Lower Laguna is Big Trout Haven Deer Permit Bill Killed

FISHING
Te x a s ’ P r e m i e r O u t d o o r N e w s p a p e r
May 27, 2005
$1.75
Volume I, Issue 19
Who Likes Ike?
See page 11
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
INSIDE
FISHING NEWS
The crappie spring spawn is
approaching its peak. Get tips
on catching these great little
fish and find out when they’ll be
heading back into deeper water.
See page 8
Lower
Laguna is
Big Trout
Haven
By Richard Moore
W
Outdoor retail giant Cabela’s has
arrived in Fort Worth, and
visitors can expect sport and
spectacle on a Texas-sized
scale.
See page 6
HUNTING NEWS
TBGA’s big game contest
attracts a record number of
entries this season. Find out the
top winners in each category.
See page 5
Some Texas hunters got more
than they bargined for during a
Montana hunt. Out-of-state
game wardens say the outfitter
wasn’t licensed and neither were
the hunts..
See page 6
hen Bud Rowland
of Port Isabel cast
his favorite fly, the
“numero uno” to a
large spotted seatrout on the
morning of May 23, 2002, he
knew he was making a presentation to a big fish. Just how big
would not be revealed until several minutes later when he
weighed the new state record
trout.
The fish, which he caught in
the Lower Laguna Madre a few
miles north of the Queen
Isabella Causeway, weighed 15
pounds 6 ounces and measured
37 ? inches. After weighing the
trout on a certified handheld
Chatillon scale, Rowland and
two witnesses measured and
photographed the fish before
releasing her.
“After quickly weighing and
photographing her on a spoil
bank, I told them I was going to
release her,” Rowland recalled.
“I knew I had an unbelievable
fish, and I thought over and over
whether I should kill her or
release her, but she was full of
eggs. I release nearly all of my big
trout anyway, and now her
genetics can continue in our bay
system.”
George Garcia of Mercedes
Continued on page 11
CONSERVATION UPDATE
Menhaden are prime food for
ocean sport fish. An East Coast
regulatory agency wants to cap
harvests while a Houston
business objects.
See page 4
3-D Bowhunting Can Cure
Hot Weather Doldrums
By Lynn Burkhead
NATIONAL NEWS
Legislation reaffirming individual
states’ rights to regulate hunting
and fishing gained White House
approval this month.
See page 5
DEPARTMENTS
Product Picks
Page 13
Wild in the Kitchen
Page 14
Made in Texas
Page 14
Texas Word Treasures Crossword
Page 14
This Week’s Weather
Page 15
Bordering Texas
Page 15
This Week’s Fishing Report
Page 16
Heroe’s Corner
Page 19
Game Warden Blotter
Page 17
Outdoor Datebook
Page 19
BIG TROUT: Tink Pinkard battles a speckeled trout. TPW surveys show the largest fish like the Lower Maguna Madre.
F
or the serious bowhunter,
the approach of summer
can try the soul.
Spring turkey season has
just ended. Next fall’s deer season isn’t even a glimmer on the
horizon yet. And between now
and then, it would seem that
another long, hot Lone Star
summer is waiting in the wings.
But believe it or not, the next
few months just might be the
most important time of the year
for bowhunters hoping to seal
the deal in a moment of truth
next autumn.
Continued on page 7
Deer Permit Bill Killed
By Mark England
A
bill that critics charged
would have led to the
private ownership of
white-tailed deer in
Texas as well as canned hunts
and the spread of disease has
been derailed by its sponsor, Sen.
Chris
Harris,
R-Arlington.
An aide to Harris, Scott Barnett,
said the bill is dead for this leg-
islative session. Harris removed
Senate Bill 1765 from consideration and doesn’t plan to reintroduce it, said Barnett.
The bill would have changed
the rules governing those with a
scientific deer breeder’s permit.
It reduced the oversight responsibilities of Texas Parks and
Wildlife, allowing deer breeders
applying for a comprehensive
high-fence deer management
Continued on page 9
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
PLANO, TX
PERMIT 210
SHARP SHOOTER: Mike Panther aims his bow at a bighorn sheep target.
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Page 4 May 27, 2005
CONSERVATION UPDATE
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes
Creation Of Texas Refuge To Save Forests
F
ish and Wildlife Service
Presents Options for a
Proposed
National
Wildlife Refuge
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has drafted different
options for creating a federal
Neches River National Wildlife
Refuge in Anderson and
Cherokee counties in Texas to
conserve and manage declining
bottomland hardwood forests.
Information from public
comment meetings held earlier
in the month will be considered
in the proposal. Once any
resulting changes are made, the
package is submitted to the
director of the FWS. The director makes the final decision on
whether to establish a refuge
and, if so, which option to use
in designating refuge boundaries.
Only after the director has
approved the proposal, would
the service be able to enter into
any negotiations to purchase
lands within the specified areas
from willing sellers.
The
Service buys from willing sellers
only. The establishment of a
refuge does not affect private
landowners with no interest in
selling their land.
Copies of the options (print
or CD) are available in advance
by calling (505) 248-6813 or
writing the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service at PO Box 1306,
Albuquerque, NM, 87103, attn:
Division of Planning, National
Wildlife Refuge System or on
the
internet
at:
http://www.fws.gov/sout hwest/refuges/Plan/index.html.
Click on Completed Plans and
Drafts.
The proposal for establishing
a National Wildlife Refuge was
introduced to the public in
August 2004.
— A U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service report
Agency Asks Public To Comment On Menhaden Plan
Atlantic States Plan To Cap Houston Company's Harvest
T
he
Atlantic
States
Marine
Fisheries
Commission plans to
limit the number of
menhaden harvested for industrial use from the Chesapeake
Bay.
“This is an important step forward toward proactive conservation measures to ensure a
healthy menhaden population
in
the
bay,”
said
Bill
Goldsborough, senior fisheries
scientist at the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation.
The action taken by the
ASMFC, the multi-state regulatory body that manages the stock,
will seek public comment and
conduct public hearings this
summer in Maryland, Virginia
and other East Coast states on a
management plan that would
cap the annual harvest at
110,400 metric tons. This harvest
cap is based on the average annual harvest over the past five years.
Both Maryland Gov. Robert
Ehrlich and the state’s congressional delegation urged the commission to place a limit on the
industrial harvest until more
research can be done.
“It just makes common sense
to cap the industrial purse seine
harvest of menhaden while we
try to learn more about its
impact,” said Sherman Baynard,
fisheries committee chairman of
the
Coastal
Conservation
Association of Maryland. “After
all, as recreational anglers know,
almost every fish caught in the
bay has a catch limit. Menhaden
should also.”
The ASMFC rejected an initiative offered by Omega Protein,
the Houston-based company
that takes 90 percent of the
entire East Coast menhaden
catch. In their proposal the
industry would voluntarily cap
their harvest, but at an increased
level of 135,000 metric tons
annually for the next four years.
Omega, which recently opened
up a newly enhanced processing
plant in Reedville, Virginia, also
wants to reopen state waters,
such as those of Maryland and
New Jersey, which are currently
closed to industrial purse seine
operations.
“While recreational anglers and
conservationists are calling for
maintaining the catch at current
levels, Omega Protein is advocating a dramatic increase in their
harvest,” said David Festa, oceans
program
director
at
Environmental
Defense.
“Obviously, such a plan would
only exacerbate the current situation — not remedy it.”
Menhaden have been called the
most important fish in the sea.
They are prime food for striped
bass and other popular sport fish.
Photo by Scott Sommerlatte.
They are also the prime filter feeder for the Chesapeake Bay, next to
oysters that are grossly depleted.
However, recent studies have
shown that the overall number of
menhaden is at near historic lows
and predators that depend on the
fish as a food source, such as
striped bass, are suffering malnutrition and poor body condition.
“This is a very important fish to
the ecosystem. That is why anyone who cares about the future of
the Chesapeake and the Atlantic
Coast fishery should go to these
public hearings,” said Ken
Hinman, president of the
National Coalition for Marine
Conservation. “Through their
comments and letters, they are
going to help their commissioners make the right decision for the
fish and the future of fishing.”
Menhaden Matter, a unique
cooperative effort of concerned
conservation and recreation
organizations, has applauded the
proposed cap. Group members
including the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation,
Coastal
Conservation
Association,
Environmental Defense and the
National Coalition for Marine
Conservation.
See www/asmfc.org/ for comment information.
— An Environmental Defense
report
Diverse Wildlife Organizations Back Refuge Spending
CARE Organization Still Cautious About Future Budgets
M
embers
of
the
Cooperative Alliance
for
Refuge
Enhancement
backed the fiscal year 2006 funding level approved by a U.S. House
subcommittee for the National
Wildlife Refuge System.
With the Appropriations
Committee recommending $394
million for refuge system operations and maintenance, organization members were pleased, but
also cautious about future
prospects.
Groups which otherwise might
be at odds over some policy issues
were unified when addressing the
immediate budget needs of the
refuge system, a part of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. The 21
member groups of CARE represent a wide spectrum of constituencies, including Defenders
of Wildlife, National Audubon
Society,
Ducks
Unlimited,
National Wildlife Federation,
Trout Unlimited, Safari Club
International, National Wildlife
Refuge Association, and the
National Rifle Association,
among others.
“In the current climate of
shrinking budgets, we appreciate
the efforts to develop a budget
that provides basic operations
and maintenance needs for the
Refuge System,” said Evan
Hirsche, president of the National
Wildlife Refuge Association and
chair of the CARE group. “We are
all aware of just how tough the
current budget climate is, and are
hopeful that future years will be
better,” continued Hirsche.
“It is encouraging to see with
this mark that the House is willing to increase funding to federal
programs that have a track record
of superb performance, and the
National Wildlife Refuge System
is just that kind of program. It is
our hope that the Refuge System
continues to be a high funding
priority for lawmakers well into
the future,” said Steve Kline, conservation associate for the Izaak
Walton League of America.
Reducing the multi-billion-dollar operations and maintenance
backlog is imperative to ensure
the biological integrity, diversity,
and environmental health of the
refuge
system,
said
Sean
McMahon, director of the
National Land Stewardship
Campaign at the National
Wildlife Federation.
“Without the National Wildlife
Refuge System, many of our
nation’s treasured wildlife species
would simply have no place to call
home. Maintaining the Refuge
System costs money, and we
thank the members of the subcommittee who have increased
funding for basic operations to
keep up with the annual
increased costs for the Refuge
System in the face of pressure to
make large budget cuts,” added
Noah Matson, director of
Defenders of Wildlife’s Federal
Lands Program.
“Of course, we look forward to a
time when the Refuge System
backlog can be addressed in a
bolder fashion,” said Hirsche.
The organizations in CARE are
as follows:
American Birding Association
American Fisheries Society
American Sportfishing
Association
Assateague Coastal Trust
Congressional Sportsmen’s
Foundation
Defenders of Wildlife
Ducks Unlimited
International Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies
Izaak Walton League of America
National Association of Service
and Conservation Corps
National Audubon Society
National Rifle Association of
America
National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Refuge
Association
Safari Club International
The Wilderness Society
The Wildlife Society
Trout Unlimited
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
Wildlife Forever
Wildlife Management Institute
— A Cooperative Alliance For
Refuge Enhancement report
May 27, 2005 Page 5
NATIONAL NEWS
Your Call Of The Wild Could
Win National Applause
S
ome of the nation’s best
game callers will compete
for a combined $40,000 in
cash and prizes at the fifth
annual
National
Rifle
Association’s Great American
Hunter’s
Game
Calling
Challenge in Virginia.
The contest will be held at NRA
Headquarters in Fairfax, Va. June
3-5.
All competitors are required to
imitate the sounds of at least four
out of seven species selected for
the contest. Few other game calling contests require such versatility, according to NRA’s Web site.
The seven species are: whitetailed deer, elk, turkey, barred
owl, Canada goose, mallard duck,
and coyote/predator. Callers may
receive up to 300 points for each
animal or bird, with a maximum
score of 2,100 points. Each contestant must perform different
types of calls such as locating,
feeding, and mating calls for each
species. There are three divisions
of competition: Hunter, Pro, and
Team. Anyone may enter the Pro
and Team divisions, but entrants
in the Hunter Division may not
have won a national calling contest.
The art of game calling is an
age-old skill upon which early
hunters relied for their very survival. Today it is a skill that continues to aid hunters and is
enjoyed by millions of people for
the pure challenge of understanding and imitating different
animal sounds.
Last year, Dave Martinez of
Sylmar, Calif., was crowned
world champion in the hunter
division, winning more than
$5,000 in cash and prizes, while
Doug Benefield of Newnan, Ga.,
received the world champion laurels in the Professional Division.
Benefield and Daymon Davis, of
Danville, Penn., also received the
title of world champions in team
competition. This double victory
brought Benefield’s purse to over
$11,000 in cash and prizes.
Benefield — who owns and
operates an auto repair shop in
Atlanta, Ga., when he is not running his outfitter business in Pike
County, Ill. — doesn’t really
spend much time practicing his
game calls. “Last year I just
showed up and spent the day
before the competition practicing. I practiced so much that day
that I bruised my upper lip,” he
said. What about this year? “I am
practicing a lot more since I figure
people will be gunning for me,”
he said.
Awards are given to the top
three finishers in each division,
and include trophies, cash, and
product prizes — the number of
entrants will determine the cash
awards breakdown.
IT TAKES ON
KIDS.
IT TAKES ON
CARGO.
IT EVEN TAKES
ON THE
COMPETITION.
GMC Yukon SLT
— An NRA Report
Bush: It's Up To States To Regulate Hunting
President Bush signed a bill
this month reaffirming states’
rights to regulate hunting and
fishing licenses and tag limits.
Traditionally, states have regulated hunting and fishing within their borders, but that authority came into question when the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled that states restricting nonresident hunting tags must do so
in the least discriminatory way.
The case originated in
Arizona, filed by three New
Mexico outfitters who claimed
restrictions on nonresidents in
some big game hunts were discriminatory. Then, the outfitters
sued Nevada in July, alleging
Nevada’s draw system that
reserves most big game tags for
residents was illegal because it
discriminated against nonresidents, according to news reports
by the Associated Press and other
news organizations.
In some states, such as Nevada,
the new federal law upholds
rules that favor residents over
out-of-state applicants.
The bill enjoyed bipartisan
support and was sponsored by
several
Western
states.
Eventually, it was attached to an
emergency appropriations bill
for defense, terrorism and tsunami relief signed by Bush.
ing season is tentatively for
Oct. 15-20, with an antlerless
moose season in Wildlife
Management Units D2 and E to
be held Oct. 22-27.
Lottery
applications
for
Vermont moose hunting permits are available at license
agents throughout the state
and from the Vermont Fish &
Wildlife Department, 103
South Main St., Waterbury, VT,
05671. Call (802) 241-3700, or email the following address:
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MOOSE HUNTING DEADLINE NEARS
The deadline to send in a
Vermont moose hunting lottery application is July 1,
according to the Vermont Fish
& Wildlife Department.
“The applications were mistakenly printed with May 1
indicated as a deadline,” said
Fish
&
Wildlife
Commissioner Wayne
Laroche. “Last year we
increased the amount of
time hunters had to
apply.”
Wildlife biologists are
prescribing that 1,045
moose hunting permits
be issued for the October
2005 hunting season, an
increase of 195 permits
over the number authorized in
2004.
Biologists
estimate
the
moose population at about
4,700 statewide.
The statewide moose hunt-
THE
YUKON
ADVANTAGE
fwinformation@anr.state.vt.us.
Download a copy of the application
from
www.vtfishand
wildlife.com. Permits are issued
by lottery to residents and nonresidents.
Lottery applications are $10
for residents and $25 for nonresidents. Winners of the permit lottery will purchase
resident permits for $100
and nonresident permits for
$350.
Hunters will also have the
opportunity to bid on one
of five permits being auctioned off to the highest
bidders.
Hunters took 539 moose
in Vermont’s 2004 hunting
season with a statewide average
success rate of 65 percent. If the
Fish and Wildlife Board approves
the proposed number of permits, hunters are expected to
take about 670 moose this year.
A CONSUMERS
DIGEST
BEST BUY
WE ARE PROFESSIONAL GRADE.
®
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS FACE OFF WITH GUNS
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Shooting Contest Tests Skills Of Lawmakers
N
early two dozen members
of
the
Congressional
Sportsmen’s Caucus
gathered at the Prince George’s
County Trap and Skeet Center
in Glenn Dale, Maryland, to
prove their markmanship this
month.
The lawmakers competed in
the Great Congressional ShootOut, an annual event that pits
political parties against each
other on the trap, skeet and
sporting clays fields. The
Congressional
Sportsmen’s
Foundation hosts the event to
give lawmakers the chance to
understand their sportsmen
constituents, according to a
foundation news release.
Republicans, led by Caucus
Co-Chairs, Senator Mike Crapo
of Idaho and Congressman
Adam Putnam of Florida, were
the straightest shooters on
Capitol Hill this year — at least
on
the
shotgun
range.
Republican Congressman Duke
Cunningham of California tri-
umphed as the contest’s Top
Gun with a score of 65 broken
clays out of 75.
“I am thrilled to have shot so
well and to share this victory
with the rest of my party.
However, this event has nothing
to do with partisan politics and
everything to do with banding
together across party lines in
defense of sportsmen,” said
Cunningham.
— A Congressional Sportsmen’s
Foundation report
SEE THE PROS AT YOUR LOCAL GMC DEALER
Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution.
*Call 1-888-4ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827) or visit onstar.com
for system limitations and details.
**Available in the 48 contiguous states. Basic service fees apply.
Visit gm.xmradio.com for details.
©2005 OnStar Corp. All rights reserved. OnStar and the OnStar
emblem are registered trademarks of OnStar Corporation.
©2005 XM Satellite Radio Inc. All rights reserved. The XM name
and related logos are registered trademarks of XM Satellite Radio Inc.
©2005 General Motors Corp. All rights reserved. Yukon, GMC and
the GMC logo are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
Page 6 May 27, 2005
HUNTING
Big Outdoor Retailer Opens First Of Two Texas Stores
C
abela’s – part big-box
outdoor retailer, part
tourist attraction – is
making its Texas debut
in Fort Worth this week.
Whether buyer or browser, the
230,000-square-foot store is aiming to please. The store, located
at the interchange of Interstate
35 West and Highway 170 will
feature a boat showroom and
maintenance shop, wildlife
mounts at the store’s diorama, a
40-foot “conservation mountain,” a 12,000-square-foot trophy deer museum, and a 65,000gallon aquarium. Other features
include a laser arcade, gun
library, restaurant – and even a
dog kennel for customers traveling with their pets.
Oh yeah, and there’s the store.
Outdoor clothing and gear for
hunting, fishing, camping
and just about
any other outdoor activity
you can think
of is for sale.
“We
are
thrilled
that
Texas
is
Cabela’s first
location in the
southern part
of the United
States,” said Dennis Highby,
Cabela’s president and CEO.
“Texans are passionate about the
great outdoors, and our stores
serve as a tribute to conservation
and wildlife. It’s a perfect fit.”
part of a cluster
of
businesses
that
include
hotels, restaurants and other
t r ave l - r e l a t e d
services.
Cabela’s
is
counting
on
more than 4
million people
to visit the Fort
Worth
store
each year, and
more than 3.5
million to visit
The Fort Worth store is expected to employee 500 people.
The chain will follow up June
30 with the opening of its Buda
store outside of Austin.
Both stores are expected to be
the chain $600,000 from the
Texas Enterprise Fund.
Fort Worth city leaders
approved a 20-year economic
incentive program for Cabela’s
worth about $40 million. Buda
offered Cabela’s incentives estimated to be worth about $36
million.
— A Staff Report
the Buda store.
Cabela’s, which markets itself
as a tourist attraction in other
states as well, received a first-ever
grant for a retailer in May 2004
when Gov. Rick Perry awarded
Gov. Perry Appoints Friedkin And Holt To Parks And Wildlife Commission
G
ov.
Rick
Perry
announced
the
appointment of T. Dan
Friedkin of Houston
and Peter M. Holt of Blanco to the
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Commission for terms to expire
Feb. 1, 2011. The commission
oversees the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department.
Friedkin is president and CEO
of Friedkin Companies, with
responsibility for companies and
investments principally in the
automotive industry. These
include Gulf States Toyota, one of
the world’s largest privately held
Toyota distributorships. He is an
avid outdoorsman who is active
in wildlife conservation initiatives in the United States and
abroad. He is a trustee of the
Kinkaid School Board, advisory
director with J.P. Morgan Chase
in Houston and member of the
Young President’s Organization.
Friedkin serves on the advisory
board of the Texas A&M Caesar
Kleberg
Wildlife
Research
Institute.
A
graduate
of
Georgetown University, he
received a master’s degree from
Rice University.
Holt is CEO of HOLT CAT, the
largest Caterpillar distributor in
the United States. He also is principal owner and chairman of the
Spurs Sports and Entertainment,
and is being reappointed to the
commission. Holt is a member of
the World President’s Association
and trustee of the Palmer Drug
Abuse Program in Corpus Christi.
He serves on the board of J.P.
Morgan Chase Bank; San Antonio
Economic
Development
Foundation, Inc.; the Free Trade
Alliance of San Antonio, and St.
Mary’s Hall. Holt also serves on
the development board of the
University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio
and is a board member of The
Trust Company, the Texas State
Aquarium and Trinity University.
He is a former chairman of San
Antonio United Way and remains
active in the organization. In
2003, Holt was inducted into the
Business Hall of Fame and in 2004
he and his wife, Julianna, were
honored by the World Affairs
Council as the International
Citizens of the Year. He is a volunteer with the Spurs Drug-Free
Youth Basketball League and the
Fannie Mae Foundation’s Home
Team Partnership. Holt is a
Vietnam veteran, who was awarded a Purple Heart, Silver Star and
three Bronze Stars for Valor.
Appointments are subject to
senate confirmation.
—A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
Montana Game Wardens Give Thumbs
Down To Hunting Practices Shown In Video
By Mark England
J
eff Darrah is a Montana
game warden captain, not
a film critic. But he and his
officers said what they saw
in a video shot in their state
looked downright criminal.
So much so that two game
wardens for Montana Fish,
Wildlife and Parks charged six
Texans with illegal hunting –
and the wardens used the a
home video to help make the
cases. Authorities have accused
the Texans of hunting with an
outfitter whom state officials
said wasn’t licensed. The outfitter is the target of an ongoing investigation.
“In our state, if you hire
someone who’s not licensed,
you’re guilty as well,” Darrah
said. “Generally, if you’ve got a
deal that sounds too good to
be true, it probably is. When
someone doesn’t have to pay
things like insurance, he can
afford to give you a cut rate.”
Montana game wardens Bill
Koppen and Jeff Campbell
traveled to Dallas in April looking for 12 Texans. They interviewed nine. They charged six,
and four of those have pleaded
guilty and paid fines totaling
more than $4,000. Texas Parks
and Wildlife game warden
Tom Carbone assisted Koppen
and Campbell. Some of the
Texans cited knew what they
were getting into, Carbone
said.
“A Montana game warden
asked one man, ‘Do you think
a legitimate outfitter would ask
you to pay him in cash?’” said
Carbone, who is based in
Dallas. “The man said, ‘Yeah,
probably not.’ He knew he
wasn’t hiring a bona fide outfitter.”
Carbone said the individuals
charged had hunted with the
suspected illegal outfitter, who
videotaped his hunting parties, at different times. Most of
the illegal hunting occurred in
western Montana, near Seeley
Lake, with mule deer and elk
the primary targets.
Why hire an illegal outfitter?
They look the other way, claim
Montana officials. Several citations involved shooting multiple animals on a single license.
“Montana is a big place,”
Carbone said. “I guess these
hunters were rolling the dice
and betting they wouldn’t be
caught.”
Hunters can check whether a
person is a licensed outfitter in
Montana by calling (406) 8412370 or by going to the Web
site of the Business Standards
Division (www.state.mt.us/dli/
bsd/) and clicking on the
Licensee Lookup System.
Outfitters are assigned an area
by the state and must keep
detailed information on their
hunters as well as what they
shoot.
Individuals cited for illegal
hunting in Montana don’t face
extradition, but they can pay a
heavy price by refusing to pay
their fines. The state is part of
the Interstate Wildlife Violator
Compact, made up of 19 primarily western states. Hunters
banned from one member
state may be banned from the
others.
Chasing illegal outfitters and
hunters is about more than
pursuing lost state revenue,
insists J.D. Douglas, a Montana
field warden.
“We shut down a poaching
ring more than a year ago,” he
said. “Since that time, the
buck-to-doe ratio in that area
has gone up, as has the quality
of bucks. That’s according to
our biologists. Usually these
parties have grounds they’re
comfortable working in. What
with taking animals out of season and over the limit, they
can impact the species in an
area.”
According to Montana Fish,
Wildlife and Parks, those who
pleaded guilty include:
Woody Jarmon, 56, Dallas.
Two counts of obtaining the
services of an unlicensed outfitter. Pleaded guilty. Paid a
fine of $770.
Chad Jarmon, 22, Dallas. Six
counts of obtaining the services of an unlicensed outfitter.
Pleaded guilty. Paid a fine of
$2,310.
Paul
Heikkinen,
57,
Mesquite. One count of unlawful possession of a game animal. Pleaded guilty. Paid a fine
of $535 and lost hunting privileges in compact states for 24
months.
James Tim Payton, 52,
Dallas. One count of unlawful
possession of a game animal.
Pleaded guilty. Paid a fine of
$535 and lost hunting privileges in compact states for 24
months. Also pleaded guilty to
a second charge of loaning his
hunting license to another
person. Paid a fine of $220.
May 27, 2005 Page 7
Continued from page 1
3-D Hunting
TARGET PRACTICE: Charles Bruton removes arrows from a 3-D target while Mike Panther helps steady the target. The men were practicing at the Mesquite
Archery Club. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
In other words, it’s 3-D time in
Texas.
Across the Lone Star State,
hunters are ending their off-season
nap by flinging arrows at a variety
of 3-D, or three-dimensional, foam
targets shaped like whitetails, mule
deer, elk, and wild pigs.
All of this, of course, is in an
effort to have their equipment
tuned flawlessly and their skills
with a stick and string honed to a
razor-sharp edge by the time the
first cool breezes of September
begin to blow.
Orvie Cantrell Jr., owner of Big
O’s Archery Shop in Sherman, is
one Texas archer who knows full
well the benefits of off-season 3-D
practice.
“The main thing I like about 3D is that it keeps you in touch
with your equipment and shooting form during the off-season,”
Cantrell said. “It also helps you
keep your shooting muscles
toned.”
An avid bowhunter for whitetails, elk, and Texas exotics,
Cantrell suggests that there are
other reasons for sending arrows
downrange at a glorified piece of
foam on a summer evening.
“From an accuracy perspective,
shooting 3-D certainly helps you
judge distances better,” Cantrell
said. “Plus, it helps you learn to
hold on a specific spot on the target.”
Aside from those physical bene-
TBGA Scores Banner Year
With Record Game Entries
Best Mule Deer Ever Taken With Bow Bagged
By Lynn Burkhead
T
he deer and the antelope
didn’t roam, but more
hunters
than
ever
entered their big bucks
and antelopes in this year’s
Texas Big Game Awards program.
With ample natural food available on the state’s woodsy buffet, big game movement was limited in some parts of the state
thanks to the lush range conditions, which had some hunters
complaining.
“Last year was a great year for
antler quality,” agreed David
Brimager, who heads up the
Texas Big Game Awards program
from his post with the Texas
Wildlife Association.
“The last couple of years have
been pretty darn good as compared to the season in 1992,
which was one of the best ever. I
think last year was in the same
ballpark – it was just that the
deer did not have to move far for
what they need.”
Even with the situation as it
was, the TBGA program still set a
record with more than 1,530
scored entries being received by
the program’s March 15t deadline.
“Our total scored entries were
at an all-time high,” Brimager
said. “But when I looked at certain regions of the state, some
had lower entries than the previous year. I think that is due to
better habitat conditions – more
rainfall – and the deer not moving as much for food and water.
Therefore the hunters weren’t
seeing the deer.”
But for those hunters who did
see a whitetail, mule deer or
antelope buck on the prowl last
Continued on page 11
fits, former Fort Worth and current Colorado Springs resident
Brian Strickland has another key
reason to shoot at animal shaped
3-D targets.
“I will actually act like I’m stalking or sneaking up on it,”
Strickland said.
Such
summertime
“dress
rehearsals” help Strickland seal
the deal come fall, something that
he has already done on four
record-class animals including
two whitetails, a trophy bull elk,
and a fine pronghorn antelope.
That collection of trophies is
made even more impressive by the
fact that Strickland has been carrying a stick-and-string only since
the year 2000.
“I think a lot of it (bowhunting
success) is a mindset,” Strickland
said. “I think a lot of people miss
shots because of the mental aspect
more than anything else.”
“I’m already thinking about
next fall’s elk season and it (shooting at a 3-D target) helps me get
into the mental frame of mind to
go through the proper shot preparation and hopefully execute a
shot at a 320-inch bull.”
Keep in mind that Cantrell
advocates that there’s far more to
all of this than simply flinging
arrows mindlessly at 3-D targets in
the backyard, at a local archery
club or bow shop target course, or
on a tournament shooting range.
“Perfect, practice makes perfect,
but bad practice makes bad
habits,” Cantrell stressed. “I tell
guys don’t shoot 200 shots, but
instead, go out and shoot 25 really
good shots.”
And executing really good shots
— or specifically, executing one
great shot — are the whole point
of off-season 3-D archery target
shooting.
“If you start to get tired, put it
down and come back a half-hour
hour later or even tomorrow and
make sure that you’re executing
really good shots.”
Lynn Burkhead is a frequent
contributor to Lone Star Outdoor
News and an associate editor for
ESPNOutdoors.com.
Bring me my
Lone Star Outdoor News!
Good dog.
To subscribe, turn to page 17
or visit www.lonestaroutdoornews.com.
Page 8 May 27, 2005
FISHING
Crappie Attraction: A fisherman takes
advantage of a roadway support structure
when fishing for crappie. Conditions are
excellent for catching the tasty fish.
Minnows are a good bait to try in the
shallows. Otherwise experts recommend
artificial jigs.
Prime Time For North Texas Crappie Fishing
’Tis The Season To Target These Tasty Panfish On Region’s Reservoirs And Lakes
By Lynn Burkhead
A
fter considerable difficulty in launching his
boat on the spring rain starved Lake Texoma,
Larry St. Clair was an angler on a
mission as he nestled his craft up
to the first crappie brush pile of
the afternoon.
“Hook up one of these minnows and slip it right in there
tight to that brush pile,” St.
Clair instructed one angler. “If
you’re not getting hung up from
time to time, you’re not going to
catch any crappie out of that
brush pile.”
Meanwhile, St. Clair’s longtime friend and visiting
Floridian angler Glenn Hawley
helped a young boy rig his
Calcutta cane pole and slip-bobber combination.
Moments later, the slip bobber quivered, then jolted
sharply downward as the kid
lifted the rod and swung aboard
the first keeper crappie – but certainly not the last – of the day.
By all appearances, the peak
of this year’s spring crappie
spawn is at hand.
Texas Parks and Wildlife’s biology crew on Lake Grapevine
confirmed conditions were
superb.
“We caught a lot of crappie
that were shallow in 3- to 4-feet
of water,” said Rafe Brock, a TPW
inland fisheries district supervisor from Fort Worth. “There
were about 20 or 30 in one area.”
In other words, there may not
be any better time this year than
the present to target these tasty
panfish as they invade the shallows.
“They’re so good to eat, but
can be so hard to catch. So when
you do have the chance to get
them in shallow water where
they’re pretty concentrated, you
take advantage of that because it
doesn’t happen too often,”
Brock said.
Would be sac-au-lait anglers
had better hurry though. Brock
said they’ll be in shallow water
for about two more weeks.
“When the water temps get
into the low 80s, they’ll start
going into a little bit deeper
area,” he said.
Interested in a limit of crappie
filets for the fish fryer? Then
think two things – shallow water
and structure.
“Crappie don’t utilize vegetation like they do structure like
piers, docks, or sunken timber,”
Brock said. “That’s why brush
piles (introduced by anglers)
come into play because habitat is
fairly limiting in some lakes.”
Crappie anglers can fish artificial jigs or live minnows with
good results.
“That depends on your preference,” Brock said. “You can start
with small jigs, and if that doesn’t work, then you can go to
small minnows and keep searching till you find what works that
day.”
Since crappie often group up
and hold at precise depths in the
water column, one key to filling
up the live well is to simply pay
attention to how deep your
offering is when the first fish is
caught.
“Usually, they won’t go down
for them,” Brock said. “I’d start
deep and work your way up
(until you find them).”
With a bevy of good crappie
lakes in the region – Cedar Creek,
Eagle Mountain, Fork, Lavon,
Lewisville, Ray Hubbard, and
Richland Chambers all make
Brock’s short list – the crappie
fishing is certainly good right
now.
And it’s likely to stay that way
in years to come.
“I’d say that the crappie fishing
should be good for a couple of
years thanks to the good water
conditions of the last couple of
years,” Brock said. “When water
levels are high, we get good
(crappie) recruitment and that
pays dividends for future years.”
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For more information, please contact Bucky and Leesa Bonner at
B&B OUTFITTERS - 800.460.1843
WWW.BBOUTFITTERS.COM
exans affected by the proposal to include parts of
the Canadian River area
as critical habitat for the
threatened Arkansas River
shiner will have until June 17
to comment.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service extended the comment
period, which was originally
scheduled to end April 30.
On Oct. 6, 2004 in response
to a decision by the United
States Court for the District of
New Mexico, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service proposed designating 1,244 river miles as
critical habitat for the Arkansas
River shiner, including 300 feet
of adjacent riparian areas
measured outward from each
bank. The areas determined to
be essential to the conservation of the threatened species
include portions of the
Canadian River in New
Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma,
the Beaver/North Canadian
River of Oklahoma, the
Cimarron River in Kansas and
Oklahoma, and the Arkansas
River in Arkansas, Kansas, and
Oklahoma.
The associated draft economic analysis and environmental assessment are not yet
completed.
Rather than
allow the comment period to
expire and then reopen the
comment period for the supporting documents, the comment period will be extended.
A separate notice will be published when the draft economic analysis and draft environmental assessment are
completed. Hearing dates and
locations
will
also
be
announced at that time.
Information supplied during
the comment period will be
essential in evaluating and
finalizing critical habitat areas
and determining where the
benefits of designating an area
might outweigh the benefits of
not including it. All comments
collected will be considered
and addressed in a final rule
due by Sept. 30.
All information relevant to
the critical habitat proposal as
published in the Federal
Register is available on the
Service’s
website
at
http://ifw2es.fws.gov/Oklaho
ma/shiner.htm. Copies also
can be requested by calling
(918) 581-7458, extension 224.
— A U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service report
May 27, 2005 Page 9
Great Bass Fishing Is Simply A Breeze
With The Right Mindset, Windy Days Result In Favorable Fishing
By John N. Felsher
N
obody likes to fish
when brutal winds
churn a big reservoir
into foam, but a stiff
breeze can often put more fish in
a boat.
Strong winds affect fishermen
more than fish. Winds may
make casting and boat control
difficult and fishermen uncomfortable. When winds whip
lakes into muddy froth, most
anglers look for shelter along the
lee shore, but they might run
from the most productive areas
on a lake.
Beneath the waves, fish may
not notice the wind, but they do
notice abundant food and an
oxygen boost. Waves aerate
water by dissolving oxygen and
concentrate bait. With plentiful
food and oxygen, bass find
everything they need. What
works for bass also works for
speckled trout and redfish.
“Getting in a cove or shoreline
out of the wind might be a mistake,” said Todd Faircloth, a
Bassmaster Classic veteran from
Jasper. “Often, wind can be a
friend. Unless conditions are
unbearable, like above 25 knots
and I can’t hold position, I frequently fish in the wind on purpose.”
Winds move plankton-rich
waters. Shad and other baitfish
gather to feed on plankton as it
stacks up along windward
shores. Winds pushing water
drive bait from cover. Currents
also disorient baitfish and break
up schools, making them easy
pickings for ravenous bass.
Breakers pounding shorelines
also rip crawfish or other creatures from their hiding spots.
Waves smashing through cover
hurl clinging morsels into open
water. In addition, winds can
knock insects, lizards, frogs,
mice, snakes or other delectable
creatures into the water.
Winds cause currents. Like
trout in swift streams, bass often
face upstream looking for food
to flow to them. This does not
necessarily mean that they face
into the wind. Water crashing
against a shoreline “mushrooms” like a bullet as it bounces
off solid objects.
“In the summer, bass go deep
in clear lakes because of oxygen
and temperature reasons,” said
Alton Jones of Waco, a perennial
Bassmaster Classic competitor.
“Waves lapping against rocky
banks produce a lot of shallow
oxygen and noise. I put the boat
about a foot from the rocks and
make long casts parallel to the
bank.”
Jones prefers spinnerbaits
houetted against a bright sky.
When these images fall on a
placid surface in clear water,
they can spook wise old bass.
“Wind breaks up the surface,”
said Peter Thliveros, a veteran
bass pro from Jacksonville, Fla.
“Flat calm conditions make fish
spooky and aware of everything
going on above and below the
water. It’s one of the most difficult conditions to catch fish. If
wind breaks the water surface, it
WINDY CAST: Angler Jay Yelas casts to bass in heavy winds.
when fishing a windy shoreline.
A heavy spinnerbait casts farther
than a light bait in a breeze. Big
blades create more commotion
and underwater noise to compete with natural sounds generated by wave action. In stained
water, big Colorado blades provide more thumping action.
Willow-leaf blades generally
produce better in clear water and
work best when anglers want
more speed.
“As a general principle, if the
wind is blowing 20 mph or
more, a spinnerbait will catch
fish better,” Jones said. “The
harder the wind blows, the better bass bite spinnerbaits. One of
my favorite techniques is to run
a spinnerbait as fast as possible
along a steep rocky bank. I use a
1/2 or 3/4-ounce willow-leaf
spinnerbait because I want speed
without lift. I like white and
chartreuse with double No. 4
and No. 3 gold willow-leaf
blades reeled fast and steady.”
Wind also serves as excellent
natural camouflage for anglers,
lures, lines, boats and associated
equipment. On calm days, fish
can see shadows or outlines sil-
makes it difficult for fish to see.”
Wind also hides fishermen by
creating natural noise from
waves hitting the shore, logs and
rocks or just by blowing across a
surface. Bass grow accustomed
to hearing breaking waves. In
effect, wind noise “jams” manmade noises the way military
forces send signals to disrupt
enemy sensors.
Similarly, waves pounding
against rocks or shorelines mute
human sounds. The more natural noise, the less likely a bass
might detect unnatural noises,
such as electric motor propellers
whirring
in
still
water.
Unnatural noises can easily
spook big bass, particularly in
heavily pressured lakes such as
Toledo Bend.
“It’s impossible to keep from
making noise in a boat,” Jones
said. “On a windy day, bass
don’t care as much about noise.
On a calm, sunny day, almost
any small noise might spook a
bass. Wind makes bass less
aware of human presence.
People need to learn how to use
wind to their advantage and not
their detriment. Wind is almost
country,
who
landed
at
Jamestown and Plymouth Rock,
one of their main reasons for
leaving was that the king owned
all the game. They landed here
and established the North
American Wildlife Model, in
which the public owns the
wildlife, kept in trust by the various levels of government. Senate
Bill 1765 was the total opposite of
that philosophy.”
A legislative lobbyist for the
Texas Deer Association said TWA
was engaging in hyperbole.
“Nothing in the bill would
have caused privatization,” said
Robert Saunders, a lobbyist for
the Texas Deer Association. “It
did allow you to move deer
between like-permitted properties. You can do that now. I don’t
understand where they came up
with that issue.”
But a TPW spokesman said a
person with a scientific deer
breeder’s permit could only ship
deer between properties he owns
without a permit. However, if he
ships deer to another person,
even one with a scientific breeder’s permit, a purchase permit
would have to be obtained. And
if deer were shipped during and
around hunting season, the
antlers would have to be sawed
off.
Langford said such safeguards
are needed given diseases like
Chronic Wasting Disease.
“In any kind of animal agriculture, if you move an animal,
you’re going to be tested for disease,” Langford said. “This bill
like wearing camouflage for fishing.”
To sneak up on fish, use wind
power to drift across a flat, a
point or along a productive
channel whenever possible.
Only use electric motors sparingly for directional control. In
some shallow grassy flats or
marshes, people can run boats
upwind to the far shoreline,
raise their motors and drift.
Once they hit the far side of
the pond or flat, boaters can
crank their outboards, run
through already fished waters to
avoid disturbing unfished waters
and return to the far shoreline
for another drift. If people plan
drifts successfully, they can
zigzag across highly productive
waters with little effort almost
undetected.
Sometimes, winds blow too
strongly to allow good drifting.
A mighty wind might propel a
boat too rapidly across productive waters to allow anglers to
work an area thoroughly.
Tossing overboard a sea sock, a
wet version of a windsock,
catches water and creates drag
that slows boat movement. A
simple plastic 5-gallon bucket on
a rope dragged behind a boat
creates a magnificent drag.
Wind also creates constrictions around points, logjams,
sandbars or narrow passes that
force fish into small areas.
Often, lunker bass hide on the
lee side of these wind-swept
choke points to ambush anything currents might drive past
their noses. As morsels appear,
bass dash out, gobble a few helpings and retreat to slack water to
conserve their energy.
For probing windy points, use
heavy baits and light line.
Strong winds can wreak havoc
on lure placement. Wind catches line just like it drives other
objects. Heavy line catches
more breeze. Lighter line cuts
through wind more like a razor.
When bass bust shad around
points, fast-burning Rat-L-Traps
produce excellent results. Run
crankbaits around the ends of
points, parallel to structure or
through constricted water.
John N. Felsher is an outdoor writer
based in Lake Charles, La.
TEXAS CATFISH
RECORD FALLS?
It’s not official yet, but an
Illinois man appears to have
bested Texas’ claim to the
world-record blue catfish
caught on rod and reel May
22.
The Texas angler’s record
blue catfish – still officially the
record holder — weighed
121.5 pounds and was caught
by Cody Mullenix, of Howe,
Texas.
But Tim Pruitt, 33, of
Godfrey, Ill., landed a 124pound catfish, measuring 58
inches long. Its girth was 44
inches. The fish was pulled
from the Mississippi River
near Alton, Ill. It must be certified to become the official
record-holder.
Pruitt's fish is the largest
catfish ever caught in Illinois.
Pruitt caught the trophy fish
on mooneye baitfish.
“The catfish and Tim are
about the same age—in their
30s,” said Mike Conlin,
Illinois Department of Natural
Resources Director of Resource
Conservation. “Tim fought
the fish for about 40 minutes,
and it dragged him more than
three miles downstream in his
boat."
—A staff report
STATE EYEING
FISHING FUND
A legislative plan to tap
funds dedicated to improving
freshwater fishing in Texas is
almost “a done deal,” according to a legislative observer.
Instead of funding such
projects as an East Texas
hatchery with money raised
by sale of a freshwater stamp,
expected to bring in $5 million annually before expiring
in 2014, state House and
Senate members announced
they plan to fund the hatchery by the sale of bonds.
While the move would
lower the annual cost of paying for the $15 million hatchery, it would raise the overall
cost by as much as $9 million.
“You can almost stamp it a
done deal," said Jack King,
executive
director
of
Sportsmen’s Conservationists
of Texas.
Continued from page 1
Deer Bill
permit to draw up their own
management plan. For example,
owners could have determined
for themselves how many animals could be killed annually.
It also would have allowed
deer to be transported across the
state without an inspection — if
the scientific deer breeders shipping and receiving the deer had
the comprehensive permits.
“This bill is privatization at its
worst,” said David K. Langford,
vice president emeritus for the
Texas Wildlife Association. “The
people who emigrated to this
Photo by Bobby Sanchez
would have allowed white-tailed
deer to be moved willy-nilly
with no kind of testing.”
As a board, the TDA voted to
oppose S.B.1765. But individually, it was a different story. At least
two present and former TDA
board members appeared before
the Senate’s Natural Resources
Committee to support the bill. A
companion bill, S.B. 1766, which
would have transferred the permitting of scientific deer breeders from the TPW to the Texas
Department of Agriculture,
never made it out of committee.
Although S.B. 1765 proved
controversial, Barnett said opposition isn’t why the bill was
tabled.
“The bill was not able to be
moved out of committee until
late in the process,” Barnett said.
“It really had to do with the time
constraints the senator was
under in this Legislature."
Saunders said he thought the
bill had some good points.
“It put all the permits under
one umbrella,” Saunders said.
“I’m not positive how many people would have applied for the
combo permit. But it’s pretty
well known in the business
world that you don’t want to
have to apply for a bunch of
licenses to do a job."
Langford said the bill was
fatally flawed. He noted that it
lacked any habitation requirement for a comprehensive permit.
“With this bill, you could
have raised and hunted whitetail deer on an asphalt parking
lot,” Langford said. “Places
where their nutrition comes out
of a paper sack. Someone driving in an air-conditioned
Suburban could have come in,
rolled down the window and
shot one. What’s that have to do
with hunting?”
Mark England is a Dallas-based
writer.
Page 10 May 27, 2005
Paddlers Take To The Bayous
Story and photos by David J. Sams
O
n Friday as the sun
began to set on the
Bayou City, almost
100 anglers tried to
pay attention as an official with
Extreme Edge Fishing talked
about the kayak tournament
rules.
But when you get that many
fishermen together in a small
area, the inevitable happens –
the fish talk begins.
The out-of-towners – some
came as far away as Virginia and
Florida –- were obviously eavesdropping as locals discussed the
best fishing spots. Anahuac,
Chocolate Bayou, San Luis Pass
— were tossed out. And the
anglers were soon debating the
best spots.
It was an important point
because the next morning the
anglers would test their mettle
against redfish, trout and flounder at the May 21 Extreme Edge
Fishing Kayak Tournament
Series. The contest, hosted by
Fishing Tackle Unlimited in
Houston, was the second of
three national events to be held
in Texas. Three other national
tournaments will be held in
Florida. The next tournament
will be July 9 at Sarasota, Fla.
The best way to win points
and money is through a grand
slam. That’s where you catch the
best overall length of redfish,
trout and flounder. The slam
winner gets $1,000 and points.
Second place slam wins $500
and points.
The angler catching the best
single species wins $600, $300
for second prize, and a prize for
third prize. Top anglers received
points, along with the top
teams.
These anglers were as competitive as they come, but they knew
how to look out for each other,
too.
Everyone soon heard the story
about the guys from Florida who
came to town minus their
kayaks. On their drive to Texas
(names), their kayaks blew off of
their truck and an 18-wheeler
flattened their boats. The
unlucky anglers were loaned a
few boats during the practice
period before the tournament.
Then, at the captains’ meeting, a
representative Ocean Kayaks
heard about their dilemma and
gave them new boats.
On tournament day in the predawn twilight, the teams began
to put their kayaks into the
water. One team, Scott Null and
Dean Thomas, put in at
Chocolate Bayou. Null works for
the Houston Police Department
and Thomas runs a fishing guide
service and shop in Aransas Pass.
Motorized
boats
sporting
Johnsons,
Mercurys
and
Yamahas raced past the two as
they paddled to a shoreline very
near the boat ramp. Within the
hour, the two had caught a few
fish. Then Null caught a big red.
He set the hook on a 27-inch red
drum. The tourney is a catchphoto-and-release event. After
struggling with the fish, Null
struggled with the camera. He
needed to get a really good shot
to show the exact length of the
fish. It was really close to 27 1/4
inches, but his tape measure didn’t show that much detail.
The morning fog started to
burn off as Null released his fish.
“Now that is great, a nice red.
Now I’ll move on and catch a
trout,” Null said with confidence. He called his partner on
the cell phone to report his
catch. The two met on the next
point and drifted down another
KAYAKING SHOWDOWN: Dean Thomas casts to trout as a boat speeds by above. A
tern dives into a school of menhaden as a trout feeds from underneath. Scott Null
admires a 27-inch red. Team wilderness celebrates a victory. Thomas photographs
his entry.
grassy shoreline. Thomas spotted a red with his back out of the
water and slipped quietly up to
the fish. He could see the red
skimming across a muddy
under-layer of silt. When in
range, Thomas cast a DOA glow
shrimp and the fish turned on
the splash and hooked up.
Another nice red, 26 inches or
so.
“Lets go get those trout! See
the birds working on the other
side of the channel,” said
Thomas.
Continued on page 18
May 27, 2005 Page 11
Continued from page 1
Lower Laguna Madre Trout
was fishing nearby and helped
weigh, measure and photograph
the fish. “I couldn’t believe how
big it was,” Garcia said. “It took a
little while, but we revived her,
and she swam off.”
After sending in his photographs, along with his scale and
other documentation, Rowland
received official notification from
the International Game Fish
Association in Florida that he
had set a world record for the
heaviest trout taken with a fly
rod. Texas Parks and Wildlife later
certified Rowland’s trout as the
new state record.
The previous Texas record trout
was a 33.13-inch fish that
weighed 13.69 pounds and was
caught by James Wallace of
Houston in Baffin Bay on Feb. 6,
1996. Wallace still holds the
record for rod and reel in the
state. The heaviest trout ever
taken was caught on rod and reel
in Florida and weighed 17
pounds 9 ounces and measured
39 inches.
The Lower Laguna Madre is the
state’s premier bay for trophy
trout, a fact that is confirmed not
only with Rowland’s record but
also reflected in 30 years of
research by Texas Parks and
Wildlife Coastal Fisheries biologists.
“Our gill-net surveys have
shown that more than 50 percent of the trout that were 30
inches or greater came from the
Lower Laguna Madre,” said
Randy
Blankinship,
Lower
Laguna Madre Ecosystem Leader
for the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Coastal Fisheries Division.
“That’s more than all the other
bay systems combined, including the Upper Laguna Madre. If
you put the Upper and Lower
together, you are looking at close
to 80 percent.”
Since 1975, Texas Parks and
Wildlife has collected extensive
data from all the states seven
major bay systems using bag
seines, shrimp trawls and gill
nets. Each bay is divided into
sampling grids and those grids
are then randomly selected for
placement of gill nets.
Through 2004 in 19 years of
coast-wide gill-net surveys, 201
trout 30 inches or better have
been taken with 107 of them
coming from the Lower Laguna
Madre.
In addition to gill net surveys,
bag seines and trawls, coastal
fisheries biologists also conduct
regularly scheduled interviews
with anglers as they arrive dockside. These netting samples and
harvest surveys are conducted
statewide by eight separate field
stations, including the Valley’s
branch.
This treasure trove of three
decades of data enables coastal
biologists to monitor fish populations and make corresponding
management decisions. While
catch rates for spotted sea trout
statewide remain stable, there is
some concern in the Lower
Laguna Madre. Biologists haven’t
completed their 10-week spring
gill net survey this year, so it’s too
early to analyze the numbers.
But the last several years have
revealed a downward trend.
“Our gill-net sampling for the
past several years has been slightly below the long-term average,
and our mean size for spotted sea
trout also continues to be a little
bit low,” Blankinship said.
There are estimated to be more
than 800,000 saltwater anglers
in Texas, and the number grows
annually. Increased fishing pressure by recreational fishermen
and guides has a substantial
effect on all game fish populations, including trout.
This concern has been
addressed, and since 2002
anglers have not been allowed to
keep more than one trout 25
inches or larger per day, and
guides are no longer permitted to
keep a limit of fish while out
with paying customers.
Fishermen
are
currently
allowed to keep 10 trout per day
with 20 allowed in possession for
an overnight trip. Heavy fishing
pressure by night fishermen has
prompted many sportsmen to
support a reduction in the possession limit to help the fishery
recover.
The astounding increase in
fishing pressure in the Lower
Laguna Madre is revealed in
both the growing number of
licensed guides and in the soaring entries in local tournaments.
For decades the Lower Laguna
Madre was not heavily fished,
and compared to most other
Texas bay systems, fishing pressure is still light.
In 1988 there were only 12 fulltime guides working out of Port
Mansfield; there are now at least
54. In 1988 there were 29
entrants in the JPGriffon tournament, while the recent weekend
event attracted more than 250
GET CHECKED: Texas Parks and Wildlife employees survey fishermen at a boat ramp in Aransas Pass.
anglers to Port Mansfield. There
are some 73 bay guides working
out of the South Padre
Island/Port Isabel area, with
about 15 party boats and at least
20 deep-sea captains. There is a
fishing tournament nearly every
weekend along the Lower
Laguna Madre during the summer months, culminating in the
biggest tournament along the
entire Texas coast, the annual
Texas International Fishing
Tournament which last year
boasted more than 1,500 registrants.
In addition to daily guided
trips and weekly tournaments
that target the biggest fish in the
bay, there is also increasing pressure from everyday anglers.
Recreational fishermen are much
better equipped than in years
past with extreme, shallow-running boats, global positioning
systems, and other high-tech
gear.
The Lower Laguna Madre has
historically been the best place
for trophy trout in the state primarily because fishing pressure
was relatively light, but as that
pressure increases the chances for
trout to mature to trophy status
may be diminished.
Female trout grow much faster
than males, and while a 7-yearold male trout may measure only
19 inches, a similarly aged female
could easily top 26 inches.
Thirty-inch plus trout are primarily females, and they may live for
Continued from page 7
TBGA Awards
fall or winter, odds are it was a
big one.
Take the hunt of Jonathan
Burpo of Dodd City, for
instance.
After seeing a big mule deer
during pre-season scouting,
Burpo capped a lengthy archery
season opening-day stalk with a
20-yard shot from his Mathews
bow. The shot was good and the
Grayson County College student soon found himself tagging
his first bow-killed animal ever.
His first bow buck also just
happened to be the best mule
deer buck ever taken with
archery tackle in the Lone Star
State, according to the Pope &
Young Club’s archery records.
The 5-by-5 typical “muley”
also ranks as the state’s second
best TBGA mule deer for 20042005, sporting a gross score of
187 5/8 inches and a net score of
185 7/8 inches.
“I was pretty proud after it all
took place,” Burpo said. “I could
hardly believe it.”
Brimager is quick to point out
that it isn’t just hunters like
Burpo who harvest a world-class
big game animal that have reason to be proud of their Lone
Star State hunting results.
In fact, he is working hard to
grow and promote the TBGA
program’s youth and first-time
harvest aspects in coming years.
“Whether a hunter is a youth
or an 88-year-old grandfather,
they, too, can get a certificate for
harvesting an animal,” Brimager
said. “Our program is a ‘recognition program’ and not just a ‘big
buck contest.’”
Brimager said he’s already
looking ahead to the program’s
15th anniversary season.
“We have a great whitetail
herd all across Texas.”
2004-2005 Texas Big Game
Awards Top Animals:
White-tailed deer
Top typical: Lloyd R. French IV
(Atascosa County) – 200 3/8
inches gross; 187 6/8 inches net.
Top non-typical: Hunt Allred
(Collingsworth County) – 235 1/8
inches gross; 226 7/8 inches net.
Mule deer
Top typical: Frankie L. Keller
(Childress County) – 192 6/8
inches gross; 186 3/8 inches net.
Top non-typical: Dock Ringo
(Brewster County) – 222 7/8
inches gross; 216 5/8 inches net.
Pronghorn antelope
Top buck: Thad Steele
(Hudspeth County) – 89 3/8
inches gross; 87 4/8 inches net.
Top animals source: David
Brimager, Texas Big Game Awards
Program
10 years or more.
Trout spend their entire lives
primarily in the bay, and they
spawn and reproduce in the bay.
Biologists have also discovered
that trout do not tend to migrate
over great distances and therefore
can be easily targeted.
“Our tagging studies have show
that trout usually don’t move
much more than a mile,”
Blankinship said. Imagine for a
moment how difficult it has
become for a territorial trout to
reach that milestone of a decade
without being caught.
Stories of legendary trout
exceeding even Bud Rowland’s
current state record abound, and
one in particular is quite intriguing. In a 50-page report titled “An
Ecological Survey of the Upper
Laguna Madre,” published in
1957 by Institute of Marine
Science at the University of Texas,
there is mention of a 48-inch
trout weighing an estimated 25
pounds that was found floating
near the Point of Rocks at the
mouth of Baffin Bay after the
freeze of 1951.
Just how big can spotted
seatrout grow? Theoretically, fish
continue to increase in size until
they die, and no one knows
exactly how long a wild trout can
live. Bud Rowland’s 37 1/4-inch
record fish might be topping 40
inches by now.
“Turn those big sows loose,”
Rowland urged. “They have a
good spawn plus they have great
genetics. I used to keep them, but
I learned. I guess we all learn thru
time.”
Richard Moore is a freelance writer
and videographer from deep South
Texas. He hosts “News from the
Outdoors” on the Valley’s ABC
affiliate News Channel Five. His
articles appear every Sunday in the
Valley Morning Star, Brownsville
Herald and McAllen Monitor.
Page 12 May 27, 2005
Who Likes Ike?
Bass Fishing’s Bad Boy To Attend Texas Tournament
Photos by David J. Sams
Alan Clemmons
C
onfident? Yep, but his
non-conformist attitude rubs some wrong
way.
It’s funny how preconceived
notions can be blown away by
the simple act of spending a few
moments with strangers or kids.
If you follow the Bassmaster
Tour, you’ve probably seen at
some point the footage of 2003
Bassmaster Classic champion
Mike Iaconelli screaming
and beating his chest in
the New Orleans
marsh. His continued
primal — many say
made-for-TV —
emotional
outburst
lasted so long that some ol’
Cajun in a pirogue still is out
there wondering “Wha’ dat?”
and looking for someone to
shoot at.
If you saw Iaconelli last season
in Florida, he was catching 2pounders at Toho and screaming
for the cameras. “Shaddup!”
someone said, annoyed by the
Classic carry-over. If you keep up
with the tour, you know he was
reprimanded by B.A.S.S. for not
having his life jacket buckled
while the outboard was
running.
During
the
Bassmaster Classic
in Charlotte, he was
disqualified on the
second day for fishing in an off-limits
area. The defending
champion, for crying
out loud, had a DQ!
I m m e d i a t e l y,
rumors began that
he purposely did it
since he had no
fish and needed
some attention.
But why would a
Classic champ
want that disgraceful legacy?
said one veteran angler, who
watched almost gleefully in the
Classic media room as Iaconelli
got his on-stage minute of
ESPN2 airtime (but didn’t tell
the fans he had been disqualified): “If I’d known he was going
to be disqualified, I’d have been
break-dancing on the front deck
of my boat.”
Two seasons have
passed since Ike, as he
is known on the
tour, hoisted the
Classic trophy. He is one
of the young guns making waves
with the older generation.
His untucked, black tournament shirt with red flames licking around his belly hides his
multi-tattooed body. The shirt, a
visible brand of his personality,
stands out as does his cap
perched crookedly on his head.
He has gotten away from his
gym work, yet still has a lean
torso, energy to burn and stamina for long days on the water.
Last month at Table Rock in
Missouri, I spent some time with
Ike on and off the water during a
Pure Fishing media event following the last Bassmaster tournament. Who I found was a quiet,
courteous guy not seeking any
spotlight, a knowledgeable
angler who patiently explained
simple things, a free-spirited,
engaging young man who loves
to fish and enjoys being around
other folks.
Kids, and some adults, always
ask for autographs and photos.
Ike graciously complies. Even
after missing the Table Rock cut,
when he admitted he wanted to
get a cold beer and break his rods
over his knees. Being second in
the Angler of the Year standings
and blowing it was tough. It
won’t be the last time he’s in
that position, though, and he’ll
learn from the experience.
As we were getting ready to
leave to shoot photos, two couples walked
on
the
d o c k
w h e r e
Ike’s new
Ranger
was tied up.
They had a
yo u n g st e r,
maybe 14-15
months old,
and wanted
to chat. Ike
eagerly
greeted
t h e m ,
signed
a u t o graphs,
and gave
them 15
minutes
of
his
t i m e
instead of
trying to
get
away.
He pulled a
fat
largemouth from
his livewell to
show
the
yo u n g st e r,
w
h
o
grinned broadly at being the
center of attention.
Ike is not the future of bass
fishing, but he’s part of it. Part of
a new wave of anglers, a mixture
of the old and new, a mixture of
the Ray Scott era and ESPN era
that is shuffling the way things
are done.
J u s t
like with Ike and the other
young guns, there are some who
don’t like the changes.
Ike knows it. He’s heard the
talk, read the stories and
Internet posts. He admits it isn’t
easy to hear or read — who likes
having his name dragged in the
mud? But he adds that people
who don’t know him or what
he’s about don’t truly understand.
He is dedicated. He is fiercely
competitive. He wants to win,
every time.
Ike and some of the other
younger generation anglers are
unique individuals, not cookiecutter punch-outs, lending some
flava’ to the punchbowl.
There may not be any “I like
Ike” buttons making the rounds,
as there were for the popular
president 50 years ago, but there
should be.
Iaconelli is expected to compete in the Bassmaster Elite 50
tournament series that runs
June 1-10 at Lewisville Lake, the
tournament’s only stop in Texas.
Alan Clemons is Outdoors Editor
of The Huntsville Times in
Ala. Contact him at
aclemons@htimes.com
or visit
www.al.com/outdoors.
May 27, 2005 Page 13
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Page 14 May 27, 2005
MADE IN TEXAS
Curbello
Masters
Art Of
Fishing
By Mark England
W
hen
Robert
Curbello tackles a
fish these days, he’s
more apt to use a
hammer than a rod and reel.
That’s because the Fort Worth
artist spends a lot of time making them out of sheet metal at a
Weatherford workshop. An avid
angler, Curbello admits his pursuit doesn’t beat casting a line.
At least when he’s done, however, his fish is ready to be hung on
a wall.
“A lot of the art around this
area is either paintings of bluebonnets or western art or, on the
other side, postmodern, boxes
welded together or paint splattered on canvas,” Curbello said.
“My stuff’s on the edge of arts
and craft and fine art: fine craft,
I guess.”
Curbello, who graduated from
the Rocky Mountain School of
Design in Denver, started his
career as a folk artist. He went
into business with his mother,
Leslie Johnson, in Springtown.
“I’ve got to give her credit for
setting me up,” he said. “I used
her plasma cutter and her
welder. Of course, not too many
mothers have those kinds of
tools. Mine was in the nursery
business for more than 20
years.”
During that time, she spotted
a need for landscape art.
Curbello helped his mother
meet it until his own artistic
inclinations began clamoring to
get out.
“I wanted to make some deer
and fish and get away from
doing the fairies and angels,”
Curbello said. “I made some fish
and showed them to my brother. He had a friend who was a
guide in Matagorda. We split a
booth at a Houston fishing
show. I started making red snapper, speckled trout, flounder,
inshore and offshore game fish
and selling them.”
Curbello draws a paper pattern before making a fish. Then
he copies it onto a piece of 18gauge sheet metal. A plasma cutter slices out the basic form,
which is polished with such
tools as a grinder, welder, pliers
and a hammer.
He takes pains to create raised
eyes, weld the fins on and give
them a textured look that seems
engraved. To Curbello, the
result is a wall-mounted sculpture.
“I want it to seem realistic to
the buyer,” he said. “I put in
extra effort to get that effect.”
The effect certainly affected
David and Jody Cassady, owners
of The Full Stringer Lodge in
Matagorda. They’ve bought 15
of Curbello’s pieces.
“The (guy’s) extremely talented,” David Cassady said. “We’ve
got them displayed throughout
our lodge. I’ve got some wahoo,
several trout and flounder. I
even have some of his work in
my personal residence. He’s just
a very creative fellow.”
Curbello’s art can also be
found at galleries in Fort Worth
such as the Artful Hand and the
Morton House. It can also be
seen on the Internet at
TEXAS WORD TREASURES
Photos by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
http://wadefishing.com.
His work will take a twist this
fall. American Ranch Designs
plans to market a whimsical
creature created by Curbello
called Buck the Horse, which
will be shown doing such things
as sitting at a table with a plate of
hay — “eating like a horse, you
know” — and, of course, fishing
on a riverbank.
“You’ve got to throw your line
out there and see what bites,”
Curbello said.
WILD IN THE KITCHEN
For crossword puzzle solution, see page 18
Across
1. Deer hunters often find these
in their stands.
5. Day is done.
6. Type of shad
8. Mexican cowboy
10. Snake tooth
12. Relating to the bottom of a
body of water.
13. Main ingredient in Calamari
Fritti.
14. Feet per second, initials
16. Porcupine bobber
18. Inflatable sleeping cushion
21. Deaf Smith's first name
23. San Antonio is county seat
24. Spotted cat on endangered
list.
25. Measure of water’s saltiness
Down
2. Measurement indicating
acidity or alkalinity
3. Clay target game designed to
simulate hunting
4. Provides waterfront services
to boaters
Check out other great recipes at aboutseafood.com. Photo by National Fisheries
Institute.
Mexican Shrimp Pilaf
Copyright 2004 Texas Word Treasures, Greg Berlocher. All Rights Reserved.
5.
7.
9.
11.
Measure of gun powder
Type of pliers
Smallest spinning reel
Sausage festival in New
Braunfels
15. Season runs from October 30
- February 27
17. Fish with prehistoric roots
19. .22 caliber cartridge filled
with pellets
20. You hammer this into the
ground when camping.
21. Tides ______ and flow.
22. Deer food, planted in plots.
1 (6.8-ounce) package Spanish
rice and vermicelli mix
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 cups water
1 (14 1⁄ 2 -ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3⁄ 4 pound large shrimp, peeled
and deveined
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1⁄ 2 cup frozen whole kernel
corn, thawed
2 tablespoons ripe olives, sliced
2 tablespoons tortilla chips,
crushed
1⁄ 2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons green onion,
chopped
1 jar picante sauce
Sauté rice in margarine in a
large skillet until golden, stirring
frequently. Slowly add water,
seasoning packet from rice, and
tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover;
reduce heat to low and simmer
10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, zucchini, corn and olives; cover and
simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until
shrimp are pink and rice is tender. Transfer to serving bowl.
Sprinkle with chips, cheese and
onion. Serve with picante sauce.
Nutritional information per
serving:
Calories: 390
Fat: 13.26 grams
Protein: 20.77 grams
Sodium: 16.30 milligrams
Cholesterol: 115.72 milligrams
Sat. Fat: 4.48 grams
Makes 4 servings
May 27, 2005 Page 15
WEATHER
BORDERING TEXAS
ARKANSAS
Lake Pine Bluff Drops Level
The Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission will begin lowering the level in Lake Pine Bluff
the first week of June to permit
construction of a new pavilion
on the lakeshore.
The pavilion, planned to
accommodate a farmers’ market
and an amphitheater, is being
built over the water to bring
more visitors to the lake. Heavy
equipment will be needed to set
pilings that will support the elevated pavilion. The lake’s levee
has begun to deteriorate, and
the lower level also will protect
it from further degradation
until it can be reinforced.
Although the lake will be
drawn down for construction,
the water level will only be
reduced to the top of the riprap
on the levee, so people can still
enjoy the water.
“We’re only dropping the
water level around 2 feet, so the
fishery should not be affected,”
said Assistant Chief of Fisheries
Mike Armstrong. “We are going
to wait until June before we
begin the drawdown to protect
the bass that may be spawning
in the shallow water.”
The pavilion is a joint project
of the City of Pine Bluff,
Jefferson County and Pine Bluff
Downtown Development to
draw more people and events to
the lake. The AGFC also will be
able to host fishing derbies, educational programs and other
community events at the lake
once construction is completed.
and Restoration Act, is to reduce
or eliminate nutria damage to
Louisiana’s wetlands by increasing the annual harvest to
400,000 nutria. To increase the
harvest, registered participants
received a $4 incentive payment
for each nutria tail brought to
official collection locations
along Louisiana’s coast.
Information was collected
from each participant to determine the method of take, carcass use, as well as harvest date
and location.
The majority of the nutria
were harvested in the southeastern portion of the state again
this year, which is where most
wetland damage caused by
nutria is located.
LOUISIANA
Just Say No To Nutria
The Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries’ 20042005 Coastwide Nutria Control
Program season concluded with
311 participants harvesting
297,535 nutria.
The goal of the springtime
program, funded by the Coastal
Wetlands Planning Protection
NEW MEXICO
Spring Means Roadblocks
In an effort to detect hunting
and fishing violations and to
collect harvest information,
conservation officers of the New
Mexico Department of Game
and Fish will be conducting
roadblocks throughout the
state. This effort will run
through February 2006.
“Spring brings folks back out
after a long and cold winter,”
says Brian Gleadle, northwest
area division chief. “People will
be heading out to hunt and fish,
and it’s our goal to check as
many hunters and anglers as
possible. Roadblocks are one
method we use to look for violations.”
Game and Fish personnel may
be assisted by other law enforcement agencies such as the New
Mexico State Police and local
sheriff’s departments, which
will be checking for proper driver’s licenses, proof of insurance
and vehicle registration.
Driving while intoxicated,
seat belt violations and other
offenses of the motor vehicle
code will be enforced. The U.S.
Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management rangers also
may assist at times.
In addition to roadblocks, the
New Mexico Game and Fish
department will be conducting
night and day decoy operations.
These may occur throughout
the year and anywhere in the
state.
OKLAHOMA
Exotic Beetles Used To
Fight Invading Weeds
Officials at the Oklahoma
Department
of
Wildlife
Conservation are teaming up
with the Oklahoma Department
of Agriculture, Food, and
Forestry to make a meal out of
alligatorweed.
Homeowners and officials
unleashed the alligatorweed flea
beetle this month to kill the
aquatic invader, which originated from South America. The
plant can grow up to 6 feet deep.
Alligatorweed has taken over
seven of the 14 lakes in the
Spring Creek drainage area near
Oklahoma City. Efforts to rid the
lakes of the ugly weeds included
pulling up weeds and spraying
them with herbicides, but nothing worked.
Fortunatley, alligatorweed has
an Achilles’ heel - the alligatorweed flea beetle. The voracious
beetles feed exclusively on alligatorweed, eating it untill it's gone.
Page 16 May 27, 2005
THIS WEEK’S FISHING REPORT
CENTRAL
NORTHEAST
BASTROP: Water stained. Black bass are slow.
Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse
tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good
on shrimp, liver, and stinkbait. Yellow catfish
are slow.
BELTON: Water fairly clear. Black bass are fair
on topwaters. Hybrid striper are very good on
black shad in 40 - 48 feet. White bass are
good on minnows and slabs early and late.
Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish
are fair on stinkbait and shrimp. Yellow catfish are slow.
BROWNWOOD: Water stained in the main lake,
clearing in the rivers; 69 degrees; 0.34' low.
Black bass to 4 pounds are excellent on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, June bug and dark
worms, and brush hogs on the main lake.
Hybrid striper to 6 pounds are fair on live
bait. White bass are good trolling crankbaits
in the State Park area with some schooling in
the Baptist Encampment area. Crappie are
excellent on small tubes and minnows on the
main lake shorelines. Channel catfish are fair
on stinkbait and shrimp. Yellow catfish are
fair on live bait.
BUCHANAN: Water clear; 69 degrees; 2.40'
low. Black bass to 6 pounds are good on
white πoz. Terminator buzzbaits, weightless
green/pumpkin Whacky Sticks, and Daiquiri
Skip-N-Pop topwaters. Striped bass are good
trolling white/blue Hyper Striper jigs, casting
Spoiler Shads, and drifting live bait from
Black Rock to Flag Island in 20 - 30 feet
early. White bass are good on 2" Spoiler
Shads, silver πoz. Perk Minnows, and live
minnows in 15 - 25 feet. Crappie are good on
1/16oz. Curb's crappie jigs and live minnows
in 4 - 12 feet. Channel catfish are good over
sand bars at the mouth of the river. Yellow
and blue catfish are good on trotlines and juglines.
CANYON LAKE: Water gin clear; 70 degrees;
1.19' high. Black bass are good on white
7/16oz. Terminator spinnerbaits, umpkin/chartreuse Whacky Sticks, and 1/2oz. Bleeding
Shad Traps along bluffs and main lake points
in 8 - 15 feet early. Striped bass are slow.
White bass are good on Spoiler Shads, Blade
Runners, and vertically jigging Perk Minnows
on main lake points. Smallmouth bass are
good on pumpkin 4" worms on jigheads, and
pumpkin Craw Baby and root beer/green flake
3" curl tail grubs on 1/8 oz. jigheads. Crappie
are good on 1/16oz. Curb’s crappie jigs and
minnows upriver in 4 - 12 feet. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and stinkbait. Yellow
and blue catfish are good on live bait.
DUNLAP/MCQUEENY: Water stained; 72
degrees. Black bass are fair on red/white spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. White bass are fair
on red shad Roadrunners and Tiny Traps.
Crappie are fair on live minnows and chartreuse green tube jigs. Catfish are good on
liver and stinkbait in 10 - 25 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.61' low. Black
bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White
bass are good on minnows and silver spoons.
Crappie are good on minnows and small blue
tube jigs. Catfish are fair on shrimp, liver, and
stinkbait.
LBJ: Water stained; 69 degrees; 0.20' low.
Black bass to 8 pounds are very good on Snap
Back tubes, watermelon/red Whacky Sticks,
and Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Traps in 2 - 6 feet.
Striped bass to 26" are fair on 2" Li'l Fishie
Shads and white bucktails at night. White
bass are very good on Tiny Traps, Li'l Fishies,
and Spoiler Shads early and late. Crappie are
good on white crappie jigs and live minnows
in 2 - 10 feet. Channel catfish are good on
minnows and nightcrawlers. Yellow and blue
catfish are good on live bait.
NAVARRO MILLS: Water murky; 0.10' low.
Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits. White
bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Crappie are very
good on minnows and green or purple tube
jigs with pink tails. Channel and blue catfish
are slow. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines
baited with live perch and shad.
SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 0.64' high. Black
bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White
bass are excellent on shrimp, pet spoons, and
Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are excellent on minnows
and jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good
on juglines baited with live bait in creeks.
Yellow catfish to 64 pounds are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live bait in
creeks.
STILLHOUSE: Water clear; 72 degrees; 0.14'
high. Black bass to 7 pounds are good on
Carolina rigged soft plastic worms and lizards,
jitterbugs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. White
bass are fair on minnows. Smallmouth bass
are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows.
Channel and blue catfish arefair on shrimp,
chicken livers, and hot dogs. Yellow catfish
are slow.
TRAVIS: Water clear; 73 degrees; 0.30' low.
Black bass to 4 pounds are goodon smoke
grubs and pumpkinseed worms in 6 - 22 feet,
and on topwaters early. Striped bass are slow.
White bass to 1 pound are slow on crippled
herringspoons and topwaters in 10 - 30 feet.
Crappie to 1 pound are fair on minnowsand
pink tube jigs in 12 - 28 feet. Channel and
blue catfish to 6 pounds arefair on shrimp
and nightcrawlers in 20 - 38 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 71 degrees.
Black bass are good on minnows,crankbaits,
and spinnerbaits in cattails and reeds. Hybrid
striper are goodon minnows and soft plastic
worms. White bass are slow. Crappie are good
onminnows. Channel and blue catfish are
good on stinkbait, shrimp, and chickenlivers.
Yellow catfish are slow.
WHITNEY: Water stained; 1.19' low. Black
bass are good on white/redspinnerbaits,
crankbaits, and Rat-L-Traps. Striped bass are
slow. White bassare good on minnows and silver striper jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows
andchartreuse tube jigs. Catfish are good on
stinkbait, shrimp, andnightcrawlers.
ATHENS: Water stained; 70-72 degrees; normal pool. Black bass are good onCarolina rigs
on points in 10-18 feet. Crappie are good on
jigs and minnowsin 3-6 feet.. Catfish are good
on punch bait and worms around baited
holes.
BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 70-75 degrees;
0.30' low. Black bass are good onCarolina rigs
off main lake and secondary points. Crappie
are good on jigsand minnows in 3-6 feet
around heavy brush. White bass are good
onRat-L-Traps in mid to lower lake. Catfish
are good on punch bait over holesbaited with
soured grain in shallow water.
BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 71-75 degrees.
Black bass good on Carolina riggedworms and
Rat-L-Traps around rock rip rap and shoreline
cover. Crappie goodon minnows jigs around
docks with brush and reed beds. White bass
areexcellent on slabs and live shad in 12-15
feet around sandy points close todeep water.
Hybrid striper are good on live shad in 10-16
feet. Channelcatfish are excellent in 10-15
feet on fresh shad and punch bait.
CADDO: Water clear; 70-74 degrees; 0.25'
high. Black bass are good on Texasrigged
worms around isolated cypress trees and RatL-Traps along the riverledge close to lily pads.
Crappie are excellent on live minnow in 3-6
feetalong the Cypress River channel. White
bass are good in the river channel.Channel
catfish are good on small live bream. Bream
are excellent oncrickets, worms and small
crawfish in shallow water.
CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 70-74 degrees;
0.17' low. Black bass are good onTexas rigged
worms around concrete structures and in
small pockets off themain lake. White bass
are excellent on TNT Lures in 22-25 feet on
main lakehumps. Hybrid striper are good on
Sassy Shad under the birds in the flatsbetween Crappie Island and the dam. Crappie
are good on tube jigs and smallminnows in 46 feet docks with brush. Catfish are excellent
in 4-15 feet on Danny King’s Punch Bait on
holes baited with soured grain.
COOPER: Water stained; 71-74 degrees. Black
bass are good on Top Dogblack/blue lizards
and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and pearlBetts Krinkle jigs with a slip
cork in 3-6 feet. Catfish are excellent ontrotlines baited with live bait and in baited holes
on punch bait in 8-16feet along creek channels. White bass are fair on chrome Rat-LTraps.
FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 72-77 degrees; normal
pool. Black bass are good onworms and shad
pattern crankbaits around lay down logs and
brush and reedbeds. Catfish are excellent on
small pieces of cut bait and punch baitaround
sandy points in 6-10 feet. Redfish are good
on large Rat-L-Traps andsmall live sunfish.
Bream are excellent on worms in 2-4 feet,
many breamweighing more than one pound
landed.
FORK: Water clear 70-74 degrees; 0.34' low.
Black bass are excellent onwatermelon seed
Flukes rigged with a split shot in 1-4 feet
close tospawning areas. Bass also good on
Carolina rigs around main lake points in7-10
feet. Crappie are good on minnows in 4-5
feet around heavy shorelinereeds and brush.
Catfish are excellent on cut bait and prepared
bait in 4-8feet.
GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 70-74 degrees;
0.15' low. Black bass are good onplastic
worms, Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits around
rock rip rap andshoreline cover. Crappie are
good on minnows around docks with brush
andreed beds in shallow water. White bass are
good on TNT Lures around humpsand points
in 15-25 feet. Catfish are good on prepared
baits and fresh shadin 15-20 feet in baited
holes.
JOE POOL: Water stained; 71-74 degrees;
0.19' low. Black bass are goodaround points
near the mouth of coves on Carolina rigged
soft plastics and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are
good on live minnows and jigs around shorelinereed beds. White bass are good on TNT
lures and lead tail spinners in 12-15feet.
Channel catfish are excellent drift fishing
fresh shad and preparedcatfish baits.
LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 70-74
degrees; 0.34' low. Black bass aregood on
plastic worms rigged Texas style, shad pattern
medium runningcrankbaits, and topwaters
early and late. Crappie are good on minnows
in 3-8feet around brush and the edge of lily
pads. White bass are fair on jiggingspoons
and live minnows. Catfish are excellent in 815 feet on blood baitand worms in holes baited with soured grain.
LAVON: Water stained; 70-73 degrees; 0.36'
low. Black bass are good onplastic worms in
8-12 feet around concrete rip rap and shoreline cover.Crappie are good in shallow water
around reed beds and heavy brush. Whitebass
are fair on slabs and lead tail spinners, beginning to chase shad alongthe banks during
early morning. Catfish are good on punch bait
and freshshad in 4-8 feet around mid-lake
points.
LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 70-74 degrees;
0.56' low. Black bass are good onspinnerbaits
and plastic worms around tire break waters
and rock rip rap. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in 3-6 feet. White bass are
excellenton slabs in 16-24 feet around main
lake points and humps and under thebirds.
Catfish are excellent on prepared baits and
fresh shad in 4-10 feet.Channel catfish beginning to move into the rock rip rap to spawn.
MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 72 degrees midlake, 78 at hot water discharge;normal pool.
Black bass are good on Carolina rigs and shallow divingcrankbaits in 3-10 feet. Crappie
are good on minnows in 4-8 feet oversubmerged brush and timber. Catfish are excellent on trotlines and jug linesin 10 feet baited
with cut bait and punch bait.
PALESTINE: Water clear; 70-74 degrees; 0.35
low Black bass are good on redshad worms
and Rat-L-Traps in 4-10 feet around points
close to deep water. Crappie good on minnows
and jigs in 2-6 feet around brush and stick-
ups. Catfish are excellent on punch bait in 412 feet. White bass are excellent on Rat-LTraps around main lake points. Hybrid stripers
are fair on liveperch and Sassy Shads.
PAT MAYSE: Water clear; 70-74 degrees; normal pool. Black bass are good onCarolina rigs
and Rat-L-Traps in 3-10 feet. Crappie are
excellent onblack/chartreuse Betts Crinkle
jigs and small live minnows in 2-4 feet.
Catfish are excellent on punch bait along submerged creek ledges in 4-8 feet. White bass
are excellent on slabs in 15-20 feet around
humps. Hybridstripers are excellent large
Rat-L-Traps and topwaters around main lakehumps and points in the Sanders Cove areasome hybrids caught off the rocksat the dam.
RAY HUBBARD: Water stained; 71-73 degrees;
0.12' low. Black bass are good onshad pattern
Rat-L-Traps around rock rip rap in 3-10 feet.
Crappie are goodon jigs around cattails in 2-6
feet. White bass are good on slabs and jigging
spoons in 15-24 feet around The Peanut at
the Jetties and RobertsonPark. Hybrid striper
are fair in 20 feet on live shad and perch.
Catfishare good on fresh shad and punch bait
in 15-20 feet around the edge of treelines;
channel catfish moving to rocky areas.
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 71-73 degrees;
0.05' high. Black bass are good onCarolina
rigged centipedes in 8-15 feet around main
lake points. Crappie areexcellent on minnows
and black/chartreuse jigs in shallow water
back increeks and along shoreline brush and
reeds. White bass are excellent onspoons and
slabs in 22-28 feet. Catfish are good on
punch bait and cut baitin 12-20 feet.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water stained; 70-72
degrees; 0.20' low. Black bass aregood on
Carolina rigs and Rat-L-Traps around main
lake and secondary points.White bass are
excellent on chartreuse slabs fished close to
bottom in20-24 feet around submerged oil
well pads and points- Pelican Island and the
309 Flats a good spot to find schooling fish.
Hybrid stripers are fair inthe lower lake on
shad pattern Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair on
minnows in6-8 feet around heavy brush and
timber in feeder creeks around Oak Cove
Marina. Catfish are excellent on Danny King’s
Punch Bait and fresh shad in 3-10 feet.
TAWAKONI: Water stained; 70-73 degrees;
0.18' low. Black bass are fair on plastic
worms in shallow water. Crappie are good on
live minnows jigs in 6-12 feet at the Duck
Cove Fishing Barge and around man made
brush piles. White bass are excellent on 1oz.
white or chartreuse Hoiliday Slabs on humps
out from mid to lower lake points and schooling over submerged humps. Striped bass and
hybrid striper are good under the birds on 4"
Sassy Shadand large Rat-L-Traps. Catfish are
excellent on fresh shad and punch baitaround
rock rip rap.
TEXOMA: Water clear; 71-74 degrees; 4.59'
low. Largemouth bass are good onworms and
jigs fished around marinas with brush.
Crappie are good on minnowsaround docks
with brush. Striped bass are good on Sassy
Shad and live bait,some topwater action
reported on deep flats adjacent river channels.
Bluecatfish are excellent on Danny King's
Punch Bait and cut shad in the back ofcoves
in 4-8 feet.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 70 degrees;
normal pool. Black bass to 6.5pounds are
good on crankbaits and soft plastics. Crappie
to 2 pounds aregood to excellent on jigs and
minnows around the boat docks and in 1214feet in the fishing barge. Catfish to 20
pounds are excellent on live baiton the northwest side. White bass are beginning to school
early. Bream aregood in sheltered coves on
the south side.
WRIGHT PATMAN: Water clear; 70-74 degrees.
Black bass are good on Texasrigged red shad
worms and medium running crankbaits in 310 feet. Crappiegood on live minnows and
chartreuse/black jigs at Kelly Creek Marina
andshoreline cover in 2-5 feet. Catfish are
good on trotlines and rod and reelin 10-15
feet on live minnows and punch bait in holes
baited with souredgrain.
SOUTH
AMISTAD: Water clear; 76 degrees. Black bass
are good on watermelon seed andwatermelon
seed red soft plastic worms, and on Zara
spooks and buzzbaits early and late. Striped
bass are fair on red fin topwaters, slabs, andstriper jigs under birds. White bass are fair on
slabs, striper jigs, andtopwaters under birds.
Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish
are goodon cheesebait from the Hwy. 99
bridge back toward San Pedro in 6 - 10
feet.Yellow catfish are slow.
BRAUNIG: Water stained; 85 degrees. Black
bass to 6 pounds are good on softplastics
along shorelines and structure. Striped bass to
4 pounds are goodon chicken livers and Tony
Accetta spoons. Redfish to 14 pounds are
good on live perch and tilapia. Channel catfish are excellent on shrimp, liver, and
stinkbait. Blue catfish are fair on chicken livers, stinkbait, and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.
CALAVERAS: Water stained; 86 degrees. Black
bass to 5.5 pounds are good onsoft plastic
worms and grubs around reed beds along
shorelines. Striped bassto 6 pounds are good
on chicken livers, shad, and spoons. Redfish
to 21pounds are excellent on perch and
shrimp on the bottom. Catfish to 4 poundsare
excellent on nightcrawlers, shad, and liver in
10 - 20 feet.
CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 73 degrees;
0.10' low. Black bass to 8 poundsare good on
Texas rigged delicious Reaction Innovations
Double Wide Beaversand 1∏oz. alligator jigs
with watermelon/green pumpkin 4.25" Sweet
Beavertrailers in 8 - 16 feet. White bass are
fair on live minnows, chrome/blackNorman
Tiny Ticers, and trolling root beer/chartreuse
Bomber “A’s” aroundmain lake points in 8 12 feet. Crappie are good on pumpkin/chartreuse 1.5” YUM Wooly Hawgtails, chartreuse
Berkley Blade Runners, and live minnows over
brush piles and pilings in 2 - 6 feet. Channel
Prepared by J.P. Greeson, Bink Grimes, Kendal Hemphill and Karen Taylor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
and blue catfish are very goodon Lewis King
punchbait, shrimp, and Redneck soap bait.
Yellow catfish arefair on trotlines and juglines
baited with hybrid bluegills, comets, andlarge
minnows.
MEDINA: Water stained; 72 degrees; 0.25'
high. Black bass to 4 pounds are fair on
pumpkinseed 4" Berkley power worms and
pearl Bomber “A’s” in 5 - 18 feet. Striped
bass are fair drifting live goldfish and live
shad near thedam and trolling 2oz. white
Curb's spinner striper jigs. White bass are
fairtrolling root beer/chartreuse Bomber “A’s”
and drifting live minnows acrossmain lake
points in 10 - 20 feet. Smallmouth bass to 3
pounds are fair on watermelon seed YUM
Sooies and black/blue 3/8oz. Terminator jigs
with blue-sky flake YUM trailers and live crawfish over rock piles in 8 - 20 feet. Crappie are
fair on live minnows and pink/white 1.5" YUM
Wooly Hawg tails around brushpiles and the
backs of creeks in 10 - 17 feet. Channel and
blue catfish are good on garlic with chicken
blood Eagle Claw biscuits, shrimp and live
minnows. Yellow catfish are fair on hybrid
bluegills and goldfish.
SOUTHEAST
CONROE: Water stained. Black bass are good
on chartreuse/green spinnerbaits,crankbaits,
and Rat-L-Traps in 10 - 20 feet. Striped bass
are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and
green Curb’s crappie jigs. Catfish are fair
onstinkbait, liver, and shrimp.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained with clear
shallows; 75 degrees; 0.57' high.Black bass
to 5 pounds are good on watermelon red and
green worms at the pump station in 3 - 6
feet, and on June bug Finesse worms and
wacky worms inthe south cove near the marina in 10 - 12 feet. Crappie to 1.75 pounds
aregood but scattered on live minnows near
the marina and in creek channels in 15 - 20
feet. Bream are good on live worms off piers.
Catfish to 5 pounds are good on trotlines baited with cut shad and stinkbait off piers.
LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 71 degrees;
0.20' high. Black bass to 4 pounds are good
on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striped bass
are slow. Whitebass are good on Charlie slabs,
pet spoons, and hellbenders. Crappie are very
good on minnows. Channel and blue catfish
are very good on shad and cutbait. Yellow catfish are slow.
SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 70
degrees; 0.06' low. Black bass are good on
chartreuse/white spinnerbaits and crankbaits
along shorelines and ingrass in 4 - 10 feet,
and on Carolina rigged dark soft plastics in
hydrilla. Crappie are fair on live minnows.
Catfish are good on trotlines and juglines baited with liver, shrimp and live bait.
TOLEDO BEND: Water stained north, clear
south; 70 degrees; 1.89' low. Blackbass are
fair on dark green spinnerbaits, crankbaits,
and Rat-L-Traps inhydrilla in 10 - 18 feet,
and on watermelon/red soft plastics off
points.Crappie are fair on minnows and blue
tube jigs.
PANHANDLE
GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees;
22.25' low. Black bass to 6pounds are good
on white/white spinnerbaits, blue back
chrome jerkbaits and shad-colored soft jerkbaits worked along grass lines and tree lines.
Crappieare good on minnows and jigs. White
bass are good on live bait and Rat-L-Traps
along the dam. Smallmouth bass are good on
crankbaits and jerkbaits. Walleye are good on
live bait. Catfish are good on worms andprepared baits.
MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees;
64' low. Black bass are fairon shad-colored
spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are good
on minnows andjigs. White bass and striped
bass are good on live bait. Smallmouth bass
are fair on live bait. Walleye are fair on live
bait and jerkbaits. Catfish aregood on minnows and chicken liver.
MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees;
21' low. Black bass are fair on shad-colored
spinnerbaits and dark jigs near main lake
points, rocks and brush. Crappie are good on
jigs and minnows. White bass are good on
livebait. Smallmouth bass are fair. Walleye are
good on jigs tipped with minnows suspended
in 15 feet and on jerkbaits and crankbaits
along main lake points and dam. Channel catfish are good on cut bait and minnows.
PALO DURO: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees;
42.25' low. Black bass arefair. Crappie are
good on jigs and minnows. Smallmouth bass
are fair. Walleye are fair on jigs and minnows.
Catfish are good on minnows.
WEST ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 69
degrees. Black bass to 8 pounds are good on
shad-colored spinnerbaits, white tubes or
black/chartreuse jigsaround the brush. Crappie
are good on minnows and jigs in the brush.
ARROWHEAD: Water muddy in upper end; 68
degrees; 4.7' low. Black bass are fair around
rocky areas and flooded brush on spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair but improving on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on shadimitation baits. Blue catfish are good on cut
shad and prepared baits.
HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 67
degrees; 11.5' low. Black bass aregood on
white spinnerbaits with chartreuse trailers and
black neon or watermelon red soft plastics
around reeds. Crappie are good on minnows
and jigs. White bass and hybrid striper are
good on minnows. Catfish are good on minnows or cut baits.
NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 66
degrees. Black bass are fair. Crappie are good
on jigs and minnows. Redfish are fair. White
bass and striped bassare good on minnows.
Catfish are good on chicken liver and shad.
OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees;
23.25' low. Black bass arefair. Crappie are
fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on
preparedbaits and minnows. No boat ramps
open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on the dirtroad
near the dam.
O.H. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees;
21.45' low. Black bass are fairon live baits
and shad-colored spinnerbaits along brush
and grass lines. Crappie are good on minnows
and jigs. White bass are fair on live bait and
small chartreuse with black back crankbaits.
Smallmouth bass are fair onlive bait and
small crankbaits. Channel catfish are good on
cutbaits andminnows.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 69 degrees;
4.3' low. Black bass are fair in Rock Creek
and Caddo areas. Crappie are slow on live
bait. White bass aregood near Carter Bend
and Carter Island. Striped bass are slow on
live bait.Blue and channel catfish are fair in
the upper part of reservoir.
SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 66
degrees; 30.15' low. Black bass arefair on live
bait and white spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair
on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on
live bait. Catfish are good on minnows andshad.
WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 67
degrees; 17.5' low. Black bass arefair on big
white tubes, and white spinnerbaits around
the brush. Crappieare good on jigs and minnows. Walleye are fair on minnows. Channel
catfishare good on live bait and cut baits.
COASTAL
NORTH SABINE: Trout are good on the north
spoil bank shorelines on black TopDogs and
Super Spooks. Flounder are good on the
Louisiana shoreline on mudminnows and red
shad plastics. Redfish are good on live shad
in the marsh.
SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the
Reef on red shad and black BassAssassins,
Trout Killers, Sand Eels and Stanley
Wedgetails. Trout, sandtrout, redfish and
sheepshead are good at night from the
Causeway pier onlive shrimp and tandemrigged Little Fishies.BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to
good in protected areas on topwaters and
Corkies.Redfish and black drum are good on
cut-bait on the beachfront and atRollover
Pass.
TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair to good at
Spoonbill Reef on red shad and glow/chartreuse plastics. Flounder are fair to good on
red shad plasticstipped with shrimp in the
bayous. Redfish, sand trout and black drum
arefair on live bait at the Spillway.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and redfish are
fair to good while drifting openshell on red
shad and glow/chartreuse Bass Assassins,
Trout Killers, SandEels and Hogies. Trout and
redfish are fair to good on the south shorelineon plastics and live shrimp.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good
while drifting deeper shell reefson red shad
Bass Assassins, Sand Eels, Trout Killers and
Stanley Wedgetails.Trout are fair in the Ship
Channel on live shrimp and croakers.TEXAS
CITY: Trout and redfish are fair to good off the
dike on live shrimp.Flounder are good on the
shorelines on mud minnows. Trout are fair to
goodon the Dollar Flats and reefs on red shad
and plum plastics.
FREEPORT: Trout are fair to good at San Luis
Pass on live shrimp.Sheepshead, gafftop and
whiting are good on fresh dead shrimp. Trout
andredfish are good in protected waters of
Christmas Bay on live shrimp.
EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair on live
shrimp, black plastics and topwaterson protected shorelines. Redfish and flounder are
fair in the grass aroundHog Island on gold
spoons and plastics.
MATAGORDA: Trout are fair along the south
shoreline of West Bay fromCotton's the
Middle Grounds on topwaters, red shad andpumpkinseed/chartreuse Bass Assassins, Trout
Killers and Sand Eels. Redfishare fair in
Oyster Lake and around Shell Island on live
shrimp under apopping cork.
PORT O’CONNOR: Trout are good on live shrimp
under a popping cork andelectric blue/chartreuse and plum/chartreuse Bass Assassins
and Sand Eelsaround the protected reefs in
San Antonio Bay. Redfish are good in the
backlakes on live shrimp, She Dogs and soft
plastics.
ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good around
Traylor Island on croakers. Redfishand a few
trout are good on live shrimp in protected
areas on the EstesFlats and in the California
Hole. Trout are good on the reefs on Copano
onlive shrimp.
PORT ARANSAS: Trout and redfish are fair to
good on the East Flats on liveshrimp and
croakers. Trout and sand trout and gafftop are
good at the jettyon live shrimp. Red snapper
are good offshore.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Sand trout and gafftop are
good from the piers on shrimp,squid and cutbait. Trout are fair to good near the Causeway
on liveshrimp. Trout are fair on topwaters at
Shamrock Cove.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on the King
Ranch shoreline on red/whiteplastics and live
shrimp. Trout, redfish, black drum and flounder are goodin the Land Cut on live shrimp
and croakers. Redfish are good in
EmmordsHole on live shrimp.
PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good in the
Intracoastal on live shrimp andmullet.
Sheepshead, flounder, black drum, whiting
and croaker are good atthe jetties. Trout and
black drum are good in the Land Cut on live
bait.Trout and redfish are fair to good while
drifting grass beds near the Saucerand Three
Island.
SOUTH PADRE: Trout are fair to good at Twin
Bars on live shrimp under apopping cork.
Trout are fair to good at Laguna Vista and
Airport Cove onlive shrimp under a popping
cork.
PORT ISABEL: Trout, redfish and drum are fair
to good at Un-Necessary Islandand Gas-Well
Flats on live shrimp under a popping cork and
red shadplastics. Redfish are fair to good on
live shrimp and Top Dogs at HollyBeach and
Airport Cove.
May 27, 2005 Page 17
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052705
GAME WARDEN BLOTTER
TPW, LOCAL AGENCIES READY FOR
MEMORIAL WEEKEND
Game wardens will be out in
force on lakes across the state
Memorial Day weekend in a
crackdown on intoxicated boating. Texas Parks and Wildlife
Chief of Marine Enforcement
Alfonso Campos said that about
450 wardens will work in rotation over the holiday weekend,
partnering with many local law
enforcement groups to enforce
BWI laws on busy lakes such as
Travis, Texoma, Conroe and
Possum Kingdom. On Lake
Travis, the Austin Police
Department will have their
Breath Analysis Test Mobile unit,
or “Bat Mobile,” on hand to
assist in processing suspected
drunken boaters.
Marine safety is the concern.
Campos said that in 2004 there
were 209 reported boating accidents, 155 of which resulted in
injuries and 35 that resulted in
fatalities. The numbers were
similar for 2003. He said that
means about 90 percent of boating accidents result in an injury
or fatality.
“If you’re going to be in an
[boating] accident,” Campos
said, “the likelihood is very high
that you’re going to be injured or
killed. Be aware that game wardens will be enforcing the laws.”
Penalties for BWI are the same
as for driving while intoxicated,
and can mean up to 180 days in
jail, a fine up to $2,000, or both.
COVERT WORK ON CATFISH CASE
ENDS
• The termination of a twomonth covert investigation
into the unlawful sale of fish
from Lake Fork Reservoir in
Northeast Texas ended May 10
with the arrest of an Emory
man. The man pleaded guilty
before a Rains County justice
of the peace to charges of selling and offering to sell protected game and finfish. The
charges alleged that he sold
flathead, blue and channel
catfish taken from Lake Fork to
covert investigators on three
separate occasions. Prior to
the arrest, the man displayed
and offered to sell 800 pounds
of catfish being held in wire
cages tied to piers near his
waterfront residence. After the
arrest, game wardens released
twenty flathead catfish, the
largest weighing 65 pounds, as
well as 49 channel and blue
catfish. The man’s fines total
$6,750.
CUFF ‘EM
• Bell County game wardens
were patrolling the Lampasas
River above Lake Stillhouse
recently when they came
upon a man and woman sitting on the bank with fishing
poles. They told the wardens
that they were not fishing, but
the two were nervous. When
the woman stood up, the officers noted a rolled cigarette
under her that smelled like
marijuana. Upon further
investigation, the warden discovered that she had a bag of
marijuana just under 2 ounces
on her. The woman was arrested; her case is pending.
NO FREE RIDE
• Harrison County game wardens Jarrod Bryant and Derek
Nalls pulled an old boat out of
Caddo Lake that was halfsunken in front of the state
park boat ramp back in
February. The registration
numbers had been painted
over, but the original numbers
could still be made out. In late
April Bryant tracked down the
registered owner, who sold the
boat about a year ago to a man
who never paid him. Bryant
had the original owner contact the buyer, who stated he
burned the boat on private
property. After a short interview with Bryant, the buyer
admitted to sinking the boat
in Caddo Lake. The subject
was fined $400 for littering,
and he made arrangements to
pay the original owner for the
boat.
man told the wardens that he
was not really fishing but only
practicing his casts — with a
crank bait and stink bait on
the lures’ hooks. During the
contact with the subject, the
wardens noticed he had constricted pupils and was nervous. A pat down of the subject
revealed a 7.5-inch knife in a
shoulder holster under his
arm, underneath his shirt.
Further search revealed two
pipes, one with methamphetamine and the other with
marijuana, and one large bag
of marijuana. Consent to
search the vehicle revealed a
pistol-grip pump 12-gauge
shotgun with a 20-inch barrel,
more than 150 rounds of slugs,
numerous articles of drug
paraphernalia and another
bag of marijuana. About 50
rounds of ammunition were in
bandolier-type shell holders
and the rest in easy-access
shell holders. The man was
arrested on numerous charges,
and another man was cited for
possession of drug paraphernalia and no fishing license.
The cases are pending.
BRAZORIA WARDEN GETS ‘GATOR AID
JUST PRACTICING — HONEST
• Tarrant County game wardens
made contact with three individuals fishing from a dock on
Lake Arlington. None of the
men had a fishing license. One
• Brazoria County game wardens have been extremely busy
responding to nuisance alligators for the past few weeks.
One game warden didn’t have
to travel far to get involved
with one that was especially
worthy of mention. The warden, with the assistance another game warden and a nuisance
control hunter, removed an
alligator that measured 13 feet
1 inch from a small private lake
directly adjacent to his backyard. In this whopper of a
story, game wardens estimated
the gator probably weighed
more than 1,000 pounds.
BUT THE FISHING’S LOUSY IN IRAQ
• An Angelina County game
warden responded to a criminal trespass call involving several people fishing without
consent. One suspect was
arrested after authorities
found out he was AWOL from
the Marines. An investigation
continues.
HUNTING PARTY SHUT DOWN
• A Hunt County game warden
and a college intern were
patrolling when they noticed
a truck on a county road
known for road hunting. They
followed the truck and
watched the occupants spotlighting a field from the road.
When the vehicle began driving with its lights off, the warden stopped the truck. One
man exited the truck and had
an empty holster on his belt.
The warden asked where his
pistol was, and the man said it
was in the front seat of his
Continued on page 18
Page 18 May 27, 2005
Continued from page 17
Continued from page 10
Game Warden Blotter
Kayaking
truck. The warden found a
loaded .45-caliber pistol.
While searching the truck,
the warden found methamphetamines, marijuana, paraphernalia, and an open container of beer. The man was
arrested and taken to county
jail.
HONEST AT THE END
• Houston
County
Game
Warden Eddie Lehr received a
call from a local man confessing to illegally taking bucks at
the end of 2004-2005 hunting
season. Warden Lehr charged
the man with untagged deer,
and four illegal bucks were disposed of.
CRABBER PINCHED
• Two Harris County game wardens caught a commercial
crabber without a commercial
crabbing license last month.
The same crabber had been
issued a citation from one of
the wardens in January. This
time he was given a ride to the
Galveston County Jail. Later
the same day the wardens
caught two oyster boats with
under-sized oysters. Fifty-two
sacks of oysters were returned
to the reef. The cases are pending.
SUSPICIONS WERE WARRANTED
• A game warden was checking
fishing licenses on the
Canyon Lakes in Lubbock
County when he came across
three people fishing without
licenses. One had already been
filed on a year earlier by the
same warden at the same location for fishing without a
license. All subjects had county warrants, and one subject
had felony warrants. They
were placed under arrest and
taken to Lubbock County Jail.
CASTERS NET BUCKET OF TROUBLE
• A Montgomery County game
warden got a call about illegal
fishing activity on Lake
Conroe. While on the way, the
warden came across the person who made the complaint
and was able to enter the area
undetected. The four men
were using a cast net. When
the game warden confronted
the men, they claimed to have
had no luck netting bait. The
men did not know the game
warden had been watching
them for a while and knew
they had been taking fish with
the cast net and had a bucket
hidden in the woods. The
game warden retrieved the
bucket that contained five
black bass, two perch and one
tilapia (one bass was about 7
pounds).
Citations
were
issued.
Terns and laughing gulls were
diving on 2-inch Menhaden.
Schools of trout surrounded the
baitfish, so it didn’t take long for
Thomas to hook up to a 16-incher. The birds kept diving, and the
anglers kept casting but the fish
must have been full – they never
took another lure. The paddlers
moved back across the channel
again as motorboats screamed
around the bay.
As the morning gave way to
noon, the kayakers kept looking
for a flounder bite. But the fish
just weren’t hungry – too many
baitfish around. By this time,
the anglers were no doubt wondering if they’d picked the right
fishing spots and if they were
doing well enough for a win.
By 4 p.m. the fishermen gathered back under the tent, telling
stories and eating barbecue to
while away the time. One guy
said he caught a 7-foot alligator
gar; another said he caught a
dogfish. At last, one sheepish
angler ‘fessed up to catching a 2inch menhaden.
WINNERS BOX:
Slam:
1st - Filip Spencer - 62 1/2”
2nd - Justin Rascoe - 57 3/4”
Team Slam:
1st - Wilderness Systems 66”
2nd - TKF - 64”
3rd - Karankawa - 63 1/4”
Flounder:
1st - William Grimsinger - 18 1/2”
2nd - Ryan Evans - 18 1/4”
3rd - John Ward - 18 1/8”
Red:
1st - Jason Sanitz - 28”
2nd - Mike Herold - 27 1/2”
3rd - Scott Null - 27”
Trout:
1st - Phillip Perry - 22 1/8”
2nd - Spencer Pearson - 22”
3rd - Shane Meche - 21 7/8”
CROSSWORD SOLUTION
Crossword puzzle solution from page 14.
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PROPERTIES
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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND Waterfront
Properties on the Laguna Madre and
Gulf of Mexico. Call: David A. Lohse
Real Estate, Inc. (956) 761-6699
COLORADO PRIVATE LAND HUNTS
Guided hunts for Elk & Mule Deer
Comfortable lodging (719) 232-7652
mike@colparkoutfitters.com
www.colparkoutfitters.com
HUNTING
RANCHES
SOUTH TEXAS — Brooks, Duval, Jim
Hogg County Ranches. Call: David A.
Lohse Real Estate, Inc. (956) 761-6699
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May 27, 2005 Page 19
OUTDOOR DATEBOOK
HAVE AN EVENT
TO PUBLICIZE?
E-mail it to
editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
Events must be open to the public.
MAY 28: Ducks Unlimited Dallas NSCA
Registered Shoot, Elm Fork Shooting
Park, Dallas. The event is a clay shoot.
Targets will be NSCA registered.
Contact Liz Foster at (214) 824-5285
or e-mail fizloster@aol.com.
MAY 28: Wild Boar Hunt, Fennessey
Ranch. Hunters are placed in Africanstyle brush blinds at daylight to hunt
Russian boar on a private 4,000-acre
ranch. Daylight-dark; fees $150 Texas
State Park Pass members, $160 nonmembers; reservations required. Call
(361) 529-6600.
MAY 31: National Wild Turkey
Federation Cottonwood Creek Chapter
Texas Hunting Heritage Banquet,
Backwoods Trap, Aubrey. For more
information contact Dean Castillo at
(972) 562-9822.
JUNE 1-10: Bassmaster Elite 50
Tournament, Lewisville Lake. The top
professional bass anglers will take to
the waters of Lewisville Lake this
summer as the Bassmaster Elite 50
tournament series makes its only stop
in Texas. The event is being
coordinated locally by the Lewisville
Visitors Bureau and the City of
Lewisville. Tournament highlights will
be broadcast June 11, from 10-11
a.m., and again June 18, from 10 to
11 a.m., on ESPN2. The Bassmaster
Elite 50 Tournament will be based at
the city’s Lewisville Lake Park, with
boat launches at 10 a.m. each day
from Sneaky Pete’s Marina and weighins each evening at the park. The
Bassmaster Outdoor Expo will be held
at Lake Park on Friday and Saturday
afternoons. A Western-style country fair
will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on
Saturday, June 4. Free admission.
JUNE 2: Dallas Safari Club Frisco
RoughRiders Baseball Game, Dr
Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark, Frisco.
There will be a suite for Safari Club
members. Call Dallas Safari Club at
(972) 980-9800.
JUNE 2: Ducks Unlimited First Houston
Area Duck Hunters’ Bash, Houston
Farm and Ranch Club, Houston. TXDU
& Academy Sports & Outdoors to host
gathering for those with the summer
duck hunting blues. The Duck Hunters’
Bash will start at 6 p.m. at the
Houston Farm & Ranch Club. Cost of
the event is $30 in advance and $35
the day of the event; kids 12 and
under free. Contact Tim Soderquist at
(281) 259-9638, or e-mail
tsoderquist@ducks.org.
JUNE 2: National Wild turkey Federation
Bois D’Ark Chapter Texas Hunting
Heritage Banquet, Bonham Life Center,
Bonham. Contact Eddie Hines at (903)
583-1675.
JUNE 3: Range and Wildlife Seminar,
Kerr Wildlife Management Area. A free
seminar on all the facets of whitetailed deer management will be
presented. Subjects include deer
nutrition, genetics, population control,
prescribed burning and rotational
grazing. The seminar stresses an
ecological approach to deer
management. 1:30-5:30 p.m.;
reservations available but not required.
Call (830) 238-4483.
JUNE 4: Kids’ Fishing Day, Cooper Lake
State Park/Sulphur Unit. Bring your
fishing equipment and join in the fun
on Free Fishing Day. There will be
drawings for prizes. Open to children
12 and under, from 9-11 a.m. Call
(903) 395-3100 or (903) 945-5256.
JUNE 4: Kids’ Fishing Derby,
Eisenhower State Park. Bring your
fishing pole and fish the waters of Lake
Texoma and try to catch another worldrecord catfish from the deep blue
waters of the lake. Prizes will be
awarded to youths 18 and under for
the largest stringer of five fish and for
the smallest fish caught as well as
numerous fun prizes. Free for
participants; entrance fee waived for
participants; event from 8 a.m.- noon.
Call (903) 465-1956.
JUNE 4: Media Bass 2005 Team Trails
ArkaTex Teams Tournament, Lake Bob
Sandlin. Saturday registration is at 5
a.m. Take-off and weigh-in are at Titus
County Park. Entry fee and
membership fee are required. For more
information, call Chad Cranford at
(870) 898-6296.
JUNE 4: 13th Annual Kid Fishing
Tournament, Lake Arrowhead State
Park. Prizes, donated by local
businesses, awarded in three age
groups: 3-6, 7-12 and 13-16. A
limited number of fishing poles and
bait available. Adults may assist, but
not catch fish for kids. Meet at the
Group Dining Hall, from 2-4 p.m. Call
(940) 528-2211.
JUNE 4: Annual Rough Fish Contest,
Lake Arrowhead State Park. Prizes,
donated by local businesses, will be
awarded for the biggest fish caught in
this event. For ages 17 and older; signup at the Group Dining Hall; 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.; sign-up fee $2 per person,
with proceeds going to our Lone Star
Legacy Endowment. For more
information, call (940) 528-2211.
JUNE 4: Annual Kids’ Fishing
Tournament, Lake Whitney State Park.
For kids ages 4-12. Prizes awarded at
end of tournament, from 10 a.m.-1
p.m. Call (254) 694-3793.
JUNE 4: Media Bass 2005 Team Trails
Big ‘D’ Teams Tournament, Lake
Tawakoni. Saturday registration 5 a.m.,
take-off and weigh-in are at Lake
Tawakoni State Park. Entry fee and
membership fee are required. Call
Eldon Stout at (972) 222-3751.
JUNE 4: 15th Annual Kids’ Fish Flop
Tournament, Martin Dies, Jr. State
Park. This catch-and-release contest is
open to kids 16 and younger. Kids will
be placed into three age categories,
with prizes awarded in each category.
Tournament desk located behind the
dining hall in the Walnut Ridge Unit. 8
a.m.-noon. Call (409) 384-5231.
JUNE 4: Media Bass 2005 Team Trails
Cowtown Teams Tournament, Lake
Granbury. Saturday registration is at 5
a.m. Take-off and weigh-in are at
Rough Creek. Entry fee and
membership fee are required. Call Mike
Petrovic at (817) 946-8760.
JUNE 4: 13th Annual Kids’ Fish and
Play Day, Purtis Creek State Park. We’ll
have free fishing, door prizes, fishing
trophies, face painting, dunking booth,
music, climbing wall, paddle boat
races and many games. For ages 1-16,
from 8 a.m.-noon. Call (903) 4252332.
JUNE 4: Junior Angler Jamboree,
Sabine Pass Battleground State Park
and Historic Site. Young anglers can
learn the basics of fishing, fish
identification, regulations, basic tackle
and more. Participants who complete
all stations receive a certificate
proclaiming them an official TPW
“Junior Angler.” For children ages 6-12
(must be able to read). 9 a.m.-noon.
Call (409) 971-2559.
JUNE 4: Kids’ Fishing Day, Tyler State
Park. Come join us for a day of fishing
fun. Prizes will be awarded for the
largest fish, smallest fish, most
unusual catch and most fish. We will
have fish painting, a wildlife table, a
climbing wall, a casting contest and
door prizes. The contests are for kids
16 and younger, but this is an event
for the entire family. 9 a.m.-noon. Call
(903) 597-5338.
JUNE 4: Ducks Unlimited SCDU Huxley
Fun Night, Robinson Lodge, Huxley.
Dinner with games and raffles. Contact
Mark Robinson at (936) 368-2211 or
Clint Tanner at (936) 488-0985 or email rlodge@qzip.net.
JUNE 4: Ducks Unlimited Brazoria
County Golf Tournament, Lake Jackson.
For more information contact Lance
Efird at (832) 595-0663 or e-mail
lefird@ducks.org.
JUNE 4-12: National Fishing Week,
Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center,
Athens. Youths under age 17 will be
admitted free all week. Fishing is
included with admission to TFFC for all
visitors regardless of age, all
equipment is furnished and no fishing
license is needed. Call (903) 6762277.
JUNE 6: Ducks Unlimited Kilgore
Dinner, McKay’s Ranch House
Restaurant, Kilgore. This is a charter
event hosted by the Kilgore committee.
It will be a family-oriented evening
with dinner, a raffle and fun. For more
information, call Richard Harrison at
(903) 984-6507 or Alan Amos at
(903) 238-7322 or e-mail
richardharrison@hotmail.com.
JUNE 10: Ducks Unlimited 3rd Annual
Crockett Dinner, Lovelady Community
Center (Old Lovelady Gym), Lovelady.
Dinner, a big raffle and Duck Dice. For
more information, contact Kirk Brenner
at (936) 544-9546 or (936) 544
3833 or e-mail kbrenner@safe-tlighting.com.
JUNE 10: Ducks Unlimited
Dayton/Liberty Dinner, Elks Lodge,
Liberty. Contact Mark Bennett at (281)
425-3775 or (936) 334-4505 or email mark.bennett@gdseng.com.
JUNE 10: Media Bass 2005 Team Trails
CenTex Teams Tournament, Stillhouse
Hollow Reservoir. Saturday registration
is 5 a.m. Take-off and weigh-in are at
West Ramp. Entry fee and membership
fee are required. Call Jimmy Bennett at
(254) 774-9984.
JUNE 11: Media Bass 2005 Team Trails
Central Teams Tournament, Richland
Chambers Reservoir. Saturday
registration is at 5 a.m. Take-off and
weigh-in are at Oak Cove Marina. Entry
fee and membership fee are required.
Call Gordon Stauffer at (972) 2222207.
JUNE 10-11: Coastal Conservation
Association Inter-Chapter Challenge,
Port Aransas Civic Center, Port
Aransas. 5-9 p.m. Contact Robby Byers
or John Blaha at (800) 626-4222.
JUNE 11-12: Slither Under the Moon
Night Race, Copper Breaks State Park.
Adventure racing, sponsored by
Rattlesnake Racing, in the ruggedly
beautiful park trail system. This race
includes hiking, biking, kayaking and
mapping in this extreme sport. Call for
times; fees, in addition to registration
fee, free Texas State Parks Pass
members, $2 non-members, $1 senior
citizens, free for children 12 and
under; registration required to
participate at
www.rattlesnakeracing.com. (940)
839-4331.
HEROES’ CORNER
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’ Corner, Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX, 75243.
FEATURED HERO
PHILIP BUKOWSKI of San Antonio and Joey
Psencik of Seguin were fishing a 40-acre lake
on Bukowski’s ranch in Karnes County when a
72-pound, 44-inch blue catfish took the bait on
his 12-pound-test line. The fish begin to drag
the anglers’ boat around the lake as they tried to
bring it in, and at one point, Psenick told
Bukowski to let the fish go before it pulled them
into the water, but Bukowski told him that he
didn’t have the fish – the fish had him. That
proved to be the case when Bukowski finally
boated the cat by sticking his hand in the fish’s
mouth and hauling him in, and then found the
fish wouldn’t release his hand.
RON LINSCOME from Boerne, Texas with a redfish that
weighed 27 pounds. He was fishing at Hackberry
Rod & Gun Club, Hackberry, Louisiana.
MATTHEW FAVRE took his first deer Oct. 16, 2004, at Riverview Farm near Lake
Creek, Texas. Matthew was 6 years old when he took the spike buck, and he was
accompanied by his father, Steve Favre, who supervised the hunt.
LIZ FOSTER (left)
bagged this gobbler
April 17 on the
Seven Bar Ranch
near Archer City
with a bow and
arrow from 15
yards away.
Although she says
the turkey is
ordinary – a 2-yearold gobbler with a
7-inch beard and
no spurs – Foster is
understandably
proud of the shot.
TREY WEBB caught this largemouth May 2
on Lake Bastrop at Lake Bastrop State
Park using 6-weight fly tackle.
MYRA SPURGIN landed this lunker
March 24 at Lake Athens. The bass
weighed just under 8 pounds and
was taken off a 4-feet-deep
spawning bed on spinning tackle
with 10-pound-test line.
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