may 10, 2013 - lone star outdoor news - fishing & hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News May 10, 2013

May 10, 2013 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 9, Issue 18

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❘❚ LSONews.com

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 21Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 21Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 24Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26Outdoor Business . . . . . Page 22Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 22Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 16Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 21

Inside

❘❚ HUNTING

Deer and cattle can mix if you follow several steps.

Page 5

Grazing together

❘❚ FISHING

Drought keeps South Zone turkeys from breeding.

Page 4

Tough year

Redfi sh, trout, drum all being caught.Page 8

Matagorda picking up

Low water hurting once-great lake.Page 9

Choke Canyon choking

Double timeAngler catches 19 pounds of bass

on one cast with A-rig

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The ranch on the Milam/Lee county border holds a special sig-nifi cance for the Seifert family.

Multiple gen-erations have farmed or run cattle on the property, and it

is where Nathan Seifert learned to turkey hunt. It is also where his son Nolan, 10, shot his fi rst tom this season.

“About the time I was Nolan’s age, my grandparents were running cat-tle on the prop-erty,” Seifert said. “About 20 years

ago, I’d seen a gobbler walk across the fi eld. I called him up and the turkey was strutting behind a tree. It was perfect. I was a big bowhunter at the time and I wished I had a bow, but I shot

By Jacob LongoriaLone Star outdoor newS

Every angler’s dream when throwing an Alabama rig is to get “the double strike.”

For Pfl ugerville angler Donnie O’Neal, this occurrence has hap-pened before, but on April 29, the strike had some force behind it — more than 19 pounds of force.

On that day, O’Neal and a buddy fi shed Lake Austin with the goal of catching a big large-

mouth bass. He planned to hit all his favorite spots hoping for that double-digit bass that had eluded him for so long.

O’Neal likes to fi sh swimbaits on a modifi ed umbrella rig. The rig had been modifi ed because the 20-pound snap locks on the rig weren’t strong enough, so he changed them to 40 pounds.

It’s a good thing he did.As the day started, he caught a

2 1/2-pound bass but he wanted

See A-RIG, Page 13

TWICE THE FISH: Donnie O’Neal was in search of a double-digit bass all year long. After catching small bass in the morning, he returned to a familiar spot where a big bass fi nally bit simultaneously with his 8-pound friend. Photos by Donnie O’Neal.

Spider crabs: Bait or just ugly?By Jacob LongoriaLone Star outdoor newS

Spider crabs are usually seen in Texas as the bumpy and unattractive relative of the blue crab.

But some anglers are using the odd-looking crab as their bait of choice to attract and catch big fi sh.

Spider crabs can be found from Cape Cod, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and all the way to Central America. There are

See CRABS, Page 15

Son shoots fi rst turkey within 50 yards of where dad killed his fi rst

See TURKEY, Page 19

20-something years later

A FAMILY TRADITION: Nolan Seifert poses with his fi rst turkey, in the same place his dad, Nathan (back left), harvest-ed his bird more than 20 years before. Cousin Derek Spillar (back right) fi lmed the hunt. Photo by Nathan Seifert.

Eye parasitesTrout, other game fi sh hosts for lots of parasites.

Page 8

TAKING A WALK: Spider crabs

appear when the tide is low, some-

times blending in with the sand. Photo by LSON.

May 10, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com


HUNTING

More than they bargained forDad calls bobcat instead of turkey with his two kids


Brian Daniells was hoping for some excitement when he took his chil-dren Katie, 10, and Cole, 6, on their first turkey hunt near Throckmorton.

He got a little more excitement than he originally planned for when he called a big bobcat to within 10 feet of where the group was hidden patiently waiting on a tom.

It was a scary experience, but one the family will always remember.

“It was our first turkey hunt and we had been calling for about an hour and a half,” Daniells said. “Nothing was responding until Katie whis-pered, ‘Dad, is that a bobcat?’ I told her I didn’t think it was. But after I looked at it for a while, I realized it was a big bobcat and it had snuck within about 10 feet of where Katie was sitting.

“It gave me chills to think about what that bobcat could have done.”

Katie said she did not realize that it was a bobcat, and she thinks the bob-cat came so close because the family was hidden so well.

“At first, I thought it was a log because we were sitting in a pile of logs,” she said. “Then I looked closer and saw eyes. I asked my dad if that is a bobcat. My brother and I were a little scared because I just happened to look and see it.

“My heart was pounding.”Daniells shot the bobcat with his

shotgun, and the cat was indeed a large female.

“It was a huge cat,” he said. “I don’t know what it weighed, but it was big.”

Daniells said the family was a little shaken up, but Katie didn’t let it affect her hunting the rest of the weekend.

“I really wanted to get a turkey,” Katie said. “But I never thought about not going hunting again.”

SNEAKY KITTY: This big bobcat got within 10 feet of where the Daniells family was sitting. Photo by Brian Daniells.

Vernon Bevill killed in car accident

Retired TPWD stalwart Vernon Bevill was killed in an automobile accident near his home in Kyle on April 30.

According to TPWD’S Executive Director Carter Smith, Bevill was a native of Louisiana who shared his ample southern homespun wit, wis-dom and colloquialisms with all around him. He was a gradu-ate of Louisiana Tech, where he studied wildlife biology and conducted his master’s work on waterfowl. Before coming to Texas, Vernon worked as a tur-key biologist in South Carolina.

Bevill arrived at TPWD in 1993 as the director of the Small Game Program, which included Texas’ Resident and Migratory Game Bird programs.

Later, the Habitat Assessment Program was added to his program oversight responsibilities. Bevill remained director until his retirement in March 2010. During his ten-ure at TPWD, Bevill served as Texas’ representative on the Central Flyway Council for his entire career. He was also the Central Flyway Consultant to the USFWS Service Regulations Committee from 1994-1999 and 2006-2008, where he worked diligently to promote additional hunter opportunity in Texas. He was the author of the agency’s strategic plans for upland and migratory game birds and was a significant force behind the creation of the department’s Quail Council.

Upon his retirement from TPWD, Bevill joined his friend, and former Louisiana Tech classmate, Jim Willis, to work for the Wildlife Habitat Federation, a nonprofit organi-zation focused on enhancing quail and upland bird habitat on private lands.

— Staff report

However, the younger Cole had second thoughts about heading out the next morning.

“The next morning, Cole wasn’t going to get out of bed,” Daniells said.

The group ended up calling to some toms, but a shot never materialized.

“We didn’t connect on a turkey, but (the kids) were thrilled with the hunt,” Daniells said.


Almost every hunter who hunted the South Zone spring turkey season came away with one thought — what a weird season.

Silent toms, big flocks of gobblers that looked more like they were in their winter pattern than getting ready to breed and hens that weren’t nesting.

According to Jason Hardin, TPWD Upland Game Bird

specialist, the reason was simple — a lack of rain.

“The drought had birds out of breeding mode and into surviving,” Hardin said. “There have been birds shot and birds that acted normally, but the farther

Big gobblers bunched up throughout season down south, drought blamed

TOO HOT TO BREED: Hunters were frustrated in the South Zone this year thanks to gobblers being bunched up in flocks and not breeding because of the drought. Photos by David J. Sams, LSON.

south you get, the worse it becomes. We are still seeing hens in groups and not on nests.

