game-cleaning tool. But they looked and felt like the real deal. The stiff, fitted leather sheath is heavily stitched with small rivets added at five stress points, a quality piece of work and not

for 40 years, whenever I reach back there through a fluff-mound of doves or quail, they are there. A pair of old Leupold Wind River binoculars is another fine example. The reasonably priced Wind River series was introduced during the early 1990s and, shortly after they hit the retail shelves, factory representative Rick Stovall loaned me a “demo” pair of 8X32’s. The magnification and light-gathering

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capability were a bit weak for serious dawn/ dusk stand hunting, but for all-around, kick-around use, the small glasses were surprisingly good, with crisp focus and easy to adjust. Naturally (being a seasoned outdoor writer), I sort of forgot to return them. At home, my Beach Tahoe is accessorized with the Wind Rivers. The salty Beach Tahoe is one of the old two-door Sport models equipped with four-wheel drive. The vehicle is basically held together with aftermarket Yakima roof racks and a dozen or so obnoxious surfing decals. The neck strap of the battered binoculars is looped over the floor shift lever, ready for a quick grab to scan the open horizon or inspect wildlife or check tide line potential. For example, I recently used them to peg several subtle flurries of small finger mullet milling in the green surf beyond the second bar. I parked the Tahoe on the sand, and Doug Pike and I waded into some nice speckled trout. We couldn’t see the abundance of baitfish without the glasses. Abroad, the Wind Rivers have evolved as part of my basic travel gear. I’ve left them on docks and bars and boats across Mexico, Central America and South America but, despite this cavalier attitude, we always seem to reunite. The fact that no crusty fisherman or ne’er-do-well surfer has snatched them suggests that, well, they look pretty rough. Near and far, the old binoculars have served me well. Certainly, better optics are available but the Wind Rivers have elevated into the realm of prized possessions. An old Russell fillet knife is another example. It was given to me in the mid1970s by David Wharton, a top-tier Lake Rayburn guide who operated out of Jackson

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The daily largemouth bass limit was 10 and everybody kept legal fish. Part of a guide’s job description was to dump the 48-quart Igloo onto the cleaning table and fillet the day’s catch. I suppose that, like the early Bob Dylan, Wharton eventually went electric. But, back then, Wharton scorned the automated cleaning knives and swore by the long, thin 2333-9 Russell (this was before the company became Dexter-Russell). The gift knife was nothing special, just a cleaning tool of kitchen-grade materials. But it looks excellent, lean and mean, and has a great blade with just the right flex. The 9 1/2-inch length and the narrow taper flow through keeper-sized bass, specks, and panfish such as crappie and white bass. It’s over-matched on bigger redfish with coarse scales and heavy rib bones, but it can shuck a skinned trout slab with “ease and elegance.” There’s satisfaction in doing it strictly by hand, with no whirring gadgetry involved. We’ve got enough plug-in nonsense already.

I cannot calculate how many fish I have filleted with that pitted, tarnished blade. Also important, the steel is fairly soft, quick to take a silver-gleaming edge with just a few swipes. Several months ago, I tried to cut my left middle finger off with the Russell (as accounted in a recent column), but that moronic move in no way detracts from my loyalty to the knife. These are few of my special items. None would bring much on eBay,but all helped define my outdoor experience. No doubt, if you’ve spent much time on the water and in the field, you know what I’m talking about.

Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

8/10/15 2:30 PM

PIKE on the Edge by DOUG PIKE :: TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

‘Dad’

NEVER QUITE UNDERSTOOD the weight and responsibility that word carried until I became one, which happened much later in life for me than for most—but was worth the wait. Now, I can’t imagine a world without my son. To brag a little, he’s almost eight, bright, athletic, confident and kind-hearted. He loves golf and baseball, and he likes fishing and hunting. That’s enough to ask of a youngster whose feet grow faster than dandelions and who hasn’t tried anything outdoors that he

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didn’t want to do again. I’ve taught him a little about surfing and shooting so far, too, and will continue those lessons as time allows. If he listens to me, he’ll grow up to care deeply about animals, but not so much that they become more important than people. As is the case with most dads, my time isn’t all my own. There’s my wife, who deserves more of my attention than she gets and whose own time is dominated by caring for our son. Also, there’s my work, and friends, and a host of other obligations the same as anyone else these days. My son, in the end, gets every extra minute I have to give. Cleaning the garage can wait. Weeding the garden can wait. I want him to learn as much as I can pass to his young brain

before, in six or seven years, he suddenly feels smarter than me. I haven’t experienced having a teenager in the house yet but have heard the stories. A tiny piece of me hopes mine will be the only teenager who never rebels and always turns to me before trying something ridiculous. The rest of me knows better. What I won’t do for my son, at any age, is enable him to leapfrog his way past important, necessary steps in the maturation process, in his transition from boyhood to manhood as a person and especially as an outdoorsman. We crawl before we walk, and we walk before we run. Literally and metaphorically. Too often, children are spoon-fed outdoor experiences that most adults never get, and I worry that going from BB gun to Boone

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you go or what you do or how good it turns out, he or she also will remember the times you couldn’t make it. I’ve had a couple of those already, because of my work schedule, and it hurts.

“ Cleaning the garage can wait. Weeding the garden can wait.

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& Crockett buck has more downside than upside. Once you’ve stood on the top of the mountain, any other vantage seems lame. If I’d taken a wide, heavy 10-point buck as a young boy, it would have been difficult to get excited over shooting a doe or spike through my teenage years and nearly impossible to wake up for a rabbit hunt. But as soon as some kids are old enough to steady a rifle for that 100-yard shot to the feeder, they’re ushered into the best stand on the ranch and allowed to drop the biggest set of antlers a parent’s check will buy. If outdoor plans for my son unfold as they’re mapped in my mind, every experience will be a little better than the previous one— and will leave room for improvement and anticipation. When he asks, “What’s next?” I want to have a good answer. For any number of reasons and excuses, some parents use big-time outdoor trips once a year or so to make up for missed soccer games or baseball games, or maybe working late on the night of their child’s performance in a school play. It doesn’t work that way. No matter where

Fortunately, my son understands that I do radio shows on weekend mornings, when so many kids’ activities are scheduled. He even comes to the station on occasion, and that’s a treat for us both. But I know he wishes I were

there—not half as much as I wish the same. Since I came to the parenting game late, I won’t get as much time to share what needs sharing and teach what needs teaching. Recognition of that has created in me a sense of urgency. I want to be there. Not to catch him before every fall, that would keep him from learning some critical lessons on his own. He’ll stumble. I know it. I did, too. We all did, despite our parents’ best efforts to steer us straight. Instead, my simple wish is to be nearby when he does scrape a knee or does something foolish or makes the mistakes so many of us made in youth, available always to listen or to help as he asks. Catching a giant fish or shooting a trophy buck won’t make him or me better. It’ll just leave us with one less goal, among so many, that we can reach together in the outdoors. And I’m not ready just yet to use them all up.

Email Doug Pike at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

8/10/15 2:53 PM

NUGENT in the Wild by TED NUGENT :: TF&G Editor-at-Large

CWD Is a Scam Hurting the Tradition of Hunting

HE GOOD LORD KNOWS how I really hate to write these types of articles, but in this real world of political “we the people” duties to fight the bad and ugly, I must. I won’t bore you with the gory details of how chronic wasting disease was first discovered/created by Colorado bureaucrats back in 1967, or the technical scientific terminology gobblygook, but a cursory review of the documented facts surrounding this controversial condition found in deer should raise the hackles of all honest conservationists and deer lovers nationwide. CWD has never negatively impacted any deerherd or deerhunting anywhere, whereas just a few short years ago, much to the anger of Wisconsin deerhunting families, the Wisconsin DNR, in their bizarre unsupportable kneejerk over-reaction, slaughtered a few hundred thousand deer in that historically traditional deerhunting state. CWD didn’t hurt the Wisconsin deerherd, the DNR did!! And now, continuing the same insane mistake, the Michigan DNR is doing the same horrible thing after finding a single doe that tested positive. Since destroying another couple thousand deer in my beloved deerhunting birthstate, no more cases of CWD have been found as of this writing. And now Texas! I thought Texans knew better. Dear God in heaven! What is going on here? CWD didn’t kill thousands of deer. The government agency sworn to protect and manage this precious resource and paid by hunters killed thousands of deer. I dare anyone to attempt to explain this in honest, logical, scientifically supportable terms. Ain’t gonna happen. Can’t be done. CWD was first identified/created in a Colorado testing facility operated by the

state’s professional biologists. CWD did NOT come from deer farms or hunting ranches. It was first discovered in wild mule deer intentionally exposed to domestic sheep, known to carry the scrapies prion, the sheep variation of CWD. When a deer at an Iowa deer farm was found to be positive for CWD, the Iowa DNR came in a killed every deer on the family property, destroying their livelihood with no believable explanation or compensation whatsoever.

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Achtung baby! Compare this action to the game department of South Dakota when the highest incidence of CWD was found in their Wind River park elk herd. When this infected/ exposed elk herd outgrew the carrying capacity of that high fence state preserve, South Dakota simply lowered the fence to allow the exposed elk to escape into the Custer National Park, mingling with the wild deer and elk. F I S H

Iowa violently over-reacted with ZERO science or evidence to support their actions, destroying the private property of a family, while the state of SD admitted that the CWD exposed elk posed no risk to wild herds of deer and elk. Hey bureaucrats, which is it? A dangerous wildlife threat or no threat at all? Good grief. CWD doesn’t pose a threat to deer. Shemane Nugent, EHD, blue tongue, rabies, brucellosis, Queen of the Forest. anthrax and other real diseases and bureaucrats have indeed hurt wildlife and deer. Why the hysteria over a non-threatening disease/ condition? I love deer. My life has forever been dedicated to optimize the health and bio-diversity of deer and wildlife. My lifetime earnings have been dedicated and invested to perfecting wildlife habitat for game and nongame species because I am a reasoning predator and gung-ho, caring renewable resource steward. Like millions and millions of American deerhunting families and real wildlife lovers, deer and all wildlife bring us prime quality of life, sustenance and spiritual fortification. Since CWD has never hurt wildlife in the big picture, but government bureaucrats have, I would highly recommend caring people do everything in our power to protect wildlife from real, tangible threats. I implore my fellow deer loving BloodBrothers to watch this entire CWD documentary by Keith Warren. Then dare bureaucrats to attempt to deny it. https://youtu.be/1_ltc3dNsPk CWD is a scam and for the life of me cannot figure out why it is being jammed down our throats. Stand up and fight for what you believe in my friends. It really is us against them. Do it for our beloved deer and lifestyle.

Email Ted Nugent at TNugent@ﬁshgame.com

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8/10/15 2:52 PM

TF&G COMMENTARY by KENDAL HEMPHILL :: TF&G Political Editor

More Gaskey, Less Crime

N MARCH 13, 1964, 28-year-old Catherine Genovese was raped and stabbed to death on a sidewalk in Queens, New York. The assailant was frightened away twice by voices and the glow of lights from windows, caused by people moving their curtains, during the half-hour event. The ensuing police investigation turned up thirty-eight people who witnessed the murder. No one intervened. No one called the police until after Catherine was dead. George Forgeng, a city councilman in Hatboro, Pennsylvania was driving by the local TD bank on July 8, 2015, when he saw a man leave the bank with a bag, and witnessed a dye pack explode in the bag. George followed the man on foot, repeatedly shouting at bystanders to call 911. When the suspect, who had just robbed the bank, turned and advanced toward George, the councilman shot him in the arm with his legally concealed firearm. When my best friend was in high school he tried to stop another young man from attacking a girl and was stabbed in the arm for his efforts. Many more incidents like these could be listed, but the point is that there are those who are compelled to intervene when others are attacked, and those who would rather pretend not to notice. What causes some people to get involved and others to turn a blind eye has been the subject of numerous studies by psychiatrists and psychologists. Fear is one factor that keeps people from helping out their fellow man in times of danger, but there is more to it than that. Fear is

both an instinctive and a learned response to danger. Although some learn to fear more than others, the more accurate description might be self-preservation. No one wants to become an additional victim. This is probably a natural reaction, but compassion and a sense of moral obligation often cause people to step into dangerous situations to come to the aid of total strangers. So why do some have more compassion or morals than others? Upbringing, including the environment a person is reared in, has a major influence on their actions during times of stress. When we are constantly exposed to injustice, to the strong ruling the weak, we can become innured to the inevitable, and see no gain in getting involved, regardless of whether we are afraid for ourselves. Psychiatrists have determined that the “bystander effect” can keep people from helping others. The more witnesses to a crime, the more responsibility is diffused, because everyone thinks someone else will do something. This was probably why no one called the police while Catherine Genovese was being murdered. But there are always those who don’t conform to the rules, such as George Forgeng. Witnesses were abundant, and George was not even sure that the perpetrator was armed. So this meant he wasn’t sure others were in danger, yet he still pursued the bank robber. When the criminal threatened him, George responded appropriately to the threat. This brings us to another factor that keeps some from inserting themselves into situations that don’t necessarily involve them—the threat of litigation. At this writing there was not yet a determination from the local district attorney’s office as to whether George Forgeng would be charged with anything as a result of the shooting. We read of these incidents from a safe distance. Often we make determinations as to right and wrong, and decide what those T E X A S

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involved should have done. It’s easy to play armchair quarterback, and we’re often incensed that no one would step in to help a young woman being attacked on a sidewalk. But America is the most litigious society in history, and a good deed seldom goes unpunished. “Better safe than sorry” is the typical mantra, especially when good samaritans like George are castigated by the press, and forced to defend their actions after the fact, to people who weren’t there and have never been in such a situation. The fact is that, in today’s accusation-rich climate, every bullet has a lawyer attached to it. Our natural benevolence toward others has, in many cases, been legislated out of us. Thankfully, this unfortunate trend seems to be changing somewhat, especially in certain states, Texas included. Heroes who risk their own safety to help others should, and often are, appreciated instead of incarcerated. Daniel Gaskey is a case in point. A Mansfield, Texas firefighter, Daniel recently took out a knife-wielding convenience store robber with his bare hands. Now Daniel is, appropriately, being hailed as a hero. No one, certainly, would have thought less of Daniel had he stood back and allowed the crime to play out. No amount of money, after all, is worth a life. But like George Forgeng, Daniel stepped in, seemingly without a thought, and put the criminal on the ground, taking his knife away and holding him there until police arrived. He did the right thing, because it was the right thing—altruism at its finest. If we had more Gaskeys, we would soon have far fewer criminals.

Email Kendal Hemphill at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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RANKING THE TOP TEXAS LAKES FOR SMALLMOUTH BASS story by MATT WILLIAMS 20 |

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WHEN BASS ANGLERS DREAM BRONZE FISH, it’s only natural for their minds to wander northward to famed hotspots such as lakes Erie, St. Clair, Champlain, Sturgeon Bay and the St. Lawrence River, or to storied Dixie waters like Pickwick, Dale Hollow or Kentucky Lake. On a good day it is not uncommon to catch 100 or more fish on these fabled smallmouth waters, and a few of the tail-walking, flip-turning brutes are almost certain to scare the hell out of seven pounds. It would be a far reach to say there is a lake or river in Texas that can hang with any of the aforementioned smallmouth factories when it comes to kicking out bronze-back bullies. But there are a handful of places around the state where anglers can find decent numbers of the hard-hitting sport fish and have a fair shot at hooking up with an outsize smallie upwards of five pounds. Brian Van Zee knows a thing or two about Texas smallmouths. Van Zee is Region 1 Inland Fisheries Director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He lives in Waco, which is located in close proximity to some the state’s premier smallmouth lakes. T E X A S

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I recently caught up with Van Zee and asked him to name what he believes to be the top smallmouth waters the state and to rank those fisheries in numeric order. Here’s what he had to say:

1•Lake Belton Size: 12,385 Acres Location: Lies on the Leon River in Bell and Coryell counties Lake Record: 6.47 pounds, 22.5 inches, Feb. 1999 Description: The lake boasts classic smallmouth habitat with steep banks, plenty of deep water and plenty of long, rocky points. Van Zee is certain he will catch some flack from some of his colleagues in North Texas when they learn he named Belton over Texoma as Texas’s top pond for smallies, but in his opinion it is just that good. “Some folks probably aren’t going to agree, but in my opinion Belton has to be No. 1,” he said. “That’s based on our survey data and angler input. Guys catch a lot of quality smallmouths at Belton. Most tournaments over there are won with a mix of largemouths and smallmouths. Often times the biggest fish in the bag will be a smallmouth.” The 6.43 pound lake record smallie caught by Ron Gardner has stood since Feb. 1999, but Van Zee says he has a good hunch bigger ones have been caught and released without being reported. Elite Series pro Keith Combs of Huntington of agreed. Combs, 39, grew up in Belton and fished the lake just about every weekend for about 20 years. He claims he boated four over six pounds there during the 1990s and early 2000s and feels certain there are bigger ones out there. “Belton is a great smallmouth lake and it’s just going to keep getting better,” he said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if somebody catches a new state record there. It’s got a ton of bait fish, plus it has a lot of new growth cover that was flooded this year after several years of low water.” Combs says smallies can be caught using a variety of lures such as shallow diving crankbaits, jerk baits and jigs. He pointed out that the bigger fish are usually caught in fall and winter on shallow clay points using Wiggle Warts and Strike King 3XD cranks, then switching to jerk baits on gravel points in spring. 22 |

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Smallmouth are primarily found in northern—or northern Dixie— waters, but a growing number of Texas water bodies are developing as prime smallie ﬁsheries.

Since 1978, Belton has been stocked with more than 1.6 million smallmouths raised in TPWD hatcheries.

2•Lake Texoma Size: 74,686 acres Location: Lies on the Red River and Washita River along the Texas/Oklahoma border Lake Record: 7.06 pounds, 22.75 inches, Jan. 2006 Description: Texoma is large in size and heavy on structure with gobs of submerged rock, boulders, and rock bluffs that lure smallmouths like a magnet. Van Zee ranks Texoma high on his hit list of Texas smallmouth lakes for obvious reasons. “It’s a big lake with lots of deep water, steep banks and plenty of rocky habitat,” Van Zee said. “It’s another lake where tourT E X A S

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nament anglers often weigh in mixed limits of largemouths and smallmouths, often times with some heavy smallmouths in the bag.” Although largemouths can be caught all over the lake, the best smallmouth fishing usually takes place around the steep bluffs in the vicinity of Eisenhower State Park, the Denison dam and up the Washita River to an area known as Willow Springs. “Basically, the whole lower third of the lake is good,” says Longview bass pro Jim Tutt. “It has a lot of what I call “smallmouth-looking water”—big boulders, rocky points and gravel bottoms. It’s a great lake for smallies. If I lived closer, I would figure out how to target them exclusively.” Tutt has landed multiple smallmouths weighing upwards of four pounds on Texoma. In 2013 he brought in a sixpounder during an FLW Rayovac event held there. He says they can be caught on assorted baits ranging from Carolina rig PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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Guadalupes: Small Size, Big Action THE GUADALUPE BASS MAY NOT

win many popularity contests with hardcore fishing crowds. But for a fun-loving angler who likes the idea of getting bites multiple times while drifting or wading a slow-moving stream in a scenic Texas Hill Country setting, there may not be a better species than Micropterus treculi. Recognized as the state fish of Texas, the Guadalupe rarely grows larger than two pounds. But don’t be fooled by their size. What the colorful bantamweights lack in size they make up for with their cranky disposition and hardhitting style. They are a blast to catch on light tackle and fly fishing creatures to grubs, topwaters, spinnerbaits, shaky heads and Alabama rigs. “With smallmouths it’s not so much about the bait as it is the location,” Tutt said. “They aren’t everywhere. If you’re not fishing where they live you aren’t going to catch them.” TPWD stocked about one million smallmouths in Texoma from 1981 to 83. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Conservation also has stocked some fish, but today’s population is pretty much selfsustaining.

3•Devils River Location: Above Lake Amistad Lake Record: No rod and reel record recorded with TPWD. The Catch and Release record caught in March 2011 was 21 1/2 inches. Description: The Devils is a spring-fed river with exceptionally clear water surrounded by rugged wilderness that ranks among the most scenic in the Southwest. The river is a favorite among experienced kayakers with its slow moving pools and intermittent rapids that range from Class I to III, depending on water levels. It is home to the largest continuously flowing waterfall in Texas—Dolan Falls. PHOTO:TPWD

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gear. Dr. Bryan Townsend of Austin can vouch for that. In February 2014, Townsend caught a new state record ‘Lupe weighing 3.71 pounds. He caught the bass while fly fishing along a popular stretch of

the Colorado River between Austin and Bastrop. TPWD fisheries biologist Marcos De Jesus said the 25-mile stretch of water gives up good numbers of quality Guadalupe and largemouth bass each year, and that 50-100 fish days are not uncommon. Good fishing also can be found along stretches of Llano, Pedernales, Nueces and Blanco rivers. To learn more about access points for paddling, visit www.tpwd. state.tx.us/fishboat/ boat/paddlingtrails/. —Matt Williams

Named for the scenic Hill Country river, Guadalupe bass are also found in the Llano, Blanco, Pedernales and Colorado Rivers.

Van Zee ranked the Devils high on his hit list not just because of the outstanding fishing, but because of the incredible aesthetics. “Floating the Devils River is truly a unique experience,” Van Zee said. “Access can be difficult, and it is very remote with a beautiful setting where you see very few other people. The remoteness certainly adds to the quality of the experience.” Gerald Bailey has been guiding on the river for 23 years and says the smallies you catch there are somewhat different from those caught in a reservoir environment. “They are bad asses,” Bailey said. “The constantly fight the current, so they are extremely strong.” Bailey said anglers land good numbers of fish in the three pound range, but larger fish upwards of 6 1/2 pounds have been caught. Access is limited on the Devils, and it is best use a reputable outfitter when making a multi-day float through the forbidding country. Just so you know, this isn’t a trip for casual paddlers, weak minds or anyone with an inferior craft. To learn more about the area, planning a trip and to find a list of outfitters, check out tpwd.texas.gov/stateparks/devils-river/river-trips.

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1st Runner Up•Lake Grapevine Size: 6,684 acres Location: Built on Denton Creek in Tarrant and Denton counties. Lake Record: 4.75 pounds, 21 inches, May 2006 Decription: Van Zee described ‘Vine as an up-and-coming smallmouth fishery that has been heavily stocked with more than 700,000 fingerings, the majority since 2008.

2nd Runner Up• Stillhouse Hollow Size: 6,429 acres Location: Five miles west of Belton off US 190 Lake Record: 6.75 pounds, Jan. 1993 Description: Another up-and-comer, Stillhouse boasts classic smallmouth habitat with its steep banks and rocky shorelines. The lake has received regular stockings totaling nearly 1.3 million fingerlings since 1974. Its more recent stocking came in 2011.

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8/12/15 9:55 AM

Tools & Skills for Hiding from Game

INCE THE DAWN OF TIME, Man has known he couldn’t run down animals of the forests or plains, so he devised ways to bring them closer by hiding in whatever cover he could find. Even today, no blind often makes the best blind

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if hunters can find adequate natural cover such as trees, rocks, log piles or high reeds already in a good place. Unfortunately, sportsmen typically can’t find good cover in the best places, so they need to either build or bring in something where they can hide.

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Animals | story by John N. Felsher Waterfowl hunters often build elevated platforms over the water and surround them with various natural or artificial materials, such as specially woven grass mats. Or they may dig holes for pre-formed fiberglass liners with comfortable benches to use as blinds.

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On lakes, some waterfowlers build blockhouses complete with a place to hide a boat and a shooting deck where hunters can stand. Some blinds can accommodate a dozen or more shooters and offer kitchens, even bathrooms or lounges where sportsmen can take a break out of the elements.

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Karen Lutto and Steve Jones of Backcountry Hunts Guide Service use a camouﬂaged net to stalk a pronghorn antelope near El Paso.

Many waterfowlers hunt from small boats. They attach specially designed wraparound blinds made of woven grass to make their boats look like reedy islands. Some blinds come equipped with flaps that completely hide the hunters inside. When birds approach, lower the flaps and begin shooting. With a boat blind, hunters can scout for ducks and set up within minutes or move quickly to new spots. Deer hunters generally prefer to stay in their favorite areas since whitetails may live their entire lives on a few acres in their home range. Therefore, many deer hunters build permanent shooting houses on the ground, on stilts or in trees. These generally consist of a room that can hold a chair, a roof to keep the elements out and shooting windows.

Mike Giles waits for more ducks to come into range while hunting ﬂooded timber by simply hiding behind trees.

