july 8, 2011 - lone star outdoor news - fishing & hunting

LSONews.com Lone✯Star Outdoor News July 8, 2011

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July 8, 2011 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 7, Issue 22

State's bestAggie takes top duck calling honors.

Page 6

Inside

❘❚ LSONews.com

Federal offi cials decline to OK earlier South Zone opener.

Page 4

Dove season set❘❚ HUNTING

Who has jurisdiction?Page 9

Can't fi sh here?

Texas youth scores on B.C. bear hunt.Page 4

Bear with me

Anglers having up-and-down season.Page 8

Searching for snook

❘❚ FISHING

Camoufl aged corn: Gimmick or law

enforcement nightmare?

By Bill MillerLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Baiting deer is now legal in parts of Georgia, but corn dealer David Hendrickson said that’s bad for business.

You’d think sales of bait would jump, but Hendrickson, of Newton, Ga., sells a specialized product.

His corn is camou-

FROM THE DEPTHS: Anglers fi shing deep lakes like Texoma and Bridgeport are hooking smallmouth bass on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, even some soft plastics. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 24Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 22Fishing Report . . . . . . . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 22Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 20Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 25Outfi tters and Businesses . . Page 24Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 27Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 22

O.C. Fisher is out of water.Page 8

Sucked dry

Go deep for smalliesBy Nicholas ConklinLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Few options exist for anglers chasing small-mouth bass in Texas lakes.

But, for those willing to fi sh deep, clear-water

lakes, the reward can be hard-fi ghting bronze-backs, up to 6 pounds.

Anglers recently reported smallmouth-rich environments on lakes Texoma and Bridgeport.

See SMALLIES, Page 17

Anglers catching smallmouth bass

in clear, deep-water reservoirs

See CAMOUFLAGED, Page 5

COVERT CORN: A camoufl age corn dealer from Georgia said his product probably wouldn’t catch on in Texas where it’s legal to bait deer. Photo by Real Life Outdoors.

Not all big fi sh found up close to rigsBy Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Oil rigs off the Texas coast can be busy places during the summer.

Tuna, mahi mahi, red snapper, grou-per, ling, kingfi sh and a multitude of other deep-water species congregate around the rigs — along with fi shermen.

Anglers have their choices when fi shing the rigs; bottom fi shing and trolling both are popular.

What should a boater who doesn’t often fi sh the rigs need to know about these hulk-ing metal structures of the deep?

For starters, pay attention to other boats and

See RIGS, Page 21

RIG RULES: A multitude of saltwater species, and the anglers who seek them, tend to crowd around offshore oil rigs during the summer. One guide suggests fi shing several hundred yards from a rig, where big fi sh are frequently found. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

July 8, 2011 Lone✯Star Outdoor News LSONews.com


HUNTING

A promise kept: Texas youth earns Canadian adventure

South Zone dove season opener set for Sept. 23


Cody Witt, being a student athlete from Thrall, northeast of Austin, has plenty of upper body strength, but he tired while holding his compound bow at full draw, wait-ing on a big black bear.

The bruin was lumbering along some railroad tracks, stopping occasionally to feed on grass in some very remote backcountry of eastern British Columbia.

Cody’s guide, Jeff Lander, who was directing the 16-year-old archer with hand signals, fi rst spotted the bear.

Cody fi nally saw the bear when it was nearly upon his guide.

“I was afraid he’d get wind of Jeff,” Cody said. “I had to draw my bow and I held it, but I was pretty fatigued.

“I was just waiting for him to turn broadside.”

The journey to this moment on June 2nd involved more than geography.

Cody said it wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for Jeff.

Cody’s uncle, James Bailey, and his uncle’s hunting buddy, Bob Gilbert, also played key roles.

But to appreciate their infl u-ences, it helps to understand that Cody’s parents divorced when he was 5.

“Because of the divorce, Cody had to grow up fast and become the ‘little man’ around our house,” said his mother, Lynn Voigt, who remarried two years ago. “Hunting has been his outlet.”

Cody was 9 when Uncle James, a Dripping Springs homebuilder, gave him his fi rst bow.

“It snowballed from there,” Cody said.

Since then, uncle and nephew made numerous hunts on the Webb County deer lease they shared with Bob, a homebuilder from Leander.

That’s where, a few years ago, Cody fi rst met Jeff, who had guided James and Bob on hunts for grizzly and black bears in British Columbia. They invited Jeff to hunt feral hogs in Texas.

“I could see he was totally fi red up on hunting,” Jeff said of Cody. “I said ‘Well, why don’t you come up to Canada to go bowhunting?’”

Cody responded that he’d love to, but his mother proba-bly wouldn’t let him because his schoolwork was lacking.

Jeff didn’t hesitate to offer a free hunt if Cody could improve his grades and keep them high.

“Well,” Jeff recalled, “right then his uncle said, ‘Yeah, and I’ll pay for the fl ight.’ Then Bob said, ‘I’ll buy your license.’”

Cody took their challenge seriously.“To have an opportunity was

all it took,” Lynn said. “Cody has been on the honor roll the last two years while playing sports for Thrall High School.”

James and Bob drove Cody to

Jeff’s concession, south of Prince George, B.C.

When they arrived, Cody dis-covered a vast, rugged pinery totally unlike drought-stricken Texas.

“We saw moose, grizzlies and lots of waterfowl,” he said. “It’s very wet up there, and the sun comes up at 4:45 in the morning and goes down 10:30 at night.

Living in Texas, I’ve never experi-enced anything like that.”

During the fi rst outing from camp, Jeff was glad to see that his commitment to Cody was not misplaced.

It didn’t take very long for them to see their fi rst bear, and Cody could

BEAR OF A CHALLENGE: Cody Witt of Thrall and family friend Bob Gilbert of Leander present the 350-pound black bear that Cody shot June 2 in eastern British Columbia. Photo by Jeff Lander.


Dove hunters who prefer South Texas must now mark their calendars for Sept. 23 — the latest opening for the South Zone season in a long time.

A request from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to open that season earlier was recently denied by a regulations committee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The season traditionally begins the Friday nearest Sept. 20, but no earlier than the 17th. That’s nearly three weeks later than the Sept. 1 opening allowed for the rest of the state.

TPWD offi cials have said, however, that in the South Zone, dove hatchlings stay a little longer in the nest, but most are ready to leave by Sept. 20.

But this year, the Friday nearest Sept. 20 is Sept 23.

Not wanting to open that late, TPWD offi cials thought it would be OK to nudge the South Zone opener back one week to Sept. 16.

They needed federal approval to do that, but USFWS offi cials declined.

If you’re upset about that, the line forms behind Dave Morrison, TPWD’s small game program director.

“I’m really disappointed,” he said, “because our plan was supported by the Central Flyway Council. It would have been a very simple move, however, the service felt we needed more biological information to support that.

“We argued that there is no biologi-cal implication, but they chose to beconservative.”

So Sept. 23 is the opening date for the South Zone, including the special white-winged dove area.

But USFWS offi cials had more favor-able news for hunters who’d like an ear-lier chance to hunt resident Canada geese in the Eastern Zone for waterfowl.

Hunters will be allowed to go after them Sept. 10-25, concurrently with the 16-day September teal season.

These “resident” populations evolved from pets that have turned wild or

snuck into Texas from neighboring states, but most of the geese are up along the Red River.

Resident geese in other states have created a lot of damage to parks and pri-vate lawns, although it hasn’t yet got-ten that bad in Texas.

However, there are enough of these birds in the Eastern Zone to provide an ear-lier hunting opportunity, Morrison said.

But this new September Canada season will only be for the state’s Eastern Zone, basically the counties east of Interstate 35.

That’s because that portion of the state is allotted 107 days to hunt geese. The state doesn’t use all of them during the regular season in fall and winter, so some of those can be applied to a September season.

Not so in the Western Zone, which only gets 96 days and all of them are used in the fall and winter, Morrison said.

September season for Canadas approved for Eastern Zone

LATE START: A proposal from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to open the South Zone dove season earlier this year has been denied by a regulations committee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo By David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

See TEXAS YOUTH, Page 6

SEE MORE■ 'Boundary' water regulations: Page 8


fl aged — the result of a process that dyes kernels brown and green. But before the two colors are mixed together, the kernels are coated with a sweet, powdered fl avoring.

Deer love it, Hendrickson said. So do hogs. But, unlike a pile of bright yellow corn, this bait is intended to go unseen to other people competing for prime hunt-ing spots.

Game wardens, too.

But, Hendrickson said, when baiting became legal, “It killed my business in the state of Georgia.”

“We’re just going to have to expand in places where it’s still not legal to bait,” he added. “I have a lot of interest from Louisiana and Mississippi.

“It doesn’t really appeal to the places like Texas where it’s legal to put out the regular yellow corn.

“But, if they thought of it from a waterfowl aspect, they might con-sider it. It’s not legal to bait water-fowl anywhere in the United States.”

Mike Merida, special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said

agents spend much of their time dealing with illegal baiting, espe-cially in the southeastern states.

In North Texas, where he’s sta-tioned, many of the investigations involve outfi tters trying to put their clients on dove by baiting the ground with scattered wheat.

“If you’re not tilling it under, I’d say you’re more serious about kill-ing doves than growing wheat,” Merida said.

He noted, however, that camou-fl age corn could pose a challenge for wildlife law enforcement in Texas, especially if it’s used to bait waterfowl.

Regular yellow corn, he said, is easily seen from a patrol aircraft, even if it is in water.

“It will shine like gold,” Merida said.

Illegal baiting, he said, is a viola-tion of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a Class A misdemeanor which carries maximum penalties of a $100,000 fi ne and a year in prison.

So how can Hendrickson sell this product if it’s intended for an illegal purpose?

He likened it to radar detectors; it’s not illegal to sell or buy them, but it is illegal to speed.

“It never has been illegal to put it out, only to hunt over it,” he said. “Our disclaimer on the bag says we don’t ‘endorse illegal hunting activities. Please follow all state and federal game laws.’

“What you do with it is your business, but everybody knows that’s what it’s for.”

Hendrickson and his partners operate Real Life Outdoors, which sells the camoufl age corn, and they host a television program about their experiences hunting and fi shing in Georgia.

They developed the product because baiting was prevalent in Georgia, despite the previous law. The new law still has several restrictions — baiting can’t be done without a landowner’s writ-ten permission.

Hendrickson said the partners, nicknamed “Team Cuttenup,” were careful not to hunt deer over camo corn themselves, consider-ing they have a TV show.

“We laugh about it more than being upset about it,” Hendrickson said. “It’s a gimmick, really.

“But you go into any Walmart and look at all those gels and attractants. Every bit of it was illegal to hunt over, but not illegal to sell.”

Camoufl age corn costs more than the regular variety — about $15 for a 50-pound bag. Customers frequently ask why they should pay that price if they can get the

same amount of the yellow corn for $8?

“I tell them it’s better than paying a $300 ticket,” Hendrickson said.

Several game wardens, he added, have picked up samples of the product.

“They laugh about it,” Hendrickson said, adding that they don’t believe they’ll have trouble fi nding it.

They simply look for it at night, scanning the ground with ther-mal imaging devices because corn actually emits a heat signature.

An Internet search revealed another camo corn manufacturer — Randy Parent, a farmer from Sandusky, Mich.

He said that he cut back on bait production to pursue other busi-ness opportunities, but his think-ing about getting back into it.

“It was profi table,” he said. “And, yeah, it was kind of sticking it to the man.

“I mean, there’s just so many foolish laws on the book, and I just think that’s one of them. If a guy wants to bait deer, what’s wrong with that?

“There’s so many of them up here; it’s not like we’re baiting bald eagles.”

CamouflagedContinued From Page 1

CONCEALED: Camo corn, a product of Georgia-based Real Life Outdoors, is yellow corn dyed brown and green. But before they’re mixed together, the kernels are coated with a sweet, powdered fl avoring. Photo by Real Life Outdoors.

DISCLAIMER: Manufacturers of camo corn don’t endorse any illegal hunting activi-ties, but everyone including game wardens knows the product is used to bait deer. Photo by Real Life Outdoors.


have made an easy shot, according to Jeff.

“But he looked at me and said, ‘That almost doesn’t seem fair,’” the guide said.

They passed on the bear.“So,” Jeff said, “Cody,

in 10 minutes, made a decision that most grown men wouldn’t make. And that was pretty cool.”

Later, Jeff saw a much bigger bear coming down the railroad tracks. That’s when Cody held at full-draw on his Matthews Z7 Xtreme Tactical bow.

The bear didn’t detect Jeff’s presence before Cody fi nally got a behind-the-shoulder shot.