“The birds just aren’t reproductively active.”

Hardin said breeding, and the spring rituals that accompany it like strutting, fighting and responding to calls, is very much tied to rainfall. After a very poor nest-ing year in 2011, the birds rebounded with a strong 2012 spring, as evidenced by the large number of jakes running around South Texas this spring.

Wads of toms

See TOMS, Page 14


By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

Nothing looks worse to a deer hunter than an overgrazed, barren pasture. But cattle and deer mix, as long as stocking rates and graz-ing are well-managed.

Ricky Linex, a Natural Resources Conservation Service wildlife biologist from Weatherford, presented tips on stocking rates and grazing to landowners and managers attending the Texas Deer Study Group.

“Some grazing is desirable” he said. “If the pasture is not grazed, the grasses get tall and can suppress germination and growth of the forbs.”

When managing for deer, it comes down to the amount of and timing of the grazing.

“From a plant health stand point, the best time to graze is when the plants are dormant,” Linex said. “In April, May and June, the plants are growing and grazing can be the most harmful.

Mixing cattle and deerGrazing tips for landowners

Hunting accidents continue downward trend

Hunting accidents and fatalities in Texas continued their long-term decline in 2012, still below three accidents per 100,000 hunters in recent years.

Last year, there were 25 reported hunting-related accidents, five of which were fatalities. Although any fatality is tragic, Texas accident numbers are small compared to the number of hunters with 1,155,542 hunting licenses issued in 2012.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, has compiled data on accident rates among 28 recreational pursuits that shows hunt-ing ranks third in safety behind only camping and billiards.

“The statistics show hunting is safe and getting safer in Texas,” said Robert Ramirez, hunter education program manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “And we do believe that is directly related to hunter education.”

The state’s worst year on record for hunting accidents was 1968, when 105 accidents were reported, includ-ing 37 fatalities. That equates to about 12 accidents per 100,000 hunters.

Prior to mandatory hunter educa-tion requirements in the fall of 1988, Texas reported 7.5 hunting accidents per 100,000 hunting licenses issued. Since then, Texas has averaged 2.95 accidents per 100,000 licenses issued.

“We’re still on a trend that is tak-ing us downward,” Ramirez said. “Mandatory hunter education is really having an impact.”

The five hunting fatalities of 2012 included two incidents involving care-less handling of a firearm near a vehicle, and three where the shooters did not follow basic rules of firearms safety.

— TPWD

ROTATION IS KEY: Grasses and plants beneficial to deer can thrive with limited grazing, but an overgrazed pasture, as seen on the right, is bad for both deer and cattle. Photo by Ricky Linex, NRCS.

See MIXING, Page 6


“From a rancher’s viewpoint, the plants are most palatable during the April through June period, which can lead to disagree-ments between wildlife and grazing manag-ers over when to graze.”

In the summer and fall, limited grazing may continue.

“From April through July, plants use energy,” Linex said. “From August through November, they store energy. When graz-ing in the summer and fall, be sure to leave enough top growth to keep the plants healthy.”

Maintaining plant cover helps avoid another costly problem: soil erosion.

“Erosion is one of the most costly eco-nomic factors in America,” Linex said. “Plant cover is the answer.”

Managing stocking rates and sometimes a reduction in deer numbers can help increase the diversity of plant life as well, Linex said.

“And avoid nonnative grasses,” he said. “Bermuda is just a desert for deer.”

Linex quoted an old range management

saying regarding grazing, “Take half, leave half.”

“A cow drops or stomps on 50 percent of the grass and consumes 50 percent,” he said. “So if you are aiming to leave half of the plant cover, the cattle need to consume only 25 percent of the total amount.”

But deer eat mostly forbs and browse, don’t they?

A common question, Linex said, since many deer enthusiasts believe cattle eat only grasses.

But don’t ignore the effect of grazing on forbs and browse.

“Cows eat 15 to 30 percent browse and forbs,” he said, “so if you have a 1,150-pound cow, that’s 4 1/2 pounds per day at 15 per-cent — equal to what one deer eats. If you have one cow per 20 acres and one deer per 20 acres, the cows will eat and/or destroy more forbs and browse than the deer. At 30 percent, a cow will eat more like 2 1/2 deer.”

Avoiding overgrazing is especially impor-tant during drought years, often when keep-ing cattle fed is most difficult, Linex said.

“If you see shadows on the underside of rocks in your pasture, you definitely have a grazing problem.”

MixingContinued From Page 5

International council adopts lion policy from DSCAn international assembly of conservationists representing 84 countries has adopted an African

lion-hunting policy modeled after one advanced earlier this year by the Dallas Safari Club.At a conference concluding April 30 in Budapest, Hungary, the International Council for

Game and Wildlife Conservation credited DSC for early and ongoing leadership in urging lion hunters to self-impose harvest restrictions.

In January, DSC announced its new definition of the ideal huntable male lion. More than 70 major safari operators, hunting industry leaders and top conservationists pledged support. The definition reads: “The ideal huntable male lion is at least six years of age and is not known to head a pride or be part of a coalition heading a pride with dependent cubs.”

Overharvest of young male lions could reduce lion populations overall, posing a concern to conser-vation and scientific management of this iconic species. Furthermore, such reductions in numbers would lead wildlife authorities to reduce quotas.

However, research shows that hunting older male lions has no negative effect on populations.“The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation is joining us in encouraging

lion hunters from around the world to be more selective. We’re gratified that the concepts within our policy have become a standard for conservationists worldwide,” said DSC Executive Director Ben Carter. “Hunting only non-pride and non-adolescent male lions should be the goal of every hunter and every organization with a vested interest in conserving lion populations.”

— DSC


Ruger American Rifle Wins Golden Bullseye Award

The Ruger American Rifle has received a “Golden Bullseye Award” from the National Rifle Association’s American Rifleman magazine.

Selected by a seven-member commit-tee consisting of editors, graphic designers and veteran NRA Publications staff, the Ruger American Rifle was named the 2013 American Rifleman “Rifle of the Year.”

The Golden Bullseye Awards recognize recently introduced products that are available to consumers prior to the selection. The prod-ucts considered for recognition are tested by American Rifleman staff or regular contributors.

Criteria state winning products should be “reliable in the field, meeting or exceed-ing the evaluator’s expectations; innovative in design and function; readily perceived as a value to the purchaser; and styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry and, perhaps more importantly, its enthusiasts.”

“We are extremely pleased to receive this award from American Rifleman magazine,” said Ruger President & CEO, Mike Fifer. “This rifle stresses performance and value, con-tinuing the tradition of Ruger firearms and delivering what consumers have long expected from Ruger.”

The award was presented at the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Houston.

— Ruger

Thompson/Center Arms also wins NRA award

The Thompson/Center Arms Dimension Bolt-Action Platform has received a National Rifle Association Golden Bullseye Award for “Rifle of the Year” from American Hunter magazine.