Sportsmen can make excellent inexpensive deer blinds from old wooden pallets like the kind used by lumberyards and warehouses to move materials around with forklifts. Nail a few of these together to make a shooting house. Add some camouflaged netting or other materials to fill in the gaps and it makes a great blind for little cost. Unfortunately, game doesn’t always come where people put permanent blinds, even homebody deer. Whether hunting ducks, deer, predators, turkeys or something else, the best hunters scout their spots and look for alternate places to go. For deer hunters, that usually means carrying a climbing tree stand and erecting it in a different place each time, often a necessity on public land. Where they can’t find adequate trees, many deer hunters erect tripod blinds and

Joella Bates, a world champion archer prepares to take a shot at a deer while hunting from a traditional tree stand.

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sit on top of them. The elevated height allows hunter to see animals better while remaining above where deer normally look. Some tripods employ swivel seats on the top so hunters can look in all directions. Some include shooting houses or more elaborate hides on top. Hunters can relocate tripods, but not as easily as other types of portable blinds. Generally, after erecting a tripod in a good area, a hunter uses it several times, but may move to another location as the season progresses. In some western states, particularly in the plains and scrub country of western or southern Texas, sportsmen put tripods on special hunting trucks. When they want to hunt an area, they simply drive the truck to it, park, climb into the tripod and start hunting.

Hunters can set up a tripod in areas with few large trees and move them easily to keep up with game. &

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Shaine Nixon of World Slam Outﬁtters prepares a portable pop-up blind for hunting the mesquite country near Throckmorton.

When hunting from a tree or any elevated position, always use a safety harness, preferably one with a vest included. Moving the wrong way for just one second could kill or seriously injure a person. Many deer hunters wear safety lines or harnesses when sitting in tree stands, but not while climbing into or out of them. Whenever possible, use a safety line anytime the feet leave the ground. When fighting a fast-moving battle, soldiers often need to move quickly, but must conceal equipment from the enemy. For decades, soldiers erected camouflaged netting to hide their artillery pieces and other important equipment. When they moved to another location, they rolled up the nets until they stopped and then stretched the nets over their equipment again. Sportsmen can buy the same type of netting in various camouflage patterns to make excellent permanent or mobile blind material. With netting, hunters can look out of the blind to spot game, but the netting still breaks up a person’s outline. To make a portable blind, nail woven mats or netting to wooden stakes and carry the entire rig to the desired location. Plunge the stakes into mud and begin hunting in minutes. Such a portable concept allows sportsmen to easily move with the birds or animals. When they finish the hunt or wish to relocate, sportsmen simply pull up stakes and leave, perhaps to re-erect the blind in another spot to take advantage of bird or animal movements or shifting winds. Some companies make mirrored panels that hunters can place around themselves or mirrored shields that sportsmen can hold in front of them like Roman legionnaires advancing toward the barbarians. The mir-

rors reflect any natural cover at that spot, so sportsmen can use these devices anywhere. Big game, turkey and predator hunters could use such blinds very effectively in fields and forests. Waterfowl hunters could use them in marshes or pond shorelines. Prefabricated pop-up blinds resemble miniature tents. Light and easy to transport, these blinds work exceptionally well for turkey hunting, but sportsmen can also use them to target big game, predators, possibly waterfowl. Sportsmen can easily erect them in minutes and may even hunt several places in one day. Pop-up blinds come in several camouflage patterns for varied habitat. Some may even look like stumps, rocks, logs, cane thickets or other natural objects. Besides portability, fabric pop-up blinds give sportsmen many other advantages. They conceal a person’s movement, minimize sound and somewhat hide scent. They can also protect someone from the elements. In addition, pop-up blinds often come equipped with easy-to-open screened windows that can protect the people inside from insects. For concealment in very specific places, some companies make blinds that even more closely replicate natural cover. For instance, some blinds look like tree stumps, an excellent choice for waterfowlers hunting along beaches or shorelines dotted by intermittent timber. Other blinds resemble large rocks, great for hunting on stony beaches or prairies. Often used by goose hunters, blinds that look like haystacks work well in agricultural fields. Geese easily see them, but would expect to see large rolls of hay sitting in cut fields. As birds approach, sportsmen open the top and begin shooting. T E X A S

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Jen Carroll from Celina, Texas, watches for birds while hunting ducks and geese from a pit blind in a rice ﬁeld.

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Speaking of hunting in dry fields, reclining layout blinds look like camouflaged sleeping bags, Goose hunters frequently use them in stubble fields to lay in the decoy spread. Almost like a low beach chair in a bag, an angled backrest helps sportsmen recline in comfort while look skyward. Another unusual layout blind concept for waterfowl actually looks like a giant goose. Hunters lift a lid and conceal themselves inside the huge decoy, looking out of slits in the back of the bird while reclining on a backrest. When birds come within range, hunters pop their tops and fire at geese very surprised to see humans with guns erupting from their larger cousins’ butts. For big game hunting on the Great Plains, many sportsmen deploy the ultimate portable blind. Pronghorn antelope possess some of the sharpest eyes in the animal world and the fastest feet in North America. They know that with a one-step head start, they can outrun any four-legged animal on the prairie. Therefore, they fear nothing, except a human silhouette. To conceal their silhouettes, pronghorn hunters hold camouflaged cloth in front of themselves as they slowly walk across the prairies. Looking out from slits in the cloth, sportsmen advance a few feet and then pause until getting within range. Antelope see the moving objects, but don’t worry about them since they don’t look like humans. Various blind options work for different situations, but one factor remains constant. For any blinds to work, they must mimic the surroundings. Pick the right camouflage pattern to blend in with whatever natural materials animals expect to see in that area.

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THE REGIONAL MANAGEMENT PLAN OF the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) sheds light on an often-misunderstood part of speckled trout behavior: feeding. It shows that one researcher examined stomach volumes and concluded that spotted seatrout fed more heavily in early to mid morning. According to GSMFC: “He also noted that while feeding spotted seatrout appeared to regurgitate portions of food, which floated to the surface and created an oil slick. This phenomenon would explain why fishermen often look for “slicks” when attempting to locate feeding and schooling spotted seatrout.”

GSMFC also noted that another researcher, “observed that record shrimp harvests were occurring during their food habits study; however, spotted seatrout were not utilizing them to any great extent. Although shrimp, were present, Miles (1951) found that mullet were the preferred food for spotted seatrout.” Much of the research out there sheds light on why anglers catch relatively few huge speckled trout. A big part of it is rarity, but otherwise, anglers by and large are not fishing in the right spots or using the right bait.

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Mississippi show that really big trout strongly prefer to feed on mullet; a large trout will find the largest mullet it can handle and try to swallow it. Often the mullet is half or two-thirds as large as the trout. The key to catching large trout is to fish where they are and use big baits.” Migration is perhaps the most mysterious and often debated aspect of speckled trout. Some anglers believe that during winter, all of the trout leave the bays and go into the Gulf. Others say they congregate in the mouths of rivers.

DISPELLING MYTHS Speckled trout are believed to spend their lives within ﬁve miles of where they were born.

Myth No. 1: Trout are highly migratory.

According to Sea Grant Louisiana’s Jerald Host: “Aside from the fact that there are many more small trout than large ones, large speckled trout are very specialized creatures. Large trout are not as widely distributed as small trout. The largest trout are taken in the spring, next largest in winter, then fall and summer, out in the Gulf. “Large but lesser sized trout are taken near beaches, lesser still in lakes and bays, and the smallest usually in the marsh. Anglers prefer to fish for specks in summer and the second preference is fall. Fishing is most intense in sheltered inside waters. More big trout are caught in spring because they move into shallow beach and bay habitats at that time for their first spawn of the season. The rest of the summer and early fall, the larger trout tend to stay in cooler Gulf waters and only periodically enter beach and bay habitats for subsequent spawns. “Many of the large fish winter offshore, with a few wintering in the interior marshes, where they are very sluggish. Large trout also have very different food habits than school trout. Small trout eat large amounts of shrimp and other crustaceans. As trout become larger, their diet shifts toward fish, the larger, the better. Studies in Texas and

According to TPWD, speckled trout spend most of their lives within five miles of where they were born. Nearly 90 percent of all fish recovered in a tagging program came from the same bay in which they were tagged. While many trout move into deeper water during cold weather, there is no scientific evidence of a winter migration to the Gulf. Research shows that some fish may move to the Gulf to escape blowing northers, but this is temporary and the fish return once weather abates. A study by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) report shows that one researcher tagged more than 2600 trout and received 50 returns. Of these, 20 came from the release point. Similar findings were reported by researcher Rogillio with 98 percent of the returns coming within 1.5 kilometers of the release point, while another noted that two spotted seatrout tagged in Calcasieu Lake were recaptured over 160 kilometers away east in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana. The report details that in Texas, of 20,912 tagged trout released in Texas marine waters, 1367 were recaptured. About 84 percent were caught in the same bay where released; eight percent were caught in another bay; and five were recap-

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tured in the Gulf. Of 588 spotted seatrout tagged in the Gulf surf, 14 were recaptured, 12 in the Gulf and two in Texas bays. The greatest distance traveled by any Texas spotted seatrout released in the Gulf was 106 kilometers, and in the bay it was 219. This lack of major migration has created genetic isolation in some trout populations, which is why Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials will stock trout fingerlings only in waters from which their parents were caught.

Myth No. 2: Trout never eat crabs.

A study conducted in Louisiana analyzed the stomach contents of 368 speckled trout caught in marshes. A total of 52 were empty. Baitfishes were present in 74.4-percent of stomachs, and crustaceans (crabs and shrimp) in 25.3-percent. In this same period, forage base samples showed crustaceans had become more prevalent.

Myth No. 3: Specks are related to rainbow trout. Speckled trout are in the same family as croaker. You may have heard trout make a croaking noise—now you know why. It is a genetic thing. They are in no way kin to the freshwater rainbow trout.

Myth No. 4: Trout spawn in brackish water. Speckled trout spawn mostly in the early evening in parts of the bay with the highest salinity. Contrary to popular belief, they usually do not move into streams or river mouths to spawn. Developing eggs are at the mercy of tidal and wind-driven currents, but develop rapidly. The larval trout hatches about 12 to 20 hours after spawning and can swim on their own another day or two later.

Myth No. 5: Male trout outlive females. Female trout outlive males. Males may live six years, whereas females can live up to 10 years. By age two or three, both males and females have are about a foot in length, and natural mortality during these prime year is about 50 percent.

PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

8/10/15 1:29 PM

Texas SALTWATER by CALIXTO GONZALES :: TF&G Saltwater Editor

The Tip of Your Nose

HE BRILLIANT JURIST AND Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once described the limits of individual rights by saying “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” Holmes was referring to the idea that a person’s rights should not impose upon the individual rights and integrity of another person who is lawfully going about his or her business. The power of the idea comes in its open-endedness. Ike’s right to throw a punch ends where Mike’s nose begins, but conversely, Ol’ Mike’s rights end at the tip of Ike’s schnoz, too. The logic is that everybody is entitled to the sanctity of their individual freedoms, but they can’t impose them on their fellow citizens. You would think that is an ideal that everyone, whether conservative or liberal can get behind. Ironically—or perhaps to Holmes’ delight, since he was a huge cynic—this quote has been used by activists spanning the political spectrum to fight a plethora of causes, from prohibition to some of the current issues winding their way up and down the judicial and legislative ladder. The big question that is constantly being answered by the Supreme Court of the United States, for better or worse, is where do the rights of the community end and individual rights begin. This was the grist for a discussion into the wee hours I once had with my older brother, a lawyer who loves the law with passion and an idealism that is completely unlike him. The concept struck me at the dock one morning. I had been night fishing with a friend and his 84 year old grandfather. We had a pretty decent night, including Mr. Roel (my friend’s grandfather) landing a 32-inch trout that he

hooked while the fireworks from South Padre Island were popping overhead. We stood on the dock and snapped pictures of a happy old man with the biggest trout he’d ever caught. Then, Mr. Roel put the fish—his fish—on the cleaning table for the fish cleaner to fillet. A young man, easily a quarter of Mr. Roel’s age, walked up and began chastising his elder for killing such a fish and giving him the spiel about conserving the resource. I stepped in to prevent things from getting ugly, more because Mr. Roel was a former boxer who still could make weight, than what the younger man might do. I chided him for talking to an older man that way. “I have a right to tell him anything I want,” he said. “I’m not breaking any laws.” Somewhere, Justice Holmes harrumphed. We anglers are blessed to have a broad array of rights that anglers in even the most democratic European countries lack. We may complain about laws and regulations that seem to limit our fishing pleasure, but we are nowhere near as over-regulated as the Germans, or Swedes, or even the British. Good grief, Texas isn’t even as overseen as say California or Florida. We have more rights and privileges than other states. At the same time, many of our hook and line brethren seem to forget that these rights don’t—and shouldn’t—infringe upon others’ lawful exercise of their rights. Take our young friend, for example. He was right, he has the right to be unhappy if he sees another person retain a fish he personally thinks should have been released to fight another day. However, his right to express this displeasure infringes on Mr. Roel’s lawful right to keep a legally caught fish. Not to mention how remarkably disrespectful it is to chastise an elder who did nothing wrong or illegal. The hubris of his “I have a right” statement was overshadowed only by its irony. Here’s another good one: “I have a right to run my boat wherever I’m allowed.” You can’t argue with that. Unless an area is specifically posted against it, boat owners can—and will—run their boat anywhere T E X A S

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they can without running aground. That is their right. Just as much as a wade fisherman has a right to fish in shallow water without the risk of a 22-foot flats boat running full blast between him and the shoreline. It’s troubling that so many slob fishermen—even after spotting wading anglers who can’t move very quickly—won’t either slow down or give them a reasonably wide berth. The fact that nobody has been hurt or, worse yet, killed by some of these shore burners is a miracle. A permutation of the aforementioned scenario is the angler who runs his boat on plane right in front of a group of drifting boats. Buzzing by these boats is too commonplace on Texas bays, especially on a summer Saturday. The responsible boat owner still tries to give as wide a berth as possible. The only difference is that while the latter is simply rude, the former scenario is dangerous. Another sentiment often made quite stridently is, “I have a right to fish where I want.” True, but so does the guy who got to the spot before you. I have seen fist fights on fishing piers when someone horned into a spot another angler had already claimed. The common defense is, “This is the spot I always fish.” It’s even worse when you’re on the water, and a boat cuts you off and starts drifting the same spot you were on. My personal favorite was a captain in Port Mansfield who dropped his waders directly in front of me in an area I was drifting. When I encountered the same captain—who had been trying to get me to mention him in the column—and asked about the stunt, he smiled and said, “I didn’t know it was you,” meaning he would’ve done it to someone else. There are a lot of noses out there on the water, ladies and gentlemen. Yours isn’t the only one. If we all remember where ours end and others begin, life could be a bit easier for everyone. At least I won’t have to prevent Mr.Roel from getting arrested.

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TEXAS Dept. of DEFENSE by STEVE LAMASCUS & DUSTIN ELLERMANN

Self Defense Tactical :: Concealed Carry

Situational Awareness

ITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SA) is necessary for almost any subject you can think of, from bass fishing to military planning to selfdefense. Even in business, if you don’t know what is going on around you, you will end up flat busted. When we discussed combat mindset, we mentioned SA in passing, but it is an integral part of the white, yellow, orange, and red awareness progression. For instance: You are walking down the street on your daily exercise route and see three guys standing around. They are not at a bus stop, they are not near any house, they

H & K’s New VP9

H&K solves this with the VP9. It’s sleeker than the USP and has the ergonomics of the P30. The price point is also a bit lower. At a glance it’s easy for me to confuse the new VP9 with my favorite Walther PPQ, it’s almost like they are brothers more than cousins of German heritage. The VP9 trigger breaks right around five pounds, and it’s pretty clean. It has about approximately 3/8 inch of takeup, 1/8 inch of travel to break, and then over ¼ inch reset with another 1/8 inch of takeup after the reset. I believe the Walther has a cleaner and shorter reset, but the VP9 still has

THE HECKLER AND KOCH VP9 premiered last summer with much fanfare. For years H&K has been highly regarded as a manufacturer of quality firearms, however their handguns haven’t quite kept up with the market fads. Not to say the USP and P30/P45s weren’t excellent sidearms, but the majority of the defensive handgun market leans towards striker fired pistols that have consistent trigger pulls from the first to last round fired. Unless you carry a hammer-equipped pistol cocked and locked the double action pull of a pistol requires extra training to shoot consistently. 32 |

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do not appear to be doing anything, at all. They are not talking to each other, but at least one keeps glancing at you, and two of them have their hands in their pants pockets. If you have a brain in your head, this will immediately trigger your suspicions, and you will go from yellow to orange. This is when you immediately change your route and watch to see if these guys follow. This is situational awareness. This is what the sheep of the world do not have. Most of them would blithely continue on their route, secure in the knowledge that the police were out there protecting them from the world of evil. I wish it were so. This same SA should kick in if you come home

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late one night and notice that the light in the kitchen is on when you thought you had turned it off. Maybe you did forget to turn it off, but then, again, maybe someone is in the house. You should not go rambling through the house until you have made certain you are alone. Leave your family in the car with the doors locked and your wife at the steering wheel with the engine running, until you have checked to see whether it’s all clear. If you go in and don’t come back out in a reasonable amount of time, your wife should

The VP9 showing a tight 10 round group shot from 25 yards with Black Hills ammo on an RSR Steel Target.

a better out of the box trigger than any other mainstream polymer striker fired pistol. Ergonomics are some of the best I’ve felt. I remember the first time I picked up an H&K P30 because it felt as if I had molded the grips out of clay with my own hands. The VP9 is the same. The

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8/10/15 2:32 PM

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TEXAS Dept. of DEFENSE drive to a friend’s house and call the police. Also, you should have practiced how to clear the house, before you need those skills. Just having a gun is not a guarantee that you will survive an armed encounter. To be able to react to a dangerous situation you must be able to recognize it before it happens. Just strolling along, unaware of your surroundings will cause you to lose many valuable seconds reacting to the problem when it becomes apparent. This is what Don Mann, former Navy SEAL, calls survival awareness and anticipation mindset. “Our ancestors had to survive in a world that was wild, unpredictable, and dangerous,” Mann said. “Similarly, in these modern times we, too, have to survive in a world that is wild, unpredictable, and in many ways even more dangerous than times before.” Mr. Mann is absolutely correct. Our distant ancestors had to deal with lions, bears, wolves, other wild animals, and maybe, other people with spears. Now, we have to deal with wild animals armed with firearms

and knives. Mann goes on to say: “You may be the best shot in the world, but if you don’t see the attack coming, all your fine skills can be of little or no use. “If you have to stop and think about your actions, you may be seconds too slow to survive a confrontation.” You have to be able to see that problem coming (situational awareness) to be able to deal with it properly (anticipation mindset). Being aware of your surroundings is the foundation on which all your other abilities are based. I could go on for pages giving you various scenarios where you would need to be aware, but only you can take the steps to enable you to survive an armed encounter. I learned the hard way that the only way to survive, other than divine intervention, was to be aware and ready all the time. Unaware is unprepared. You have to realize that we really do live in a war zone. It goes on around you, largely unseen, all the time. Every day evil engulfs someone. Muggings, robberies, murders, kidnappings, you name it. It is happening, somewhere, to

someone. Just today, as I write this, there was an attack in a church where nine people were killed. If you are not safe in a church, how can you be safe anywhere else? The only way to keep it from happening to you is to be aware and ready to react to it, every second of every day. Visualize what might happen, then plan your actions accordingly. In the last 60 years, armed violence has escalated by unbelievable amounts. Today such evil is happening to something like 500 people out of every 100,000. That may not sound like much to you, but I will bet that it seems a lot more real to every one of the 500 people to whom it does happen. I’ll bet it seemed very real to those people in that church. Be aware, be prepared, all the time, everywhere. Be a survivor, not a victim.

entire grip area just seems perfect, the finger grips are perfectly sized on the front strap, the small backstrap gives my hands the greatest purchase, and the medium sized replaceable palm swells on the side panels complete the grip area more than any of my other handguns. This not only makes it comfortable to shoot during a long range session, but leads to better controllability under recoil and speed shooting. One unique feature that the VP9 offers is the “charging supports” on the rear of the slide. The VP9 already has forward and rear slide serrations, but the removable polymer bumps on the rear of the slide are sure to give the shooter the added traction necessary in a sweaty/ muddy/bloody situation. This decreases the chance of your short stroking the slide. I find it functional and not offensive, and I imagine we will see copycats of this in the future. The VP9 has the standard Europeanstyle magazine paddle release on the lower trigger guard. Personally, I’ve come to like this over the years, and it

doesn’t slow me down in the slightest. Shooters who have trouble manipulating the paddle release probably attempt to activate the lever with their thumb instead of their trigger finger. Start releasing the mag with your finger and you’ll probably wish all sidearms were made this way. The sights are steel, and drift adjustable in the dovetails, but it seemed pretty spot-on so I didn’t try to adjust anything. Three luminescent painted dots glow pretty bright when you head into a darkened house after charging the dots in the sun. It’s a nice compromise between pricey radioactive sights and straight irons. However I would like them a tad less tapered in the rear so I could hook them on my holster to rack the slide if needed. I was pleased with the VP9 accuracy while testing both Winchester Train and Defend and Black Hills Ammo. With well-aimed shots I was able to hit threeand four-inch steel plates without issue at 25 yards. It was easy to control recoil, and plate

racks went down quickly. I fired several hundred rounds through the pistol right out of the box without a single malfunction. Just the type of reliability you would expect from H&K. Reloaders will be quick to discover the fine line a few millimeters from the top of the fired brass. The VP9 is machined with a staged chamber in order for better sealing of the 9mm tapered cartridge to limit the amount of fouling blown back into the chamber after ignition. This piques my interest for a threaded version of the VP9, which I’m told might be released summer of 2016. H&K also just released the .40 S&W version of the VP so you won’t be limited to the 9mm. Retail on the VP9 is $719, but with the popularity of this gun I’ve seen it in the mid $600s.

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—Steve LaMascus

—Dustin Ellermann

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Bare Bones HUNTING by LOU MARULLO :: TF&G Hunting Editor

Knock, Knock

AS OPPORTUNITY EVER knocked, but you never answered the door? Well, that was me just last hunting season. Allow me to explain my tale of woe. Or I guess I should say my latest “tale of woe.” One of my many cousins (and I do mean many) took an interest in hunting at an early age, bow hunting in particular. Joe Schmid hunts every chance he gets. His job, at that time, took up too many weekends. It pained him to miss a day in the woods, especially if he knew I was enjoying a good hunt. Now, being a veteran on the job as well as in the tree stand, he has much more free time to devote to his favorite sport. I am happy to tell you that he has bagged many big northern whitetails while his zest for the outdoors has not dwindled at all. It was in the spring of 2012 when that “knock” came on my door. Joe stopped by the house for a visit and a cup of my “world famous” coffee. Our conversation soon turned to the up-coming deer season. He explained to me that he was planning a trip to Illinois and asked if I wanted to go. I thought long and hard, but declined, citing that my job takes me away from my family enough. I am not sure whether that cold stare from my wife had anything to do with my decision. No…not at all. Hmmm. Three days after opening day in Illinois another knock was heard on my door. Joe stood there with a big smile along with a “there I was” story. In the bed of his pickup truck was a beautiful whitetail buck. His account of the hunt included a cat that would hang around him every day…all day. “I could hear deer approaching from behind me. When I finally looked, I could

see it was a doe, but she looked and acted nervous. “Then I saw him,” Joe said. “Immediately, my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. I was so excited because I knew that my chances were excellent for bagging that magnificent buck. “The buck was right on that hot doe and walked less than 10 feet from the cat when I shot it. The cat watched the whole thing from his ground blind on a blow down Sometimes he would climb the tree with me, but he stayed down that day, real warm and windy. That cat waited a good hour until I got down and stayed with me through the whole blood trail. The big bruiser went just over 100 yards. It was something I could never forget. The cat kind of belonged to the farmer, but was mostly on its own.” Then he concluded the story with “You should have been there man! You really blew it.” I felt like he did not need to add that at the end, but on the other hand, He could have started with that same line. Fast forward to the 2114 season. Every time I saw Joe someplace, he would talk to me about a buck that he had hunted the year before. He told me the big buck had eluded him more times than he cared to remember. But he was a determined soul. In 2013, that buck almost had a bad day when it headed down a deer trail that Joe was hunting. At less than 50 yards, the big boy stopped and wrestled with a huge bush in front of him. As fate would have it, a hot doe came through right at that moment and diverted the buck in the wrong direction. Joe and I talked about how we could cover the woods so one of us would get the shot depending on the wind and which way the buck would walk. We put a few stands up in plenty of time before the season began so those smart bucks would get used to seeing them. We were well prepared and ready for action. “Knock, knock, knock” That was opportunity again for those who are following this! T E X A S

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Finally, our schedules both seemed to work, and we set the date for the hunt. I am not sure whether it was the fish dinner or the remnants of a virus, but the day we planned to hunt was the morning I could not move. Every step I took at home made me feel ill. So I called Joe to let him know he will be hunting alone this day. To put it another way—opportunity knocked, and I couldn’t answer the door. Only two hours had passed when I picked up the phone and listened to what my cousin had to say about his lonesome hunt. “Had seen him several times, always fighting or chasing off another buck—a very aggressive deer,” Joe said. “It got very windy shortly after I climbed into my portable stand. Not much else to say other than I was hunting alone and shot him shortly after first light. He was walking at about 30 yards out, and my arrow passed through both lungs. I knew it was a good shot right away. He went less than 40 yards and fell backwards into a dry creek bed.” Of course he stopped by to show me his trophy. What a beautiful deer. I remember I congratulated him and shook his hand, but inside I was burning up that I did not get a chance to go. I might have squeezed his hand a little harder than usual. Oh well…maybe he never noticed. All I can say is that if he ever calls me to go on a hunt with him again… and opportunity knocks, you can be sure that I WILL open the door! Joe’s gear for this hunt was: An Elite Bow, Easton arrows, G5 striker broadheads, Lone wolf climber stand (So that he could always move to the movement). Have fun and hunt safe out there…

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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LEN WAS DANGLING

the temptation to do the boo-ga-loo vic-

his legs from his tail-

tory dance at his best friend’s expense,

gate, plucking a dove

he humbly countered, “I was sitting

pulled from his swollen game bag

next to a dead tree and it seemed like

as I approached. Six empty Diet

every bird that flew over the pasture

Dr. Pepper cans littered the bed of his

would detour right by me. I guess I

truck, casualties of the sweltering Sep-

was just in the right spot today.”

tember heat. A sizeable pile of gray

Many hunting seasons have passed

and white feathers had accumulated on

since I learned that valuable lesson:

the ground below his boots. Pesky bits

dead trees = dead dove.

of plumage clung to his fingers as he worked.

The daily habits of mourning dove

“How many did you get,” I asked, hoping envy wasn’t dripping from

roost tree early in the morning for a

every word.

drink, and then it is off to the field for

“Got a limit,” he grunted, desper-

a seed breakfast. Dove prefer open

ately trying to be nonchalant about his

ground to forage, as they have short

good fortune.

legs and lack the ability to scratch

“I heard you getting into them pretty

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debris like chickens. After eating their

good,” I continued, fumbling for words

fill, dove will gravel, filling their giz-

that might extract the reason for the

zards with small rocks that help grind

lopsided upset.

ingested seeds. Then it is off to a

Fighting with all his might against

PHOTO:

are well documented. They leave their

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Mourning dove prefer the security of perching in leaﬂess trees, a trait that actually makes them more vulnerable to hunters.

Come afternoon, the birds feed again, take in happy hour at the local watering hole with their buddies, and then retreat to their roost for the evening. While dove exhibit a certain degree of predictability, they are very cautious creatures. They like to loiter in treetops to scope things out on the ground before landing. A thick jacket of leaves blocks viewing lanes and diminishes the effectiveness of a live tree as an observation point. The skeletal

remains of a dead tree provide unobstructed views in all directions, and dove consider them the gold standard of watchtowers. Hunters should, too. If time allows, you should scout the area you intend to hunt. Mourning dove utilize the same flyways and are easy to pattern. Like tiny cruise missiles equipped with a terrain-hugging guidance system, mourning dove key on different landmarks, such as fences, creeks, sloughs, roads, and trees.

Outlook Good for 2015 Dove Seasons DOVE HUNTERS WILL HAVE MORE opportunity earlier in the season with dates and bag limits finalized recently by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the 2015-2016 Texas dove season, including a 70-day season and 15-bird daily bag statewide, and a 16-day early teal and Canada goose season. The traditional September 1 dove season opening day in the North and Central

Zones remains. The first segment in those zones will be five days longer than last season, closing on Sunday, Oct. 25. The season will reopen Friday, Dec. 18 and run through Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 in the North and Central Zones. In the South Zone, the first segment will be longer by two days compared to last year. The South Zone opens Friday, Sept. 18 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 21. The second segment will run Friday, Dec. 18 through Friday, Jan. 22, 2016.

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Identifying a flyway across a field is a good start to a successful hunt. Focus on the bird’s entry and exit points, in addition to their flight path. The best times for scouting are early mornings and late afternoons when birds will be flying. Unfortunately, many hunters don’t have the luxury of scouting a day or two before a hunt. Instead, they pile out of the truck, stoked by adrenaline and caffeine, don their vests, unsheathe shotguns, and take to the field. In this scenario, dead timber can pay serious dividends. When hunting in a group, the savvy bird hunter takes a quick survey of his surroundings and then hotfoots it to the best intercept point. For safety’s sake, dove prefer the middle of a field to feed over the edges, and typically enter and exit a field via one of the corners. A dead tree near the corner of a pasture or food plot is a prime place to intercept moving birds. As mentioned, dove use landmarks to navigate and have a propensity for winging down tree lines. A gap in the timberline featuring a dead tree is a promising ambush spot. A tree doesn’t even have to be completely dead to attract dove. Trees hit by lightning often loose a major branch or two, and dove alight on the dead wood. Commit these trees to memory, as dove will use them for many years until decay and gravity take their final toll. Watering holes are another classic spot to jump incoming birds, but not all sides of a watering hole are created equal. Think like a realtor—location, location, location. Due The daily bag limit for doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit is 45. The Special White-winged Dove Area will be restricted to afternoon only (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full September weekends on Sept. 5-6 and 12-13. Hunting in this area will reopen Friday, Sept. 18 and continue through Wednesday, Oct. 21, and then reopen Friday, Dec. 18 through Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. During the early two weekends, the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves. “Age-ratios (juveniles versus adults) PHOTO: RUSSELL GRAVES

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Hunters should set up shop near—but not directly under—a dead tree. Sitting 20 or so paces away provides a clear shot at approaching and departing birds. A small hunting stool will help minimize your silhouette.

Taking station near (but not directly under) a dead tree beside a dove ﬁeld gives hunters a distinct advantage.

to their small stature, dove must stand right next to the water in order to bend down and get a sip. A flat, barren bank allows the birds to loaf by the water and keep a sharp eye out for approaching danger. Sharply contoured shorelines or those with tall vegetation are not nearly as safe. A dead tree near a flat, open shoreline of a farm pond is a dove magnet. Mourning dove are migratory and new arrivals filter into your area as the season progresses. Since they are not yet acclimated to the new countryside, a dead tree is a comforting spot for the newcomers to rest and reconnoiter. from last season indicated very strong production in mourning doves across Texas last year; we expect similar or slightly increased production this year with the improved habitat conditions across nearly all of Texas,” said Shaun Oldenburger, TPWD’s dove program leader. “However, improved habitat conditions equal more food and water on the landscape, which means hunters may need to spend more time patterning mourning doves prior to opening day in their area.” —TPWD

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Most clean kills occur within 35 yards. Granted, long-range hero shots occur every now and then, but in reality, sky-busting mostly wounds birds and burns up ammo—two terrible wastes. Marking the edge of your effective range with small branches provides a visual reference that encourages good shots. The branches provide triangulation markers for locating downed birds. Dove are so taken with dead trees that hunters can erect their own avian perches on the day of the hunt. Simply cut a dead sapling to size and mount it in a Christmas tree stand. The faux roost is highly portable and is a great tool for snookering birds traversing a barren field. If there is one thing dove love more than a dead tree, it is a dead tree with a few decoys in it. Dove delight in company, and a handful of plastic decoys will get a passing bird’s attention. Even if the dove don’t land, chances are they will swing within gun range for a look-see. Dove decoys are especially helpful when hunting alone or in a small group. A large group of hunters ringing a field will keep the birds stirred up, so decoys don’t add a lot of value, but a few strategically placed decoys can be helpful allies when the number of hunters is low. T E X A S

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Mount your decoys as high as possible to increase visibility. To get decoys into the top of a dead tree, heave a fishing weight connected to some monofilament over a branch, and then hoist the decoy into place. Flambeau decoys have a small loop molded into the backs for this purpose. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department statistics reveal that Texas dove hunters average 3.75 birds per trip; not an impressive number at first glance. Vernon Bevill, TPWD program director of Small Game Habitat Assessment, keeps track of all the game

birds in Texas, and provided some insight on the numbers: “The average includes several groups of hunters, and the calculated average is a bit deceiving. In our sample, there is a large group of hunters who are very successful, and

another group of hunters who are not as successful. The lower producers drastically skew the average downward.” Even if the statewide average is somewhat skewed, it is a lot lower than the daily bag limit of 15 birds per day for North Zone hunters and 12 birds for those hunting in the South and Central zones. Ammunition manufacturer statistics show that dove hunters squander roughly seven shots for every dove taken. Put another way, the average dove hunter burns though a box of shells to kill three dove. The two statistics above are telling. Simply put, hunters miss a lot more dove than they hit, but have an ace in the hole they can play to their advantage: mourning dove have an affinity for dead timber. Set up station near a dead tree on your next dove hunt, and you will bag more birds. It is then up to you whether you do the boo-ga-loo victory dance at your best friend’s expense.

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True GREEN TF&G Conservation Editor

Edited by WILL LESCHPER

tiered response are minimizing disease’s risks to wild and captive white-tailed deer, mule deer and other susceptible species in Texas; establishing and maintaining support for prudent chronic wasting disease management with hunters, landowners and other stakeholders; and minimizing direct and indirect impacts of chronic wasting disease to hunting, hunting-related economies and conservation in Texas.

Texas Deer Hunting has Highest Proﬁle

EER HUNTING IN TEXAS has never had a higher profile. Its lucrative ceiling also has never enjoyed a higher resting place. This is precisely why any news of chronic wasting disease —a fatal transmissible neurological disease with no known immunity or treatment—piques interest far and wide from landowners, biologists and deer experts. To be certain, chronic wasting disease is not prevalent in Texas, having been discovered only in the far reaches of the state bordering New Mexico. Unfortunately, the recent discovery of this disease in a twoyear-old whitetail at a Medina County deer 40 |

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breeding facility brought the threat much closer to the hallowed grounds of the Hill Country. In response, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission in mid-July convened a special meeting to hear testimony from a who’s who of authorities on the captive deer breeding industry. This area of deer management causes the most concern for those with the most skin in the game. The overriding sentiment from the meeting, according to Commission Chairman Dan A. Hughes Jr., is that “Texas is going to be the gold-standard for how to appropriately respond to chronic wasting disease.” Hughes noted that three goals of the multi|

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Texas has had what it deems a stringent testing protocol for chronic wasting disease in place for more than a decade, testing tens of thousands of tissue samples. It should be noted that there’s no live-animal test for the disease. Although the more than four million deer in Texas receive the attention in this case, the real threat remains the unscrupulous individuals who attempt to illegally smuggle animals into our state. However, all wildlife officials can do is to remain vigilant and crack down on those who don’t play by the rules. The best case in point involves the Lonesome Bull Ranch

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Flounder Support THE GULF STATES MARINE Fisheries Commission—composed of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida—is developing a management

profile for the Gulf and southern flounder fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. The draft profile is a cooperative effort to describe the flounder populations throughout the Gulf and the fisheries they support. Final approval of the management profile will be considered by the commission beginning this month. The plan is a comprehensive document of the biology of the Gulf and

southern flounders (Paralichthys albigutta and Paralichthys lethostigma) and includes a description of the fisheries and current management as well as discussion on the distribution, habitat and genetics of the species in the Gulf.

—WL

in South Texas, a site where more than 200 white-tailed deer were euthanized in May 2014. This occurred after an investigation by game wardens and state wildlife officials yielded evidence of wrongdoing. The investigation included an indepth look at whether whitetails at the ranch, which also housed dozens of varieties of exotic wildlife, were imported from other states—a violation of state wildlife regulations. The best overall approach to preventing the spread of chronic wasting disease involves hunters as well. Texas deer hunters always are urged to properly dispose of deer carcasses, but it should be noted that most portions of whitetails and mule deer remain safe. Here are tips on safe handling: ● Avoid cutting through bones, spine or brain when processing deer. ● If processing harvested deer in camp or at home, place carcass parts in trash bags and properly dispose of them through a trash service or landfill. ● For taxidermy work, use a licensed taxidermist to ensure proper carcass disposal. Safe parts to transport include: Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spine or head attached ● Hides or capes from which all excess tissue has been removed ● Antlers, including antlers attached to skull plates or skulls cleaned of muscle and brain tissue.

Email Will Leschper at WillLeschperOutdoors@gmail.com

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True GREEN Preparing the Table for Teal

Though we impatiently await this time of year when football and ducks fill our minds and hearts and recharge our souls, we should remember this bounty isn’t a given. As the early migrants such as teal make their way south this month, it’s critical that they find sufficient habitat across the continent and particularly in coastal Texas where many spend most of their year. Ducks Unlimited continues to work with private landowners to improve coastal prairie habitat and with public agencies to improve both hunting and habitat on state and federal lands. Restoration projects like Cow Trap Lake enhancement at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge and the Salt Bayou Beneficial Use project at J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area help us ensure these harbingers of promise yet to come have what they need to prepare themselves for the next leg of their journey. We can’t allow wintering ground habitat and food resources to become the limiting

HIS YEAR’S BREEDING population survey by the US Fish and Wildlife Service indicated another strong year for waterfowl populations. Total populations were estimated at 49.5 million breeding ducks, up just one percent from last year but 43 percent higher than the 1955-2014 long term average. Green-winged and blue-winged teal populations are up 98 and 73 percent over long term averages. That puts blue-wings numbering over 8.5 million, more than any other species except mallards (11.6 million).

factor in future cycles of waterfowl reproduction. These birds make an impossibly long journey every year, and it is our obligation to make sure the habitat can support them all along the way. Coastal Texas is particularly important because it is a metabolic bottleneck for the millions of birds traveling the Central Flyway. Piece by piece, Ducks Unlimited is working to sew together the quilt of waterfowl habitat across the Texas Coast, even in the face of water shortages, population growth and storms such as Hurricane Ike. During the last fiscal year, we have restored or enhanced more than 6,400 acres across the coast, but we still have a foraging deficit to address. The birds are home when they get here, and we have to feed them. With your support and the cooperation of our many partners, Ducks Unlimited will continue to ensure they are well-tended.

—Andi Cooper

Many Texans are looking forward to the September teal season, but Ducks Unlimited knows setting the table for them takes work year-round.

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Swimbaits succeed because they Mimic Natural Baitﬁsh

MY FRIEND HAD no clue how to fish properly, but he owned the boat, so I couldn’t say much about how we fished. “You’re wasting your time,” I said authoritatively as

I cast a dead shrimp to a likely spot. He didn’t even bother to anchor the boat after I generously offered to teach him. Instead, he just dropped an electric motor into the water and proceeded slowly down a weedy shoreline, casting lures into pockets between the grass and working them over the edges of drop-offs. What was he thinking? We weren’t bass fishing! This was saltwater and he was going to scare all the fish away with the motor before I could catch any. I couldn’t even let my shrimp sit on the bottom because the movement of the boat kept pulling my bait from the spot. Starting to grow angry, I thought I’d give my friend a few free fishing lessons. “Redfish don’t hit lures,” I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen. “If you want to catch redfish, you need bait. Now, let’s anchor and fish. Want some shrimp?” “Not right now,” he responded. “Maybe after I unhook the lure from

story and Photos by John N. Felsher

this redfish.” It didn’t take many more fish in the boat for me to eat a little crow and tie one of his lures to my line. Then, we both started catching fish. About three months later, Dad and I anchored in a bayou and caught few fish. With nothing to lose, I tied on the lure that my friend had given me and started catching fish on almost every cast. T E X A S

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As the bait hit the water, I let it sink to the bottom. Then, I hopped it once or twice and set the hook on another speckled trout. As the trout teeth tore the soft plastic, I snipped a bit off and reinserted the jighead until I couldn’t use it any longer. Meanwhile, Dad scored a complete blank. He rummaged through nearly his entire tackle box, pulling out various metal and hard plastic lures. He tried each one a few times without success before changing as I continued to boat fish after fish. Finally, he gave up, put his rod down, picked up the net and stayed “on guard” for my next fish. In about an hour, I loaded the ice chest with enough trout for us to clean. I couldn’t find another spot to insert the hook into the bait again so we quit for the day. That was late 1979 and the new-fangled lure was a Mr. Twister Sassy Shad. Made of spongy two-tone plastic, dark gray top with a white elongated abdomen, it looked like a shad. More important, it “felt” like a shad and moved through the water with a tempting wiggle thanks to a rounded, downward-facing tail. Probably designed to attract bass, these “swimbaits” spawned a saltwater revolution. Before that, saltwater anglers who could afford it, fished with live bait under a cork. Those who couldn’t afford to buy live bait caught their own or used dead shrimp on the bottom. Some people threw metal spoons or hard plastic, minnow-shaped baits, such as a Bingo, for speckled trout. People also threw “shad rigs,” bolo-looking tandem jigheads, often suspended from corks and tipped with shrimp, that frequently tangled into a mess. A few soft plastic grubs, beetles and similar baits began to hit the market in the 1970s. Today, these realistic lures still catch bass and other fish, but swimbaits set the standard for saltwater artificials. Although they come in a multitude of colors, sizes and configurations, swimbaits generally fall into two basic categories. Most anglers simply attach a soft plastic tail to a lead jighead. Using one jighead, anglers can easily switch colors, sizes or types quickly just by replacing one tail with another. Other swimbaits come equipped with internal lead weights. Anglers cannot easily change their minds with these baits, but they last longer and look more like live baitfish than those with external weights. Storm makes a Wildeye Shad in a soft, holographic body that features an odd bottom-heavy

trapezoidal weight that produces an enticing wobble as it swims or falls. Looking like live minnows or shrimp, both types generally stimulate fish by sight, although lunkers can also feel them bumping along the bottom. Some with elliptical tails or curled tails give off underwater vibrations. Some, such as Yum Samurai Shads or Berkley Power Baits, come with scent already built into the plastic for that olfactory appeal. Anglers can also dip plastic tails in dyes, scent or both, sometimes at the same time. Anglers may fish swimbaits in any number or ways, but most people fish them one of three ways a steady retrieve, a stop and go retrieve or bottom bouncing, also called “worming.” As the word implies, anglers working baits with a steady retrieve simply cast and reel. A hanging tail creates wobbling action. A ribbon tail creates scintillating flailing action. Many fish bite baits “on the fall.” They wait for the right opportunity to strike, perhaps when a wounded baitfish struggles to swim. Seeing a baitfish in distress kicks the feeding instinct into overdrive. Every few seconds, pause to let a swimbait sink a few feet before resuming the retrieve. If anglers catch only small trout, they might want to try a slightly larger jighead. “Big trout following a school of small trout often feed on croakers that also follow the school of small trout,” said Capt. Jerry Norris of the Original Sabine Lake Guide Service in Sabine Pass, Texas. “The croakers pick up bits and pieces that fall to the bottom after the trout and birds get through with the shad. The bigger trout feed on the croakers. Fish a little deeper and slower for big trout.” In very hot or very cold temperatures, anglers may want to “slow-roll” baits just over the bottom, almost like fishing spinnerbaits for bass. With this method, let the bait fall to the bottom and then begin a slow, steady retrieve. Keep the bait just off the bottom or out of the oyster reefs. “Many anglers try to do too much with a bait,” said Capt. Dudley Vandenborre of New Orleans, who invented Deadly Dudley swimbaits and caught a 10.5-pound speckled trout among other lunkers on them. “A big fish won’t chase after a fast bait,” he said. “At the top of the food chain, a big trout is going to wait for something to come to it because it doesn’t want to expend a lot of energy.”

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For deeper presentations, many anglers “worm” baits off the bottom. With this method, let a bait hit bottom and then slowly lift it off the bottom a few feet. Then, let the bait flutter back to the bottom before repeating the process. This method works best when fish bite finicky or cold weather makes them lethargic and unwilling to chase baits far or fast. It’s also works dynamite for flounders. “Sometimes, trout want an aggressive pop, 12 to 14 inches off the bottom,” Vandenborre said. “Sometimes, they want a more subtle approach. Sometimes, trout just want a bait to crawl past them. In the winter, I fish a bait very slowly, just crawling it along the bottom. In the summer, I move it a little faster and pop it more. Sometimes, we just throw into the tide and let the current carry the bait without any popping.” People can also fish heavy swimbaits by dropping them vertically in extremely deep water offshore or next to channel drop-offs. Add as much weight as necessary to make a bait sink quickly then simply bounce it up and down. Lift it about three or four feet off the bottom and let it drop naturally. Sometimes, fish hit swimbaits aggressively, gulping them as fast as they can. At other times, fish simply suck them into their mouths. Since the soft plastic tails feel like natural bait, fish may hold them in their mouths for a time, especially in cold water. Sometimes, anglers may feel only a slight heaviness as if a lure snagged on submerged grass. If anglers feel a tap or heaviness, they should set the hook. “Bounce the bait on bottom with slack in the line,” Vandenborre said. “I put my finger on the line and feel the fish bite. That way I would feel the fish on the line way before I could feel it through the rod. I detect a lot of strikes and miss many strikes that way, but I always catch plenty big speckled trout. Often, speckled trout strike a bait, and the fisherman doesn’t even know it hit.” Like most other baits, swimbaits come in a rainbow of colors. In general, stick to more natural colors since these baits mimic natural baitfish or shrimp. In clear water, use clear or translucent baits. In murky water, use brighter colors, such as chartreuse, red or orange. Many people use a combination of colors to improve visibility and contrast.

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Texas FRESHWATER by MATT WILLIAMS :: TF&G Freshwater Editor

AT’S OFF TO CLARK WENDlandt of Leander, and a big thumbs up for Shinichi Fukae of Palestine. In late June, Wendlandt notched his fourth win on the FLW Tour, this one coming on the historic Potomac River in Maryland. The victory earned the three-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year a $125,000 payday, which pushed his career earnings to just shy of the milestone $2 million mark. Wendlandt’s most recent win also placed an solid exclamation point at the end of his 19th consecutive FLW Tour season. The tour rolled to a close slightly more than a year after the 49-year-old pro suffered a heart attack that sidelined him midway through the 2014 schedule. That’s all cool stuff, but what really makes the win shine like no other is that it may not have materialized had it not been for the friendly Japanese transplant that everyone on tour refers to as “Shin.” In what may be the classiest example of raw sportsmanship ever displayed in a pro bass tournament, Fukae surrendered his Ranger bass boat to his colleague on Day three of the tournament after Wendlandt developed engine trouble early in the day and couldn’t run his water. The move ultimately killed Fukae’s chances of bettering himself in the standings and earning a bigger pay check after making the Top 20 cut and advancing to third round in 16th place. Conversely, Shin’s kind gesture went a long way towards helping Wendlandt maintain the commanding lead he grabbed on Day two and to seal the win by a margin of

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Most of us always try to help each other out when we can.

Taylor said he sent text messages to all of the Top 20 boats and asked the angler marshals if anyone was near the area where Wendlandt was fishing. Fukae was only about five miles away and his observer phoned in to get Wendlandt’s location. “Shin went straight to him and offered him the use of his boat,” Taylor said. “Clark said he didn’t feel right about it because he (Fukae) had plenty of time to improve his weight and win more money. But Shin insisted. He said he didn’t have any fish and Clark was in position to win. That’s just the way he is. Shin’s always willing to help. What he did out there has got to be the best example of sportsmanship I’ve ever heard of in a professional fishing tournament.” Fukae said the decision to lend a helping T E X A S

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hand to Wendlandt was an easy one, and not just because he (Fukae) was already qualified for the upcoming Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita as well as the 2016 Toyota Bass Classic. “Clark was in good position to win, and he’d almost won on the Potomac before,” Fukae said. “Plus, he had a heart attack last year and had to sit out several tournaments. I wanted to help him if I could. Most of us always try to help each other out when we can.” Wendlandt, who ended the day with enough weight to amass a four-pound lead going into the tournament’s final round, said Fukae’s sporting gesture has to rank as the greatest example of sportsmanship he ever witnessed or heard of in professional fishing. “Even though I’ve never considered Shin to be a close, personal friend, I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for him because of the way he carries himself and because he works at his fishing has hard as anybody out there,” Wendlandt said. “I’ve got even more respect for him now. What he did out there won’t be forgotten. I’ll guarantee you that.” While Fukae’s great sportsmanship was well documented throughout the fishing industry, many people may not be aware of the adversity he faced after the fact. According to Taylor, when FLW Tour pro Michael Williamson of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, went to tow Wendlandt’s boat to shore with Fukae in it, he too experienced engine trouble. At that point, a hired FLW camera boat driven by Ed Kenyon was dispatched to the scene to bring both boats to shore. Fukae eventually got back on the water at 1:30 p.m. and was unable boat a keeper. He ultimately finished the tournament in 20th place and took home a check for $11,519.

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A Sporting Act Takes the Prize

nearly five pounds after the fourth final round. Here’s how it all went down. Wendlandt was fishing in an area known as Potomac Creek, miles from takeoff, at about 9:30 a.m. on Day three when his outboard broke down. FLW Tour tournament director Bill Taylor said Wendlandt contacted him by cell phone and asked what his options were under tournament rules. He had three fish in his live wells at the time. Taylor told Wendlandt he would be able to retain his weight for the day so long as he got another competitor to tow him to shore to exchange boats. Otherwise, his weight would be zeroed and would undergo a restart.

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s a swollen sun peeked over the horizon, a familiar whistle tickled my eardrums. Seconds later, a flock of blue-winged teal buzzed our boat at breakneck speed. It was a sight my hunting partner and I had seen hundreds of times, but this one caught us by surprise. The shock came not from the birdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; incredible swiftness or daredevil navigation, but from the fact, we were on Lake Guri, in a remote corner of the Venezuelan rainforest. Six weeks earlier, we had hunted these birds on the upper Texas coast and now they were among parrots, howler monkeys and anacondas in South America. Bluewings migrate in September, giving hunters an early crack at waterfowl hunting action. The season follows their southward movement, which can be intense. At the first hint of a cold front, bluewings quickly exit our borders and head toward the tropics. Fortunately, Texas hunters have plenty of opportunities to hunt them on public land while they are here. The key to success is learning what makes these pint-sized ducks tick and applying that knowledge to scouting their habitat. The most important factor in having a successful teal hunt is finding an area with the right water supply. Dry marshes and fields send teal south quickly, while too much water spreads them out so much that hunters have a difficult time luring them into shotgun range. Back in 1998, the Texas coast experienced a brutal summer-long drought. Two days before teal season opened, Tropical Storm Frances hit, dumping water everywhere on the coast. Instead of shooting in marshes, hunters were shooting teal out of flooded cattle pastures where the birds had easier feeding on floating seed. Since hunters cannot control the rain, how should they prepare for early teal season? The key is scouting. Teal are dabbling ducks and tend to prefer shallow mud flats and grass beds in marshes where they eat milfoil, seeds of pond weeds and tiny mollusks. High water can cover areas that would normally be productive, but knowing the topography of the land and locating higher ground that might hold only a few inches of water can yield results. PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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Teal are small targets, but are easy to hunt in the September season.

In the Lower Neches Wildlife Management Area near Bridge City, I used to go to an island that has a shallow pond in the middle of it. Tropical storm-level tides make it about six inches deep, and a magnet for teal during periods of high and low water. It seems to be better during high tides because the birds can see the vegetation more easily than in the foot-deep water around it. With resources available on the Internet, scouting is no longer confined to physically exploring hunting areas. Google Earth for example is an amazing scouting tool. Teal are small and offer a challenging target, but they are easy to hunt during the September season. They are creatures of habit, so you can generally count on them to feed both early and late. The first thing to consider is setting up a blind. In the case of teal, this does not require a lot of effort. Teal are certainly not blind-shy during the early season, so hunting out of a boat draped in camouflage netting or covered by Roseau cane is more than

adequate. Or you can simply wear plenty of camouflage and sit still. For years, hunters brought dozens of decoys for the early season, but that is becoming outdated. A dozen decoys of any kind of duck set out in the marsh will give these sociable birds an inviting place to land and you a place to shoot. I usually bring only half a dozen teal decoys, a few shoveler imitations and a “robo duck,” and have no problem scoring limits of teal. Calling teal is rather simple, although many hunters on public lands tend to overdo it. Simple teal whistles sounded a few times at the sight of birds is enough to lure them. Too much calling spooks them. I have been in areas where hunters a few ponds away called too much and pushed birds right to me. Part of a successful hunt on public land is using the mistakes of other hunters to your advantage. It seems there is always someone who calls too much, shoots when the birds are too high or arrives in the field late and

pushes birds to you. This may be frustrating, but if you keep your cool, you should get a shot at some of “their” birds. When you do get a shot, make sure not to use a heavy load, which can destroy the meat in their tiny breasts. I use number six, but sevens will work as well. Improved cylinder or modified chokes work great for teal, especially in close quarters. Making a paper-cutting sound as they move, teal seem to come out of nowhere. Once a small flock buzzed right over me and landed less than 10 feet from my blind. The encounter excited me so much, I never thought to shoot until my partner’s hyperactive dog alerted them and sent them packing. Some hunters might consider that a failure, but I consider it the ultimate success. The day I quit being in awe of nature is the day I put away my decoys for good. With their super-fast flight and rapid migration, blue-winged teal remind us that good things come and go quickly, but their memory stays with us forever.

Teal Prospects Good for Fall Season DUCK HUNTERS CAN ANTICIpate improved conditions for the September early teal season as abundant rains have filled lakes and marshes for the first time in several years. With record numbers of teal expected to make their way into Texas during the upcoming months, prospects should be good.

A 16-day statewide early teal and Eastern Zone Canada goose season will run Saturday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 27. The daily bag on teal remains six, with a possession limit of 18. Bag limit for Canada geese will be three and a possession limit of six in the Eastern Zone only. “Blue-winged teal numbers (8.5 million) are

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way above the minimum of 4.7 million needed for a 16-day season,” said Kevin Kraai, TPWD waterfowl program leader. “Conditions for teal across the state are excellent and hunters are urged to have their fingers crossed for a timely migration in the middle of September.” —TPWD PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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Open SEASON by REAVIS Z. WORTHAM :: TF&G Humor Editor

Dispatch

EY SWEETHEART! FOR some reason I can’t get a phone signal, but I have just enough bars on my laptop here in my deer stand, so I thought I’d send you this email. I guess being ten feet off the ground has its advantages. Aren’t you glad I found a use for the stand here this time of the year? And you said it cost too much for just a couple of month’s use. Don’t worry about the flood they’re probably talking about on the news. It only washed away a couple of our coolers. It was no problem, one was half full of food, and the other one was already empty. Jerry Wayne’s cooler with the beer is safe. We were lucky the pop-up camper didn’t get washed away, but the water only came up to the floor. Willie and I studied on how the mud buried the trailer up to the axles, but Doc said if we connected all the chains from our trucks, we’d have enough length to pull it out later, if we can get his unstuck. I never would have believed a truck could slide that far downhill. It’s a good thing that tree was there, or he’d be looking for a new one when we get home. The only problem with pulling the trailer out right now is that the tongue is pointed the wrong way. We got tired of thinking about it, and Wrong Willie wandered off to see if his homemade deer stand survived. I imagine he’d have called Jan, so she wouldn’t worry, either, but his right ear was pretty swollen from his fall against a live oak the day before, and we all know he can’t hear squat out of the left one. The doctor said there really wasn’t much damage to his ear. He taped on a big white bandage that took up half of Willie’s head and made him look like someone had mashed a giant marshmallow into his ear. It’s pretty funny looking. I’d never ridden in the front of an ambulance before, so that was fun, but Doc

complained that he and Jerry Wayne wanted to go instead. I told them that snoozers were losers, and they should have jumped into the front seat first. We made fun of him for most of that night after we got back before the storm, at least until the rain started and the creek got out of its banks. Jerry Wayne got lost when he went out on Willie’s four-wheeler to see if he’d left his cell phone in his deer stand. He’d been putting on a new roof and thinks he laid it down on the seat. He wanted to look before the storm got out of hand. The lightning did help him find his way back home, though; and he found the phone right where he’d left it, in Doc’s truck. Well, it really wasn’t the lightning that helped him find his way back to camp, it was the fire. The camper wasn’t damaged that bad, and we got it put out pretty fast. I thought it was kinda funny that only Doc and Jerry Wayne’s side of the canvas got that big hole in it. It let the rain in on them. Willie and I were high and dry on our side. Since the battery is dead on the camper, we lit a couple of your scented candles for light. I never would have believed that one spark could ignite that little smear. Who would have thought that just one little dollop of Vaseline on a cotton ball could cause so much trouble? Doc learned a lesson about wiping his hands on his pants after getting the campfire started. It was pretty funny, watching him jump around and peel off his britches while we all took pictures with our cell phones. You can actually see the flame jump from his pants to his sleeping bag, and then to the camper. But like I said, it could have been worse. I think they can replace that side. The smoke smell is almost gone, thanks to your candles. Our insurance shouldn’t go up too much. All of Jerry Wayne’s clothes burned up, though. He looks funny wearing Doc’s extra coveralls. Willie said he looks like a sausage stuffed in a skin two sizes too small. He’s also going to look funny until his T E X A S

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eyebrows grow back—and he just thought he had a receding hairline a few minutes earlier. Now he looks like Larry on the Three Stooges. Did I mention he got a little too close to the flames, too? You can’t blow out a fire that big. The ranch manager came down after he saw what he laughed and called a fireball. He was worried that we were burning some of their protected vegetation, but when he saw the trailer, he just smiled and waved goodbye. We’ll probably be home in a day or two. Like I said, Doc’s truck is in a precarious position right now and the trees that washed downstream have Willie’s truck blocked in. We’re waiting for tomorrow to see if the ranch manager will let us use our chainsaws to clear a path. We’re not supposed to have them on the lease since this is a conservancy, but they might relax their rules this one time. I guess the only truck that we can rely on right now is my new lease truck. Since this is the first time I’ve brought it down, I didn’t know the brakes were about worn out. I think they’ll hold long enough to get us out of here. I can downshift to stop on the way home. I’ll let you know if there are any problems. I should be home in a day or two. I’ll text you later, but my phone is almost dead, so it’ll be short and sweet and not with this much good information. Anyway, I hope to get everything wrapped up so we won’t have to come back down. Then by the time the season rolls around, everything should be dry. Signing off now before this battery dies. Be home soon. Having a great time. Love you. Oh, if one of the other guys’ wives mention anything about food poisoning, it wasn’t anything I cooked.

Email Reavis Wortham at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com |

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Bowhunting is tough when deer get spooked and crank up their instintcs for disappearing. Tough, but not impossible BY LOU MARULLO

SK ANYONE WHO brings a bow into the woods and he will tell you that success with bow and arrow takes patience. It takes skill, knowledge of the habits of a whitetail and last but not least, a lot of luck! Now combine that with a deer that has been spooked into another county and it is surprising that we can ever harvest one of these critters at all. Well, you can. It just takes a lot more patience and much more of that luck! Texas deer have an uncanny ability to hide from the many hunters who are roaming the woods all year long. Where 52 |

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do those deer go? More importantly, why do they seem to disappear? Remember, deer season is just a short time of the year and here in Texas we can hunt something year-round. The other hunters who are after doves, hogs or whatever, are not too concerned about leaving a human scent trail in the same woods where you are trying to hunt deer. In my column last month, I wrote about how important scent control is to the whitetail hunter (check it out, “You Stink,” on page 20 of that issue, or in the online archives at www. fishgame.com.) When discussing this article with a friend, he quickly told me he had the answer for hunting pressured deer. He |

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suggested hunting them after hours! “They’ll come out as soon as the hunters leave the woods.” That may bring a smile to your face, but please do not listen to him. I think he was only kidding anyway. There are other ways to hunt those pressured deer and ways that are legal. If there has been a string of hot weather with a drought like we have recently experienced, you might want to consider setting up near a water hole. If you set up a portable blind early enough and just leave it there, the deer may just get used to it and offer you a nice shot. Whitetails have to drink. They will be very cautious so you will have to be aware of every little thing around you that will either spook PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

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the deer or make him come into range. Consider using a feeding doe decoy and position her head to simulate her enjoying a nice cool sip of water. What deer could resist that temptation? One of the best ways to score on pressured deer is to push them. I know what you are thinking. Push a whitetail like you would during gun season? How can that work? Let me explain. Push may not be the right term. It is more like a bump. If you are hunting with one or two friends, then one should position himself or herself at a known escape route. An escape route is a path the deer usually take when spooked. They bolt out of the woods using this route and always find

a safe haven elsewhere. The difference here is that as you quietly walk through the woods, you are trying to annoy the deer more than spook it. The deer might be bedded and feel like it has to get up and move because a human predator is walking his way. If the walker takes his time and zigzags through the woodlot, the whitetail will eventually and slowly walk past the watcher using that safe escape route. Not so safe today though! It is a good idea to occasionally stop during your “bump” drive. By stopping and just waiting a few minutes, you will drive any deer crazy and he will have to get up and move because he thinks he is already detected. Believe me, this works

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and works well especially later in the season or mid-day when the action slows down a bit. I have also tried my luck at stalking deer with my bow. It is certainly not the easiest thing to do, but if successful, it is most rewarding. One time I followed a fresh deer track while constantly looking ahead for any movement. As I slowly made my way through the woods, I was very aware of everything around me. It was mid-day and quite warm. The only thing moving in those woods in that heat was a hard headed bow hunter with a tag to fill! I CONTINUED ON PAGE

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Texas BOATING by LENNY RUDOW :: TF&G Boating Editor

Are You Slowly Killing Your Boat’s Engine?

IRST, LET’S STIPULATE—IT’S better to kill your engine slowly than it is to kill it quickly. That said, I’m pretty dang sure we’d all like to avoid killing our engines entirely. Yet many of us fail to recognize a few key items that can contribute to a premature death for our boat’s engines. Here are some common things to look out for—and if you recognize any of these from first-hand experience, ACT NOW.

1. RUNNING OUTSIDE OF the manufacturer’s recommended RPM range. This is a shockingly common problem. Just last month I went to test a brand new 43-foot, triple-outboard fish boat which suffered from it. The boat was over-propped (the propellers had too much pitch) and as a result, the outboards topped-out at 4,800 RPM. The manufacturer’s recommended wideopen throttle RPM was between 5,000 and 6,000 RPM. When the owner took delivery

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the entire time and I am sure he thought that as long as he did not move, all would be safe. I stopped, drew my bow and then faced him for the first time. Immediately he had the “surprise” eyes and I was the last thing he saw. Sometimes, simply leaving your lease alone for a while would be enough to put a whitetail at ease. I realize that hunting time is precious and not all of us have a lot of time to hunt, but by trying different spots, you will leave your human scent in other areas. After things have calmed down a bit, sneak back in your hunting area and climb up in your best stand. It might be all the

was getting more and more frustrated with every step and getting ready to just call it a day. Suddenly I looked to the side of the path I was on and there, not 15 yards from where I was standing, was a nice 8 point buck laying down and waiting for me to pass. I never made eye contact with the whitetail, but just continued to walk right past him. Then I slowly turned and backtracked the exact same path I was just on. The buck was intently watching me 54 |

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of the boat it just barely made it into that recommended range, but after loading on all his gear and filling the fuel and water tanks, the engines wouldn’t spin that fast anymore. The owner figured that since the engines weren’t going too fast, no harm could be done. Wrong. Over-propping a boat forces the engine to work harder to attain a given RPM, raising combustion temperature and stressing internal parts like rods and bearings. You can see the premature death coming. On the flip side, under-propping a boat and allowing the engine to spin above the manufacturer’s recommended RPM range is just as harmful. Those poor metal parts will be pedaling away furiously, as the engine over-revs. Again, the potential for an early engine grave is obvious. The solution to either situation is to change propeller pitch. The propeller is the one variable that you can easily alter. To regulate your boat engine’s wide-open

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throttle RPM range, simply increase (to lower wide-open RPM) or decrease (to raise it) pitch. You say you’re not sure what the manufacturer’s recommended RPM range is for your specific motor? The answer is just a Google away. 2. FAILING TO TREAT YOUR fuel. Sure, you know ethanol gas can ruin boat engines, especially thanks to phase separation. This is more of a problem in boats than cars, since gas tends to sit a lot longer in our boats. Even if you use your boat with regularity and freshen the supply within a matter of weeks, ethanol can still do damage. Even if you’re lucky enough to have access to ethanol-free gas, you still need to use an additive. Partially full fuel tanks on a boat are subject to serious condensation. Water tainting the fuel supply has been a problem since well before ethanol was ever introduced into the system. The potential internal corrosion problems are like a ticking clock, counting down the hours of life your engine has left. 3. FAILING TO FLUSH YOUR engine after each and every saltwater use. Regular freshwater motor flushes are a key to longevity for any kind of marine surprise you will need to be successful. Bow hunting pressured whitetails is difficult and challenging and does not guarantee success. However, if you use your head and take your time, you might just be spending the last few minutes of the day field dressing your trophy. More importantly, think about your friends who have already given up on bow hunting these animals. Make sure you email them some pics of that nice buck hanging in your garage!

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Texas BOATING engine. In fact, if you ask your local mechanic about the single most important thing you should do after each and every trip, flushing the motor is likely to be the answer. Freshwater flushes keep the cooling passages clean and open, prevent corrosion in several parts of the engine, and extend the longevity of your water pump impeller. One of the tricks to keeping up with freshwater flushes is to make them a nearreligious practice. Flushing once a month doesn’t work, nor does flushing the engine a day or two after your trip. The freshwater flush needs to be built into your daily boating routine. Immediately after pulling into the driveway, hook the hose up to your outboard before you even un-hitch the trailer from your tow vehicle. 4. RE-USING THE OIL FILTER after an oil change. We’re not even going to mention a failure to perform regular oil changes, because that

would be a rather speedy way to end your engine’s life. But many boaters think they can get by using the same oil filter for a change or two. Bad move. Boat engines run continually at high RPM, much higher RPM than cars or trucks. When’s the last time your landvehicle spun at 4,500 RPM for hours on end? Yeah, that’s what we thought. So, keeping fresh, clean oil in the engine is of paramount importance. Changing that filter each and every time will help keep the oil that much cleaner.

Sometimes, they even (cringe!) rev it up a bit.

5. DRY-STARTING THE ENGINE. I’m honestly not sure why people do this, or what they think it accomplishes. Yet if you spend enough time at a boat ramp, sooner or later you’ll see someone pull their boat, and as they get ready to trailer it home, they start the engine and let it run for a moment or two.

6. RUNNING WITH A BENT or damaged propeller. This isn’t just bad for the engine, it’s bad for the entire boat. The problem is vibrations. A bent or damaged prop can cause all kinds of crazy vibrations, which shake things like nuts and bolts loose. If everything that vibrates free is on your boat consider it a blessing, because if the stuff that shakes loose is on the engine itself, you could be in for a world of hurt.

Marine engines need water at all times, period. Its fine to start one on land when it has a water supply (via earmuffs or hose fittings) but they should never, ever be dry-started. Don’t think it’ll be okay if you only do it for a moment or two, because a build-up of heat isn’t the only issue at hand. Your water pump impeller needs water for lubrication, and if you dry-start your motor, that impeller can get damaged in a matter of seconds.

7. LETTING IT SIT. Yes, that’s right, letting your engine sit is actually harmful. Seals shrink up, grease gathers dust, and parts corrode together. In fact, one of the worst things you can do for a marine engine is to let it go unused for months on end. Any time your boat sits for more than a couple of weeks, you should start it up and let it idle at least until it comes up to operating temperature. If you look at this issue the right way, the “problem” is actually a good thing. Congratulations, boat owner, you have a darn good reason to launch that boat and go fishing, RIGHT NOW!

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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The Practical ANGLER by GREG BERLOCHER | TF&G Contributing Editor

Follow the Bait!

OU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO discern the miniscule difference it makes in the air temperature, but the first cold front of the year usually arrives in Texas within a week of Labor Day. Early cold fronts don’t bring relief from the Lone Star’s sweltering summer heat, but they bring something important to every angler in the state—cold water in the form of rain. The runoff from these early-season cold fronts have a big effect on our lakes and bays, as well as the baitfish and predators that inhabit them. As the chilled runoff from the storms enter lakes and reservoirs, the water in feeder creeks begins cooling down. This thermodynamic change pushes shad, and other forage fish, downstream into warmer water. With each passing front, the creeks continue to cool and millions of shad are displaced into the main body of the lake. Without shoreline vegetation and submerged structure to hide around, shad form into large schools, known as bait balls. The same fall phenomenon happens in our bays. White shrimp emigrate from back lakes and marshes, through coastal bays, and out into the Gulf of Mexico to spawn and over-winter. In addition, pin perch, mullet, and other baitfish join in the exodus to the Gulf for the same reasons. Once they have cleared the jetties, crustaceans and baitfish find themselves in an open and hostile environment, with nowhere to hide. Schooling becomes a matter of survival. The large pods of baitfish are helpless against attacks from apex predators. As the hunters slash at the bait balls from the depths, the bait flees to the surface in an effort to escape. The resulting melee can be seen from great 58 |

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distances, the water’s surface pockmarked with tiny explosions. Terns, gulls, and pelicans also take part in the carnage, picking off the fleeing baitfish. If you want to catch fish during the fall, all you have to do is follow the bait. Texas anglers have a lot of autumn options when it comes to catching schooling fish attacking balls of bait. Here are a few to consider:

Largemouth Bass Reservoirs, large and small, will see schooling activity for the next 60 to 90 days. Shad will migrate down creeks into the main body of the lake as the season progresses. Some days the bass will attack bait with abandon and are oblivious to the noise from surrounding boats. Other days the feeding fish will spook easily and sound, leaving anglers wondering where the school will show itself again. A trolling motor and a full charged battery are valuable allies when sniping at schooling black bass. Slush baits and lipless crankbaits are go-to baits during the fall. Don’t overlook a large silver spoon when the action is heated. If the fish sound for prolonged periods, slab spoons and tail-spinners, such as Little George are good options

Striped Bass Baitfish getting blitzed by marauding striped bass provides a visual backdrop I never get tired of. Lake Texoma is, in my opinion, the finest inland striper fishery in the country and the topwater action during the fall is world class. Last year, fish up to twenty five-pounds were caught on topwaters during the fall. Jumbo chuggers and slush baits seem to catch the largest linesiders. Don’t be shy about a large lure’s size; the extra heft allows you to reach schools feeding in the distance.

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surface. Look for shrimp jumping out of the water and boils on the surface to give you a reference where to cast. Boat traffic will spook schools easily. To increase your stealth, navigate your boat around to the side of the school, giving the feeding fish plenty of room. Shut down your boat ahead of the school in plenty of time to allow the noise from your wake to dissipate well before the school moves within casting distance. Topwaters, large spoons, and double jig rigs allow you to eak out every last inch of casting distance.

Tarpon , Sharks & Jackﬁsh The shallow gulf is alive with activity in the early fall as tarpon, sharks, and bull reds feast on the vulnerable schools of baitfish. Boats and kayaks provide anglers additional range but you can often drive the beach, looking for feeding activity as you go. The jetties are a great way to reach deeper water. A surf rod and matching reel, spooled with ample line, allows sharpshooters confined to the beach to hurl natural baits well beyond the third bar. During fall, the surf is loaded with hungry jackfish. While jacks don’t rate very high as table fare, they make up for it with a very salty attitude and are a fun option if you want to have your string stretched. Fall fishing will be outstanding for the next 90 days. Weekends are less crowded now that school is back in session, football season has started, and outdoorsmen must decide between fins and feathers. If you opt for fins, just follow the bait.

Email Greg Berlocher at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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Texas GUNS by STEVE LAMASCUS | TF&G Shooting Editor

Bird Guns

HEN I USED TO SHOOT A lot of skeet I would regularly meet someone on the skeet range who was out to practice with what he called his “bird gun,” a gun that was not intended to be used in competition. However, the definition of “bird gun” varied a tremendous amount, depending on who was doing the shooting. I have seen everything from beat up old Winchester Model 12s to brand new Beretta 686s described as bird guns.

I have killed everything from geese and ducks to doves and quail with my 30-inch Beretta Model 682 Gold Sporting. It is also the gun I used during the last few years I shot competition NSSA skeet. It is equipped with a set of Briley Ultra-Light tubes for 410-, 28-, and 20gauge. Just because it was intended to be used in competition does not mean it is unfit to be used as a bird gun. In fact, my familiarity with it made it doubly dangerous in the fields for doves. For quail I prefer something a bit shorter and lighter. My favorite quail guns are an SKB-made Ithaca side-by-side in 12-gauge with 25-inch barrels and a Browning Citori over/under .410 with 28-inch barrels.

The Ithaca is choked skeet and modified, and the Citori is choked full and modified. What they have in common is that they are both light in weight and quick to point. Both will kill a quail stone dead at 30 yards. I have even used the .410 on pheasants in a shooting preserve. With three-inch #7 1/2 shells the little .410 is deadly on pen-raised pheasants out to about 30 yards, which is all you need when hunting over pointing dogs. I would not use either of the above when hunting wild pheasants in wheat stubble fields. An old, wild rooster is tougher than

“ What bird guns all have in common is that they are suited to both the shooter and the game.

“ boot leather and as wild as a peach orchard boar. That kind of shooting is beyond the range of either. For that kind of hunting I use a 28-inch Beretta 686 with choke tubes, usually modified and improved modified. Equally good would be a Remington 870 or Model 1187 in 12-gauge, choked modified or improved modified. I almost never use a full choke in anything but a .410. What bird guns all have in common is that they are suited to both the shooter and the game. For example, a 28-gauge is a wonderful quail gun, but is ill-suited to hunt60 |

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ing geese. Likewise a 10-gauge magnum is a great goose gun, but ill-suited for hunting quail. Goose guns can be long and heavy, quail guns should be light and quick. Duck and dove guns should be somewhere in between. I would not hesitate to take a 20-gauge, choked modified, improved modified, or full to a duck blind for hunting over decoys, but I would not take one for geese, or pass shooting ducks. One of the worst days I ever had on doves was one terribly windy day when a group of us were hunting over a patch of harvested hay grazer. The wind was out of the west, and the doves were coming to the field from that direction with the wind at their tails. We were stationed along a line of mesquite on the west side of the field. When one of us would see a dove, it would be 40 yards out into the field before we could mount a gun. I was shooting a sweet little Beretta 686 28-gauge, and it was not nearly enough gun for the situation. I feathered far too many doves that day. I finally gave up and watched. What I needed was a longer 12-gauge with a modified improved choke and 1 1/4-ounce loads of #7 shot. Another time I was hunting a stock tank with a patch of mesquite on the west side. This time the wind was out of the southeast and the doves were coming over the mesquite with the wind in their faces. I was shooting my little Browning Citori .410 with loads of three-inch #7 1/2s. The birds would come over the trees just floating into the wind, getting ready to land at the tank. I stood a few yards away from the trees and took the birds like shooting high house #8 on a skeet field. I had a limit in almost no time. Equally good would have been a12- or 20-gauge with open chokes. Any skeet gun would have been right at home. As I have been hinting, any shotgun can be a good bird gun. It mostly depends on the situation of the moment and what you are comfortable with. I have seen a lot of hunters on dove fields shooting 12-gauges with full chokes and magnum loads of #6 shot. Generally, they did not do well. Usually they were skybusting at doves far out of range for anything short of a anti-aircraft battery. They would probably have been better off with a gun choked improved cylinder or

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modified firing field loads of #7 1/2 shot. They also needed to limit their shooting to doves closer than 40 yards away. It is very hard to shoot a full choke well because it is very unforgiving. A more open choke is often the ticket. I have killed more doves with an improved cylinder gun than any other. Out to about 35 yards it is deadly. Any farther than that, and you should probably just pass the shot, no matter what gun you are shooting. Most 50-yard shots

are really about 35 or 40, anyway. The next time you are out with your bird gun, whatever it may be, try a more open choke. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Email Steve LaMascus at ContactUs@ďŹ shgame.com

8/10/15 10:52 AM

Industry INSIDER Veranda Marine Sister Company to Xpress Boats sive growth over recent years and it does not appear to be slowing anytime soon. This growth can be attributed to consumers demanding a complete package that would enable one to lounge, cruise and enjoy water sports with friends and family

THE PONTOON BOAT HAS COME A long way over the past half century, with its humble beginnings rooted in 55 gallon drums fastened to a makeshift deck, ever maturing into todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high performance, luxury boats. This market has seen explo-

with just one solution. From the deck up, these boats offer similar features that span across most brands with beautifully appointed seating, state of the art carpet and flooring options, accent LED lights, electric bimini tops, high-end stereo systems, and substantial storage. However, there is a significant, noticeable difference and there is only one manufacturer that stands alone in innovation, one manufacturer that stands alone as the only patent holder for what is considered the most critical and most overlooked aspect

Veranda Pontoons are the sister company Xpress Boats, the original all-welded aluminum boat.

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Veranda has quickly built its reputation on a patented foundation that won’t rot, warp or ﬂex.

of these boats, its deck. There is only one manufacture that has taken this vital feature and revolutionized it for generations to come. Question: If you had a choice to make a huge investment in constructing a new home, would it be on sand or solid rock? From the same company that brought to market the original all-welded aluminum boat and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, Xpress Boats has created a sister company built on the same principles of manufacturing, innovation, design and performance, Veranda Marine. Veranda Marine has built its reputation and on a strong foundation, a patented foundation, a foundation that sets itself

apart from anyone else in the industry, a foundation that will never rot, warp, or flex. Other manufacturers in the industry use plywood for their decking material, drilling holes throughout the deck to secure it to cross

never rot, never warp or flex providing enhanced performance qualities and since the deck is smooth and void of cross bracing, noise and drag are virtually eliminated. Quite simply, this innovation and patented design is a game changer in the luxury pontoon market that the competition can only fabricate myths to stave The company’s ﬁrst brand was Alumaoff the inevitable. Weld Boats, started back in 1965. There are a host of

members, subsequently opening itself up to moisture being absorbed throughout this porous substrate. This practice is what is commonly referred to as predetermined obsolescence. With the Veranda patented inter-locking aluminum deck system it will T E X A S

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Industry INSIDER variable, and sets a standard for a lifetime of enjoyment said Rory Herndon, Vice President for Veranda Marine. Available in 5 series, the Veranda line covers the complete gamut of needs and wants, however the key element is that every Veranda starts with the same patented inter-locking deck system. Visit verandamarine.com to see what makes Veranda exclusive, what makes Veranda the boat our competition hopes you will never hear about. • • •

Daiwa Brings Evergreen Lures to US

Brett Hite

AT DAIWA’S NATIONAL SALES team. In the US they sponsor top anglers Meeting held in May of 2015, it was such as Brett Hite and Morizo Shimizu, announced that Daiwa Corporation would both of whom have participated in the be the exclusive distributor for Evergreen Bassmaster Elite tournaments for many International Lures in USA and Canada. years. Evergreen International is one of the With Daiwa Corporation’s nationwide top lure brands in Japan. Evergreen has distribution channel Evergreen aims to have compiled a number of impressive wins more stable delivery to retailers throughout with their the USA and Canada. At the professional ICAST show in July, the EverEvergreen President Toshiya bass fishing

green booth will be located next to Daiwa’s booth. Visitors who visit the Evergreen booth will be able to see their product lineup for the US and talk business with their representatives. Daiwa will have availability of Evergreen lures beginning in September. A Evergreen new website for the US market is in development. • • •

Hashimoto and Daiwa United States President Tom Komatsu shown shaking hands.

Morizo Shimizu

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8/10/15 10:52 AM

ATC Truck Covers Launches New Website

industry- leading truck accessories, including American-made truck caps, lids, and bed systems and truck covers. ATC stands behind honesty, value, quality products and exceptional customer service. For more information, visit atctruckcovers.com.

COURTESY ATC

ATC TRUCK COVERS INTRODUCES an all-new atctruckcovers.com that’s now up and running. The new ATC Truck Covers responsive website offers improved functionality, a full accessories list, more product pictures, updates to the dealer lead application, and much more. “Our new site is a standout tool for showing potential customers great content. We will continue to add customer photos and build a portfolio of ATC Truck Cov-

and where. These photos will be featured on the company’s new website. Those who submit photos will receive a free ATC ball cap or T-shirt. Photos and stories can be submitted at atctruckcovers.com/Send-Us-Your-Story or by emailing promo@atctruckcovers.com. Located just outside Kansas City, Kansas, ATC Truck Covers operates on a 20-acre campus in the Ottawa Industrial Park. Since 1994, they have manufactured

www.atctruckcovers.com

ers for people looking for the perfect cover. The improved functionality of the dealer locator will help customers get in touch with their local ATC retailer and let retailers know about their customers. The site looks smooth and is easy to navigate, which is an important way for to us to continue to improve our customer experience from Internet research, to the purchase, to the daily use of a truck cap, lid or bed system,” Director of Marketing Brant Combs said. The website also features a newly designed downloadable product brochure with more photos, detailed info on specific products and models, and expanded features information. As part of the new website, ATC invites customers to share what they’ve done using ATC products with photos of when

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Fish and Game GEAR Legacy Hunting & Fishing Cabins

STARTING AT $21,900 AND FEAturing space for up to 6 people, our brand new Hunting/Fishing lodges feature the most functional living accommodations in the entire RV industry. Unlike RVs or Campers, our cabins feature full-height vaulted ceilings, front porches, full-size baths, tons of storage, efficient mini-split A/C systems, and are light enough to be pulled by a 1-ton pickup truck. Built using the same parts and materials that Legacy builds homes with, it is hard to beat the quality construction features that make this lodge more like a “home” than an RV. Such exterior features as an American-made steel I-Beam Frame as well as residential smart panel siding that is hail,

termite, fungal decay and moisture resistant make this home built-to-last. Legacy’s Hunting/Fishing Cabins also fit in places other factory-built homes or RVs cannot! With a small footprint, these homes are very similar to Tiny Houses just a tad bit bigger. Legacy Housing, “America’s Top Brand in Manufactured Homes” is proud to introduce our new line of affordable Hunting / Fishing cabins as your new “home away from home”. Act now, as our factory-direct pricing will save you thousands and financing is also available. To get a free price quote, contact Zeke Castaneda at (817) 632-3325 or visit www.theparkmodel.com to sign up for our free catalog. Happy Trails with Legacy!

Legacy RV Lodge

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New Kalin’s Jerk Minnow Catches All Game Fish

THE NEW FIVE INCH JERK MINnow features a slightly split tail that delivers a swift and lifelike action that imitates the swimming and fleeing motion of common baitfish.

Kalin’s Jerk Minnow lure

The Jerk Minnow is a great “catch anything” bait that is easy to fish, rig, and throw. It casts like a bullet and all anglers have to do is rig it on a Kalin’s Darter jig head, throw it out, let is sink to the bottom, employ a sharp jerk, and repeat. Fish often pound it as it falls or just after you pop it off the bottom. The lure can also be rigged weedless and worked around floating and submerged vegetation in a jerk, pause, jerk technique. In reality, the Jerk Minnow is only limited by the creativity of the angler casting it! It works on nearly any game fish that swims in fresh or salt water and comes in six colors that work across the globe. MSRP: $5.49 For more information go to www.unclejosh.com Hard & Soft Fishing has roots dating back to 1922, when their first brand, Uncle Josh, began manufacturing in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. They have grown to represent nearly every tackle category on the market for both ice and open-water

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fishing. From the Pacific to the Atlantic and all the lakes and rivers in-between, they produce bait and tackle that has been helping anglers catch more fish for decades. Employees don’t simply produce tackle, the use it on the weekends.

Tinks New All-Season Scrape Kit

TINK’S INTRODUCES THE NEW Power Scrape All-Season Scrape Kit. Offering the best kit ever to get you ready for the rut, this kit offers you the perfect lure and dispenser system in one convenient value pack that includes the trusted original Power Scrape Starter, the all-new Power Scrape Finisher, and a Tink’s Scrape Bomb Dripper. Get ready for the season by starting early with the Power Scrape Starter for up to one month prior to the rut and then switch to the new Power Scrape Finisher formulated for primary scrapes typically seen closer to the rutting season. It is most effective when used in a Tink’s Scrape Bomb Dripper during the transition

period when bucks are still tending scrapes but now paying attention to does. The Power Scrape Finisher is a special formulation of the original Power Scrape product enhanced with Tink’s #69 Doe-In-Rut estrous and buck secretions. Doe estrous triggers rutting behavior and buck secretions trigger his desire for dominance equaling a deadly combination! Both the Power Scrape Starter and Finisher are tried and trusted formulas that will not freeze in colder climates where

temperatures consistently drop below freezing. For more information on the Tink’s Power Scrape All-Season Scrape Kit and other Tink’s www.tinks.com products, visit www.tinks.com.

Tink’s All Season Scrape kit.

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NEVER SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE again! This sharp, strong replacement blade knife is available for everyday carry with a removable/replaceable pocket clip, one-hand opening and six replacement blades. To replace the blade simply push the lock button in Razor-Lite the handle to remove and insert a shav-

ingsharp new blade. The black-oxide coated blade holder supports the razor-blade for the strength of a traditional knife and sharpness of a surgeon’s scalpel. Grivory (glass/nylon) handles with rubberized color TPR inserts ensure a secure non-slip grip and are available in in blaze-orange, blue and gray. Replacement packs of 6-blades are sold separately. MSRP/Retail: $14.95 For more information call 800-4473343 or visit www.outdooredge.com

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE for an expanding selection of innovative, new and hard-to-ﬁnd outdoor gear. Visit

FishandGameGear.com T E X A S

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SABINE Area Hotspot Focus :: by Capt. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

Special September

EPTEMBER IS A SPECIAL month that ranks at or at least very near to the top of most avid outdoorsmen’s list of favorites. Outdoor activities that had been placed on the back burner during the sweltering summer months are now beginning to migrate steadily toward the front. Even though the thermometer tells us it’s still very much summer, there is definitely something in the air reminding us that seasonal changes are right around the corner. Now is the time to start thinking seriously about getting to the gun range, bush hogging at the deer lease, stocking up on dove loads and of course, fishing. Here on Sabine Lake, the big three are feeding aggressively and taking a variety of

artificial lures as well as the real deal. It’s as if they can sense the changing of the seasons well before we can feel it. We’re not exactly done with the heat wave yet, but knowing what the coming weeks will bring is enough to get us, as well as the bait and fish excited. Fishing the mouths of Bridge and Willow bayous should yield some very impressive stringers of trout, redfish and flounder. The mouths of these bayous have a long history of attracting and holding baitfish and are a couple of our go-to spots year-round. Good tidal movement keeps shad, mullet and shrimp moving in and out. That, in turn, keeps the hungry predators present. These fish will gladly accept any of these baits as well as an assortment of artificials. Great choices for soft plastics include Gulp Swimming Mullet, Cochacho Minnow and Norton Bull Minnow. Topwaters such as Skitterwalks and She Dogs in bone and black/chartreuse as well as Catch 2000s and gold spoons should also produce well. Moving water is crucial, so plan accord-

ingly. Work the points over real good and pay particular attention to the areas where the current forms small eddies. For trout and redfish, either bounce your lure off the bottom or work it a little higher in the water column. Key on areas that are holding bait. If you’re lucky enough to have shrimp skipping within casting distance, cast as close as possible. That’s about as close to a sure thing as it gets. For flounder, slowly drag a Gulp Swimming Mullet or curl tail grub tipped with fresh peeled shrimp on a 1/8-ounce lead head. When you feel the trademark “thump,” give it a couple of seconds then pop him real good to bury the hook in its bony mouth. Another good option for flounder is to rig your lure about two feet under a popping cork. Cast up current of the point and let the tide drag it across. Look for subtle changes in the cork because a lot of times a flounder won’t take it under. If it starts to lean and stops moving, set the hook. The calendar has flipped from summer to September, so whatever outdoor activities you’ve got planned. I hope you have fun and stay safe. Maybe I’ll see you on Sabine.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Walter Umphrey State Park (Fishing Pier) South End of Sabine Lake at Mesquite Point SPECIES: Trout, Redﬁsh, Flounder, Black Drum, Croaker BAITS/LURES: Speck Rigs, Fresh Shrimp, Cut Bait BEST TIMES: Moving tides and at night under the lights.

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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GALVESTON Area Hotspot Focus :: by Capt. MIKE HOLMES

September Morn

HEN I WAS A YOUNGster still attending high school, I dreaded the arrival of September because it meant the school year was starting, and my hunting/ fishing opportunities would be limited. As I approach what in my mind is the government-recommended retirement age, I rejoice at the arrival of September—partly because it means the number of hunters/anglers will be reduced by the number of high school students spending more time in classrooms. Sadly for those students, classes begin even earlier these days, meaning two-a-day football practices start in early to mid-August, and time not spent on the field or in class encompasses the entire Fall fishing season— pretty much sidelining students and especially student athletes for a big part of what normally is the best of all times to be on the water. Although in many ways, it can be difficult to tell from the weather when a Texas coastal summer “ends” and fall begins, temperatures should begin to moderate in September. With students having less time to be on the water, and some hunting seasons beginning or about to begin, the bays, beaches, and Gulf can be considerably less crowded. This condition coincides with possibly the best of all times for coastal fishing, so those able to benefit are lucky, indeed. Speckled trout will be in the surf, especially in conditions of clear water that are fairly common this month. As a double blessing, bull reds have been showing up in good numbers since mid-August. Jack Crevalle and sharks of various sizes will still hunt the surf, and tarpon should be at least good for a try. Either cut bait or live offerings will tempt any of these species, with mullet being as good a choice as anything – even for trout. The Galveston Bay system can really pay off in September,

with shallow sand bars and flats as well as oyster reefs drawing trout. Reds will also be found around shell, as well as along grassy shorelines and up in brackish bayous. Of course, the good news for inshore fishing is unbalanced by the bad news for offshore anglers—at least those who enjoy fishing for red snappers. Unless Amendment 40 has been held up or repealed, there will be no snapper fishing in the best months to fish for them. With Sector Separation in place for the recreational portion of the snapper fishery, the season for private boat anglers was set at 10 days in Federal waters, beginning June 1. Those who get their offshore “ride” on a federally permitted for-hire vessel, such as a head boat or private charter vessel, will see a 44-day season. There seems to be a move among Federal agencies to “commercialize” the red snapper. A “tag” system for red snappers is already under consideration. Some advocates of Amendment 40 hope that it will be carried further, into an individual quota system, as

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the commercial fishermen are under. These interests are hoping it will become legal to sell quotas between commercial and for-hire vessels, maybe even between for-hire and recreational boats. A situation might be developing where snappers will be for sale to the highest bidders. I have been fishing offshore long enough to remember when “sport” fishermen were not much concerned with red snappers, instead focusing their effort on the flashier king mackerel. Oil production platforms and artificial reefs created snapper habitat closer to shore, and improved electronics helped small boat anglers find more fish, and return to the same spot more easily. When these things combined, more anglers discovered that larger snappers could be caught, and that these larger fish were a lot more sporting. It seems the snapper did not fare well with the increased fishing pressure. Strangely, when most snappers were landed by commercial boats and the larger “party” boats fishing under unrestricted conditions CONTINUED ON PAGE 71 u

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MATAGORDA Area Hotspot Focus :: by MIKE PRICE

On Shore and Off CCORDING TO FAMED BAY City wade fisherman Eddie Douglas, redfish start moving along the shorelines on September fifteenth. It was September twenty-third when I paddled my kayak on the east side of the Diversion Channel, about a half mile before the Diversion Channel meets West Matagorda Bay. The water was unusually muddy, with visibility of only two to ten inches, the wind was 10-15 mph from the northwest and the tide was outgoing forcefully. I spotted red dorsal fins and tails splashing along the shoreline and quietly eased over. Redfish seemed to be everywhere, some moving in schools and others swimming individually. My first cast alerted a redfish, and it spooked and took several others with it.

I caught and released a 19-inch red, then hooked and worked a 26-inch redfish with multiple spots up to the side of my kayak, but when I attempted to tighten the drag on my reel, the fish got off. I have long felt that no matter what your drag is set at, never adjust it while you are playing a fish, and I broke my own rule. Last year on September 22, my wife and I were wading and spin and fly fishing at Palacios Point. A light wind came from the northeast, and the light brown colored water had about 12 to 15 inches of visibility. Schools of finger mullet cruised the shoreline, and gulls and terns were diving and coming up with shrimp. There were so many croakers that we foul hooked several. Soon I hooked and landed a 23-inch redfish using a Sculpin fly. Then I switched to a spinning rod with a Sparkle Beetle soft plastic, and between foul hooking more croakers, and catching and releasing a lady fish, I caught two more slot-sized reds. Tim Garcia, a fisherman from El Campo said this about fishing reds on a shoreline

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from a boat: “I was fishing with a friend from my boat in Turtle Bay. Redfish were bunched up and moving and feeding the shoreline. We kept throwing in front of them, but they would not hit. We threw everything— spoons, soft plastics, and shrimp, but still they wouldn’t hit. So my friend said, “To hell with it,” and dropped his soft plastic right in the middle of them and one of the redfish took it. “The others scattered, but I watched where they went while he fought the fish, and soon they regrouped on the shoreline. He threw another lure into the middle of the school, and a redfish hit it again. We both limited that day.” Normally you want to place your lure to the side or front of a school of redfish, but not on this day.

Offshore IN SEPTEMBER, OFFSHORE WATERS are likely to be clear, blue, and calm. Red snappers are not in season in federal waters and will probably not be found in state waters, less than nine miles from shore, because of the warm water temperature. However, the season is open on plenty of other good eating and great fighting species, such as dorado, mangrove, vermilion, and lane snapper, grouper, trigger fish, greater amberjack, ling, king and Spanish mackerel, and blackfin tuna. On one memorable September trip I was fishing with Brian Tulloch on his boat, Gold Nugget, when we pulled up behind a shrimp boat. I free-lined a sardine on a circle hook (no weight) under the shadow of the shrimp boat’s stern and hooked a beautiful dorado. We moved to a small rig, and I went scuba diving. The air temperature was 100 degrees F and the water temperature at the surface was a warm 88 degrees. At 80 feet the water temperature dropped about nine degrees and it really felt good. Apparently it felt good to the fish as well, because I saw big red snappers, a school of two hundred mangrove snappers, a ling came over to check me out, and several greater

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amberjacks that were about a foot long went leisurely swimming by. Back on the boat, I hooked a three and a half foot king mackerel, but before I could get it up to the boat a six-foot long barracuda had munched everything but the head. Then it aggressively lunged a third of its body out of the water after the king mackerel’s head several times, demonstrating its determination, awesome power, and sharp teeth. We left the rig and found another shrimp boat. Brian said, “Fish gather under the shrimp boats late in the day to get out of the sun and to attack bait fish.” I flipped a croaker near the shrimp boat and watched through the clear water as a 45-pound ling inhaled the bait fish. The ling tested my spinning rig by sounding and running, and the fight was long, but my gear held up and Brian finally gaffed the fish. At the end of the day we had nine fish of five different species in the ice chest: king mackerel, ling, mangrove snapper, dorado, and vermilion snapper. September is a great time to wade, kayak, or boat-drift the shorelines for redfish.

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was when red snapper populations began their serious decline. Now we are purposely heading back to those conditions, except for much stricter catch regulations and new fishing seasons. Texas allows red snapper fishing in state waters to nine miles offshore all year round, and these fish will not be accessible to boats with a Federal Reef Fish permit when the Federal waters season is closed. However, a lot fewer snappers are found in these shallow waters, and they will be fished very hard. My own biased hope is for the Gulf states for follow through on their plan to somehow take control of all fisheries in the Gulf out to the US territorial limit of 200 miles, and return the red snapper fishery to Offshore waters are often calm, clear and loaded with bait fish and a great variety of

some semblance of sanity.

THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Galveston surf, including piers and jetties, bay reefs, sand flats, and tidal waters of bayous and rivers. SPECIES: Pretty much as inshore species are at a peak in September. BEST BAITS: Live or cut dead mullet, croaker, skipjack, or shad for reds and other larger fish, live shrimp and mud minnows get all the rest. BEST TIMES: Temperatures may become more pleasant than in August, but early, late and at night are still good bets. As always, tidal movement is the real key to fish feeding activity.

Email Mike Holmes at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com predators.

8/10/15 10:52 AM

UPPER MID Coast Hotspot Focus :: by Capt. CHRIS MARTIN

Flats Fishing Basics

LATS FISHING ANGLERS need to be aware of the following six variables that directly affect their wading environment if they stand any chance—fish movement, fishing locale, structure, tide, water temperature and condition, and wind direction. If you already consider yourself seasoned

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at flats fishing, then you’ve probably already used some combination of any of those six flats fishing components, and you’ve probably already prospered to some degree as a direct result. If you want to be ahead of the game when wade-fishing the flats, you’ll need to find a stretch of shoreline that tends to hold high concentrations of fish. There are a lot of reasons why fish may choose one area over the next, but a few of the more natural reasons why fish go to the flats are water temperature, a steady food supply, and a sense of protection. Trout relish a water temperature of about 76 degrees, and they will often swim until they locate it. Because the shallow water covering the flats will always heat-up faster than deep-water, the flats will most always have higher water temperatures. Skinny water atop the flats also appeals to fish for yet another important reason, and that’s protection. Trout and baitfish alike are lured to the flats for the sense of security they feel in shallow water. Most flats fishing pays off best when the surface temperature is in the mid-to-upper 70s range. Whenever the water temperature soars higher than 78 degrees, most large trout tend to move out to deep water, with few visits back to skinny flats until nightfall or early morning hours. This means that your best shot at a big trout during the heat of the day will be around flats that have immediate access to deeper water. The water temperature can be considerably cooler at a deeper depth, and placing your bait just a few inches deeper can sometimes make a tremendous difference. Aside from temperature, there’s another basic element to successful flats fishing and that’s water condition. Clear green, green, or sandy green are generally the only three acceptable water conditions for catching trout atop the flats. It’s futile to attempt artificial bait fishing along the flats in anything less than sandy-green water conditions. Large trout have been, at times, taken in T E X A S

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off-colored or muddy water, but the odds are greatly against the angler attempting to do so. The second of the three natural reasons why fish go to the flats is food. As the shallows of the flats warm, trout and baitfish alike will move back to the flats during a rising tide. Baitfish journey into the back lake areas and will often move in or out of these lakes based solely on rising or falling tides. Trout will be in these areas at the same tide times. They will stage themselves just beyond mouths of inlets and coves where they will wait to ambush baitfish going in or out on the given tide. These are prime flats fishing areas when you connect with the right tide. I prefer the time immediately following the peak of an intense high tide when there’s just enough current to keep the water moving at a slow pace. This time of the year, winds are another factor that wade-anglers must consider whenever searching for trout on the flats. You should fish the flats on days with light, variable winds, or days when the wind is blowing out of the south or southeast. These winds will provide anglers with ideal, green water conditions while out on the flats. But probably the single most important thing to remember when fishing the flats is for you to enjoy every minute of it. Most of us don’t get to fish as much as we would like to, so learn to make the most of it whenever possible. Good luck!

Contact Capt. Chris Martin at bayﬂatslodge@gmail.com or visit bayﬂatslodge.com

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ROCKPORT Area Hotspot Focus :: by Capt. MAC GABLE

Do We Fish Alone or Not?

T’S INEVITABLE—NO MATTER how good a friend an angler has, he or she will on occasion eventually have to fish alone. The way the world is now it’s just common sense that schedules, families, work, health (pick your poison) will sometimes get in the way of a well-planned fishing trip or outing. Then again, I was reminded recently there are always exceptions to every rule. This story was shared with me quite some time ago. He never really understood what all the hoopla and excitement was about where fishing was concerned. In his mind it was basically disguising something to be other than it really was. In the case of fishing, it was either some kind of bait or a lure that flashes and dashes so it resembled anything but a snagging device. Therein was the rub. It always involved a hook whose modus operandi was to snag and then drag said fooled fish to the person operating the pole. He had once been hooked and didn’t like it one damn bit because he wasn’t a fish. Like the many hurdles he faced every day, he liked to believe avoiding a hook was just a fish’s fact of life. So for reasons his best friend never understood, he never wanted to fish and he never did. He did love being on the water. Actually, he just loved the water, period. It was his calling. The stupidity of the world went away when he was on, near, or in the water. It kept him young. Drinks were better drunk on the water, food was better eaten on the water, his life was better lived on the water, and friendship was better

shared on the water. When he was told to be ready for an upcoming fishing trip by his BEST FRIEND he was ALWAYS ready and NEVER in 14 years missed a trip with his buddy. If he was honest it aggravated him that his buddy always gave him short notice before the fishing morning for he did have things to do, but he decided a long time ago it was a two way win. He loved his best friend and he loved the water; and besides, he had nothing else to do, but listen to the mindless rambling of the world going by, most of which he gave up trying to make sense of a long time ago. He was, and would always be, ready. The evening before their fishing trip there was always much activity, though his thoughts turned mostly toward what there would be to eat and drink on these much appreciated outings. He knew his best friend was in a frenzy—getting the boat ready, preparing lunches (his friend always had lunch for him), making sure there was plenty to drink.

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It made him exceedingly happy his favorite beverage was always on the boat, something his buddy did for him. He was fairly sure his friend dreamed the night before about the upcoming fishing day and probably had trouble sleeping due to the anticipation. He, on the other hand, slept just fine and never dreamed about catching a fish. The morning dawned early. He was up and as always, no words were spoken between the two. They both knew their role, unchanged for the past decade and a half. His buddy was the Captain. He therefore backed the trailer, launched the boat, and drove the boat. All was in the Captain’s hands while he patiently waited with appreciative gestures on the dock. He didn’t understand boat trailers, and understood boats even less, but he did know they were a lot of fun to be around and on. His gifts were much different, not to say they weren’t appreciated by his buddy, but it was understood between them he was not an angler nor a navigator, nor much good at anything mechanical, but his love for the

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Focus: ROCKPORT water over shadowed these shortcomings. His buddy, he believed, loved that about him. He never knew where they were going or really where they had been, but he felt confident the Captain could get them both back home if the need arose. He secretly knew because he didn’t fish, no competition between them reared its ugly, and the Captain seemed relaxed as compared to when another angler joined them on the boat. Potty breaks were a challenge at first, but he quickly got the hang of it. More than once his friend would say “For God’s sake, don’t turn pee green, go over the edge or whatever works for you.” They worked well together, and he learned (the hard way) not to rock the boat when it was his buddy’s turn to see a man about a dog (go pee). It only took one occasion to learn cell phones, wallets, and keys are not immune to saltwater when his buddy went overboard because he shifted the center of gravity by walking to the far side of the boat. He was afraid he wouldn’t be asked to come along anymore but all was soon forgotten, and his friend often laughed about it thereafter. He didn’t like cell phones anyway. They were unpredictable. They didn’t always catch fish, but when they did it was a celebration, especially if it was a keeper. I would get to inspect the fish and then the Captain would take a picture of the two of us as if I caught it. After putting the fish on ice he would say “It’s party time!” and we would break out the deer sausage and the water. He always served me ICE COLD beer to go along with it. He drank more than I did, but it was always good, and his deer sausage was to die for. One day I caught him looking at me in a very strange way. He had put his rod down and just looked at me. Not many words were ever spoken on the boat, but this day he said “Ole buddy, what is it you keep looking at out there on the water? You’ve seen it a thousand times, and I swear you’re looking at it like it’s all new to you.” I thought if I have to tell you then you wouldn’t understand anyway. Then, as he rarely did, he answered himself. “I shouldn’t

• • •

CARLOS BAY— Carlos Trench is good for trout using soft plastics such as morning glory jerk shad or salt and pepper sand eels with a chartreuse tail. The Third Chain Islands are good for black drum and reds using fresh dead shrimp. Use the lightest rig you can as this is a heavy shell area.

IS IT TOO HOT, is there still too much fresh water, are the fish heading for the fish

MESQUITE BAY— The shallow reefs CONTINUED ON PAGE 76 u

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have to ask, should I buddy?” He patted me on the shoulder and the conversation ended. He was considerate of me and as the day wound down, he would ask me (usually about ten times) “Well, you about ready? It’s getting close to dinner thirty. Well, five more minutes, and we’ll head back.” Back at the dock he again did all the docking, loading, and cleaning of fish. I stayed out of the way, ready to support should the need arise. I always tried to let him know how much I admired his skills. He never offered me any fish due to my dietary restrictions, even though I hinted at it sometimes. I was not about to beg a filet or two as one can’t lose one’s self-respect, but had he known just how much I wanted some he would have given me a bite. He always saw I got my supper before his own even though he was hungry and tired. At the closing of our fishing day he would always say “Thanks for going fishing with me, we’ll do it again.” As I look back I can’t for the life of me understand why he always took me along. I wasn’t much help, I didn’t fish and he rarely said much to me, but I always knew he wanted me there and we enjoyed each other’s company, not in a chitty-chatty kinda way but more we just liked to be in each other’s space. We were quite different in many ways and got on each other’s nerves, but if I were still there I know he would want me to greet him in the morning, and share his fishing day. My collar still resides in his boat box, my water/beer bowl is still in his hull, and the soft piece of carpet he cut for me under his console is still there. I wish I could have spent the rest of his days with him, but Labradors don’t live much past 15 years you see. Truth is he still talks to me, he still celebrates a caught fish by pouring beer in my dog bowl, and he still thinks of me as he looks at my old pillow just before he heads off to bed. He will never fish alone you know. Yeah, he was my best friend.

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passes, deep or shallow, shrimp, croaker, piggys, or mullet? Ah yes welcome to 2015. This year has been one of the most diverse, and we are still within hurricane range so hold on tight. The answer is yes to all the above. The anglers who want to hook up will consider all these factors as we move through this month. If we get some freak early cold fronts, EARLY COLD FRONTS YOU SAY???!!! Well, in 1995 the low was 53, in 2000 it was 55, and in 2010 it was 61. If we get these early cold spells, ply the deeper passes using live bait. If warmer weather holds true, work shallow water on early mornings; midday, medium to deep water, and late evening go shallow again. COPANO BAY – I like the mouth of Mission Bay this time of year especially early morning using free-lined finger mullet for reds and piggy perch for trout. The west shoreline just up from Turtle Pens is a good place for black drum using fresh dead / frozen shrimp. I catch some reds here as well. ARANSAS BAY— There are still some trout in the deep water edges on the north side of Mud Island. These fish have been fished hard by local guides but there are still some good catches using piggy perch and croaker. Scotch Tom Reef is good for trout and some black drum using live shrimp on a light Carolina rig. A tidal movement is best when fishing this reef. ST CHARLES BAY— The mouth of Cavasso Creek is good for trout using croaker free-lined. The northwest shoreline close to Salt Creek is a good place for reds using cut mullet on a light Carolina rig.

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8/10/15 10:52 AM

LOWER Coast Hotspot Focus :: by CALIXTO GONZALES

A Short Fall Hop

O IT’S SATURDAY. YOUR favorite high school football team just got blasted, BLASTED by four touchdowns on Friday night. Your college team is idle, the Cowboys don’t play until Monday night, and even the Texans are the late game on Sunday. You can’t start bird hunting until 12:01, and besides it’s so durned hot that the birds won’t start flying until dusk. That means you really don’t have much to do all day, unless you want to get to the Honey Do list on the fridge, and we all know how badly you want to do that. So, what’s the Texas outdoorsman to do on such a day? Well, you could ding a ling, if you were so inclined. Cobia tend to form into pods of three or four fish in July and cruise around both fixed and mobile structure and can appear surprisingly close to shore in summer and early fall. Their size, brute strength, and superlative table qualities make them a prize for any offshore boat that happens upon them and can latch onto one. Most boats come across ling by happy coincidence. The fish come calling as a boat is anchored on top of snappers or they are trolling for pelagics around an offshore rig or shrimp boat. The fish are plentiful enough that they can be looked at as a “targeted bonus.” Many anglers, in fact catch a quick state limit of snappers off the short rocks around Port Mansfield, and then start sniffing around for the man in the brown suit. The easiest way is to locate the food, such as the free meals that are provided by shrimp boats culling their catch. “You’ll find some lings sniffing around the shrimp boats,” said Richard Bailey, owner of Coyote Arms and South Texas Hydro.

“You’ll be out there catching bonita and blackfin, and all of a sudden a couple will pop out from under the boat to see what’s going on.” It isn’t that hard to tempt these big, brown suckers, either. A chunk of the same bait that makes up the shrimper’s cull will suffice. Pin the bait on the hook, toss it in front of the ling’s nose, and watch him slurp it down. Set the hook, and hang on. The maddening thing about ling is that they are sometimes surprisingly finicky. I’ve been in situations where they will turn up their broad brown noses at almost anything you throw at them: menhaden, cut bait, live hardtails, and dynamite. My old mentor, Captain Larry Corbett, showed me a little getup he called a “ling thing” that seemed to work even on the most discriminating cobia. A “ling thing” was nothing special, really. It was a size 8/0 O’Shaughnessy hook (yes, the same hook used on catfish trotlines) with a white plastic skirt rigged onto it. Corbett explained that the oversized eye on the O’Shaughnessy prevents the skirt from coming off and riding up the leader. Onto the hook, he also threaded a large squid, much like you would a soft plastic. The rubber skirt provided both buoyancy and some added action, while the squid provided the pre-requisite scent and flavor. The setup would land in the water with very little sound—a plus when fish are spooky— and sank slowly. The skirt would flare out with a twitch of the rod, which made the squid seem alive and ready to flee. Lings that came up to inspect the bait couldn’t pass it up. The only problem was that sometimes, a smaller ling than the one you have been focused on would intercept the bait before Mr. Big could bite. That’s a happy problem to have, though. Some anglers may lack access to a boat that can get them offshore to chase ling and snapper. In that case, they may want take a short jaunt to the east side of Padre Island for some easy access to some very good fishing for speckled trout and redfish. The grassy flats north of the Convention T E X A S

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Center is a popular spot for small boat and shore bound anglers. These flats are easily accessible to the walk-in angler. Fishermen then can wade across the hard sand bottom to the grass line 100-200 yards from shore. Kayak fishermen can paddle even farther out to where the water dips to three or four feet. The sand/grass boundary is a good early morning spot to wade for speckled trout that use the change in bottom to ambush baitfish. Kayakers who scull past the grass line will find potholes of sand scattered throughout the flats. For the more adventurous kayaker, a little farther north and east is the area called The “Color Change,” which is a known hot spot for trout. Sharp shoot around these holes with gold spoons, soft plastics, and topwaters. Keep a keen eye for redfish tailing throughout the area, because they’ll be forming pods and foraging through the area. Of course, live shrimp fished under a popping cork or Mansfield Mauler is the traditional go-to rig for shore-bound waders. You will always see a few hoofers pulling the familiar yellow bait bucket behind them. Fishermen who spurn the yellow bucket can have a try with one of the myriad of shrimp imitations on the market. 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 six to seven feet deep in points, and you can get an unwelcomed soaking if you aren’t careful. Also, don’t forget to shuffle your feet. Stingrays love to hide out in the sandy bottom, and it doesn’t take a very large one to end your day with a barb in your heel or ankle. Finally, watch for the occasional shark fin. Small sharks, mostly under four feet, have been reported prowling the areas, especially later in the month.

Email Calixto Gonzales at ContactUs@ﬁshgame.com

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EHRENS

Texas HOTSPOTS

UPPER 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.

Galveston Trout Go for a Dollar by TOM BEHRENS

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Dollar Reef GPS: N 29 26.3389, W 94 52.356 (29.4390, -94.8726)

LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Mosquito Island Flats GPS: N 29 23.484, W 94 53.08 (29.3914, -94.8847)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: “She Pups and Baby Spooks,” says Marcaccio for his choice on topwater lures. “I like the black/chrome and bone colors.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio

to be a brighter purple color that seems to work better than plum.” LOCATION: Galveston Bay HOTSPOT: Half Moon Shoal GPS: N 29 23.245, W 94 50.0389 (29.3874, -94.8340)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: “Fish the bottom tier water. The top part of water may still be fresh from the rains.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: “Put a exclamation point behind Slamin Chicken,” said Marcaccio. “Slamin Chicken seems

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Hanna’s Reef GPS: N 29 28.92, W 94 43.6559 (29.4820, -94.7276)

HOTSPOT FOCUS: ROCKPORT

AYERS BAY— The Second Chain side of Ayers is a good place for black drum

and gaff top using squid and frozen shrimp under a cork. The southeast shoreline is a good wade for trout using free-lined croaker. There are numerous alligators in this area, so be careful. For those who don’t mind a long wade, the cut between St. Charles Bay and Aransas Bay is a good place to spend a morning, or better yet, an evening. Use free-lined shrimp here and work the current that frequents this cut. Reds and trout like this area, and I catch black drum here as well. Be mindful that this is the main thoroughfare between these two

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on the north side of the bay close to East Pocket are really good late evening reefs for reds. Finger mullet free-lined or on a light Carolina rig work best. The opening that goes into the ICW just off of Bludworth Island is a good place for reds in late evening. This area gets a lot of boat traffic, but for those with patience it can be very productive.

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bay systems, so be respectful and try to keep your line away from boats. Here’s wishing you tight lines, bent poles, and plenty of bait.

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

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Texas HOTSPOTS CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordafishing.com TIPS: “The bull red is going on in September and it’s a great time to fish the jetty or drive down the beach in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Use a long rod, cast out the mullet and catch redfish.” Capt. Tommy Countz

Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Pepper Grove GPS: N 29 27.838, W 94 41.635 (29.4640, -94.6939)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: Marcaccio believes that the Galveston Bay system will still be feeling the affects of the spring and early rains. LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Hanna’s Reef GPS: N 29 28.7029, W 94 45.703 (29.4784, -94.7617)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “The downside of all the fish on the deep reefs of East Bay, is concern over whether the catches are depleting the resource.” Capt. Paul Marcaccio LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Artificial Reef GPS: N 29 30.7333, W 94 39.9 (29.5122, -94.6650)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: Hanna’s Reef is probably one of the best deep reefs in East Bay, usually producing lots of trout deep on the reef. LOCATION: Galveston East Bay HOTSPOT: Deep Reef GPS: N 29 30.802, W 94 40.581 (29.5134, -94.6764)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@goﬁshgalveston.com www.goﬁshgalveston.com TIPS: Marcaccio ‘s favorite soft plastic colors in September are Limetreuse, plum/chartreuse and pearl.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Corkys or soft plastics with 1/8ounce lead head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordaﬁshing.com TIPS: “The reefs are sticking up out of the water and you can wade them.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Half Moon Shoal GPS: N 28 43.374, W 95 46.2299 (28.7229, -95.7705)

SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Cut Mullet T E X A S

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordaﬁshing.com TIPS: “If you catch some calm winds, try wading some of mid bay reefs in East Bay.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Raymond Shoal GPS: N 28 39.791, W 95 54.778 (28.6631, -95.9129)

LOCATION: Matagorda HOTSPOT: Jetty GPS: N 28 25.0529, W 96 19.3799 (28.4176, -96.3230) SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics CONTACT: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041 captpaul@gofishgalveston.com www.gofishgalveston.com TIPS: “The East Bay open bay reefs have a tremendous amount of fish on them.” said Capt.

LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay HOTSPOT: Drull’s Lump GPS: N 28 42.2879, W 95 50.064 (28.7048, -95.8344)

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Texas HOTSPOTS shoreline of West Matagorda Bay, when we start getting better tides.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Greens GPS: N 29 44.8302, W 95 10.1628 (28.490721, -96.22523)

S S

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Corkys or soft plastics with 1/8ounce lead head CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordafishing.com TIPS: “A lot of times we will find schooling redfish while wading the east end of East Bay.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Oyster Lake GPS: N 28 36.8999, W 96 10.998 (28.6150, -96.1833)

MIDDLE COAST SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordaﬁshing.com TIPS: “Watch for two or three gulls working along the shoreline, next to grass.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Cottons GPS: N 28 30.45, W 96 12.384 (28.5075, -96.2064)

SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordaﬁshing.com TIPS: “In September I spend a lot of time in some of the back lakes throwing topwaters at the schooling reds.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay HOTSPOT: Crab Lake GPS: N 28 40.2, W 96 3.012 (28.6700, -96.0502)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordafishing.com TIPS: “The birds, moving along, are feeding on shrimp. It’s usually redfish pushing the shrimp.” Capt. Tommy Countz LOCATION: Sabine Pass HOTSPOT: Jetty GPS: N 29 39.3139, W 93 49.8719 (29.6552, -93.8312)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Topwaters and soft plastics CONTACT: Capt. Tommy Countz 281-450-4037 tcountz@sbcglobal.net www.matagordafishing.com TIPS: “We will also look for redfish along the north

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: 4-inch soft plastics

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CONTACT: Capt. Bill Watkins 409-673-9211 9782018@sbcglobal.net www.ﬁshsabinelake.com TIPS: “Fish early in the morning up against the rocks. Later as the boat trafﬁc increases, drop down to 10-12 feet of water.” Capt. Bill Watkins

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Spoiler Alert for Upper Laguna by TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: 74 Spoil GPS: N 27 34.284, W 97 16.3549 (27.5714, -97.2726)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: 4-inch soft plastic paddle tails CONTACT: Capt. Levi Price 830-613-1865 captlevi@tstar.net captlevi@tstar.net TIPS: Price likes the Bass Assassin soft plastics in strawberry/chartreuse, Chicken-on-a-Chain and the pumpkin/chartreuse colors. LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay HOTSPOT: Demit Island GPS: N 27 41.473, W 97 14.6659 (27.6912, -97.2444)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or Piggy Perch CONTACT: Capt. Levi Price 830-613-1865 captlevi@tstar.net G A M E ®

9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas HOTSPOTS TIPS: “When you are drifting for trout keep your eyes open. You never know when you might drift up on a half acre of redﬁsh migrating in the bays.” Capt. Levi Price

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: King Ranch Shoreline GPS: N 27 29.134, W 97 21.1079 (27.4856, -97.3518)

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Emmorts Hole GPS: N 27 30.186, W 97 19.734 (27.5031, -97.3289)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker CONTACT: Capt. Mark Robinson 361-550-1081 www.facebook.com/capt-Mark-Robinson TIPS: “We jerk the rod three or four times hard, shake it, and gives off the ‘brrrr’ noise.” Capt. Mark Robinson

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker CONTACT: Capt. Mark Robinson 361-550-1081 www.facebook.com/capt-Mark-Robinson TIPS: “I always tell my customers to shake it real hard. That pulls the croaker off the bottom. Usually pretty quick after that you get your bite.” Capt. Mark Robinson LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Laguna Flats GPS: N 27 33.402, W 97 17.8679 (27.5567, -97.2978)

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SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish BEST BAITS: Live Croaker or Piggy Perch CONTACT: Capt. Levi Price 830-613-1865 captlevi@tstar.net captlevi@tstar.net TIPS: Price’s game plan to fish for trout early in the morning, then looking for redfish later in the day.

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9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas HOTSPOTS ers.

LOWER COAST

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: South Bay GPS: N 26 1.694, W 97 10.327 (26.0282, -97.1721)

Bafﬁn Specks Get Tide Up SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: 4-inch soft plastic paddle tails CONTACT: Capt. Levi Price 830-613-1865 captlevi@tstar.net TIPS: Lead heads: “If I’m wade ﬁshing it will be a 1/16 ounce head; from the boat a 1/4 or 3/8 ouch head. It depends on the win speed.” Capt. Levi Price

by CALIXTO GONZALES and TOM BEHRENS LOCATION: Bafﬁn Bay HOTSPOT: Tide Gauge Bar GPS: N 27 18.2479, W 97 27.5929 (27.3041, -97.4599)

LOCATION: Gulf of Mexico HOTSPOT: North Jetty GPS: N 26 4.121, W 97 8.718 (26.0687, -97.1453)

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Long Bar GPS: N 26 8.349, W 97 14.194 (26.1392, -97.2366)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker CONTACT: Capt. Mark Robinson 361-550-1081 www.facebook.com/capt-Mark-Robinson TIPS: “We free line croaker, using a Chatter Weight, with a 20 inch, 30 pound monoﬁlament leader and a 5/0 Mustad Ultra Point hook.” Capt. Mark Robinson

SPECIES: Kingfish BEST BAITS: Ribbonfish, live mullet, 1 ounce Rat-L-Traps. CONTACT: Captain Layne Levens281-705-5537 TIPS: Ribbonfish under a balloon can drift out away from the rocks. If you have a 12’ surf rod, you can also try zinging a big lipless crankbait out where the lunkers lurk and burn it back.

LOCATION: Bafﬁn Bay HOTSPOT: Green 9 GPS: N 27 15.9419, W 97 27.4009 (27.2657, -97.4567)

LOCATION: Gulf of Mexico HOTSPOT: Port Isabel Reef GPS: N 25 57.736, W 97 3.577 (25.9623, -97.0596)

SPECIES: Mangrove Snapper BEST BAITS: Live bait, cut squid, White bucktails. CONTACT: Captain Layne Levens 281-705-5537 TIPS: Use live ﬁnger mullet to latch into some bigger than average mangrove snapper. Judicious use of chum will bring them to the surface, where you can free-line your bait. Use ﬂuorocarbon lead-

LOCATION: Bafﬁn Bay HOTSPOT: ICW Spoils GPS: N 27 16.6739, W 97 23.821 (27.2779, -97.3970)

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SPECIES: Speckled trout BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, Shrimp tail/popping cork, and soft plastics in red/white, Tequila Gold. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Sharpshoot potholes with the bait or shrimptail under a Mauler or rattle cork. Try fan casting with soft plastics during low-light conditions. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Three Islands GPS: N 26 16.95, W 97 14.194 (26.2825, -97.2366)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Live Croaker CONTACT: Capt. Mark Robinson 361-550-1081 www.facebook.com/capt-Mark-Robinson TIPS: Robinson says the Chatter Weight really makes a difference. “The croaker gives it noise when it starts swimming around.”

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SPECIES: Black Drum BEST BAITS: Live shrimp, fresh shrimp. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581 TIPS: Fish the edge of the channels with live or fresh bait. A split shot helps the bait descend slowly. If the current is running, you may need a bottom rig.

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SPECIES: Redﬁsh BEST BAITS: Live bait, gold spoons, and soft plastics. CONTACT: Captain Jimmy Martinez 956-551-9581

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9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas HOTSPOTS TIPS: Fish soft plastics on 1/8 ounce or 1/16 once jigs. If you are having a problem with ﬂoating grass try a weedless gold spoon. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre HOTSPOT: Marker 67 GPS: N 26 13.877, W 97 16.178 (26.2313, -97.2696)

BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics in LSU, Black/Chartreuse CONTACT: Captain Jeff Neu 979-942-0164 TIPS: Tarpon will be cruising up and down the beachfront in the summer. When the wind is down and “ice cream” conditions prevail, an angler can run his boat out and watch for the shallows of these silver marauders

• • •

SPECIES: Flounder BEST BAITS: Live bait, soft plastics in pearl, Smoke. CONTACT: Captain Mike Knox 956-243-0039 TIPS: Fish the weedline along the edge of the ICW. Look for cuts into the weeks and sharpshoot into them. Use a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce jighead and ﬁsh slowly. LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre @ Port Mansﬁeld HOTSPOT: Marker 151 GPS: N 26 31.89, W 97 23.26 (26.5315, -97.3877)

SPECIES: Redfish BEST BAITS: Gold Spoons, soft plastics in LSU CONTACT: Captain Jeff Neu 979-942-0164 TIPS: Wade or drift the deep potholes in the area with topwaters, soft plastics, spoons, or your favorite redfish lures to find pods of reds cruising the flats in this area LOCATION: Port Mansfield HOTSPOT: Beachfront GPS: N 26 35.704, W 97 17.151 (26.5951, -97.2859)

SPECIES: Tarpon

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Texas HOTSPOTS Keith318-455-3437 caddoguide1@att.net www.caddolakeﬁshing.com TIPS: Fish the hydrilla grass and lily pads out on the main lake ﬂats using the above lures. Watch for bass schooling and any areas where you have birds feeding on shad. Throw dark colors early and on cloudy days and lighter colors on bright days.

PINEY WOODS

Toledo White Bass Turn Green by DUSTIN WARNCKE

LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 26.226, W 95 35.508 (30.4371, -95.5918)

LOCATION: Toledo Bend HOTSPOT: Green Willow Point (Myrek Reach) GPS: N 31 46.266, W 93 50.0219 (31.7711, -93.8337)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Pop’rs and Spinnerbaits CONTACT: Richard Tatsch (936)291-1277 admin@fishdudetx.com www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: With the first cold fronts of the year beginning to move in the bass will begin to feed on shad in preparation for the cold weather when they will begin to selectively feed. This is good for us fishermen who enjoy the top water bite and the aggressive strikes that a spinnerbait can bring. If you’re on the water this time of year immediately after a cold front (up to the 3rd day after) and it is at daylight or an overcast day locate the rip rap rock around the lake and start by throwing a small single blade spinner bait at the rocks then retrieving it back at a very fast rate where the bait is waking the surface. This is a very productive and very fast way to catch a number of fish that will attempt to pull the rod out of your hand. The next thing to try would be a Pop’r. Work this bait in the same areas and alternate between the spinnerbait to determine which they want on that particular day.

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Traps, Tail Spinners, Slab Spoons, shallow diving crank baits CONTACT: Greg Crafts, Toledo Bend Guide Service and Lake Cottages 936-368-7151 gregcrafts@yahoo.com www.toledobendguide.com TIPS: The Whites will be schooling off the main lake points, road beds, tree lines and boat lanes. Use a Rat-L-Trap or other shallow diving bait when the fish are breaking the surface. When they go down switch to a slab spoon or drag a tail spinner. The Whites will usually school in the same areas around the same time of day. Look for any birds dive-bombing the baitfish that the Whites have pushed to the surface. Toledo Bend has been ranked the number one fishery in the country for 2015 by Bassmaster’s top 100 list of lakes in the country. LOCATION: Caddo Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Flats GPS: N 32 44.0405, W 94 6.474 (32.7340, -94.1079)

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SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad, slabs, spoons, Tsunami Slim Wade 1 oz. chrome w/ green prism CONTACT: David S Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602 dave@palmettoguideservice.com www.palmettoguideservice.com TIPS: Bounce baits off the bottom. Best times for fishing are early morning and late evening. Watch for schooling fish. Best fishing is with a north wind less than 10 mph or no wind.

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Whites & Hybrids Heat Cooper Up by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER

SPECIES: White Bass BEST BAITS: Live shad/slabs CONTACT: Carey Thorn |

LOCATION: Lake Livingston HOTSPOT: Ben Shot Lake GPS: N 30 42.246, W 95 9.276 (30.7041, -95.1546)

• • •

LOCATION: Lake Fork HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 31 53.2236, W 95 39.048 (31.8871, -95.6508)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Plastic frogs, V&M Thundershad Swimbait, V&M Swim Jig CONTACT: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul

469-528-0210 thorn_alex@yahoo.com TexasOklahomaFishingGuide.com TIPS: Lake Fork is alive with nighttime fishing. After I launch, I turn my green lights on and within 5-10 minutes I have BIG Black bass and giant White Bass circling the boat chasing the bait in my lights. Any given moment you can see 30 to 50 fish all night long. The main thing I am after is the White Bass. The Sandies are giants. Average size is 17 inches and we have caught a couple up to 21 inches. I also have submersible green lights that I can drop next to timber and put the battery on top of the stump. I’ll come back 15-20 minutes later and they are full of fish. For a newbie to fishing, you might end up breaking off more than you catch when in the timber. If we keep breaking off, I will putter out to a point and anchor away from the trees, preventing multiple break offs. The action is addictive no matter what part of the lake we fish.

LOCATION: Cooper Lake HOTSPOT: Harper’s Crossing/Main Lake Humps G A M E ®

9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas HOTSPOTS GPS: N 33 18.6539, W 95 38.844 (33.3109, -95.6474)

SPECIES: White Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass BEST BAITS: 1 1/2oz slabs CONTACT: Tony Parker’s Guide Service (903)348-1619 tawakonifishing@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/tonyparker.fishingguide TIPS: With all the rain this spring and summer Cooper Lake is in better shape than it has been in several years. The fishing is as good as it has been in years. I will be catching hybrids and sandbass on 1-1/2oz slabs. I will locate schools on my electronics on the side of main lake humps such as harpers crossing. Once I locate the fish I will hold over the top of them and fish the slab vertical. Also be on the lookout for schooling action on and around the humps. LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Bridges GPS: N 32 18.3239, W 96 6.738 (32.3054, -96.1123)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Cj’s Punch bait, shad CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Fish10-12 foot of water. This spot is next to an old roadbed with stumps. Water is still hot so look for fish close to bottom. Tight line or cork works well here.

LOCATION: Granbury HOTSPOT: Mid Lake Humps GPS: N 32 26.404, W 97 46.977 (32.4401, -97.7830)

LOCATION: Gibbons Creek HOTSPOT: Eagle Point GPS: N 30 37.92, W 96 2.7899 (30.6320, -96.0465)

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Live minnows and small jigs (best color, electric chicken) CONTACT: Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters 817-578-0023 www.unfairadvantagecharters.com TIPS: Fish for suspended ﬁsh near humps, deep water by bridges or docks close to channel ledges. Jigs tipped with small live bait can bring on the bite. Granbury levels continue to be full and all ramps are open. All species continue to be in their summer patterns as the lake temperatures are in the upper 80’s and low 90’s. This submerged brush, which was covered back in May, continues to be great structure for bass.

SPECIES: Catﬁsh BEST BAITS: Shad, cut bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.ﬁshtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Seven foot water here, use 2/0 Khale hook, set several rods around the boat. Fish pass here in and out of Sulphur Creek.

SPECIES: Crappie BEST BAITS: Jigs and minnows CONTACT: Jason Barber 903-887-7896 kingscreekadventures@yahoo.com www.kingscreekadventures.com TIPS: Fish in 12 to 24 feet and work the bait 3 to 5 feet off the bottom and around any brush you may ﬁnd. LOCATION: Fayette County HOTSPOT: South East Trees GPS: N 29 54.978, W 96 42.954 (29.9163, -96.7159)

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Texas HOTSPOTS LOCATION: Granger Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake Open Water Areas GPS: N 30 42.1919, W 97 20.6219 (30.7032, -97.3437)

SPECIES: Crappie and White bass BEST BAITS: 1/32 oz. marabou jigs for crappie and slab spoons for white bass CONTACT: Tommy Tidwell (512) 365-7761 crappie1@hotmail.com www.gotcrappie.com TIPS: September is the best month of the year for all around ﬁshing at Granger Lake. The ﬁsh have all been feeding heavily on shad all summer and are now very fat and thick bodied. This is the only time of year that a person could actually limit out on both crappie and white bass in the same day. The other good thing about this month is that very few

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people are on the lake and the weather is good with light winds. The crappie are holding in brush piles all over the lake and will hit a jig or minnow equally well. They are very shallow at this time of year. Some of the larger crappie are in no more than 4 feet of water. The white bass are schooling all along the ridges out from the dam. Find humps or ridges and position your boat over them. Use a slab spoon and bounce it off the bottom. The larger whites will be right on the bottom if you can get your lure through the smaller ﬁsh on top.

ers, buzz baits and frogs; Crappie: pink/blue jigs CONTACT: RICKY VANDERGRIFF 903-561-7299 OR 903-530-2201 RICKY@RICKYSGUIDESERVICE.COM www.RICKYSGUIDESERVICE.COM TIPS: Bass fishing seems to be best in 3-4 feet of water . For Bass, fish up near the grass back along the channels as well as around docks in County Line Creek and the back of Cobb Creek. For Crappie, fish under the 155 bridge around bridge piles.

LOCATION: Lake Palestine HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 32 7.596, W 95 29.1 (32.1266, -95.4850)

LOCATION: Lake Ray Hubbard HOTSPOT: Main Lake Reeds and Shoreline GPS: N 32 51.96, W 96 32.082 (32.8660, -96.5347)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass and Crappie BEST BAITS: Bass: Spinner baits, shimmy shak-

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Chugbug, Tiny Torpedos, buzz

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Texas HOTSPOTS baits, and spinnerbaits CONTACT: The Cajun Guide/Johnny Procell (972) 814-8942 cajunguide@att.net www.johnnyprocell.com TIPS: Due to the huge amount of water released from upstream (Lake Lavon) all the grass that normally grows in the upper lake was swept away and the river is free of all cover except for the reeds, which grow in great abundance along side the river channel. It is in those spots where big bass lurk and they will hit top water lures. Buzzbaits and spinnerbaits ﬁshed right against the shore will also provoke vicious strikes.

tom in ten to thirty foot depths. Coho minnow jigs in white glow color with a ¾ ounce jighead and a four-inch tail are perfect for these hungry stripers. Cast the jigs and use a medium retrieve. If you ﬁnd surfacing or swirling ﬁsh, cast the jig, hold your rod high and keep the jig sub-surface. Bank Access: Mill Creek Campsites LOCATION: Lake Whitney HOTSPOT: Striper Point GPS: N 31 54.858, W 97 23.064 (31.9143, -97.3844)

TIPS: Schooling sand bass will be on the flats South of the Marina, close to Culp Island. They will also be Southwest of Wolf Island. A Clear Topwater worked fast across the top, is a great way to catch them. An Alabama Rig worked thru the schools will catch numbers of fish fast. Rig them with a white Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer. Bouncing a 1oz slab below the schools near and on the bottom, can produce some quality fish. You may even end up with a

LOCATION: Lake Somerville HOTSPOT: Rock Island Shoreline GPS: N 30 18.708, W 96 31.674 (30.3118, -96.5279)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Shad, Liver, Cj’s punch bait CONTACT: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103 weldon_edna@hotmail.com www.fishtales-guideservice.com TIPS: Water depth drops off quick here. Fish straight down by boat after chumming. Best to use tight line with 1/2 oz. sinker. Fish here through September. LOCATION: Lake Texoma HOTSPOT: Texas Flats and Mill Creek flats GPS: N 33 51.846, W 96 48.756 (33.8641, -96.8126)

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Slabs and Coho Minnow Jigs CONTACT: Bill Carey 903-786-4477 bigﬁsh@striperexpress.com www.striperexpress.com TIPS: Stripers are moving out of the deep water and roaming the ﬂats in September. The lures of choice are slabs and jigs. Vertically jig one-ounce chrome, white, and chartreuse slabs along the bot-

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Cut Gizzard Shad and top water lures and swim baits like the Redﬁn, pencil Popper and chartreuse 3” swim baits and lead heads. CONTACT: Randy Routh 817-822-5539 teamredneck01@hotmail.com www.teamredneck.net TIPS: Don’t go if you have a weak heart! There is nothing like catching big stripers on top water. Run the shoreline casting the big top water baits and swim baits up to the shoreline and work them back to the boat. Just remember DO NOT set the hook when they blow up, wait till you feel the rod load up! After the sun gets up back off to the same type areas and cut fresh gizzard shad and make long cats on main lake points and humps. Leave the reel disengaged with the clicker on. The ﬁsh will pick up the bait and make a run. When it stops set the hook and hang on. LOCATION: Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Culp Island Flats GPS: N 33 21.7596, W 97 4.594 (33.3627, -97.0766)

SPECIES: White bass BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Alabama rigs, swimbaits, slabs CONTACT: Dannie Golden - Get Bit Guide Service 817-228-5999 www.get-bit.com T E X A S

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Texas HOTSPOTS nice Catﬁsh on the slab.

TIPS: Check out the Highway 309 Flats in the early AM for Top Water Schooling White Bass. These “easy to catch” ﬁsh can be caught on Tiny Torpedos, Rat-L-Traps and just about any small, shiny lure you can ﬁnd in your tackle box. If you’re after their big cousin, the Hybrid Striper, tie on a DD22 Crank Bait and troll the 20’-25’ water off the levy just East of the Flats. Hang on cause you could tie into some really large bruisers!

LOCATION: Ray Roberts HOTSPOT: Main Lake Point GPS: N 33 23.5636, W 97 3.872 (33.3927, -97.0645)

• • •

SPECIES: Largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Spook-type topwaters, flukes, Senkos CONTACT: Dannie Golden - Get Bit Guide Service 817-228-5999 www.get-bit.com TIPS: September is a good month to start catching some numbers of Bass on Roberts. Now the big fish will still be tough to get. Last September I had some of the best topwater fishing I had ever had on Roberts. I believe the Zebra Mussels had a lot to do with that. The water color was very clear. Even after all of the record rains this year, the lake is already very clear. The fish will come a long way to get the topwater, in that clear water. I love a Bone or Clear Spook type bait. The Reaction Innovations Vixen is one of the best I have ever fished. There is something about the click that the Vixen makes, that really helps fire up those fish. Weightless flukes and Senkos are a great choice as well, this time of year. They are also great to follow up with, when a fish misses the topwater. I am still mainly fishing the main lake this time of year. We will start to get some cold fronts in September, but it will not cool the water enough to really start the fish up North. LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake HOTSPOT: 309 Flats GPS: N 31 58.716, W 96 6.87 (31.9786, -96.1145)

SPECIES: White Bass and Hybrid Stripers BEST BAITS: Tiny Torpedos, Rat-L-Traps and DD22 Crank Bait CONTACT: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117 simmonsroyce@hotmail.com www.goneﬁshin.biz

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PANHANDLE

Broadway Bass Hog PK Spotlight by DUSTIN WARNCKE and DEAN HEFFNER LOCATION: Possum Kingdom HOTSPOT: Broadway GPS: N 32 51.89, W 98 32.5 (32.8648, -98.5417)

• • •

SPECIES: Largemouth & white bass BEST BAITS: Spoons, slabs, crankbaits, topwaters, Little Georges CONTACT: Dean Heffner 940-329-0036 fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: Use your graph to follow the breaklines and look for ﬁsh stacked up. I start to use slabs and jigs this time of year but live bait is best. Also keep a topwater handy for schooling action as you can see along ways on Broadway and there’s still a lot of topwater activity, especially under the cloud cover. White bass are all over, and easy pickings— remember to back off the big motor and don’t spook ‘em. Largemouth bass are falling prey to spoons, slabs and crankbaits and just about anything else you drop on them. In some cases, especially around Sandy Beach, they may school up. LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry HOTSPOT: Main Lake Creeks GPS: N 33 1.914, W 101 6.4619 (33.0319, -101.1077)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Flukes or crankbaits CONTACT: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220 nclayton42@sbcglobal.net www.lakealanhenry.com/norman_clayton.htm TIPS: “Fishing in September should pick up as the new influx of water settles out. The new water covered so much green vegetation that the rotting of the weeds and trees has caused a change in the oxygen and PH of the water that the fish have really scattered for the cover. By now the bass should move back to their old places. As the water continues to warm from the hot summer days, the shad will school up into huge schools. All you will need to do is find the schools of shad and you will find the bass. Start looking at the mouths of the major creeks, and out over the channels of Grape, Little Grape, Ince, and Rocky Creeks. On calm days, the bass can be seen busting the shad on top. Get a fluke, or a crank bait in the middle of the commotion, and you should catch a lot of bass.”

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BIG BEND

Bass Trafﬁc Jam on Hwy 277 by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Amistad HOTSPOT: Highway 277 GPS: N29 30.32178, W100 54.9906 (29.505363, -100.91651)

SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: Zara spooks, Odom football jigs,

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9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas HOTSPOTS plastic lizards CONTACT: James Burkeen 830-734-9652 jjburkeen@gmail.com amistadbassin.com TIPS: The hydrilla is scattered in this area but thickening. Use Zara Spooks early, especially on cloudy days, and ﬁsh the points below the highways. At mid-morning, move out to the hydrilla where it drops off into deep water and work Odom football jigs in green-pumpkin or Falcon Craw colors. Texas-rigged plastic lizards also work good in the hydrilla. • • •

HILL COUNTRY

Turkey Time for Canyon Stripers by DUSTIN WARNCKE

melon red, blue ﬂeck, June bug, (if really sunny) watermelon candy (dip it in chartreuse).Go early remember to hydrate regularly with water, wear hat & sunglasses, sun screen and snacks.”

SPECIES: Bass and Crappie BEST BAITS: Worms, drop-shot rigs, crankbaits, buzzbaits and topwater baits CONTACT: Teach ‘Em to Fish Guide ServiceBarry Dodd 210-771-0123 barry@teachemtofish.net www.teachemtofish.net TIPS: Bass and crappie remain in their summer patters of holding near the thermocline, along deep-water ledges, points and cover. Look for both species along points intersecting with a significant depth change. Also look for vegetation near the main lake. Generally speaking, the best and most comfortable times to fish in this Texas heat are daybreak until 10 AM, after 7 PM and at night. The 1/3 of the lake closest to the dam will supply the best water temperature and oxygen content. There is a brush piles on this point and very good breaks and ledges into deeper water. Watch for schooling fish early.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: Turkey Creek Point GPS: N 29 51.7079, W 98 12.948 (29.8618, -98.2158)

LOCATION: Canyon Res. HOTSPOT: Canyon Lake Marina GPS: N 29 54.576, W 98 14.2979 (29.9096, -98.2383)

SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Hogie 4” Shad Salt Pepper Color CONTACT: Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230 steve@sanantonioﬁshingguides.com www.sanantonioﬁshingguides.com TIPS: Trolling this area with downriggers seems to produce the best catches. Set the downriggers from 20 to 40 feet deep and vary trolling speeds.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: ¼ oz. Shakey Head, Carolina rigged Watermelon flukes (1/2 oz. or ¾ oz. TruTungsten weights), Senko type baits Texas rigged or weightless, use flukes weightless as well CONTACT: KC’S Bassin’ Guide Service 210-823-2153 kandie@gvtc.com www.kcbassinguide.com TIPS: “Be sure and fish the point near the drop off slowly. Work the shallows early and then move into the deeper depths. Bass are in their later summer homes and with the weather being warm are not opt to be aggressive in nature. Use a good rod like A DENALI rod in heavy weight and 7’ for Carolina rigging. This rod can handle anything you get into and then some. Good summer colors include, water-

LOCATION: Canyon Lake HOTSPOT: North Park Point GPS: N 29 52.1579, W 98 12.36 (29.8693, -98.2060)

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LOCATION: Lake Austin HOTSPOT: Docks by Deep Water and OverHanging Brush GPS: N 30 19.464, W 97 50.316 (30.3244, -97.8386)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Pacemaker Jig, V&M Twin Tail Trailer, V&M Wild Craw Jr, Picasso Shock Blade, Picasso Tungsten Flipping Weight CONTACT: Brian Parker - Lake Austin Fishing 817-808-2227 lakeaustinfishing@yahoo.com www.LakeAustinFishing.com TIPS: September is typically a hot water month, which means these fish want to hide in the shadows. I enjoy flipping the Pacemaker Adrenaline jig with a V&M Twin Tail or Wild Craw trailer to each post of docks or skipping a my jig in the back of the docks. I also like flipping under heavy brush with a Picasso Tungsten Flipping weight (the only polished bore tungsten on the market) with a Wild Craw trailer. The good thing about flipping is you can cover water quickly and effectively by targeting areas that hold fish. If a dock reaches out into the lake, I’ll pick up a Picasso Shock Blade and run it beside the dock pilings for that reaction bite. It’s good to throw at the same pilings more than once to give them another chance if they missed it the first time. LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 47.01, W 98 25.0379 (30.7835, -98.4173)

SPECIES: Catﬁsh BEST BAITS: Cut bait CONTACT: Clancy Terrill 512-633-6742 centraltexasﬁshing@yahoo.com |

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Texas HOTSPOTS www.centraltexasfishing.com TIPS: Catfish seem to be good in 15 to 30 feet of water with cut bait or any usual catfish bait. You can jug fish or fish with rod and reel stationary or drifting with calm winds.

of the lake closest to the dam will supply the best water temperature and oxygen content. Work the inner vegetation very early with buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters and lipless cranks then move more to the weed line throwing lipped cranks and plastics after about 8 AM.

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 30 45.924, W 98 24.816 (30.7654, -98.4136)

• • •

this time of year since May is usually a spawning month. Use a ﬂoat rigged to 3 feet and move to another spot if you don’t get a bite within 10-15 minutes. LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 28 45.054, W 97 11.5799 (28.7509, -97.1930)

SOUTH TEXAS

Grassy Cats on Choke Canyon SPECIES: Striped Bass BEST BAITS: Topwater lures and live shad CONTACT: Ken Milam 325-379-2051 kmilam@verizon.net www.striperfever.com.com TIPS: The dog days of summer sometimes slow the stripers catching down but with the recent inﬂow of water into Lake Buchanan. Striper catching is GOOD! Top water action is good with any top water baits that splash and make a little noise! Stripers are like feeding half starved alligators, they’re always hungry!

by DUSTIN WARNCKE LOCATION: Choke Canyon Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N 28 29.274, W 98 22.8239 (28.4879, -98.3804)

LOCATION: Lake LBJ HOTSPOT: Kelly AFB Park Point GPS: N 30 33.732, W 98 20.988 (30.5622, -98.3498)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Punch bait, cut bait CONTACT: Charlie Brown 830-780-2162 TIPS: Since the lake came up, fishing around grass and willows in shallow water seems to be the ticket. Use a float rigged to 3-5 feet and move to another spot if you don’t get a bite within 10-15 minutes. LOCATION: Choke Canyon Res. HOTSPOT: Main Lake Shallow Areas GPS: N 28 29.2919, W 98 20.994 (28.4882, -98.3499)

SPECIES: Catfish BEST BAITS: Stink bait, cheese bait, or worms. CONTACT: Charlie Brown 830-780-2162 TIPS: Expect to find catfish in shallow water

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SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Trap Carolina rigged, topwater lures CONTACT: Rocky’s Guide Service361-960-0566 www.coletocreekguideﬁshing.com TIPS: “Here we are in the last hot month of the year. Bass should still be deep in the grass. Work the outside edges. Usually hydrilla will grow out to about twelve foot. I like to throw my CarolinaRigged Rat-L-Trap up to where the grass is around ﬁve foot and work it out, or even parallel on the deepest part or the very outside. Early morning should be explosive with top water baits. As always take plenty to drink and have lots of fun. LOCATION: Lake Falcon HOTSPOT: Dam Area GPS: N 26 33.648, W 99 9.738 (26.5608, -99.1623)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass BEST BAITS: Flukes, Senkos, deep diving crankbaits, brown/orange jigs CONTACT: Billy Tompkins/Bassin’ Billy’s Guide Service 281-928-1133 billy34@gmail.com www.LakeFalconFishing.com TIPS: Rocks are holding ﬁsh. Approach them with a Texas rig or Carolina rig and ﬁsh very slow. When throwing the crankbait make sure you are digging into the rocks and pause often.

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Sportsman’s DAYBOOK SEPTEMBER 2015

Tides and Prime Times

USING THE PRIME TIMES CALENDAR

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

T12

T11

T10 T9

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.

T8 T17

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

T15 T16

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

T13 T6

T3 T2 T1

T14

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

T18

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

T19

T20

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

T21

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

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

KEY T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

PLACE Sabine Bank Lighthouse Sabine Pass Jetty Sabine Pass Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass Galveston Bay, S. Jetty 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 T11 Round Pt, Trinity Bay +10:39

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

KEY T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17

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

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 T18 T19 T20 T21 T22 T23

PLACE HIGH San Luis Pass -0.09 Freeport Harbor -0:44 Pass Cavallo 0:00 Aransas Pass -0:03 Padre Island (So. End) -0:24 Port Isabel +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

Tab: Peak Fishing Period Green: Falling Tide

12a

12p

12a

AM/PM Timeline

Light Blue: Nighttime

BEST:

5:30 — 7:30 AM

Gold Fish: Best Time

Blue: Rising Tide Red Graph: Fishing Score

Blue Fish: Good Time

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY:

AM PM MINOR Minor: 1:20a Minor: 1:45p Feeding Periods AM PM (+/- 1.5 Hrs.) Major: 7:32a Major: 7:57p Time Moon is at its Moon Overhead: 8:50a Highest Point in the Sky 12a

AM/PM Timeline

90 |

12p

Moon Underfoot: 9:15p

S E P T E M B E R

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 90

MAJOR Feeding Periods (+/- 2 Hrs.)

12a

Time Moon is Directly Underfoot (at its peak on opposite side of the earth)

2 0 1 5

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

9/2/15 3:16 PM

SYMBOL KEY

BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Aug 31 « Sep 1 «

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day SEPTEMBER 2015 n = Best Day FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY DIGITAL EXTRA Tap for Customized Tide Charts

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

Tides and Prime Times WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

AM Minor: 7:13a

PM Minor: 7:41p

AM Minor: 8:14a

PM Minor: 8:42p

AM Minor: 9:16a

PM Minor: 9:44p

AM Minor: 10:17a

PM Minor: 10:45p

AM Minor: 11:16a

PM Minor: 11:44p

AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:12p

AM Minor: 12:38a

PM Minor: 1:04p

AM Major: 12:59a

PM Major: 1:27p

AM Major: 2:00a

PM Major: 2:28p

AM Major: 3:02a

PM Major: 3:30p

AM Major: 4:04a

PM Major: 4:31p

AM Major: 5:03a

PM Major: 5:30p

AM Major: 5:59a

PM Major: 6:26p

AM Major: 6:51a

PM Major: 7:17p

Moon Overhead: 2:39a 12a

6»

Set: 7:38p Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:37p Sunrise: 6:58a Set: 7:36p Set: 1:13p Moonrise: 12:20a Set: 2:11p Moonrise: 1:11a Set: 3:04p

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:30a

Moon Overhead: 3:34a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 5:25a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 7:15a

Moon Overhead: 6:20a 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Sunrise: 6:55a Set: 7:43p Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:42p Sunrise: 6:56a Set: 7:41p Sunrise: 6:57a Set: 7:40p Sunrise: 6:57a Moonrise: 9:13p Set: 8:54a Moonrise: 9:58p Set: 10:01a Moonrise: 10:44p Set: 11:07a Moonrise: 11:31p Set: 12:11p Moonrise: None

Moon Overhead: 8:08a 12a

12p

12a

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 3:06p

+2.0

-1.0

BEST: BEST: 8:30 — 10:30 PM 3:00 — 5:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 5:53p BEST: 4:00 — 6:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 6:48p BEST: 5:00 — 7:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 7:41p

Moon Underfoot: 8:34p

BEST: 6:00 — 8:00 AM

High Tide 6:08 AM Low Tide 11:55 AM High Tide 6:16 PM

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 91

+2.0

BEST: 1:00 — 3:00 PM

TIDE LEVELS

BEST: 7:30 — 9:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 4:57p

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 4:02p

1.50 ft 0.58 ft 1.52 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

12:15 AM 6:35 AM 12:48 PM 7:34 PM

0.55 ft 1.47 ft 0.39 ft 1.48 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

1:03 AM 7:02 AM 1:44 PM 9:00 PM

0.80 ft 1.45 ft 0.25 ft 1.45 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

1:55 AM 7:29 AM 2:47 PM 10:37 PM

1.05 ft 1.44 ft 0.15 ft 1.45 ft

Low Tide 2:57 AM High Tide 7:57 AM Low Tide 3:56 PM

1.26 ft 1.44 ft 0.10 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

12:24 AM 5:23 AM 8:27 AM 5:09 PM

1.50 ft 1.40 ft 1.43 ft 0.08 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

1:59 AM 8:14 AM 9:17 AM 6:21 PM

1.56 ft 1.40 ft 1.40 ft 0.08 ft

+1.0

-1.0

9/2/15 3:16 PM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day SEPTEMBER 2015 n = Best Day FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION = Peak Fishing Period

BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

MONDAY

Tides and Prime Times

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

SYMBOL KEY

11 «

12 «

13 l

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

AM Minor: 1:26a

PM Minor: 1:52p

AM Minor: 2:12a

PM Minor: 2:37p

AM Minor: 2:55a

PM Minor: 3:19p

AM Minor: 3:37a

PM Minor: 4:00p

AM Minor: 4:19a

PM Minor: 4:41p

AM Minor: 5:00a

PM Minor: 5:22p

AM Minor: 5:43a

PM Minor: 6:04p

AM Major: 7:39a

PM Major: 8:05p

AM Major: 8:24a

PM Major: 8:49p

AM Major: 9:07a

PM Major: 9:31p

AM Major: 9:49a

PM Major: 10:11p

AM Major: 10:30a

PM Major: 10:52p

AM Major: 11:11a

PM Major: 11:33p

AM Major: 11:53a

PM Major: 12:15p

Moon Overhead: 8:59a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:37a

Moon Overhead: 9:49a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 11:23a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 12:51p

Moon Overhead: 12:08p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:35p Sunrise: 6:59a Set: 7:34p Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:32p Sunrise: 7:00a Set: 7:31p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:30p Sunrise: 7:01a Set: 7:29p Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:28p Moonrise: 2:03a Set: 3:54p Moonrise: 2:57a Set: 4:39p Moonrise: 3:50a Set: 5:21p Moonrise: 4:43a Set: 5:59p Moonrise: 5:36a Set: 6:35p Moonrise: 6:27a Set: 7:10p Moonrise: 7:19a Set: 7:44p

Moon Overhead: 1:34p 12a

12p

12a

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 9:24p

+2.0

BEST: 3:30 —5:30 PM

BEST: 4:00 —6:00 PM

BEST: 2:30 —4:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 11:45p

Moon Underfoot: None

BEST: 5:00 —7:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:29a

BEST: 5:30 —7:30 PM

Moon Underfoot: 1:13a

BEST: 6:00 —8:00 PM

-1.0

+2.0

BEST: 6:30 —8:30 PM

TIDE LEVELS

Moon Underfoot: 11:00p

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:13p

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

3:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:53 AM 7:25 PM

1.59 ft 1.37 ft 1.39 ft 0.10 ft

MONDAY

14 «

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

3:38 AM 9:25 AM 12:18 PM 8:19 PM

1.59 ft 1.32 ft 1.39 ft 0.16 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

TUESDAY

4:05 AM 9:44 AM 1:29 PM 9:04 PM

1.56 ft 1.26 ft 1.42 ft 0.23 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

WEDNESDAY

1.53 ft 1.18 ft 1.45 ft 0.33 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

THURSDAY

15 «

4:26 AM 10:00 AM 2:29 PM 9:43 PM

4:44 AM 10:15 AM 3:23 PM 10:16 PM

1.49 ft 1.09 ft 1.48 ft 0.45 ft

FRIDAY

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

5:01 AM 10:33 AM 4:13 PM 10:44 PM

1.47 ft 0.99 ft 1.49 ft 0.58 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

SATURDAY

5:19 AM 10:56 AM 5:02 PM 11:11 PM

SUNDAY

20 º

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

PM Minor: 6:48p

AM Minor: 7:12a

PM Minor: 7:34p

AM Minor: 8:00a

PM Minor: 8:22p

AM Minor: 8:49a

PM Minor: 9:12p

AM Minor: 9:40a

PM Minor: 10:03p

AM Minor: 10:31a

PM Minor: 10:56p

AM Minor: 11:23a

PM Minor: 11:49p

AM Major: 12:16a

PM Major: 12:37p

AM Major: 1:02a

PM Major: 1:23p

AM Major: 1:49a

PM Major: 2:11p

AM Major: 2:38a

PM Major: 3:00p

AM Major: 3:28a

PM Major: 3:51p

AM Major: 4:19a

PM Major: 4:43p

AM Major: 5:11a

PM Major: 5:36p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:42p

12a

12p

12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:02p

Moon Overhead: 5:13p

Moon Overhead: 4:27p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

AM Minor: 6:27a

Moon Overhead: 2:59p

Moon Overhead: 6:52p 12a

12p

12a

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 1:55a

+2.0

-1.0

BEST: 7:00 —9:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 3:21a

Moon Underfoot: 4:05a

BEST: 8:00 —10:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:50a

BEST: 9:00 —11:00 AM

BEST: 9:30 —11:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 5:37a BEST: 10:00A —12:00P

Moon Underfoot: 6:26a

+2.0

BEST: 11:00A —1;00P

TIDE LEVELS

BEST: 6:30 —8:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 2:38a

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

-1.0

1.46 ft 0.89 ft 1.50 ft 0.71 ft

Sunrise: 7:02a Set: 7:26p Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:25p Sunrise: 7:03a Set: 7:24p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:23p Sunrise: 7:04a Set: 7:22p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:20p Sunrise: 7:05a Set: 7:19p Moonrise: 8:10a Set: 8:18p Moonrise: 9:01a Set: 8:53p Moonrise: 9:53a Set: 9:29p Moonrise: 10:45a Set: 10:06p Moonrise: 11:37a Set: 10:47p Moonrise: 12:30p Set: 11:31p Moonrise: 1:23p Set: None

Moon Overhead: 2:16p

+1.0

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

5:36 AM 11:23 AM 5:51 PM 11:37 PM

1.46 ft 0.79 ft 1.49 ft 0.85 ft

High Tide 5:54 AM Low Tide 11:54 AM High Tide 6:44 PM

TIDE CORRECTION TABLE

1.46 ft 0.72 ft 1.48 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

12:03 AM 6:09 AM 12:29 PM 7:42 PM

0.99 ft 1.45 ft 0.65 ft 1.47 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

12:30 AM 6:18 AM 1:07 PM 8:50 PM

KEY

PLACE

HIGH

LOW

KEY

Sabine Bank Lighthouse -1:46

-1:31

Galveston Channel/Bays

Sabine Pass Jetty

-1:26

-1:31

Sabine Pass

-1:00

-1:15

Mesquite Pt, Sab. Pass -0:04

-0:25

Galveston Bay, S. Jetty -0:39

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

Port Bolivar

PLACE

1.12 ft 1.45 ft 0.60 ft 1.46 ft

HIGH

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

LOW

1:00 AM 6:13 AM 1:50 PM 10:10 PM

1.26 ft 1.47 ft 0.56 ft 1.48 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

HIGH

LOW

1:32 AM 5:53 AM 2:41 PM 11:42 PM

1.38 ft 1.50 ft 0.52 ft 1.53 ft

Low Tide 2:14 AM High Tide 5:39 AM Low Tide 3:39 PM

KEY

PLACE

KEY

PLACE

HIGH

LOW

T12

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

T18

San Luis Pass

-0.09

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

T13

Gilchrist, East Bay

+3:16 +4:18

T19

Freeport Harbor

-0:44

-1:02

Eagle Point

+3:54 +4:15

T14

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

T20

Pass Cavallo

0:00

-1:20

Clear Lake

+6:05 +6:40

T15

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

T21

Aransas Pass

-0:03

-1:31

-1:05

T10

Morgans Point

+10:21 +5:19

T16

Christmas Pt

T22

Padre Island (So. End) -0:24

-1:45

+0:14 -0:06

T11

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

T17

Galveston Pleasure Pier -1:06

T23

Port Isabel

+2:32 +2:31 -1:06

1.49 ft 1.55 ft 0.47 ft

+1.0

-1.0

+1:02 -0:42

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION 92 |

S E P T E M B E R

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 92

2 0 1 5

T E X A S

F I S H

G A M E ®

9/2/15 3:16 PM

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 93

9/2/15 3:16 PM

Sportsman’s DAYBOOK

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day SEPTEMBER 2015 n = Best Day FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION = Peak Fishing Period

BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

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

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

26 «

27 «

Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:18p Sunrise: 7:06a Set: 7:17p Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:15p Sunrise: 7:07a Set: 7:14p Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:13p Sunrise: 7:08a Set: 7:12p Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:11p Moonrise: 2:16p Set: 12:20a Moonrise: 3:07p Set: 1:13a Moonrise: 3:57p Set: 2:11a Moonrise: 4:45p Set: 3:13a Moonrise: 5:32p Set: 4:17a Moonrise: 6:17p Set: 5:24a Moonrise: 7:02p Set: 6:31a AM Minor: -----

PM Minor: 12:16p

AM Minor: 12:40a

PM Minor: 1:07p

AM Minor: 1:31a

PM Minor: 1:58p

AM Minor: 2:20a

PM Minor: 2:48p

AM Minor: 3:10a

PM Minor: 3:38p

AM Minor: 4:00a

PM Minor: 4:28p

AM Minor: 4:52a

PM Minor: 5:20p

AM Major: 6:02a

PM Major: 6:29p

AM Major: 6:54a

PM Major: 7:21p

AM Major: 7:44a

PM Major: 8:12p

AM Major: 8:34a

PM Major: 9:02p

AM Major: 9:24a

PM Major: 9:52p

AM Major: 10:14a

PM Major: 10:42p

AM Major: 11:06a

PM Major: 11:34p

Moon Overhead: 7:44p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 9:33p

Moon Overhead: 8:38p 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 10:29p 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: None

Moon Overhead: 11:25p 12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

Tides and Prime Times

TUESDAY

SYMBOL KEY

Moon Overhead: 12:21a 12a

12p

12a

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 7:18a

+2.0

-1.0

Moon Underfoot: 10:01a

BEST: 2:00 —4:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 10:57a

BEST: 3:00 —5:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 11:53a

BEST: 4:00 —6:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 12:49p

BEST: 5:00 —7:00 PM

+2.0

BEST: 6:00 —8:00 PM

TIDE LEVELS

BEST: 1:00 —3:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 9:06a

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

BEST: 12:00 —2:00 PM

Moon Underfoot: 8:11a

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

1:05 AM 3:39 AM 5:29 AM 4:45 PM

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 94

1.60 ft 1.57 ft 1.58 ft 0.42 ft

High Tide 1:56 AM Low Tide 5:51 PM

1.66 ft 0.37 ft

High Tide 2:29 AM Low Tide 6:54 PM

1.70 ft 0.33 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

2:57 AM 8:15 AM 12:30 PM 7:51 PM

1.71 ft 1.40 ft 1.54 ft 0.34 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

3:22 AM 8:40 AM 1:55 PM 8:45 PM

1.70 ft 1.23 ft 1.61 ft 0.40 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

3:47 AM 9:16 AM 3:09 PM 9:37 PM

1.68 ft 1.01 ft 1.69 ft 0.52 ft

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

4:12 AM 9:57 AM 4:18 PM 10:26 PM

1.65 ft 0.76 ft 1.76 ft 0.69 ft

+1.0

-1.0

9/2/15 3:16 PM

SYMBOL KEY

BEST:

7:45-9:40 AM

= Peak Fishing Period

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

Fishing Day’s Best 2nd Score Graph Score Best

MONDAY

29 «

Tides and Prime Times WEDNESDAY

30 «

THURSDAY

Oct 1

Sunrise: 7:09a Set: 7:09p Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:08p Sunrise: 7:10a Set: 7:07p Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 7:06p Sunrise: 7:11a Set: 7:05p Sunrise: 7:12a Moonrise: 7:47p Set: 7:38a Moonrise: 8:34p Set: 8:46a Moonrise: 9:22p Set: 9:53a Moonrise: 10:12p Set: 10:58a Moonrise: 11:04p Set: 12:00p Moonrise: None

Set: 7:02p Set: 1:50p

AM Minor: 5:47a

PM Minor: 6:16p

AM Minor: 6:46a

PM Minor: 7:15p

AM Minor: 7:48a

PM Minor: 8:17p

AM Minor: 8:52a

PM Minor: 9:20p

AM Minor: 9:55a

PM Minor: 10:23p

AM Minor: 10:55a

PM Minor: 11:22p

AM Minor: 11:51a

PM Minor: -----

AM Major: -----

PM Major: 12:01p

AM Major: 12:32a

PM Major: 1:01p

AM Major: 1:34a

PM Major: 2:03p

AM Major: 2:38a

PM Major: 3:06p

AM Major: 3:41a

PM Major: 4:09p

AM Major: 4:41a

PM Major: 5:09p

AM Major: 5:38a

PM Major: 6:04p

Moon Overhead: 1:17a 12a

Set: 7:03p Sunrise: 7:12a Set: 12:58p Moonrise: None

12p

Moon Overhead: 3:11a

Moon Overhead: 2:14a 12a

12p

12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 4:08a 12a

12p

Moon Overhead: 6:00a

Moon Overhead: 5:05a

12a

12p

12a

12p

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY

28 ¡

TUESDAY

l = New Moon º = First Quarter l = Full Moon » = Last Quarter « = Good Day SEPTEMBER 2015 n = Best Day FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY DIGITAL EXTRA Tap for Customized Tide Charts

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

Moon Overhead: 6:54a 12a

12p

12a

FEET

Moon Underfoot: 1:45p

+2.0

-1.0

BEST: 1:30 —3:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 4:36p

Moon Underfoot: 5:33p

BEST: 2:00 —4:00 AM

Moon Underfoot: 6:27p

BEST: 9:30 —11:30 AM

BEST: 10:00A —12:00P

Moon Underfoot: 7:20p

+2.0

BEST: 11:00A —1:00P

TIDE LEVELS

BEST: BEST: 6:30 —8:30 PM 12:30 —2:30 AM

Moon Underfoot: 3:39p

TIDE LEVELS

+1.0

Moon Underfoot: 2:42p

High Tide Low Tide High Tide Low Tide

4:37 AM 10:41 AM 5:27 PM 11:16 PM

1.64 ft 0.53 ft 1.80 ft 0.89 ft

High Tide 5:03 AM Low Tide 11:29 AM High Tide 6:37 PM

1.63 ft 0.33 ft 1.81 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

12:05 AM 5:29 AM 12:19 PM 7:50 PM

1.10 ft 1.63 ft 0.20 ft 1.79 ft

T E X A S

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 95

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

12:57 AM 5:55 AM 1:13 PM 9:09 PM

F I S H

1.30 ft 1.62 ft 0.14 ft 1.77 ft

Low Tide High Tide Low Tide High Tide

1:59 AM 6:20 AM 2:13 PM 10:35 PM

G A M E ®

1.46 ft 1.61 ft 0.14 ft 1.75 ft

Low Tide 3:50 AM High Tide 6:38 AM Low Tide 3:19 PM

1.56 ft 1.58 ft 0.20 ft

S E P T E M B E R

High Tide 12:02 AM Low Tide 4:33 PM

2 0 1 5

1.74 ft 0.28 ft

+1.0

-1.0

9/2/15 3:16 PM

Texas TASTED by BRYAN SLAVEN :: The Texas Gourmet

Mesquite Grilled Dove Wraps

enzymes and flavors from the meat, so you can begin with the clean and natural flavor of the dove.

Ingredients

NLY A HANDFUL OF phrases evoke a special sense of excitement and passion within the Texas outdoor enthusiast. “White Wing Season Opener” is one of them. The opportunity to pit your shooting skills against the dipping, diving, soaring white wing dove is an experience that can rarely be matched. Literally thousands of hunters will take to the field to try their skill, and thousands of White Wings will be harvested. After you have your quarry, it is time to expand your hunting experience into a culinary treat for family and friends. Try this recipe for a new taste experience and relive the hunt with each satisfying bite! Would you ever take a fish after being caught, and allow it to sit out in the heat for a couple of hours? I didn’t think so. Yet, when dove hunting, most hunters place their doves they’ve bagged in the “game pocket” on the back of their hunting vest, sometimes for hours. This allows a concentration of enzymes and bacteria tosettle into the meat. You should have a cooler bag handy with ice and a few gallon-size freezer ziplock bags. Personalize each bag if two or more hunters share a cooler. Try to place your doves in the cooler within 45 minutes or so. This is to preserve the doves until they can be cleaned properly. The brine that I describe in this recipe will aid in removing these undesirable 96 |

S E P T E M B E R

1509 AlmanacDIG.indd 96

2 0 1 5

24 dove breasts (when removed from breastbone will yield 48 halves) 24 Jalapeños (halved and seeded to make 48 halves) 2 purple onions peeled and cut into one inch thick wedges 2 cakes of cream cheese (allow to sit out to soften for 1-2 hours) 2 – 3 lbs of thin sliced bacon 1 box of round toothpicks Basil leaves, black pepper, garlic salt Serves 12-16

For the Brine Fillet the breast meat from the breastplate, removing pellets, feathers, or damaged meat. Place the fillet halves into a large bowl of ice water. They should be fully submersed. Add ½ cup sea salt to ½ gallon of ice water. Allow meat to sit for 1-2 hours. Pour off water and rinse the meat again with cold water.

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, add the following to the cream cheese: 1 tablespoon each of black pepper, garlic salt and basil leaves Stuff a Jalapeno half with ¾ tsp of cream cheese mixture.Stack the breast on top of the cream cheese-filled jalapeno and top with the purple onion on the dove breast half. Wrap the pepper and breast half with a half slice of bacon. Hold the bacon in place with a moist round toothpick. (Be sure to wrap tightly to hold in cheese)

1 whole bottle of Syrah or Merlot wine ¾ jar Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly 3 T Soy Sauce 3 T Olive Oil 1 T Dijon Mustard 3 tsp. Beef Bullion 1 T Butter 1 T Black Pepper 2 T Rosemary leaves-chopped coarsely 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic Place all of above ingredients in a saucepan, over medium heat and reduce by ½ of volume. Remove from heat.

Grilling Because they are small & delicate, and prone to flare ups on the fire, place the dove wraps indirectly over medium high heat on the grill, and keep it covered when you’re not basting them. Turn the wraps every 4-5 minutes and baste them every time you turn them until bacon is browned. Remove from the grill to a platter, and cover loosely with a piece of foil for approx. 7-8 minutes to rest the meat. Then remove the toothpicks and enjoy.

For the Baste (The baste will help cook the bacon faster and keep the meat from overcooking and drying out.) T E X A S

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Email Bryan Slaven at bryan@thetexasgourmet.com PHOTO: BRYAN SLAVEN

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TEXAS FRESHWATER

TEXAS SALTWATER

HUNTING

LAKE AMISTAD

UPPER TEXAS COAST

SOUTH TEXAS

MIDDLE TEXAS COAST

DFW METROPLEX

NEW 2016 EDITION LAKE TEXOMA

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Available in October 2015 www.FishandGameGear.com T E X A S

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MACKEREL

BASS

Trinity Bay

Fayette County

Preston Kerr, age 9, caught this fourpound mackerel while ﬁshing with his dad, Mark, on Trinity Bay.

Tyler Gully, 14 years old, kayaked and wade-ﬁshed Fayette County Lake to land this “catch and release” 8-pound largemouth.

MIXED STRINGER San Bernard River Patrice Cato and Jonah Richard with two limits of redﬁsh and a trout caught on the San Bernard River.

WHITETAIL Atascosa County Jimmy Hograves took this buck—eight mainframe points with a kicker—while hunting outside Poteet in Atascosa County.

REDFISH Galveston SPECKLED TROUT East Galveston Bay

Felicia Beck caught this 38-inch red while ﬁshing in the surf at Bolivar Peninsula in her kayak.

Gloria Harvell caught this “big one” while ﬁshing in East Galveston Bay.

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MAIL TO: TFG PHOTOS 1745 Greens Rd, Houston TX 77032 NOTE: Print photos can not be returned.

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

REDFISH Galveston

MIXED STRINGER

Gerhard Tauss caught this 31-inch red and a 41-incher in the surf at Galveston, using mud mullets.

Trinity Bay Five-year-old Audrey Jaime after another good day of ﬁshing with PawPaw, Ramon Zapata, on Trinity Bay.

BLACK DRUM

WHITETAIL

Port Arthur

Oklahoma

Gary Brice caught this black drum on Pleasure Island in Port Arthur.

Nine-year-old Kasey Ray Swan shot his ﬁrst deer, an 8-point buck, with a perfectly placed shot while hunting on the family ranch in Lone Grove, Oklahoma.

WHITETAIL Llano County Ten-year-old Carson Seymour bagged this buck while hunting in Llano County.

FERAL HOG South Texas Nine-year-old Landon Jennings shot his ﬁrst hog at 100 yards with his great grandfather’s .30-.30 in South Texas. She tipped the scales at nearly 300 lbs.

T E X A S

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