“He growled and bit at the arrow,” Cody said. “He kind of spun around and I actually thought he’d run Jeff over. Then he circled around me

before he stopped about 40 yards away.”

The mature boar weighed about 350 pounds and was 6-feet-4-inches long. Its skull had an 18-inch circumference.

The meat was donated to local families, but Cody is having the cape made into a full-body mount of a bear drinking water from a dip in a shed moose antler that Jeff gave him.

“It was a very generous gift,” Cody said of the hunt, “and I’m really excited and happy to be introduced, not just to bear hunting, but to bowhunting.

“I actually hope to com-plete the grand slam with archery equipment on all of the North American big game species.”

Congratulations, Bert! You can claim your Nikon 10x42

Trailblazer ATB binoculars at the

Nikon Sport Optics dealer nearest you:

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The “Hidden Valley

Buck” got his name

because he was spot-

ted hanging around a

secluded little canyon

on a 350-acre ranch

in Jack County. With

eight points formed from

extra-long tines, he was

the deer all the hunters

were gunning for last

season. That distinc-

tion goes to ROBERT

“BERT” BRANUM, 15,

of Waco. He borrowed a

.270-caliber Browning

bolt-action rifl e from his

stepfather, G.W. Quick,

to claim the whitetail.

Bert, who was 14 at the

time, was on his fi rst

solo hunt.

Aggie wins state duck calling championshipBy Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Twenty-four-year-old Grant Moore from Bells, Texas, won the Texas State Duck Calling Championship June 25 in Katy.

The Texas A&M graduate, and cur-rent biologist at the RBT Ranch in Jacksboro, has been contest calling for three years, although he has hunted

ducks his entire life. He also serves as a pro-staff member for Collegiate Camo.

Moore used a routine he’d been per-fecting for the event. He said he uses Rich-N-Tone Calls for his champion-ship performances.

“It’s called Main-Street style,” he said. “It’s a style of calling from Arkansas, and the judges were looking for the calling to be loud, have good

tone, be consistent and smooth.”With the victory, Moore quali-

fi ed for the World Duck Calling Championships on Thanksgiving weekend in Stuttgart, Ark.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said. “My best friend, Clint Johnson, has actually won this event twice. We grew up together and have hunted ducks all of our lives. It’s pretty cool that it’s my turn.”

Moore said he has guided hunters from Texas to Canada, and mallards are his favorite ducks to hunt.

“I’ve chased mallards all over the place,” he said. “Where I hunt in North Texas, there is a lot of public land. I also guide hunts on the ranch where I work.”

Finishing second this year was four-time state winner Ward McGee, of Houston.

GRANT MOORE

Texas youthContinued From Page 4

Texans excel at USA Shooting championships

Texans Brandy Drozd and Morgan Harbison medaled and qualifi ed for the Junior National Team at the USA Shooting National Shotgun Championships held last month in Colorado Springs.

Drozd, a high school stu-dent from Bryan, won the silver medal Open Women’s skeet and gold medaled in the Junior Women’s events.

Harbison, a 2010 graduate of Farmersville High School, is a sophomore studying ani-mal science at Texas A&M University, and a member of the Aggie trap and skeet team.

Harbison’s score also quali-fi ed him for the men’s open fi nals where he shot a fi nal round score of 22 out of 25 tar-gets, landing him in 4th place in the Open Men’s National Championships. There were 101 competitors vying for the

National Championship.Other Texans securing spots on either

the National Team or the National Junior Team included: Skeet, Sean McClelland, Harlingen, bronze medal Open Men’s; T.J. Bayer, College Station,

silver medal Junior Men’s. Doubles trap: Glenn Eller, Katy, bronze

medal Open Men’s. Trap: Miranda Wilder, Diana, Silver Medal Open Women’s & Silver Medal Junior Women’s.

—Staff report

SILVER PERFORMANCE: Morgan Harbison of Waller, shown here competing at the USA Shooting National Trap Championships, won the silver medal and a spot on the Junior National Team. Photo by USA Shooting.


Sportsman's Expo set for July 22-24

ADVERTISEMENT

Take the family to the 21st annual Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s Expo at the new McAllen Civic Center in McAllen.

“The main thing we want to focus on this year is the fact that we are going to have items for everyone and a variety of exhibits to enjoy,” said Christopher Curl, of the Texas Hunter Association. “We will have smaller exhib-its with more affordable items for everyone.”

Curl said attendance has risen every year, and he ex-pects 2011 to be no differ-ent. The three-day weekend event is expected to draw several thousand hunting and fi shing enthusiasts and visitors from both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.

“There is something here for the entire family,” Curl said. “Our goal is to preserve our hunting and fi shing heritage and ensure that the sports of hunting and fi shing has a fu-ture in Texas for our children, grandchildren and their future generations to enjoy.”

One of the main attractions this year is Dr. Jim Reimer’s Goliath and the Giants Whitetail Display featuring more than 20 of the largest deer mounts in the country.

The Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s Expo is recog-nized as the highest quality hunting and fi shing trade show in South Texas. This is the only show of its kind south of San Antonio and north of Monter-rey, Mexico. The show features

guides and outfi tters from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Africa, book-ing hunts for trophy whitetails, exotics, bear, nilgai, moose, elk, mule deer, turkey, quail, dove, waterfowl, trophy bass, saltwater fi sh-ing trips and more.

Manufacturers and dealers will be on hand offering special show prices on hunting blinds, feeders, gun safes, custom knives, hunting vehicles, ATVs, boats, fi shing gear, camo, ranching equipment, tractors and hunting accessories.

Door prizes will be given.“In a nutshell, this show is

designed for the sportsman and his family, by sportsmen who know what they want,” Curl said. “This is the type of show people can attend and leave with a feeling of satis-faction. It’s all under one roof — A sportsman’s paradise!”

Admission Prices are good for the entire weekend, courtesy of Academy Sports + Out-doors and L&F Distributing.

Adults: $10 Senior Citizens: $8Children 12 and under FREE

Show Dates and Times: Fri. July 22: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.Sat. July 23: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Sun. July 24: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

For more information, call (956) 664-2884, or go to www.texashunterassociation.com.


FISHING

By Nicholas ConklinLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Like the unpredictable distant cousin who shows up late or not at all to family functions, snook have made erratic appearances to the waters near South Padre Island.

According to guide Ernest Cisneros of Arroyo City, the fi shing recently had been rather unpre-dictable with anglers landing only three to fi ve fi sh per trip.

“The big ones have not come in yet,” he said. “We’re just catching average sizes right now, which is about 22-24 inches.”

The key to fi nding the fi sh is paying attention to the tides.

Cisneros said the snook bite will be better on the stronger tides. Conversely, on the weaker tides, the bite may only last 30 minutes.

He also said the lack of rain has prevented freshwater from entering

the bay system, which has contrib-uted to the weaker snook bite. But, he said, anglers can be successful by focusing on the moving tides and concentrations of bait.

Guide Robert Sirvello of Laguna Vista said he has had great success landing snook, but mostly while fi shing for other salt species.

During a recent tournament fi shing for speckled trout, he landed several snook on She-dog topwater lures by MirrOlure.

“I was trying to catch a big trout and every bite I had was a snook,” Sirvello said. “You can just about say (that) you can make 100 casts (for snook) and not catch one, but when you don’t want them, you can hardly keep them off your line.”

Sirvello said a variety of effective lure colors have worked recently on snook, including bone, char-treuse and redhead with chrome.

Cisneros reported snook upwards

of 26-28 inches near the mouth of the Rio Grande.

Topwater lures have been the most produc-tive during the early-morning hours; then Cisneros switches to 1/8-ounce jigheads and artifi cial baits for the afternoon.

But Sirvello also reported that he has found snook north of the Queen Isabella Causeway, which, he said, is a good sign for the snook population.

“Now we’re catch-ing them north of the causeway, which years ago didn’t hap-pen very often,” Sirvello said. “They’re just spreading out a little bit and there are more of them.”

To contact Capt. Ernest Cisneros, call (956) 266-6454.To contact Capt. Robert Sirvello, call (956) 943-1010.

LINESIDER: Angler Trey Crocker of San Antonio is no stranger to snook over 24 inches. He caught several of them on a recent trip while fi shing artifi cial baits on jigheads off South Padre Island. Photo by Ernest Cisneros.

Snook: Eager anglers, guides waiting on the bite

West Texas lake sucked dry by drought

Anglers hooking reds with swimbaits, croaker

Regulations set to change

on Texas-Louisiana

‘boundary’ waters


Being stopped by a game war-den on the water can be stressful.

But if you were fi shing one of the lakes that share ‘boundary’ waters with Louisiana, your concerns may be exasperated due to the lack of standardized fi shing regulations; what’s legal on the Louisiana side


Reports of accelerated redfi sh action out of Matagorda Bay and Rockport have been occurring with both live and artifi cial baits.

It’s welcome news.After months of strong winds and limited

smooth fi shing, anglers and guides are excited to branch into calm water for fi sh.

For redfi sh tournament angler Randy Weaver of Houston, the key now is to get into the open bay and target stacked fi sh.

“Anytime you can get out and effectively fi sh out in the middle — with the winds below 10-15 mph — you’re going to smoke them,” Weaver said.

Weaver said that he had recently been catching fi sh between 5-7 feet deep and mainly on artifi cial baits. Heavily weighted jigheads between 1/2-ounce and 3/8-ounce

are preferred to get the bait down fast and keep it away from smaller fi sh.

Swimbaits have been productive lately, Weaver said. He explained that the commo-tion caused by the tails of these baits can be very attractive to bigger reds.

“The fat tail on it puts out a good wobble, and makes a lot of vibrations,” he said. “I have found that I catch a lot larger fi sh on some kind of swimbaits.”

Artifi cial baits have been key to guide Hollis Forrester in West Matagorda Bay. He said that the early mornings are when most artifi cial baits should be fi shed.

“It has just been an early bite,” Forrester said. “You have to get on them early while the temperatures are still down.”

Plum and chartreuse-colored plastics by the Texas Tackle Factory have been produc-tive for Forrester. However, he said that as afternoon approaches, anglers need to slow

their retrieves and move into deeper water. Conversely, guide Lanny Phillips has had

success on live bait near Rockport and far-ther south near Corpus Christi Bay.

“We’re using croaker right now and have done exceptionally well,” Phillips said. “There has been a lot of good fi shing in Rockport, but we are fi nding more fi sh south.”

As long as the wind stays around 10-15 mph, Phillips said that catch numbers have been high and he has been able to track fi sh early.

To contact Capt. Lanny Phillips, call (432) 349-0353. To contact Capt. Hollis Forrester, call (979) 417-3779.

See 'BOUNDARY' WATERS, Page 17

DEEP WATER REDS: Capt. Mike Heide-mann holds a redfi sh caught while fi shing Galveston Bay. Anglers have found redfi sh schooling in some of the deep water in the

bays while fi shing heavily weighted artifi cial baits. Photo by Capt. Paul Marcaccio.


A year ago, O.C. Fisher Reservoir on the west side of San Angelo, was evap-orating, but people could still launch boats to catch crappie and catfi sh.

Not now.O.C. Fisher is a 5,540-acre fl ood-control

lake that backs into San Angelo State Park. It reportedly has some water in it, but peo-ple are having a hard time fi nding it.

Drought has throttled this West Texas lake’s primary feeder stream — the North Concho River.

Rick Smith, a native son and longtime columnist for the San Angelo Standard-Times, walked the lake bed on June 27. He reported only dusty silt, spiked with withered weeds, a Coke can and an old tackle box.

“Right now it’s listed as 1 percent of capacity,” he said, “but I didn’t fi nd that 1 percent.”

It was nothing like the lush landscape where a couple decades earlier he got stuck in the mud while four-wheeling.

“There was no mud at all,” the writer said of his most recent visit. “It was like walking on the moon.

“It was moon dry.”Drought has been robbing lake levels

across Texas. About 30 miles north of San Angelo, Lake E.V. Spence also was only 1 percent of capacity the fi rst week of July, and 65 miles northwest of San Angelo, Hords Creek Lake was completely dry.

O.C. Fisher was impounded in 1953 MOON DRY: A lack of rainfall and summer heat have kept O.C. Fisher Reservoir from recharging, and now it’s almost completely dry. A year ago, however, anglers were still catching fi sh on the 5,540-acre lake. Photo by Jason Hook, for Lone Star Outdoor News. See SUCKED DRY, Page 23


Illegal to fi sh here? Maybe not

Virginia yields pending world record bluecatBy Bob HoodFOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Most Texas catfi sh anglers probably have never heard of Buggs Island Lake, but it’s likely the whole world will know something about it soon, thanks to a Father’s Day fi shing trip made there last month by a North Carolina football coach, his dad and brother.