Voted on by a committee of NRA editors and staff, the Golden Bullseye Awards have come to symbolize the most innovative and reli-able products currently available for today’s consumers. Thompson/Center Arms was pre-sented the award during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits held in Houston.

— Blue Heron Communications


FISHING

Spots seem to outnumber

largemouths on Alan HenryBy Jacob LongoriaLone Star outdoor newS

A transition is occurring on Lake Alan Henry.

The anglers on the lake are experiencing a pattern of catching 2- to 2 1/2-pound spotted bass over and over again. It would seem the days of the huge largemouths are gone, with few signs point-ing to their return.

Many anglers think Lake Alan Henry is stocked with Kentucky spotted bass. In actuality, the lake was stocked with Alabama spot-ted bass, a different species. In 1996, 149 Florida large-mouth bass were released into Alan Henry. Three years later, 150 Alabama spotted bass were released. Since then, no Alabama bass have been stocked, but their num-bers are at an all-time high, according to local biologists.

Biologists for Alan Henry know the lake’s structure caters to the Alabama bass. The lake has clear water with deep reservoirs that are per-fect for the Alabama bass to survive and spawn.

In the early 2000s, the “boom/bust phase” was in effect on the lake. For years after, the lake was known for its huge largemouth bass with several bass more than 13 pounds being pulled from the lake during the “boom” time.

“During that time, anglers

got very spoiled,” said Spencer Dumont, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist.

However, since that time, the water levels started to decrease. When the water lev-els dropped, the vegetation that once was used for cover became exposed, provid-ing no protection for young largemouth bass that hide in the shallows. Recently, anglers have caught Alabama bass with their mouth full of eggs. The sight of this caused anglers to believe that the population of largemouth bass has gone down due to predation by the spotted bass.

Dumont said when a large-mouth nest with eggs is not being guarded by a male, other fish will take the oppor-tunity to eat the eggs in a nest. Fish usually eat other fish’s eggs when it’s available and no food is around.

“There isn’t enough eggs being eaten to make a big impact,” he said.

Lubbock angler Curtis Norrod has noticed the large-mouth bass he has caught are not as big or as common as they used to be. In 2006, he said it seemed the largemouth population was declining and the number of spotted bass started increasing.

According to Norrod, a lack of baitfish is the culprit.

“Panfish, perch and shad

See ALAN HENRY, Page 14

SOMEWHERE IN THERE: Anglers are noticing a shortage of largemouth bass and a surge in spotted bass, but biologists say the largemouths are still in Alan Henry to be caught. Photo by LSON.

EyesoreThis trout was caught recently in Copano Bay, and the anglers noticed many small, milky-colored parasites

had infected the eye of the fish.However, according to area biologists, the parasite is harmless to both the fish and humans.“It is a digenetic trematode,” said Mark Fisher, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries science director. “These are internal

parasites that require two or more hosts to complete their life cycle. The other host could be a clam, snail, bird or another fish (but not humans). The trout are safe to eat.”

It would probably freak some anglers out to realize just how many of the common species of game fish carry some form of parasites.

“It would be very rare to find a fish that didn’t contain at least one parasite,” he said. “The spaghetti worms are the parasites most commonly seen by anglers in trout and drum.”

— Staff report

Getting on the bite


Capt. John Ashley knows better days are ahead.

Even so, he is still catching good numbers of trout and redfish.

Ashley said fluctuating water temperatures have made for an inconsistent bite.

“The water tempera-ture went from 74 degrees down to 64 degrees,” he said.

Ashley mainly focuses on redfish in the bay. He is using cut mullet to limit out on redfish on most of his trips. The water clarity has been a little dirty but he still fishes shallow in 2 feet of water.

Capt. Joe Surovik

fishes Matagorda Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay and the jetties, and said the jetties have been the most consistent. Surovik knows he can always come to jet-ties to catch fish. In other areas, they get bigger, but the consistency always brings him back.

Most of Surovik’s cli-ents want to catch big redfish and he uses live

or dead shrimp, depend-ing on what the redfish choose to bite.

He knows shrimp fol-low the tide and the big redfish wait for the shrimp, so he presents the bait in the same way.

But Surovik’s secret bait has been Spanish sar-dines.

Midcoast anglers finding success in Matagorda bays

See MATAGORDA, Page 17

THROW LIVE OR FAKE SHRIMP: Anglers are catching good numbers of trout and redfish on shrimp, soft plastics and even flies. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.


Waiting on the turnaroundBy Jacob LongoriaLone Star outdoor newS

Choke Canyon Reservoir has been 20 feet low for three years, and anglers are feeling the pain of catching limited numbers of largemouth bass.

John Findesien, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist, said the lake’s vegetation isn’t currently good enough to sustain a fish’s needs.

“We are not seeing a lot of shoreline activity,” he said. “But the fish are there.”

During TPWD’s fishing surveys of the lake, the num-bers of fish recorded have varied each year.

In 2009, they recorded 144 fish per hour. When the water level went up in 2010, they recorded 421.5 fish per hour. Due to the higher

water level, the spawn of 2009 was successful enough to get bass numbers back up. When the water level fell again in 2010, TPWD recorded 330.5 fish. That number plummeted to 99.1 fish in 2012.

Findesien knows the sur-veys don’t give the most accurate idea of the fish pop-ulation but he believes, due to the successful spawn of 2010, big bass are still in the lake.

“A lot of bass responded well to the high water level

in 2010,” he said. “They should be over 10 pounds today.”

The current problem is the water level. As a result of the low water and lack of forage species, the fish don’t feed as much and take a longer time to get to trophy size.

According to Findesien, it takes 1.7 years for a large-mouth bass to become legal size when the water levels are high and 2 1/2 years or more when water levels are low.

Guide Burt Briggs has fished the lake since the 1980s and has seen its ups and downs. He said the water now is so low that it caused the grass to die.

“It is hard to adapt to the fish when the water is falling,”

Choke Canyon anglers hoping

for lake’s renaissance

See CHOKE CANYON, Page 17

STILL LOOKING: Anglers keep fishing familiar spots in search of large bass once found in Choke Canyon. Photo by LSON.


SEE MORE■ Saltwater fi shing reports: Page 16

SEE MORE

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTHot days

CALAVERAS LAKE — Guide T.J. Whitworth is taking advantage of the hot South Texas weather. With many hot days in a row, anglers can stay consistent in their approaches by fi shing their favorite spots. Red drum are in 9 to 14 feet of water biting on soft plastics. Whitworth has been fi shing coves and throwing cut bait for catfi sh. In the coves, he has caught blue catfi sh from 5 to 20 pounds.

The water temperature is in the high 70s to low 80s. When the water heats up into the 80s, the red drum migrate between 14-20 feet.

“It’s much better in the summer, especially for red drum,” Whitworth said.To contact guide T.J. Whitworth, call (210) 289-7032.

Postspawn modeLAKE HOUSTON — After a successful spawn, very few bass

are still on the beds. Guide Chris Berry said several largemouth bass females are still recovering from the spawn in depths rang-

ing from 6 to 8 feet, but they aren’t as active as they normally are. He said the best way to get them to bite is to use soft plastics on a Texas rig

presented very slowly right in front of them.“If you fi sh near the spawning areas, fi sh where the shad appear in East Fork and West

Fork,” he said. Berry said due to a warm December, the spawn was sped up, so the fi sh may not be in the

same places they were last year at this time. Crappie can be found in 12 to 16 feet on brush piles and homemade structure on jigs with minnows.

