Doggett at Large

by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&GSenior Contributing Editor

Sunset’s Secret Thrill

EITHER WE WERE EARLY, OR the doves were late. Regardless, the South Texas brush was sweltering under 95-degree September heat— and no ights were incoming to water at the stock tank.

“ is is brutal,” I said, hunkering in the sweaty semi-shade of a mesquite bush.

Klink peered over from his folding stool on the tank levee. “Well, it was your bright idea to get here at 4 o’clock; we could be kicking back in the air-conditioned motel room. No rush— plenty of time to get here before sunset.”

“You never know. Besides—Hey, over you! Over you!”

A lonesome dove banked above the levee and lowered aps 20 yards above Klink. Caught o guard, he swiveled abruptly, and the stool shi ed. He swept his pump gun in an awkward arc.

Bang, Bang… Bang! e unscathed mourner ared and disappeared.

“Aye!” he lamented. “I’m the worst wingshot in all of Frio County!”

“No way, dude! You’re not that good!”

His mu ered response was lost in the whipping south wind, but payback for my ip critique occurred een minutes later. Looking for be er shade, I repositioned on the far side of the levee and managed to stand in the middle of a re ant bed. Moments later I was apping and slapping while Klink was hooting.

He studied my frantic jig. “Hey, dude! What moves! You’re a cinch for ‘Dancing with the Stars!’” e water hole continued to steam and simmer under high sun, and the thornbrush continued to shake and ra le against dry gusts—and I continued to itch and scratch as the clock moved inchmeal like torture. e only thing that could have made the vigil more unpleasant would be if the tank proved to be a watering hole for Spanish ghting bulls.

Assorted hooves and horns aside, the untested pond had the marks of an ideal draw for mourning doves. e water level was low, drained by late summer evaporation, and the exposed banks were at and open. Doves are wary of tanks with steep banks and rims of brush that can hide all sorts of rude surprises.

Growing restless, I ceded levee priority to the resident ants, and walked to a three-strand fence near the lower end of the tank. e site was promising, with a sandy swath and several dead mesquites—incoming doves o en land on high branches to oversee the situation.

I positioned alongside a fan of scraggly brush; the cover was su cient to hide a camo-clad crouch, but low enough to permit an open view and a clean swing. Smart tank hunting favors concealment—but also the ability to react to quick chances. Burrowing inside a thick tangle might be a ne way to ambush an armadillo, but the dove shooter can get handcu ed by too much overhanging clu er.

Another bo le of Ozarka later, conditions began improving. e shadows were longer, and the air was cooler—well, maybe not “cooler,” just not as hot. But the sky remained empty. Hovering dragon ies and darting swi s don’t count.

I waited. My company was a huge bullfrog pu ng and pouting in the scummy rim. I glared over suspiciously. Once—no kidding—a bullfrog ate a dead dove I dropped in a tank. is audacious rascal with its bulbous eyes and squat, square maw looked entirely capable of glomming a mature mourner, if not a blue rock pigeon.

I ngered the safety on the Winchester Model 21. I was tempted to rake froggy with a load of 7½s, adding a pair of jumbo legs to the hunt, but the mixed-bag musing was interrupted by the abrupt “POP” of a wind-blown 12 gauge. As Klink walked straight-arrow to retrieve the dove, the thrilling and unmistakable silhoue es of several long-tailed wing mates sailed above him.

“Show time!” he exulted, waving the u ed dove. e late-a ernoon ight was commencing— rst, a few sporadic singles and doubles, then a ock of 10 or 12 slanting from grain elds to the west and stra ng above the slick surface.

I picked my shots and rolled six straight, all easy incomers with lowered aps. A proper tank shoot can be a great balm for the ego, as the hunter is stationed exactly where doves want to be. Most of the shots are close, within 30 or 35 yards, and the disciplined hunter can select “cream pu ” chances.