Nick Anderson of Greenville, N.C., was using a “family secret bait” while fi shing with a rod and reel on a pontoon boat at the 50,000-acre Virginia-North Carolina border lake with his dad, Rick, and brother, Jeramie, when he hooked into a blue catfi sh that weighed 143 pounds and has become a pending all-tackle world record.

The area where the fi sh was caught was near Goat Island, not far from Clarksville, Va.

Anderson’s fi sh measured 57 inches in length and had a girth of 43 1/2 inches. It was weighed at a farm supply store in Chase City, Va.; that was the only place in the area with scales large enough to handle such a big fi sh.

A Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist witnessed the weighing and Dallas Weston, edi-tor of the Mecklenburg News-Progress in Chase City, photo-graphed Anderson with his father and brother helping to hold it.

Buggs Island Lake also is known as John H. Kerr Reservoir.Anderson’s big bluecat has been certifi ed as a new Virginia

state record, said Lee Walker of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Walker said it also has been sub-mitted for world record consideration to the International Game Fish Association.

If certifi ed by the IGFA, it will replace the current world record of 130 pounds caught by Greg Bernal in the Missouri River in 2010.

See WORLD RECORD, Page 16

BIG BLUE: Nick Anderson, left, with help from his father, Rick Anderson, center, and brother, Jeramie Mullis, hoist the 143-pound blue catfi sh that Nick caught June 18 in the John H. Kerr-Buggs Island Lake near Clarksville, Va. The fi sh weighed 13 pounds more than the world record. Photo by Mecklenburg News-Progress.

By Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Tournament and recreational anglers have all seen the signs.

The ones that read “No Fishing Area,” on some lakes around Texas — often times at marinas.

However, just because someone has a sign up, doesn’t always mean they have the authority to enforce what the sign says.

See ILLEGAL, Page 21


ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 79–86 degrees; 3.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, jigs and Carolina rigs. Crappie are good on min-nows and jigs. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared bait.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 87–91 degrees; 4.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and soft plastics. Catfi sh are good on cheesebait, shrimp and nightcrawlers.

ATHENS: Water clear; 84–89 degrees; 2’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, jigs and medium crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

BASTROP: Water clear; 79–82 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on cheesebait, shrimp and stinkbait.

BELTON: Water murky; 81–84 degrees; 4.64’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms early and late. White bass are fair but small on minnows and chrome slabs with bucktails at night.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 84–88 degrees; 5.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits and football jigs off brush piles. Crappie are good on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with Redneck’s Catfi sh Bait Soap.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Redfi sh are good on perch and shad near the jetty. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp and stinkbait near the hot water discharge.

BRIDGEPORT: Water lightly stained; 84–88 degrees; 6.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged Jackall Sasuteki craws and medium-running, shad-pattern crankbaits along main lake points — weightless LFT Hyper Sticks are also producing around vegetation in the river. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Channel catfi sh are good on cut and prepared bait.

BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 12.85’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps over grass, and on watermelon soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails around structure. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and min-nows off lighted docks at night. Crappie are good on minnows and Li’l Fishies. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

BUCHANAN: Water clear; 75–79 de-grees; 17.87’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon topwaters, char-treuse Whacky Sticks and Texas-rigged green pumpkin Scoundrel worms on secondary points and ledges in 10–22 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs over brush piles. Channel catfi sh are good on live bait and stinkbait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on juglines and trotlines baited with perch upriver.

CADDO: Water murky; 84–88 degrees; 0.46 low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and topwaters early, later switching to shallow crankbaits in baitfi sh patterns around isolated cover. Yellow bass are good on minnows.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on live bait. Redfi sh are good on live bait near the dam. Channel catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shad near the railroad trestle.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 76–79 degrees; 4.55’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Shad Raps, Rat–L–Traps and buzzbaits upriver near lay downs along banks in 5–10 feet early and late. Smallmouth bass are fair on smoke grubs and watermelon tubes on jigheads in 8–18 feet. Crappie are fair on crappie jigs and live minnows upriver over brush piles in 12 feet. Channel catfi sh are slow. Yellow and

blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live bait.

CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 84–88 degrees; 3.76’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, shaky heads and shallow square-bill crankbaits around docks (best action is early morn-ing). White bass are good throughout day on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Crappie are fair to good on minnows with shallow bite improving. Catfi sh are fair drifting cut shad.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 86–91

degrees; 8.31’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits and watermelon soft plastic worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and prepared bait in 5–15 feet.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 75–78 degrees; 13.15’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse crankbaits, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Channel catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with perch.

COLETO CREEK: Water fairly clear; 2.56’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on black/chartreuse soft plastics and topwaters in 5–10 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are fair on stinkbait and shrimp.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 83–87 degrees; 3.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon Carolina-rigged soft plastics, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs over brush piles. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

FALCON: Water stained; 88–91 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon and June bug jigs in 8–12 feet. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on cut bait and frozen shrimp.

FORK: Water fairly clear; 84–89 degrees; 4.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs with Jackall Sasuteki Craws and watermelon/green pumpkin jigs in 12–15 feet along creek channels. Foot-ball jigs and Carolina rigs are producing in deeper water along main lake humps, drops and brush piles. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and prepared bait.

GRANBURY: Water clear; 80–83 degrees; 2.35’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms, lizards and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on live bait. White bass are fair on minnows, slabs and pet spoons. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and frozen shrimp.

GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 84–89 degrees; 0.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms,

fi nesse jigs and medium crankbaits along main lake points — docks are starting to produce as well. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

JOE POOL: Water lightly stained; 85–88 degrees; 0.78’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, topwaters early and medium crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared baits.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 84–89 degrees; 0.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, topwaters early and jigs later in the day off brush piles. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LAVON: Water stained; 84–89 degrees; 3.56’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, topwaters and medium crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

LBJ: Water fairly clear; 80–83 degrees; 0.36’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastic worms and topwaters, and on shad-colored Rat–L–Traps along break lines in 5–15 feet early and late. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live perch.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 84–88 degrees; 1.05’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits, shaky heads and Texas-rigged plastics — target main lake points in 10–15 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs and improving. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and Sassy Shad. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 84–87 degrees; 0.01’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits. Striped bass are good but small on slabs, troll tubes and pet spoons. White bass are good on pet spoons, troll tubes and slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Blue catfi sh are good on shad.

MACKENZIE: Water stained; 79–86 degrees; 79.58’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass and striped bass are good on live bait and Rat–L–Traps. Smallmouth bass are good on live bait and white/chartreuse spinnerbaits. Walleye are good on minnows and white spinnerbaits. Catfi sh are good on live bait.

MEREDITH: Water fairly clear; 79–85 degrees; 90.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on chatterbaits,

spinnerbaits, medium-running crankbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair on live bait and Little Georges. Smallmouth bass are fair on live bait. Walleye are good on live bait. Channel catfi sh are fair on nightcrawlers.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 81–87 de-grees; 29.32’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits, Yum Dingers and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on Rooster Tails. Catfi sh are good on nightcrawlers.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 84–88 degrees; 2.92’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, Texas rig LFT Worms in blue fl eck and black/blue jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs, Sassy Shad and live shad. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 79–86 degrees; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters early, later switching to Texas rigs, jigs and deep-diving H2O crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and Little Georges. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Catfi sh are fair to good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 84–89 degrees; 1.69’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rig creature baits, fi -nesse jigs, hollow belly swimbaits. White bass are excellent on humps from 17 to 23 feet hybrids mixed in. Catfi sh are good on prepared baits.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 44–48 degrees; 1.18’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on jigs and crankbaits around rocky points. Crappie are slow. White bass are good on main lake humps and ridges in 30–35 feet on chartreuse/white 1 oz. slabs. Catfi sh are fair drifting cut shad around main lake humps.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 83–87 degrees; 9.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on minnows and shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows over brush piles in 15–30 feet. Catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait and liver.

TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 84–89 degrees; 3.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits and crankbaits fi shed around docks and timber. Crappie are good on 1/16 oz. curltail grubs and small minnows around bridge pilings and marina slips. White bass are excellent on SSS Slabs and Fiesta slabs in chartreuse. Catfi sh are excellent. Channels spawning shal-low on rip rap. Blues are good on cut bait around humps.

TEXOMA: Water lightly stained; 84–89 degrees; 2.45’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits in shad patterns, Texas-rigged fi nesse worms and topwaters — shaky heads around main lake points midday are also producing. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Striped bass are good on live shad and slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut and live shad.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 82–88 degrees; 8.97’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs over baited holes. Bream are good on crickets. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with shrimp and stinkbait in 20–30 feet.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 77–81 degrees; 34.45’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on black/chartreuse soft plastic worms and crankbaits in 10–20 feet. White bass are fair on live bait. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers in 20–30 feet.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 77–80 de-grees; 12.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Rat–L–Traps. Striped bass are fair on live bait. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies. Crappie are fair on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good un-der birds and pods of shad on soft plastics — also good in the river on live shad.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good un-der birds and pods of shad — also good at the jetty on live bait and topwaters when the water clears.

BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels — also good at Rollover Pass in the evening on the outgoing tide. Black drum, sand trout and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Redfi sh are good on live bait around the reefs and in the marsh.

TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good on April Fool’s Reef on live shrimp and croakers. Trout are good in the ship channel on live bait and plastics.

FREEPORT: Trout are good in the surf and at the jetty on live shrimp and croakers. Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell when the winds allows. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and topwaters. Redfi sh are good on soft plastics and live shrimp in Oyster Lake and Crab Lake.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on topwaters and live bait over sand, grass and shell in San Antonio Bay — also fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in the guts and channels on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair to good over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Redfi sh are good on mullet on the Estes Flats and around Mud Island.

PORT ARANSAS: Trout, redfi sh and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Redfi sh are also fair around Pelican Island on shrimp. Offshore is good for red snapper and kingfi sh.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on soft plastics and live shrimp. Redfi sh are good in the potholes on shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good on topwaters and soft plastics around rocks and grass. Redfi sh have been found in knee–deep water and on the sand on shrimp and gold spoons.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good on topwaters around sand and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting potholes on small topwaters and live shrimp. Offshore is good for red snapper and kingfi sh.

SOUTH PADRE: Redfi sh and trout are good along the sand and grass in South Bay and Mexiquita Flats. Tarpon are showing around the passes and jetties. Snook are fair on shrimp in the channel.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on the fl ats on live shrimp and in Airport Cove. Trout are also good on the deeper edges and fl ats in Laguna Vista on topwaters, DOA Shrimp and live shrimp.

TEXAS FISHING REPORT

HOT BITES SALTWATERSCENE

s Snook are fair on

g y

and live bait over sand,

LARGEMOUTH BASS

CADDO: Good on Texas rigs and topwaters early, later switching to shallow crankbaits in baitfi sh patterns around isolated cover.

CEDAR CREEK: Good on Texas rigs, shaky heads and shallow square-bill crankbaits around docks (best action is early morning).

JOE POOL: Good on Texas rigs, topwaters early and medium crankbaits.

PALESTINE: Good on crankbaits, Texas-rigged worms in blue fl eck and black/blue jigs.

TOLEDO BEND: Good on chartreuse soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

CRAPPIE

CONROE: Good on minnows and pink tube jigs over brush piles.

FALCON: Excellent on minnows and jigs.

MACKENZIE: Good on minnows and jigs.

TEXOMA: Good on minnows and jigs.

Sponsored by

CATFISH

CALAVERAS: Channel catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shad near the railroad trestle.

LBJ: Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live perch.

TOLEDO BEND: Channel and blue cat-fi sh are good on trotlines baited with shrimp and stinkbait in 20–30 feet.

fish have been found

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

CEDAR CREEK: White bass are good throughout day on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

RAY HUBBARD: White bass are excel-lent on humps from 17 to 23 feet hybrids mixed in.

TAWAKONI: White bass are excellent on SSS Slabs and Fiesta slabs in chartreuse.

TEXOMA: Striped bass are good on live shad and slabs.

HOT SPOT

GalvestonAnglers have had success while fi shing the grassy shorelines around Galveston and Dickinson Bay's. Guide Paul Marcaccio reported nice

catches of slot redfi sh, but also said many other species are in the bay system and being caught. Photo By Paul Marcaccio.


Grass carp conundrum

at ConroeBy Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

It’s not a stretch to say grass carp have helped make lots of Texas’ water bodies more fi sh-able by removing the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla.

But when is a good thing too much of a good thing?

It hit that point years ago at Lake Conroe, north of Houston.

Due to a stocking program by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help remove hydrilla from the lake, the lake currently holds an overabun-dance of grass carp, something biologists hope to remove by several different means.

“TPWD directed Texas A&M to stock grass carp in Conroe in the early ’80s,” said Craig Bonds, TPWD’s regional director of inland fi sheries for East Texas. “In the late ’80s, techniques for producing ster-ile grass carp were made.”

These fi sh are called “trip-loid.” Biologists put carp eggs in a hyperbaric chamber where they added a third chromo-some, making the fi sh sterile.

“The only carp allowed in the state now are triploids,” Bonds said.

TPWD no longer stocks grass carp, but they do dis-tribute permits to private lake owners and public waterway managers to introduce the fi sh in hydrilla-infested waters.

“We’re just the permitter,” Bonds said.

Grass carp are strictly herbiv-

orous, meaning they only eat vegetation. Bonds said the fi sh have a preference when it comes to which vegetation they eat. First, they will attack the hydrilla before turning to native aquatic spe-cies that are bene-fi cial to other fi sh.

But once hydrilla growth has been slowed and the plants are gone, carp num-bers need to be decreased because of the dam-age they can do to native veg-etation, Bonds said.

“The hardest thing for a fi sheries manager is fi nd-ing the magic number,” he explained. “Once the hydrilla is gone, it takes much fewer fi sh to keep it down.”

In Conroe’s case, carp con-sumed several thousand acres of hydrilla by 2008-09, but then the fi sh turned to the native vegetation.

Now, 90 percent of the native vegetation is gone because of the carp.

“We overshot it a little bit in the recent hydrilla removal plan, but not nearly as bad as in the early ’80s,” Bonds said. “The most recent plan put in 124,000 carp over three years.”

Although they are sterile, there still are too many of them in Lake Conroe.

“They don’t reproduce and

we have estimated a 32-percent mortality rate annually, which leaves roughly 32,000 fish remaining, which is more than enough to keep resprouting hydrilla in check,” Bonds said. “Every little bit we can do can shorten the time period to reach the optimal number of fish.”

Bow fi shermen are excited about the opportunity to help take out some of the over-populated fi sh on Conroe. A carp-removal tournament is scheduled there for July 9-10.

“The Texas Bowfi shing Association is proud to be a partner in this joint effort to remove excess grass carp from Lake Conroe,” said Walter Blackburn, presi-dent of the Texas Bowfi shing Association. “Bowfi shermen have been an effective tool in removing fi sh of undesirable species from Texas waters for many years and are happy to assist in this effort also.”

NOT ENOUGH GRASS: Grass carp on Lake Conroe have become a nuisance because of the lack of hydrilla for the fi sh to eat. Photo by TPWD.

■ Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Bowfi shing Association and the Texas BASS Federation Nation will host a grass carp removal tournament on Lake

Conroe Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10.

Check www.lsonews.com for updates on the results of the tournament.


IMPORTANCE OF LIFE JACKETS LEARNED

Kaufman County Game Warden Eric Minter received radio traffi c regarding a 15-year-old boy and his 18-year-old brother who were lost on a bass boat on Cedar Creek Lake. The boat was without power and was deal-ing with very high winds and rough water conditions. The boys’ father left the boat to swim to shore for help but was unable to show ground units where the boat was located. Minter, with the assistance of Henderson County Game Wardens Shawn Smith and Dustin Balfanz, a DPS helicopter, Mabank police and fi re, Seven Points police and fi re, Gun Barrel police and Kemp police and fi re, searched the area for fi ve hours. The father reported that the boys where wearing life jack-ets. Then, the Kaufman Sheriff’s Offi ce received a call from a resident stating that the boys had managed to make it to a private dock and get out of the water to safety. The boys swam more than a mile in extremely rough water conditions.

FISHING FRIENDS WERE ALL FELONS, BUT DOGS WERE INNOCENT

Young County Game Warden Brent Isom was working Lake Graham when he checked a couple who were fi sh-ing. Neither had a fi shing license or identifi cation. The couple said their identifi cations were back at their car. Isom requested that they retrieve their identifi cations and fol-lowed them to their vehicle. At the vehicle, after both subjects failed to obey commands, they were placed in handcuffs. Drug paraphernalia was located in the vehicle, and crys-tal meth was found in the tent. The woman took responsibility for the drugs and drug paraphernalia, while the man continued to give confl icting

information regarding his identity. The man was arrested for failure to carry identifi cation while fi sh-ing. The couple requested to call a friend to pick up the two dogs they had in their camp. However, when the friend arrived, it was determined that she, too, had outstanding war-rants, and was arrested. At the jail, it was learned the man was a felon who had been on the run for the last eight months. Fortunately, the dogs are safe and sound with another friend.

WARDENS’ GOOD MEMORIES PAY OFFHouston County Game Wardens

Zak Benge and Eddie Lehr fi led charges on two subjects for tak-ing deer in closed season. The case stemmed from Benge fi nd-ing a photo on a social Web site that looked as if the deer had been taken in a closed season. After ask-ing about the other subject around town, Benge was able to identify the other subject as one Lehr had fi led charges on in the past. The picture was of a buck (spike) deer in vel-

vet well after dark, and the subjects holding a .22-caliber rifl e with two fl ashlights taped to the end of the barrel. After a week long investiga-tion, the wardens interviewed the fi rst subject and received a confes-sion for the deer pictured as well as a doe killed without a permit and another buck killed illegally during the last hunting season. The second subject admitted to participating in killing the illegal deer in the original photo and gave a written confession. Citations issued and the gun was seized as evidence. Cases and res-titution pending.

STEALTH STALK OF FISH SCHOOLS RUNS AFOUL

Complaints of guides operating without navigation lights in the early morning hours near the Denison Dam were received by Grayson County Game Warden Dale Moses. The guides were on their way to a large school of stripers that were coming up at day-light. Moses and Archer County Game Warden Richard Key patrolled Lake

Texoma and issued citations for an illegal cast net, no navigation lights, an insuffi cient number of PFDs and registration violations. One guide who had caught his limit was observed transferring fi sh to another guide. They were also observed operating in a restricted area where no boats are allowed. There were between 100–150 boats working this school of fi sh.

BAD TIME TO GET YOUR REGISTRATION

While at the district offi ce in Laredo, Webb County Game Warden Mark Nelson was going to the front to get something off the printer and noticed a man registering two Jet Skis with the offi ce clerk. He remembered he had written the man a citation for insuffi cient number of life jackets onboard, and the man had not contacted the judge and a warrant was issued. Nelson checked to make sure that there was still a warrant. Nelson then explained to the man that he could either pay the citation in full right then or be

booked into the county jail. The cita-tion was paid in full.

ONE STEP OVER THE LINEVal Verde County Game Warden

Bradley Durst patrolled a portion of the Rio Grande River below the Del Rio International Bridge. This stretch of river is very shal-low, remote and diffi cult to access. While on a joint patrol on the U.S. Border Patrol airboat, Bradley was able to make contact with several Mexican spear fi shermen in pos-session of carp and catfi sh who were straddling the international boundary.

WARDEN RESCUES SWAMPED BOATERS

While patrolling Lake Ray Hubbard, Dallas County Game Warden Jamie Sanchez was signaled by two men who were on a boat that was taking on water. As Sanchez approached the boat to assist, the boat capsized. The two men, who had their life jackets on, made it safely to the warden’s boat and were safely transported to shore.

HEAT, WIND DIDN’T DETER BASS FISHING VIOLATORS

Memorial Day weekend on Falcon Lake was extremely hot and very windy, causing many recreational fi shermen to stay indoors. Starr County Game Wardens Drew Spencer and Brandon West checked a group of fi ve anglers along a remote shore-line of the lake in Zapata County. The anglers had caught 26 large-mouth bass, with eight of those being undersized. One of the fi shermen, who already confessed to having caught "8 or 9," accepted respon-sibility for all eight undersized fi sh. Charges and civil restitution pending.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Refugio County Game Wardens Raul “Pinky” Gonzales, Danny Kelso and Captain Henry Balderamas were work-ing Operation Luna de Camaron, or Shrimp Moon, at the sloughs area just south of Bayside. Acting on a tip, the wardens apprehended two subjects with approximately 40 pounds of shrimp taken from the sloughs with a cast net. The sloughs are a nursery area and the taking of shrimp by any means there is prohibited. Aransas County Game Warden Karen Simmons apprehended nine groups of subjects taking shrimp from the Bayside sloughs nurs-ery area. Several pounds of shrimp were returned to the water. San Patricio County Game Wardens Nichole Spatz and Albert Flores were in the sloughs area and stopped

to check fi shermen. Spatz spoke with one subject who was throwing a cast net and had kept some shrimp in a bucket. Spatz advised the subject of the nursery area regulation, and the man said he was unaware of the regu-lation and would put the shrimp back. Spatz went to an area where Flores was issuing a citation to a subject for fi shing without a license. Another person standing nearby advised her that the man she had spoken with was leav-ing with shrimp still in his possession. Spatz stopped the man and asked about the three dozen shrimp he was leaving with. Spatz advised him that she was serious the fi rst time she spoke with him and that his actions earned him a citation.

SHRIMP SLOUGH NURSERIES LURE BANDITS


Dimmitt scholar-athlete honored for efforts to help hunting heritage

The National Wild Turkey Federation has awarded a $5,000 National FFA Collegiate Scholarship to David Underwood of Dimmitt.

Underwood recently graduated second in his class of 65 stu-dents at Dimmitt High School, where he earned a 3.85 cumu-lative grade-point average.

He plans to attend Texas Tech University in the fall to pursue a bachelor's degree in wild-life management.

To be eligible for the $5,000 National FFA Collegiate Scholarship, administered by the NWTF, applicants must support the preserva-tion of North America's hunting heritage and be a community volunteer.

Underwood, who enjoys hunting with his dad and brother, participated in a Texas Brigades leadership conference as a freshman and then began speaking to groups about his passion for wildlife conservation.

Throughout his high school years, he raised quail and mallard ducks from hatchlings and released them into the wild.

He also is an accomplished athlete who was team captain of his high school football team and named second-team, all-district defensive tackle, according to NWTF.

—Staff report

Sportsmen’s Alliance seeks 1 million ‘sentries’

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance seeks 1 mil-lion “sentries” for its grassroots efforts aimed at protecting America’s hunting, fi shing, and trapping heritage.

USSA is a watchdog organization that moni-

tors issues from all 50 states to detect laws and proposals related to the outdoors.

Its sentries receive action alerts, news releases and updates via e-mail when hunt-ing, fi shing, trapping and conservation are under attack. Sentries are urged to speak out on such issues.

“If you think such bills don’t or won’t hap-pen in your state, you are wrong,” said Dick Cabela, co-founder of Cabela’s, and chairman of the USSA board of directors. “The thou-sands of anti-hunting bills introduced across the nation each year should be reason enough to cause you concern.”

Joining the sentry program is free. For infor-mation, visit www.ussportmen.org/beasentry.

—Staff report

Time to nominate next ‘Capstick’ award winner

Nominations are being accepted through July 30 for a prestigious award that recog-nizes signifi cant contributions to wildlife and habitat conservation, as well as sustained commitment to the heritage of hunting.

The Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award is the top conservation and service award given by the Dallas Safari Club and Dallas Ecological Foundation.

DSC will present the award during its annual convention and expo, Jan. 5-8, 2012, in Dallas.

The Capstick Award is named for the well-known American author who wrote many titles about safari in Africa, including the classic, “Death in the Long Grass.”

According to the award’s criteria, nominees must have “a sustained and signifi cant contri-bution to the conservation of wildlife and its habitat” and a “long-term commitment to our hunting heritage by pursuing that goal for the benefi t of future generations.”

Nominations can be made by mail or e-mail. Send to Dallas Safari Club, 6390 LBJ Freeway, Suite 108, Dallas, TX 75240-6414, USA, or [email protected].

—Staff report

DAVID UNDERWOOD


TEXAS BIG BITES

NEW LAKE ZEBCO RECORD: Chris McCaskill, 18, of Lewisville, above, caught this 10.72-pound largemouth bass March 15 from Lake Zebco, the 1.5-acre casting pond at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Ath-ens. Chris was throwing a night crawler when he got a bite from the big bass, a new water body record for the lake. Photo by Terry Bedford, TPWD.

FIVE-POUND DIFFERENCE: James Schmidt, 16, of Portland, right, recently claimed the new junior state

record for red snapper from Texas waters. James caught the fi sh June 12 on squid, cast from rod and reel. It weighed 25.8 pounds and it was 38.38 inch-

es long, with a 28-inch girth. The previous record weighed 20.72 pounds. Photo by TPWD.

TOP ARTIST: Brady King of Livingston recently was named the win-ner of the Seth Thomas Spradlin Best of Show award at the 13th an-nual Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Expo held at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Ath-ens. Photos by TPWD.

BRADY KING

Prior to Bernal’s catch, the world record blue catfi sh was a 121-pounder caught at Lake Texoma by Cody Mullenix in 2004.

Catching big blue catfi sh is nothing new to the Andersons.

“They target big blue catfi sh all the time,” Walker said. “Just a few weeks before Nick Anderson caught the 143-pounder, Nick’s father caught a 95-pound bluecat from Buggs Island Lake that was later released. Nick caught his fi sh at about 8 p.m., which is what I call the magic time for big fi sh at this time of the year.”

Weston said Anderson and fi sheries offi -cials attempted to keep the 143-pounder alive, but those efforts failed.

Walker said Tony Milam caught the former Virginia state record blue catfi sh of 109 pounds in Buggs Island Lake on March 17, 2011.

“Buggs Island Lake has produced lots of big blue catfi sh,” Walker said.

Anderson would not reveal the “family secret bait” but told Weston he caught the fi sh on an Ugly Stick rod, Shimano reel and 30-pound test line.

He told offi cials the battle lasted about 45 minutes before he, his dad and brother could wrestle it into their pontoon boat.

Anderson's possible world record blue cat-fi sh isn't the only big whiskered fi sh to make the headlines recently.

The IGFA has certifi ed a new world record Mekong catfi sh caught near Kradi, Thailand, that weighed 260 pounds and measured 7 feet long.

That fi sh was caught by retired Royal Navy member Martin David Kent while using a small piece of sweet corn for bait. Kent's battle with the fi sh lasted about 55 minutes, and he was assisted by local fi shermen to land it.

World recordContinued From Page 9

DORADO: Ella Stapleton, 9, of Austin shows off a 55-pound do-rado she caught recently off the coast of Herra-dura, Costa Rica. Ella was fi shing with Capt. Dean Jacobs of Cos-ta Rica Dreams Sportfi shing.


“There are so few lakes around here and so few guys that will actually fi sh the small-mouth,” angler Evan Vidal said. “I know that if I am going to catch trophy-size smallmouth — anywhere from the 4- to 6-pound range — I am going up to Texoma, because you can’t beat smallmouth fi shing up there.”

Vidal, of Roanoke, said that because of the many rock drop-offs on Texoma, a decent smallmouth population exists. He said anglers should key on water deeper than they would normally fi sh if they were targeting largemouth.

“If you’re looking for them, you’re going to want to fi nd deepwater structure in forms of boulders or rocks,” Vidal said.

Bank lines that transition from sand to rock — especially during the springtime spawn — should also hold smallmouth, he said.

Lake Bridgeport, 55 miles northwest of Fort Worth, also has a strong population of small-ies, according to the Weatherford angler Chris Stewart. On a recent trip he landed four fi sh between 12-14 inches, he said.

“The main lake points this time of year have

fi sh up there chasing shad,” Stewart said, “and what’s productive right now would be a medium-depth crankbait between the 6-10 foot range.”

Tackle on Texoma, according to Vidal, can be anything from 1/2-ounce to 1-ounce spinnerbaits, or curly-tail grubs and jigs. For spinnerbaits, Vidal likes to use white and chanteuse colors. With the curly tail grubs and other artifi cial baits, Vidal switches to browns and crawfi sh colors.

Vidal also said that drop-shotting for deep fi sh can be productive, especially when target-ing fi nicky fi sh in heavily traffi cked areas.

Stewart prefers shad-colored crankbaits, but will return to an area later in the day and fi sh soft plastics with a slow retrieve. Green, brown and pumpkinseed have been effective on Bridgeport, with most fi sh landed with crawfi sh-like plastics.

Although the late afternoon-early evening bite has traditionally produced the most fi sh, Stewart said that, on Bridgeport, early morn-ings until 10 a.m. have been best.

Vidal said Lake Whitney, 95 miles south-west of Dallas, also holds smallmouth, but with the recent bottom turnover in the lake, poor water clarity has crimped catches.

may not satisfy the Texas judge pre-siding over your case.

The new regulations passed unchanged through the Louisiana Legislature, clearing the way for them to become law on Sept. 1, said Bobby Reed, senior tech-nical adviser for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The rules are intended to end any confusion on waters shared by Texas and Louisiana.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission also recently approved the new regulations.

This blanket set of rules only applies to Toledo Bend Reservoir, Caddo and Sabine lakes.

Catfi sh, crappie and bass were the three main species that drew the most questions on limits in these boundary waters.

Under the proposal, the blue and channel catfi sh daily bag limit would be set at 50 fi sh, and only fi ve can be of 20 inches or more. Currently, the daily limit in Texas is 25, but it’s 100 in Louisiana.

There is no minimum length requirement on either subspecies, under the proposed regulations.

The limit for fl athead catfi sh is set to rise from fi ve to 10 fi sh per day in these boundary waters. Texas currently only allows fi ve.

The daily limit of both black and white crappie on Toledo Bend was reduced to 25 from 50, which is currently allowed in both states. The overall minimum of 10 inches for crappie would be eliminated on all of these lakes under the plan, which would offer no mini-mum length limit.

Bass regulations for the Sabine River below Toledo Bend to the Interstate 10 Bridge will be altered to match Toledo Bend (eight-fi sh daily bag limit, 14-inch minimum).

The proposal would also rede-fi ne the Toledo Bend Reservoir boundary from the U.S. 84 Bridge upstream to where the river and the state line diverge.

The current limit on Caddo Lake for largemouth and spotted bass will now be an eight-fi sh daily bag limit, and the 14- to 18-inch slot limit for largemouths would be modifi ed to allow harvest of no more than four largemouth 18 inches or longer. The 10-inch min-imum will also be removed.

‘Boundary’ watersContinued From Page 8

SmalliesContinued From Page 1


Cabela’s LSi fl y rods: great for beginners and your wallet

David Sams, CEO of Lone Star Outdoor News, was determined to turn his editor, Bill Miller, into a fl y fi sherman.

Conveniently, Cabela’s had ear-lier sent David one of its LSi fl y rods to test. This one was a four-piece 9-foot, 6-weight model.

David had a hunch that this might be a good rod for a beginner.

Cabela’s says the LSi series is a signifi cant upgrade of its popu-lar LST fl y rods. The new ones, according to the company, offer “lightweight fast actions ready to precisely zip line to all targets, near and far.”

Other reviewers have noted that these rods are a good value at un-der $200.

David decided to try the product fi rst — and he was impressed.

“It was a very fast casting rig,” he said later, “and great for beginners.”

The time came to get it into Bill’s hands. The venue was a small lake at the home of Executive Editor Craig Nyhus, northeast of Waco.

Being a newbie, Bill’s handling of the rig was awkward at fi rst, but the fl y rod was very forgiving.

David told him, “Just slow down the cast, Bill.”

The editor got the gist of it on the fourth cast.

“Oh, this is easy,” he said. “Now, what is it like to sight cast to a mov-ing redfi sh?”

David grinned and said, “We will save that for another outing.”

Prices on the LSi series range from $179.99 to $199.99. The one tested by Lone Star Outdoor News lists online at $189.99. Each rod in-cludes a rod tube and a rod sock.

FORGIVING FLY ROD: New fl y angler Bill Miller of Fort Worth tries out a 9-foot LSi fl y rod from Cabela’s. It sells online for just under $200. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.


No charges expected in Fukae boat wreck

The one-boat wreck that involved pro angler Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, during an FLW tournament June 18 on Kentucky Lake in Tennessee, will not affect his standing within the FLW league, a spokeswoman said.

Julie Huber of FLW said that the wreck was an unfortunate accident and there was no reason to penalize Fukae. She said no rules were broken.

“It was just literally an accident,” Huber said.

The wreck injured Fukae and his cameraman, and an investigation was ongoing the last week of June. However, Tennessee Wildlife Offi cer Steve Brewer said it did not appear that Fukae would be cited.

McWhirter, McClendon win tournament on Lake Ray Roberts

Mark McWhirter of Corinth and Barrett McClendon of Denton took home $20,000 after more than 28 pounds of bass were caught June 25 at the Bass Champs tournament on Lake Ray Roberts.

Fishing for the 174 teams was tough as winds topped 25 mph. But McWhirter and McClendon landed a 7-pound, 7-ounce fi sh in about 30 feet of water. The team mostly fi shed with Carolina-rigged 10-inch worms, which was what they used to catch their largest fi sh.

They defeated second-place Leslie Kennedy of Fort Worth and Trevor Romans of Plano by more than 6 pounds. Kennedy and Romans fi nished with 22 pounds, 7 ounces, after fl ipping 10-inch Power Worms and big brush hogs.

Third place went to John Mayben of Aubrey and Eric Thompson of Sanger with a total weight of 22 pounds, 6 ounces.

Tommy Climer Jr. of Mesquite caught the biggest bass of the day with a Zoom craw worm in 4 feet of water. The fi sh weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces.

Three anglers excel at women’s tournament

Extreme heat and low tides greeted 115 women participating in the fourth annual Broads with Rods fi shing tournament June 18 at the Bastrop Marina in Freeport.

Three women each won $500 for battling the rough conditions. These cash prizes were awarded for the largest slot red, largest speckled trout and largest fl ounder.

Rose Perez of Freeport won the largest slot red category at 6 pounds, while Terri Truelove of Manvel won the largest speckled trout, which was 3 pounds, 13 ounces. Lake Jackson resident Michelle Haynes won the fl ounder category with a fi sh that was 4 pounds, 9 ounces.

— Compiled by Nicholas Conklin

TOURNAMENT BRIEFS

WRECK: The boat of FLW angler Shinichi Fukae of Pales-tine was totaled when it crashed June 19 during a tourna-ment on the Tennessee side of Lake Kentucky. Fukae suf-fered minor injuries, but his cameraman was hospitalized. Photo By Scott Anderson.


HEROES

JAMES NESBITT of Katy was hunting out of a ground blind last season near Table Rock Lake in Stone County, Mo., when a 12-point buck appeared. Nesbitt used a grunt to get the big white-tail to stop; then he shot it at 30 yards with a muzzleloader. The deer, which scored 158.25, had an unusual fatty tumor on its right cheek.

GARRICK MCCARTHY, 12, of Katy, harvested his fi rst buck, a nine-pointer, last season in Atascosa County. His shot was made with a .243-caliber rifl e at 120 yards.

Boy Scout WILL CHILD, 11, of Troop 32 in Keller recently hooked this bass on grasshoppers while fi shing on a private stock tank where the troop was camping near Decatur. Also on hand was Assistant Scoutmaster Tim Long.

This largemouth, 6.41 pounds, was boated by BILL COX of Canton in April on Lake Cypress Springs.

MICHAEL SOWARDS of Fort Worth caught this string of speckled trout recently while fi shing in Baffi n Bay.

BETTE CARTER of Murphy got this Rio Grande tom turkey this past season while hunting in Hardeman County. Bette and her husband, John, built a blind out of limbs and deadfalls and then got to calling. Her Remington shotgun was a Model 11-87 Super Magnum. “As you can see,” said John. “It worked very well.”

KIT KIVELL of Austin landed her fi rst bull red last May in West Matagorda Bay. The redfi sh was more than 30 inches.

JARED PENTON, 13, of Sanger

caught this 6.5-pound large-

mouth at Lake Cypress Springs.

He was only a 5 years old last De-cember, but CANNON TAMBURELLO of Harper was big enough to stalk this black Hawaiian ram for 15 minutes with his dad in Kerr County. Then Can-non stopped the ram with a .204-cali-ber rifl e.

SHARE AN ADVENTURE■ Want to share hunting and fi shing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers? E-mail them with contact and caption information to [email protected]. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.


start fi shing several hundred yards from the rig, according to longtime Port Isabel Captain Terry Hansen.

“Most people fi shing on an oil rig crowd up to it,” Hansen said. “I’ve found the bigger fi sh to be on the out-skirts of the rig. While everyone and their dogs are fi shing right up against the rig, it’s not the way I do it.”

Hansen said he stays several hundred yards off the rig and sends down his favorite bait for deep sea fi shing — piggy perch.

“They’ve got to be one of the best baits ever,” he said. “With those piggy perch, if there are fi sh there, they will eat it.”

Another tip from Hansen was not fi shing baits right on the bottom.

“Those big fi sh aren’t always right on the bot-tom,” he said. “They can be 10 to 15 feet off, so I always set a bait off the bottom a little bit.

“The main thing is don’t crowd the rigs. You’ll catch bigger fi sh.”

Many captains prefer to come prepared to catch fi sh both trolling and bottom fi shing, which often results in several different rod and reel combinations.

The fi sh can grow large around rigs, so heavy tackle often is required to haul in anything from big grouper to a 500-pound marlin.

For bottom fi shing, many anglers use big egg sinkers to get bait to the bottom and leaders ranging from 50 to 80 pounds.

Captains often position their boats a few hundred yards upcurrent of schools of fi sh on the surface and

drift their baits over the schools.Yellowfi n tuna are notoriously picky eat-

ers, so many anglers have a lighter leader to compensate for their fi nicky ways.

Baits are also an important piece of solv-ing the rig-fi shing puzzle.

Serious rig anglers carry a variety of baits — both alive and dead. Menhaden, squid, croakers and other small baitfi sh are a staple and produce good chum lines when fi shing around rigs. Sardines can also put fi sh in the boat.

RigsContinued From Page 1

On a recent outing to Lake Ray Hubbard near Dallas, the crew from Lone Star Outdoor News saw several of the no fi shing signs at lake marinas. The ‘no fi shing’ sign referenced city of Dallas ordi-nance number 21176 — “No fi sh-ing from highway bridge struc-ture or approach or in any area marked “restricted area – keep out” or any other area appropriately designated with a sign as a “no fi shing area.”

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, cities only have authority to enforce no fi sh-ing areas if a clear safety hazard exists — something they question in this case.

“Cities and entities have limited authority,” said Ken Kurzawski, inland fi sheries regulations direc-tor. “A marina owner can put up a sign, but that’s technically not always legal. Cities can pass ordi-nances if they can cite a public safety issue.”

TPWD attorney Boyd Kennedy agreed, although he said cities don’t need TPWD’s permission to pass ordinances — they just need to send the agency a fi ling and TPWD will send them an acknowl-edgement letter and the game war-dens will enforce the ordinance.

“Our approach, legally, is that Ray Hubbard is a public water body,” Kennedy said, “and that means all of it, including marinas, under docks, around boats, etc… The Sportsmen’s Rights Act gives fi sher-men the right to fi sh public waters.”

A manager at the Harbor Bay Marina on Lake Ray Hubbard, who declined to give her name, said the no fi shing ordinance is enforced by the Dallas and Rockwall Police Departments.

A representative for the Rockwall Police Department said they do not enforce the ordinance and to “call the city of Dallas.”

The city of Dallas did not respond to requests to discuss the signs.

Note: Before fi shing any area that states it is off-limits to fi sh, check with all state and local regu-lations to verify current laws.

IllegalContinued From Page 9

BIG RED: Javier Maldonado holds a trophy red snapper he caught near a rig 50 miles offshore in 200 feet of water on June 2. He was aboard the Fish + Fun II and used squid as bait. Photo by Chris Sessions.


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Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

FOR THE TABLEOUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Solution on Page 26

ACROSS1. A wingshooter's quarry4. Term for a tackle-busting bass9. A male pheasant

10. The Canadian honker11. A species of grouse12. A large member of the

deer family14. A name for the sea bass16. A game bird17. Action to eject a fi red

casing18. A type of sight19. To analyze game tracks21. A type of fi shing lure23. A male mallard24. A species of perch28. At times, how ____ do you

fi sh?31. The arrow is his ammo33. A group of decoys34. The name for the expert

fi sherman36. Shot fi red without careful

aim38. Type of big game lures41. Trap part42. Mammal snared for the fur44. The pelt45. Worn by outdoorsmen for

rain gear46. Act of carrying boat

overland47. They kill many deer every year

DOWN 1. A sign of deer in

the area 2. A lake bird 3. Part of fi shing

gear 4. A game bird 5. Hunting and

fi shing regulation 6. The wild boar 7. A pheasant's

night-time haven 8. A nuisance insect

to fi shermen11. A method of

hunting12. Reel holding the

line13. Hunter's give

these TLC15. To insert the

ammo17. The object of the

hunt20. A saltwater favor-

ite in red or black21. A deer resting

place22. Teeth of some game can

reveal this25. Very large on the muley26. A food choice for deer27. Trapped for the fur29. A predator of small game

30. Hunters call this animal a varmint

32. A bowman's association35. A style of hunting or

fi shing36. Bucks do this to warn of

danger

37. Do this to your hunting routes

39. Part of ice fi shing gear40. A compass is useful in

strange _____41. A freshwater fi sh43. A rugged kind of fi shing

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. F=Full Moon, N=New Moon, Q=Quarter > = Peak Activity. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 min-ute per 12 miles west of a location.

Sun Moon Tides| |

1 teaspoon chili powder1/4 teaspoon salt11/4 pounds (6 chops) lean hog chops2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 (14.5 ounces) can salt free diced tomatoes1 green bell pepper11/2 stalks celery1 small onion1 tablespoon hot pepper sauceNonstick cooking spray

Rub chili powder and salt evenly over chops.

Wash if using fresh tomatoes and dice.

Wash and chop green pepper, celery, and onion.

Combine tomatoes, green pep-per, celery, onion, and pepper

sauce in bowl.Lightly coat nonstick skillet

with cooking spray. Heat skillet to medium high. Add chops and cook one minute.

Turn chops and top with tomato mixture.

Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 25 minutes or until meat is tender and mixture thickens.

Transfer chops to serving plates. Increase heat and bring tomato mixture to boil.

Cook two minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Remove from heat and spoon sauce over chops.— Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Zesty skillet feral hog chops

Several fi llets of striped bass, with red areas removedLemon juiceSteak sauce

Prepare marinade using equal portions of lemon juice and steak sauce (Dales, Moore's or Murray's).

Place fi llets in marinade for 15-30 minutes.Grill over hot coals until done (15-20 minutes) or bake in oven at 350

degrees for 20-30 minutes until done.— Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Grilled/baked striped bass

LastJuly 22 New

July 29Full

July 15

FirstJuly 8

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 1:57 a.m. 1.4 L 8:16 a.m. 2.1 H 4:05 p.m. -0.2 L July 09 12:31 a.m. 2.0 H 3:35 a.m. 1.8 L 8:31 a.m. 2.1 H 4:59 p.m. -0.7 L July 10 1:57 a.m. 2.3 H 5:52 p.m. -0.9 L July 11 2:54 a.m. 2.7 H 6:43 p.m. -1.1 L July 12 3:40 a.m. 2.7 H 7:32 p.m. -1.3 L July 13 4:20 a.m. 2.7 H 8:19 p.m. -1.1 L July 14 4:56 a.m. 2.5 H 9:53 a.m. 2.1 L 12:30 p.m. 2.3 H 9:02 p.m. -1.1 L July 15 5:28 a.m. 2.5 H 10:17 a.m. 2.0 L 1:29 p.m. 2.1 H 9:42 p.m. -0.7 L July 16 5:56 a.m. 2.3 H 10:50 a.m. 2.0 L 2:25 p.m. 2.1 H 10:19 p.m. -0.5 L July 17 6:21 a.m. 2.1 H 11:34 a.m. 1.8 L 3:26 p.m. 2.0 H 10:52 p.m. -0.2 L July 18 6:42 a.m. 2.1 H 12:26 p.m. 1.4 L 4:38 p.m. 1.6 H 11:21 p.m. 0.4 L July 19 7:01 a.m. 2.0 H 1:22 p.m. 1.3 L 6:10 p.m. 1.4 H 11:47 p.m. 0.7 L July 20 7:18 a.m. 2.0 H 2:14 p.m. 0.9 L 8:02 p.m. 1.4 H July 21 12:09 a.m. 1.1 L 7:32 a.m. 2.0 H 3:01 p.m. 0.5 L 10:15 p.m. 1.4 H July 22 12:21 a.m. 1.3 L 7:40 a.m. 2.0 H 3:44 p.m. 0.4 L

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 2:23 a.m. 1.1 L 9:03 a.m. 1.7 H 4:31 p.m. -0.1 L July 09 1:18 a.m. 1.6 H 4:01 a.m. 1.4 L 9:18 a.m. 1.7 H 5:25 p.m. -0.6 L July 10 2:44 a.m. 1.9 H 6:18 p.m. -0.7 L July 11 3:41 a.m. 2.1 H 7:09 p.m. -0.9 L July 12 4:27 a.m. 2.1 H 7:58 p.m. -1.0 L July 13 5:07 a.m. 2.1 H 8:45 p.m. -0.9 L July 14 5:43 a.m. 2.0 H 10:19 a.m. 1.7 L 1:17 p.m. 1.9 H 9:28 p.m. -0.9 L July 15 6:15 a.m. 2.0 H 10:43 a.m. 1.6 L 2:16 p.m. 1.7 H 10:08 p.m. -0.6 L July 16 6:43 a.m. 1.9 H 11:16 a.m. 1.6 L 3:12 p.m. 1.7 H 10:45 p.m. -0.4 L July 17 7:08 a.m. 1.7 H 12:00 p.m. 1.4 L 4:13 p.m. 1.6 H 11:18 p.m. -0.1 L July 18 7:29 a.m. 1.7 H 12:52 p.m. 1.1 L 5:25 p.m. 1.3 H 11:47 p.m. 0.3 L July 19 7:48 a.m. 1.6 H 1:48 p.m. 1.0 L 6:57 p.m. 1.1 H July 20 12:13 a.m. 0.6 L 8:05 a.m. 1.6 H 2:40 p.m. 0.7 L 8:49 p.m. 1.1 H July 21 12:35 a.m. 0.9 L 8:19 a.m. 1.6 H 3:27 p.m. 0.4 L 11:02 p.m. 1.1 H July 22 12:47 a.m. 1.0 L 8:27 a.m. .6 H 4:10 p.m. 0.3 L

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height July 08 3:19 a.m. 0.7 L 9:33 a.m. .0 H 5:27 p.m. -0.1 L July 09 1:48 a.m. 0.9 H 4:57 a.m. 0.9 L 9:48 a.m. 1.0 H 6:21 p.m. -0.3 L July 10 3:14 a.m. 1.1 H 7:14 p.m. -0.4 L July 11 4:11 a.m. 1.3 H 8:05 p.m. -0.5 L July 12 4:57 a.m. 1.3 H 8:54 p.m. -0.6 L July 13 5:37 a.m. 1.3 H 9:41 p.m. -0.5 L July 14 6:13 a.m. 1.2 H 11:15 a.m. 1.0 L 1:47 p.m. 1.1 H 10:24 p.m. -0.5 L July 15 6:45 a.m. 1.2 H 11:39 a.m. 0.9 L 2:46 p.m. 1.0 H 11:04 p.m. -0.3 L July 16 7:13 a.m. 1.1 H 12:12 p.m. 0.9 L 3:42 p.m. .0 H 11:41 p.m. -0.3 L July 17 7:38 a.m. 1.0 H 12:56 p.m. 0.9 L 4:43 p.m. 0.9 H July 18 12:14 a.m. -0.1 L 7:59 a.m. 1.0 H 1:48 p.m. 0.7 L 5:55 p.m. 0.8 H July 19 12:43 a.m. 0.2 L 8:18 a.m. 0.9 H 2:44 p.m. 0.6 L 7:27 p.m. 0.7 H July 20 1:09 a.m. 0.3 L 8:35 a.m. 0.9 H 3:36 p.m. 0.4 L 9:19 p.m. 0.7 H July 21 1:31 a.m. 0.5 L 8:49 a.m. 0.9 H 4:23 p.m. 0.3 L 11:32 p.m. 0.7 H July 22 1:43 a.m. 0.6 L 8:57 a.m. 0.9 H 5:06 p.m. 0.2 L

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 2:20 a.m. 0.7 L 8:25 a.m. 1.5 H 4:28 p.m. -0.1 L July 09 12:40 a.m. 1.4 H 3:58 a.m. 0.9 L 8:40 a.m. 1.5 H 5:22 p.m. -0.4 L July 10 2:06 a.m. 1.6 H 6:15 p.m. -0.5 L July 11 3:03 a.m. 1.8 H 7:06 p.m. -0.5 L July 12 3:49 a.m. 1.8 H 7:55 p.m. -0.6 L July 13 4:29 a.m. 1.8 H 8:42 p.m. -0.5 L July 14 5:05 a.m. 1.7 H 10:16 a.m. 1.1 L 12:39 p.m. 1.6 H 9:25 p.m. -0.5 L July 15 5:37 a.m. 1.7 H 10:40 a.m. 1.0 L 1:38 p.m. 1.5 H 10:05 p.m. -0.4 L July 16 6:05 a.m. 1.6 H 11:13 a.m. 1.0 L 2:34 p.m. 1.5 H 10:42 p.m. -0.3 L July 17 6:30 a.m. 1.5 H 11:57 a.m. 0.9 L 3:35 p.m. 1.4 H 11:15 p.m. -0.1 L July 18 6:51 a.m. 1.5 H 12:49 p.m. 0.7 L 4:47 p.m. 1.1 H 11:44 p.m. 0.2 L July 19 7:10 a.m. 1.4 H 1:45 p.m. 0.6 L 6:19 p.m. 1.0 H July 20 12:10 a.m. 0.4 L 7:27 a.m. 1.4 H 2:37 p.m. 0.5 L 8:11 p.m. 1.0 H July 21 12:32 a.m. 0.5 L 7:41 a.m. 1.4 H 3:24 p.m. 0.3 L 10:24 p.m. 1.0 H July 22 12:44 a.m. 0.6 L 7:49 a.m. 1.4 H 4:07 p.m. 0.2 L

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 2:17 a.m. 0.7 L 7:33 a.m. 1.0 H 4:02 p.m. -0.3 L July 09 6:48 a.m. 1.0 H 4:55 p.m. -0.7 L July 10 3:25 a.m. 1.3 H 5:49 p.m. -0.9 L July 11 4:18 a.m. 1.4 H 6:44 p.m. -1.0 L July 12 5:05 a.m. 1.5 H 7:38 p.m. -1.1 L July 13 5:48 a.m. 1.5 H 8:30 p.m. -1.0 L July 14 6:25 a.m. 1.5 H 9:18 p.m. -0.9 L July 15 6:54 a.m. 1.4 H 10:03 p.m. -0.7 L July 16 7:14 a.m. 1.3 H 10:44 p.m. -0.4 L July 17 7:26 a.m. 1.2 H 12:15 p.m. 1.0 L 2:41 p.m. 1.1 H 11:22 p.m. -0.2 L July 18 7:31 a.m. 1.1 H 12:44 p.m. 0.9 L 4:11 p.m. 1.0 H 11:56 p.m. 0.1 L July 19 7:31 a.m. 1.0 H 1:21 p.m. 0.7 L 5:46 p.m. 0.8 H July 20 12:25 a.m. 0.3 L 7:24 a.m. 1.0 H 2:00 p.m. 0.5 L 7:42 p.m. 0.8 H July 21 12:48 a.m. 0.6 L 7:11 a.m. .0 H 2:42 p.m. 0.3 L 10:38 p.m. 0.8 H July 22 12:39 a.m. 0.7 L 6:51 a.m. 1.0 H 3:27 p.m. 0.1 L

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 9:21 a.m. 0.4 H 7:16 p.m. -0.3 L July 09 9:16 a.m. 0.5 H 8:16 p.m. -0.5 L July 10 9:34 a.m. 0.6 H 9:14 p.m. -0.6 L July 11 10:07 a.m. 0.7 H 10:11 p.m. -0.7 L July 12/ 10:50 a.m. 0.7 H 11:06 p.m. -0.7 L July 13 11:39 a.m. 0.7 H 11:57 p.m. -0.7 L July 14 12:33 p.m. 0.6 H July 15 12:45 a.m. -0.7 L 1:31 p.m. 0.6 H July 16 1:28 a.m. -0.6 L 2:37 p.m. 0.5 H July 17 2:08 a.m. -0.5 L 3:58 p.m. 0.4 H July 18 2:44 a.m. -0.4 L 5:29 p.m. 0.3 H July 19 3:14 a.m. -0.3 L 12:01 p.m. 0.2 H 3:55 p.m. 0.1 L 7:12 p.m. 0.2 H July 20 3:36 a.m. -0.1 L 11:08 a.m. 0.2 H 4:50 p.m. 0.0 L 9:33 p.m. 0.1 H July 21 3:26 a.m. 0.0 L 9:59 a.m. 0.2 H 5:44 p.m. 0.0 L July 22 8:38 a.m. 0.2 H 6:41 p.m. -0.1 L

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 10:20 a.m. 0.20 H 8:06 p.m. -0.09 LJuly 09 10:31 a.m. 0.24 H 8:54 p.m. -0.14 LJuly 10 11:01 a.m. 0.27 H 9:45 p.m. -0.17 LJuly 11 11:46 a.m. 0.28 H 10:37 p.m. -0.18 LJuly 12 12:40 p.m. 0.28 H 11:31 p.m. -0.18 LJuly 13 1:37 p.m. 0.27 HJuly 14 12:24 a.m. -0.17 L 2:36 p.m. 0.26 HJuly 15 1:13 a.m. -0.15 L 3:32 p.m. 0.23 HJuly 16 1:55 a.m. -0.13 L 4:25 p.m. 0.20 HJuly 17 2:29 a.m. -0.10 L 5:21 p.m. 0.16 HJuly 18 2:53 a.m. -0.07 L 6:30 p.m. 0.12 HJuly 19 3:07 a.m. -0.03 L 10:45 a.m. 0.08 H 3:52 p.m. 0.05 L 8:22 p.m. 0.07 HJuly 20 3:04 a.m. 0.01 L 10:06 a.m. 0.10 H 5:29 p.m. 0.01 L 11:43 p.m. 0.04 HJuly 21 2:10 a.m. 0.04 L 9:54 a.m. 0.13 H 6:28 p.m. -0.04 LJuly 22 9:58 a.m. 0.15 H 7:16 p.m. -0.07 L

Houston2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets08 Thu 2:37 8:51 3:05 9:20 06:26 08:24 3:08a 5:38p 09 Fri > 3:28 9:43 3:58 10:13 06:27 08:24 4:02a 6:39p 10 Sat > 4:24 10:39 4:55 11:10 06:27 08:24 5:04a 7:37p 11 Sun N 5:23 11:38 5:53 12:08 06:28 08:23 6:11a 8:29p 12 Mon > 6:23 12:09 6:53 12:38 06:28 08:23 7:22a 9:16p 13 Tue > 7:24 1:11 7:52 1:38 06:29 08:23 8:33a 9:57p 14 Wed > 8:25 2:12 8:51 2:38 06:29 08:23 9:41a 10:35p 15 Thu 9:24 3:11 9:49 3:36 06:30 08:22 10:48a 11:10p 16 Fri 10:20 4:07 10:45 4:32 06:30 08:22 11:53a 11:46p 17 Sat 11:14 5:02 11:39 5:27 06:31 08:22 12:58p NoMoon 18 Sun Q ----- 5:53 12:06 6:19 06:31 08:21 2:02p 12:22a 19 Mon 12:31 6:44 12:57 7:10 06:32 08:21 3:05p 1:02a 20 Tue 1:19 7:33 1:46 8:00 06:33 08:20 4:07p 1:45a 21 Wed 2:08 8:21 2:35 8:48 06:33 08:20 5:05p 2:32a 22 Thu 2:56 9:09 3:22 9:36 06:34 08:19 5:58p 3:23a23 Fri 3:44 9:57 4:10 10:23 06:34 08:19 6:47p 4:17a 24 Sat > 4:31 10:44 4:56 11:09 06:35 08:18 7:30p 5:13a 25 Sun > 5:18 11:30 5:42 11:54 06:35 08:18 8:08p 6:10a 26 Mon F 6:05 ----- 6:27 12:16 06:36 08:17 8:42p 7:06a 27 Tue > 6:51 12:40 7:12 1:01 06:37 08:17 9:13p 8:01a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 08 2:02 a.m. 0.6 L 8:56 a.m. 1.4 H 4:10 p.m. -0.1 L July 09 1:11 a.m. 1.3 H 3:40 a.m. 0.8 L 9:11 a.m. 1.4 H 5:04 p.m. -0.3 L July 10 2:37 a.m. 1.5 H 5:57 p.m. -0.4 L July 11 3:34 a.m. 1.7 H 6:48 p.m. -0.5 L July 12 4:20 a.m. 1.7 H 7:37 p.m. -0.5 L July 13 5:00 a.m. 1.7 H 8:24 p.m. -0.5 L July 14 5:36 a.m. 1.6 H 9:58 a.m. 0.9 L 1:10 p.m. 1.5 H 9:07 p.m. -0.5 L July 15 6:08 a.m. 1.6 H 10:22 a.m. 0.8 L 2:09 p.m. 1.4 H 9:47 p.m. -0.3 L July 16 6:36 a.m. 1.5 H 10:55 a.m. 0.8 L 3:05 p.m. 1.4 H 10:24 p.m. -0.2 L July 17 7:01 a.m. 1.4 H 11:39 a.m. 0.8 L 4:06 p.m. 1.3 H 10:57 p.m. -0.1 L July 18 7:22 a.m. 1.4 H 12:31 p.m. 0.6 L 5:18 p.m. 1.0 H 11:26 p.m. 0.2 L July 19 7:41 a.m. 1.3 H 1:27 p.m. 0.5 L 6:50 p.m. 0.9 H 11:52 p.m. 0.3 L July 20 7:58 a.m. 1.3 H 2:19 p.m. 0.4 L 8:42 p.m. 0.9 H July 21 12:14 a.m. 0.5 L 8:12 a.m. 1.3 H 3:06 p.m. 0.2 L 10:55 p.m. 0.9 H July 22 12:26 a.m. 0.5 L 8:20 a.m. 1.3 H 3:49 p.m. 0.2 L

San Antonio2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets08 Thu 2:49 9:04 3:18 9:32 06:40 08:36 3:22a 5:50p 09 Fri > 3:41 9:56 4:11 10:26 06:40 08:36 4:16a 6:52p 10 Sat > 4:36 10:52 5:07 11:23 06:41 08:35 5:18a 7:49p 11 Sun N 5:35 11:50 6:06 12:21 06:41 08:35 6:25a 8:41p 12 Mon > 6:36 12:21 7:05 12:50 06:41 08:35 7:36a 9:28p 13 Tue > 7:37 1:23 8:05 1:51 06:42 08:35 8:46a 10:09p 14 Wed > 8:37 2:24 9:04 2:51 06:42 08:34 9:55a 10:47p 15 Thu 9:36 3:23 10:01 3:49 06:43 08:34 11:01a 11:23p 16 Fri 10:32 4:20 10:57 4:45 06:44 08:34 12:06p NoMoon 17 Sat 11:27 5:14 11:52 5:39 06:44 08:33 1:10p NoMoon 18 Sun Q ----- 6:06 12:19 6:32 06:45 08:33 2:14p 12:36a 19 Mon 12:43 6:56 1:09 7:23 06:45 08:33 3:18p 1:15a 20 Tue 1:32 7:45 1:59 8:12 06:46 08:32 4:19p 1:58a 21 Wed 2:20 8:34 2:47 9:01 06:46 08:32 5:17p 2:46a 22 Thu 3:08 9:22 3:35 9:48 06:47 08:31 6:10p 3:37a 23 Fri 3:56 10:09 4:22 10:35 06:47 08:31 6:59p 4:31a24 Sat > 4:44 10:56 5:09 11:21 06:48 08:30 7:42p 5:27a 25 Sun > 5:31 11:43 5:54 ----- 06:48 08:30 8:20p 6:24a 26 Mon F 6:17 12:06 6:40 12:29 06:49 08:29 8:54p 7:20a 27 Tue > 7:03 12:53 7:25 1:14 06:50 08:29 9:25p 8:14a

Amarillo2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets08 Thu 3:03 9:17 3:31 9:46 06:39 09:03 3:20a 6:20p 09 Fri > 3:54 10:09 4:24 10:39 06:40 09:03 4:14a 7:22p10 Sat > 4:50 11:05 5:21 11:36 06:40 09:02 5:16a 8:18p 11 Sun N 5:49 ----- 6:19 12:34 06:41 09:02 6:25a 9:08p 12 Mon > 6:49 12:34 7:19 1:04 06:41 09:02 7:38a 9:51p 13 Tue > 7:50 1:36 8:18 2:04 06:42 09:01 8:52a 10:29p 14 Wed > 8:51 2:38 9:17 3:04 06:43 09:01 10:04a 11:03p 15 Thu 9:49 3:37 10:15 4:02 06:43 09:01 11:14a 11:36p 16 Fri 10:46 4:33 11:11 4:58 06:44 09:00 12:23p NoMoon 17 Sat 11:40 5:27 ----- 5:53 06:44 09:00 1:31p 12:08a 18 Sun Q 12:08 6:19 12:32 6:45 06:45 08:59 2:39p 12:41a 19 Mon 12:56 7:10 1:23 7:36 06:46 08:59 3:45p 1:18a 20 Tue 1:45 7:59 2:12 8:26 06:46 08:58 4:48p 1:58a 21 Wed 2:34 8:47 3:01 9:14 06:47 08:58 5:47p 2:44a 22 Thu 3:22 9:35 3:48 10:02 06:48 08:57 6:41p 3:35a 23 Fri 4:10 10:23 4:35 10:48 06:49 08:56 7:28p 4:29a24 Sat > 4:57 11:10 5:22 11:34 06:49 08:56 8:09p 5:27a 25 Sun > 5:44 11:56 6:08 ----- 06:50 08:55 8:45p 6:25a26 Mon F 6:31 12:20 6:53 12:42 06:51 08:54 9:16p 7:24a 27 Tue > 7:17 1:06 7:38 1:27 06:51 08:54 9:44p 8:21a

Dallas2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets08 Thu 2:42 8:57 3:11 9:25 06:24 08:37 3:06a 5:52p 09 Fri > 3:34 9:49 4:04 10:19 06:25 08:37 3:59a 6:54p 10 Sat > 4:29 10:45 5:00 11:16 06:26 08:36 5:01a 7:51p 11 Sun N 5:28 11:43 5:59 12:14 06:26 08:36 6:09a 8:42p 12 Mon > 6:29 12:14 6:58 12:43 06:27 08:36 7:21a 9:26p 13 Tue > 7:30 1:16 7:58 1:44 06:27 08:36 8:34a 10:06p 14 Wed > 8:30 2:17 8:57 2:44 06:28 08:35 9:45a 10:42p15 Thu 9:29 3:16 9:54 3:42 06:28 08:35 10:53a 11:15p16 Fri 10:25 4:13 10:50 4:38 06:29 08:34 12:00p 11:49p17 Sat 11:20 5:07 11:45 5:32 06:29 08:34 1:07p NoMoon 18 Sun Q ----- 5:59 12:12 6:25 06:30 08:34 2:13p 12:24a 19 Mon 12:36 6:49 1:02 7:16 06:31 08:33 3:18p 1:01a 20 Tue 1:25 7:38 1:52 8:05 06:31 08:33 4:21p 1:43a 21 Wed 2:13 8:27 2:40 8:54 06:32 08:32 5:19p 2:29a 22 Thu 3:01 9:15 3:28 9:41 06:33 08:32 6:13p 3:20a 23 Fri 3:49 10:02 4:15 10:28 06:33 08:31 7:00p 4:15a 24 Sat > 4:37 10:49 5:02 11:14 06:34 08:30 7:43p 5:11a 25 Sun > 5:24 11:36 5:47 11:59 06:35 08:30 8:19p 6:09a 26 Mon F 6:10 ----- 6:33 12:22 06:35 08:29 8:52p 7:07a 27 Tue > 6:56 12:46 7:18 1:07 06:36 08:28 9:21p 8:03a


and is unique, said Mandy Scott, an assis-tant biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

It has, she explained, only one feeder stream, the North Concho River.

By contrast, she added, both the Middle and South Concho rivers feed another lake near San Angelo — Twin Buttes Reservoir.

And water released from that lake feeds nearby Lake Nasworthy.

But refi lling O.C. Fisher has other chal-lenges, Scott said.

The soil around the 88-mile North Concho River seems to hold water back longer.

Abundant mesquite and salt cedar are also blamed for keeping runoff out of the river.

“That watershed is a little peculiar,” Scott said. “It takes a hard rain in a certain spot to do any good, and the rain clouds have to be right over it.”

The lake got a “big rise” in 2005 and another smaller rise two years later, Scott said.

Since then it has been on the decline. Although 2010 was a wet year in West

Texas, “there were no big runoff events” for O.C. Fisher, Scott said.

O.H. Ivie Reservoir, about 60 miles to the east of San Angelo, has been producing mul-tiple lunker largemouth bass in recent years.

O.C. Fisher hasn’t enjoyed that reputation, but it did have a following before it went dry.

The lake’s record largemouth weighed 15.69 pounds when Charles Sirmons hooked it in 1996.

Ronnie Wallace caught a lake record 30.75-pound blue catfi sh in 2003.

Six years later, John Ingle caught the lake’s record white crappie; it was 1.91 pounds and 14.25 inches long, according to TPWD records.

“Even last year you could launch a boat out there,” Scott said. “Catfi sh populations were good; people were catching their limits of bluecats, and crappie was good, too.”

TPWD in 2005 restocked O.C. Fisher with thousands of fi ngerling and adult large-mouth bass, along with fi ngerling white crap-pie, catfi sh and baitfi sh.

Offi cials at that time were trying to miti-gate a low-oxygen fi sh kill a year earlier.

Once water returns to the lake, it could be restocked again, Scott said.

Sucked dryContinued From Page 8

REVERSAL: A boat ramp to O.C. Fisher Reservoir is closed because it’s virtually dry. The lake’s water level has been gradually declining since 2005, but even a year ago, people were catching their limits there on blue catfi sh. Photo by Jason Hook, for Lone Star Outdoor News.


New archery range opens in Plano

Archery enthusiasts in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex have a new option where to shoot their bows, thanks to the opening of the Texas Archery Academy’s State Archery Training Center in Plano.

It has opened in phases, with the 24×7 TRUGLO Shooters Club open-ing in May, and the main facility opening to the public in June.

Center memberships will include full use of the Plano Training Center and the outdoor ranges of Texins Archery Club, located at Elm Fork Shooting Park in Dallas.

The 30,000-square-foot indoor training facility will be available all year to the public at $10 per day, and will also offer several levels of membership that allow extended hours and discounts for frequent usage. A variety of archery equip-ment will be available (in most cases without cost) for instructional programs and casual public use.

The facility is tailored to archers of all skill levels, from the curious “never-held-a-bow-before” novice, all the way to the Olympic ath-lete. Programs for all levels will be offered by certifi ed instructors in a facility with state-of-the-art ameni-ties for developing the skills and discipline of archery.

Archery instruction-classes, individual-team coaching, team training, and public recreational use (safe-practice) are the primary goals of the TXAA Training Center.

Support of the National Archery in the Schools Program, Outdoor Adventures program, after-NASP Programs, and recreational compe-titions will be the other activities of focus.

A fl exible, modular design accommodates daily use by all levels and ages.

For membership information, contact Tony Fontana or Clint Montgomery at (214) 827-7000.

—Staff report


DATEBOOKJuly 7-10TWA Wildlife ConventionJW MarriottSan Antoniowww.texas-wildlife.org

July 8Dallas Safari ClubWine Pairing DinnerChamberlain's Steak and Chop HouseAddison(972) 980-9800www.biggame.org

July 9Texas Deer AssociationAustin Sportsmen’s BanquetDriftwood (210) 767-8300www.texasdeerassociation.com

July 14Dallas Woods and Water ClubMonthly meeting and dinnerSheraton North Dallas Hotel(214) 570-8700www.dwwcc.org

July 15Texas Deer AssociationSoutheast Texas Chapter Sportsmen’s BanquetBeaumont (210) 767-8300www.texasdeerassociation.com

July 15-17Texas Trophy Hunters Association2011 Hunters ExtravaganzaAlamodomeSan Antoniowww.ttha.com

Ultimate Summer Boat and Outdoors ShowDallas Market Hall(469) 549-0673www.letsgetoutdoorstexas.com

July 16-17Texas Gun and Knife AssociationAmarillo Civic Center(830) 285-0575www.texasgunandknifeshows.com

July 17-23Texas Chapter of The Wildlife SocietyWildlife Conservation CampWelder Wildlife RefugeSintonwww.tctws.org

July 21Coastal Conservation AssociationSam Houston Chapter Banquet(936) 291-6469www.ccatexas.org

July 22Texas Deer AssociationCorpus Christi Chapter Sportsmen’s BanquetU.S.S. Lexington(210) 767-8300www.texasdeerassociation.com

July 22-24Ultimate Summer Boat and Outdoors ShowDallas Market Hall(469) 549-0673www.letsgetoutdoorstexas.com

Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s ExpoMcAllen Convention Center(956) 664-2884www.texashunterassociation.com

July 28-3137th Annual Port Mansfi eld Fishing Tournament(956) 944-2354www.portmansfi eldchamber.org

July 29-30Deer Breeders Co-Op4th Annual DBC ConventionLa Torretta Del Lago ResortMontgomery

July 30Deer FestWichita Falls(940) 704-2984www.deerfestwichitafalls.com

July 30-31Lake Fork Sportsmen’s Association3rd Annual Yantis Catfi sh ClassicLake Fork(903) 763-2191

August 19Big Brothers Big SistersSporting Clay ShootElm Fork Shooting RangeDallas(817) 905-4653www.bigclayshoot.com

August 26-28Texas Hunting & Outdoor ClassicFreeman Expo HallSan Antonio(210) 226-1177www.huntersclassic.com

August 276th Annual Fishing for Hope TournamentSouth Padre Island(956) 362-3100

Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2011 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material with-out written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or e-mail them to [email protected].

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Contributors Kyle CarterAlan ClemonsDavid DraperWilbur LundeenAaron ReedErich SchlegelDavid SikesScott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

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PRODUCTS

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ONE ROD:Sage Manufacturing has launched a new series of fl y-fi shing rods. The ONE rods use Konnetic technology for tracking with virtually no

lateral movement, resulting in what the company describes as as-tonishing casting accuracy. The technology allows for greater in-

herent strength that results in a lighter rod with a smaller di-ameter. These attributes combine to provide augmented

aerodynamic effi ciency. Other features include lighter, low-profi le ferrules that help direct and carry energy through

the rod without sacrifi cing strength, critical action and feel; a custom cork handle designed to match

the exact taper of the rod providing even great-er sensitivity and feel; and a round eye tip-top that doesn’t pinch or bind the line, allowing the caster to mend and cast in any direction with full control. The fast-action rod family is intend-ed for all fi shing conditions. Available in Black Ice with a translucent fi nish, the rods will sell for about $715 to $740. A selection of 22 sin-gle-hand models will be available next month.

(206) 842-6608www.sagefl yfi sh.com

MONSTER BUCKS XIX:This 2011 DVD from Realtree is fi lled with those heart-stopping hunts that make this series a favorite among hunters. Volume 1 follows pro hunt-ers and celebrities as they travel to Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, Il-linois and Georgia in search of trophy wall hangers. Featured deer hunters include NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., Cal Bergsma of Whitetail Properties, David Blanton, Chris Keefer and Lee Lakosky going for their biggest bucks yet. Three hours of footage includes bow, muzzleloader and rifl e hunts as well as gut-busting spoofs. The DVD sells for about $15.

(800) 992-9968www.realtree.com

NANOFIL FISHING LINE:Berkley’s NanoFil “Uni-Filament” line is made from gel-spun polyethylene that consists of hundreds of Dyneema nanofi laments that are molecularly linked and shaped into a unifi ed fi lament fi shing line. Berkley says this is its longest casting line with exceptional accuracy. Among its attributes: zero stretch for superb sensi-tivity and zero memory that virtually eliminates line tangles. Available in Clear Mist and pound tests of 1 through 12; a 150-yard spool sells for about $20.

(800) 237-5539www.berkley-fi shing.com

t ndting sensi-r Mist

OLD TEX DUCK CALL:If it quacks like a duck, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a duck. It might just be Quack Shack’s newest call. Its barrel and tone board is handcrafted from cocobolo wood to pro-duce the sound of a raspy mallard hen. The traditional Arkan-

sas styled J-framed call is available in either a double-or single-reed model. It sells for about $85.

(214) 907-2481www.QuackShackTexas.com

(800) 237-5539www.berkley-fi shing.com

77/357 BOLT-ACTION RIFLE:The latest from Ruger is a lightweight, bolt-action rifl e chambered in the venerable .357 Magnum caliber and fed via a fi ve-round

rotary magazine. The 5.5-pound rifl e is offered in a weather-resistant stainless steel barrel and receiver, and a rugged, black compos-ite stock. It is fi tted with fully adjustable iron sights and includes scope rings that allow a variety of scopes. The fl ush-fi t rotary magazine does

not protrude at the rifl e’s balance point and can be readily loaded and unloaded. This quick-handling rifl e is described as an effective tool for hunting medium-sized game, especially in heavy cover. It sells for about $790.

(603) 865-2442www.ruger.com

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LSONews.com Lone✯Star Outdoor News October 22, 2010

October 22, 2010 Lone✯Star Outdoor News LSONews.com

LSONews.com Lone✯Star Outdoor News October 22, 2010

October 22, 2010 Lone✯Star Outdoor News LSONews.com

july 8, 2011 - lone star outdoor news - fishing & hunting

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