To contact guide Chris Berry, call (832) 372-5793.

Lots of catsLAKE SOMERVILLE — On a recent trip, guide Weldon Kirk

caught 56 catfi sh in 1 to 3 feet of water on stink bait. Some of his catfi sh weighed between 1 to 5 1/2 pounds. Kirk said that crappie fi shing on the lake has been very good. He uses minnows and gray jigs with chartreuse tails to catch fi sh in brush piles in 12 to 14 feet of water. With the summer months coming up, the bass will be moving from 3 to 6 feet to 8 to 14 feet of cooler water. Kirk uses blue and black soft plastics around structure. The lake hasn’t received any large amounts of rain, so the water is currently very clear.

“Any type of bad weather only knocks the fi shing back a day,” Kirk said.To contact guide Weldon Kirk, call (979) 229-3103.

— Jacob Longoria

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 59–65 degrees; 11.28’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on spinner baits, jigs and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 72–76 de-grees; 60.14’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on Red Fins, crankbaits, and top-waters. Catfi sh are good on cheesebait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers over baited holes.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 58–63 degrees; 12.63’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on spinner baits and Texas rigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs.

ATHENS: Water clear, 67–72 de-grees; 2.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless worms and top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and trotlines.

BASTROP: Water clear; 69–73 de-grees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits, spinner baits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows over brush piles in 20–25 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on live bait and stink bait.

BELTON: Water clear; 66–70 de-grees; 7.80’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are good on shad and chrome slabs. White bass are good on silver slabs. Crappie are excellent on minnows and white riversides.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 4.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics fi shed slowly around points and the fi rst break lines. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

BONHAM: Water stained, 66–70 de-grees; 1.82’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless soft plastics, medium crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics in shallower water. Crappie are good along the bank and pier in the park. Catfi sh is good on live bait and cut bait.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and dark soft plastics in reeds. Redfi sh are good on perch, shad and silver spoons. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait and liver near the dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 64–69 degrees; 16.11’ low. Largemouth bass are good on square-billed

crankbaits around shallow cover as well as Texas-rigged craws in Bama Bug. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Chan-nel catfi sh are good on trotlines.

BROWNWOOD: Water murky; 67–71 degrees; 11.42’ low. Largemouth bass to 8 pounds are excellent on jigs, green pumpkin soft plastics and white/chartreuse crankbaits around docks. White bass are excellent on minnows and white jigs near Wild Duck Marina under lights at night in 10–20 feet. Crappie are excellent on minnows and white tube jigs over brush piles in 1–8 feet. Yel-low catfi sh to 40 pounds are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 70–74 degrees; 29.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, lipless crankbaits, and weightless wacky-rigged pump-kinseed Whacky Sticks in 4–12 feet. Striped bass are good jigging white bucktail jigs from Flag Is-land to Black Rock in 20–30 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and watermelon Curb’s crappie jigs.

CADDO: Water stained; 68–72 de-grees; 0.55’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

CANYON LAKE: Water lightly stained; 70–74 degrees; 9.84’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on Texas-rigged green pumpkin Whacky Sticks, top-waters, and watermelon jigs in 6–12 feet along bluff ledges.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 3.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless wacky worms and top-waters. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 73–77 degrees; 19.74’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on blue/white deep-running crankbaits and watermelon red Carolina-rigged soft plastic worms and lizards. Blue and yellow catfi sh are good on live bait in 5–10 feet.

COLEMAN: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 14.66’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastic lizards and worms. Channel catfi sh are good on stink bait and shrimp.

COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and green pumpkin soft plastics and spinner baits in

3–12 feet. Crappie are good on minnows in 8–12 feet. Chan-nel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with nightcrawlers, shrimp and liver in 8–10 feet. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch in 6–15 feet.

CONROE: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 3.05’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin Carolina-rigged soft plastics, and on white/chartreuse lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and watermelon tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on stink bait, shrimp and liver.

COOPER: Water clear; 68–72 de-grees; 8.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on wacky-rigged Senkos. Crappie are good on minnows. Hy-brid striper are good on live shad. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

FALCON: Water murky; 73–77 degrees; 41.90’ low. Largemouth bass are very good on crankbaits off ledges and points. Crappie are good on watermelon tube jigs. Channel and blue catfi sh are excel-lent on cut bait and frozen shrimp.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Large-mouth bass are good on watermel-on shallow-running crankbaits and soft plastic worms in 4–20 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on juglines baited with shrimp and shad in 10–12 feet.

FORK: Water clear; 67–72 degrees; 4.48’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged craws in green pumpkin and square-billed crankbaits on main lake points early in the day. Yellow bass are good on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon red and plum soft plastics, and on white/chartreuse crankbaits and spinner baits. Catfi sh are good on stink bait, nightcrawlers and shrimp.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 70–74 degrees; 6.17’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse/white soft plastics, crankbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on stink bait, liver and frozen shrimp.

GRANGER: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 0.45’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on watermelon jigs in 4–12 feet. Blue catfi sh are good on shad and stink bait. Yellow catfi sh are very

good on trotlines baited with live perch in the river.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 5.51’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged Baby Brush Hogs near rocky points. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 70–74 degrees; 0.09’ low. Large-mouth bass to 11 pounds are very good on watermelon red/metal fl ake lizards in 2–6 feet. Crappie are good on live minnows around brush in 10–12 feet. Bream are good on live worms off piers and grassy points. Catfi sh are good on trotlines in 15–20 feet.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 68–73 degrees; 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics and top-waters. White bass are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on prepared baits.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 2.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on weightless fl ukes — some top-water action noted early in day. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 67–72 degrees; 7.73’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits. White bass are good on slabs.

LBJ: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 0.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin fl ukes, wa-termelon top-waters, and Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits in 4–10 feet. Channel catfi sh are good on minnows and dipbait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch and carp.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 4.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics and shaky heads. Crappie are good on minnows. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and cut shad.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 69–73 degrees; 0.24’ high. Large-mouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinner baits, soft plastics and lip-less crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs, pet spoons, and troll tubes. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfi sh are good on shad.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 67–72 degrees; 0.07 high. Large-mouth bass are good on Texas-rigged lizards and top-waters around shallow timber. Crappie are good on

jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 0.71’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and spinner baits. White bass are good on slabs and pet spoons. Channel catfi sh are good on minnows and nightcrawlers.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 58–63 degrees; 18.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits, Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Catfi sh are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 0.70’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shaky heads and weightless worms around docks. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on jigs.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 59–65 degrees; 10.33’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medi-um-running crankbaits, drop-shot rigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs.

PROCTOR: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 3.81’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics, crankbaits and spinner baits. Striped bass are good on shad. White bass are good on min-nows and shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are very good on minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are very good on shad and shrimp.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 67–72 degrees; 3.50’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow- and medium-diving crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 66–70 degrees; 4.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plas-tics. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 66–71 degrees; 5.57’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits and soft plastics. Crap-pie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 1.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastic worms and lizards, and fair on lipless crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on trot-lines baited with liver and live bait.

