Moon waters - Lone Star Outdoor News

Transcription

ADVENTURE
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
February 24, 2006
Volume 2, Issue 13
w w w. l o n e s t a r o u t d o o r n e w s . c o m
SHOAL GRASS LODGE
See Page 19
What happened at Armstrong Ranch?
INSIDE
HUNTING
BY DARLENE MCCORMICK SANCHEZ
AND MARK ENGLAND
The sun was sinking on the
Armstrong Ranch, and Vice President
Richard Cheney was having some
luck at the ranch’s Comal Pasture.
This would make the 10th covey of
quail he had hunted this Saturday.
Cheney and two hunting companions, Pam Willeford and Harry
Stories of genetically superior deer
selling for big bucks has led to an
increase in the number of deer breeders.
Those in the business, though, say the
love of deer and not money better be
your motivation or you could be in for an
unpleasant surprise.
See Page 6
Winter trout
seekers catch
success in phases
FISHING
ative Americans referred to
the February full moon as a
Snow Moon or Hunger
Moon because the weather generally created the harshest hunting
conditions of the year for them.
It’s no picnic for anglers either. But
for the most patient and stalwart
among big-trout seekers, a full
moon in winter is a harvest moon
indeed.
And nobody does it better
between the JFK Causeway and
Baffin Bay than Cliff Webb, a
surfer-turned guide with a confident grin and endless enthusiasm.
NATIONAL
Rocker Ted Nugent is the new ambassador for the Pass It On Outdoors
Mentors Program, run by Big Brothers
Big Sisters, which teaches the lessons
of the outdoors to youngsters. Nugent
said he would speak on how nature
always guides a young person “on the
True North Compass setting.”
See Page 4
CONSERVATION
Texas hunters gave their viewpoints in
the National Duck Hunter Survey of
2005, joining with other Central Flyway
hunters to proclaim duck hunting one of
the most important recreational
activities they engage in. Overall, they
thought the duck hunting season in the
state they hunted was about right.
See Page 5
DEPARTMENTS
Across the Nation
Page 5
Migratory Bird Report
Product Picks
Page 7
Page 13
Heroes
Page 14
Wild in the Kitchen
Page 15
Weather
Page 15
Game Warden Blotter
Page 16
Outdoor Datebook
Page 17
Fishing Report
Page 18
ing to his statement to the Kenedy
County Sheriff’s Office, was that
Whittington, an Austin attorney, had
moved up behind the hunting line
formed by Cheney and Willeford, the
U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and
Liechtenstein.
A bird from the second covey
flushed and Cheney keyed in on it.
The bird flew behind him and
Cheney swung to the left — into the
setting sun, Cheney said — and fired
with an over-under Perazzi Brescia
shotgun, according to the sheriff’s
report.
Whittington, who was standing in
a gully 30 yards to the west of Cheney
— or perhaps less, according to one
ballistics expert and the ranch’s coowner — was struck with a load of
shot from Cheney’s 28-gauge shotSee RANCH, Page 12
Moon
waters
Hunting fatalities in Texas dropped to an
historic low last year. State officials
believe mandatory hunter education
programs deserve most of the credit for
the decline in fatalities. They also point
out that following the Ten Commandments of Shooting Safety can help
hunters avoid accidents.
See Page 7
Save your money and put off that trip to
Florida. Prime snook can be found right
here in Texas — specifically in the
Lower Laguna Madre. The population of
snook is climbing, experts say, and that
makes for even better year-round angling
for the fighting fish.
See Page 8
Whittington, had just shot into a
covey of quail on the 50,000-acre
ranch, and now an outrider on horseback was pointing out another covey.
Cheney said he got a bird and he
and Willeford began walking toward
the second covey about a 100 yards
away. Meanwhile, Whittington began looking for a pair of birds he
downed.
What Cheney didn’t know, accord-
By David Sikes
N
CASTING IN THE MOONLIGHT: Speckled trout fishing generally improves on the full moon in winter months, especially when
clouds obscure the nighttime moonshine.
In part, Webb credits attitude and
observation for his success with
big trout. He truly believes that
each day will rival or exceed his
most memorable time on the
water. And he wears this optimism
particularly well in February.
It’s his time to shine, when the
sun becomes stingy and wallhanger trout leave their winter
depths for the warmth of dark
mud. The most dramatic example
of how good it can be was demonstrated a decade ago.
On that early February day,
Houston’s Jim Wallace and friends
caught perhaps the most impresSee TROUT, Page 11
Drought stumps
tourney plans
Toledo Bend loses major fishing events
By Mark England
Dropping water levels have
pulled the plug on at least six
prominent fishing tournaments
scheduled for Toledo Bend
Reservoir — including the
launching of the Women’s
Bassmaster Tour.
Toledo Bend, the fifth-largest
man-made lake in the country,
sprawls along the Texas-Louisiana
state line covering up to 185,000
acres.
It’s been in full retreat, however,
for more than a year.
The lake’s water level is 6 feet
lower than it was a year ago,
almost 10 feet below its maximum
pool stage.
“We’d been monitoring the
water levels since late October,”
said Bruce Mathis, Women’s
Bassmaster Tour director. “It’s gotten really treacherous because in
the boating lanes when the water
drops low, it reveals the stumps
that are normally beneath the
water. You can easily run into
something and boating injuries
can occur. Safety was our first concern.”
The inaugural women’s tournament, scheduled for March 16-18,
will be moved from Toledo Bend
to Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri
and held Sept. 14-16. That will
allow the women’s tournament to
be held simultaneously with a
tournament in the men’s Citgo
Bassmaster Elite Series. The
women’s final day weigh-in will
be televised alongside the men’s.
“Our goal is to increase the tour
visibility this first year,” Mathis
said. “We want to get the women
See LAKES, Page 10
TOURNEY BUSTERS: Visible stumps have a been a familiar lake scene during a
continued drought, plaguing tournament schedules. Photo by David J. Sams.
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Page 4 February 24, 2006
NATIONAL
Duck hunters have their say ‘American Sportsman’ dies at 86
The National Flyway Council and
the Wildlife Management Institute has
released the results of the National
Duck Hunter Survey 2005 that could
help shape future policy.
“This survey is the first to ask a representative sample of duck hunters in
every state their opinions on ducks,
duck hunting and waterfowl management,” said Don Childress, NFC chair.
Over 10,000 duck hunters responded to
the survey.
Some of the national findings
include:
•Seventy-two percent of respondents
said duck hunting was one of their
most important (58 percent) or most
important (14 percent) recreational
activities.
•Fifty-nine percent said that the
duck season length (number of days in
the season) in the state they hunted
most over the last 5 years was “about
right.”
•Almost three-quarters (72 percent)
of duck hunters said that the total daily
bag limit in the state they hunted most
over the last 5 years was “about right.”
•Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of
duck hunters said they spend more
than $250 each year on duck hunting
and one-fifth (20 percent) said they
spend more than $1,000 each year.
•Six percent of duck hunters ages 4564 indicated that they began duck
hunting in the relatively recent past
(1997-2004).
•Twenty percent of duck hunters said
they “frequently” access the Internet
for duck hunting information; 49 percent said “once in a while,” and 31 percent, “not at all.”
Survey results were reported nationally, by the four flyways, and by upper,
middle and lower groupings of states in
each flyway. This allows for comparisons among regions of the country.
For example, 30 percent of duck
hunters in the upper portion of the
Central Flyway (North Dakota, South
Dakota and eastern Montana) said that
the overall quality of duck hunting
over the last five years had “gotten
much better” (10 percent) or “gotten a
little better” (20 percent), while 29 percent said it had “gotten a little worse”
(23 percent) or “much worse” (6 percent). By contrast, 5 percent of the
duck hunters in the lower portion of
the Mississippi Flyway (Alabama,
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Tennessee) said that the overall quality
of duck hunting over the last five years
had “gotten much better” (1 percent)
or “gotten a little better” (4 percent),
while 82 percent said it had “gotten a
little worse” (31 percent) or “much
worse” (51 percent).
“These results will be invaluable in
our deliberations, and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service will do everything we
can to communicate these results to
those who can use them to improve our
hunting regulations and hunter satisfaction in the future,” said Paul
Schmidt, assistant director for migratory birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additional information on the
National Duck Hunter Survey 2005
and a downloadable copy of this news
release is available at www.ducksurvey.
com.
— A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report
Ted Nugent wants to rock their world
Big Brothers Big Sisters, in partnership with the Pass It On Texas
Outdoor Mentors Program, has
named rocker and sporting legend
Ted Nugent as Ambassador and
Director of Youth Hunting.
In his role as ambassador, Nugent
will help promote the highly successful programs, which match children with qualified adult mentors.
Within Pass It On, mentors and kids
alike share a particular interest in
our outdoor heritage, with an
emphasis on the understanding,
protection and restoration of our
natural ecosystems.
“Speaking from personal experience, the mesmerizing, stimulating
natural relationship with God’s
mystical creatures, and nature overall, will always guide a young person
on the True North compass setting,”
said Nugent. “The tooth, fang and
claw dynamic provides the ultimate
attention-getter, challenge and
quest for personal excellence that a
youngster could ever dream of. The
discipline I’ve learned in the hunting and shooting sports lifestyle will
provide the utmost quality of life for
any child, as it does for me.”
Pass It On, Big Brothers Big Sisters’
outdoor mentoring program, was
launched in 2000 in Kansas.
Children involved in the program
who engage in shooting and hunting activities receive hands-on training in safety as required by BBBS and
state wildlife agency regulations.
The majority of those introduced to
traditional outdoor sports by a mentor continue to participate in those
sports.
— A Pass It On release
Curt Gowdy, who over a span of
seven decades brought a warmth and
smooth delivery to his radio, TV and
cable sportscasts and was known to millions of fishermen and hunters as The
American Sportsman, died at 3:10 a.m.
Monday, Feb. 20 at the age of 86.
Gowdy passed away at his winter
home in Palm Beach, Fla., surrounded
by his immediate family. Since 1951 he
lived in the Boston Mass., area, first in
the suburb of Wellesley Hills, then the
city of Boston and also retained a summer residence in Sugar Hill, N.H.
The cause of death was acute
leukemia.
A pioneer of radio sportscasting in
the 1940s and television in the early
1950s, Gowdy was the most prolific
and versatile national sportscaster of
the 1960s and 1970s. Working for four
major networks, he enjoyed a wide fan
base, critical acclaim and the respect of
his peers for his in-depth preparation.
Born and raised in Wyoming, he
reported the action in a distinctively
warm, articulate and relaxing manner.
On the air, he diligently strived for a
blend of accuracy, pacing and balance.
As host and producer of the long-running The American Sportsman television series, ubiquitous with a Stetson hat
and casting a dry fly, he garnered a public following that endured for the rest of
life; many referred to him as the “true
American sportsman.”
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Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month.
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any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited.
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February 24, 2006 Page 5
CONSERVATION
Texas hunters respond
to new duck survey
Texas hunters are more likely than
most to splurge on duck hunting but
about a third say they hunt fewer days
than they did five years ago, according
to the National Duck Hunter Survey of
2005.
That was just a sampling of what
duck hunters in Texas thought about
their sport.
The new survey split up the country
into six technical reports, with Texans
being in the Central Flyway report. Of
the total 10,877 forms returned
nationwide, 4,120 were from duck
hunters in the Central Flyway. The
report features descriptions of the survey’s methodology, followed by question-by-question comparison of
results for the 10 states in the Central
Flyway, question-by-question analysis
within each state by hunters’ preference for four season options, and question-by-question analysis for the
Central Flyway.
Key results revealed:
•Sixty-four percent of Central
Flyway duck hunters called duck hunting “one of my most important” (53percent) or “most important” (11percent)
recreational activities.
•The percentage of hunters across the
Central Flyway calling duck hunting my
“most important” recreational activity
ranged from 6 percent in Montana,
Colorado and Wyoming to 13 percent in
Nebraska.
•Roughly one-third (30 percent) of
Central Flyway duck hunters started
hunting ducks before 1970, another
third (31 percent) between 1970 and
1988, and the balance after 1988.
•Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of
Central Flyway duck hunters spent
more than $250 each year on duck
hunting; 14 percent spent more than
$1,000 each year. Hunters spending over
$1,000 annually on duck hunting
ranged from 8 percent in North Dakota
to 17 percent in Nebraska and Texas.
•Fifty-one percent of Central Flyway
duck hunters spent 10 days or less hunting ducks each year over the last 5 years;
27 percent spent 11 to 20 days; 14 percent spent 21 to 30 days; and 8 percent
spent more than 30 days.
•A plurality (40 percent) of Central
Flyway duck hunters said they were
hunting the “same number” of days
now compared to 5 years ago. Hunters
indicating they were hunting “fewer”
days ranged from a low of 22 percent in
Montana and Wyoming to a high of 36
percent in Texas.
•Sixty-one percent of Central Flyway
duck hunters said the duck season
length (number of days in the season) in
the state they hunted most over the last
5 years was “about right,” while 34 percent said the season was “too short,”
and 1 percent, “too long.” Hunters
thinking the season was “too short”
ranged from a low of 11 percent in North
Dakota to 40 percent or more in Kansas,
Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
•Almost three-quarters (73 percent)
of Central Flyway duck hunters said
that the total daily duck bag limit in
the state they hunted most over the
last 5 years was “about right.” Fourteen
percent said it was “too low,” and 4
percent, “too high.” Hunters indicating the bag was “too low” ranged from
5 percent in Wyoming to 21 percent in
Texas.
•Central Flyway duck hunters said
that, over the last 5 years, the overall
quality of duck hunting in the state
they hunted most had stayed “about
the same” (31 percent), had gotten “a
little worse” (31 percent), “much
EVERYBODY’S
COMFORTABLE.
EXCEPT THE
COMPETITION.
worse” (13 percent), “a little better” (16
percent) or “much better” (6 percent).
Percentage of hunters who said hunting had gotten “a little worse” or
“much worse” ranged from a low of 25
percent in North Dakota to 55 percent
in Texas.
•When given a choice of four possible season options, Central Flyway
duck hunters most preferred (47 percent) “longer seasons for all ducks,
with daily bag limit restrictions for
ducks with lower population levels.”
•Central Flyway duck hunters indicated the frequency that they used
motorized spinning-wing decoys: 14
percent said “always,” 40 percent said
“sometimes,” and 46 percent said
“never.” Hunters who said they
“never” use a motorized spinningwing decoy ranged from a low of 30
percent in Nebraska to a high of 67 percent in Wyoming.
•The opinion of Central Flyway
duck hunters toward motorized spinning-wing decoys was that they
should be allowed (58 percent); 16 percent thought they should “not be
allowed,” and 26 percent had “no
opinion.”
•When asked if they access the
Internet to look up duck hunting
information, 20 percent of Central
Flyway duck hunters said “frequently,”
50 percent said “once in a while,” and
30 percent, “not at all.”
•Over the last 5 years, a majority of
duck hunters in all member states of
the Central Flyway usually harvested
numbers of ducks that met or exceeded the number of ducks that these
hunters said equated with their views
of satisfactory annual seasonal harvest. Visit www.ducksurvey.com for
more information.
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THE
SIERRA
ADVANTAGE
ACROSS THE NATION
California
Tule elk population thriving
The California Department of Fish
and Game will begin relocating a 30year-old Concord-area tule elk herd
to free-range public lands Feb. 13.
DFG established the herd at
Concord Naval Weapons Station in
the mid-1970s to supply animals for
new or existing herds throughout
the state.
Wildlife experts believe the herd
holds as many as five 2-year old bulls,
up to 25 adult bulls, and as many as
16 cows and calves on the 3,000-acre
site, located at the south edge of
Suisun Bay in Contra Costa County.
The capture has been timed to allow
the bulls to drop their antlers but
before the 2006 calving season.
Louisiana
Pro angler pleads guilty to
cheating in tournament
A Lee’s Summit, Mo. man accused of
cheating during a Bassmaster fishing
tournament on the Red River in
November has pleaded guilty in
Natchitoches Parish.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries Enforcement Division
agents arrested Paul E. Tormanen, 39,
on Nov. 11, 2005 after he weighed in a
black bass at the CITGO Bassmaster
Central Open. The fish had been
caught prior to the tournament,
according to authorities.
BASS officials had alerted LDWF
agents to the possibility of contest
fraud after they were contacted by a
fisherman who had snagged one of the
fish while practicing for the upcoming
event. Agents secretly marked the fish
and returned it to the stump where it
had been found. On Nov. 10,
Tormanen brought the marked fish to
the scales at the Grand Ecore boat
launch and had it officially weighed in
to count toward the total weight of his
catch, according to officials. Tormanen
was questioned by agents. He admitted
to catching several bass before the tournament and tying them to stumps in
order to weigh them in during the
tournament, officers said.
Judge Eric Harrington from the 10th
Judicial District accepted Tormanen’s
guilty plea and issued a suspended sentence of six months, fined him
$588.50 and placed him on probation,
and ordered him to perform 120 hours
of community service.
Maryland
charges in connection with an
alleged operation to illegally drug
and transport wild elk and for
allegedly receiving stolen bighorn
sheep heads.
Kirt L. Darner, 66, and his wife
Paula D. Darner, 49, owners of the
40-acre Lobo Canyon Ranch north
of Grants, were charged with several
felonies, including receiving stolen
property, transportation of stolen
livestock, and tampering with evidence. They are accused of illegally
moving as many as four state-owned
elk from the Lobo Canyon Ranch to
the Pancho Peaks ranch and game
park in southeastern New Mexico in
2002. The Pancho Peaks Ranch is
owned by Steve W. Lewis of Artesia.
New Mexico
Elk park owners indicted
The owners of two private elk
hunting parks have been indicted
by a Cibola County Grand Jury on
41 felony and misdemeanor
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Dead bear, cubs found
Last month Maryland Natural
Resources Police (NRP) responded to
a report of a black bear carcass in the
1000-acre area of the Woodmont
Rod and Gun Club, off of Woodmont
Road, in Washington County. A concerned citizen who had found the
dead bear reported the incident.
NRP and Wildlife and Heritage
Services (WHS) arrived at the scene
and found a 250-pound sow in a den
with a fatal shotgun wound. When
WHS personnel started to remove the
carcass from the den, they discovered
three dead cubs, also in the den. NRP
obtained a statement from the suspected shooter, a 17 year-old Hancock
man, and charges are pending.
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Oklahoma
Rattlesnake hunting permits
now available at festivals
While most people tend to avoid
rattlesnakes whenever possible, there
are more than a few who actually go
looking for them. These brave individuals gather each spring at rattlesnake
round-ups, hunts and festivals in communities like Apache, Mangum,
Waurika, Okeene and Waynoka.
A $5 rattlesnake-hunting permit
will now be available through the
event organizer. For more information
about rattlesnake festivals in
Oklahoma, contact:
Okeene Annual Rattlesnake Hunt,
call (580) 822-3101; Waynoka Snake
Hunt, April 22, call (580) 824-1471;
Waurika Rattlesnake Hunt, April 7-9,
call (580) 228-2553; Mangum
Rattlesnake Derby, April 29-30, call
(580) 782-2434; Apache Rattlesnake
Festival, April 13-16, call (580) 5883361.
SEE THE PROS AT YOUR LOCAL GMC DEALER
Maximum payload capacity includes weight of vehicle, passengers, cargo
and equipment. Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution.
††Trailer ratings are calculated assuming a properly equipped base vehicle
plus driver. See the GMC Trailering Guide for details.
†††When properly equipped, includes weight of vehicle, passengers,
cargo and equipment.
*OnStar and the OnStar emblem are registered trademarks of OnStar
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for system limitations and details. ©2006 OnStar Corp. All rights reserved.
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related logos are registered trademarks of XM Satellite Radio Inc.
©2006 Bose Corp. All rights reserved.
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†
HUNTING
Boone & Crockett
knows the score
Elite club dedicated to the outdoors
By Wes Smalling
S
coring for the Boone and Crockett
Club is much more than counting
antler points and stretching a measuring tape across a giant rack of antlers.
Becoming an official big-game scorer for
the 118-year-old club is just as much about
learning the importance of wildlife conservation and fair-chase ethics as it is about measuring trophies.
And it's tough to get in.
“We have thousands of applications on file
and we only appoint about 110 people a
year,” said Jack Reneau, director of big game
records for the Boone and Crockett Club.
“Our application numbers far exceed our
need, so we’re just looking for a good distribution of enthusiastic people throughout the
states.”
The club, which is based in Missoula,
Mont., publishes a book of trophy records
every three years. The club only recognizes
trophy animals that have been measured by
official Boone and Crockett scorers. They
don’t accept animals taken behind escapeproof fences.
David Synatzske, who is the scoring chairman for the Texas Big Game Awards, has
been an official Boone and Crockett measurer
for nearly 20 years.
“Probably the one thing that very few people realize is that the Boone and Crockett
Club was not founded to be a regulation system for scoring big game animals,” Synatzske
said. “It was founded by Teddy Roosevelt and
some of his friends as basically a wildlife conservation organization. They do recognize
the quality of the animal, but they also recognize conservation and appreciating the
wildlife resources that we have. That’s the one
thing that stands out to me (about the club),
especially in this day and time when so much
emphasis is placed on the trophy instead of
the experience.”
People interested in becoming an official
Boone and Crockett measurer must first
attend one of the club’s invitation-only train-
A FEW GOOD MEASURERS: Becoming a member of the Boone & Crockett Club is no simple matter. Invitation-only training is the first step in joining. About 110
members are oppointed each year. Texas has 73 official B&C measurers.
ing classes that are intense, hands-on, fourday seminars held periodically in various
states. The first step toward earning an invitation to a class is to fill out an application,
which can be downloaded from the club’s
Web site at www.boone-crockett.org.
Then comes the waiting. The classes aren’t
held very often and usually only a couple
dozen people are invited to attend each one.
“We’ve had three workshops in Texas over
the years,” Reneau said. “We’ve actually had
more workshops in Texas than any other
state.”
One doesn’t have to be a member of the
Boone and Crockett Club to become an offi-
cial measurer.
“We like to have people who have some
experience measuring, but it’s not a requirement,” Reneau said, adding that enthusiasm
for the sport of hunting is more important.
Texas has 73 official Boone and Crockett
measurers. David Brimager, executive director
of the Texas Big Game Awards, became one of
them last year when he completed the club’s
training class in May.
“It made me a lot better scorer. It opened
my eyes to a lot of their ethics and values,
their mission of fair chase,” Brimager said.
“And they have a reputation that’s known.
The Boone and Crockett system, that’s what
everybody uses when it comes to measuring
big game around the world.”
The Boone and Crockett scoring system
relies upon carefully taken measurements of
a trophy’s enduring characteristics, such as
antlers, horns and skulls, to arrive at a
numerical final score for ranking the animal
in a trophy category. By measuring only
enduring characters, rather than weight or
skin length, the measurements can be
repeated at a later date for verification.
Wes Smalling is a free-lance outdoors writer with
more than a decade of experience and the former
outdoors editor of The Santa Fe New Mexican.
Deer breeding no easy
task, genetically speaking
By Bob Hood
BIG JOB: A 190-class, 2-year-old buck feeds on alfalfa hay at
Malouf Ranch. The deer will become a major breeder in
Malouf’s herd. Photo by David J. Sams.
Raising and selling genetically-superior deer has gained considerably in popularity over the past decade but anyone
who thinks it’s a way to strike it rich may
need to think again.
Although some deer breeders get into
the business thinking they are going to
make lots of money, love of the animals
inspires people like Tom Malouf of Wills
Point, Tommy Dugger of Three Rivers
and others.
Malouf, a Dallas firefighter, has been
breeding and raising white-tailed deer for
10 years at his Wills Point ranch. He
believes some people have a misconception that deer breeders are raising big
bucks so hunters can later shoot them.
“I am not saying that this does not
happen but that is not the deer market,”
Malouf said. “My operation is to stock
ranches for people that want to upgrade
their genetics. My particular operation is
not to turn a buck loose for someone to
shoot. I sell buck and doe fawns out of
200-class deer for them to start a breeding program or to put in their high fences
to upgrade their deer (herd).”
Malouf said that if someone wanted to
get into the deer breeding business
because they heard about someone selling a deer for lots of money, they may be
in for some big surprises and lots of work.
“If you love animals, that is why you
get into it,” Malouf said. “Once you put
them in a high fence you are their mother, daddy and veterinarian.”
Generally, the “menu” for anyone
wanting to purchase deer includes bred
does, doe and buck fawns and breeder
bucks.
Looking only at the price tags, it would
be easy to assume there’s a lot of money
to be made in breeding and selling deer.
Malouof said bred does sell for anywhere from $3,500 to $7,000, buck and
doe fawns sell from around $1,500 to
$5,000 and breeder bucks go for $5,000
and up with “the sky is the limit.”
Dugger may have come as close to anyone for selling a deer to a buyer in the
“sky’s the limit” price range. But that
buck, like the others he has sold, was
bought by a landowner to improve the
genes in his deer herd, not to sell for
someone to shoot, Dugger said.
“I sold a deer last year that scored about
310 (non-typical) points and it netted me
a little over a half million dollars,”
Dugger said. “The guy who bought it
then sold the semen and got his money
back in one year.”
Dugger said the buck had about 43
points, was four years old and weighed
about 220 pounds when he sold it. As a
yearling, the buck had about 16 points,
Dugger said.
Like Malouf, Dugger got into the deer
breeding business because of his fondness for the animals.
“I have been raising deer since 1989,”
Dugger said. “I got into it for the love of
deer. When I started, there wasn’t any
market, no deer to buy.”
Dugger said he realizes some people
are getting into the deer breeding business because they think there is a lot of
money to be made.
See DEER, Page 7
Hunting fatalities in 2005
drop to historic lows
Hunting fatalities in Texas dropped
to just two in 2005, down from four
the previous year, and matched alltime lows in 1996 and 2002. Only
2004 had fewer total hunting accidents, 29, compared to 30 last year.
“We like to say that ‘hunting is safe
and getting safer,’ and it really is,” said
Steve Hall, education director for Texas
Parks and Wildlife.
The state’s worst year on record for
hunting accidents was 1968, when 105
accidents were reported, including 37
fatalities.
For the decade of 1966-1975, TPW
recorded one hunting accident per
10,858 hunting licenses issued. The
incidence of hunting accidents has
gradually fallen, until — in the last
decade — only 1 hunter per 26,250
licenses was involved in a hunting
accident.
In the fall of 1988, hunter education
in Texas became mandatory for anyone born on or after Sept. 2, 1971.
“We’re still on a trend that is taking
us downward,” Hall said. “Whether we
bump it up next year or not, the 10year trend is what I look at, and it’s
coming down. Mandatory hunter
education is really having an impact.”
Hall said even hunters who are not
required to take the education course
are more aware of basic safety principles than before.
“It’s things like the ‘Ten
Commandments of Shooting Safety,’
the very basic safety principles that are
promoted a whole lot more now than
30 or even 20 years ago,” Hall said.
“Highlighting the accidents is an
education in and of itself.”
The two hunting fatalities of 2005
included a Mason County deer hunter
who accidentally discharged his rifle
into his own chest, and a Limestone
County hog hunter whose shot ricocheted and resulted in shrapnel hitting a child in his truck.
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
Migratory Bird Hunting Report
LIGHT GOOSE CONSERVATION ORDER: Plenty of snow geese to hunt along the coast and
coastal prairie. Normally, by this late in February, large concentrations of snows are the
exception instead of the norm. However, there remain quite a few large concentrations of
light geese on roost ponds in El Campo, Eagle Lake, Garwood and Midfield. A low ceiling
during the weekend made for solid shoots. Those in the marsh near Anahuac saw great
hunting as many snows are stacked in the marsh feeding on fresh green forbs. Tuesday,
dense fog put the geese on the deck and some hunters reported they ran out of shells while
in the field. The fog remained thick through noon. Expect fewer and fewer geese on the
coast as the days creep closer to March. In the Panhandle, few hunters are participating in
the conservation season. Those who have, saw average results at best. Another influx of
birds from the south could change things overnight. Last season, the High Plains enjoyed
some of their best shoots in March. Prospects are fair.
Open season
GOOSE
West Zone: Light geese conservation order,
Feb. 8-March 26.
East Zone: Light geese conservation order,
Jan. 30-March 26.
QUAIL
Statewide: Oct. 29- Feb. 26
RIO GRANDE TURKEY
Willacy, Brooks, Kenedy & Kleberg counties:
Nov. 5- Feb. 26
PHEASANT
Chambers, Jefferson and Liberty counties:
Oct. 29- Feb. 26
JAVELINA
Oct. 1- Feb. 26
Goin’ Fishin’?
2. Treat every firearm or
bow with the same
respect you would show
a loaded gun or nocked
arrow.
Every time you pick up a firearm, the first
thing you do is point the muzzle in a safe
direction and check to see if it is loaded.
Be sure the chamber and magazine are
empty and that the action is open until
ready to be fired. If you do not understand
how to determine if it is loaded, do not
accept the firearm until someone has
safely shown you that it is unloaded. Read
your instruction manual carefully before
you handle new firearms or bows.
3. Be sure of your target
and what is in front of
and beyond your target.
Before you pull the trigger you must
properly identify game animals. Until your
target is fully visible and in good light, do
not even raise your scope to see it. Use
binoculars. Know what is in front of and
behind your target. Determine that you
have a safe backstop or background.
Since you do not know what is on the
other side, never take a shot at any
animals on top of ridges or hillsides. Know
how far bullets, arrows and pellets can
travel. Never shoot at flat, hard surfaces,
such as water, rocks or steel because of
ricochets.
4. Unload firearms and
unstring conventional
bows when not in use.
Continued from Page 6
31st Annual
FISHING SHOW
FISHING BOATS & FISHING TACKLE
LARGEST FISHING SHOW IN THE SOUTHWEST
r
wings fo
Daily Dra ips and
Guided Tr rizes
Other P
Control the direction of the muzzle at all
times. Do not point a firearm or bow at
anything you do not intend to shoot. Never
rest a muzzle on your toe or foot. Keep
your finger out of the trigger guard until
the instant you are ready to fire. Always
keep the safety on until ready to fire;
however, the safety should never be a
substitute for safe firearm handling.
Deer
Not until you've seen the...
Thousands of Tackle and
Boats items Reduced for
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1. Always point the
muzzle in a safe
direction.
Leave actions open, and store sporting
DON’T
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•100’s of Completely Equipped Fishing Boats
•Bass, Striper, Redfish, Specks
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TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SHOOTING SAFETY
•Saltwater experts from the
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Freshwater guides from East
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March 1 - Show
March
5, 2006
hours:
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George R. Brown Convention Center "A"
1001 Avenida de las Americas • Downtown Houston
“I don’t think they understand it
is a seven-day-a-week, 365-day-ayear operation,” Dugger said. “You
can’t just drive off and leave them.
Anytime you have deer in a pen, you
are going to have diseases.”
Looking at it from the surface, the
price that some deer have brought
may inspire newcomers to the business. However, when you consider
the food bills—Malouf said his feed
bill alone runs around $2,500 per
month— and time required for taking care of the animals, the profit
margin begins to shrink.
Producing genetically-superior
deer in a breeding program requires
good basic stock followed by good
nutrition and selective breeding.
arms in cases when traveling to and from
shooting areas. Take bolts out or break
down shotguns if necessary. Know how
your equipment operates. Store and
transport firearms and ammunition
separately and under lock and key. Store
firearms and bows in cool, dry places. Use
gun or trigger locks and guards when not
in use.
5. Handle the firearms,
arrows and ammunition
carefully.
Avoid horseplay with firearms. Never climb
a fence, a tree or a ladder with a loaded
firearm or bow and arrows. Never jump a
ditch or cross difficult terrain with a
loaded firearm or nocked arrow. Never
face or look down the barrel from the
muzzle end. Be sure the only ammunition
you carry correctly matches the gauge or
caliber you are shooting. Always carry
arrows in a protected cover or quiver.
Learn the proper carries. Try to use the
two-hand carry whenever possible because
it affords you the best muzzle control.
Always carry handguns with hammers over
an empty chamber or cylinder. If you fall,
be sure to disassemble the gun and check
the barrel from the breech end for
obstructions. Carry a field cleaning kit.
6. Know your safe zoneof-fire and stick to it.
Your safe zone-of-fire is that area or
direction in which you can safely fire a
shot. It is “down range” at a shooting
facility. In the field it is that mental image
you draw in your mind with every step you
take. Be sure you know where your
companions are at all times. Never swing
your gun or bow out of your safe zone-offire. Know the safe carries when there are
persons to your sides, in front of, or
behind you. If in doubt, never take a shot.
When hunting, wear daylight fluorescent
orange so you can be seen from a distance
or in heavy cover.
7. Control your emotions
when it comes to safety.
If you lose control of your emotions you
may do something carelessly. If you have
just shot a target or animal you probably
will be excited. At that moment you may
Malouf started his medium-sized
breeding operation by purchasing
Kansas white-tailed deer a decade
ago. “I picked Kansas because deer
in Kansas have good body size and
antler size,” Malouf said. “They are a
good genetic strain and Kansas is
fairly close to Texas in that the climate is not as dramatic like it would
be if I brought them in from some
northern state like Michigan.”
One of Malouf’s bucks is 10 years
old and its last five sets of antlers
have measured 207 or more inches,
but he also has a 2-year-old buck
that has 20 points and scores 190
inches. “There are other breeders in
Texas with even bigger deer,”
Malouf said.
“If someone were to have told me
that five years ago I would have said
no way is a 2-year-old deer going to
score that high, but he does,”
Malouf said.
turn with a loaded firearm back towards
your friends or you might run with a
loaded firearm towards a downed animal
with the gun safety off. You or someone
else may be in danger once you lose
control of your emotions. Show discipline.
Rehearse in your mind what the safe
actions will be. Do not allow your
daydreams to replace good judgment.
Show restraint and pass up shots which
have the slightest chance of being unsafe.
8. Wear hearing and eye
protection.
While shooting at the range, you must
wear hearing and eye protection at all
times. Firearms are loud and can create
noises which are damaging to a person’s
hearing. It can be a gradual loss of hearing
due to outbursts of noise over many years.
The damage could also be immediate,
especially if your ears are next to a muzzle
blast. Vibrations from the blast are enough
to create loss of hearing. Wear glasses to
protect your eyes from escaping gases,
burnt powder (especially in blackpowder
shooting), and other debris.
9. Don’t drink alcohol or
take drugs before or
while handling firearms
or bow and arrows.
Alcohol and drugs impair normal physical
and mental body functions and mustn’t be
used before or while handling firearms or
archery equipment. These substances
affect emotions, making it easier to lose
control.
10. Be aware of
additional circumstances
which require added
caution or safety
awareness.
Just because something isn’t listed under
these “ten commandments of shooting
safety” doesn’t mean you can ignore it if
it is dangerous. There may be rules such
as in muzzleloading or archery or posted
at a shooting range which should also be
followed. Also, practice reloading safety by
following and reading all specific
instructions. Practice all the
commandments of shooting safety.
Dugger agreed. He started with 10
South Texas whitetail does and one
buck in 1989. Today there are a little
more than 300 deer in what he calls
his “feed pen operation.”
The number of deer breeders has
climbed significantly within the
past five years, creating a larger market with more options. Malouf said
there were only about 100 deer
breeders 15 years ago, but now there
are close to 1,000. DNA is being
used by credible deer breeders to
ensure offspring can be matched
back to the buck that helped produce them.
“You have to keep working on
genes,” Malouf said. “It takes a lot of
time to get that quality of deer to get
that much money. You have to be
intense and you have to be honest.”
— Bob Hood is an outdoor writer
for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
FISHING
Hook a snook on Texas coast
Fishing fares well down
the Laguna Madre
By Danno Wise
E
ach year, thousands of Texas
anglers spend countless
hours fishing for one of the
most popular saltwater
game fish available on the Gulf
coast — snook.
‘When they are on
the flats, you can
sight-cast to them.
It’s a lot more of a
visual strike — that’s
how snook fishing is
supposed to be.’
— CAPT. STEVE “JR” ELLIS
By and large, these anglers spend
their time plying the waters around
the Florida peninsula, rather than
those of their home state. The primary reason for this oversight is few
folks outside of South Texas realize
the Lower Laguna Madre is home to
the nation’s only sustainable population of snook outside of Florida.
And, that population — and, thus,
the quality of fishing — is increasing
every year.
“We’ve been having an incredible
year for snook,” said Capt. Herbert
Bode of South Padre Island. “I’ve
had several trips this winter when
we’ve ended up with 10 or 12 snook
up the channel.”
The channel Bode refers to is the
Brownsville Ship Channel, which
runs about 24 miles from the open
Gulf to the Port of Brownsville.
“During the winter, we go up the
ship channel quite a bit,” said Capt.
Eddie Curry of Laguna Vista.
“When we’re up there, we usually
look for snook on the channel edges
and bars on the south side of the
channel. Although we use a lot of
DOA Shrimp and jigs and stuff like
that, we can get a really good topwater bite — especially if the current is
flowing.”
Although winter tends to find
linesiders stacked up in the ship
channel, it is possible to target
snook all year long in the Lower
Laguna Madre area.
“Come summer, we look for
snook in the pass and around the
jetties,” said long-time Port Isabel
guide Capt. Steve “JR” Ellis. “When
they’re hanging around the jetties,
they’re usually pretty deep. But,
early in the morning they will
sometimes hit on top. Either way,
they stick tight to the rocks, so you
have to cast into some pretty nasty
spots.”
Because of their propensity to
hang around “nasty spots,” as well
as their razor-sharp gill plates,
snook are able to make short work
out of most monofilament. Anglers
are advised to use a 35- to 50-pound
shock leader when targeting snook.
Although a heavy shock leader is
necessary, heavy equipment isn’t
necessarily a must. A medium or
medium-heavy casting or spinning
rod, paired with a reel equipped
with a good drag and 150 yards of
12-pound test will suffice. For fly
HOMESTYLE FISHING: Some Texas anglers head to the Florida peninsula to catch snook. Many fishermen may not be aware there
are snook along the lower Texas Gulf.
rodders, 9- or 10-weight rods and
intermediate lines are the best bet.
“Although most people think
about fishing for our snook during
summer or winter — when they’re
stacked up around deepwater structure — I like fishing for them in the
spring and fall when they move
around on the flats,” Ellis said. “We
have a lot of snook that get into
South Bay. We also see a lot of them
on the flats in the southern portion
of the Laguna Madre. When they
are on the flats, you can sight-cast to
them. It’s a lot more of a visual strike
— that’s how snook fishing is supposed to be.”
Danno Wise is an outdoor writer, artist
and fishing guide who lives in Port
Isabel with his wife and two children.
The golden rule of
saltwater fishing in winter
FOLLOW THE BAIT
By Brian Holden
SHALLOW RED: Dan Holden prepares to release a 26-inch fish along the
shores of Redfish Bay.
In the colder months of winter, it
is easy for anglers to look to the
steep drop-offs and mud holes as
their first and last fish-holding
structures.
But you may find yourself wading
out deeper than the fish while they
are in a feeding frenzy between you
and the shoreline. So keep an eye
out for signs that it’s time to shallow up.
“Look for the baitfish moving
into the shallows,” suggests Bill
Smith of Third Coast Charters in
Rockport. “Often you will see a
progression of the bait moving shallower as the day goes on. Be sure to
follow them up, because that is
what the fish are doing.”
Even if you have been having
good luck most of the day in the
chest-deep waters off the drop, start
looking for the signs if the fishing
slows down — that means the fish
may have moved and left you
behind.
And on winter days with lots of
sunshine the fish are even more
likely to move into shallow water.
“On a sunny winter afternoon,
the shallow water can be as much as
five degrees warmer than the deep
stuff,” advises Capt. Mark Williams.
“Take advantage of it before the sun
drops and the water cools.”
The temperature of the shallow
areas is just as fast to cool off as it is
to heat up, so make sure your chosen fishing spot has easy access to
deeper water with more stable temperatures. This is where the fish will
retreat with the setting sun. Guts of
deeper water that run parallel to the
shorelines, especially those with
dark, muddy bottoms, are a prime
place to target winter fish. They can
move into warming waters and
leave cooling waters with minimal
effort, giving them maximum comfort and accessibility to food.
Choose a shoreline or structure
that appeals to the fish, not the
fisherman. Protected shorelines and
green water look great, but the fish
want no part of them in the winter.
“Get on the windward shoreSee BAIT, Page 11
White bass, smallmouth kick off new record category
Killeen children’s pastor Bob
Maindelle was jigging for white bass
under a flock of seagulls and terns at
Stillhouse Hollow Lake when he stuck
the fish that would become the first
state record in the new “length-only”
catch-and-release category.
The 15.06-inch sand bass falls short
of the current lake record, a 17.625-
inch fish that Maindelle caught in
January 2005.
“It was kind of a dreary, gray morning, and it happened to be one of
those right-place-at-the-right-time
things,” Maindelle said.
Maindelle logs every fish he catches — between 8,500 and 11,500 each
year since the early 1990s — and
white bass make up the majority of
those fish. He said he keeps perhaps a
dozen to eat each year.
“White bass are sporty on light
gear,” he said. “You have to be excellent on electronics to do well, and
because they’re a deep-water fish, you
get away from the shore-slapping
crowd. They’re an easy fish to put kids
onto and catch.”
Maindelle said he knew about the
new catch-and-release state record
category — he holds the current state
record for the diminutive log perch,
and water body records for white bass
on Lakes Belton and Waco, in addition to Stillhouse Hollow — and said
the new category was overdue.
“It’s been kind of a shame that in
order to get a record qualified, you
had to keep the fish and kill it,” he
said. “This is a great option, very conservation-minded.”
Just three days after Maindelle’s
catch, an Oklahoma resident who
also habitually releases his fish caught
See CATEGORY, Page 11
Black drum are on the run
By John D. White
DRUM FUN: Guide Brian Holden helps Sheila Barley handle and weigh a black drum she caught in the Corpus
Christi ship Channel. Photo by David J. Sams.
Winter is the time of year when many
anglers clean their gear, store the boat and
head to the couch for a little late season
football and basketball action. But for
diehards who are willing to brave the
chilly and unpredictable Texas weather,
it’s the season to dust off the heavy rods
and oil up the drag because February kicks
off the annual “drum run”— black drum,
that is — the big shouldered, whiskered
cousin of the redfish and speckled trout.
Near the beginning of February, regular
reports of “bull” drum commonly weighing 30 pounds or more begin appearing
from jetties, piers and beaches as large
schools of these over-sized fish left the
open waters of the Gulf to spawn near
coastal passes.
Martin Medford of Captain Marty’s
Guide Service in Port O’Connor said the
fish this year are running 20 to 60
pounds.
“On calm days, you can hear them
drumming through the bottom of the
boat,” Medford said. “The fish are here
now. The key to catching them has been
good weather. The bigger fish are holding
on deep sandy flats between the jetties
and Bird Island, but the water stacks up
on that shoreline under a north wind.”
Virgil Connor with Fin & Feather
Marine and RV Park in Aransas Pass
reports that he has seen good numbers of
drum on that part of the coast since late
December, averaging from 36 to 45
pounds with most of the fish coming
from the jetties and around the Navy
docks. Connor expects that drum fishing
around Port Aransas will remain good
through February, but the numbers of
large bulls should begin to drop off as the
water warms up.
In Galveston, Latissa Hix at the Gulf
Coast Fishing Pier said beachfront anglers
are catching drum in the 35-pound range
on calm mornings using blue crab, squid
and peeled shrimp. She expects to see
more large fish caught once weather conditions improve.
Under current state regulations, anglers
can only retain black drum between 14
and 30 inches in length, making this
annual tradition largely a catch-andrelease event. However, Texas Parks and
Wildlife proposals for 2006, if approved,
would allow anglers to retain a single
See DRUM, Page 11
Game
warden
sting nets
fish buyers
Texas game wardens have concluded a
four-month undercover probe by issuing
citations to wholesale and retail fish markets and restaurants in North Texas that
have been illegally buying game fish.
Fish poachers have been catching freshwater game fish such as smallmouth,
striped, and white bass, blue, channel, and
flathead catfish, crappie and trout and illegally selling them to dealers. Wild-caught
fish of these species are protected by law
from commercial harvest and sale, but
farm-raised fish of some of these species
can be sold.
The operation started after complaints
from some law-abiding retail fish dealers
who reported violations by illegal dealers.
The investigation took place at various
locations in North Texas where most of the
illegal transactions were videotaped to positively identify game fish buyers.
“We should point out that several businesses that were contacted by our undercover operatives refused to buy game fish
because they knew it was illegal and
advised undercover agents not to come
back to their establishment,” said Col. Pete
Flores, Texas Parks and Wildlife law
enforcement director. “So, many people in
this industry do abide by the law, and we
appreciate that fact. But illegal activity will
not be tolerated.”
Flores said undercover operations are a
tool that Texas game wardens use to apprehend those who engage in illegal commerce involving natural resources.
“These operations serve to protect Texas
fisheries for lawful recreational and commercial fishing activities on our coastal
waters and inland waters,” Flores said.
The investigation documented that
more than 30 businesses and restaurants
that purchased more than 750 pounds of
fish illegally. Violators are being charged
with illegal purchase of protected finfish, a
Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine
of up to $500 for each charge.
If all individual violations were filed, the
fines would exceed $175,000 plus restitution for each fish in some cases. Cases are
being prosecuted through various justice of
the peace courts in North Texas, the majority of them in Tarrant County.
All such businesses statewide are
required to have appropriate licenses and
paperwork for the sale and purchase of
aquatic products, subject to inspection.
—A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
Lakes
exposure.”
BASS, which sponsors the
women’s tour, had to move three
tournaments total from Toledo
Bend. The two ESPN Outdoors
Bassmaster Series tournaments in
the Lone Star Division will move
to Sam Rayburn Reservoir in
Jasper.
The first tournament will take
place as scheduled on March 5.
The second tournament, scheduled for May 7, was pushed back to
Aug. 13.
“Sam Rayburn is a place that
we’ve visited more than any other
fishery in past,” said a BASS
spokesman. “It’s a nice fallback
option because we have a lot of
good relationships in that area.”
The Wal-Mart Bass Fishing
League also is switching a Cowboy
Division tournament, set for
March 4, from Toledo Bend to
Sam Rayburn.
Organizer FLW Outdoors, like
BASS, felt that low-water conditions at Toledo Bend posed a risk
to competitors.
“Actually, we got a lot of feedback from our anglers,” said Dave
Washburn, vice president of communications. “We also have host
representatives on-site. It’s not
something we take lightly. The
safety of our competitors is always
a concern. We also want to make
sure anglers get the quality tournament they expect.”
FLW is also moving a Stren
tournament, set for March 22-25,
to Sam Rayburn, Washburn said.
The first big fishing tournament
at Toledo Bend was scheduled for
the weekend of Feb. 18 — a Bass
Champs East Region event. It, too,
will be shuffled to Sam Rayburn.
“If you put 300 boats out there
now, you’d be asking for it,” said
Bass Champs President Chad
Potts.
The pull-outs have Toledo Bend
locals reeling. Particularly upsetting to Stacey Vandrovec, who
with her husband, Bob, owns
Huxley Bay Marina, was the cancellation of the Women’s
Bassmaster tournament.
“It was going to do great things
for our county — 400 rooms at
$50 a night, I mean that’s a chunk
of money,” Vandrovec said.
She said the move upset many
of the women anglers.
“Some called here crying,”
Vandrovec said. “We had half-adozen women up here prefishing
and hiring guides. I had no idea
they were that serious about it.”
Ironically, fishing at Toledo
Bend
has
been
excellent,
Vandrovec said.
“It’s been one of the best years
we’ve ever had,” she said. “On Jan.
18, we had two bass over 10
pounds weighed in at the marina
on one afternoon. Two days later,
we had a report of a 13-pounder
caught. It’s the best crappie year
probably since the lake opened.
The fish are really concentrated,
plus, heck, it’s a lot easier to see the
stumps.”
The continued drought plaguing
Texas
has
Women’s
Bassmaster Tour officials keeping
a close eye on another tournament — the one scheduled for
Lewisville Lake on May 18-20.
“The lake is down 4 to 6 feet, but
it hasn’t created any unsafe water
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Trout
sive lineup of speckled trout
assembled in modern history.
During this cold and drizzly day
on Baffin Bay, Wallace, Ed
Stedman of Beaumont and Ronnie
Sellers of Houston, reportedly
caught an 11-pound, 10-ounce
trout, a 11-4, a 10-12, a 10-5, a 10even, a 9-13, a 9-10, a 9-3, a 9-2,
two 8-13s and finally a 13-pound,
11-ounce fish that became the
record holder back then.
Webb was within sight of the
trio on that same February day
enjoying similar success, but fell
short of the record.
He caught his personal best
trout, a 12-pounder. Webb said he
expected good things would happen that day leading up to a full
moon. Webb records and recalls
observations like a scientist
inscribes data. Few would dispute
his anecdotal conclusions as they
marvel at his results.
Is there a shortcut to such
painstaking insight? Probably not.
Generally, Webb said that fishing steadily improves on the full
moon in winter months, especially when clouds obscure the nighttime moonshine. Despite scant
baitfish this time of year, a 30-inch
fish weighs a pound or so more in
February, compared with a fish of
identical length in summer,
Drum
black drum longer than the existing state record. The purpose of
the proposal is to allow anglers to
challenge the state record, currently holding at 81 pounds, without
retaining any other black drum
according to taxidermist John
Glenn.
Webb believes as most of us do
that trout retreat to the center
deeper waters of Baffin Bay when
bay temperatures are coolest.
When winter days are sunny and
calm, waters warm in nearby dark,
soft-bottomed flats. Webb calls
these mud platters. Typically a
February northeast wind periodically causes warmth to spill from
the platter at Cathead into the
deeper center, inviting baitfish
and big trout onto the flats of
Cathead or the nearby Badlands.
Webb’s tactics should be just as
successful during the next full
moon cycle in March.
Webb believes these trout use
predictable routes. He calls them
trenches, which reach into the
flats. These are ideal structure for
hiding the black back of a big
trout looking to ambush a hapless
mullet. Webb will stake out a
trench for hours, often motionlessly waiting for a mullet to flip.
He wouldn’t go to these lengths
unless the dividends were impressive.
But these days with brown tide
lingering in Baffin Bay, the King
Ranch shoreline of Upper Laguna
Madre has become Webb’s go-to
spot for big trout. The same principles apply to some of the soft-bottom sections of this nondescript
shoreline, which features depth
changes, sand, seagrass and Baffinlike rocks.
In any big-trout waters, the
most favorable time for the fullmoon pattern begins three to five
days before the moon shines
brightest. During the full moon
itself, this pattern could continue,
but only if nights are cloudy.
Otherwise, fish feed during the
moonlit evenings. The second best period begins two days prior
to a new moon, Webb said.
Tidal movement is the primary
reason these moon phases are
best, he said. And it works to some
degree year round. During winter,
however, when these times combine with fat trout, scant baitfish,
light winds, cool nights and sunny
days, watch out.
During a falling tide, Webb finds
a spot where water is falling off a
flat into deeper water. The drop-off
would be your ambush point.
During a rising tide, big trout ease
into the shallowest water possible.
That’s when Webb wades slowly
on his knees to catch them.
Not many anglers would do
that. But again, it’s difficult to
argue with success.
above the maximum size limit.
According to Britt Bumguardner,
marine science team leader for
Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Perry R.
Bass Marine Fisheries Research
Center near Palacios, anglers
should use size-appropriate tackle
to land these over-sized fish in a
reasonable amount of time.
“These large brood fish” he
explained, “are susceptible to a
dangerous build-up of lactic acid if
fought too long. This can over
stress the fish and decrease the
chance of survival when released.”
Anglers can also improve the
survivability and improve the
chances of landing one of these
bruisers by adding circle hooks to
their inventory of tackle. Vin
Sparano, board advisor to the nonprofit Catch and Release
Foundation, said it’s ironic that
the circle hook, developed for
commercial longline fishermen
because of its deadly hooking ability, would also become one the of
the most innovative and effective
catch-and-release devices to come
along in decades.
“Circle hooks will invariably
hook fish in the corner of the
mouth, making it much easier to
release a fish with minimal handling and unharmed.”
If you want to participate in this
year’s drum run, you still have a
few weeks. Bumguardner anticipates that the run on the middle
coast should continue until midMarch.
“By the time we begin our spring
sampling, it’s usually over,” he
said.
Bait
line,” insists Williams, “the water will be dirtier
there and the bait will be thicker.”
Dirtier water means more particles of suspended sand and silt, which helps it warm
faster. The light rays from the sun hit these particles and turn into heat energy, warming the
surrounding water. The presence of more bait
makes sense since they will take the path of
least resistance, and that often means blowing
with the wind. A fish’s metabolism is slowed
dramatically in the winter, so it does not want
to waste precious energy fighting wind and
current. Predators know this, and will wait
downwind for the bait to come to them, therefore applying the same energy conservation
principles.
Now that you have the fish located, it is time
to catch them. Shallow water presents some
challenges for lure presentation. The water
Category
the second length-only record: a 22.75-inch
smallmouth bass from Lake Texoma.
Jay Fuller, of Kingston, Okla., put the fish in
his live well and went on the hunt for certified
scales. An Oklahoma biologist put him in touch
with Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist
Bruce Hysmith in Sherman. Hysmith measured
and weighed the fish before Fuller released it
back into Texas waters.
The 7.06-pound smallie ties for number 10 on
the Texas Top 50 list for the species, and breaks a
nearly 10-year-old Lake Texoma water body
record.
“I pretty much fish exclusively for smallmouth here on Texoma,” Fuller said. “It’s great
— seems like it’s getting better all the time. This
month and next month are really good months
for your big fish. Numbers-wise, April and May
are good months.”
Fuller caught the record fish on a jig in about
20 feet of water along the Eisenhower State Park
shoreline.
“There are some good spots on the Oklahoma
side, but I prefer the Texas water — it’s a lot clearer and rockier,” he said.
Fuller said he rarely keeps smallmouth bass;
he has one on his wall that swallowed a
crankbait.
TROUT TASK: Anglers are always in search of big speckled trout.
may be too cold for topwaters, and there is not
enough water for the up-and-down motion
needed to make a sand eel appealing.
Swimming baits such as the Norton Bull
Minnow or the Hogie Shad are great choices
for aggressive fish as they swim well in shallow
water and cause a lot of vibration. However,
these soft plastics need to be reeled quickly to
vibrate, and a lethargic winter fish may not
want to chase something that fast.
If so, try a curl-tailed grub like the CT Mullet
or the Berkley Power Grub. They maximize
motion and vibration with minimal forward
movement, so they are very effective when
retrieved at slow or moderate speeds. Twitch
baits like the Catch 2000 or the Corky Fat Boy
work well for a slow retrieve in water where the
visibility is good, but stick with the vibrating
soft plastics in water with poor visibility.
David Sikes writes about the outdoors
for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Official reel of the
Royal Swedish Court.
And Ed’s Bait Shop.
Brian Holden is a fishing guide and general manager of Redfish Lodge.
“I really encourage catch and release on smallmouth,” he said. “They’re a rare fish in this area
and we’re just lucky to have them.”
TPW Angler Recognition Program coordinator Joedy Gray agreed.
“I don’t get a lot of them. Each year, I get
maybe two,” Gray said. “That’s a nice fish. That’s
a nice smallmouth.”
TPW launched the length-only record category Jan. 1 for two reasons, Gray said: to promote
catch-and-release fishing, and to offer anglers
who were having difficulty finding certified
scales an opportunity to be recognized for trophy catches.
Only the 16 freshwater and 18 saltwater
species currently listed as eligible for “Big Fish”
awards are eligible for catch-and-release state
records.
Fish that also are weighed on scales certified
not later than 30 days after the catch, but
released alive, may also be submitted for the traditional state record “weight” category.
Applications for either category must be submitted within 60 days of the catch.
“As soon as the word gets out, I expect to see
some more applications,” Gray said. “I know a
lot of kayakers are looking at it.”
For more information on the catch-andrelease record category and eligible species, go
to: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/
programs/fishrecords/rulescr.phtml.
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
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Ranch
Factors surrounding the accident
While Cheney’s public explanation came
late, it appeared to satisfy many of his critics.
Cheney placed blame for the incident squarely
on himself.
“You can’t blame anybody else,” Cheney said
during his interview. “I’m the guy who pulled
the trigger and shot my friend. And I say that is
something I’ll never forget.”
Cheney said that Whittington, dressed in
orange hunting gear and wearing protective
glasses, had been standing in a slight gully with
the setting sun directly behind him. “That
affected the vision, too, I’m sure,” Cheney said.
After Whittington fell from the shot, Cheney
rushed over and found him on his back, conscious but bleeding and stunned, with one eye
open.
“I said, ‘Harry, I had no idea you were there,’”
Cheney recalled. “He didn’t respond. The image
of him falling is something I’ll never be able to
get out of my mind. I fired, and there’s Harry
falling.”
Experts said it’s hard to blame one element
for the accident. The following circumstances
were at play according to witnesses and authorities:
•Cheney said he didn’t know his hunting
buddy was nearby
•Cheney shot into the sun
•Whittington didn’t announce his rejoining
the group
TPW accident records for 2005 show that covering a victim with a shotgun while swinging
on game was the No. 1 cause of hunting accidents where hunter judgment was concerned.
In the details of a quail hunting mishap similar to Cheney’s, a Hall County victim in January
2005 was accidentally shot by a 45-year-old
man.
The victim was in the line of fire when the
shooter swung his shotgun outside of his safe
zone of fire. The shooter was in a ravine, and the
victim was above him outside of the ravine.
Pellets struck the victim in the upper arm and
neck.
How could such accidents
be prevented?
According to TPW, hunters can avoid accidents by always pointing the muzzle in a safe
direction; always staying within a safe zone of
fire; communicating with hunting companions; knowing where others are positioned at all
times; wearing blaze orange to be seen; and
attending a hunter education course.
TPW’s hunting education program manager,
Terry Erwin, pointed out that each party at the
Armstrong Ranch had a responsibility that day.
“It’s the shooter’s responsibility to control his
firearm; it’s his companion’s responsibility to let
him know where he’s at,” Erwin said.
Even if both parties were wearing blaze
orange, “when you’re looking into the sun that
can be difficult to see,” Erwin added.
Luther Young, a longtime quail outfitter in
South Texas, split the blame between Cheney
and Whittington, adding he felt the guide in
AFTERMATH: Harry Whittington, left, speaks with reporters after being discharged from the hospital. Photo by Paul Iverson/AP. Vice President Dick Cheney talks
with Brit Hume of Fox News about the accidental shooting. Photo by David Bohrer/White House.
charge of the hunt could have done more.
“The bottom line is this guy should have
announced himself. Whoever the guide was
should have done the same thing (announced
that Whittington was returning to the line),
and Cheney should have watched his shot,”
Young said.
Michael Andrew Hubert, who was listed in
the sheriff’s report as a hunting guide during
the hunt, did not wish to comment when contacted by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Young said he gives a safety talk to his clients
and doesn’t let hunters drink. He’s lost customers over his rules, but, the way Young sees it,
he’s not going to risk getting shot — he’s got a
family to support.
As for Armstrong, she said Whittington was
in tall grass and thick brush, which made it difficult for Cheney to see him, although both of
them were wearing blaze orange safety vests.
“Typically when you are coming back to a
line, you would say, ‘I’m coming up,’ or whatever,” she told The Associated Press. “It was completely unbeknownst to the vice president or
the other shooter that Mr. Whittington was
coming back up.”
In a phone interview, Armstrong elaborated
that Whittington was about to step back into
the hunting line at the time of the shooting.
The hunting line is meant to protect hunters
because it puts everyone abreast of each other.
“If Pamela Willeford was in one spot, and the
vice president another, the place Harry
Whittington would have been was in almost the
exact same line,” Armstrong said. “He was coming up on the line, about to step into the line.”
Whittington’s wounds, which were severe
enough to land him in intensive care and cause
a minor heart attack when a pellet made it to
his heart, were another question.
Appearing on the MSNBC program
“Scarborough Country,” Republican pundit
Tucker Carlson questioned the veracity of the
reported 30 yards between Cheney and
Whittington.
“As someone who fires a 28-gauge shotgun a
lot — 30 yards?” Carlson asked. “I don’t think
that’s believable. You’re not going to wind up
with dozens or scores of pellets in you if you’re
wearing protective clothing at 30 yards. Maybe
30 feet, but not 30 yards.”
When questioned about the distance,
Armstrong said: “Oh, gosh, I didn’t have a tape
measure. You go with your best honest judgment. It seemed like 30 yards. The pattern of
the shot, from the ridge of his eyebrow to somewhere in the vicinity of his waist, makes me
think it isn’t that far off, maybe 5 yards or so.
Everyone who saw it seems to be comfortable
with that distance.”
Richard Ernest, a forensic firearm examiner
and ballistics expert in Fort Worth, said there
would have been 350 pellets in an ounce of 7
1/2 birdshot and 263 pellets in 3/4 of an ounce,
which are popular shot shells. The kind of
choke and type of shot could change the outcome somewhat, but Ernest put the spread of
the pellets at about 40 inches when they
reached 30 yards. He didn’t think the pellets
would have sufficient force to cause the kind of
wounds suffered, which included a pellet
lodged near Whittington’s heart.
Ernest said it puzzled him that Whittington
was in intensive care if he had only been peppered with birdshot. “I thought either it was his
age, or he might have been a whole lot closer.”
Others, though, such as firearms training
consultant Emanuel Kapelsohn, president of
Peregrine Corp. in Pennsylvania, said those
kinds of injuries are possible at 30 yards.
“I have no reason to doubt it’s 30 yards,” he
said.
The smoking gun?
What sustained the story’s life in the media
was the issue of alcohol and how the investigation was handled.
Drinking and hunting don’t mix — that’s
what TPW officials, guides and Armstrong, a
former commissioner of TPW, say.
Cheney admitted to having a beer at a barbecue lunch that day. He didn’t say whether other
hunters in his party drank alcohol. Hunting
resumed at 3 p.m., he said.
Cheney’s disclosure raised questions about
why investigators waited until 8 a.m. Sunday to
interview Cheney, and why they didn’t ask
him about his alcohol consumption that day.
Chief Deputy Gilbert San Miguel, who interviewed the witnesses, said they felt confident
that statements from witnesses, including
Whittington, satisfied that question.
“Mr. Whittington did speak of the incident
and explained foremost there was no alcohol
during the hunt, and everyone was wearing the
proper hunting attire of blaze orange,” the sheriff’s report said.
At first, Armstrong told the Caller-Times no
one had anything to drink: “No, zero, zippo.”
In an interview with Lone Star Outdoor News,
Armstrong explained: “I didn’t even see him
(Cheney) have a beer. I probably would have
been better off saying, ‘I didn’t notice him having a beer.’”
Asked specifically if any of the hunters drank
after lunch, Armstrong said, “Absolutely not.
We don’t carry around bars. I know some people do. We don’t.”
Armstrong said coolers of drinks were loaded
up in the morning. By far most of what was
inside was water or soft drinks, she said.
“Not everyone shoots,” she said. “If an
onlooker is not shooting — and I’m not talking
this particular day -— and is just an observer,
I’m not going to prevent him from having a
beer. But there’s no hard liquor, no wine. I’m
telling you right now, we don’t mingle hunting
and drinking.”
What could have been
done differently?
TPW’s Erwin said if one valuable lesson was
learned it was that everyone needed to stay in
the hunting line.
“If someone falls out of line, everyone should
wait until they catch up,” he said.
Armstrong, too, learned something from the
accident.
“Based on what happened, I believe everyone
was following proper protocol,” she said. “But
my desire is for everyone, especially for those in
our hunting community, to take this opportunity to tighten up their safety procedures.”
“For my part, I will make a special effort
going forward to always know where my companions are while hunting and, equally as
important, for my companions to know where
I am,” she said.
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gun, according to official reports. The sheriff’s
report put the incident at about 5:30 p.m. Later,
the U.S. Secret Service placed the time at 5:50
p.m.
Whittington had been standing in a low spot,
Cheney said during his only interview, which
occurred Feb. 15 on Fox News. The shotgun
blast resulted in perhaps as many as 200 pellets
hitting the right side of Whittington’s face,
neck and chest, according to his doctors.
The hunting incident didn’t become public
until Sunday afternoon, the day after the shooting, when the Corpus Christi Caller-Times
printed the story online. The incident, and
Cheney’s lack of comment for four days, served
as fodder for those who felt Cheney was hiding
something.
The national media descended upon the
story with a vengeance — after Cheney slighted
the titans of the news world by withholding the
story. Instead, he had agreed to let Katharine
Armstrong, a stalwart Republican and co-owner
of the ranch, report the shooting locally to a
reporter she trusted.
Part of their reasoning was that the CallerTimes was in an area where hunting is a part of
the landscape, Cheney said during his interview. Sure enough, the national media went on
to incorrectly report that Cheney shot his attorney acquaintance with buckshot.
Armstrong said that even after she described
how bird shot came out of a shotgun, one
reporter from the New York Times asked her:
“I’m still confused. Where is the bullet in this?”
As the story trickled out the week of Feb. 12,
new details emerged that left a question mark
hanging over the entire affair.
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Cyclone offers on-demand
weather intelligence
centered within 20 miles
of user's location
delivered through GPSenabled mobile phones.
Available information
includes color radar,
virtual real-time
storm and lightning
tracking, hour-byhour and extended
forecasts, plus more. MyCast also delivers localized
alerts by paging the user's
phone when severe weather
threatens. The service costs
about $3 to $4 per month
for subscribers, depending on
chosen carriers, which
include Cingular,
Sprint/Nextel, Verizon, Alltel,
Southern LINC and Midwest
Wireless. For more information,
visit www.my-cast.com or call
(952) 974-3300.
EXTREME BAIT:
Rapala's X-Rap
series, which
won best in
show in the
hard lure
category at the 2005 ICAST show, is designed for
aggressive fishing. Mimicking the size and shape of a
minnow, it features prominent scales, darting action, a
translucent body and a holographic foil applied to the
interior for flash. Available at 3 1/8 inches (X-Rap 08)
and 4 inches (X-Rap 10) long, the lures come in various
hues. They cost about $6.50. For more information,
visit www.rapala.com.
SOCK 'EM: LaCrosse Footwear,
Inc. has introduced a new
line of socks that
incorporate technical design
features and highperformance materials for
the outdoorsman and
workingman. Hunters might
want to check out the
Alphaburly Hunting Sock
($10), the Brawny Hunting
Sock ($10; pictured) and
the Super Tuff Wading Sock ($15).
The socks offer such features as
arch-and-ankle support, extra
cushion in the heel and toe,
and anti-microbials in the
fabric for odor control. The
wading sock also has
Thermolite on the
bottom of the sock
for warmth. For
dealers, visit www.
lacrosse footwear.com or call (800) 323-2668.
HUNTER'S
EDGE: Buck
Knives has
unveiled its Omni Hunter
series. The line features 12 models
available as fixed blades or folding lock blades.
Lengths available are 3 or 4 inches. Overall
lengths for the fixed-blade knives range from
7 1/2 to 9 3/4 inches long; the folding knives
measure from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches folded.
The knives have thermoplastic handles with
rubber overgrips and are available in black or
deep green with camouflage. They cost from
about $38 to $64. Shown are a 7 5/8-inch-long
folding lockblade ($50) with a 3-inch droppoint blade and a 9 3/4-inch-long fixed blade
($52) with a 4-inch inset gutting/skinning
blade. For more information, call (800) 3262825 or visit www.buckknives.com.
HEROES
ZELMA HALEY, 83, took down this 10-point, 22-inch spread buck. She
is a resident of Douglassville.
MIKAELA SWEET, 5, holds a bass — estimated by her dad
at 6 pounds — she caught at a friend’s stock tank in
Pleasanton.
Share an adventure
Want to share your great hunting or fishing adventure with the Lone Star Outdoor News family?
E-mail your photo, phone and caption information to editor@lonestaroutdoornews. com, or mail to: Heroes, Lone
Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX, 75243.
DUSTIN HAWKINS, 16, of Denison shows off his first buck. The deer was
taken at first shot with one arrow. This was Dustin's first deer hunt with his
dad, MICHAEL HAWKINS. The buck was taken in Grayson County.
Photo by David Campbell/TPWD
HARRY DURHAM caught this bass at Lake Conroe Feb. 5. The fish
weighed 14.8 pounds and was 25 inches long and 22.75 inches
around. Durham was fishing in 12 feet of water using a crankbait.
PRISCILLA RIVERA, 13, of Mesquite shows a six-point
buck she bagged at Fort McKavett during her first hunt. She
was hunting with her father, ROBERT RIVERA.
DAVID STEPHENS of Grand Saline caught this striped bass at Beaver
Lake, Ark. It was caught on stump jumpers in 100 feet of
water. Water temperature was 42 degrees and air temperature was 26.
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WEATHER
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Last
Feb 21
For up-to-the-minute weather forecasts, please visit www.accuweather.com
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2006
SOLUNAR TABLE
New
Feb 27
First
Mar 6
Full
Mar 14
TIDES
High
Sabine Pass
2/22
1:43 p.m.
2/23
2:21 p.m.
2/24
2:50 p.m.
2/25
3:11 p.m.
2/26
3:29 p.m.
2/27
12:30 a.m.
2/28
1:54 a.m.
3/1
3:19 a.m.
3/2
4:46 a.m.
3/3
6:18 a.m.
3/4
7:59 a.m.
3/5
9:50 a.m.
3/6
11:44 a.m.
3/7
1:08 p.m.
3/8
2:08 p.m.
3/9
2:53 p.m.
3/10
3:18 p.m.
3/11
3:20 p.m.
3/12
3:15 p.m.
3/13
12:50 a.m.
3/14
1:49 a.m.
Port Bolivar
2/22
3:58 p.m.
2/23
4:36 p.m.
2/24
5:05 p.m.
2/25
5:26 p.m.
2/26
1:13 a.m.
2/27
2:45 a.m.
2/28
4:09 a.m.
3/1
5:34 a.m.
3/2
7:01 a.m.
3/3
8:33 a.m.
3/4
10:14 a.m.
3/5
12:05 p.m.
3/6
1:59 p.m.
3/7
3:23 p.m.
3/8
4:23 p.m.
3/9
5:08 p.m.
3/10
5:33 p.m.
3/11
12:51 a.m.
3/12
2:03 a.m.
3/13
3:05 a.m.
3/14
4:04 a.m.
San Luis Pass
2/22
2:52 p.m.
2/23
3:30 p.m.
2/24
3:59 p.m.
2/25
4:20 p.m.
2/26
12:07 a.m.
2/27
1:39 a.m.
2/28
3:03 a.m.
3/1
4:28 a.m.
3/2
5:55 a.m.
3/3
7:27 a.m.
3/4
9:08 a.m.
3/5
10:59 a.m.
3/6
12:53 p.m.
3/7
2:17 p.m.
3/8
3:17 p.m.
3/9
4:02 p.m.
3/10
4:27 p.m.
3/11
4:29 p.m.
3/12
12:57 a.m.
3/13
1:59 a.m.
3/14
2:58 a.m.
Low
High
Low
4:00 a.m.
5:06 a.m.
6:10 a.m.
7:10 a.m.
8:06 a.m.
8:59 a.m.
9:49 a.m.
10:40 a.m.
11:34 a.m.
12:35 p.m.
12:30 a.m.
1:31 a.m.
2:36 a.m.
3:48 a.m.
5:01 a.m.
6:09 a.m.
7:05 a.m.
7:50 a.m.
8:25 a.m.
8:54 a.m.
9:19 a.m.
——8:41 p.m.
10:58 p.m.
—3:44 p.m.
3:59 p.m.
4:14 p.m.
4:26 p.m.
4:34 p.m.
4:23 p.m.
—————10:36 p.m.
11:48 p.m.
—3:15 p.m.
3:19 p.m.
——7:05 p.m.
7:13 p.m.
7:57 p.m.
8:49 p.m.
9:43 p.m.
10:38 p.m.
11:34 p.m.
—2:13 p.m.
—————8:47 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
8:32 p.m.
8:52 p.m.
9:21 p.m.
4:47 a.m.
5:53 a.m.
6:57 a.m.
7:57 a.m.
8:53 a.m.
9:46 a.m.
10:36 a.m.
11:27 a.m.
12:21 p.m.
12:21 a.m.
1:17 a.m.
2:18 a.m.
3:23 a.m.
4:35 a.m.
5:48 a.m.
6:56 a.m.
7:52 a.m.
8:37 a.m.
9:12 a.m.
9:41 a.m.
10:06 a.m.
——10:56 p.m.
—5:44 p.m.
5:59 p.m.
6:14 p.m.
6:29 p.m.
6:41 p.m.
6:49 p.m.
6:38 p.m.
——————5:35 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
5:34 p.m.
——7:52 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
8:44 p.m.
9:36 p.m.
10:30 p.m.
11:25 p.m.
—1:22 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
—————9:34 p.m.
9:17 p.m.
9:19 p.m.
9:39 p.m.
10:08 p.m.
4:29 a.m.
5:35 a.m.
6:39 a.m.
7:39 a.m.
8:35 a.m.
9:28 a.m.
10:18 a.m.
11:09 a.m.
12:03 p.m.
12:03 a.m.
12:59 a.m.
2:00 a.m.
3:05 a.m.
4:17 a.m.
5:30 a.m.
6:38 a.m.
7:34 a.m.
8:19 a.m.
8:54 a.m.
9:23 a.m.
9:48 a.m.
——9:50 p.m.
—4:38 p.m.
4:53 p.m.
5:08 p.m.
5:23 p.m.
5:35 p.m.
5:43 p.m.
5:32 p.m.
—————11:45 p.m.
—4:24 p.m.
4:24 p.m.
4:28 p.m.
——7:34 p.m.
7:42 p.m.
8:26 p.m.
9:18 p.m.
10:12 p.m.
11:07 p.m.
—1:04 p.m.
2:42 p.m.
—————9:16 p.m.
8:59 p.m.
9:01 p.m.
9:21 p.m.
9:50 p.m.
High
Freeport
2/22
1:44 p.m.
2/23
2:22 p.m.
2/24
2:51 p.m.
2/25
3:12 p.m.
2/26
3:30 p.m.
2/27
12:31 a.m.
2/28
1:55 a.m.
3/1
3:20 a.m.
3/2
4:47 a.m.
3/3
6:19 a.m.
3/4
8:00 a.m.
3/5
9:51 a.m.
3/6
11:45 a.m.
3/7
1:09 p.m.
3/8
2:09 p.m.
3/9
2:54 p.m.
3/10
3:19 p.m.
3/11
3:21 p.m.
3/12
3:16 p.m.
3/13
12:51 a.m.
3/14
1:50 a.m.
Pass Cavallo
2/22
3:01 p.m.
2/23
3:39 p.m.
2/24
4:08 p.m.
2/25
4:29 p.m.
2/26
12:16 a.m.
2/27
1:48 a.m.
2/28
3:12 a.m.
3/1
4:37 a.m.
3/2
6:04 a.m.
3/3
7:36 a.m.
3/4
9:17 a.m.
3/5
11:08 a.m.
3/6
1:02 p.m.
3/7
2:26 p.m.
3/8
3:26 p.m.
3/9
4:11 p.m.
3/10
4:36 p.m.
3/11
4:38 p.m.
3/12
1:06 a.m.
3/13
2:08 a.m.
3/14
3:07 a.m.
Port O’Connor
2/22
7:17 p.m.
2/23
8:13 p.m.
2/24
9:15 p.m.
2/25
10:29 p.m.
2/26
—2/27
12:28 a.m.
2/28
3:14 a.m.
3/1
5:27 a.m.
3/2
7:32 a.m.
3/3
10:06 a.m.
3/4
5:23 p.m.
3/5
5:40 p.m.
3/6
6:10 p.m.
3/7
6:46 p.m.
3/8
7:25 p.m.
3/9
8:05 p.m.
3/10
8:44 p.m.
3/11
9:19 p.m.
3/12
—3/13
2:28 a.m.
3/14
4:21 a.m.
Low
High
Low
3:30 a.m.
4:36 a.m.
5:40 a.m.
6:40 a.m.
7:36 a.m.
8:29 a.m.
9:19 a.m.
10:10 a.m.
11:04 a.m.
12:05 p.m.
12:00 a.m.
1:01 a.m.
2:06 a.m.
3:18 a.m.
4:31 a.m.
5:39 a.m.
6:35 a.m.
7:20 a.m.
7:55 a.m.
8:24 a.m.
8:49 a.m.
——8:42 p.m.
10:59 p.m.
—3:45 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
4:15 p.m.
4:27 p.m.
4:35 p.m.
4:24 p.m.
—————10:37 p.m.
11:49 p.m.
—3:16 p.m.
3:20 p.m.
——6:35 p.m.
6:43 p.m.
7:27 p.m.
8:19 p.m.
9:13 p.m.
10:08 p.m.
11:04 p.m.
—1:43 p.m.
—————8:17 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
8:02 p.m.
8:22 p.m.
8:51 p.m.
3:18 a.m.
4:24 a.m.
5:28 a.m.
6:28 a.m.
7:24 a.m.
8:17 a.m.
9:07 a.m.
9:58 a.m.
10:52 a.m.
11:53 a.m.
1:31 p.m.
12:49 a.m.
1:54 a.m.
3:06 a.m.
4:19 a.m.
5:27 a.m.
6:23 a.m.
7:08 a.m.
7:43 a.m.
8:12 a.m.
8:37 a.m.
——9:59 p.m.
—4:47 p.m.
5:02 p.m.
5:17 p.m.
5:32 p.m.
5:44 p.m.
5:52 p.m.
5:41 p.m.
—————11:54 p.m.
—4:33 p.m.
4:33 p.m.
4:37 p.m.
——6:23 p.m.
6:31 p.m.
7:15 p.m.
8:07 p.m.
9:01 p.m.
9:56 p.m.
10:52 p.m.
11:48 p.m.
——————8:05 p.m.
7:48 p.m.
7:50 p.m.
8:10 p.m.
8:39 p.m.
6:32 a.m.
7:53 a.m.
9:04 a.m.
10:05 a.m.
10:59 a.m.
11:46 a.m.
12:28 p.m.
1:03 p.m.
12:20 a.m.
1:26 a.m.
2:27 a.m.
3:29 a.m.
4:37 a.m.
5:54 a.m.
7:19 a.m.
8:40 a.m.
9:47 a.m.
10:42 a.m.
11:29 a.m.
12:10 p.m.
12:50 p.m.
——————8:34 p.m.
6:51 p.m.
5:58 p.m.
5:29 p.m.
——————————8:34 p.m.
——————10:42 p.m.
—1:24 p.m.
1:00 p.m.
——————————11:15 p.m.
High
Corpus Christi
2/22
1:52 p.m.
2/23
2:30 p.m.
2/24
2:59 p.m.
2/25
3:20 p.m.
2/26
3:38 p.m.
2/27
12:39 a.m.
2/28
2:03 a.m.
3/1
3:28 a.m.
3/2
4:55 a.m.
3/3
6:27 a.m.
3/4
8:08 a.m.
3/5
9:59 a.m.
3/6
11:53 a.m.
3/7
1:17 p.m.
3/8
2:17 p.m.
3/9
3:02 p.m.
3/10
3:27 p.m.
3/11
3:29 p.m.
3/12
3:24 p.m.
3/13
12:59 a.m.
3/14
1:58 a.m.
South Padre Island
2/22
2:07 p.m.
2/23
2:57 p.m.
2/24
3:40 p.m.
2/25
4:13 p.m.
2/26
4:30 p.m.
2/27
4:32 p.m.
2/28
1:19 a.m.
3/1
3:04 a.m.
3/2
4:45 a.m.
3/3
6:33 a.m.
3/4
8:33 a.m.
3/5
10:48 a.m.
3/6
12:35 p.m.
3/7
1:44 p.m.
3/8
2:36 p.m.
3/9
3:17 p.m.
3/10
3:45 p.m.
3/11
4:01 p.m.
3/12
4:04 p.m.
3/13
12:21 a.m.
3/14
1:36 a.m.
Port Isabel
2/22
2:51 p.m.
2/23
3:29 p.m.
2/24
3:58 p.m.
2/25
4:19 p.m.
2/26
12:06 a.m.
2/27
1:38 a.m.
2/28
3:02 a.m.
3/1
4:27 a.m.
3/2
5:54 a.m.
3/3
7:26 a.m.
3/4
9:07 a.m.
3/5
10:58 a.m.
3/6
12:52 p.m.
3/7
2:16 p.m.
3/8
3:16 p.m.
3/9
4:01 p.m.
3/10
4:26 p.m.
3/11
4:28 p.m.
3/12
12:56 a.m.
3/13
1:58 a.m.
3/14
2:57 a.m.
Low
High
Low
3:08 a.m.
4:14 a.m.
5:18 a.m.
6:18 a.m.
7:14 a.m.
8:07 a.m.
8:57 a.m.
9:48 a.m.
10:42 a.m.
11:43 a.m.
1:42 p.m.
12:39 a.m.
1:44 a.m.
2:56 a.m.
4:09 a.m.
5:17 a.m.
6:13 a.m.
6:58 a.m.
7:33 a.m.
8:02 a.m.
8:27 a.m.
——8:50 p.m.
11:07 p.m.
—3:53 p.m.
4:08 p.m.
4:23 p.m.
4:35 p.m.
4:43 p.m.
4:11 p.m.
—————10:45 p.m.
11:57 p.m.
—3:03 p.m.
3:28 p.m.
——6:13 p.m.
6:21 p.m.
7:05 p.m.
7:57 p.m.
8:51 p.m.
9:46 p.m.
10:42 p.m.
11:38 p.m.
——————7:55 p.m.
7:38 p.m.
7:40 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
8:29 p.m.
3:06 a.m.
4:15 a.m.
5:22 a.m.
6:24 a.m.
7:22 a.m.
8:18 a.m.
9:13 a.m.
10:08 a.m.
11:07 a.m.
12:19 p.m.
—12:27 a.m.
1:31 a.m.
2:41 a.m.
3:55 a.m.
5:06 a.m.
6:08 a.m.
7:00 a.m.
7:44 a.m.
8:22 a.m.
8:58 a.m.
————11:11 p.m.
—4:23 p.m.
4:08 p.m.
3:47 p.m.
3:10 p.m.
———————10:44 p.m.
—3:57 p.m.
3:42 p.m.
————8:51 p.m.
8:45 p.m.
9:14 p.m.
9:53 p.m.
10:40 p.m.
11:31 p.m.
———————8:31 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
8:31 p.m.
8:47 p.m.
3:39 a.m.
4:45 a.m.
5:49 a.m.
6:49 a.m.
7:45 a.m.
8:38 a.m.
9:28 a.m.
10:19 a.m.
11:13 a.m.
12:14 p.m.
12:09 a.m.
1:10 a.m.
2:15 a.m.
3:27 a.m.
4:40 a.m.
5:48 a.m.
6:44 a.m.
7:29 a.m.
8:04 a.m.
8:33 a.m.
8:58 a.m.
——9:49 p.m.
—4:37 p.m.
4:52 p.m.
5:07 p.m.
5:22 p.m.
5:34 p.m.
5:42 p.m.
5:31 p.m.
—————11:44 p.m.
—4:23 p.m.
4:23 p.m.
4:27 p.m.
——6:44 p.m.
6:52 p.m.
7:36 p.m.
8:28 p.m.
9:22 p.m.
10:17 p.m.
11:13 p.m.
—1:52 p.m.
—————8:26 p.m.
8:09 p.m.
8:11 p.m.
8:31 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
2/22
2/23
2/24
2/25
2/26
2/27
2/28
3/1
3/2
3/3
3/4
3/5
3/6
3/7
3/8
3/9
3/10
3/11
3/12
3/13
3/14
Major/Minor periods:
Houston
Dallas
6:15a/12:01a
6:44p/12:29p
7:10a/12:55a
7:41p/1:26p
8:07a/1:51a
8:38p/2:22p
9:02a/2:47a
9:33p/3:18p
9:57a/3:42a
10:26p/4:12p
10:50a/4:37a
11:18p/5:04p
11:44a/5:31a
——/5:57p
12:14a/6:25a
12:38p/6:50p
1:08a/7:21a
1:33p/7:46p
2:05a/8:18a
2:31p/8:44p
3:03a/9:16a
3:30p/9:43p
4:01a/10:14a
4:28p/10:41p
4:57a/11:11a
5:24p/11:38p
5:51a/12:05p
6:18p/——
6:43a/12:29a
7:09p/12:56p
7:31a/1:18a
7:56p/1:43p
8:15a/2:03a
8:39p/2:27p
8:57a/2:46a
9:20p/3:08p
9:37a/3:26a
9:58p/3:47p
10:15a/4:05a
10:35p/4:25p
10:53a/4:44a
11:13p/5:03p
San Antonio
Amarillo
6:21a/12:07a 3:36p/9:49p
6:50p/12:35p 4:07a/10:20a
7:16a/1:01a 4:34p/10:47p
7:47p/1:32p 5:03a/11:17a
8:13a/1:57a 5:30p/11:44p
8:44p/2:28p 5:57a/12:11p
9:08a/2:53a 6:24p/——
9:39p/3:24p 6:49a/12:35a
10:03a/3:48a 7:15p/1:02p
10:32p/4:18p6:21 p.m./1:24a
10:56a/4:43a 10:50a/1:49p
11:24p/5:10p 11:18p/2:09a
11:50a/5:37a 11:44a/2:33p
——/6:03p ——/2:52a
12:20a/6:31a 12:14a/3:14p
12:44p/6:56p 12:38p/3:32a
1:14a/7:27a 1:08a/3:53p
1:39p/7:52p 1:33p/4:11a
2:11a/8:24a 2:05a/4:31p
2:37p/8:50p 2:31p/4:50a
3:09a/9:22a 3:03a/5:09p
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise/set
2/22
2/23
2/24
2/25
2/26
2/27
2/28
3/1
3/2
3/3
3/4
3/5
3/6
3/7
3/8
3/9
3/10
3/11
3/12
3/13
3/14
Houston
Dallas
San Antonio
Amarillo
6:55a/6:15p
6:54a/6:16p
6:53a/6:17p
6:52a/6:17p
6:51a/6:18p
6:50a/6:19p
6:49a/6:20p
6:48a/6:20p
6:47a/6:21p
6:45a/6:22p
6:44a/6:22p
6:43a/6:23p
6:42a/6:24p
6:41a/6:24p
6:40a/6:25p
6:39a/6:26p
6:38a/6:26p
6:36a/6:27p
6:35a/6:28p
6:34a/6:28p
6:33a/6:29p
7:04a/6:19p
7:03a/6:20p
7:02a/6:21p
7:01a/6:22p
7:00a/6:23p
6:59a/6:23p
6:58a/6:24p
6:56a/6:25p
6:55a/6:26p
6:54a/6:27p
6:53a/6:27p
6:52a/6:28p
6:50a/6:29p
6:49a/6:30p
6:48a/6:31p
6:47a/6:31p
6:45a/6:32p
6:44a/6:33p
6:43a/6:34p
6:41a/6:34p
6:40a/6:35p
7:07a/6:28p
7:06a/6:29p
7:05a/6:30p
7:04a/6:30p
7:03a/6:31p
7:02a/6:32p
7:01a/6:32p
7:00a/6:33p
6:59a/6:34p
6:58a/6:34p
6:57a/6:35p
6:55a/6:36p
6:54a/6:36p
6:53a/6:37p
6:52a/6:38p
6:51a/6:38p
6:50a/6:39p
6:49a/6:40p
6:48a/6:40p
6:46a/6:41p
6:45a/6:41p
7:25a/6:36p
7:24a/6:37p
7:23a/6:38p
7:22a/6:38p
7:21a/6:39p
7:19a/6:40p
7:18a/6:41p
7:17a/6:42p
7:15a/6:43p
7:14a/6:44p
7:13a/6:45p
7:12a/6:46p
7:10a/6:47p
7:09a/6:47p
7:08a/6:48p
7:06a/6:49p
7:05a/6:50p
7:03a/6:51p
7:02a/6:52p
7:01a/6:52p
6:59a/6:53p
Houston
Dallas
San Antonio
Amarillo
2:23a/12:23p
3:27a/1:24p
4:26a/2:33p
5:19a/3:47p
6:05a/5:01p
6:45a/6:14p
7:21a/7:24p
7:54a/8:33p
8:27a/9:40p
9:01a/10:47p
9:38a/11:54p
10:19a/none
11:06a/12:59a
11:57a/2:00a
12:52p/2:55a
1:50p/3:44a
2:48p/4:26a
3:45p/5:02a
4:40p/5:33a
9:01a/10:47p
6:27p/6:28a
2:39a/12:20p
3:44a/1:21p
4:43a/2:31p
5:34a/3:46p
6:18a/5:03p
6:56a/6:18p
7:30a/7:30p
8:01a/8:41p
8:32a/9:51p
9:04a/11:00p
9:39a/none
10:18a/12:08a
11:03a/1:15a
11:54a/2:16a
12:50p/3:12a
1:48p/4:00a
2:47p/4:40a
3:46p/5:15a
4:43p/5:45a
9:04a/11:00p
6:34p/6:36a
2:35a/12:37p
3:38a/1:38p
4:38a/2:47p
5:31a/4:01p
6:17a/5:15p
6:57a/6:27p
7:33a/7:37p
8:07a/8:46p
8:40a/9:53p
9:15a/11:00p
9:52a/none
10:33a/12:06a
11:20a/1:10a
12:11p/2:11a
1:06p/3:07a
2:04p/3:55a
3:02p/4:37a
3:58p/5:14a
4:54p/5:45a
9:15a/11:00p
6:40p/6:40a
3:07a/12:31p
4:11a/1:32p
5:10a/2:43p
6:00a/4:00p
6:43a/5:18p
7:19a/6:35p
7:50a/7:49p
8:20a/9:02p
8:49a/10:14p
9:19a/11:25p
9:53a/none
10:31a/12:34a
11:15a/1:42a
12:05p/2:44a
1:01p/3:39a
2:00p/4:27a
3:00p/5:06a
4:00p/5:40a
4:59p/6:08a
9:19a/11:25p
6:52p/6:56a
Moonrise/set
2/22
2/23
2/24
2/25
2/26
2/27
2/28
3/1
3/2
3/3
3/4
3/5
3/6
3/7
3/8
3/9
3/10
3/11
3/12
3/13
3/14
WILD IN THE KITCHEN
Quick trout with herbs
and feta cheese
Visit our booth at the
Houston Fishing Show and
pick up a free
DOA or STANLEY lure.
Also David J. Sams will be
giving away fishing posters.
But hurry because supplies
are limited.
SUBSCRIBE
AT THE SHOW
AND RECEIVE A FREE
CAP FROM
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
4 trout fillets
8 slices Roma
tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta
cheese
4 (1- to 2-inch)
sprigs fresh
oregano
4 teaspoons
olive oil
lemon herb
seasoning
Place each
fillet in a
microwavesafe dish.
Sprinkle with lemon-herb seasoning and drizzle with oil. Cover dish
with plastic wrap, turning back
one corner to vent. Microwave on
BOOTH #447
SEE ADVERTISEMENT
LURES
ON
Recipe courtesy of National
Fisheries Institute. For more recipes,
visit www.aboutseafood.com.
Come experience the finest coastal
hospitality in our well-appointed lodge —
perfect for family reunions, meetings,
corporate retreats or simply a gathering
with good friends, with plans to fit every
taste, from full-service to self-service.
Giveaways
POSTERS
high for 1 1/2 minutes.
Uncover and arrange two tomato
slices and a sprig of basil and
oregano on fillet. Sprinkle with 1
tablespoon of
cheese. Cover
and vent;
microwave on
high for 1 to 1
1/2 minutes or
until fish
flakes easily
when tested
with a fork.
Repeat with
remaining fillets.
Alternatives: Salmon,
catfish, cod,
pollock,
orange roughy.
PAGE 7
YourEscape from the Ordinary!
INSHORE AND OFFSHORE FISHING • HUNTING
KAYAKING • BIRDING • SURFING • MORE
LOCATED ON THE COLORADO RIVER IN MATAGORDA
(979) 863-1143 • (9 7 9 ) 479-5455
fullstringerlodge.com • [email protected]
GAME WARDEN BLOTTER
HUNTIN’ RABBITS AND DRINKING BEER
•Schleicher County Game Warden
Marco Alvizo received a call of possible illegal hunting activity at a
local ranch. Alvizo located the suspect vehicle and saw that a spotlight was shining from a vehicle
into a pasture. After several minutes of watching the vehicle,
Alvizo made contact and found
that the occupants were hunting
rabbits and drinking beer. The
adult driver was cited for making
alcohol available to a minor, and
the minor was charged with possession of alcohol.
TRAPPED TURKEYS GET A BREAK
•Wichita County Game Warden
Pat Canan, while driving through
a deer lease, discovered a trap with
three large Rio Grande turkey gobblers in it. The birds appeared to
have been in the trap for a number
of days and were very weak. After
taking pictures, Canan opened the
trap and released the birds. Canan
then contacted the hunters who
had leased the land and determined who had set the trap. The
hunter said that he was trapping
hogs but had not checked the trap
since he had set it. The hunter said
that he also remembered being
told by Canan a year ago to cut the
top out of the trap when the same
thing happened. A citation was
issued for hunting by illegal means
and methods.
THEY DIDN’T GET THE LEAD OUT
•Tarrant County Game Warden
Michael McCall and Wise County
Game Warden Chris Dowdy were
watching several groups of duck
hunters on the upper end of Eagle
Mountain Lake. Dowdy crossed
the river channel by foot, while
McCall drove around to the boat
Big Foot sleuths at your service
While patrolling WMA 630, Panola
County Game Warden Tom
Gallenbach and Shelby County
Game Warden Mike Hanson
encountered a group of card-carryramp by vehicle to ensure that the
hunters did not exit before being
checked. Dowdy made the first
contact with a group exiting the
side channel. The last subject to be
checked handed Dowdy seven
shot shells, three of which were
lead shot. After a complete check,
nine other lead shells were located.
Citations were issued.
MEXICANS WITH GILL NETS
ARRESTED AT FALCON LAKE
•While patrolling the northern
part of Falcon Lake, Zapata County
Game Warden Jesse Garcia and Jim
Hogg County Game Warden Brad
Meloni arrested two commercial
fishermen from Mexico. They also
seized an 18-foot boat and motor
along with one hoop net and 800
feet of gill net. Also recovered were
approximately 65 catfish of various sizes. Cases are pending.
OFFICERS FREE GAME
FISH FROM GILL NET
•Starr County Game Warden John
Palacios and Webb County Game
Warden Brent Whitus were
patrolling Falcon Lake north of
Zapata when they came across
abandoned gill net. John and
Brent seized 2,500 feet of monofilament gill net and released
numerous game fish that were still
alive.
ing Big Foot hunters. The men handed out Big Foot business cards to the
wardens, who were given a short lesson in Big Foot identification. The
Big Foot hunters demonstrated the
HUNTER PROVED HE WAS CLUELESS
•Shackelford County Game
Warden Brian Huckabay was
checking tags at a local processor
and found a deer that was tagged
with a license tag a week after the
season had ended. Huckabay
found that the deer was taken in
Callahan County and that the
hunter mistakenly believed that
there was an extended season in
that county. The investigation also
revealed that the hunter didn’t
have a hunting license and used a
tag from a hunter’s license who
wasn’t present when the deer was
taken. Charges of killing deer in
closed season and hunting under
the license of another were filed
and restitution is due.
DRIVER SO DRUNK
HE COULDN’T STAND
•Gillespie County Warden Buddy
Mills recognized a pickup that
matched the description of a vehicle involved in a minor hit-andrun earlier in the afternoon in
Fredericksburg. The driver was
having a hard time keeping the
pickup straight as it approached
on the narrow county road. Mills
pulled over to the side of the road
and activated his grill lights in an
attempt to stop the vehicle. As it
neared, it was obvious to Mills the
call, gave a description of Big Foot,
and also described its distinctive
smell. The hunters had purchased
Limited Use Permits for entry into
public lands.
driver was not going to stop. Mills
recognized the driver and called
his name as he passed at a slow
speed. Only then did the driver
stop. Upon contact, it was obvious
the 58-year-old driver was severely
impaired, so much that the warden called for an ambulance, not
sure if the impairment was from
diabetic shock or a stroke.
Paramedics checked the man and
could find nothing medically
wrong, so a field sobriety test was
attempted. The man was so
impaired he had to be held up by
Mills and a Gillespie County
deputy on several occasions. The
man was arrested and charged
with felony DWI, third offense,
and refused a breath test. Mills
noticed several fresh scratches on
the truck that looked like the
marks from a barbed wire fence.
He traveled the route the man
took from town and came across
several fences the man had driven
through. Mills spent the remainder of the afternoon patching
fence to keep livestock secure.
FAMILY ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES
•Travis County Warden Penny
Nixon was patrolling in her state
boat on Lake Walter E. Long when
she saw a small, dangerously overloaded boat leaving the dock.
After checking the flat bottom
boat that had several adults and
children on board, she told the
operator that he almost had no
freeboard on the vessel and to put
back in to shore. Penny followed
them in and just as the vessel got
back to shore, it took on water and
sank. Luckily, it was in a safe area
where no one was injured. The
operator had time to reflect on the
trip he had planned all the way
across the lake with his family and
what could have happened.
OYSTER WORKER’S ARM
SEVERED BY WINCH CABLE
•Refugio County Game Warden
Raul “Pinky” Gonzales responded
to a 911 call in Copano Bay. A
League City man who was working
on a commercial oyster boat got
his arm caught in the steel winch
cable that operates the oyster
dredge. The man’s arm was almost
completely severed and he was
bleeding profusely. A local commercial fisherman was nearby and
saw what happened. The commercial fisherman and the oyster boat
crew put the injured man into the
commercial fisherman’s boat to
get medical help. Thirty-mile per
hour winds were making it very
difficult for the commercial fisherman’s skiff to make any progress.
Gonzales was able to get his 22Transport patrol boat in front of
the commercial fisherman’s boat
and break the waves allowing the
other boat to follow in his wake.
The warden maneuvered his patrol
boat all the way to shore, creating a
smoother ride for the injured man,
where a flight to the hospital
awaited. The man was taken to a
hospital in Corpus Christi and at
last report his arm had to be amputated.
OUTDOOR DATEBOOK
HAVE AN EVENT
TO PUBLICIZE?
E-mail it to
[email protected]
Events must be open
to the public
Feb. 23: University of Texas DU banquet
at Saengerrunde Halle, 1607 San Jacinto
Blvd., Austin. Food by Pokey-Joe’s BBQ.
Tickets cost $30; $40 couple. For
information, call Michael Henry at (512)
632-6819 or email [email protected]
Feb. 23: Huntsville DU dinner at County
Fair Grounds. For ticket information, call
Bill Pitts at (936) 291-3222 or email
[email protected]
Feb. 23: Boerne DU banquet at Kendall
County Fair Grounds. For information, call
Mark Gross at (210) 826-4429.
Feb. 23: Lake Grapevine 2nd annual
Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament at the
Grapevine Golf Course. Prizes awarded to
top finishers. Dinner included. Doors open
at 5:45 p.m. For information, call Rudy
Boyd at (972) 768-1682.
Feb. 23-26: The American Museum of Fly
Fishing visits Orvis’ Dallas store — 8300
Preston Road Suite 300, (214) 265-
Through Feb. 26: Black Gap WMA quail
hunting. Hunter orange clothing and hat
are required while on the WMA. For
information, call (432) 376-2216 or
(432) 837-3251.
1600 — with its traveling exhibit. Flyfishing rods from Babe Ruth and Ted
Williams will be on display along with
rods from across the ages.
Feb. 24: El Paso DU banquet and silent
auction at El Maida Shrine Temple. For
information, call West Middagh at (915)
799-3869 or email [email protected]
March 1: Woodlands DU chapter will
have an information session and
presentation at 6:30 p.m. at the South
Branch Library. To reserve a spot, call
Kyle Cronan at (218) 419-8886 or email
[email protected]
Feb. 24-26: Seminars from fishing
experts. Call store for times. Bass Pro
Shops, 5000 Katy Mills Circle, Katy.
March 1-5: The 31st Annual Houston
Fishing Show. Seminars and chance to
view latest fishing equipment and boats.
From noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through
Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; 10
a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. $7; $2 for
children 6-12. George R. Brown
Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las
Americas, Houston.
Feb. 25: Sea Center Texas catch-andrelease youth fishing. Take sunscreen,
hat, lawn chair and fishing gear for some
catch and release saltwater fishing. Open
to guests 16 years old and younger
accompanied by an adult. Anglers must
bring their own gear and bait with barbless hooks. No artificial bait or treble
hooks. Time: 1-3 p.m. For information,
call (979) 292-0100.
Feb. 25-26: Gander Mountain’s hunter
education classes will be held from 1 to 5
p.m. each day at Texarkana store. $10.
There is a home study component. RSVP
at (903) 585-5428.
Feb. 26: Archery for Kids. Call Bass Pro
Shops, 5000 Katy Mills Circle, Katy for
times.
March 1-April 29: Boaters Education
Course. Six-hour course covers such
topics as navigation rules and aids,
choosing right boat, handling accidents
and emergencies. Taught by U.S. Coast
Guard Auxiliary and trained volunteers.
$13. For information, call Debi at (972)
691-5217. Bass Pro Shops Outdoor
World, 2501 Bass Pro Drive, Grapevine.
March 2: Sabine/Neches CCA banquet at
5:30 p.m. at ABC Contractors Building in
Nederland.
Feb. 26: Fishing for Spawning Bass. Call
store for time. Bass Pro Shops, 5000
Katy Mills Circle, Katy.
March 3: Hunt County DU banquet at the
Old Greenville Post Office. Includes live
and silent auctions. $40. For information,
call James Handley at (903) 455-1631.
March 4: River Valley DU annual
Sportsmen’s Banquet at 6 p.m. in the
Gainesville Civic Center. Includes live and
silent auctions. For information, call Phil
Bellows at (904)-665-0581.
March 4: Garland/Mesquite DU Sporting
Clay Fun Shoot at Elm Fork Shotgun
Sports, 10751 Luna Road, Dallas.
Registration at 9 a.m. for three-man
teams. $100 per shooter. For
information, call Charlie Preslar at (972)
270-8688.
March 4: Texas Freshwater Fisheries
Center presents Fly Fish Texas. Learn
about fly-fishing through seminars,
demonstrations and hands-on casting
lessons from experts. Junior Angler
programs also available. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.;
event is free, but regular admission fees
apply. Call (903) 676-2277.
March 5: Turkey Calling 101. Call Bass Pro
Shops, 5000 Katy Mills Circle, Katy, for
times.
March 8: Galveston DU informational
meeting at 6 p.m. at Mario’s Pizza on the
Seawall. To reserve spot, call Robby Schulz
at (409) 771-1911 or email
[email protected]
March 9: Milam Country DU banquet in
Cameron. For information, call Jeanette
Male at (254) 482-0507.
March 9: Brazos Valley CCA event at 5:30
p.m. in Brazos Center in Bryan.
March 10-11: Gander Mountain presents
“Let’s Go Fishing” with Keith Warren and
volunteers from the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department. Classes will include
information on how to identify fish, types of
baits, fishing equipment and local fishing
spots. At the Beaumont store from 6-9 p.m.
Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
March 11: Fennessey Ranch hosts a
Russian Wild Boar Safari. Whether you’re
an experienced hunter or just getting your
feet wet, you will enjoy hunting this stealthy
game animal on a 4,000-acre ranch.
Hunters are placed in African-style brush
blinds at daylight. Bring an ice chest to
take home your meat. Daylight-dark; fee
$165 per person includes barbecue lunch;
reservations required. Call (361) 529-6600.
March 11: Winnie DU dinner at the Winnie
Community Center. For information, call
Jerry Sparks at (409) 267-8285 or email
[email protected].
March 14: Texoma DU 2nd annual Texas
Hold’em Poker Tournament in Sherman. For
information, call Todd Petelski at (903)
271-3299.
March 16: Alvin DU dinner at KC Hall. For
information, call John Brau at (281) 3931100.
OUTFITTERS
Glass has good grip on fly-fishing
CAPT. ERIC GLASS
“One of the best around” is a phrase
often heard when Capt. Eric Glass’ name
comes up among anglers.
Glass, who refers to himself as a “fishing
fanatic,” has been a South Padre Island flyfishing guide for 12 years and knows the
waters. He operates The South Texas Fly
Fishing Company and spends countless
hours leading anglers to where the activity
is best.
He has guided Sugarland resident Nick
Rizopoulos to Texas state youth fly-fishing
records for redfish, spotted seatrout, snook,
jack cravalle, ladyfish and mangrove snapper.
He operates on waters “where the type of
fishing we do is one of the better areas in
the continental United States.”
The Laguna Madre of south Texas is the
largest hypersaline lagoon system in the
country. The lower basin runs approximately 50 miles and the average depth is less
than three feet.
Ninety-five percent of the guide’s outings
is with anglers in search of the redfish, one
of the top species in saltwater popularity.
And many successful outings are spent
“sight-casting in shallow, very clear flats.”
Anglers from across the nation are well
aware the area is a redfish haven. “I have
had clients from probably 35 states,” he
said.
Redfish may be the most popular species
among the fishermen seeking Glass’ guide
expertise, but also there are quests for
snook, tarpon and trout.
Glass is right-at-hand when questions for
the South Padre guide arise. “I take out two
Offshore and Bay fishing
30' Stamas
21' Shallowsport
anglers a time,” he said, adding the outings
are in a Floridian-type 16 1⁄2- to 17-foot
ultra-shallow draft skiff. “It’s a small-party
type deal.”
Planning a fishing trip for a larger party?
Glass also offers more than the “small
party-type deal.” He has several other other
licensed guides available to accommodate
larger groups.
Glass, a graduate of Southwest Texas State
with a degree in aquatic biology, has
authored many fly-fishing articles for magazines and books.
He anxiously awaits the upcoming peak
season, April 1 through November.
Glass welcomes telephone questions and
can be reached at 956-761-2878 (home) and
956-434-142 (mobile). The company’s Web
site is www.captainericglass.com.
Duck, Goose and
Dove Hunting
40,000 Acres
Capt. Scott Hickman
3218 Coral Ridge Ct.
League City, TX 77573
(281) 535-1930
Fax: (281) 535-1935
www.circleh.org
South Texas
Deer and Turkey
Hunting
10,000 Acres
OUTFITTERS, HUNTING GUIDES AND FISHING GUIDES: Want to profile your business?
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FISHING REPORT
CENTRAL
BASTROP: Water stained. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, shallow diving crankbaits, and Rat-L-Traps
over grassy areas. Crappie are fair on minnows and
pink/white tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair
on stinkbait, liver, and shrimp. Yellow catfish are
slow.
BELTON: Water murky; 57 degrees; 3.20' low. Black
bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are
slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are
slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 53 degrees; 2.76' low.
Black bass are good on white spinnerbaits and
black/blue StrikeWorks jigs on the main lake, and on
200 Series Texas Perch colored Persuader Stealth
shad crankbaits on main lake flats and around the
docks. Hybrid striper are excellent on Alabama Shad
colored Persuader crankbaits around lights early and
late. White bass are fair on small tube jigs and Li'l
Fishies. Crappie are fair on small blue/green tube jigs
and minnows in 10 - 15 feet. Catfish are slow.
BUCHANAN: Water clear to murky; 48 - 50 degrees;
7.90' low. Black bass are fair on watermelon Devil's
Tongues and camo JDC Drop Shot Worms on drop
shot rigs, and on Carolina rigged watermelon/red Snap
Back creature baits over brushpiles along bluff ledges
in 8 - 25 feet. Striped bass are good drifting live bait,
vertically jigging silver Pirk Minnows, and trolling _oz.
striper jigs from The Willows up lake in 22 - 30 feet.
White bass to 15” are fair trolling deep diving Shad
Raps, casting 2” Spoiler Shads, and jigging _oz. Pirk
Minnows from Beaver Creek to Mud Island. Crappie
are slow on minnows. Channel catfish are slow. Yellow
and blue catfish are slow.
CANYON LAKE: Water gin clear; 50 degrees; 2.82'
low. Black bass are fair to good on purple/red tail
Scoundrel worms, wacky rigged cotton candy JDC
Gibronis, and small watermelon tubes on jigheads
over brushpiles on secondary points in 10 - 15 feet.
Striped bass are fair from Turkey Cove Point to the
Comal. White bass are fair to good vertically jigging
_oz. silver Pirk Minnows, Road Runners, and trolling
Shad Raps. Smallmouth bass to 5 pounds are very
good on chartreuse Terminator tungsten spinnerbaits,
crawfish Rebel crankbaits, and smoke JDC curl tail
grubs over rock piles in 6 - 18 feet. Crappie are fair
on minnows at the crappie pier. Channel catfish are
slow. Yellow and blue catfish are slow.
COLEMAN: Water clear; 50 degrees; 2.47' low. Black
bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. Crappie are
slow. Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
COLORADO RIVER: (At Colorado Bend State Park)
Water clear. Black bass are fair near the park. Striped
bass are slow. White bass are good on Rapala minnows and lipless crankbaits on the bottom downriver
from the boat ramp. Crappie are good on minnows
downriver from the park. Catfish are slow.
DUNLAP/MCQUEENY: Water murky; 53 degrees.
Black bass are good on watermelon/black/chartreuse
jigs with Reaction Innovations black mini skirt trailers
in 5 - 8 feet, and on black/red Texas rigged soft plastics in the channel in 10 - 20 feet. White bass are
very good on live minnows and chartreuse/blue and
chartreuse/green Curb's crappie jigs at night under
lights. Crappie are good on live minnows and blue
Curb's crappie jigs in 10 - 18 feet. Channel catfish
are good on shad, stinkbait, and shrimp. Blue catfish
are fair on gizzard shad, dead shad, and punchbait in
10 - 20 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
FAYETTE: Water murky; 64 degrees. Black bass are
good on watermelon, watermelon red, and watermelon
gold Wacky Worms, Finesse Worms, Senkos, Baby
Brush Hogs, and flukes in 1 - 7 feet, and on Rat-LTraps, spinnerbaits, and Carolina rigged soft plastics
along the edge of deeper grass. Channel and blue catfish are slow.
GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.61' low. Black bass are
fair on yellow/red/white spinnerbaits and crankbaits,
and on chrome/blue Rat-L-Traps. Striped bass are fair
on minnows and white striper jigs. White bass are fair
on minnows. Crappie are fair on minnows and
pink/white tube jigs. Catfish are good on liver,
stinkbait, and frozen shrimp.
GRANGER: Water murky; 51 degrees; 0.13' high.
Black bass are slow. White bass are fair upriver near
the primitive launch area. Crappie are slow. Blue catfish are good on fresh shad in the Friendship Park
area. Yellow catfish are slow.
LBJ: Water clear to stained; 51 degrees; 0.20' low.
Black bass are fair pitching black/purple _oz.
Terminator Pro Series jigs, wacky rigged bubblegum
Scoundrel worms, and smoke/red JDC Craws along
docks, boulders, and riprap in 10 - 15 feet. Striped
bass are slow. White bass are good vertically jigging
Pirk Minnows and casting Spoiler Shads over humps
and along main lake points in 18 - 26 feet. Crappie
are fair to good on 2” grubs, plastic and hair crappie
jigs, and minnows over brushpiles and wooden dock
pilings in 8 - 12 feet. Channel catfish are slow.
Yellow and blue catfish are slow.
NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 4.16' low.
Black bass are fair on minnows and watermelon seed
soft plastics. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on liver
and shrimp. Yellow catfish are slow.
PROCTOR: Water clear; 49 degrees; 5.60' low. Black
bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass are
fair on white spinnerbaits and deep diving crankbaits.
Crappie are good on minnows and tube jigs. Channel
and blue catfish are good on shrimp and shad. Yellow
catfish are slow.
SOMERVILLE: Water fairly clear; 2.94' low. Black
bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are
slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are
STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.77' low.
Black bass are fair on minnows, jigs, and soft plastics. White bass are fair on minnows. Smallmouth
bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel
and blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
TRAVIS: Water clear; 57 degrees; 17.50' low. Black
bass to 4 pounds are good on red shad worms and
chrome Radar 10 crankbaits in 8 - 25 feet. Striped
bass are slow. White bass to 1 pound are good on
chrome crippled herring spoons and minnows in 20 35 feet. Crappie to 1 pound are fair on minnows and
pink tube jigs in 18 - 25 feet. Channel and blue catfish to 5 pounds are fair on fresh cutbait and nightcrawlers in 22 - 40 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 60 degrees. Black
bass are fair on Black Salty baitfish, minnows, and
watermelon seed soft plastics. Hybrid striper are very
good on minnows and striper jigs. White bass are fair
on minnows and small jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimp,
frozen shad, and punchbait in 50 - 60 feet. Yellow
catfish are slow.
WHITNEY: Water clear; 6.48' low. Black bass are fair
on watermelon and watermelon red crankbaits and
spinnerbaits, and on chrome/white Rat-L-Traps.
Striped bass are fair on white/chartreuse striper jigs
and live bait. White bass are fair on minnows and
shad colored crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows.
Catfish are good on stinkbait, frozen shrimp, and
liver.
and Carolina-rigged junebug worms. Crappie are slow
to fair on minnows and jigs in the marinas and
around bridge columns. White bass are fair on slabs
and minnows. Hybrid striper are slow to fair on slabs.
Catfish are fair on prepared baits.
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 50-55 degrees; 3.64'
low. Black bass are fair on suspending Rouges, medium diving crankbaits and black/blue jigs with a port
trailer. Crappie are slow to fair on minnows and jigs
around the marina. White bass are fair on slabs and
chartreuse Road Runners. Catfish are slow to fair on
prepared baits and nightcrawlers.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water off color; 51-54
degrees; 5.33' low. Black bass are fair n watermelon
seed Texas rigged lizards on secondary points and in
creek channels, jigs and spinnerbaits. White bass and
hybrid striper are fair on Humdingers and slabs.
Crappie are slow to fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish
are fair on juglines with live perch set off main creek
channels and flats.
TAWAKONI: Water stained; 50-54 degrees; 8.39' low.
Black bass are fair on perch patter medium diving
crankbaits, red spinnerbaits and jigs. Crappie are fair
on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and
live minnows. Striped bass and hybrid striper are fair
on live shad and Sassy Shad. Catfish are fair on
stinkbait.
NORTHEAST
ATHENS: Water clear, 52-55 degrees; 2.37' low.
Black bass are slow to fair on spinnerbaits, Rat-LTraps and Texas or Carolina rigged soft plastics in 210 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 1015 feet - a few still deep on brush. Catfish are slow
on nightcrawlers.
BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 51-56 degrees; 5.82'
low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, jigs and
crankbaits. White bass are fair on slabs and Road
Runners. Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse
jigs. Catfish are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.
BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 49-53 degrees; 11.21'
low.
TEXOMA: Water clear; 49-54 degrees; 1.21' low.
Black bass are fair on Carolina rigs, jig and
crankbaits. Smallmouth bass are fair to good on crawfish pattern crankbaits and brown/orange jigs. Crappie
are slow to fair on live minnows in the marinas.
Striped bass are fair on live shad and
chartreuse/white slabs. Catfish are fair to good on
prepared baits and cut shad.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 45 degrees; 7.06'
low. Black bass are fair. Crappie are fair in the fishing
barge and marina boat slips on jigs, small lures and
minnows. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers. White
bass are fair on white Road Runners. Bream are good
on worms. The new boat ramp is open, but with the
low water level boaters are advised to exercise caution.
WRIGHT PATMAN: 1.58' high.
CADDO: Water fairly clear; 48-54 degrees; 0.58' low.
Black bass are slow on black/red 1/2 oz. jigs in 4-5
feet on the cypress trees. Crappie are good in the
main channel between markers 139 and 145 on
shiners and white jigs. White and yellow bass are
good in same areas as crappie on Road Runners and
small tail spinners fished off the bottom. Catfish are
fair on limblines with cutbait.
CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 50-54 degrees; 4.57'
low. ; Black bass are fair on black/blue jigs with craws
and shad pattern crankbaits. White bass are fair on
slabs and white Road Runners. Hybrid striper are fair
on slabs. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cut
shad and prepared baits.
COOPER: Water stained; 49-52 degrees; 12.36' low.
No report available. Due to the low level of the lake,
boaters are advised to use extreme caution.
FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 69-80 degrees; 4' low. Due
to the low water level, only one ramp is open launching is difficult and generally requires two people. Very few anglers have been on the lake over the
past month. No fishing reports available.
FORK: Water clear; 52-54 degrees; 4.09' low. Black
bass are fair and improving on _ oz. crawfish pattern
Rat-L-Traps, black/blue jigs (trimmed) with a matching trailer and white _ oz. spinnerbaits fished along
main lake grass and around boathouses. Crappie are
good on small jigs in 36-39 feet on deeper flats at
the mouth of Little Caney. Catfish are good on prepared baits in 26-30 feet.
GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 52-57 degrees;
6.86' low. Black bass are fair on orange/brown
crankbaits along the dam and Texas rigged red shad
lizards with a light weight. Crappie are fair on minnows in the marinas. White bass are fair on minnows
and slabs. Catfish are slow to fair on nightcrawlers.
JOE POOL: Water fairly clear; 50-54 degrees; 3.59'
low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, 3/8oz.
black/blue jigs and Texas-rigged watermelon seed
worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs over
brushpiles and around bridge in 15-20 feet. White
bass are fair on chrome slabs and pearl TailHummers.
Catfish are good on cut shad in creek channels.
LAKE O' THE PINES: Water stained; 49-53 degrees;
3.98' low. Black bass are slow to fair on jigs and on
jigging spoons in 10 - 15 feet. Yellow bass are good
on minnows and jigs. Crappie are fair to good and jigs
(anglers keep their first 25 crappie, regardless of size,
December thru February). Catfish are slow on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.
LAVON: Water stained; 49-55 degrees; 9.93' low.
Black bass are fair on pumpkinseed Carolina or dropshot-rigged salt fries in 12 - 18 feet. Crappie are fair
on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers
and prepared baits.
LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 50-54 degrees; 7.42'
low. Black bass are slow on chrome or red Rat-LTraps and Texas rigged soft plastics. Crappie are slow.
Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared baits in
10 - 20 feet.
MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 5.45' low.
MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 0.14' low.
PALESTINE: Water fairly clear; 51-54 degrees; 2.97'
low. Black bass are slow to fair on brown jigs with a
pumpkinseed trailer, shad pattern spinnerbaits and
medium diving crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in 15 - 20 feet. Catfish are fair around
stumps in 12 - 18 feet. Bream are slow. Hybrid
striper and white bass are slow to fair on Humdingers
and slabs.
RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 49-55 degrees;
3.92' low. Black bass are fair on chrome Rat-L-Traps
SOUTH
AMISTAD: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees. Black
bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass are
good on chrome/blue slabs and silver/white striper jigs
up the Devil's River. Crappie are slow. Channel and
blue catfish are fair on stinkbait and live bait over
baited holes. Yellow catfish are slow.
BRAUNIG: Water stained; 90 degrees. Black bass are
good on dark blue and red soft plastic worms and
crankbaits near the dam and in grassy areas. Striped
bass are good on minnows and chicken livers, and
down rigging spoons in 15 - 25 feet. Redfish are fair
on live perch and spoons. Channel and blue catfish
are good on liver, shrimp, and shad. Yellow catfish are
slow.
CALAVERAS: Water stained; 88 degrees. Black bass
are good on soft plastic worms and live minnows in
reed beds along the shoreline. Striped bass are good
on chicken livers and cutbait near the dam. Redfish
are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are good
on liver, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Blue catfish are
good on liver and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are
slow.
CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 53 degrees; 3.44'
low. Black bass to 7 pounds are good on summer
craw and perch Lucky Craft CB Flat SR's, aurora craw
Lucky Craft LV-500s and white spinnerbaits across
main lake points in 2 - 10 feet, and flipping delicious
Reaction Innovations double wide beavers and
black/blue tubes tight to timber in 8 - 20 feet. White
bass are excellent on large minnows and vertically jigging shiner Berkley Blade Dancers around the Hwy.
99 Bridge in 5 - 10 feet. Crappie are good on
black/chartreuse 2" YUM Vibra King tubes tipped with
live minnows over brushpiles and standing timber in
6 - 15 feet. Channel and blue catfish to 6 pounds are
good on punchbait and goldfish in 10 - 20 feet.
Yellow catfish to 20 pounds are good on trotlines and
juglines baited with hybrid bluegills and goldfish.
COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 61 degrees (70
degrees at hot water discharge); 2.97' low. Black bass
to 7 pounds are good on soft plastics, Rat-L-Traps,
and spinnerbaits in 5 - 10 feet. Striped bass are slow.
White bass are slow. Crappie to 1 pound are fair on
minnows in 8 - 10 feet. Channel and blue catfish are
FALCON: Water stained; 62 degrees. Black bass are
good on watermelon red spinnerbaits, tubes, and
Brush Hogs. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows. Channel and blue catfish are very good on
stinkbait and shad in the river channel under willows.
Yellow catfish are slow. Mexican fishing licenses and
boat permits are required to fish in Mexican waters.
Everyone in the boat must have a Mexico Fishing
License whether fishing or not.
MEDINA: Water stained; 53 degrees; 11.95' low.
Black bass to 4 pounds are fair on white spinnerbaits,
crawfish Jackall Cherry "O's," and bumble bee
Norman Fat Boys across main lake points and coves
early in 2 -10 feet, and later good on lizards fished
tight to timber in 8 - 12 feet. Striped bass are fair on
trout Red Fins and chrome/black 1 oz. Rat-L-Traps in
the middle of the day on main lake points, and good
drifting hybrid bluegills near the dam. White bass are
very good vertically jigging shiner Berkley Blade
Dancers and trolling chartreuse shad crankbaits at
the mouth of the river. Crappie are good on live minnows and chartreuse 2" YUM Vibra King tube jigs
around brushpiles and standing timber at night under
lights in 10 - 25 feet. Channel and blue catfish to 6
pounds are fair on Lewis King punchbait and goldfish. Yellow catfish to 20 pounds are good on juglines
baited with perch and goldfish.
SOUTHEAST
CONROE: Water stained; 3.61' low. Black bass are
fair on dark red spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped
bass are good on live bait and small jigs with black
skirts. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse
tube jigs. Catfish are fair on stinkbait and frozen
shrimp.
GIBBONS CREEK: Water stained. Black bass are fair
on yellow/white spinnerbaits and soft plastics, and on
watermelon red spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Crappie
are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on stinkbait
and dog food.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 51 degrees;
0.69' high. Black bass to 9 pounds are excellent on
watermelon soft plastic worms, chartreuse/chrome
Rat-L-Traps, and crankbaits near the marina and
between the islands in 5 feet. Crappie are slow.
Catfish are slow.
LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 52 degrees; 4.02'
low. Black bass to 3.5 pounds are good on
crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair
on spec rigs, Rat-L-Traps, and crankbaits in the north
end of the lake. Crappie are good on minnows.
Channel and blue catfish are good on cutbait, prepared bait, and shad. Yellow catfish are slow.
SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 51 degrees;
2.78' low. Black bass are fair on red and crawfish
Rat-L-Traps in ditches and drains near scattered
hydrilla in 4 - 8 feet, and on watermelon and cotton
candy Carolina rigged creature baits and lizards along
deeper break lines in 12 - 18 feet. Crappie are fair on
live shiners and black/chartreuse jigs over deeper
water in creek channels.
Striped bass are fair near piers in Willow Beach area.
Blue and channel catfish are fair on trotlines and juglines in the upper part of reservoir. Rainbow Trout are
good below the dam near Highway 16 Bridge with
another release of 2,250 on Feb. 10.
SPENCE: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 45.65'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow. White bass
are fair on minnows. Striped bass and hybrid striper
are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad.
STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; Black
bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.
White and striped bass are fair on live bait. Catfish
are fair on live bait.
SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees;
31.5' low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows and jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair.
WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees;
22.82' low. Black bass are fair on live bait and large
tubes in black neon or blue fleck. Crappie are fair on
jigs and minnows. Walleye are fair on minnows.
Channel catfish are fair on live baits.
WICHITA: Water stained but clearing; 49 degrees; 1'
low. Crappie are slow. White bass and hybrid striped
bass are fair on minnows and white twister-tails along
dam. Channel catfish are fair on bait shrimp, punchbait or trotlines baited with shad.
COASTAL
STEINHAGEN: 2.87' low.
TOLEDO BEND: Water clear; 63 degrees; 6.93' low.
Black bass are fair on dark red and black spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and Rat-L-Traps, and on pumpkinseed soft plastics over grass beds. Crappie are fair on
live minnows and blue tube jigs over brushpiles in 10
- 20 feet. Catfish are good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers in deep holes.
PANHANDLE
BAYLOR: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees. Black
bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.
GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 40 degrees;
25.25' low. Black bass are slow on Carolina-rigged
pumpkin/chartreuse soft plastics along main lake
points and live bait. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair on live bait and chartreuse
crankbaits near rip rap. Smallmouth bass are fair on
live bait and chrome/black back jerkbaits near rip rap
and humps. Walleye are fair on live bait and chartreuse crankbaits. Catfish are fair.
MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 40 degrees; 69.2'
low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair
on minnows and jigs. White bass and striped bass are
good on live bait and chrome/black crankbaits.
Smallmouth bass are fair on live bait. Walleye are
good on live bait. Catfish are fair on cut shad and
chicken liver.
MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 42 degrees; 27'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs suspended 12-15 feet. White bass are fair on
slabs tipped with minnows near rocky points and
humps. Smallmouth bass are fair chartreuse
crankbaits. Walleye are fair on bottom bouncers and
live bait. Channel catfish are fair.
PALO DURO: Water lightly stained; 36 degrees;
live bait. Smallmouth bass are fair on live bait.
Walleye are fair. Channel catfish are slow.
NORTH SABINE: Trout and redfish are fair to good
while wading the Louisiana shoreline on Corkies and
Catch 2000s. Trout and redfish are fair while drifting
scattered shell in the middle of the lake on glow and
bone soft plastics.
SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair while drifting the
Causeway Reef on bone, glow and plum Bass
Assassins, Sand Eels and Red Killers. Redfish and
black drum are fair to good at the jetty on mullet and
crabs.
BOLIVAR: Trout and redfish are fair to good on the
south shoreline on Catch 2000s, Catch 5s and
Corkies. Sheepshead are good around the rocks at
Rollover Pass on shrimp.
TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair while drifting the shell
pads around the wells on glow and red shad Bass
Assassins, Sand Eels, Red Killers and DOA Shrimp.
Black drum, redfish and sheepshead are fair to good
on the shell around the Spillway on shrimp.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Black drum are fair on crabs
and mullet in the Ship Channel. Trout are fair to good
on the Seabrook Flats and Sylvan Beach Flats in the
afternoon on Corkies, Catch 2000s, Catch 5s and
plum Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good while
wading the mud shorelines on Corkies, Crazy Croakers
and Catch 5s. Redfish and black drum are fair to
good over reefs on live bait. Black drum are fair to
good on crabs at San Luis Pass.
TEXAS CITY: Sheepshead, croaker, sand trout, black
drum and whiting are fair off the pier at the end of
the dike on fresh dead shrimp. Black drum are fair to
good in the channel on crabs.
FREEPORT: Sheepshead, black drum, flounder and
croaker are fair to good at San Luis Pass on shrimp
and mullet. Redfish and black drum and fair to good
over reefs in Christmas Bay and at Cold Pass on
shrimp and cracked crabs.
WEST
ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 42 degrees;
1.95 low. Black bass are fair on live bait and
black/chartreuse ring worms fished tight to cover.
Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 50 degrees;
2.65' low. Black bass are slow on spinnerbaits in
back of coves and creeks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs near derricks about 17 feet and near
Seminole Island. White bass are fair on shad-imitation baits near Pawnee Point. Blue catfish are good
on shad, punch bait and juglines suspended 2 feet
off bottom near cormorant roost sites.
COLORADO CITY: Water clear; 54 degrees; 2' low.
Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs. White bass are fair. Redfish are slow. Catfish are
fair on live bait.
FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 55 degrees; 6.85'
low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair.
HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees;
10.85' low. Black bass are slow on live bait and dark
plastics fished tight to cover. Crappie are fair on jigs
and minnows. White bass and hybrid striper are fair
on live bait and chrome crankbaits. Catfish are fair on
prepared baits.
NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 53 degrees.
Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on live bait.
Redfish are slow. White bass and striped bass are
good on shad. Catfish are fair on chicken liver and
cut shad.
OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 52 degrees;
minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on minnows. No
boat ramps open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on dirt
road near the dam.
OH. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 17.2'
low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair
on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs
tipped with minnows. Smallmouth bass are fair on
small crankbaits. Channel catfish are fair on live bait.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 51 degrees; 6.8'
low. Black bass are fair in Rock Creek area. White
bass are good in Bluff Creek and Neely's Slough.
EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair while drifting shell
reefs on bone and fire tiger Red Killers, Bass
Assassins, Trout Killers, Hogies and Sand Eels.
Redfish are fair around Brown Cedar Flats and St.
Mary's on black baits and live shrimp.
MATAGORDA: Trout and redfish are fair on the south
shoreline on bone, glow and morning glory Sand Eels,
Bass Assassins and Trout Killers. Redfish and black
drum are fair to good at Shell Island on live shrimp.
PORT O'CONNOR: Sheepshead, redfish and black
drum are good at the jetty on mullet, crabs and
shrimp. Trout are good for waders working reefs surrounded by mud in San Antonio Bay and Espiritu
Santo Bay on bone, glow and plum Red Killers, Sand
Eels, Hogies and Bass Assassins.
ROCKPORT: Black drum are fair to good on crabs in
the Lydia Ann Channel. Trout are fair to good at night
under the lights from the piers on DOA Shrimp.
PORT ARANSAS: Trout are fair in the holes and guts
of Aransas Bay on red and glow plastics. Oversized
drum are fair to good in the ship channel on cut-bait.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Black drum are fair to good in the
channels on mullet and crabs. Trout, redfish and
black drum are fair to good on the reefs in Nueces
Bay on live shrimp under a popping cork and black
Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to around rocks and grass
beds on Corkies and soft plastics Black drum are fair
to good from the piers and in the Land Cut on sea
lice and crabs.
PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good in the potholes and guts on red/white and bone Red Killer,
Bass Assassins, Trout Killers, Sand Eels and Hogies.
Trout and redfish are fair for drifters working the flats.
SOUTH PADRE: Trout are fair in the guts on fire tiger
and glow Trout Killers, Bass Assassins and Sand Eels.
Mangrove snapper, sheepshead and black drum are
fair to good in the Brownsville Ship Channel on live
shrimp and squid.
PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair in the guts
and holes off the Intracoastal on shrimp and bonecolored Trout Killers, Sand Eels and Bass Assassins.
Trout are fair to good at Laguna Vista on Corkies.
ADVENTURE
Shoal Grass in step with outdoors
By David Sikes
A light breeze greeted our arrival to
the waters over Stedman Reef. The
tide was brisk and rising, resulting in
a surface that sparkled with baitfish
activity, enough to make any angler
giddy.
We were alone on the bay. So when
Bobby Caskey killed the engine, the
mood aboard his boat became almost
reverent at the possibility of what
might be in store. Keeton Eoff and I
stepped lightly into positions on
opposite decks and stood gazing at
the predator-prey display while
Caskey edged us ever closer to the
seething reef.
This was a topwater situation if
ever there was one. And soon Eoff
confirmed this hunch, twice.
I began twitching a black/chartreuse MirrOLure across as many
swirls as I could reach. My initial payoff came packaged as a halfhearted
slap from a small trout. Missed it,
amid a collective groan from my partners. Instinctively I paused and then
returned to a rhythmic retrieve.
Again I was interrupted by a distinctive surface pop. But this time I felt a
more deliberate predatory punch.
It was a big redfish. And there were
more.
This coveted scene occurred within
minutes of launching from Shoal
Grass Lodge. Indeed, we could see the
lodge’s roof from our position.
Convenience should be among
the premier offerings of a fishing or
hunting lodge. I’m not talking
about amenities shared by most
upscale camps that cater to busy
outdoor enthusiasts. Good food,
comfortable quarters and a host of
other trappings of hospitality
should be a given and the Shoal
Grass guests I shared time with this
past spring certainly were drawn by
these and not disappointed.
But I’m talking about proximity.
IF YOU GO:
Lodging and fishing: Shoalgrasslodge.com. Contact Terry Upton
at [email protected] or call (866) 758-5307.
That’s what Shoal Grass Lodge
offers waterfowlers and anglers. Few
of us enjoy traveling great distances
to find ducks or catch fish. Even
fewer enjoy traveling great distances
to come up empty. They understand
this at Bobby Caskey’s Orvisendorsed lodge near Hampton’s
Landing in Aransas Pass.
For years this lodge stood as a
monument to Texas oil and the
brashness bred by decades of sustained success. But when the oil
business crashed and hard times followed, Teal Lodge, as it was known
then, tarnished. This stage of its life
lends a hint of irony to the house on
the hill that many admired but few
entered. Now it’s public.
And it is again a grand place.
With its well-manicured lawns, it
offers a striking profile overlooking
Redfish Bay. Through it all, lodge
manager Terry Upton has maintained the same standards of excellence once enjoyed by oil company
execs. It was a smart move to keep
Upton on staff. He knows the area
well and enjoys the bounty of western Redfish Bay as much as the
guests.
And if a 10-minute boat ride consumes too much time, you might
enjoy catching aggressive mangrove
snapper from the lodge’s bulkhead
while standing on the lodge’s cool
St. Augustine green. During warmer
months, this is an emerging sunset
tradition at Shoal Grass, the Coastal
Bend lodge that Texas oil built.
Photos by David J. Sams (above) and David Sikes (top).
Lake Amis
Amisttad —
fished bbyy the bes
bestt
. . . and the bes
bestt
will be fishin
g.
fishing.
Make Plans To Come Support Your Favorite
Fisherman at one of the upcoming tournaments
on Lake Amistad.
2006
Bass Champs — January 20-22
Texas Tournament Trails — February 3-5
FLW Stern Series — February 22-25
Texas Federation of B.A.S.S. — February 26 - March 3
ESPN - Battle on the Border — March 9-12
For Information Contact The Del Rio Chamber of Commerce
1-800-889-8149 — www.drchamber.com
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Moon waters - Lone Star Outdoor News

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