Numbers seven and eight also crumpled over smooth gun play. I was starting to feel pre y cocky and started thinking about a straight run, and naturally missed twice on a dove trying to land on my head. Klink cackled from across the pond. e sky surrounding the tank never swarmed, but the shooting was steady. e low glow was spreading above the frilly mesquite tops as I dropped my nal dove. Both Klink and I were “inside a box” for our 15-bird limits, an uncharacteristic average. Still, to repeat, the dove gunner seldom has a be er opportunity than when birds are circling and slowing to close water.

Our belt bags were jammed with mature mourners, the makings of excellent greasy- ngered sessions on the grill. Plump dove breasts wrapped in bacon and stu ed with onion and jalapeno slices and served over rice remain my all-time favorite gamebird meal.

We retreated to his Expedition and cased the guns and popped the tailgate (and the cooler lid) to watch the dusky theater. e sun was below the levee, turning the shadows from gray to black. e lighting was so , and the air carried the rst shirtsleeve brush of fall. Flights of doves, dark against the fading light, landed with con dence along the open banks.

To be there relaxing in the satisfaction of a great experience while watching the wild bounty unfold—that is the secret thrill of sunset that awaits Texas dove hunters this season.

Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fi shgame.com

EPTEMBER AND October sometimes translate to pretty tough times for Texas bass fishing junkies. A change in seasons is coming and the fish (and bait) may be scattered from here to yonder as they transition from deep to shallow.

Some anglers might be wondering what the heck happened, because tricks that produced some solid days over the past month or so might not be working so well anymore.

The good news is most lakes are usually at their lowest water level of the year during late summer due to limited moisture, water usage and day-to-day evaporation. This reduces the the playing field.

On lakes with grass, the hydrilla beds may be topped out on the surface, making it easy to follow creek channels and pinpoint sharp bends, guts, humps, drop offs and other potential sweet spots where shallow water meets with deep. Plus, most impoundments are less crowded because many anglers are stoked about hunting season.

MLF bass pro Jim Tutt of Longview

has seen his share of tough times as summer’s dog days wind down, but he has also caught a boatload of fish. He pointed to his home lake, Lake O’ the Pines in northeast Texas, to show readers the way.

“The bite can really be pretty slow on just about every lake, because it’s still hot and the fish are on the move,” Tutt said. “But it can also be pretty decent once you stumble across the right spots. A few years ago, a friend and I weighed in 31 pounds in a September team tournament. It was the biggest sack I’ve ever brought to the scales, and we lost a ninepounder!”

The two anglers caught the fish doing what just about every bass angler loves— throwing topwaters. Their bait of choice was a Heddon Zara Spook, a deadly bass fishing staple that walks side-to-side.

“They’ll slam the Spook this time of year, especially on ’Pines,” Tutt said. “If I was going there now, I’d throw it all day long, and I’d throw it around the grass.”

Hydrilla can be found in different areas, but Tutt is most fond of the big flats north of the Highway 155 bridge where Big Cypress Bayou enters the lake. He’ll target places such as points and

underwater sloughs where the shallow grass meets up with deeper water and forms an outside edge. Tu pointed to cranking or casting a big shaky worm along the edges of de ned structure as a good secondary pa ern. ings are altogether di erent out west at O.H. Ivie near San Angelo. Texas’s newest big bass capital is a hotbed for giants, and shing guide Brandon Burks is a specialist at catching them. Burks recorded his 20th double-digit bass of 2022 in June. ’Ivie doesn’t have any hydrilla, but it has a ton of ooded salt cedars and hardwoods the big ones use to ambush forage. Burks says the best stu will be found over ats and points in water ranging from zero to 20 feet, adjacent to 20 to 60 feet of water provided by a creek channel.

His bait choices include an eight-inch glide bait made by Gold Belt Customs and a 3:16 Rising Son line-thru swim bait. Both are colored like a gizzard shad.

“For a long time, I was intimidated by throwing such big bait,” Burks said, “but not anymore. A big bait has great drawing power because it imitates the big gizzard shad in this lake.”

Another part of the Burks master plan is forward-facing sonar. He uses it to spot sh holding around ooded cover and to judge how they react when they see his bait.

“Bass are like great whites,” he said. “If they see something they want to eat, they’ll eat it. It doesn’t make any di erence whether they weigh two pounds or twelve. I’ve seen big sh come rushing out from 20 feet away to grab that big glide bait. It’s pre y exciting to see that happen.”

Sam Rayburn ace Derek Mundy is well known for his skills at sni ing out big bass on the 114,000acre lake east of Lu in. He says now is a good time to look o shore to nd them.

“A lot of it depends on cold fronts,” Mundy said. “Once we start ge ing some early fronts, the sh will sca er from deep to shallow, and things can be pre y tough. So long as it stays hot, though, I’ll spend most of my time away from the bank.”

Mundy will key on speci c targets rather than areas. Underwater shell beds and hard spots get plenty of a ention.

He also likes isolated stumps and lay downs. “A big female will move around an isolated piece of wood and keep all of the small sh run o ,” he said. “It’s sort of like a big whitetail buck. ey pre y much own that spot.”

Mundy’s preferred bait for probing o shore targets is an Azuma Z Boss crankbait in a Blue Vengeance or translucent color. He’ll choose between the three-inch 20 and four-inch 24 sizes depending on how deep the sh are holding. e depth of a thermocline is a big factor to consider in narrowing down the proper water depth this time of year. It’s always a good idea to sh above it. Another big sh pa ern that could play this fall, is shing around deeper grass south of the Highway 147 bridge. e hydrilla has made a big come-back this summer, and Mundy says it can be found ma ed on the surface to 10 feet in some areas—plenty deep enough for ipping with a heavy creature or jig. He thinks the most productive grass will be toward the mouths of major creeks or main lakes that see some wave action. Look for points, guts and indents in a grass bed that might indicate a change in water depth. Lake Fork shing guide Brooks Rogers remembers the hey days when Lake Fork had plenty of hydrilla growing beyond 10 feet. With those times in the rearview now, Rogers advises anglers to look more toward wood cover such as stumps and timber forward-facing sonar. He uses it to spot sh lines in the hunt for a September/October holding around ooded cover and to judge lunker. how they react when they see his bait. “ at’s about all they’ve got,” Rogers

“Bass are like great whites,” he said. “If said. they see something they want to eat, they’ll Location and water depth dictate the eat it. It doesn’t make any di erence best spots. Rogers likes distinct trees on whether they weigh two pounds main lake points in eight to een feet, or twelve. I’ve seen big sh come channel swings near four- to six-foot ats— rushing out from 20 feet away to places where the water shallows up with grab that big glide bait. It’s pre y deeper water nearby. exciting to see that happen.” Rogers says there will be lots of sh sus-

Sam Rayburn ace Derek Mundy pended and roaming around the wood. Two is well known for his skills at sni - of his favorite baits for going a er them are ing out big bass on the 114,000- a shad pa ern deep-diving crank bait and a acre lake east of Lu in. He says 10-inch worm rigged Texas style. now is a good time to look o - Late summer and early fall aren’t the best times to reel in a Texas

“A lot of it depends on cold heavyweight, but there are still fronts,” Mundy said. “Once plenty of fat girls to be caught. we start ge ing some early It’s all about location and playfronts, the sh will sca er ing the right card once you from deep to shallow, and get there. things can be pre y tough. So long as it stays hot, though, I’ll spend most of my time away from the bank.”

Mundy will key on speci c targets rather than areas. Underwater shell beds and hard spots get plenty of

O.H. Ivie guide Brandon Burks with a nice autumn lunker from his home lake.

that spot.”

Major League Fishing angler Jim Tutt knows a thing or two about snagging big fall bass. lines in the hunt for a September/October lunker.

“ at’s about all they’ve got,” Rogers said.

Location and water depth dictate the best spots. Rogers likes distinct trees on main lake points in eight to een feet, channel swings near four- to six-foot ats— places where the water shallows up with deeper water nearby. Rogers says there will be lots of sh suspended and roaming around the wood. Two of his favorite baits for going a er them are a shad pa ern deep-diving crank bait and a 10-inch worm rigged Texas style. Late summer and early fall aren’t the best times to reel in a Texas heavyweight, but there are still plenty of fat girls to be caught. It’s all about location and playing the right card once you get there.