STILLHOUSE: Water lightly stained;

69–73 degrees; 7.12’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits, watermelon trick worms and watermelon super fl ukes. White bass are very good on minnows in 10–15 feet. Chan-nel and blue catfi sh are good on chicken livers and hot dogs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 68–73 degrees; 5.35’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on fl ipping jigs and Texas-rigged craws around shallow stumps in Hickory Creek area. Crap-pie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 65–69 degrees; 4.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics. Striped bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 1.56’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and pink jigs over baited holes. Bream are good on crickets and nightcrawlers. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.TRAVIS: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 51.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chrome top-waters, June bug worms, and grubs in 5–20 feet. White bass are good on chrome top-waters, smoke grubs and white shad raps in 8–20 feet.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 8.93’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on frozen shrimp and stink bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 67–71 degrees; 4.33’ high. Largemouth bass are good on hollow body frogs around shallow cover. Midday bite has been best. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs shallow under a fl oat.

— TPWD


Bluegills: Where the

fishing starts


Bluegills are often associated with small ponds and being the first fish caught by young anglers.

Although they’re small in stat-ure, they are crucial part of the eco-system and signs of better fishing to come.

John Tibbs, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist, considers bluegill to be just as important as shad to the impor-tance of a well-stocked lake.

“The largemouths love them,” Tibbs said.

Bluegills spawn throughout April and into midsummer, with their peak in early May.

However, TPWD Hatchery Manager Jim Matthews said lakes need more than just a good popula-tion of bluegill to sustain a healthy bass population. With other vari-eties of forage, bass will be able to

PERFECT SIZE: Bluegills longer than 7 inches are considered perfect eating size. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

See BLUEGILL, Page 23


Anglers have known for years that lights can attract baitfish, which in turn attract the species anglers target.

But can you attract fish with sound as well as light?

Craig Dennis, owner of Fish Vector, which combines light and sound to attract

fish, sure thinks so.“Our project started out

with no lights,” Dennis said. “We were working with a marine biologist who pin-pointed a frequency that could attract black marlin to the boat. We found a wave-length that will work on any fish with a lateral line running down both sides of their body.

“Different frequencies will stimulate fish, while we found some frequencies will spook fish.”

Dennis said his frequency makes fish “lock on” to the source and follow it toward a boat.

“There is a huge miscon-ception with lights and fish-ing,” he said. “The reason the fish come to the lights is because they illuminate microscopic organisms in the water that baitfish eat. They are just starting the food chain that occurs natu-rally. With sound, we can do in a matter of minutes what could take days with just a light.”

Dennis said his sound devices will call tuna “for miles” and “pull a swordfish

Hear this

See SOUND, Page 25

Attracting game fish by sound? Maybe


THIS MIGHT BE AGAINST TOURNAMENT RULES

Fayette County Game Warden Calvin Harbaugh apprehended two brothers who were fishing without landowner consent. They had crossed a fence with a small aluminum boat to fish a large private lake, in hopes of catching some large bass for a fishing tournament. Cases pending.

POOR SQUIRREL SHOT TRIES DOVE INSTEADTravis County Game Warden

Christy Vales received a call from a local deputy regarding illegal hunt-ing in the Lakeway area. Vales made contact with a subject who confessed to trying to take a squirrel out in his backyard with no luck, and then tak-ing aim at some white-winged dove instead. The suspect was cited for no hunting license, hunting dove in closed season and civil restitution.

BUYING LICENSE CHEAPER THAN TRIP TO JAIL

Burnet County Game Warden Braxton Harris was checking fish-ing licenses when he observed two men fishing. As he approached, the men seemed to become nervous and placed their rods on the ground. One of the men didn’t have a license, but both men had warrants out of Burnet County. Harris issued one a citation for not having a fishing license and trans-ported both men to jail. Case pending.

NO MLDP, BIG PROBLEMDimmit County Game Warden

Gene Fernandez completed a case that began nearly two years ago. The case involved an out-of-town hunter leasing a property, which he thought needed to be heavily man-aged, and taking at least 21 deer in order to reduce the high numbers of “cull bucks” and does. However, the property was not under MLD permit status, and he was well over his limit

of five total white-tailed deer for the season, as well as using other family members’ and friends’ tags in order to “properly tag” all of the extra deer that he took. Charges and civil resti-tution pending.

AN EARLY START TO DOVE SEASONA caller reported seeing sev-

eral college students shooting dove off power lines in the middle of a Lubbock residential area, and the group was spotted cleaning the birds in the alley behind the caller’s house. Hockley/Terry/Yoakum counties Game Warden Aaron Sims responded and observed numerous feathers and wings in the alley directly behind the suspect’s residence. Sims knocked on the door to speak with the residents, and three individuals admitted to shooting the dove off the nearby trees and powers lines. When asked if they had a hunting license, one subject replied surprisingly, “What’s a hunt-ing license?” Multiple citations were issued.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALLGarza/Lynn counties Game

Warden Drew Spencer stopped to assist a motorist and his companion with a blown-out tire. As Spencer was changing the tire, the driver said, “The last time we got saved by a Texas game warden like this, we had just sunk our bass boat down

on Falcon Lake in a terrible wind and rain storm.” Spencer had previ-ously been stationed at Falcon Lake in Starr County. Spencer asked the man when this had occurred and he told Spencer that it had been about three years prior. Spencer asked the men if their boat had been pinned against and sunk near a spot on Falcon Lake called Flame Pad and had been taken by the wardens back to a lodge in Zapata through the driving rain. The men had. Spencer replied, “That was me!”

WARDEN RESCUES STRANDED BOATERNavarro County Game Warden

Brian Srba responded to a stranded-boater call on Richland Chambers Reservoir. A motorist on Highway 287 had stopped to assist a man walking down the highway wearing a life jacket. The man had walked from his boat that had gotten stuck in the flats approximately 300 yards from shore. His fishing partner was in poor health and still in the boat. The stranded boater was partially clothed, shivering and unable to walk on his own. He was assisted to the warden’s boat and returned to shore.

LOOKING FOR TURKEY HUNTERS, FINDING STOLEN TRACTOR

Red River County Game Warden Daniel Roraback was walking a remote area of woods searching for

turkey hunters and came across a front-end loader with hay forks on the back. After confirming that it didn’t belong to the landowner, Roraback contacted the county sheriff’s office to inquire about any stolen tractors. It was soon confirmed that the trac-tor was stolen six months earlier. The case was turned over to the Red River County Sheriff’s Office.

MAN COULDN’T RESIST HOGS, EVEN OFF THE INTERSTATE

A Callahan County man was caught hunting hogs on Interstate 20. He loaded a 12-gauge shotgun with rifle slugs and began shoot-ing hogs. While being interviewed by Callahan County Game Warden James Brown, the shooter stated he could not resist killing hogs, no mat-ter what the situation. The man also admitted to having shot hogs from the roadway many times prior and that he did not know he was a con-victed felon. The man was placed in jail and charges were filed.

HOG HUNTER DROWNS FOLLOWING DOGS ACROSS RIVER

Gonzales County Game Warden Dan Waddell assisted the Gonzales County sheriff and EMS in the recov-ery of a drowning victim from the Guadalupe River. The young man had been hunting wild pigs with two companions when his dogs strayed.

The man and his hunting buddies trespassed on an adjacent property and followed the dogs to the river. The dogs swam the river and bayed a sounder of pigs on the opposite side. The young man attempted to follow the dogs across the river with-out a PFD and was overcome. One of his buddies jumped in the river in an effort to save him, but it was too late. The EMS squad located the body a short time later.

ATTACKING MONKEY DRAWS LAW ENFORCEMENT POSSE

A Zapata County sheriff’s deputy called Zapata County Game Warden Colby Hensz over the radio for assis-tance. When Hensz arrived, a DPS trooper and five sheriff’s deputies were on scene. The sergeant on scene asked Hensz to dispatch a monkey that had attacked someone earlier in the day. This monkey had attacked many people in the past, as well. Hensz put down the monkey per request of the owner and safety of the community.

NIGHT VISION HELPS WARDEN FIND TRESPASSING HOG HUNTERS

Atascosa County Game Warden Brian Scott was on patrol in the early morning hours in an area where landowners had reported having poachers trespass before. At around 3 a.m., Scott found some of those trespassers running hog dogs up and down a county road, with sev-eral hunters and dogs already in the brush on a bayed hog. Upon a call from the warden, four of the men came out, but one man stayed in the brush. Scott didn’t know that until he spotted the man with his night vision right before daylight. Nine individuals were cited for hunting from a public road, hunting without hunting licenses and trespassing. Cases pending.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Runnels County Game Warden Lane Pinckney was in plain clothes observing transactions of a fur buyer who was buying furs in a parking lot of a local business. While there, a man came up and inquired, in the presence of every-one, if anybody had any deer meat for sale. Lane spoke up and said that he didn’t have any at that time but could get him some. The man gave Lane his name and phone number and agreed on a price. After several weeks, Lane called the man and he agreed to meet again to pick up his deer. When they met, Lane advised the man that what they were doing was illegal. He didn’t seem to mind and asked Lane for his phone number in case he ever wanted any more. The sale was made and they parted ways. Coleman County Game Warden Lee Morrison was observing the transaction, made a traffic stop on the man and issued a citation for unlawful purchase of deer meat.

ILLEGAL OR NOT, MAN WANTED TO BUY DEER MEAT


Amistad at all-time lowAnglers still show up to Amistad International Reservoir for

a shot at one of its famous big bass but with only three boat ramps open, anglers often have to get in line to get on the lake.

Diablo East and Rough Canyon are the only cement ramps that are currently open due to low water. The ramp at Spur 454 can launch small boats but isn’t suited for bigger boats.

The all-time low level water mark surpassed the 1998 level of 58 feet below conservation.

The drop has produced many new islands, causing fish to group up. Largemouth bass are still being caught down to 20 feet on Carolina-rigged soft plastics. White bass are being caught vertically jigging 2 feet from the bottom with a slab and stripers are being caught on top-waters.

Game wardens recommend anglers focus and pay atten-tion as they navigate through the lake and travel from buoy to buoy.

— Jacob Longoria

Recreational angling impact rivals commercial

A report released this week by the American Sportfishing Association makes a powerful case that from an economic perspective, recreational fishing is just as important as com-mercial fishing, despite a much lower overall impact on the resource.

According to the report, anglers landed just two percent of the total saltwater landings compared to 98 percent caught

by the commercial fishing industry.Among the findings are:

• Saltwater landings by anglers contributed three times more to the national gross domestic product (GDP, or value-added) than commercial landings.

• The recreational sector added $152.24 in value-added, or GDP, for a pound of fish landed, compared to the commer-cial sector’s $1.57 for a single pound of fish.

• Within the jobs market, the recreational sector accounted for fifty-four percent of all jobs, both recreational and commercial. This amounts to 455,000 recreational jobs compared to 381,000 on the commercial side.For every 100,000 pounds landed there were 210 rec-

reational fishing jobs but only 4.5 jobs in the commercial fishing industry.

— ASA

NOT BAD FOR ONLY HALF: Donnie O’Neal holds the larger of the two fish he landed with one cast. Photo by Donnie O’Neal.

A-rigContinued From Page 1

one with some more meat. The pair stayed in the same area and O’Neal caught 10 fish; two over 3 pounds and one close to 4 pounds. At 10 a.m., he decided to head south to a familiar spot. O’Neal and his buddy felt the tension of wanting that dou-ble-digit fish.

“Time for us to get bit,” O’Neal’s friend said.

O”Neal cast out in water between 18 to 20 feet, and let the rig fall when he got a hit while he was listening to his friend tell a story. Sadly, the fish didn’t hold on long enough to set the hook.

O’Neal asked his friend to repeat the story he interrupted and cast again. Before he knew it, a big thump hit the end of his line.

“The rod just loaded up,” he said.O’Neal started to reel up, but

the fish kept taking diving surges. He thought it felt like a big striper. Soon, the fish was taking more small surges, making O’Neal suspect he just might have a really big catfish on the line.

When the fish hit the surface,

O’Neal realized it wasn’t one fish pulling; it was two. His friend had the net ready and quickly scooped both fish and got them into the boat.

“I let out the biggest howler more than once,” O’Neal said. “I still could not believe my eyes.”

The first largemouth bass weighted 7.8 pounds and was about 23 inches long. The second largemouth was the bass he had been looking for.

The bass weighted 11.8 pounds and measured 24 1/4 inches with a 19-inch girth. Both fish were returned to the water.

O’Neal doesn’t believe the double hookup was luck, but more of how he moved his lure into place.

“It’s how you work it,” he said. “Just dropping paddle tails and beach shads to the bottom.”

This was the fourth time O’Neal received a double strike in April. He caught a smallmouth and a large-mouth at the same time, as well as two spotted bass together. But none of those fish had the size, weight or power of the two big largemouths.

O’Neal looks back on that day and wonders where those big bass were when he fished those spots before.

“It was the right place, at the right time,” he said.


Some hunters thought the toms were stay-ing together because the roving bands of jakes were beating them up so bad. Hardin said that probably isn’t the case.

“I don’t think the jakes are beating up on the toms,” he said. “I think they are also in survival mode. Some of that country is in horrible shape. All of the turkeys are just try-ing to survive in places right now.”

Dr. Bret Collier, a research ecologist at Texas A&M University and an expert on turkeys, said the drought was indeed the reason for the toms not breaking up like normal.

“We are seeing the exact same thing,” Collier said. “We are having a fairly signifi-cant drought effect and the hens are not going to nests at all. With the males, we have not seen the normal flock breakout structure

where they normally break off to breed. “Obviously, this is tied to drought.”Collier said the GPS-tagged hens in the

northern part of the state are sitting on nests right now and breeding has been much more normal above Interstate 10.

“We started seeing hens going to nests around April 5,” he said. “Now, we are seeing lots of hens on the nests.”

Despite the bad news that recruitment will be down this year, Collier said there is a silver lining for hunters.

“Hunters shouldn’t be overly concerned, because if the toms aren’t breeding, they usu-ally don’t die,” he said. “Hunters should see pretty good carryover to next hunting sea-son. Those birds will plop down off the roost and stay there for most of the day. Mortality is not going to skyrocket if they aren’t breed-ing. It really lessens the impact on the males.

“If you are seeing big groups of 2-year-old birds, you should see lots of 3-year-old birds next year.”

TomsContinued From Page 4

used to be prominent in the clear north portion of the lake,” he said. “As the population of spotted bass increased, those species decreased.”

Charles Munger, TPWD’s Canyon district biologist, believes the lake still has the potential to be a great tro-phy largemouth lake.

“Over the years, the spot-ted bass population has gone up, while the largemouths have stayed level,” he said.

When the water levels rise again, the “boom/bust phase” will start again, help-ing small bass get bigger and having the current bass con-tinue to grow. Currently, the city of Lubbock drains water

from the reservoir to furnish its needs.

Guide Guy Adams has fished the lake for several decades and has seen what he calls a 60/40 ratio for spotted bass to largemouth.

The problem according to Adams is the lack of hydrilla and panfish.

“The best bass lakes in the state of Texas have hydrilla and good forage,” he said.

Shad are the main baitfish in the lake, and he believes it needs to have more species of baitfish. The more bait-fish, the healthier the game fish population. Currently, the big schools of shad are an early indication of where the predator fish will be.

“Find the shad and you find the fish,” he said.

Adams sees more anglers wanting to go out and catch only big largemouths, rather than enjoying reeling in whatever bites.

“More anglers want the bite of a 12-pound large-mouth rather than just wanting to fish,” he said.

The advice Adams gave for anglers is they can’t just fish out from the bank, they have to go into deeper water to catch both species. Adams recommends anglers go to the deeper parts of the lake or rivers if they want a big bass. He doesn’t promise huge largemouths, but he knows they are there.

Alan HenryContinued From Page 8


CrabsContinued From Page 1

POINTY! The spider crab’s sharp shell protects it from predators. Photo by LSON.

two types — porty and longnose; both are found up to 50 meters deep in sea grass beds. The main predators of the spider crabs are pinfish, grouper and toadfish.

A lot of bait shops in the Galveston area don’t sell spider crabs, nor have they ever used them. But Galveston shrimpers are familiar with spider crabs. They appear in their nets as a bycatch when looking for shrimp.

“I used to trap them at the East End with dead catfish and then use them to catch drum,” said one local Galveston angler con-tacted at the 61st Street Pier.

Leslie Hartman, TPWD’s Matagorda Bay ecosystem leader, is very familiar with spider crabs, but after many years working along the coast, she has never heard of anglers using this type of crab to fish.

“I talk to anglers all the time and none of them use them,” Hartman said.

But they are popular in other parts of the world. In Australia and off the coast of England,

spider crabs can be found for two weeks

when the tide is low. When the tide comes back in, they return to the deep water until the following year.

“During summer, they fish excellent for bass and smoothounds (gummy sharks) in southern England beaches,” said Matt Brook, an English angler.

Anglers who use spider crabs to fish must first invest in a pair of gloves that won’t be punctured by the sharp bodies. If anglers try to grab them barehanded, they will get scratched, according to Brook.

Brook said to remove the legs of the crab, being careful to avoid the sharp points on their legs. Anglers can then remove the apron of the crab.

Inside, the fisherman will see the meat of the body. Most use a 2/0 or a 3/0 hook to apply the meat on the hook. When a hook is pressed through the meat, a pungent liquid will come out that helps attract fish, accord-ing to Brook.

Some anglers use spider crabs for both bait and food. On the Texas coast, to col-lect enough spider crabs to fish with and eat would take awhile. Some anglers are up for the challenge and hopefully reap the benefits.

“They are great to fish with and just as good to eat,” the Galveston angler said.


TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on top-waters and Corkies. Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains.

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead, speckled trout, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good over mud and shell on top-waters and live shrimp.

BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and plugs. Black drum and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Redfi sh are fair to good in the marsh on live shrimp and scented plastics. Trout are fair for waders on the east shoreline on Corkies and top-waters.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on twitchbaits. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intra-coastal on fresh shrimp. Black drum are fair to good in the Ship Channel on crabs.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters working shell on live shrimp. Trout, sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Redfi sh are good in the back lakes on shrimp and scented plastics.

TEXAS CITY: Redfi sh are fair to good in Moses Lake on shrimp. Trout are good on the reefs on live shrimp.

FREEPORT: Trout are fair at San Luis Pass on live bait. Sand trout, trout, redfi sh and sheeps-head are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. The jetty has been holding sheepshead, trout and redfi sh on live bait.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good for drifters over deep shell on live shrimp and plastics. Redfi sh are good on live shrimp on the spoils. Bigger trout have been caught by waders on the south shoreline.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfi sh are fair to

good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good at the jetty on crabs.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in the cuts on free–lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Redfi sh are fair to good on the Estes Flats on live shrimp and scented plastics under a popping cork.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfi sh are fair to good at East Flats on gold spoons and small top-wa-ters. Black drum are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and fi nger mullet. Redfi sh, trout and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on top-waters in Oso Bay. Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live shrimp. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good in the Packery Channel on crabs.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on the sand

and grass on soft plastics. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp at night.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on top-waters around sand and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting pot holes on live shrimp and scented plastics under popping corks. Black drum and redfi sh are good on crabs at East Cut.

SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Black drum, redfi sh and jack crevalle are good at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair in South Bay on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Trout are good on the fl ats on live shrimp and plastics under popping corks.

— TPWD

Summer patternsCORPUS CHRISTI CAUSEWAY — With summer fast

approaching, the unpredictable spring fi shing days are com-ing to a halt and consistently sunny days await. Capt. Grant Coppin is looking forward to catch big croaker in his area but currently the croaker are not big enough to put a hook through.

“Right now they are 2 inches,” he said. “I want them when they are at least 3 1/2 inches. (The trout and redfi sh) summer pattern will be the same as last year. All we have to do is fi sh the same.”

Coppin is drifi tng live shrimp under popping corks in 3 to 4 feet of water on the fl ats to catch trout up to 28 inches. The shallows near the north side of the causeway are holding big black drum in some holes. Coppin adjusts the leader on his popping corks to target the drum. The red-fi sh are not as grouped up as much as he would like, but a few anglers have been fi nding some schools. If Coppin can fi nd schooling fi sh, he uses spoons and soft plastics.

“If you want redfi sh, you are going to have to work for it,” he said.To contact Capt. Grant Coppin, call (254) 913-8122.

Fishing the reefsSAN ANTONIO BAY — Capt. Lynn Smith doesn’t

have a problem fi nding trout in San Antonio Bay. He just targets the reefs all along the bay.

Smith uses soft plastics in and around the reef beds to catch his trout. Smith has been catching redfi sh up to 27 inches on live shrimp under a popping cork in the sand and grass fl ats. He is consistently fi nding black drum in shallow water on dead or live shrimp.

Currently, the water temperature is 67 degrees. When the water heats up to around 72 degrees, the fi sh get a little deeper and are easier to target.

To contact Capt. Lynn Smith, call (361) 983-4434.

Redfi sh bitingCORPUS CHRISTI GRASS FLATS — Capt. Jack

McPartland prefers his croaker to be between 3 to 6 inches to fi nd bigger fi sh.

“If you think they won’t bite on bigger croaker, you are mistaken,” he said.

While McPartland trolls to catch bait, he has seen some big fl ounder but he hasn’t starting gig-ging them yet. In the potholes on grass fl ats, redfi sh are biting on cut mullet. The black drum are more scattered and are not schooling as much. In late June, McPartland said they would be schooling up again, making them easier to catch.

Currently, the water temperature is 71 degrees. To contact Capt. Jack McPartland, call (361) 290-6302.

— Jacob Longoria


he said.Briggs said five years ago the lake was at its

peak, then the anglers, bass boats and tour-naments hit the lake and put a big dent in the fishing.

Guide Sonny Coody remembers when the lake was being filled back in 1988. Coody said the lake was shallow, full of brush and almost impossible to navigate in a boat. Back then, the only appeal to the lake was it was a reasonable drive from San Antonio and Houston.

In 1995, while Coody was out of town on a sales trip, his friend called him to get back to Texas because the fishing was the best it had ever been.

While he was gone, a hurricane had hit and 20 inches of rain had fallen. The storm dropped enough water to fill the lake twice.

“ A friend of mine called me and said I bet-ter get back down here because they were catching fish near the cow pens,” he said.

His friend reported catching huge bass

near an area of land that before was 2 miles away from the water. When the lake flooded, a lot of fish migrated to the new parts to live and spawn.

After the flood of 1995, the fishing stayed great for the next three years. The water levels were up and fish had many shallow places to spawn. But as years passed, the water levels fell.

“The rain starts to fill the lake and when it stops, the next drought starts,” Coody said.

Coody enjoys the fact the lake is stocked with Florida largemouth bass that were bred to survive the South Texas heat.

“Hot water doesn’t affect the Florida bass in this lake,” he said “They can still be found in the shallows on hot days.”

Currently, Coody said anglers are catch-ing big bass at the mouth of O’Possum Creek in brush piles 7 to 8 feet deep and standing timber.

Sonny Coody, (210) 621-4195Burt Briggs, (210) 566-1390

Choke CanyonContinued From Page 9

MatagordaContinued From Page 8

“On sardines, I caught red-fish from 20 to 40 pounds in 6 inches of water,” he said.

Surovik enjoys the fight of fish and prefers to catch lots of fish than one huge fish.

“As long as they’re biting,” he said.

Surovik also uses live shrimp to catch sheeps-head and Spanish mackerel, but he has found that black drum are biting harder on dead shrimp this year.

Cool weather and winds have not driven Capt. Lee Warmke off the water this month.

“It doesn’t mean a thing,” said Warmke about weather

affecting his fishing.Warmke has been using

soft plastics and live shrimp to target trout on the shore-lines and postspawn trout in deeper water. The redfish and black drum are biting on popping corks with live shrimp.

Capt. Tom Horbey takes a different approach to saltwa-ter fishing.

Horbey uses a sneak tactic with a fly-rod while fish sur-face feed. He also uses spoon flies to catch black drum and redfish on an outgoing tide. The spoonfly, even though small in size, has been catch-

ing redfish up to 27 inches. While the tide is incoming, Horbey throws large white streamers and has been catching 18- to 22-inch jack crevalle and trout.

Horbey said the tarpon have come into the bay. The best way to spot them is to find the rolling fish. Horbey said if anglers want to target tarpon, they should cast in front of the rolling fish.

Capt. John Ashley, (361) 772-5465Capt. Tom Horbey, (361) 983-2263Capt. Lee Warmke, (281) 924-3941Capt. Joe Surovik, (361) 550-8552


NATIONALA friend lost

Friend of LSON and African Professional Hunter Erwin Kotze died April 23, after being trampled by an elephant in northwestern Namibia.

Kotze, 27, was a professional hunter for Thormahlen & Cochran Safaris.

LSON Founder David J. Sams, along with his daughter, Lili, hunted with Thormahlen & Cochran Safaris in South Africa two years ago. Although Kotze was not their main PH on the trip, the Sams got to know Kotze and had a great time with the young man at a recent Dallas Safari Club Convention.

According to The Hunting Report, Kotze was guiding a client while hunting desert elephant in the Kaokoland conces-sion called Orupupa Conservancy. The hunting party had been tracking a bull since morning. Kotze stalked closer to evaluate the ivory. Something went wrong, and the animal charged him without warning. The elephant trampled Kotze, breaking his pelvis. Another PH in the party carried Kotze to the hunting vehicle and called for a medivac to meet them at a nearest airstrip. Unfortunately, Kotze died of internal injuries before reaching the airstrip.

Kotze was unmarried and is survived by his parents, Werner and Erna Kotze of Bostwana.

— Staff report

Two Louisiana men cited for gator, frog violations

A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agent cited two Louisiana men for alleged alligator violations on April 29 in Ascension Parish.

The agent cited Jason T. Causey, 23, of Gonzales, and Shane H. Knapp, 23, of Baton Rouge, for taking alligators during a closed season, hunting alligators at night with a firearm, illegal possession of alligators, taking alligators with-out a license, unauthorized use of a moveable, violating frog regulations for possessing a firearm, taking a bullfrog during a closed season and fishing without a basic fishing license.

After receiving an anonymous complaint of illegal activ-ity at Alligator Bayou Tours, LDWF Sgt. Dennis Bueche and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on scene around 12:10 a.m. on April 29. Once on scene, they heard an all-terrain vehicle, gunshots and saw a spotlight inside the Alligator Bayou Tours property.

After a brief search, the deputies and LDWF agent were able to contact Causey and Knapp and found them in pos-session of an illegally harvested 10-foot alligator that had been shot in the head with a .45 caliber pistol that was also in their possession. After further investigation, it was deter-mined that the ATV belonged to Alligator Bayou Tours and that Knapp and Causey were using the ATV to attempt to drag

the alligator back to their truck.Knapp and Causey were also found with a dead bullfrog

and allegedly admitted to fishing earlier in the evening with-out basic fishing licenses.

— LDWF

SCI supporting legislation to protect hunting

Safari Club International supports the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek (Mich.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).

H.R. 1825 and S. 170 will require the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to manage their lands for hunting, angling and target-shooting. Members of Safari Club International traveled to Washington, D.C. on May 9 to advocate for H.R. 1825 and S. 170.

“For hunters, it is critical that legislation be passed that will ensure future generations of sportsmen and women have every opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors,” said SCI President John Whipple. “We are extremely thankful for the leadership that Congressman Dan Benishek of Michigan and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have shown with the introduction of this needed legislation.”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed this language with bipartisan support as part of the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012, whereas the Senate never took final action during the 112th Congress.

“We hope to have this common sense legislation move quickly through both the House and Senate,” