Texas Fish & Game September/October 2023

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 AND ARDIA NEVES PUBLISHERS

CHESTER MOORE

EDITOR IN CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS

JOE DOGGETT • SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

DOUG PIKE • SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

LENNY RUDOW • BOATING EDITOR

MATT WILLIAMS • FRESHWATER EDITOR

PAUL FUZINSKI • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

KELLY GROCE • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

LOU MARULLO • HUNTING EDITOR

LARRY WEISHUHN • WHITETAIL EDITOR

DUSTIN ELLERMANN • SHOOTING EDITOR

REAVIS WORTHAM • HUMOR EDITOR

MORIAH FORMICA • DIGITAL CONTRIBUTOR

LISA MOORE • CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR

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FISH GAME

:: by ROY & ARDIA NEVES TF&G Owners/Publishers

WDB: A Crusty Cuss, and the Spirit of Fish & Game A

S WE ZIP THROUGH THE calendar toward our 40th Anniversary issue next May, we felt it appropriate to revisit some of the highlights of Texas Fish & Game’s history. at history would not be complete... wait, correct that... would not have happened at all ...without the spirited vision of one person.

William Douglas Bray, who signed every wri en form of communication he composed—le er, memo, contract, greeting card, post-it note—with the initials “WDB,” was the iconoclastic owner of e Highland Publishing Company, in Marble Falls, Texas, at the time Texas Fish & Game came into being.

In the late 1960s, Bill Bray became a dominating force in the Marble Falls community and throughout the region of Burnet and Llano Counties, the area known as e Highland Lakes. Its ve major freshwater lakes—Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, and Travis—at the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, had already made it an a ractive outdoors and recreation destination for visitors from all over Texas and beyond.

In the summer of 1968, Bill was a recent graduate of the University of Houston Law School, with an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Texas. He and his rst wife, Donna, relocated to Marble Falls to stay brie y with Bill’s parents, Bob and Bea Bray. e elder Brays operated a local weekly newspaper, e Highlander. Bill’s parents were career newspaper editors and publishers, having run weeklies and dailies all over the state, including stints in the Rio Grande Valley, Austin and Brady, where Bill was born.

ey landed in Marble Falls in 1959 and purchased the then one-year-old Highlander e paper struggled, being the smallest of three newspapers covering Burnet County.

Bill showed up at a critical time in the history of Marble Falls and the Highland Lakes.

e area had bene ted from its proximity to the Lyndon B. Johnson ranch y miles away at Stonewall, and LBJ’s ownership of property adjacent to what would become his namesake lake. During his time in congress and the presidency, Johnson and his local cronies pushed the construction of state highways and ranch roads throughout the area, to accommodate their own personal and investment needs. eir public purse-dipping not only paid o for them, but also opened the gates of prosperity for the whole area. Residential and resort developments sprang up around the lakes. e largest, Horseshoe Bay, broke ground in 1968.

Despite the area’s economic boom, Bob and Bea’s li le weekly paper just couldn’t cash in.

at’s when Bill arrived, planning to spend the summer months in relative seclusion to study for the state bar exam and then move on to a career in the law. But his parents’ nancial crisis interrupted those plans.

Possessing raw intelligence, multiple degrees in higher education, and a personality that combined the charisma of a country politician with the persistence of a time share salesman, Bill couldn’t resist barreling his way into e Highlander’s balance sheet woes.

He convinced the local bank that under his guidance, and through a series of bank nanced real estate deals and retail development, he could not only li e Highlander’s fortunes, but also li those of the whole community even higher.

He bought acreage along RR 1431 in Marble Falls (a four-lane thoroughfare, unique for state ranch roads of the time... one of Johnson’s gi s

to the region) and, with the bank’s backing, built a Gibson’s Discount Center on one of the prime parcels. A forerunner of Walmart, Gibson’s stores were staples of small towns across Texas. e store’s advertising in e Highlander—underwri en by savvy exploitation of co-operative ad reimbursement allowances provided by the hundreds of products on the store’s shelves—helped save the paper from extinction, and funded a growth strategy that within a few years built e Highlander into the largest weekly in Texas.

Bray opened satellite o ces, one in Burnet and one in Llano County, and sta ed up to provide serious coverage of both counties. He recognized that the 1,800 square mile region straddling the Highland Lakes chain could be exploited as a single market, much greater than the three separate small towns alone. e investment paid o . Pages of ads owed into the paper from businesses in both counties, especially those in the booming real estate market around the lakes.

When we arrived on the scene (Roy in 1978 and Ardia in 1981) much of Bray’s impact was well established. He was just 35 in 1978, but he had rmly cemented his place as a prominent xture in the region’s economic, political and business circles. While many key gures of the time—bank management, the developers of Horseshoe Bay and the area’s top real estate players—held him in high esteem, a large contingent of other business and political big shots did not, especially those whose power was ensconced in the county seat cities of Burnet and Llano.

Part of it was Bray’s brash, confrontational personality and his talent for weaving X-rated language into even the most casual of conversations (his creative use of the F word was almost an art form). But most of the scorn he earned came from Bray’s vision and execution of the tone and depth of news coverage in e Highlander.

Small town big shots do not generally like having their actions followed and questioned, and back in the days before the Internet and social media, that trait was especially pronounced. And it was certainly prevalent among the movers, shakers and advantage takers running things around the Highland Lakes.

Weekly newspapers of that period were generally sta ed by an Editor/Publisher, one maybe two full-time reporters, a kid helping cover

high school sports, and a gaggle of busy bodies reporting on the local social scene.

e Highlander sta was more like a mid-size daily. Full-time editors were stationed in the satellite o ces in Burnet and Llano Counties. e main o ce on Main Street in Marble Falls was a bustling hive of journalism. Bray hired serious journalists and let them do their thing. Whereas the competition played the “good news” game with city councils, commissioners courts, school boards and other public and industrial institutions, e Highlander told it like it was.

is did not sit well with the local power brokers, but the public bought in and kept the circulation of e Highlander strong. Businesses, many of which were the day-jobs of the power brokers, had to grit their teeth and support this bane of their existence as the best way to keep customers coming through their doors.

Awash in success, but not one to rest on his accomplishments, Bray set out with a plan to create the world’s largest supermarket... in Marble Falls. He cajoled a local independent grocer into a partnership that would merge Gibson’s and the supermarket into one huge store. Lakeland Mall opened in 1982, a 40,000 square foot giant, selling everything from sporting goods to fresh produce. At a time when 18,000 sq. . was the norm, it predated the superstore concept adopted by Walmart and Target by at least a decade.

Such was the vision of William Douglas Bray. When Texas Fish & Game came along, the WDB spirit eventually crept into that project as well. Growing out of a quarterly section of e Highlander, it started as e Highland Lakes Sportsman. ose of us who ran the newspaper for Bray were all avid anglers and hunters—a er all, we lived around the largest chain of freshwater lakes in the state, and near Llano, the self-proclaimed Deer Capital of Texas—and so this special section garnered even greater special a ention than the other “special” sections the newspaper lived o of.

Our interest eventually led us to break it out

as a standalone publication, rst as a regional tabloid for the Highland Lakes area. Before long, we got the itch to take it statewide.

By that time, Bray had relinquished all day to day publishing duties to his crack management team at e Highlander, which included the president of the publishing company, Dan Alvey, and the two of us, Roy as publisher and Ardia as ad director of the newspaper.

To go statewide, however, we needed major capital, so we rolled out our big gun... William Douglas Bray.

In those days, magazines were still thriving enterprises with great potential, and new titles were popping up everywhere. Newsstands were huge and were everywhere, from corner stores to airports, and mailboxes were stu ed with colorful weekly and monthly editions.

But unlike the anarchy of today’s media world where any kid with a smart phone and smart-ass personality can become an overnight social media mogul with millions of followers, back then the barriers to starting a new publishing venture were high. High, but more straightforward in what it took to succeed—a lot more than in today’s ckle randomness of what goes viral and what doesn’t. It took a clear editorial mission, a bit of marketing savvy, and money. We had the rst two of those requirements—plus the advantage of being almost literally in the heart of the Texas outdoors, one of the strongest shing and hunting markets in the nation.

All we needed was a lot of cash to get the ball rolling. When Bray saw what we were trying to do, he jumped in with his typical over the top zeal.

To a ract subscribers, we had to create and mail elaborate direct mail packages—o cially known in the industry as “junk mail”—to prospects. ese promotions included slick brochures, personalized le ers, colorful reply cards and postage-paid return envelopes... a lot of design work and production expense. We had the built-in design talent, but had to outsource the printing and mailing.

We also had to procure the lists of prospective names... rented from other outdoor publications and catalogs, at a he y rate.

At the time, a successful direct mail campaign meant ge ing anything over two percent response. Our rst e orts, because we were seeding relatively un-tilled land, generated almost ve percent. is was a home run, and the rst year e ort took our circulation from nearly zero to 20,000. But that meant we had to reach out to half a million prospects... at a cost

of a quarter million dollars! Bray did it without blinking, and we never looked back.

We also had to establish the newly christened Texas Fish & Game on newsstands across the state (we couldn’t upgrade Highland Lakes Sportsman to Texas Sportsman because another magazine already had that title).

Back in the mid-1980s, 20 newsstand distribution agencies “owned” the major markets in Texas. Now there is just one agency that covers the entire U.S. But back then, we had to travel to each of those agencies and convince them to accept our new publication.

e newsstand business in those days was a lot like the construction business in New York and New Jersey, but without the “enforcers” and tomato sauce. Territories were rmly established and if publishers wanted space on a crowded newsstand, they had to play by xed rules, and pay all sorts of “allowances” to keep anything “unfortunate” from happening to live copies on display.

Given these lawless conditions and the natural rule of thumb that we should be thankful to sell 25% of the copies we put out, newsstands were a losing business. But publishing in those heady days was all about ad revenues, and so the losses—just like the losses incurred building subscriptions—were just part of the price of admission to the magazine game that we wanted to play.

William Douglas Bray, in those meetings with the twenty “families” controlling Texas newsstands was a priceless experience. In addition to his profane brashness, he had a West Texas drawl so thick it made any discussion with him sound like Slim Pickens giving a lecture on macro economics. Even though we won li le to nothing in the negotiation with these agencies, Bray’s performances made them earn every ill-go en cent they took out of our pockets.

Years later, in the mid-1990s when we bought Bill out and took over Fish & Game, we freed ourselves from the o en too-heavy burden of his personality and its negative e ects on both sta and clients. But we also lost a relentless ally in what became a bleak media war scape that awaited us in this new century.

ankfully, enough of his spirit had been ingrained in us that, despite all the challenges we’ve faced, Texas Fish & Game survives.

Here’s to WDB, still one crusty cuss and the blankety-blankest of all blankety-blankers

“WDB” William Douglas Bray

PHOTO: COURTESY BILL BRAY

Trout Survey Thoughts

Editor: In June we sent out a set of questions about the speckled trout shery to help guide us in upcoming investigations and content. e response was amazing. We had hundreds of replies and are still ge ing them. ese readers sent in a li le extra information with their survey, and we thought they represented a good cross-section of thoughts and opinions on the issue. Be looking for major trout content in our TF&G Report e-newsle er in the 2024 TF&G Jan/Feb. issue.

I’M FROM HOUSTON AND GREW UP shing the Galveston Bay complex. I learned how to wade sh with arti cials from Lowell Odom (Rockport) and have been hooked on this style of shing ever since. I haven’t kept a trout (or even a stringer on my wade belt) in almost a decade. I have shed every bay complex in Texas, except for Sabine Lake and Ba n Bay, targeting mainly speckled trout. I also have a family place on the East end of Galveston Island (East Beach) and until recently, have kept my boat down there and learned to sh East Galveston Bay.

I also get out in the surf on the East

:: by TF&G READERS

end as o en as I have time and had some amazing early morning and late evening/ moonlight sessions when conditions line up. More recently, I have focused the precious free time I do have (2 young boys...) on shing in East Matagorda Bay.

In the last two years I have been fortunate enough to have landed several sh over 7 lbs. with one over 30” (post-freeze) and have shi ed my focus from catching numbers to chasing the “big girls”. ere’s a di erence between catching trout, and catching a trout over 25”. is has also opened my eyes to the need for conservation, realizing that the bigger sh are such a small segment of the overall population.

William Bernard

I BELIEVE ONE REGULATION THAT needs to be changed is the slot limit. I believe that the bag limit of 3 sh is ne, but the slot should be 16-20”. Keeping sh over 20” is destroying the major breeding stock in my opinion.

I don’t believe that the current record

will be broken if regulations don’t change. I don’t support kill tournaments for sea trout.

Michael Kuhn

I AM 72 YEARS OLD & HAVE shed Texas waters for over 60 years from one end of the coast to the other! I live in Houston, so I spent a lot of time in the Galveston area; then Matagorda; and then Ba n Bay. I sh only arti cial, mostly topwater and 90% of the time wading.

1. With so many people using croaker, they may have to catch 10 to nd one 15”. So most of those 10 sh will die!! Louisiana allows trout to only be 12” to keep. Most people just want to catch 5 sh and go home. If they did this the limit should be 5. And allowed to keep one over 25”!

2. Yes, I think the record will be broken- possibly at South Bay, Port Isabelle or maybe at Sabine Lake; since it is the least shed area in Texas!

3. Dredging and the newly proposed Ike Dike will do nothing but destroy more habitat and stir up a lot of toxins. My kids can’t believe what it was like shing in the 70’s2000. If I did not have pictures and some mounts, they would not believe me! Guide David Rowsey wrote that in 1984 200,000 saltwater stamps were sold and last year over 2 million??? Add in the newer skinny running boats, electronics, GPS’s and networking- sh don’t have a chance!

4. No to all trout tournaments unless they do like bass tournaments & have a person on the boat to weigh and release each sh!

5. Fishing is worse today than 10 years ago and worse than that time where it was 20 years ago! Sad!!!

Dan Hassebrock

:: by CHESTER MOORE, JR. TF&G Editor-in-Chief

The Strange Origins of Feral Hogs in Texas

FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURposes the hogs we hunt are Sus scrofa (Eurasian boar) but there are several regional variations that some people are adamant are a di erent species entirely.

Take the “Pineywoods rooter,” which is simply the genetic variation of feral hog most common in East Texas. e snouts are typically long and thin and they are typically black in color.

ese, as with all hogs in the United States, are not native to this country but there are many hunters who say the rooter is the “original wild hog” and they are native to the region. ey might have been here for hundreds of years, but they are not native as whitetails and even black bears are. ey are imports.

“Russian boars” are the original Sus scrofa and thus the genetic roadmap for all hogs. ere are very few true “Russians” in the United States with the only pedigreed specimens living on small high-fenced ranches.

ere are however a good number of hogs particularly in areas of Central and south-Central Texas that have a lot of characteristics of Russians with some looking almost as if they were captured in the Black

Forest of Germany.

According to o cials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, “ is hog usually has longer legs, a larger head and a longer, a er snout. Eurasian piglets are reddish brown with black longitudinal stripes. As the animals mature, the stripes disappear and their color changes to gray grizzled or black. Eurasian hogs generally have longer guard hair and a more distinct mane of guard hair running from the neck to the base of the tail than the domestic hog.”

e appearance of hogs in di erent regions has much to do with the kinds of domestic hogs allowed to roam freely in the region years ago and the sources still entering the woods.

Near Deweyville about 15 years ago, people were dumping o potbelly pigs along one road for a year. For several years people thought they were excellent pets but when they realized the animals got much bigger than expected they would release them into the woods.

Well, this road which led to a county dump became the place to release potbellies. I had to take this road to one of the hunting clubs I was on and would frequently see a new batch of potbellies.

It did not take long for these animals to breed with the ferals there and create some interesting looking pigs with a fat face and the classic pot belly. I will never forget seeing a 200-pound sow that walked in front of my game camera, with the snout of a “Piney Woods rooter” and the belly and coloration of a potbelly.

I saw a straight up potbelly roaming a pasture behind a Buc-ee’s location here in our great state in more recent years.

Some hunters report killing

“mule-footed hogs” which have one big hoof instead of being split like a typical pig. ese animals have reached legendary status in the hog hunting community and are considered trophies. What they are killing are feral descendants of a super rare domestic breed.

According to researchers with Oklahoma State University, “ e most distinctive feature of the American Mulefoot hog is the solid hoof which resembles that of a mule. Pigs with solid hooves (also called syndactylism) have a racted the interest of many writers over the centuries, including Aristotle and Darwin.

Yet of all the mule footed hogs described, the American Mulefoot is the only documented population with a breed standard and a long history of agricultural use. is breed is unique to the United States and is critically rare. Recent events, however, have led to more optimism regarding its survival.”

Mulefoot hogs are mainly black, with occasional animals having white points; medium op ears; and a so hair coat. e hogs were of gentle disposition, fa ened quite easily, and weighed from 400-600 pounds at two years of age. ey were considered the highest quality ‘ham hogs’ and were fed to great weights before slaughter.”

Despite all these potential variations the animals are legally known as “feral hogs” and therefore are considered varmints under law which means hunters in Texas can take them any time of year with no bag limit and by virtually any means whether they are red and spo ed or black with a low-swinging pot belly.

Still, knowing their origins is quite interesting.

Scan to Hear Audio Version

The feral hogs we hunt are not native to the United States.

and mature,

Ready, Aim, Click! (or Worse)

ACOVEY OF DAPPER

scaled quail scooted and si ed like miniature minutemen through the low tangles of cactus, disappearing then reappearing, as I high stepped in pursuit. e 12-gauge pump gun was held at port arms, ready for the whir of a sudden ush from one of the closer birds.

On cue, a cock with its white topknot vaulted into the air.

I skidded to a halt and pushed the safety o as the gun came to my shoulder. e swing felt good, and I pressed the trigger … no Blam!, just a dry click.

Oh no, I thought, must’ve forgo en to chamber a round!

e Winchester Model 12 racked smoothly but the cycling shell hung in the opening of the chamber. I yanked and cursed, then plucked the 12-gauge eld load. en I recoiled in horror.

ere, about one-half inch down, gleamed the jammed copper brass of a live 16-gauge shell. I had been alternating between the 16 and the 12 during the hunt, and the smaller shell got mixed into the belt-bag pouch. e hulls of both brands were red, an easy mistake to make.

e saving grace was that the 16 could not drop far enough into tube to clear the chamber for the following shell. e shotgun was unable to re, still, an inexcusable blunder. ank goodness it was not a 20-gauge shell.

e no- re jam is not the case if a 20 is dropped into a 12. It can slide several inches down before jamming in the tube, clearing the chamber for a 2 ¾-inch tragedy.

And the 12/20 mix up is more likely to occur, mainly because 20-gauge guns are far more common than 16’s. For this reason, most (but not all) 20-gauge hulls are yellow and most (but not all) 12-gauge hulls are red. Colors aside, the di erence in size and he between the two shells is boldly apparent, but

mistakes seem to happen somewhere each year.

I was shaken to the core by my red-on-red debacle, which occurred on a New Mexico hunt last January. I have owned dozens of rearms during the past 60 years and cannot recall another instance of mixing gauges or calibers when loading a gun. I consider myself to be a safer shooter/hunter, more so the older I get.

But I have been guilty of several terrible breeches of safe shooting over the decades and have witnessed others in the hands of companions. Fortunately, none resulted in a tragedy.

During a deer season years ago, I toted a ri e and a shotgun up the ladder of an elevated tripod stand. at was stupid, no place to safely secure the 12-bore turkey gun while si ing and waiting. A careless foot bumped the loaded shotgun and it fell straight down, stock rst.

I can still see the round black hole of the muzzle as it dropped. e loaded gun was on safety and did not re when it slammed into the ground but that was way too close.

Another time, during a sweltering September dove hunt, I was using a ne old Churchill hammer gun. e right barrel dropped a bird and I promptly paced in a straight line across the grain eld toward the mark. While walking, I decided to lower the le hammer (the gun had no safety, and the action could not be broken open against a cocked hammer). I thumbed the cocked spur to slowly lower it as I pressed the rear trigger, and my sweaty thumb slipped, allowing the hammer to fall full force on a live round.

e abrupt blast blew a spray of dirt and stubble about 10 yards ahead of my advance. I still have the beautiful Churchill but remain a bit ski ish about classic hammer guns.

Yet again, on a predawn goose hunt, I climbed into the “shotgun seat” of a pickup to drive within reasonable walking distance of the white spread. e driver had his gun pointed muzzle down on my side of the console. It was a 10-gauge magnum autoloader, serious goose medicine.

As I scrunched over in bulky waders and parka, he reached with his right hand to pull the big gun tighter to the console. I felt the long barrel nudge against my le leg. en the gun red.

e noise and ash were amazingly muted by the fact that the muzzle was jammed into the oorboard carpeting about an inch from my le

:: by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

wader boot. e powerful charge blew a tight hole through the metal oorboard, but mercifully I still have two feet, and nobody was hurt.

e bedrock rule of always keeping a gun pointed in a safe direction goes a long way in preventing disasters, but guardian angels can only cover so many mistakes. For example, the rule has no jurisdiction in the case of an obstructed barrel. e gun can be pointed at empty sky all the way to Saturn when you pull the trigger, and the barrel explodes.

Waterfowlers should keep this in mind. A stumble on a rice eld levee or a bumble in a goo-pie coastal marsh might ram the muzzle into the mud. Even if a clog seems unlikely, it costs absolutely nothing to check. One huge advantage of a double gun is the ability to break the action and stare down those gleaming tubes.

At least a mud-clogged muzzle is, relatively speaking, way out there. e 12/20 jam puts the reworks right between your hands, not one shell but two. Pay a ention to color coding and remember the coral snake adage, “red and yellow kill a fellow.”

Mistakes are patient; they can fester and wait, and they don’t care squat about experience or pedigree. One careless lapse over a gun can erase decades of safe shooting. at is a sobering fact that all of us should consider as incoming ocks of dove and teal open the calendar to another bounty of hunting seasons.

XCITEMENT among

Texas

dove hunters always spikes as August fades to September, because they know good times and hot barrels are just around the corner. Opening day of dove season begins 30 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 1 in the state’s North and Central Zones; Sept. 14 in the South Zone.

Dove season is the first domino to tip

in a long line of hallowed hunting seasons that will come and go between now and next spring. More than 1 million Texans will head to the outdoors in the meantime, including close to 300,000 men, women and youngsters who call themselves dove hunters.

As hunter participation goes, dove hunting ranks second only to deer hunting. It represents a plump cash cow that pumps more than $452 million annually into the state’s economy, much of it

spent in rural communities that roll out the red carpet to shotgunners each year.

One of biggest annual celebrations happens in Coleman, where dove hunting generates about $5 million annually for area businesses. The local chamber of commerce throws a party for dove hunters each year at the Bill Franklin Rodeo Grounds. Fittingly called the Coleman County Dove Fest, the gathering features a catfish dinner with raffles and multiple shotguns awarded as door

prizes. Passes are $20.

If it sounds like dove season is a big deal in Texas, that’s because it is. Even in a poor year, Texas dove hunting is way better than most states thanks to abundant populations of birds and a wealth of places to hunt them on private and public lands.

GOING PRIVATE

One of the most attractive things about dove hunting is it doesn’t cost a lot to play the game. There are dozens of

reputable outfitters across the state who lease property in good dove country.

Expect to pay $75 to $200 per day for a day hunt on private land, possibly more or less depending on the area of the state, date and services rendered. Others offer inclusive packages that include lodging, meals and bird cleaning for a steeper price.

Good outfitters will have pre-scouted fields and should be able put you in position to have a chance to bag a

few birds, but they can’t work miracles. Doves are challenging targets to hit. Plus, the migratory birds are weather and pressure sensitive. Just because a field is buzzing with birds one day doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll still be there the next.

The best hunting is always where the doves want to be. Places with abundant forage like harvested grain fields, sunflowers or goat weed patches are magnets for doves, as are watering spots like

Scan to Hear Audio Version q

PHOTO: MATT WILLIAMS

tanks or ponds with plenty of bare ground along the edge.

Hunting in areas of the state with rich histories of holding lots of birds is sure to boost the odds of enjoying a good shoot. Brown, rockmorton, Coleman, Taylor, Medina, Bexar, Uvalde, Williamson, Bell, Karnes, Live Oak, Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, Atacosa and Matagorda are among the top dove hunting counties.

e Texas Dove Hunters Association’s website (texasdovehunters.com) is a good starting spot to shop for a dove hunting trip. e TDHA maintains a lengthy list of out ers divided by hunting zones. Most list the county, acreage, available facilities and whether or not you’ll have the option to hunt around grain, water or both.

GOING PUBLIC

Hunting on Texas Parks and Wildlife’s private lands dove and small game leases is even less costly. TPWD has 106 private lands leases totaling more than 38,000 acres available this year, according to Kelly Edmiston, TPWD public hunts coordinator. e leases, which range in size from 60 to 2,000 acres, are situated in areas with good dove habitat.

Season long access requires a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit available where licenses are sold. e permit provides annual access to nearly 1 million additional acres of public hunting land.

Hunters are required to register when entering or leaving these dove leases using the My Texas Hunt Harvest mobile app on the department website, tpwd.texas.gov/ huntwild/hunt/hunt-harvest-app/dove.

Many of the dove leases are within a short

drive of the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/ Beaumont, San Antonio/Corpus Christi and the Austin/Waco areas. To review the public dove leases, check out tpwd.texas.gov/ huntwild/hunt/public. e properties are shown as clickable gold stars on the interactive map.

Another public option is hunting on national forest property around eastern Texas. Some areas can be accessed for free. Others are on state managed wildlife management areas that require hunters to have the APHP.

e key to success on any public land is scouting ahead to nd areas the birds are using to feed frequently. Some of the best national forest hunting happens around new clear cuts — places where tall timber has been removed and the open ground le behind has grown up seed bearing native weeds and grasses like goat weed and dove weed.

DOING DOVES RIGHT

ere are a number of things hunters can do to help increase their chances of having a successful hunt and pleasurable experience in the eld. Here’s a random list:

FIELD TIPS

• SCOUT: Scout hunting areas ahead of time to nd out if birds are present and learn something about their ight pa erns.

• PICKING A SPOT: Sit in the cooler shade whenever possible, preferably with the sun at your back. Hunting with the sun behind you will make it easier to see incoming birds and more di cult for birds to see you.

• BE MINDFUL OF MOVEMENT: Doves have exceptional eyesight and they become inherently spooky once shot at. Wear drab clothing and be still when birds are approaching. Keep your face downward until the last second.

• BE MOBILE: Don’t hesitate to change hunting positions if doves are consistently ying out of range, but don’t infringe on others.

• USE PREMIUM AMMO/CHOKE: Premium ammunition will pa ern be er and may eject easier from autoloading shotguns than cheap shells. No. 7 1/2 to No. 8 are good shot sizes for doves. Improved, skeet or modi ed cylinder chokes are good for dove hunting.

• DECOY: e spinning wings of a battery-operated dove decoy will sometimes lure

passing birds close.

• DON’T LITTER: Always pick up spent shot shells and other trash before leaving your hunting spot.

• FIND YOUR BIRD: Mark the location of downed birds immediately. Make every e ort to locate it before shooting another.

• CLEAN AND CARE: Keep harvested birds away from re ants and clean them promptly a er the hunt. Bring along an ice chest and plastic freezer bags to keep cleaned birds cool.

STAYING LEGAL

• DAILY LIMITS: Each hunter is allowed 15 doves daily. A limit may include all 15 mourning doves, 15 white-winged doves or a combination of two, but no more than two white-tipped doves. You can’t kill a limit in the morning and another limit in the a ernoon.

• DON’T CO-MINGLE BIRDS: Keep your birds separate from other hunters in case you get checked by a game warden before reaching your nal destination.

• SHOTGUN PLUG: Pump and auto-loading shotguns must be plugged to accept no more than three shells, including one in the chamber.

• HUNTER ED & LICENSE: Hunter education certi cation is required of every hunter in Texas (including out-of-state hunters) born on or a er Sept. 2, 1971. Hunters are required to carry proof of certi cation while in the eld. All dove hunters need a valid Texas hunting license and migratory game bird endorsement; hunters under 17 are not required to have the endorsement.

• AVOID BAITED AREAS: It is illegal to

Don’t skimp on ammo: use premium shot shells and chokes.

Dove season is the first in a long line of hallowed hunting seasons to come.

hunt migratory birds around areas that have been baited. If you suspect an area has been baited it would be wise to leave before the shooting starts and contact a local game warden. Ignorance is no excuse.

• LEGAL SHOOTING HOURS: Legal shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset, except during the special whitewinged dove season, noon to sunset.

• TRANSPORT DOCUMENTS: A Wildlife Resource Document is required anytime you give your birds to another hunter for transport. e document should list the shooter’s name/address/hunting license number, receiver’s name, number of birds and the place of harvest. Handwri en WRD’s

are acceptable.

• BONUS EURASIAN DOVES: Eurasian collared doves are exotics that don’t count towards your limit. Leave the feathers on all collared doves for identi cation purposes until reaching your nal destination, just in case you get checked by a game warden.

PLAYING IT SAFE

• STAY HYDRATED: Be sure to bring plenty of cool drinking water along to stay hydrated. e same applies for dog handlers. An active dog can overheat quickly in hot temperatures.

• LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS: Always know what is in front of and beyond your

target. Never shoot in the direction of other hunters.

• DON’T SWING ON GAME: Swinging on game hunting accidents usually happen when the hunter is tracking a dove or quail, then pulls the trigger as the muzzle crosses paths with another individual they may or may not know is there.

• PLAY SOME DEFENSE: Never assume anything. Always let other hunters around you know your whereabouts and be mindful of what is going on around you.

• EYE/EAR PROTECTION: Wear some eye protection while in the eld to help prevent injury from stray pellets. Shotgun pellets can pierce the skin or put out an eye from 200 yards or more. Ear plugs will dampen the sound of a shotgun blast.

• BUGS AND SNAKES: Spray clothing with a good insect repellent to deter chiggers, ticks and other biting insects. Good snake boots are advised in ra lesnake country.

Battery powered decoys can effectively lure passing doves.

VERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS.”

In the world of shing that slogan is most o en used for the massive largemouth bass that inhabit the state’s reservoirs or the huge red sh along the coast.

It’s not o en associated with pan sh, but it should be. ere are super-sized opportunities for a wide variety of pan sh around the state and has a big following among angling veterans. It also has a new generation of anglers speci cally targeting them in streams, rivers, and ponds with intense fervor.

Andrew Austin, known as “ e Texas Naturalist,” on Instagram and host of e Wildlife Experience podcast has a background in biology that deepens his appreciation of these sh.

“Texas has pan sh biodiversity, and you can catch them everywhere from neighborhood ditches to reservoirs and clear streams in the Hill Country. ey’re a lot of fun to catch and when you get into it deeply, di erent aspects like y shing or targeting certain

Longear sunfish is arguably the most beautiful of all native fish in Texas.

weight classes in specific waterways make it a real challenge. And best of all, it’s a great way to get a kid started fishing,” he said.

We’re going to look at Texas top species and give you a few tips on where and how to catch them with a particular emphasis on rod choice.

CRAPPIE: Crappie are abundant and big, especially in the eastern third of the state. The four-pound black crappie state record was taken on Toledo Bend and the massive 4.56-pound

white crappie came from Navarro Mills.

Other top lakes include Lake Conroe, Lake Fork, Sam Rayburn, Ray Roberts, and Livingston.

Most crappie in Texas are caught around docks or manmade brush piles where they gather in large numbers. The usual offering is a live shiner, but jigs are also very effective. Rig a 1/32 or 1/16-ounce shiner or crawfish pattern jig on a 6’9” St. Croix ultralight/fast Panfish Series Spinning Rod and you can’t go wrong. If you want to try your hand at the dock shooting

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technique, the St. Croix Avid Pan sh 6’9” medium-light power, extra-fast action model was designed for it.

BLUEGILL: Bluegill are abundant from the Texas Hill Country to the Pineywoods with the strongest concentrations of larger sh in that eastern corridor.

ese sh ght hard, gather in large concentrations and are the preferred species of a growing number of anglers. With the state record a whopping 2.02 pounds, they also get big here.

A hunk of nightcrawler under a popper is hard for bluegill to resist but small spinners and curl-tailed grubs are also good choices. Rig them on a 7 foot, light/extra fast St. Croix Pan sh Series Spinning Rod for great results. If you want a li le shorter, lighter rod, try the 6’4 light/fast action model in the same series.

LONGEAR SUNFISH: ese are arguably the most beautiful of all sun sh with bright colors and the signature long gill covering. And they are very aggressive sh that will take y poppers, so plastic worms shed for bass and even small spoons. ese scrappy sh are found in most of the state.

Longears prefer areas with slack current and are o en found around eddies

in streams or in bayou backwaters where they gather in schools. Try a tiny popper or oating rubber-legger for fun results on a 7-foot, 3 weight Imperial USA Fly Rod from St. Croix.

You can certainly get away with catching them on a two weight but even small longears ght hard and you want to be able to get them away from thick brush and other cover quickly, so a li le more strength with the three weight is recommended.

REDEAR SUNFISH: Texas’ top redear weighed a whopping 2.99 pounds and while that almost seemed like an anomaly, there are lots of big, fat ones still out there. ey are widely distributed in the state.

According to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) o cials, redear sunsh o en utilize snails as a major food item, hence the common name “shellcracker.”

“However, insect larvae and cladocerans may also be found in their diet. e species is usually found near the bo om in warm water with li le current and abundant aquatic vegetation.”

ese guys are super hard ghters that don’t strike the surface nearly as much as bluegills. Fly anglers typically catch them on nymphs and other sinking ies.

St. Croix Pro Brian “Bro” Brosdahl

said his favorite rod choice is the St. Croix Legend Elite Pan sh 7’, light-power, extrafast action spinning rod.

“It’s simply the best multi-purpose pansh rod for long, bomb casting, searching, and slip bobbing. It’s gentle on a slab crappie’s fragile mouth, can feel every nibble, quiver, or shake, and has the backbone to pull giant bluegills out of the jungle, with enough muster to defeat incidental catches of larger bass” he said.

And those do tend to hang around bluegill in Texas.

RIO GRANDE CICHLID: ese rather odd-shape, yet beautiful spo ed sh are considered a prized trophy by Texas pan sh enthusiasts.

According to TPWD o cials, the distribution of the Rio Grande cichlid in Texas appears to have originally been limited to the lower reaches of the Rio Grande. However, several populations have been established in river drainages of Central Texas’ Edwards Plateau including the San Marcos, Guadalupe, San Antonio, and Colorado rivers. We have also veri ed populations in the northern tier of the Houston metro area.

Cichlids love insect-pa erned ies and are a sucker for any small craw sh-pat-

Faith Moore caught this big redear sunfish in a backwoods slough.

TF&G Editor-In-Chief Chester Moore holds a big white crappie caught in an oxbow off the Sabine River south of the Toledo Bend dam.

terned so plastic.

An 8-foot 4 weight Imperial USA y rod is a good choice for big cichlids as is the 7’3 medium-light extra fast St. Croix Pan sh Series Spinning Rod.

FOR THE KIDS

You can’t go wrong starting a kid shing for pan sh.

A li le red, white, and blue bobber and a small hook rigged with an earthworm can get you into a lot of action on most water bodies.

Dustin Warncke is a father, outdoor writer and works with kids at camps to get them started in the outdoors. He has an important piece of advice for taking kids on a pan sh expedition.

“Bites from bluegill and other varieties of pan sh might be rather light. I watch the line carefully. If it makes a steady move in or out from where the bait se led in my cast I usually try to set to hook because the sh usually has it in its mouth at that point,” he said.

Warncke said you never want to set the hook too hard, so as to pull the bait and hook out of the sh’s mouth too soon, but don’t be afraid to be direct and assertive with the hook set. A short quick jerk should be ne.

“If kids have an issue se ing the hook at the right time with li le sh like these, it can be frustrating at times. Fishing, a er all, is a game of patience and fun so when my son was younger, I would hold the rod and reel and wait for the bite, set the hook, and hand the rod and reel to him. Kids enjoy reeling in and “ ghting” the sh more anyway.”

KIDS AT HEART

Seeking pan sh can be as simple as soaking worms under a bobber or y shing

in super clear water for big shy cichlids. At the heart of all pan sh pursuit is fun and we tend to think anyone who truly loves pansh is still a kid at heart.

ey are at the root of many of our shing experiences and if you get the right gear and nd the sweet spot on your favorite stream, lake or pond, there is Texas-sized action to be had for the whole family.

Rod choice is a big factor in chasing all species of Texas panfish.

Crappie are abundant (and big!) especially in the eastern third of the state.

“You need to watch ‘Murder Mountain.“

POKEN SOMBERLY FROM A National Forest Service game warden, those words got my attention. As we conversed at the National Wild Turkey Federation convention in Nashville, I asked if he ever worked Humboldt County, Ca.

And as I related a personal experience from there nearly 20 years ago, he recommended the six-part Netflix series.

“There are missing people, murders, and drug trafficking. You were lucky to get out,” he said.

After studying a map, I was probably 10 miles or so from the actual Murder Mountain documented in the series but deep in a county with many missing people, murders, and mayhem.

In 2002 my father and I set out on a mission to explore the Pacific Northwest after my great white shark cage dive adventure in San Francisco. I had heard a bit about pot growers in the area but nothing that seemed worse than where I live in East Texas.

Boy was I wrong.

One night on our trip we set out to try out our new night vision goggles and to record night wildlife sounds in the stunningly beautiful mountains in the Trinity

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Alps. When I tell you this was in the middle of nowhere it might be hard for you to imagine just how far unless you’ve been to that part of the world.

We pulled up a few minutes a er the sunset and planned to stay through the night.

As Dad started taking out the equipment, I walked over to a good viewing spot to look down into the valley with the night vision goggles.

e moon was full, so visibility was high.

If anything came into the clearings below, we should get a glimpse, I thought.

en I saw it.

A beam of light shot up toward our position.

“Dad, did you see that?” I asked as I pulled o the goggles.

“What?”

“A light beam just shone toward us,” I replied.

“I didn’t see it,’ he said.

Neither did I know that the goggles were o . I put them back on, and a few seconds later I could see the light beam moving up toward us. I took them o and couldn’t see the light.

Immediately I knew that someone was below, traveling with night vision and using an infrared light only visible with night vision technology.

e drug activity warning hit me, and I readied to retreat. I knew whoever was down there was not listening for bugling elk like we were.

Just as I shouted for Dad to throw the gear back in the SUV, headlights of a vehicle came on about 3/4 mile ahead of us.

We were on one side of a logging road that cut across a mountain.

is was on the other side of the mountain road. Someone had been signaled. We shoved our gear into the SUV and sped out of there, but by the time we hit the road so did the truck from the other side.

ey were headed straight for us. At one point I was going 80 down the mountain, and they were just a few feet away—literally an arm’s length from hi ing us.

I knew that was their goal.

A er what seemed like forever, we got to the base of the mountain on one of the main roads going toward Willow Creek. As soon as we turned back toward that li le city, they turned back up the mountain.

Over the years I have learned a few things about staying safe in the woods from people with bad intentions. Please share this with others.

It could save their lives.

BAD VIBES: If you feel bad about going into an area don’t go. I believe sometimes this is the Lord telling me to stay away. You may not believe that, but just call it a “gut feeling” and go with it.

NEVER ALONE: As much as I love to be in the distant forest alone with my camera—don’t you do it. Always bring someone along. Preferably someone who is experienced in the woods. You are far more likely to get hurt by evil people if you are alone.

PACK HEAT: If it’s legal where you are then use your Second Amendment right and carry a rearm. Make sure you are trained in its use and be prepared to do what is necessary.

Be er you defend yourself against a maniac than become a statistic. Also, carry a large knife with you. In close quarters it could save your life.

STUDY THE AREA: e Internet is a great tool for studying areas. If you nd out an area is a high drug tra cker area, for example, avoid it like the plague.

Stay away!

I have several areas I no longer frequent because of this issue.

STAY CALM: If you do encounter people in the woods who seem uneasy or a bit shi y, stay calm. Ge ing angry or showing fear is a good way to trigger someone who has violent tendencies.

TRAVEL PLAN: Leave your spouse or close friends a travel plan and let them know the points you plan to explore. Give them a time frame. Let them know to call for help if you have not returned by a certain time or day.

STRATEGIC PARKING: Always park your vehicle facing out of the area as you check out. In a tight spot, you don’t want to have to back up and turn around during a retreat. Also park in a spot in a clear area that you can see from a distance. If someone is waiting on you or has moved into the spot, it will give you a chance to assess the situation and prepare.

DON’T BE A HERO: If you see strangers poaching in the woods at night for example, don’t be a hero and try to stop them. ey are armed and probably will use their weapons on you if you try to stop them. Call and report activity to local game wardens and get out as quickly as possible.

BUY AND CARRY A BEACON: I carry a Spot-X beacon that will alert all rescue personnel at the touch of a bu on. Don’t rely just on a cell phone. Get a beacon of some kind too.

TALK TO LOCALS: Not all information is on social media. Talking to locals in a gun shop or sporting goods store can give you good intel on the local region.

Seeking wildlife in the wild is one of the most exciting things a person can do, but it has its share of dangers. Keep these tips in mind and you should be able to avoid any serious trouble.

(TF&G Editor-in-Chief Chester Moore is also host of the award-winning podcast Dark Outdoors, available on all major podcasting platforms. Subscribe to this TF&G-sponsored podcast for many wild tales of danger in the great outdoors.)

This historical photo of MIssouri’s infamous “Baldknobbers” shows strange and potentially dangerous people have always used the great outdoors as a place for their activities. They were supposedly vigilantes that helped carry out ‘justice” but would you like running into someone dressed like this?

ISHERMEN ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR TALL TALES,

but deer hunters are equally as liberal with exaggeration and hyperbole. We are also prone to thinking we have it all figured out when in fact the deer have us pegged much better than we understand them.

Here are some tips on keeping things in perspective when deer hunting and realize each hunt is an opportunity and few of us will ever shoot the type of deer you see on hunting television programs unless we can afford to go to the mostly high-fenced ranches where such deer dwell in large numbers.

Let’s take advantage of good opportunities presented to us.

BIRD IN THE HAND: If you have an opportunity to shoot a decent buck, take it. Don’t wait around for the mythical 40-point buck of your dreams because chances are it will not come out. East Texas hunters would be wise to take the first legal buck that steps out. Your best shot at getting a buck is on opening weekend or during the rut (it is sweet if they coincide), so take the opportunity that comes your way.

I’ll never forget passing on a huge, older six-point buck on our family’s old McCullough County lease. It was during bow season, and I had it eating only 10 yards away for 15 minutes. I knew there was a big eight-pointer around, so I waited.

Well, the bigger buck came out, stuck his head out of the bushes, looked on the trail right past me and bolted.

A bobcat was coming down the trail and spooked it.

Don’t let a bobcat spook a nice buck away from you. Take the safe, ethical shot and enjoy some fresh backstrap this weekend.

TIMING: You can’t kill a deer if you’re not in the woods. If you get to your blind early and let things se le before they start moving and then stay until dark your odds of scoring, go up astronomically.

Several studies show that most large bucks that haven’t turned nocturnal move between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when hunters are back at camp. Don’t be at camp. Be in the woods if possible.

You might even want to consider se ing a timer on your feeder (if you have one) to go o about noon. I can pre y much guarantee you no one else in the area will, and it could give you a needed edge.

DON’T STINK: If a deer sees you it might leave. If it hears you, it might bolt away and come back. If it smells you, it is over. e nose of the whitetail is incredibly sensitive and is their rst line of defense.

Position yourself downwind of where you think the deer will come and use scent eliminators. A small dose of a masking scent does not hurt either.

FRONTAL ISSUES: Deer hunters love to hunt a er cold fronts but according to Ken Swenson of the Swenson Whitetail Ranch in Orange eld we might be missing out before fronts arrive.

“Our deer absolutely increase their eating in a big way before a front arrives. A couple of days in advance, they eat heavily and then it slows down a er the front comes,” he said.

His deer are captive and fed high protein diets, but they are still whitetails and go through all the same cycles as other deer.

“ is certainly made me question my thoughts on cold fronts and deer,” Swenson said. e observation makes sense as animals instinctively feed in advance of plummeting temperatures.

BUCK BRUSH: Texas bass shermen love to sh in coralberry or “buck brush” on

reservoirs when water levels are high. e name should give it away but the thicket it creates along with the nutrition it provides makes it a favorite among deer hunters in the region.

Another good one is yaupon (the bush that produces the pre y li le red berries).

Humans consider it a nuisance, but deer love it. Yaupon thickets are decent places to hunt.

If you can nd yaupon on the edge of a eld, you will see deer feeding on it fairly frequently. It’s something that is easy to key on for hunters and is more readily identiable than many other plants in the eld. Moments: ere are few things more peaceful than being in the woods. A er all, that is what it was like in the beginning. ere were no asphalt roads, cities, and

technological gadgets. It was just the creation and its incredible majesty.

Never let the drive to shoot a big buck deter you from enjoying the sight of a redtailed hawk swooping down to take a rabbit or a beautiful red cardinal si ing on a limb outside your stand.

If you will only be pleased by pulling the trigger, then your happiness will be eeting. If, however, you choose to take in your surroundings and be thankful for the li le things in the woods you will have a sense of joy that lasts far beyond the day’s hunt.

Now, if that big buck does come out, your day will be all the be er.

Waiting for the mythical deer of a lifetime could cost you a very good trophy.

Texas FRESHWATER

ly nice bass along the way.

In May 2007, I got lucky and boated my biggest frog bass, an honest 10 pounder. e sh slammed a baby bass pa ern Stanley Ribbit as it raced across a stand of lily pads towards the back of Yellow Bank Creek on Lake Nacogdoches.

Kermit: Ready To Rumble

IT’S LATE SUMMER AND FALL IS just around the corner. It’s a good time for all you gutsy bass busters out there to put Kermit on a leash and get ready to rumble.

Kids may recognize Kermit as the mouthy Muppet character with a colorful personality.

Bass anglers are di erent. When they think of Kermit, most picture a so plastic lure with a squishy body known for ge ing into serious trouble in the shallows.

Frogs are nimble amphibians that rank pre y low on the food chain. Bass are eating machines and top end predators with very few enemies.

ings can get bloody when the two collide. e bass almost always wins. ey love to munch frogs.

Anyone who has played the game will agree it takes some nerve to take Kermit out for a stroll. Strikes frequently come when you least expect it, and most hits are so violent they might be heard from a considerable distance on a windless day. ink of it like a head-hunting linebacker crushing an unsuspecting tailback who has just hauled in a screen pass that should have never been thrown.

Strikes can be so violent at times that it is almost like practicing self-defense out there. It catches big ones, too.

I’ve had some banner days with a toad tethered to my braid and boated some real-

It was the only frog bite I had on that warm spring a ernoon, but it was well worth it. Catching a 10 pounder isn’t something that happens every day. Having one explode on a frog, then being fortunate enough to wrestle this sh out of a maze of slop is even rarer.

BEST TIMES FOR FROGS

e best time to throw a frog is whenever the bass want one. Fall can be hard to beat.

Water levels are usually low and clear during fall. Low water causes vegetation to crowd the surface and makes it easy to detect the distinctive grass edges bass use to ambush prey that swims dangerously close.

Fall also brings with it cool weather, shorter days and longer nights resulting in a downward slide in water temperatures. It’s feel-good season that puts bass in the mood to chase shad, bream and other forage prone to gravitate towards shallow cover once the cool down begins.

FROG COUNTRY

Frogs can be e ective anywhere but tend to shine the brightest in shallow water when tossed around aquatic vegetation, overhanging bushes and other cover.

Areas with clumpy or sca ered vegetation are ideal. Huntington bass pro Keith Combs says elds of lily pads can be magic. Combs likes pads with “clean water” or on open understory beneath them, not congested with hydrilla.

When shing around grass mats, Combs keys on holes, guts and other broken spots in the mat. He also pays a ention to places where thick, green surface mats have begun to fade to yellow. He says surface mats will get thinner as the grass goes dormant and begins to decay in late fall. is makes it easier for bass to zero in on a frog when it passes above.

TOADS TO CHOOSE FROM

ere are dozens of frog brands on the market that are divided in two basic styles — hollow bodies and buzz frogs.

Hollow bodies have an open body cavity that traps air. ey oat when idle and work best around thick cover with a stop-and-go retrieve. Popping style hollow bodies like the popular Spro Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog tend to work best in situations where grass is sparse or clumpy, whereas walking hollow bodies shine around denser grass mats and pads.

One of the best walking hollow bodies I’ve seen is the Slither K by Deps. e 2 1/4 inch frog weighs 3/8 ounce, has super so body and a pulsating rabbit hair tail that adds casting weight when wet.

e Slither K also comes through heavy

The author with his 10-pound, frog-captured bass.

TF&G Freshwater Fishing Editor WILLIAMS

cover remarkably well, is simple to walk and provides an excellent hook-up ratio. e downside is the frog is somewhat pricey.

e Slither K sells for $20.99 on tacklewarehouse.com.

ere are plenty of other good ones with catchy names at a cheaper price. Strike King’s Sexy Frog and Booyah’s Pad Crash both sell for under $10.

Popular buzz frogs like the Stanley Ribbit and Zoom Horny Toad are made from so , solid plastic. ese frogs are designed to swim across surface using a steady retrieve and they sink when idle.

e Ribbit is equipped with boot-style feet that churn the water like a buzz bait; others have at feet that produce more of a subtle “pi er-pat.”

GEAR FOR FROGS

Frogging is no di erent than any other specialty technique. It demands speci c gear to be most e ective.

It also demands the proper mindset and discipline to avoid overreacting when a sh slams the lure unexpectedly. Many anglers set the hook prematurely and wind up jerk-

ing the bait away from the sh before it has the chance to eat it. Always wait a couple of seconds or until you feel tension on the line before se ing hook.

• ROD: e main body should be sti enough to drive the hook deep into the bass’ jaw and provide the necessary leverage to overpower sh before they wrap you up. Meanwhile, the tip should be light enough to help launch the bait. Two more a ributes to look for in a good frog rod are high quality line guides that can take the punishment dished out by braided line.

• LINE: Premium braided line with a breaking strength of 50-65 pound test is the only way go in frog country.

Braided line is super strong and resistant to abrasion. Plus, it casts extremely well,

has no memory or stretch, and cuts through vegetation like a knife.

• REEL: You need a high quality baitcasting reel built with some guts to withstand the shock of hard hooksets on large sh in heavy cover with braided line.

It also helps to have a reel with a relatively high gear ratio, 6.4:1 or higher. e high gear ratio makes it easy to get a buzz frog up and running. Plus, it gathers line quickly.

Bass are natural born bullies, and few baits bring out their mean streak be er than Kermit does. ough frogs won’t work all of the time, the results can be magical when everything lines up just right.

Fall brings with it some of the best frog action of year.

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IT’S FALL IN TEXAS. BUT don’t stash the crappie gear in exchange for a scattergun or deer rifle just yet. You could miss out on some of the best fishing of the year.

Fall is the harbinger of cold fronts that bring a gradual chill to water temperatures on lakes across the state. It’s feel-good season when the days gradually grow shorter, the nights longer and mornings become increasingly crisp with the passage of time.

Jason Barber of Gun Barrel City loves fall weather. He is an even bigger fan of autumn’s crappie fishing prospects.

“Once we have that first cool snap the fish seem to start coming out of the sum-

mer doldrums,” he said. “They start getting aggressive and put their feed bags on. They’ll shallow up and really thump a jig. You’ll catch big ones, too.”

Barber is a veteran fishing guide who grew up on the shores of Cedar Creek Reservoir. It’s not the state’s very best crappie lake, but it certainly ranks among them. The lake offers a range of cover and structure where anglers can fish this time of year — boat docks, brush piles and bridge crossings. The crappie will most often be suspended around 8-12 feet down, give or take.

Here’s a brief look at the patterns and tactics Barber relies on to catch fall slabs.

Find something similar on another good crappie lake like Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Fork, Granger, Lavon, Richland Chambers or Coleto Creek and his tricks might work for you:

SHOOTING DOCKS

Barber “shoots” jigs to get at fish attracted to docks by shade and forage. Done correctly, shooting will catapult the jig at a low angle, parallel to the water, with enough velocity that it will sail far beneath the dock or whatever you’re aiming at.

Barber shoots with a 6 foot medium action spinning rod using 6 pound high-viz green line. The bright line sometimes helps

you see bites before you feel them. He prefers shooting with a 1/16 ounce hand-tied jig; plastics are prone to tear or slip down. Barber says deeper docks in 8-12 feet will hold the most sh.

HEAVY BRUSH AND MINNOWS

Crappie love to hang out around brush piles. When shing vertical with minnows, Barber likes a 6-6 medium action spinning rod matched with 1/4-3/8 ounce slip sinker and 30-pound braided line tethered to a snap swivel with a No. 1 gold Aberdeen hook with a pre-rigged leader. e heavy line allows for bending the hook if he gets hung.

JIGS AROUND BRUSH & BRIDGES

Barber uses a 6-6 medium rod with 6-pound line for casting jigs to get at sh suspended on top of, or on the sides of brush piles, or around bridge cross members. He says the light line casts well and helps if the sh are line shy.

LONG POLING BRUSH & STUMPS

Barber says long poling with a 12-13 foot specialty rod is ideal for forward facing sonar users when targeting sh suspended around stumps and the edges of brush piles. e long rod prevents ge ing too close and eliminates having to reel in the bait between presentations; just li the bait

up and drop it back down.

BRIDGE FISHING

Bell Sinker Minnow Rig: Built similar to a drop shot rig, except the hook is staged on a 4-5 inch dropper loop about a foot above the bell weight. e loop allows the minnow freedom to swim. Barber likes this rig when shing vertically for sh that are suspended near bo om.

A split shot rig is great for casting minnows, it slow falls around bridges. Rig a single split shot (1/16 to 1/4 ounce) about 10 inches above a No. 1 hook.

Texas WHITETAILS

WHITETAILS

At the Water Hole

TEXAS IS A THIRSTY STATE!

Rainfall at the right times and amounts will make anyone a fabulous wildlife manager! is year, in spite of extremely hot temperatures we were blessed with rain, particularly during

the critical times for wildlife and especially whitetail deer. As a wildlife biologist I could not have scheduled the timing or the amounts be er. e rains came early to produce late winter weeds and promote spring green up. Ground vegetation in the form of weeds, or forbs, created not only excellent food for all varieties of wildlife, but also cover for new-born whitetail fawns. Because of the increased nutrition does were in good body condition when their fawns were born and produced plenty of milk for their o spring. Ground vegetation also kept fawns hidden from predators during their early days.

Bucks, many of which survived last year because of less than stellar antler development, recovered quickly because of early spring rains we have had in most areas. Su cient vegetation, in terms of forbs and woody browse, got them o to a great start in developing new sets of antlers.

During the summer I visited with numer-

ous landowners and hunters about what they were seeing in terms of antlers. Based on their reports and personal observations it looks like we are going to have a really good antler year throughout much of Texas!

During August and early September, I spent a fair amount of time watching waterholes. I do most of my scouting personally, rather than using trail cameras. While I appreciate their value, I like being surprised when hunting season arrives rather than having photos of many of the bucks on the property I hunt. I use trail cameras very rarely, and then only if I am trying to capture an image of a buck I hope will be passed by other hunters, so I can show them what he looks like. If other hunters want to scout with trail cameras, more power to them. I seldom even look at trail camera photos that others procure on the properties I hunt. Again, I like being surprised.

In early September once dove season arrives as it did this year, I took my .410

The best time to take a buck you know about is the earliest legal opportunity, either archery season or MLD Permit.

TF&G Whitetail Hunting Editor

Mossberg Silver Over/Under, found a remote waterhole and set up there, away from others. en, rather than shoot doves, which may be plentiful in the area, I

watched for whitetails.

I am not a bowhunter, although I greatly appreciate archery hunters or those who hunt with a crossbow. Being a bowhunter

has its advantages. e best time to take a really good buck, if you have “intel” on him, is the earliest legal opportunity. In many areas that means bowhunting, or, being on MLD Permit.

Come October the bucks in most areas of Texas have not yet started ru ing, although there are some regional exceptions. at means most of the bucks are still in their late summer pa erns; eating and drinking in the same basic areas. Once the rut begins bucks may move quite a distance, or, not. Whitetails are just as individual as you and I when it comes to how we do things!

ank goodness it is again our time of the year!

Whitetails are just as individual as you and I when it comes to how they do things.

Going COASTAL

:: by KELLY GROCE

Mother Lagoon in Full Bloom

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER

are by far my favorite months out of the year, especially for shing. It’s as if Mother Lagoon and her wildlife have been saving up all year to display their beauty. During this time, anglers can pursue red sh a few di erent ways here on the Lower Laguna Madre. e bull red run happens here as well as many of the

je ies/inlets along the Texas coast, and the ats come to life when the water temperature drops a few degrees from the primetime summer months.

rowing topwaters in about 12” of water can provide the best fun an angler can dream of. Working a “walk the dog” style lure when there is a nice ripple on the water’s surface will grab the a ention of a brute red sh. Same as throwing jigheads while dri ing the ats, aiming your casts towards sandy potholes sca ered amongst the grass where those sh are waiting for baits to swim by is the ticket. One of the most exhilarating feelings while shing is to see a large push of water waking behind your topwater as you work it. at’s when you know it’s about to go down! My favorite topwater lures to use are the tried-andtrue Shimano Coltsniper and the DOA Lures PT-7.

e Shimano Coltsniper comes in a variety of sizes and is my absolute favorite. I’ve caught everything from 30” speckled trout, to snook, to over slot red sh, to aggressive mangrove snapper on this piece of sh candy. I most frequently use the 95mm or 110mm size while using my Shimano Teramar XX 7’6” medium fast action rod

and Vanford 2500HG reel. Don’t be afraid to throw a larger topwater. You might not get the most blowups or bites, but when you do, it will be one worth taking a picture of. I usually go back and forth from the smaller 90mm to the 110mm size unless they are clearly interested in a certain one. is lure walks with ease and produces the perfect amount of ruckus. On breezy days, the seagrass collects making the treble hooks on this lure not an issue, but on the calm days when the grass is more dispersed, snagging grass can become more frequent. Some folks switch out the treble hooks for circle hooks to prevent this problem, but I’ll usually switch over to a DOA PT-7 topwater. While this lure might look a li le goofy, it is completely weedless, and sh just love it. e best thing about this lure is that you can bomb it further away from the boat than any other topwater I’ve ever used. And when shing the shallow ats, the further you cast, the likelihood of hooking a sh that hasn’t been spooked by the boat yet increases.

e fall bull red run the past two years here on South Padre Island has happened mid to end of October. When this starts to occur, using bo om rigs with the appro-

A Laguna Madre redfish explodes on a full-size topwater.

TF&G Contributing Editor

priate weight is the name of the game. is is when the Humminbird Solix 12 Gen 3 comes into major use. e Side Imaging and Down Imaging shows us exactly where those sh are stacked up in the water col-

umn, le ing us know what gear to use to put baits in their face. Not only is the je y a wonderful place to target for red sh this time of year, but schools of tarpon, snook, jack crevalle, mangrove snapper, etc. will

also be there. is is the time of year when the larger migratory tarpon are making their move back south to the Yucatan. Last year in September when the conditions were right to head oshore a few miles, we would check out some underwater wreckage where schools of ling would pop up to check out the boat. If one of those gets on the hook, there is no doubt we are keeping one to share with the family for dinner.

As the temperatures slowly start to drop a couple of degrees here and there, make sure to get out and see Mother Lagoon in full bloom. Until next time.

Scan to Hear Audio Version

The author loves the Fall, and chasing Laguna redfish with topwaters.

TF&G Staff Report

UNTING NEVER REALLY STOPS in Texas, but the heart of the hunting season begins this month. On top of that, fall is absolutely the best time for both salt and freshwater shing and many outdoors lovers choose to combine their pursuits.

For the outdoors lover who likes to do it all there are plenty of chances to hunt in the morning and sh in the evening or vice versa. is article gives you some options and tips to nd action this month and to adjust your strategies as fall turns to winter.

DOVE

Dove season kicks o Sept. 1 in the North and Central Zones and Sept. 14 in the South Zone. e special white-winged dove days are Sept. 2-4 and Sept. 9-11.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 

e Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) for the last couple of decades has been doing something that allows hunters to access hunting at an a ordable rate, especially when it comes to dove hunting.

For $48, hunters can purchase an Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH) and have an opportunity to pursue their outdoor passions on more than 900,000 acres of land.

e program’s many accomplishments include the following:

• Since the rst year, the program has found acceptance from both hunters and participating landowners. Participants are enthusiastic.

• e program has grown from 10 units in six counties and 4,375 acres to many times that amount.

• Youth hunts were added in 2002 and TPWD now o ers Youth Only and Youth Adult areas.

• Numerous leases are available near

San Antonio, Houston, and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas.

ARCHERY ONLY WHITETAIL

e archery-only season for whitetail deer kicks o Sept. 30.

In several parts of the state, bowhunters get to hunt deer in the rut, which begins in October in certain parts of the state. Whitetails in the southern part of the Pineywoods start ru ing in October with heavy activity centered toward the end of the season.

e rut o ers the best chance to score on a big buck as their defenses go down while they are in pursuit of does.

Secondly, it gives those hunters who pursue deer on public land a great chance at targeting prime areas. e National Forests and numerous wildlife management areas are packed with hunters during the general season but see relatively few bowhunters.

e acorn crop in much of the region

should be strong which could keep many deer from hi ing feeders. Targeting natural food sources during bow season is o en best anyway and is certainly more consistent for taking big bucks. ey don’t get big by running straight to a feeder when it starts dispensing corn.

is of course is not legal on certain public lands.

Otherwise do your best to scout both in the eld and using tools like Google Earth to check out travel corridors and food sources.

Set up your blind with the wind in your face and hopefully the deer coming out in front, and you’ll be just ne.

Take time to enjoy the woods. Listen to the sounds of morning breaking as the birds send out their wake-up calls and squirrels scurry up the trees.

EARLY TEAL

e early teal season spans Sept. 9-24. Hunters can expect areas along the

coast with freshwater to hold plenty of birds, especially on the front end of the season.

Hunters should not however overlook

stock tanks and reservoirs in Central and North Texas or reservoirs and sloughs in the Pineywoods. ey don’t get nearly the pressure that the coast gets and there tend

to be plenty of teal.

SPECKLED TROUT

Fall is feeding frenzy times for speckled trout. Look for specks under the birds during October and November a er cold fronts.

Diving gulls lead to good catches of trout feeding on shrimp. row silver spoons, so plastics, and live shrimp under popping corks for best results. is is a fun time to throw a topwater because you’re likely to get lots of hits by smaller sh. If you want a bigger trout, try using a popping cork with a large swimbait so plastic under it. You get the surface popping action like a topwater but something for big trout which tend to be shyer to hit beneath the surface.

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Bass shing gets overlooked in the fall. And that’s a shame since some of the

Veronica Ringwall caught this nice largemouth on a family outing.

best bass shing of the year happens during autumn.

Main-lake points and creeks entering the main body of the lake are the important areas to sh at this time of year as they give the sh access to shallow and deep water and hold fair to good amounts of shad.

row spinners and wacky worms during

the midday period; sh topwaters and buzz baits early and late. Another viable option is to sh the riprap and bulkheads along some of the big marinas, especially in the evenings. ese areas will hold many bass, especially a er a front blows through.

If the bites don’t come easy, use a slow-sinking lure like a Senko because they

appeal to both temperatures stunted slow moving sh and aggressive feeding sh as well.

Between fronts, look for shad bunched up around the secondary points and start shing a crank bait with a slow retrieve. If you nd sh and they are active, switch to something like a Rat-L-Trap and boost the retrieve up to medium speed. Sometimes the shad are spread along the shorelines, stacked horizontally instead of vertically. If this is the situation, the bass can be scattered as well. is is a good time to throw a square bill crankbait since you can cover lots of water. If the sh are a li le deeper try something in the medium-diving range.

BULL REDS

All the je y systems in Texas will hold lots of huge bull red sh beginning this month. e action ranges from lukewarm

Once cold fronts arrive on the Texas Coast, so do the big redfish.

to excellent depending on the presence of cold fronts and tidal ow.

On the passing of late cold fronts target the eddies that form at the end of je ies. Typically, all je ies have an area at the southern tip where the current washes out a large bowl area. When the tide is strong and when it is going out, eddies form and a lot of the smaller bait sh gather in these spots. Red sh will stack up there and gorge themselves.

Probably the all-around best bait that is easily accessible at bait camps in the fall is a live mud minnow (the bigger, the be er) hooked through the tail and shed on a drop-shot rig. Croaker is killer for the bull reds but for slot-sized mud minnows are great.

With the sh hooked through the tail it will swim upward and struggle a lot which draws the a ention of the reds. e disadvantage is tail hooking makes it easier for the red to take the bait without ge ing hooked, but it tends to draw more strikes.

Free-lining a mud minnow with a splitshot rigged six inches above the hook is also good but sometimes currents even in

the eddies can be such that it’s hard for the bait to get down to the sh.

Another spot to try at the je ies are the boat cuts. ey are good on both outgoing

and incoming tides and can be full of reds of slot size and epic proportion.

A Tale of Two Months SABINE

Reported by CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

WHAT MORE COULD ANYone ask for? Over the course of these next two months, we are blessed to be able to sh two very exciting, very productive and very di erent techniques in our e orts to outsmart the three most sought a er inshore species on the entire Texas coast.

Starting with September, the month that the calendar says fall o cially begins. If you’ve lived in southeast Texas long enough you know that just because the calendar says that fall has arrived, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the thermometer is going to support that theory. In fact, many times what the calendar tells you is the exact opposite of what the mercury is reading.

September on Sabine

is o en just an extension of the summer heat wave we’ve grown so accustomed to. erefore, for the time being, we will continue catching sh the same way we have been for the past several months. at means that channel, je ies and all points south of the causeway bridge, we are not quite done with you yet. e topwater bite in the ship channel should remain consistent early and late for the next few weeks. is should produce some he y stringers of trout and reds. Once the UV rays begin to penetrate the water and the blowups become less frequent, make the switch to so plastics bounced o the bo om or under a popping cork.

Locations with good bait holding bottoms and uctuating depths are areas you will want to key on. Good tidal movement and the abundance of bait sh is what keeps these areas at the top of most people’s list.

e same should hold true at the je ies as we still have a few more weeks of late sum-

mer pa erns there also. Again, throwing topwaters early is a good idea. Make the switch to so plastics around mid-morning.

As the month of October begins to make itself comfortable here on Sabine, you’ll notice that the cool fronts will become a li le more frequent and intense.

ese will be the rst ones to make any signi cant di erence in air and water temperatures. ese ever increasing fronts will slowly begin to bring lower than normal tides that will pull water from the back lakes and purge the marsh and bayous of shrimp and bait sh, and the much anticipated fall bite should blast o from that point on. e shrimp will nally have the green light to ride the current out of the marsh and venture out into the open waters of the bay. Once there, they will be happily greeted by hungry trout, reds and ounder. is is a continuing process that gains momentum with each new front. is is only the beginning of the declining fall temperatures and as a result, the mouths of the bayous, shorelines and open bay are all excellent places to locate sh. Birds working over schools of hungry predators will be telltale signs that some of the shrimp have indeed decided to relocate from their summer home in the marsh and set their sights on the big water. Chasing birds in the fall is by far the most popular means for catching quick limits.

October brings with it the rst real fronts of the year which tend to raise the bird chasing bar up a few notches. e amount of bait, coupled with lower water temperatures allow the big 3 to really showcase their dominance in the food chain. Hopefully we’ll see you down here experiencing the tale of two months.

CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

thermometer

It’s Time to Get Outside GALVESTON

EARLY FALL IS HERE AND there are many opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors in the Lone Star State. From shing to hunting and everything in between it’s just a great time of year to be outside. Galveston Bay o ers some of its best shing opportunities this time of year for specks, red sh, ounder and more! And with so much going on this time of year, it is nice to be able to enjoy a day of shing without so much pressure from other anglers.

Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK

Galveston East Bay Trinity Bay

SMITH POINT

SMITH POINT IS THE CONVERGEANCE POINT ON THE NORTH SHORE OF GALVESton East Bay, the east shore of Trinity Bay, where the two bays also join Galveston Bay. Vingt-Et-Un Islands, Van-Ta-Un Flats, and several reefs provide excellent redfish, trout and flounder fishing this time of year. Selected HOTSPOTS are shown in the table below, and on the map.

Red sh are spawning this time of year and can be found in huge schools in the bay and around the gulf passes. ese bigger schools are usually the “bull” reds, sh that measure over 28 inches, and provide some fast action and a great ght on lighter tackle. In the bay I sh with arti cial lures like a so plastic on a ½ ounce jighead to make long casts and get down to the sh quickly. When shing around the je ies, my typical setup is using some type of cut bait shed on the bo om. It is not uncommon to catch big numbers of sh this way. My best day at the je ies was 50 red sh one October a few years back.

Spo ed seatrout, or speckled trout, are a

Scan

lot of fun to target this time of year if you like shing the birds and covering a lot of water. Sometimes it can be frustrating when you are catching lots of smaller trout, but just remember to change your tactics and try shing deeper or with a di erent type of bait or lure. A lot of the time, the bigger trout are down deeper, and you just need something to get down

to them quicker and avoid the smaller “schoolie” trout. ere are several great places to look for birds from the shoreline if you are wade shing or shing from the bank. e Texas City Dike, Galveston Island State Park, Christmas Bay and the beach front are all great options for access to these sh.

FACILITIES KEY FACILITY NAME GPS LOCATION PHONE A Robbins Park N 29 32.819, W 94 47.250 Hawkins Camp Road 409-267-8364 SOURCE: TEXAS LAKES & BAYS FISHING ATLAS SPECKLED TROUT KEY HOTSPOT NAME GPS BEST BAIT & TACTIC 1 Hodges Reef N 29 34.963, W 94 44.574 Live shrimp under cork; anchor or drift, look for bait; dawn through dusk 2 Van-Ta-Un Flats N 29 32.920, W 94 46.419 Suspending twitch baits, wade shallow early, drift late; avoid midday REDFISH 3 Spoonbill Reef N 29 33.667, W 94 46.517 Live shrimp under cork, mullet; fish reef top and edges; dawn through midday, dusk 3 Richard’s Reef N 29 31.408, W 94 44.276 Drift north reef edge, cast to slicks, look for nervous bait & birds; morning through afternoon 4 Smith Point Flats N 29 31.258, W 94 45.095 Pumpkinseed soft plastics, gold spoon; watch boils; avoid afternoon FLOUNDER 5 Ving-et-un N 29 32.920, W 94 46.419 Live mud minnows, soft plastics; wade or drift slowly; avoid midday 6 Richard’s Reef N 29 31.429, W 94 45.323 Mud minnows, shrimp, fish shore and shell ridge; dawn through afternoon TEXAS FISH & GAME ® | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 | 41 CAPT. DEREK YORK ounder And with so 2 1 3 4 6 5 3 A

UPPER COAST

time and October has quickly become one of the busiest months to sh for them due to the closure during November and the rst half of December. A lot of these sh can still be caught in the marsh areas around drains and deeper areas, but we have also had some great days in some of the winter “hotspots” around the Galveston channel and other deep-water areas. A jighead with a Gulp swimming mullet is always one of my favorites along with Chickenboy Lures’ Bubba Cluckers. Chartreuse, hot pink, white and red are all great color choices for ounder, but sometimes all you must do is get a lure in front of them and they will eat about anything.

I hope all of you get to enjoy this time of year and remember to take a kid or someone who has never had the opportunity to go shing.

CONTACT CAPT. YORK:

Email: SportStalkerFishing@sbcglobal.com

Online: FishGalvestonBayTX.com

Best Time of the Year MATAGORDA

Reported by CAPT. MARK TALASEK

FALL IS HANDS DOWN THE

ends. Find the birds and there will be sh. I like throwing so plastics with a 1/4 ounce lead head. Light color in clear water and dark color in dirty water. My dad used to tie on tandem lead heads. Get two grown reds on the same line and you have the ght of your life. Best have your drag tightened down. Top waters will a ract plenty of action. e li le school trout will pop them up like a popcorn machine. Live shrimp under a popping cork will get a strike every cast. Let the bait sink down when you cast. Sometimes the bigger sh are deeper. I enjoy chasing reds in the shallow water. Nothing beats seeing tailing reds with their ags in the air, nose on the bo om, eating everything in their path. I usually throw nger mullet. Reds can’t resist them. I always remember the advice of captain Raymond Cox. Let the mullet sit there. Don’t move it. You will only confuse the reds. LOL!

CONTACT CAPT. TALASEK:

Email: MarkTalasek@sbcglobal.com

Online: TalasekGuideService.com

UPPER COAST HOTSPOTS

LOCATION: Christmas Bay

HOTSPOT: Wildlife Refuge Shoreline

GPS: N 29 3.633, W 95 12.185 (29.0606 -95.2031)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live bait, topwaters

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Live shrimp, finger mullet, topwaters early, soft plastics later.

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay

HOTSPOT: Richard’s Reef

GPS: N 29 31.408, W 94 44.276 (29.5235 -94.7379)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Live and artificial redfish bait

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Drift north reef edge, cast to slicks, look for nervous bait & birds; morning-afternoon

LOCATION: Galveston East Bay

HOTSPOT: Siever’s Cut

GPS: N 29 26.074, W 94 42.692 (29.4346 -94.7115)

triggers

best shing of the year! Everyone that steps on my boat asks me that question. at rst cold front cools the water temperatures down. is triggers the shrimp migration from the marshlands to the gulf. Red sh and trout eat the shrimp pods pushing them to the surface where birds eat them.

ey catch it from both

LOCATION: Bastrop Bay

HOTSPOT: Christmas Point

GPS: N 29 4.663, W 95 10.495 (29.0777, -95.1749)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Spoons, crab soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Mullet, crabs, TX Red Killers, gold spoons

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live shrimp

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish shrimp under cork; dawn-dusk

LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay

HOTSPOT: Cove Bayou Shoreline

GPS: N 29 47.026, W 94 44.703 (29.7838 -94.7451)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: 5-in. glow/chartreuse Bass

Assassins

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Wade knee to hip deep; morning to midday

LOCATION: Galveston Trinity Bay

HOTSPOT: Green Island

GPS:

SPECIES: Flounder

BEST BAITS: Live mud minnows, soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Wade or drift slowly; avoid midday

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay

HOTSPOT: Bay Harbor

GPS: N 29 8.019, W 95 4.606 (29.1337 -95.0768)

SPECIES: Flounder

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, live bait

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Best when tides are moving, use hook set count; dawn, morning, dusk, night.

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay

HOTSPOT: Carancahua Lake

GPS: N 29 14.556, W 95 1.722 (29.2426 -95.0287)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Shrimp

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish shrimp under cork, work shallow early, middle later; dawn-morning, afternoon-dusk.

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay

HOTSPOT: Confederate Reef

GPS: N 29 15.7549, W 94 55.177 (29.2626 -94.9196)

LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay

HOTSPOT: Killbride Reef

GPS: N 28 43.3609, W 95 50.0689 (28.7227, -95.8345)

LOCATION: Matagorda West Bay

HOTSPOT: Cottons Bayou

GPS: N 28 30.45, W 96 12.3816 (28.5075 -96.2064)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or small topwater lures

SOURCE: Capt. Paul Marcaccio 281-788-4041

www.gofishgalveston.com

TIPS: Confederate Reef is 3/4 mile long. Try to be careful to not walk on the shell; walk on the edge. The fish can hear you walking will move away.

LOCATION: Galveston West Bay

HOTSPOT: Dana Cove

GPS: N 29 12.768, W 94 58.308 (29.2128, -94.9718)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish

BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics with either 1/2 or 3/8 oz jig head

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: If you see one that starts off small when you first see it and it’s getting bigger and bigger, fish are going to be pretty close by.

LOCATION: Matagorda East Bay

HOTSPOT: Tripod

GPS: N 28 40.147, W 95 54.813 (28.6691 -95.9136)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish grass and sand bottoms, early in the morning with topwaters, then change to soft plastics as the sun rises in the sky.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake

HOTSPOT: Black’s Bayou

GPS: N 29 59.866, W 93 45.182 (29.9978 -93.7530)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish Sea Shad plastic on weighted worm hook

SPECIES: Speckled Trout and Redfish

BEST BAITS: Down South soft plastics with either 1/2 or 3/8 oz jig head

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Most of the time you should be fishing under the birds and should be be using soft plastics. You can cast out, catch a fish, unhook it, and throw back out again without taking a lot of time rigging up new live bait.

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics with jig heads

SOURCE: Capt. Eddie Hernandez

409-673-3100

www.goldenhookguide.com

TIPS: The birds are working shrimp with trout under them. Any of the bigger bayous are good places to check during October.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake

HOTSPOT: Bridge Hole

GPS: N 29 46.0819, W 93 53.7469 (29.7680 -93.8958)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or topwater baits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Glow is a good color at any time. Other good

UPPER COAST

 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

colors are Red Shad or Morning Glory in the morning. Later in the day after the sun gets up, switch over to Water Melon Red or Opening Night…something with a little more sparkle.

LOCATION: Sabine Lake

HOTSPOT: Island Reefs

GPS: N 29 45.106, W 93 53.307 (29.7518 -93.8885)

Time for Everything to Cool Off

Reported by CAPT. RICHARD THOMPSON

THE SUMMER CROWDS AND holidays that bring more than usual shing pressure are gone as the dog days of summer are over. As we take a huge sigh of relief from the harsh summer heat, before the snow birds arrive, and the kiddos have gone back to school we greatly anticipate the rst cool front of the year to blow through. We

SPECIES: Speckled trout and redfish

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: October on Sabine Lake is a premier month for fishing under the birds. The Jetties will only have a few trout; redfish are always there.

know this is the catalyst for the fall shing pa erns to begin.

As the rst cold front of the year blows through, it provides instant relief as we start seeing changes in the environment, the sh do too. e temperatures begin to drop, this triggers new feeding pa erns. Typically, during the summer months, your upper slot Reds will be on the ats foraging in pairs or in smaller schools of sh. As the water temperature cools, they congregate in more con ned areas as do the bait sh which is always the name of the game.

Our strategy during this time of year is to accommodate the pa erns and movements of the Red sh. One of our most common practices is wading the shallow ats as we patiently wait for signs of schooling Red sh and or tailing Red sh. Another one of our go to methods is driing the ats, as we are looking for signs of wakes and nervous water and sometimes you can see them if the water clarity is good and you can sight cast right in front of them. It’s one of the most adrenaline, heart pumping moments, as it’s all about seeing the sh devour your lure that you cast perfectly in its sight. Our go to set up for this type of shing is a Laguna Custom Rod

paired with a Down South Lure “Bone Diamond” combo. Our friend Mike Bosse, with Down South Lures, produces some of the best swim baits in the market for this type of shing.

Many of these areas along Mustang Island provide these types of ats and the opportunities to target Red sh with these pa erns.

We are going to pump the breaks for a moment and talk about the elephant in the room. Did you know that Texas has its own running of the Bulls? is time of year is the beginning of the fall migration of Bull Reds headed to the Gulf for their annual spawning routines. Wow, so how does one have an opportunity to partake in all this jam-packed fun adventure? As they are moving through the passes of Packery Channel and Port Aransas je ies, you can have your opportunity to catch these bruisers and get in on all the fun as they are cruising through the passes following the migrating bait along the beaches as they are running up and down the surf. One must be prepared when landing one of these awesome mature Reds. Typically, this is a catch and release event. Best practices, as these guys are the main patriarchs and producers of their species and ensure that they reach their nal destination to the spawning grounds.

As usual, we want to again give you a friendly reminder from one shermen to another, always check your tide tables, follow your major and minor feed times, as we believe it will increase your chances of catching sh and landing that personal best. We would love to have you come

Scan to Hear Audio Version

CAPT. RICHARD THOMPSON

join us this fall as the shing is going to be incredible. We will hook YOU up!

CONTACT CAPT. THOMPSON:

Email: RandKCoastalOutfitters@gmail.com

Online: RandKCoastalOutfitters.com

MIDDLE COAST HOTSPOTS

LOCATION: Aransas Bay

HOTSPOT: Halfmoon Reef

GPS: N 28 4.5259, W 96 59.062 (28.0754 -96.9844)

HOTSPOTLIGHT

PORT BAY

PORT BAY IS AN EXTENTION OF COPANO BAY, ON COPANO’S SOUTHERN SHOREline. Selected HOTSPOTS are shown in the table below, and on the map.

1 78/16 oz jig head and Specantor cork;

morn-dusk

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Trout should be in 4-6 feet of water. You may find some shallower, but they won’t stay there long.

LOCATION: Aransas Bay

HOTSPOT: Mud Island

GPS: N 27 56.635, W 97 1.266 (27.9439 -97.0211)

fish falling tide, drift/anchor, hit sandpockets;

dawn thru dusk

before sun up, live deeper later in the day;

before sun up, live bait deep later in the day;

fish falling tide, drift/anchor, hit sandpockets;

dawn thru dusk

Subtly cast into shallows, bump jig off bottom; Aug-Oct, midday thru aftn

in clusters, cast 10 times, no action, move;

morning, aftn

Great gigging at night under lights, freeline live bait; Spring, Fall, avoid midday

shrimp, finger mullet on C-rig, fish with tides; Spring,

reds, flnder, sheeph, Black D; live bait; free float or freeline; Mar-Nov; dawn-morn, dusk

reds, flnder, sheeph, Black D; live bait; free float or freeline;

D;

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: In the fall, strawberry is a productive color. A gold spoon also works good.

LOCATION: Copano Bay

HOTSPOT: Copano Reef GPS: N 28 7.5019, W 97 4.737 (28.1250 -97.0790)

MIDDLE COAST

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Start early along the shore, and then work out toward the open bay as the temperature heats up.

LOCATION: Corpus Christi Bay

HOTSPOT: Shamrock Cove

GPS: N 27 45.369, W 97 9.733 (27.7562 -97.1622)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics or live finger mullet

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: The flats should be good for redfish and the deeper water over reefs should yield trout.

LOCATION: Espiritu Santo Bay

HOTSPOT: Saluria Bayou

GPS: N 28 23.9839, W 96 25.1479 (28.3997 -96.4191)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Live shrimp under a popping cork, cut bait, or soft plastics.

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Rigging the popping cork: The Mid Coast cork us a good choice… it has a weight underneath and swivel. Tie the leader, usually about two feet, and then a number four croaker hook.

LOCATION: Port Aransas

HOTSPOT: Estes Flats

GPS: N 27 57.058, W 97 5.331 (27.9510 -97.0889)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Cut Bait or Live Mullet

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Redfish fishing should be on fire using cut bait and live mullet.

LOCATION: Port Aransas

HOTSPOT: Traylor Islands

GPS: N 27 56.6849, W 97 4.4609 (27.9448 -97.0744)

SPECIES: Flounder

BEST BAITS: Gigging

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Anglers will have their chance for flounder in October as the season is closed in November. You can still fish with rod & reel for flounder, but no gigging.

LOCATION: Port O’Connor

HOTSPOT: Jetties

GPS: N 28 25.212, W 96 19.5439 (28.4202, -96.3257)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Throw a colored bait that resembles needle fish or glass minnows (light green or almost crystal clear).

LOCATION: Redfish Bay

HOTSPOT: Dagger Island

GPS: N 27 50.1019, W 97 10.2659 (27.8350, -97.1711)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Live finger mullet

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Free-line live finger mullet, rigged Carolina style so it can’t swim off… generally best all-around bait for redfish.

MIDDLE COAST

 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

LOCATION: San Antonio Bay

HOTSPOT: Shell Reef

GPS: N 28 12.9319, W 96 47.155 (28.2155, -96.7859)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Super Spook Junior or soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Wade fishing is your best bet because once you find a school of fish, you can be quieter, stay with the fish, and then walk away and leave the fish biting.

Summer Lingers on Baffin

BAFFIN BAY

Reported by CAPT. GERAD MERRITT

THE MONTHS WE CONSIDER summer are behind us, but shing in September and October on Ba n Bay still has a summertime

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Boat Hole

GPS: N 27 39.169, W 97 14.9989 (27.6528, -97.2500)

feel. e heat is lingering and on an average year we do not start seeing any signi cant cool fronts until November. Due to this, water temperatures are still fairly high, and this causes the sh to stay deeper. Flats and shallows still have some sh on them early in the morning, late in the evenings, and into the night as they venture out to feed.

We have reached the transition phase for live bait. When it is available, we are still using live croaker, but we have also started switching to live shrimp and plastics for the groups that prefer to sh with arti cials.

Our unique rock system is still holding a good number of speckled trout, as a lot of these giant rocks tend to be out in deeper water. ese rocks can sometimes be seen sticking out of the water or just inches below the surface, even though the water depth may be four, ve, or sometimes even six feet deep. If shing Ba n Bay, please be careful when driing or running a boat around them. One suggestion I always make when shing these rock structures is

CAPT. GERAD MERRITT

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: “Put three red glass beads on the leader before I tie on the hook. Makes a lot of difference because of the noise, and because of the color.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Dead Man’s Hole

GPS: N 27 38.665, W 97 12.4279 (27.6444, -97.2071)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Super Spooks or Skitter Walks

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

when an angler throws on top of one and gets snagged using a live bait, simply give the line some slack. In doing this, most of the time one of three things will happen. e bait will swim itself o , the current or wind will push it o , or a sh will see an easy meal and pick it up. I ask my anglers to let it sit for three or four solid minutes before we go the route of breaking the line. When shing the deeper drop o s and out in the laguna, I tie either a slip weight or cha er weight on to help the bait stay lower in the water column and help them slow down if the current is moving rapidly.

Remember, don’t be scared to try a new shing tactic! Have fun, enjoy the water and make memories with your friends and family this fall!

CONTACT CAPT. MERRITT:

Email: GeradMerritt@gmail.com

Online: ParadiseGuideServices.com

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: When fish are shallow, use both live and topwater baits. The top color has been pearl/chartreuse.

LOCATION: Upper Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Kates Hole

GPS: N 27 39.5849, W 97 12.2159 (27.6598, -97.2036)

SPECIES: Flounder

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Free lining a live croaker, just as you would for trout, works for croaker.

It’s Big Fish Season LOWER LAGUNA MADRE

Reported by CAPT. BRIAN BARRERA

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER are truly some of my favorite months to sh, and it’s going to take a whole lot to get me to leave the inlet and other deep surrounding areas to chase sh on the ats. It’s big sh season, time to break out the 6,000, 8,000 and 10,000 size reals and the 100lb leader! By this time, we will be in full tarpon migration mode targeting them as much as possible when weather permits, looking for rolling sh in 20-30 of

HOTSPOTLIGHT

ARROYO COLORADO

THE ARROYO COLORADO IS ONE OF ONLY TWO FRESHWATER INPUTS OF THE Lower Laguna Madre, entering the bay between Port Mansfield and Port Isabel.

LOWER COAST

water during this warmth is where I like to start. If they’re not rolling very much, I will use my Humminbird Solix and side scan and down scan along the inlets and channel edges looking for sh throughout the water column. Early morning and late evening they may rise up to party with the sherman commi ed to 4am alarm clocks and sun up to sunset days on the water. Tarpon are usually eating everything, or nothing, which can make it very hard when the stars aren’t aligned. But truth be told it is easier to feed ‘em than it is to fool ‘em so when push comes to shove don’t be afraid to sling a nice live bait at them and hold on, you might be in for the ght of a lifetime.

When the Tarpon aren’t playing nice, there’s other silver sh hanging around at the je y’s that seem to be a bit more “ sherman friendly”.

King sh, how many guide trips have I had that have been saved by a bunch of smokin’ kings? Plenty!

is time of year, king sh are plentiful if you can nd the clear water or get a good east wind for a few days to push the blue water in. Trolling very big ra le traps, casting big silver spoons, slow rolling heavy jigs with plastics, or free-lining ribbon sh are great ways to get bit while shing for king sh. Don’t forget some steel leader and be weary of the razor sharp teeth!

It’s also never a bad idea to have a bottom rod rigged and ready to drop down for bull reds when the time is right, the red sh run tends to kick in around this time of year, so I stay prepared for big schools. Sending down a heavy drop shot style rig with a live nger mullet never fails when they’re hanging around. If your favorite is arti cial, both the red sh and tarpon absolutely love the DOA Bait Buster in root beer or glow color. Good luck on the water and stay safe!

CONTACT CAPT. BARRERA:

Email: CaptBrianBFishing@gmail.com

Online: InshoreFishingSouthPadre.com

LOWER COAST HOTSPOTS

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: Badlands

GPS: N 27 18.447, W 97 25.993 (27.3075, -97.4332)

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: Rocky Slough

GPS: N 27 9.903, W 97 26.716 (27.1651, -97.4453)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Topwater artificials

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Topwaters early, looking for sand potholes with weeds around the pothole.

LOCATION: Baffin Bay

HOTSPOT: Kennedy Shoreline

GPS: N 27 15.598, W 97 27.6509 (27.2600, -97.4609)

SPECIES: Speckled Trout

BEST BAITS: Live Croaker

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish a 30 lb. test fluorocarbon leader, tied to 20 lb. Windtamer Braid line, using a #8 or #6 black swivel to attach the two lines together.

LOCATION: ICW Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Holly Beach Area

GPS: N 26 8.518, W 97 17.6639 (26.1420, -97.2944)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Popping cork with live shrimp or Gulp!

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Rigging the popping cork: If you’re fishing with live shrimp, use an 18 inch drop and 3/0 croaker hook. With Gulp, use a 1/16 ounce jig head.

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Topwaters or soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: In September the bigger reds move in. It’s not uncommon to encounter 20 fish at a time.

LOCATION: Lower Laguna Madre

HOTSPOT: Marker 45 sandbar

GPS: N 26 46.1219, W 97 26.8249 (26.7687, -97.4471)

SPECIES: Speckled trout

BEST BAITS: Corkies, big topwater artificials, live croaker and live piggy perch

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Use a chatter weight on your rig. Small or big depends on how deep you are fishing — knee deep, smaller; waist to chest deep, bigger.

LOCATION: Middle Ground

HOTSPOT: Century Point

GPS: N 26 38.506, W 97 26.768 (26.6418, -97.4461)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Gold/chartreuse topwaters, red/ yellow plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Drift; best dawn to midday.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield

HOTSPOT: East Bay

GPS: N 26 23, W 97 17.029 (26.3833, -97.2838)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Live Bait, Gulp! Shrimp pearl, soft plastics in pearl/red, strawberry/white, topwaters in bone, chartreuse.

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish topwaters in the cuts early morning,

move back as the sun rises iand fish the edges. Fish soft plastics deeper on a ¼ ounce jighead.

LOCATION: Port Mansfield

HOTSPOT: The Saucer

GPS: N 26 28.134, W 97 23.667 (26.4689, -97.3945)

SPECIES: Redfish

BEST BAITS: Topwaters, soft plastics in LSU, Black/Chartreuse, Gold spoons.

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

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 these silver marauders.

EAST TEXAS HOTSPOTS

Reported by TF&G STAFF

LOCATION: Lake Bob Sandlin

HOTSPOT: Ridge Main Lake

GPS: N 33 4.208, W 95 1.149 (33.0701, -95.0192)

TIPS: Hydrilla normally forms a point at the intake, hit edges with soft plastics; best fishing at dawn through the morning, and at dusk.

LOCATION: Caddo Lake

HOTSPOT: Jackson’s Arm and Alligator Bayou

GPS: N 32 43.1699, W 94 5.4359 (32.7195, -94.0906)

BEST BAITS: Pop’r, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, Bass Assassin shad

SOURCE: Richard Tatsch 936-291-1277

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: Liver, prepared bait

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish liver or prepared bait on Carolina rig, anchor & tightline; dawn, morning, dusk, night.

LOCATION: Brandy Branch Res.

HOTSPOT: Intake/Spillway

GPS: N 32 25.835, W 94 29.051 (32.430583, -94.484183)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fall time is beginning this month and as the water cools the bass will begin to feed much more and school up. Any type baits listed above in light or shad colors work well. Watch for shad grouped up along the grass edges and you will find the bass.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe

HOTSPOT: 1097 Bridge

GPS: N 30 26.226, W 95 35.508 (30.4371, -95.5918)

www.fishdudetx.com

TIPS: The Black 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. Baits like Pop’rs and buzzbaits will work good on overcast days. 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 lot of fish that will attempt to pull the rod out of your hand. The next thing to try would be a Pop’r, working this bait in the same areas and alternate between the spinnerbait to determine which they want on that particular day. Another tried and true method is the Bass Assassin shad. Rig them using a barrel swivel and about a 10 inch leader to keep my line from twisting. Then depending on what you want the bait to do or how fast you want to work it will determine the hook size you use. If you want it on the surface, rig with a 2/0 or 3/0 hook. If you want it deeper, use a 5/0 hook. The way to work it is an erratic fast twitching action.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper/Jim Chapman

HOTSPOT: Miller’s Point

GPS: N 33 19.197, W 95 41.478 (33.3200, -95.6913)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/fishgamegear

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

CURRENT LAKE LEVELS EAST TEXAS

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Slabs, topwaters

SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office 903-593-5077

TIPS: Fish chartreuse slabs off bottom or fish topwaters. Work them slowly. Dawn through dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Fork

HOTSPOT: Major Creeks

GPS: N 32 54.804, W 95 38.352 (32.9134, -95.6392)

HOTSPOTLIGHT:

LAKE MURVAUL

SURFACE AREA: 3,397 acres

MAXIMUM DEPTH: 36 feet IMPOUNDED: 1958

LAKE MURVAUL HAS LONG BEEN A popular destination for largemouth bass anglers. It has been a solid trophy bass producer since the 1960s,

and Florida strain stockings in the 1990s have kept the quality high.

The lake also offers excellent channel catfish and crappie action.

Artificial fish habitat has been placed throughout the lake. See this symbol... ...on the map).

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Topwater Lures like the Zara Spook and Grandebass Airtail Wiggler on a shakey head

SOURCE: Lance Vick 903-312-0609

www.guideonlakefork.com

TIPS: September on Lake Fork is fun due to the fact fish school on the surface quite a bit. Nothing gets people fired more than a bass chasing bait on the surface. So have your favorite popper or Zara spook ready to throw. Start looking in the backs of

major creeks for this action. Birch and Little Chaney Creeks, for instance, are great places to start. If the topwater action is slow a Grandebass Airtail Wiggler on a shakey head fished on hard bottom spots like points and roadbeds should get the trick done. Good fishing all!

LOCATION: Lake Houston

HOTSPOT: River Bend

GPS: N 29 56.741, W 95 9.542 (29.9457, -95.1590)

LOCATION: Lake Murvaul

HOTSPOT: The Spillway

GPS: N 32 1.607, W 94 24.869 (32.0268, -94.4145)

LOCATION: Lake O the Pines

HOTSPOT: Dam Schooling Area

GPS: N 32 45.234, W 94 30.319 (32.7539, -94.5053)

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Minnows, spoons

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish live minnows or spoons on spider rig

LOCATION: Lake Livingston

HOTSPOT: The Pocket

GPS: N 30 55.662, W 95 15.054 (30.9277, -95.2509)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Minnows

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Minnows, look for brushpiles around spillway poles; dawn, morning, dusk

LOCATION: Lake Nacogdoches

HOTSPOT: Island Cove Point

GPS: N 31 37.825, W 94 48.986 (31.6304, -94.8164)

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Minnows, RatLTraps

SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office 903-938-1007

TIPS: Fish minnows or silver RatLtraps. Look for surface action in the creek. Dawn through midday.

LOCATION: Lake Pinkston

HOTSPOT: Point #5

GPS: N 31 42.708, W 94 21.331 (31.7118, -94.355517)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Soft Plastics and jigs

SOURCE: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service 936-291-9602

www.palmettoguideservice.com

TIPS: Flip docks, lay downs, boat houses and rocks with Charlie’s June Bug 6 inch Gecko and Charlie’s 1/4 oz. Green Pumpkin Swimming Jig tipped with Charlie’s Chunk Green Pumpkin Blue Flake.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits

SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office 409-698-9114

TIPS: This is a good night spot all summer. The action is best dawn and night.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Jigs, plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Fish hydrilla inside and out on the point; best fishing at dawn through the morning, and at dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn

HOTSPOT: Warsaw Hump

GPS: N 31 15.278, W 94 19.702 (31.2546, -94.3284)

SPECIES: White bass

BEST BAITS: Spoons, live minnows

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish silver spoons or live minnows. Look for birds and boils.

LOCATION: Lake Toledo Bend

HOTSPOT: Pendleton Bridge Area and South

GPS: N 31 26.754, W 93 45.234

(31.4459, -93.7539)

LOCATION: Lake Wright Patman

HOTSPOT: Overcup

GPS: N 33 14.257, W 94 22.173 (33.2376, -94.3696)

BEST BAITS: Brush Hogs, tubes

SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office 903-938-1007

TIPS: Fish black neon Brush Hogs, white tubes. Flip & pitch; midday through afternoon.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Top water lures, Rat-L-Traps, Texas rigged 10-inch worms, heavy football jigs, crankbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: There will be some schooling activity with top water lures and Rat-L-Traps mostly in the south below Pendleton bridge. Also, there will most likely be some good bass action early on main lake points—5:30 am until 8:30 am and then it’s over. There will be lots of big schools of offshore bass including some giants, but you need to know and trust your electronics. The good news is if you find one of those schools they should be dependable all through the month. Try a Texas rig 10-inch worm, heavy football jigs and crankbaits that will run to 20+ feet deep.

LOCATION: Lake Toledo Bend

HOTSPOT: 2x4 Hole

GPS: N 31 46.6848, W 93 49.986 (31.7781, -93.8331)

SPECIES: Largemouth bass

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Slab spoons, tail spinners, and RatL-Traps

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: October is always a great time to be on the lake. Not much traffic, the days are getting shorter, and the water temperature is starting to fall, signaling that winter is on its way. The fish will start feeding heavy bulking up in anticipation for the coming winter season. The White Bass will start migrating to the north end main lake river channel sand bars. Concentrate on the inside river channel bends. Use your electronics to locate the bait- fish. There will usually be plenty of schooling activity in these areas.

using the bridge for shaded cover. Cast along the banks parallel as the fish are no more than five feet from the banks. At the time of this report, 1-8 pound fish are being caught!

LOCATION: Lake Belton

HOTSPOT: Westcliff Ramp

GPS: N 31 06.879, W 97 30.782 (31.1147, -97.5130)

CENTRAL TEXAS HOTSPOTS

LOCATION: Lake Austin

HOTSPOT: Panorama Ranch

GPS: N 30 20.775, W 97 52.409 (30.3463, -97.8735)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: RatLTraps

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Work RatLTraps around the ramp, dock, flat and shoreline.

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan

HOTSPOT: Mid Lake Area

GPS: N 30 47.556, W 98 25.4459 (30.7926, -98.4241)

SOURCE: Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures 210-573-1230

www.sanantoniofishingguides.com

TIPS: Look for the Striped Bass to be shallow (20-40 feet). They will be suspending over the river channel and feeding on the point in this area. Fishing the Super Shad close to the bottom produces fish in this area.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake

HOTSPOT: Turkey Creek Point

GPS: N 29 51.7079, W 98 12.948 (29.8618, -98.2158)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Crankbaits work best; this spot produces well all day.

LOCATION: Bachman Lake

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 32 51.1859, W 96 52.014 (32.8531, -96.8669)

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Topwater Lures

SOURCE: Ken Milam

325-379-2051

www.striperfever.com.com

TIPS: Look for white bass to be in the Garrett Island area. Fish with topwater lures in the early morning and late evenings

LOCATION: Canyon Lake

HOTSPOT: Canyon Park Point

GPS: N 29 53.2559, W 98 13.638 (29.8876, -98.2273)

SPECIES: Striped Bass

BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad in Pearl color

SOURCE: Steve Nixon, Fishhooks Adventures

210-573-1230

www.sanantoniofishingguides.com

TIPS: Trolling this area with downriggers seems to produce the best catches. Set the downriggers from 40 to 60 feet deep and look for schools of Striped Bass. When located, vary trolling speeds until the fish strike.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake

HOTSPOT: Main Lake Docks

GPS: N 32 19.044, W 96 10.0139 (32.3174, -96.1669)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Small rooster tails and small creature baits (3-4 inches long)

SOURCE: Carey Thorn

469-528-0210

whitebassfishingtexas.com

TIPS: Bass are on fire shallow along the banks as shad are running shallow too. Fish in 1-5 feet of water

SPECIES: Striped Bass

BEST BAITS: Hogies 4” Super Shad Pearl / Black Back

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Jigs, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits

SOURCE: Jason Barber

Reported by TF&G STAFF

CURRENT LAKE LEVELS CENTRAL TEXAS

903-603-2047

www.kingscreekadventures.com

TIPS: Fish all docks throughout the lake with jigs, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Fish 2- to 10-feet and cover everything. Any rocks you find in shallow water can be good as well.

LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 28 44.4959, W 97 10.818 (28.7416, -97.1803)

HOTSPOTLIGHT:

FAYETTE COUNTY RES.

SURFACE AREA: 2,400 acres

MAXIMUM DEPTH: 70 feet

IMPOUNDED: 1978

FAYETTE COUNTY RESERVOIR MAY BE small, but it is a big draw for largemouth bass anglers. Cover is provided

by submerged timber and vegetation, as well as inundated tank dams and dropoffs.

The lake also is a good source for channel and flathead catfish action as well as sunfish.

CENTRAL TEXAS

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Rat-L-Trap in silver and black

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: September is usually the last hot month of the year. Bugs are flying over the water and top water is usually explosive. It’s hard to beat top water action. Early morning and late evening are great times but don’t discount the middle of the day.

LOCATION: Lake Corpus Christi

HOTSPOT: Small Islands

GPS: N 28 5.223, W 97 52.777 (28.0871, -97.8796)

have the darkest shade under them, or docks that are closest to the surface of the water. Also, try fishing the posts that support the dock.

LOCATION: Lake Eagle Mountain

HOTSPOT: Pelican Island flats

GPS: N 32 54.210, W 97 29.890 (32.9035, -97.498167)

expect very light bite even for big fish.

LOCATION: Granger Lake

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 30 41.952, W 97 23.22 (30.6992, -97.3870)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Live minnows

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Live minnows, fish are around the island in 8-12 feet; good spot all day.

LOCATION: Lake Eagle Mountain

HOTSPOT: Craft Point

GPS: N 32 53.120, W 97 27.772 (32.885333, -97.462861)

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: Punch bait

SOURCE: Kolby Kuhn, Final Cast Guide Service

817-243-5858

kolbymkhuhn@gmail.com

TIPS: Catfish will be under large schools of shad in October. When you shad schools with your graph, anchor and drop punch bait to the bottom. Look for fish to be at any depth this time of the year. The lake will be turning over, so find the bait to find the fish.

LOCATION: Fayette County

HOTSPOT: Northwest side Main Point

GPS: N 29 56.5679, W 96 44.0639 (29.9428, -96.7344)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Marabou jigs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: The crappie are in shallow water this time of year and are being caught in 3 to 7 feet. Try standing timber at the mouth of the river or Willis Creek. They are also in very shallow artificial structure and brush piles. Use Berkley Crappie Nibbles on your jigs and loop knots. Any cover will hold crappie, and they will be big after feeding heavily on shad all summer.

LOCATION: Lake Joe Pool

HOTSPOT: Swim Beach Pond

GPS: N 32 37.118, W 97 03.527 (32.6186, -97.0588)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Jigs

SOURCE: Kolby Kuhn, Final Cast Guide Service

817-243-5858

kolbymkhuhn@gmail.com

TIPS: Crappie will still be in the shade under main lake docks in September. You can catch them by shooting jigs up under them. Look for docks that

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch Bait

SOURCE: Weldon Kirk

979-229-3103

www.fishtales-guideservice.com

TIPS: Concentrate on fishing timber here in 8-12’ water. Chum around the boat, use tight line and

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Shad, topwaters, RatLtraps

SOURCE: Carey Thorn

469-528-0210

whitebassfishingtexas.com

TIPS: Fish pond edges and middle. Avoid midday.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 33 7.248, W 96 29.8079 (33.1208, -96.4968)

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Black and chartreuse jigs

SOURCE: Carey Thorn

469-528-0210

whitebassfishingtexas.com

TIPS: Fish 15-18 feet in standing and submerged timber. Crappie action is good this time of year.

LOCATION: Lake LBJ

HOTSPOT: Contour Hump

GPS: N 30 34.59, W 98 22.6259 (30.5765, -98.3771)

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Fish trotlines and jugs while tightlining Brazos; all day

LOCATION: Lake Palestine

HOTSPOT: Back of Flat Creek Near Dogwood Point

GPS: N 32 12.912, W 95 31.548 (32.2152, -95.5258)

BEST BAITS: 3/4 to 1 oz. slabs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Use your electronics to locate schools of White bass holding near the bottom in 25-40 feet of water. They can be on any main lake point however the one located with these GPS coordinates is one of the best. Once fish are located, use 3/4-1 ounce slabs. Jig the lure near the bottom but keep an eye on your electronics for fish coming up.

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake

HOTSPOT: 309 Flats

GPS: N 31 58.368, W 96 6.99 (31.9728, -96.1165)

SPECIES: Bass and Crappie

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits and spinnerbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: October is the month that the water temperature falls into the 70’s and marks the beginning of the fall fishing season. Bass and crappie begin moving from the depths of the lake into shallower water and the catching percentages start improving.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville

HOTSPOT: Twin Trees Point

GPS: N 33 5.213, W 96 59.417 (33.0869, -96.9903)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Big Eye Jig and Texas Spinnerbait

SOURCE: Ricky Vandergriff 903-561-7299 or 903-530-2201

www.rickysguideservice.com

TIPS: Bass fishing is good mid-lake fishing the back of Flat Creek near the dogwood point. Fish the creek and shallow water around the islands. Best lures will be the Big Eye Jig along the creek and the Texas Spinnerbait around the islands and grass.

LOCATION: Lake Ray Hubbard

HOTSPOT: West Dam

GPS: N 32 48.442, W 96 31.648 (32.8074, -96.5275)

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: Danny Kings Blood Punch Bait

SOURCE: Royce Simmons 903-389-4117

www.gonefishin.biz

TIPS: Both blues and channels will congregate in the timbered areas up the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. You can also find them off the Hwy 309 Flats along the edges of drop offs in 20-foot-plus water depths. Punch Bait fished near the bottom will result in a nice box of quality Cats ranging from 2- to 5 lbs.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville

HOTSPOT: Brushy Creek

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, jigs, worms

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Silver crankbaits, jigs, Carolina rig worms and fish structure 2-12 inches; avoid mid-day

LOCATION: Lake Limestone

HOTSPOT: Power Line Timber

GPS: N 31 23.094, W 96 20.529 (31.3849, -96.3422)

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: Punchbait, shad

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Carolina rig punchbait or shad, work in about 6-20 feet of water; all day

LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts

HOTSPOT: Main Lake Point

GPS: N 33 24.257, W 97 2.269 (33.4043, -97.0378)

GPS: N 30 20.94, W 96 33.2039 (30.3490, -96.5534)

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: Cut shad

SPECIES: White Bass & Blue Catfish

SPECIES: Catfish

BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch Bait/Crawdad

SOURCE: Weldon Kirk 979-229-3103

www.fishtales-guideservice.com

TIPS: Anchor here, chum around the boat, fish tight line on outside of the dying cane.

LOCATION: Lake Tawakoni

HOTSPOT: Sun Point Reach

GPS: N 32 51.707, W 95 55.436 (32.8618, -95.9239)

CENTRAL TEXAS

 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Slabs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Chartreuse slabs, fish on point edges, look for birds; morning through afternoon.

LOCATION: Lake Texana

HOTSPOT: Highway 111 Bridge

GPS: N 28 57.199, W 96 31.58 (28.9533, -96.5263)

BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Free fall live minnows, chartreuse jigs

LOCATION: Lake Texoma

HOTSPOT: North Island and Tabletop

GPS: N 33 52.068, W 96 41.67 (33.8678, -96.6945)

BEST BAITS: Topwater plugs, live shad, and Sassy Shad jigs.

SOURCE: Bill Carey

903-786-4477

www.striperexpress.com

TIPS: The big fish are on the banks early in the mornings in October. Cast Pencil Poppers and big Chug Bugs for vicious strikes in shallow water. Midmorning, change your lures to four inch Sassy Shad on a one ounce jighead. Favorite colors are whiteglow and chartreuse fleck. Always keep your eyes on the seagulls. They can locate schools of stripers roaming in open water. Live shad fishing is also an excellent way to catch stripers.

LOCATION: Lake Waco

HOTSPOT: Point N of Koehne Park

GPS: N 31 33.476, W 97 12.665 (31.5579, -97.2111)

SPECIES: Crappie

WEST TEXAS HOTSPOTS

Reported by TJ RANFT

CONTACT TJ RANFT:

Email: TJRanft17@gmail.com Online: RanftGuideService.com

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry

HOTSPOT: Mouth of Major Creeks and Coves

GPS: N 33 2.6279, W 101 3.7379 (33.0438, -101.0623)

SPECIES: Striped Bass

SPECIES: White Bass

BEST BAITS: Shad

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

then slowly work their way to back of the creeks. Start at the mouth and work your way back into the creek.

LOCATION: Lake Amistad

HOTSPOT: Main Lake Marker 7-9

GPS: N 29 29.098, W 101 08.851 (29.4850, -101.1475)

SOURCE: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services 806-792-9220

SPECIES: Striped Bass

BEST BAITS: Slabs, jigs, Carolina rigs

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Chatterbaits, shaky head jigs with blue worms, shad colored crankbaits, top water lures and Red Eye Shad

TIPS: Bass fishing in October will really start to pick up action when the cool fronts start the water cooling down. When the water gets back in the mid 70’s, the shad and bass will start moving into the backs of the creeks and coves. Check for schooling shad up Big Grape, Little Grape, Ince, Gobbler and Rocky Creeks. The bass will first be in the mouths of the creeks, and

TIPS: Slowly troll white slabs or jig or Carolina-rig vertically. Dawn to mid-morning; afternoon to dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Arrowhead

HOTSPOT: Apache Park

GPS: N 33 44.667, W 98 23.226 (33.74445, -98.3871)

FishGame.com/FishGameGear

TIPS: Whites chase shad around point out to the main lake; morning through afternoon.

LOCATION: Lake Whitney

HOTSPOT: McCowan Flats

GPS: N 31 55.4519, W 97 24.6239 (31.9242, -97.4104)

SPECIES: Striped Bass

BEST BAITS: 1/2 oz Bucktail jigs, plastic trailers

SOURCE: Randy Routh

817-822-5539

www.teamredneck.net

TIPS: The thermocline has set in, and the stripers are hanging out on top of it. This time of year turns into a reaction type strike a lot of times. The fish feed early, late, or even at night when it’s cooler. Using down riggers 1/2 oz buck tail jigs with plastic trailers troll the flats and ledges and edges anywhere from 13 to 18’ down. keep in mind the thermocline usually sets in at 22’ on Whitney so keep your baits above it.

LAKE GRANBURY

SURFACE AREA: 8,310 acres

MAXIMUM DEPTH: 75 feet

IMPOUNDED: 1969

GRANBURY IS A LONG, WINDING LAKE impounded on the Brazos River. Over

1,000 docks and piers provide excellent cover for bass.

TPWD and local partners have placed artificial fish attractors throughout the lake (Indicate by this symbol... ...on the map).

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, frogs, buzzbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Work the vegetation with white/chartreuse spinnerbaits, frogs of buzzbaits; action good from dawn through dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Brownwood

HOTSPOT: 279 Bridge

GPS: N 31 50.060, W 99 05.985 (31.834333, -99.09975)

CENTRAL TEXAS CURRENT LAKE LEVELS WEST TEXAS

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SPECIES: Crappie

BEST BAITS: Minnows, crappie jigs

SOURCE: Lance Benson, TPWD

325-692-0921

TIPS: Work rip rap & pilings; Best action dawn through morning and at dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Cisco

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 32 26.7579, W 98 59.0834 (32.4460, -98.9847)

LOCATION: Lake Granbury

HOTSPOT: Twin Humps Near Town

GPS: N 32 26.404, W 97 46.977 (32.440067, -97.78295)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, crankbaits

SOURCE: Lance Benson, TPWD

325-692-0921

TIPS: Cisco Reservoir is a great largemouth bass fishing reservoir. The reservoir has a variety of fishable habitat features such as submersed boulders, fallen timber, aquatic vegetation, and docks. Texasrigged soft plastics, spinner baits, and crankbaits should produce a bite. Watermelon, chartreuse, and brighter colors are great colors for soft plastics.

LOCATION: Lake Leon

HOTSPOT: Main Lake

GPS: N 32 21.63, W 98 40.692 (32.3605, -98.6782)

SPECIES: White bass

BEST BAITS: Holographic slabs in silver and chartreuse

SOURCE: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters

254-396-4855

TIPS: Look for bait congregated on or near the bottom in 15 to 20 feet of water. Look for striped bass and largemouth bass in these same locations. Granbury water temperatures are generally in the 80’s as summer continues with a slow cool down towards fall. Summer patterns will be in effect for September and October. Fishing continues to be best early and late. Passing cool fronts will be the norm rolling into October. Thermoclines will start to disappear, and lake turnover will start with surface cooling. White bass are located near structure and are feeding near drop offs in 15 to 20 feet of water. Slabbing with silver or chartreuse slabs will put white bass and stripers in the boat.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, trick worms, Senkos, crankbaits

SOURCE: Lance Benson, TPWD

325-692-0921

TIPS: Lake Leon has seen a good influx of water in the last two years. As a result, habitat has very much improved for largemouth bass, sunfishes, and crappie. September should offer good bass fishing along vegetation, docks, and rocky areas. Spinner baits, trick worms, Senkos, and crankbaits should produce a bass bite. Early morning, use topwater baits.

LOCATION: Lake O.H. Ivie

HOTSPOT: Yellow Bluff

GPS: N 31 34.702, W 99 42.759 (31.578367, -99.71265)

BEST BAITS: Soft plastics

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas FishGame.com/fishgamegear

TIPS: Bass will be holding in trees below 10 feet; good action from dawn to dusk.

SPECIES: Largemouth bass

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom

HOTSPOT: Broadway

GPS: N 32 52.724, W 98 31.809 (32.8787, -98.5302)

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom

HOTSPOT: Costello Island

GPS: N 32 54.5126, W 98 27.6275 (32.9085, -98.4605)

(32.889234, -98.526658)

SPECIES: Striped bass

BEST BAITS: Live shad, trolling jigs

SOURCE: TJ Ranft

SPECIES: White, striped bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, live bait, jigs

SOURCE: TJ Ranft

940-452-8439

RanftGuideService.com

TIPS: Fall is here, and fishing is great. Fish are fattening up for the fall run and spawn or faux spawn. You can troll RatLTraps and cranks for white bass and most other fish, but of course live bait is best for quick numbers. We also are still catching nice big stripers down rigging. We use jigs with Mister Twister Curlytails, but a lot of thing work this time of year.

SPECIES: Catfish, crappie

BEST BAITS: Fresh shad, minnows, crappie jigs

SOURCE: TJ Ranft

940-452-8439

RanftGuideService.com

TIPS: Catfish are great north of Costello Island on fresh dead cut bait shad and crappie good in same areas with crappie minnows or crappie jigs. Keep your drag backed off though as you might catch the biggest bass or striper while catfishing or crappie fishing. Start by working the 20 and 30-foot breaklines. The fish use these as natural highways.

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom

HOTSPOT: Sandy Beach

GPS: N 32 53.354, W 98 31.599

940-452-8439

RanftGuideService.com

TIPS: September and October striper fishing on PK means covering ground and using different tactics daily. Trolling and live bait are solid tactics this time of year. If trolling use jigs that are white, chartreuse, yellow, and the occasional pink. Downriggings are a great way to get the jigs down deeper in the water column, but they aren’t always necessary flatlining jigs out the back while trolling can also produce good numbers of fish. The fish will be transitioning into a fall feeding pattern so always be prepared for some fast action when they decide to feed.

Tides and Prime Times

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for our Base Point, Galveston Channel (N 29.317, W 94.88)

Tidal movement and daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many fish and game species.

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

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.

PEAK TIMES: Our Forecast Calendar uses both Tide and SoLunar projections to predict the best fishing times and days. Generally, if a SoLunar Period (Major/Minor) falls within an hour of sunrise or sunset, fishing conditions should be better. On certain days where Tidal Activity is stronger, the best fishing times may fall ouside the normal SoLunar range. While tides are not a direct factor in FRESHWATER FISHING, SoLunar Activity still accounts for increased feeding activity in freshwater species. It is also a prime factor in the movement and feeding habits of game species.

TIDE CONVERSION TABLE

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the Green Boxes on the Calendar pages. Moon Overhead and Underfoot times are given in the SoLunar Box and illustrated on the Fishing Graph. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE on the map below to adjust times for points East and West of our Base Point at Galveston Channel.

SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE

TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the White Area at the top of the Calendar Pages. You can use the CONVERSION TABLE below to make adjustments. It is keyed to 23 other tide stations along the Texas Coast (see these map icons: T1 ). Adjust low and high tide times, plus or minus in minutes, from the times given for the Base Point at Galveston Channel.

:: by PAUL FUZINSKI TF&G Contributing Editor

Drop in for a Quick Bite

NOT EVERY FISHING TRIP IS ideal. Recently I found myself at a lake with a cheap combo rod, a box of hooks and so plastics and a few hours to kill. I didn’t have my usual shing kayak, sh nder, anchors, rod holders or any of the items I o en bring that help make a shing trip, if not easier, a li le more comfortable. I spent an hour or so casting o a dock with li le success. I tied on all the classics. A football jig, a Texas rigged worm, a Senko, a shallow diving crankbait, and nothing seemed to want to bite, so I decided to try my old tried and true, the drop shot.

A few minutes in, I had a bass on the line and nally felt that con dence that so easily fades when you’re not catching sh. A while later, a er no more catches, I gured I needed to try to get out into the deeper water, so I asked around and found a small, bare bones kayak to borrow. I tossed in the rod, a box of so plastics, a life jacket and took o out into the open water. Luckily there was a constant breeze blowing towards the middle of the lake, not only moving me along at a steady clip, but also creating chop on the water to help give some lower light penetration, cover and con dence to the bass swimming below.

When I don’t have a lot of time to sit and work an area I think is holding bass, I try to let the water do the work for me. In this case I decided to do some good old fashioned dri ing with the drop shot. I had never tried

that before, so I gured it would be a good opportunity to see what would happen and if this was a viable method of shing for the future. e rod I had, an Ugly Stik GX2 combo, was fairly sensitive and I could feel each and every bump along the bo om, and at a reasonable price point I wouldn’t be too heartbroken if it fell o the very unstable and much too small kayak I was using.

highly snaggy areas with sunken trees or brush, braid, when hung up, can be almost impossible to snap o so uorocarbon seems to bridge the gap between mono and braid, making it work well for me. You can experiment as well to see what works best for you.

heartbroken if it fell o the very unstable and

e drop shot rig, as much as you would think it would get tangled, did fairly well at staying weedless as I dri ed along. Occasionally I had to remove a few weeds, but not much more than I would under any other “weedless” shing scenario. I made sure to rig the worm in a way to prevent the point of the hook from sticking out of the nose of the worm, keeping it just below the surface of the plastic as one would with a weedless worm on a Texas rig. e drop shot weight itself did occasionally fall into a pocket of vegetation and get hung up brie y but came loose easily as the wind blew the kayak along. Overall, I was fairly impressed with how the rig held up over four long dri s over some medium weed cover and some fairly signi cant depth changes and drop o s.

Even with years of bass shing under my belt and hundreds, if not thousands of ticks felt at the end of my line, I will say I was having a hard time discerning a bite in this situation. With so much weed cover there was a fair amount of movement from the rod tip and it was a li le di cult feeling the difference between a true bite from a bass, from the weight bouncing o the bo om or getting slightly hung up on weeds, but as anyone who has shed for bass knows, when they decide to take the bait, there will be no doubt that one is on the end of your line.

Over the years I have tried shing the drop shot a multitude of ways. I have used braid, mono and currently I have found that I get the best result with uorocarbon line. With its invisibility underwater and its abrasion resistance I can still feel the sh messing with my so plastic fairly well like with braid, but when I am bouncing it or dragging it along the bo om, I am not ge ing all that added stretch that I get when I am shing the drop shot, or any jig or so plastic along the bo om with mono. I also have found that in deeper water shing, especially in

At the end of the day, the drop shot, and dri ing are both e ective methods I have used to catch bass independently of one another. e combination of the two seemed to work well under the conditions I was under, which were medium weed cover, choppy waters and late a ernoon shing. I think this would be a good combination for anyone to try if you simply don’t have a lot of time to spare, but still want to catch a few sh. Is it the best for all situations? I would say no, but it is something to add to your already fully loaded arsenal of bass shing, because half the fun is guring out new ways to nd them and how to get them to bite!

At the end of the day, I was able to catch a few sh with one of my favorite shing methods. Under ideal conditions and with more time I would love to experiment all day long to see what the bass want, change lures and so plastics every 15 minutes and nd what is making their clock tick that day, hour or minute. When I am in a time crunch though, I like to sh what I know, and this is when the drop shot comes in handy. If you haven’t ever tried this method for bass, I’d highly encourage you to give it a shot.

I prefer to use tungsten cylinder weights, uorocarbon line, drop shot hooks and a fairly sensitive graphite rod with an open face reel, but you can try shing it any way you’d like. e important thing is to get outdoors, try new things and hopefully catch a few sh while you’re at it.

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Lake Conroe

Grover Mansfield won the Lake Conroe Big Bass Tour with this 10.15 pound lunker.

SPECKLED TROUT

Laguna Madre

Edward Costley caught this healthy speck along the King Ranch shoreline of the Laguna Madre on a warm day last spring.

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT! SEND YOUR ACTION PHOTOS TO Photos@FishGame.com For best results, send HIGH quality JPEG digital files.

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

SPECIES

Sargent

Veteran angler Heather Callihan poses with one of many redfish caught on a trip at Sargent.

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Conroe

Jaxon Wyatt shows off one of the bass he caught while fishing at Conroe.

WHITETAIL

Nacogdoches

Eleven-year-old Kye Phillips shot his first deer while hunting with his mom, Kasey, on private land in Nacogdoches County.