Texas sportsman feb 2014

FREE!

COVER STORY

OSIRIS A. GONZALEZ HUNTING WITH PASSION FISHING FOR

DRUM FULL MOON

on a

RGV REEL HOOKERS GIVE BACK * TIDE CHARTS * BUSTER’S DOGS

10 ON THE HUNT Osiris A. Gonzalez didn’t start hunting until he was 16 - and he vividly remembers that first hunt. Since then, buck fever has never left him and the memorable hunts continue to grow.

WHAT’S INSIDE

6 WELCOME TO THE WILD: Publisher Henry Miller’s daughter Camilla gets her first taste of the great outdoors.

8 32 TIFT: All the ways to not win a fishing tournament.

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ON THE RANCH: Photos from some hog hunting at the Gravick Ranch.

WHERE TO GO: Kick off 2014 with some big catches.

SHARK WEEK: Bet you didn’t know we had so many sharks.

FISHING MEMORIES: Fred Rodriguez got hooked on reds, and hooked on fishing.

“Gotta Have It”

24 TIDE TABLES: February and March Tide Tables to keep you one step ahead.

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BLACK DRUM

RGV REEL HOOKERS

BUSTER’S DOGS

Calixto Gonzalez takes us through fishing for Black Drum under a full moon.

This group of ladies are creating an all-female fishing organization, and giving back to their community.

Buster and Sandy Smith’s two Brittany’s, Roomie and Blaze, have become nothing short of family members - and hunters.

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My daughter’s first experience with the wild

My 9-year-old daughter Camilla raised her iPad to her eye and started recording the 20 hogs that just came running to the field where food had been distributed out at the Gravick Ranch in San Isidro, Texas. (See their ad on Page 3) “Here we are watching the hogs eat - there are a lot of them. Look at them eat - no wonder they’re called hogs” she whispered into the microphone. “There are even little ones out here.”

She took a break from the undercover spying we were doing from our blind, looked over at me and asked a simple question.

“Papi, what happens if they come running this way and knock over our blind?”

Henry Miller is Publisher of Texas I responded only as a dad could - “They’ll eat Sportsman Tracking Outdoors. He us.” has more than 25 years of publishing experience, has written sports for The look on her face was worth the brief lie. more than 150 newspapers, covered “But don’t worry chiquita, they’ll eat you in the Olympics, NASCAR, Major League one bite. They’ll have to chew a lot more on me.”

Baseball and other sports. He has Immediately she turned to look at the hogs been syndicated on radio in more than and talked back into her video blog.

70 markets. His 9-year-old daughter “Ths is Camilla Miller signing off.”

Camilla enjoys hog hunting, volleyball Of course I alleviated her fears, telling her I and fashion (and is an A student). They was joking. After she calmed down she started live in McAllen, Texas. looking around for other animals. On the way out of the ranch she spotted her first deer.

“Look over there,” she yelled and kept her eye on the animal. “This is awesome!”

Welcome to the outdoors sweetie. I should’ve gotten you out here earlier.

We rambled on into the Gravick Ranch’s lodge and she was amazed at what she saw. All around us there were mounted and stuffed wild life. There were birds and deer and nilgai.

Even a lion and an elephant’s head.

She was amazed. Heck, I was amazed.

We were out at the ranch with Fred Rodriguez - the Texas Sportsman. He also happens to be our partner with this magazine. While at the ranch she also had the opportunity to do some rifle sighting (wasn’t ready to shoot yet) and just take in the beauty of something that up until then didnt’ know existed. You can see photos of us with Fred and family inside this first edition of Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors (Pages 18-19).

I’m excited about launching this magazine. In the few months it took us to put this first edition together I’ve met so many wonderful people and have been a part of some terrific events and adventures.

But this magazine isn’t about me or Fred or my daughter. This magazine is about you - the hunter, the fisher... the outdoors person. We want to tell your stories and share your events with other wonderful communities like y’all.

One thing I’ve noticed in South Texas - not only is the fishing and hunting world class, but so are many of the people involved. They hunt/fish with extraordinary passion.

If you have a great story to tell us - email me at henry.texassportsman@gmail.com. You can also check out our Facebook page (just search Texas Sportsman Magazine). We hope you enjoy this edition and become part of our magazine family.

And don’t worry, the hogs won’t eat us Camilla.

Volume 1, Isssue 1. February 2014. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are strictly those of the writers, photographers and contributors, and are not necessarily those of Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors or its publisher. Every effort has been taken to ensure the correctness and accuracy in the material published in this magazine. Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors reserves the right to edit, rewrite and refuse editorial materials and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors, omissions or consequence arising from it. Texas

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Sportsman Tracking Outdoors shall be held harmless and indemnified against any third-party claims. Advertisements appearing in Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors present only the viewpoint of the advertisers. Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors is printed in the U.S.A. All correspondence to the publication become the property of Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors.

Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors is published by H&J Publications. Copyright 2013. To advertise in Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors call (956) 607-0853 or email joey.texassportsman@gmail.com

ON THE COVER At 16 years old Osiris A. Gonzalez was hit with buck fever. It hasn’t cooled off.

Cover Photo by Tiki Tillman (tikitillmanphotos.com)

STAFF Henry Miller Publisher henry.texassportsman @gmail.com (956) 607-9210

Fred Rodriguez The Texas Sportsman fredrsportsman@yahoo.com (956) 776-4623

Joey Dowden Advertising Director joey.texassportsman @gmail.com (956) 607-0853

Tiki Tillman Photographer tikitillmanphotos.com (956)572-6132 David DeLeon Henry Miller Designers

FROM THE TEXAS SPORTSMAN

Remembering all those wonderful days I was hooked with a redfish and hooked on fishing Where do I start? My first outdoor experience? My first fishing trip? Or my first hunting trip. They are all chapters and pages of my life.

I love the outdoors! I have always had a passion for sight casting redfish.

Once you experience fishing for reds by sight cast, it's the ultimate. I think my first trip was back in 1981. We took off early in the morning out of Arroyo City. It was a beautiful clear summer day and I remember it like it was just yesterday.

I was fishing with my long-time friend, Ed Gonzalez and clearly recall his 14-foot Dargel Scooter with a 40 horsepower Suzuki.

As we ventured off with great anticipation of intercepting a big redfish, the sun was perfect and winds were coming out of the southeast at about 10 to 15 miles per hour. We headed south of the mouth of the Arroyo and we saw several reds and trouts along the way.

The scooter was equipped with a 6-foot tower and as Ed drove the scooter to our destination, I was on the tower looking for cruising reds. Thirty-three years ago, you could to see potholes in the water with your polarized glasses. Most of the time we would fish the potholes first and catch some fresh speckled trout. They would almost always be hiding right along the edges of the potholes.

We would start fishing and sight casting for our reds around 9 a.m. We would fish with the sun on our backs and we would do long drifts awaiting to get a glimpse of the redfish. Once we would see a red and then another, and another, we would circle back and get ready to drift over them, hoping for the redfish hookup.

I remember my first hookup. I was equipped with my 7-foot Ugly Stik. My reel was a Penn 714Z and my fishing line was my favorite, Burkley 8 lb. test. I was ready!

I started to see redfish. I saw this one particular redfish and it was coming right toward us.

“Get ready,”my buddy said. “Timing is the most important.”

So I cast my red and white Mel's double hook artificial lure and I saw it travel in the

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air in slow motion. My lure landed slightly beyond the redfish - just perfect distance to allow the timing of lure and the redfish to hook up.

We had the perfect hook up! And my goodness, I was hooked too!

It was just me and the redfish as I stood in the tower. I was hooked up to the fish and it was a great feeling! We fished the rest of the morning until noon to allow another fishing trip to go down as a memory of sight casting for reds in the Lower Laguna Madre.

Fred Rodriguez has been fishing and hunting since 1977 and has been enjoying the great outdoors ever since. As his saying goes “Gotta Have It”.

Follow us on Facebook - Texas Sportsman Magazine - for stories, photos, the latest updates and you could win great prizes

Osiris A. Gonzalez has been on plenty of hunts, but there’s always something memorable about...

THAT FIRST HUNT Story by Henry Miller 1 Photo by Tiki Tillman (tikitillmanphotos.com) Everyone remembers their first hunt.

Osiris A. Gonzalez is no different.

Gonzalez, a personal injury attorney with his office in Mission, was a 16-year-old Mission High sophomore who played a lot of baseball and hung out with his buddies.

When it came to outdoor activities, his passion was, without question, baseball.

But on this day, he and his friends decided to go to one of their friends’ ranch to hunt.

“I had never hunted before but it sounded like it would be fun,” Gonzalez said. “I

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didn’t realize how much I would enjoy it.”

This being his first time hunting, Gonzalez didn’t really expect too much. However, while on the hunt they managed to rattle up a buck into view. Gonzalez was amazed – here it was his first time hunting and he was gonna get a buck.

“I got it,” he said. “The buck went down.

It was kicking around on the ground so we gave it time. We figured it would die.”

“It didn’t.”

Instead, the animal sprung back to its

legs and ran.

The group of teens searched for nearly seven hours but with no luck. They never found it.

Still, Gonzalez was hooked.

“It was the greatest moment and the saddest,” he said. “I was probably sad for a week. We searched all day and– just couldn’t find it.”

Now, about 20 years later, Gonzalez still gets buck fever come deer season and thoroughly enjoys scouting the lay of

the land whenever he gets an invitation to check out a ranch or a new deer lease.

Born in the United States but raised in Reynosa until he was 8 years old, hunting wasn’t something on his bucket list of things to do during his life. Hunting deer in Mexico was reserved for the wealthy and there simply weren’t many deer hunting opportunities.

“Most people here by the time they’re 10 have stories to tell of their hunts,” Gonzalez said. “I didn’t get started until late by South Texas standards – like 15. My entire life until then was baseball. Year round, that’s all we did.”

In fact, after graduating from Mission High School in 1997, Gonzalez went to Rice University to double major in Economics and Managerial Studies. While there he walked onto the baseball team – a year after Rice’s Lance Berkman was named National College Baseball Player of the year and drafted by the Houston Astros.

Two years later, Rice went on to win a school record 59 games. Gonzalez ended his baseball career wanting to get through college as quickly as possible and move on to law school.

He took no time off after graduation, being accepted and attending St. Mary’s University School of Law. He graduated there in 2004, passed the BAR exam on his first attempt and started working with a local personal injury firm. Gonzalez opened his own firm in 2009 and the Osiris A. Gonzalez Law Firm, PLLC has become one of the fastest growing and more recognizable personal injury firms in the Rio Grande Valley.

Now, dozens of hunts later, Gonzalez

Osiris has had plenty of memorable hunts, including landing a Black Buck., left, and a South Texas Trophy Buck, right still remembers the earliest of his hunting days.

“The following year after I started hunting I got one,” Gonzalez remembers. “We also rattled up a buck using horns. It came out about 40-50 yards away.

“That one dropped and didn’t get back up.”

Over the years things have changed for Gonzalez, as they do with most hunters.

Now with about 20 years hunting under his belt he’s had some great opportunities, including going on a hunt for black buck and elk.

“The black buck was a completely different type of hunt,” Gonzalez said. “You’re in a jeep or truck and it’s a safari style hunt. You spot the animal and you either get down from the vehicle and stalk or try to set up for the shot from the vehicle. The thing is once they see you, they are gone and they just don’t stop. On our second day of the hunt we made a good shot and got one.”

Gonzalez’ elk hunt came in the Texas Hill Country and he came back with a surprise.

“There was a mixed red stag/elk in the herd and it was a cool looking animal.

Nothing I like better than to go see a new “ranch or a new deer lease and go see the

wildlife. You can do that year round. Hunting season only lasts two months but I'm at the ranch year round.

”

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Hunters had been hunting him – they called him Horseface – for the past two years,” Gonzalez said. “They said he was fair game if I saw him.”

“So we went on our hunt and it actually came out – I couldn’t believe it! They said it was maybe a 10-percent chance that we would even spot him. The guide saw him and knew it was him right away. That was terrific.”

This season Gonzalez accomplished one of his hunting goals by taking a true South Texas Trophy Whitetail. His biggest buck ever. It was a buck that had never been seen by anyone at that ranch.

Gonzalez has some future hunting goals, including going to Africa on safari.

“You go out there and you don’t have to have a list of what you want because there are so many species – you could see 15-20 different animals on just one hunt,” he said. “Hunting Africa would just be awesome.”

Today, Gonzalez still considers his first hunt his most memorable one. He had a recent reminder of his first hunt while taping a Texas Sportsman Tracking Outdoors TV show with Fred Rodriguez.

“We were out filming and in search of one particular management buck we had seen at the ranch,” Gonzalez said. “He came out and I got ready for the shot. Buck fever hit me and I was on camera and it was exciting. I made the shot but just grazed him. We couldn’t find any blood and we tracked him for the better part of an hour.

The group watched the film and the consensus was that the deer had been hit but not solidly.

“That same afternoon I went back to the spot thinking he may come back out – and to my surprise he did! I recognized him immediately – this time I made a perfect shot on him.”

When they went to check him out they saw that the first shot had just nicked him, grazing the skin.

“That’s the thing about hunting, each hunt is memorable in its own way. Something different always seems to happen.

“That one brought back sad memories - I was thinking, ‘not again!’”

Osiris A. Gonzalez works on all types of personal injury cases including auto accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, oilfield, work-related accidents, defective products and other types of catastrophic injury cases.

Visit his website: www.oaglawfirm.com

A

Man

and his

Dogs

When it comes to bird hunting, Buster and Sandy Smith’s Brittanys - especially Roomie and Blaze, are always at the top of their game.

Roomie and Blaze sit in the back of their master’s Ford F-150 as the truck hauls on down the road for a 50-mile trek.

They know where this trip is going to end. They know soon it’s going to be their time to work.

And they can’t wait.

Both have completely different demeanors - you can see it in their faces. Blaze, the older of the two, is all business. This is what he was born to do - and this is what he does. Roomie, on the other hand, is a championship show dog - and just 4 years old with some exuberating pup-like qualities still swirling around.

But when they hit the ground, they know their job - find the birds and point them out.

And they are good at their job.

Buster Smith, who has been involved with dogs for the last 15 years following a long hiatus from them remembers first falling in love with the animals.

“It was in 1972 when I first got really into bringing the dogs into the show ring,” said Smith who, with his wife Sandy, have 14 dogs - five which are active hunting dogs.

“In 1998 my stepson wanted a puppy so Sandy and I said if we get one we’re gonna get something we can have some fun with.

“We bought a Brittany locally. Her name is Brit and she’s 14 years old now. Everytime we think she is no more she pops back up to life.”

“We don’t take dogs and get rid of them or euthanize them after they’re retired,” Sandy said. “They’ve worked hard and they deserve to rest and enjoy life. They’ve earned it.”

Buster dove into training bird dogs first by reading books and magazines. He was so engaged by it that he went on a seminar on training. That, however, left him feeling like something was missing.

“It just seemed too complicated,” Smith said. “There’s something that has to be missing.”

It was then he met Dave Walker, a legendary breeder and trainer. The Walkers and Smiths became friends and Dave taught Buster a lot.

The lightbulb came on and that empty feeling was no more.

“Dave just shared everything and made

it so simple for me,” Buster said. “At that other seminar they used so many things and props to train. Dave said he didn’t train like that.

“I saw his technique. He just had a leather training collar, a 12-foot check cord and an electronic collar.”

Buster asked him “Is that all you need?”

Dave replied “That’s all.”

“It took off from there,” Buster said.

Roomie (in the photo below) was actually given to the Smiths by a family of breeders that had come on hard times.

The pup, who carries a darker color than most Brittanys (like Blaze in the photo on the preceding page) already had 10 of the 15 points needed to be certified as an AKC Championship dog.

Buster, however, had no desire to get back into the show ring. Sandy, however, had a facebook friend who promised to work with him and help train him to reach that championship level.

“We ended up taking him to a three-day show in Biloxi, Miss.,” Buster said. “And on the second day he earned his final five points. I was looking at my wallet and thanking the Lord that he did it in his first show.”

On this day, each dog took their turn checking out the lay of the land. Several times each one stopped on a dime and drew up a front leg, pointing to an area where some birds were hiding in the brush.

On a normal hunt, Smith said he’ll bring out several dogs. The dogs will hunt for no more than 30-40 minutes at a time before Sandy is waiting for them.

“I joke that I run a Doggy Day Care for 3-year olds,” Sandy said. “They know when I’m there that there’s going to be some water and probably a snack for them.”

Not only are the dogs trained to flush out quail (along with some other birds) but this being South Texas they know where not to step - anywhere near a snake.

“Dogs are curious, very curious,” Buster said. “You need someone who has experience with snakes and what they’ll do is take one of those surgical staplers and staple the snake’s mouth shut. He can still strike, but he can’t bite.”

Of course, that makes it one angry snake.

After that procedure is done, they’ll set the snake free and let the dogs go, wearing an electronic collar. If the dog gets curious about the snake, they’ll get hit with an electric jolt strong enough to make them do a flip.

“You don’t want your dog being curious about snakes,” Buster said. “Even if they go back to look at them, you hit ‘em again with a jolt until they stop looking at them completely.

“Then when you go hunting and you see

them going along a fenceline and suddenly make a big wide circle, you know there’s a snake there.”

Buster started out what he calls poorman quail hunting - if there was no sign posted and no fence, they would give it a shot.

Over the years, he met someone with access to some excellent hunting land and he brings his dogs to the ranch every chance he gets.

“These are great dogs. They have so much personality,” Buster said. “When they are little they’ve got these little bobtails that are so cute.

“But you have to keep an eye on them.

They’re just like kids. If they get too far out of your sight they are going to turn and look to see if you are watching. If they think they can get away with something they are going to try. They have their own personalities and agendas.”

As the romp on the ranch ends on this day, each dog hops into the back of the truck. They grab a quick drink and prepare for the ride home, happy that another day on the ranch is under their collar.

“You know, Proverbs 12:10 says a righteous man takes care of his animals,” Buster said. “I want to make sure I’m righteous. I’ve made other mistakes in my life but when the time comes I want to hear Him say I took care of my animals.”

ABOUT THE BRITTANY The Brittany is a medium-sized, leggy, dual-purpose dog, equally suited for sport and companionship. According to AKC Registration Statistics, it has surged in popularity in the last 50 years due to its talents as both a hunting and show dog. Originally called the Brittany Spaniel, it is now referred to simply as the Brittany, as its hunting style more closely resembles that of pointing breeds. Its dense, flat or wavy coat can be orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns.

DID YOU KNOW? The Brittany was named for the French province where it originated, but records of its development are largely lost. There is a great deal of resemblance between the Brittany and Welsh Springer Spaniel, which leads many people to believe that the two breeds share the same ancestors.

It is possible that native Brittany spaniels mated with English pointing dogs around 1900, intensifying their hunting prowess in the process.

Source: www.akc.org/breeds/brittany/

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Texas Sportsman Fred Rodriguez took his family and others to the Gravick Ranch to do some target practice then go hunting for hogs. In the middle photo, top to bottom is, camerman Andy Gauna, Cindy Rodriguez, Fred Rodriguez, Hannah Rodriguez and Camilla Miller.

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A big thank you to the people at Gravick Ranch for inviting me and my daughter, Camilla, to come visit the ranch and check out the wildlife. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing all the hogs - and a 10-point buck on the way out!

Check out their website at www.gravickranch.com

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Send your photos to henry.texassportsman@ gmail.com

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WWW.HOOKLINEANDSINKERRGV.COM

Toys for Tots event at Tomboi’s Sports Bar in Mercedes

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LIFT KITS DROP KITS LEVELING KITS SUSPENSION TRANSMISSION REPAIR TIRES & RIMS GENERAL MECHANIC CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS ACCESSORIES

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9 5 6 - 3 5 1 - 5 3 7 3

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THESE GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

M

Mireya Chavez, left, and Marta Reyna, above, decided to start a an all-female fishing group to have fun - and to give back to the community.

ireya Chavez just wouldn’t stop moving.

She ran over to the Dargel boat that sported a snowman as its captain and was parked in front of Tomboi’s Sports Bar in Mercedes and fixed the lights. Next she was off straightening the banners that promoted her fishing community and the U.S. Marines, who were working together for a Toys for Tots campaign.

As she fixed the banner, a mother and son showed up with some toys. Mireya ran over to welcome them and take photos.

Mireya continued that pace throughout the day, slowing down obviously not being an option.

Mireya Chavez and Marta Reyna are the

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founders of the RGV Reel Hookers – an all-women’s fishing community. While their mission is to build the organization and give women an open forum to fishing, they want the organization to be involved in the community and to give back – thus the Toys for Tots event.

It seems their passion for fishing is the only thing that comes close to their passion for community.

“We really want to create a community for female anglers AND give back to the community,” said Mireya, adding that the group’s logo – which includes the color pink and a couple of small fishing bobbers in strategically located positions within the word “Hookers” is more than just for smirks and giggles. “I’m a huge advocate for breast cancer awareness, that’s the big reason for all that.”

Mireya and Marta had talked before about putting together a fishing group, but it was nothing more than small talk. A

Check out their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RGVReelHookers nice idea that had no real movement.

“We went to high school together but really hadn’t talked a whole lot,” Marta said. “I’ve fished for a long time and have a boat and have always loved to fish since my dad would take me out.”

Likewise, Mireya has loved fishing since childhood.

“One day we ran into each other and I was always joking and asking her ‘when you gonna take me fishing on your boat?’

This time she said ‘let’s go’ and four hours later we were going. That was about a year and a half ago.”

As the two continued on their fishing outings, they worked on a group name – RGV Reel Hookers not only was a great play on words, but as you can imagine it raised a lot of eyebrows and curiosity.

“It’s a community for females who love to fish,” Mireya said. “A lot of times females may have questions but may want to ask something but think it’s silly because some guys will be like ‘really?

You don’t know how to do this or that?’ We want to take more women out on the boat and fishing with their kids.

“It’s a male dominant sport, but there’s no reason for it.”

Marta said they’re considered regulars at the docks these days. She hopes to work her way to become a captain in the near future.

“We were hearing these guys and no-

ticed them watching us and saying things like ‘she’s not gonna be able to back up the truck to hook up the boat or not be able to do this or that then – boom – we do it. Then they’re like ‘oh wow, look at that.”

“We’re regulars at the docks,” Marta said. “Even the game warden sees us and recognizes us.”

At presstime their Facebook Page had nearly 2,000 followers. On that page there are hundreds of posts with photos, how to tell different fish species as well as recipes and how to cook different fish.

They enjoy the interaction and large community Facebook provides.”

Ironically, Marta – who also hunts – is a vegetarian.

“My goal for next year is to not be a vegetarian,” she joked, only to be kidded by a friend who said that was her goal last year as well. “Hey, I’m going to try this year.”

As the Toys for Tots toy drive campaign started slowing down, Mireya was still at full speed, slowing down some to check the grill with some black tip shark provided by Raul Hernandez from the Fishing Locos group.

“This is what we do,” Mireya said. “We fish, we enjoy our friends and we give back to the community. It’s great fun and we’re excited to grow more and bring more females into the sport.”

NEXT EDITION Texas Sportsman will introduce you to the Fishing Locos and some shark catching

MOONING OVER THE BLACK DRUM Story and Photo by Calixto Gonzalez

My favorite time to fish has always been on during the full moon. It always seems that nature goes into hyper-drive when the moon is at its full splendor. Tides pull fresh saltwater in and out of the system and pushes all sorts of prey in and out of bays and washes up and down the Lower Laguna Madre.

Even in the teeth of winter, the strength of a good tidal flow from a full moon can pull otherwise lethargic fish into a more active mood. The warmer offshore water speeds their metabolisms and predators strap on the feedbag. For some species, the full moon is Nature’s cue to begin migrations and spawning runs.

The caveat to full-moon fishing is realizing that the more popular species such as speckled trout and redfish are still quite moody in winter. If there have been a series of strong cold fronts that push water temperatures below either species’ comfort level, nothing short of dynamite will get fish in the boat, full moon or not.

In that event, an angler has to march

to the beat of a different drum. Black drum, that is, which really ramp up their foraging during the full moon.

Schools of these finny, thick-bodied bulldozers spread out in bays and along shorelines looking for anything they can suck down and smash into porridge in their crushers. The north wind can blow, it can drizzle, fog can roll in, and the weather can just be generally snotty, but the drum will be out there, thumping away with their signature thoom, thoom. Hardy fishermen up and down the coast take this opportunity to line shorelines along passes and channels, or anchor near deep flats and holes to take a shot at hooking a big ugly.

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Black Drum Facts OTHER NAMES Texas Drum, Sea Drum, Saltwater Drum, Gray Drum, Drumfish, Striped Drum, Tambor

Mild winter days mean short sleeves and fat black drum such as this stout customer that brought smiles to two happy anglers.

The key to night fishing for black drum is to locate areas with good water flow and access to the deep water that drum prefer as highways to move around. Lighted fishing piers such as the ones that dot areas like the Humble Channel in Corpus Christi eliminate a lot of guesswork on finding the noisy bruisers. Drum will be around the lights pretty much from the time the lights come on at dusk until dawn. You need to get to one of these piers early, however, because they can be popular during the drum run, and get crowded.

Pier limits on the number of rods each angler can use mitigates the space issue some, but it still gets hairy when Texas Sportsman Saltwater a school of big uglies are in casting range.

Fishing Editor Calixto Gonzales has been an Anglers move up and outdoor writer for 15 years, down and around their and a school teacher for 20. fellow fishermen, lines The fish he doesn’t catch are get tangled, and the air left very intimidated. is filled with screams of delight and curses of disgust when a school of 30 to 50 pounders or bigger swim within range.

An underrated but productive night fishing area is within the shadows of causeways and lighted bridges. Much like with a pier, the lights from the bridge wash over the waters around the pilings and out across the flats that flank the bridge. Drum prowl around the flats and in eddies between pilings, especially near the deepest part of the channel sucking in crab, shrimp, mantis shrimp (sea lice) and other morsels.

Anchor up-current and slightly adjacent to

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the channel and cast your bait back into the eddy. Use a fish finder rig with a pyramid or flat sinker that will hold in the current. If you have a reel with a clicker, put the rod in a holder and set the alarm.

If you aren’t keen on fishing on a crowded pier, and are uncomfortable with running a boat at night, you can find some excellent night fishing spots that offer a little more elbow room and the security of staying on shore. If you prefer fishing deeper water with your own fish attracting lights, try fishing along the afore-mentioned shorelines of channels and passes. Old timers have long known the parts of channels that allow public access are great drum fishing spots (many an adult remembers a time when they were allowed to go fishing with a parent and his friends at the Land Cut or the Brownsville Ship Channel or along some jetty on the Texas Coast on a dark winter night; the lines would trail out into inky blackness and everyone sat around and talked while waiting for the reel clicker to begin chattering as a big something swam of with the bait).

The jetty systems from Texas City to Brazos Santiago are similarly effective. The biggest difference is that the currents have scoured deeper holes around certain nooks and groins which are apt to hold more fish, and pieces of the jetty’s structure have fallen away, creating some hidden structure.

These deep holes and rocks are also drum magnets, and a patient angler equipped with plenty of tackle can have a banner evening..

For anglers who would rather spend a cold January night in a nice, soft, warm bed, don’t despair: not all full-moon fishing takes place in the dark. I had some excellent catches of drum, trout and

DESCRIPTION The black drum is a chunky, highbacked fish with many barbels or whiskers under the lower jaw.

Younger fish have four or five dark vertical bars on their sides but these disappear with age. The bellies of older fish are white but coloration of backs and sides can vary greatly. A length of six inches is reached in the first year, 12 inches the second and 16 inches the third.

Increases of about two inches per year occur after that. The largest black drum on record weighed 146 pounds. The Texas record taken by a sport angler is 78 pounds but most bull drum caught weigh 30 to 40 pounds.

LIFE HISTORY This fish is a member of the croaker family and is related to the Atlantic croaker, red drum, and spotted seatrout. A characteristic of this family of fish is the ability to produce croaking or drumming sounds with the air bladder, which is the reason for the common names croaker and drum.

Credit - Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. http://www.tpwd.state. tx.us/ redfish at midday and late afternoon. If the tide is moving — the full moon means stronger rising and falling tides — I’ve had tremendous success for smaller, slot-sized drum fishing the edge where a flat drains into a channel. I’ll anchor off the edge and toss my bait (usually a free-lined shrimp) up onto the flat and let the draining water push my offering into the dropoff. It doesn’t take very long after that.

Black drum aren’t the prettiest of fish.

They don’t have the following of the speckled trout or the mystique of the redfish.

The flounder is actually uglier, but has a better public image because it goes so well with crab stuffing. Still, the drum can offer some excellent sport, especially if the alternative is to stay at home and watch the Food Network or work on the Honey Do list. In fact, when faced with fixing the toilet kit in the guest bedroom, a big ugly might be downright pretty!

LESSONS LEARNED

Fires, hangovers and broken lines won’t win it for you The Texas Invitational Trout Showdown is a tournament started by a small group of friends from McAllen. Since its inception in 1993 the tournament has grown tremendously. I have often fished this tournament, many times coming close to winning, but yet to claim the glory.

Every year my team comes up with a strategy we think will work, involving fishing reports, satellite imagery, lunar tables, tide charts and previous years' statistics.

Every year we go in thinking this is our year! How could we lose?

Well I'm here to tell you how that's done.

I was attending Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) the first year I entered this event. I put together a team of guys who probably had never even been on the bay..real smart. It was all I could come up with since most of my other friends were already on teams.

As we reached Los Fresnos on our way to the island, I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed fog.

"Wow, we got some fog this morning,” I said. “That's a good thing boys - I love fishing with overcast."

Small flames started coming through my air condition vents. We jumped out of the truck and I started to unhook the trailer. Flames were engulfing the truck and I wondered if it would blow up like they do in Hollywood.

I ended watching my wheels burn and the LF.F.D. come to the resue of my boat.

Lucky for me, Dad's boat only had minor damage. His ice chest was all bubbley from the heat, and the bow was a little singed.

Obviously we didn't win that year.

Fast forward a few years to Team Shrimp Pimps. We decided to do something different and fish the jetties, hoping to catch a tide runner trout. Tide runners are big sea trout that frequent surf eating on bigger offerings, making them the Big Mac of the species.

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We tore it up on Mangrove Snapper and Skip Jacks, but after a few hours with no reds or trout, back to the bay we went.

Apparently 2:30 p.m. was the major feeding time of day. New life surged in us as multiple hook ups started happening.

I reached into the livewell looking for a big shrimp, but only little ones were left.

As it turned out elephants eat peanuts. As I watched my Cajun Thunder cork disappear

underneath the surface, I pulled back on a solid fish.

Usually you can tell what's on the end of your line and this fish was telling me he was a red. My drag was smoking with every run. When I got the fish close to the boat I saw I had a huge trout. She proceeded to take me around the boat three times. We finally got her in the net and breathed a sigh of relief.

“

One day I will win this tournament. All I need to do is take all the lessons from losing and what not to do.

We continued catching, but had to put the poles down on a good bite in order to make the weigh in. When we got back to the dock we had the lead trout at 27" and 8 pounds. It looked like we had won. Weigh in was at 3:30 p.m. but a couple boats that came in at 3:32 p.m. beat me with two trout, each 28" and 8 1/2 pounds. It was possible I could have contested their questionable dock time but ended up with third place.

Another lesson learned is that too many Turbo Coladas the night before will not help on tourney day.

Our boat pulled up to the spoil bank and Lori Smith and I hopped out to wade fish. Despite my clumsy and unprepared effort I soon wet a line. Bait was blowing up everywhere and the spot looked fishy.

Coming down the shoreline I saw a huge wake with shrimp jumping out of its way, some jumping on land. I cast a tail 4-feet in front of it and the fish slammed my hook.

My hangover eased for a moment and I looked over to Lori with my rod bent and line peeling.

Pure adrenaline took over and I knew this fish could be the one my team needed to win. Panic followed when I realized I was running out of line. The fish surfaced a football field away and with maybe 40 yards left I made a foolish decision to thumb the spool, hoping to slow the fish.

Instantly two things happened: 1) My line snapped, and 2) My hangover returned This year marked the 20th anniversary of the tournament and we entered the lure only division. We pre-fished the day before and did really well. I was throwing a black Super Spook I customized by removing the middle treble and adding white paint to accentuate the gills. By removing the middle hook the bait becomes safer when handling fish in the water.

The lure proved to be a winner, catching one red and the limit of trout, including

More Lessons Learned 4 Preparation is key. The less you have to do means more time fishing. If wade fishing, have your boots on and belt ready so when the boat stops you’re hopping out and casting.

4 Don’t forget the net and most of all the stringer.

4 It pays to have a pair of forceps for dehooking fish when away from the controlled environment of a boat.

4 When the fish are biting you often only have a one hour window for peak results.

4 Don’t wait to rig up when you get on the water because the competition is already landing fish.

4 All lures should be tied the night before.

”

the 25-inch trout shown in the photo. This year's tournament committee implemented new rules downsizing bag and size limits. Twenty five inches was the magic slot number for trout. Unfortunately this fish was caught on the wrong day so a catch, photo and release was in order.

When the morning arrived, all the prior years of fishing came into play.

Lucky underwear – check. No Turbo Colada hangover – check. Gear ready, boat ready, confidence high – check, check and check. It was still dark when I hopped into the water.

My sense of hearing was increased as I blindly cast the Super Spook into the darkness. I could hear fish hitting all around the surface. Soon there was just enough light to make out silvery flashes that looked like Ballyhoo swimming for their life.

Out of nowhere I felt a violent attack on my plug. As I set the hook I felt the fish's weight, but as quickly as she was on she was off. Another lesson had just been learned - do not take off the middle treble hook when fishing tournament day. It is not a good feeling reeling an empty line when you know greatness was just missed.

To confirm that big trout were there, a guy 20 yards next to me (not on my team) strings up a 24-incher.

Before we knew it the day was half over.

We grinded it out to catch a couple reds, but it was Lori who had the hot hand. Lori managed to bag a 24 1/4" trout and a couple of big reds to put us in contention.

We up second getting beat by 6 pounds in the lure division and finished sixth place overall.

One day I will win this tournament. All I need to do is take all the lessons from losing and what not to do. #Special thanks to Shallow Sport for sponsoring our 24' Shallow Sport Classic.

Get a Jump on Fishing the New Year

By Capt. Joey Farah Most anglers will be making a few promises to themselves as we cast into the New Year.

Some will vow to fish more often and get the boat off the trailer a little more often.

Others will set goals to make the New Year the one that they raise their level of angling skill to the heights of fuller boxes and heavy stringers.

The most elite fishermen will plan trips to our Trophy Trout Super Bowl, the Mystic Baffin Bay and the Laguna Madre’.

Let’s touch on a few key details that will help you make a pin point cast into some great early spring strategies and light some fore in your New Fishing Year.

Getting back into the groove and finding that excitement you once had in fishing can be easy. Find a good monthly lunar feeding time chart. Plan fishing trips on the best days, this gives you confidence and a much stronger chance of having a successful trip. Notice the best time periods during the day and focus your fishing to cover those points on the clock.

Notice water quality first and the area’s fish ability. Stained or murky water can be fished effectively with bait. For anglers using artificial lures, concentrate on at least fair to good clarity.

Second, pay close attention to birds.

Key in on areas with varied bird activity.

Herons, gulls, shorebirds, and pelicans all specialize in feeding on different organisms that are food sources for fish as well.

Boating traffic can also affect areas and their productivity. Find similar structure on a map that mimics the most populated spots, if fish are holding to a particular pattern it is likely they will find similar areas close by.

Low impact fishing is important, take your time for a silent approach, reduce boat noise, and try to troll, drift, or pole as much as possible. Gathering and learning as much information about your fishing area, techniques and target species can get your motor running and build the excitement for angling success as well.

Study maps of the area you are interested in and find new places small and large to explore. Following a plan of attack with the family or friends that you will be going with can be fun. Let everyone find one place they want to “check out” and explore them during the slowest times of the lunar

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bite charts.

Figure out where you should be when the fish are hungry and be there before the peak time.

Raising one’s angling skills is judged both by our failures and success on the water. To increase your positives, fine tune a few key details of your hunt to become a

better predator on the water.

For anyone looking to raise their game or just have a fun, fast pace action fishing day on the water, just give me a call anytime. (361)442-8145.

Keep those lines tight and your hooks sharp!

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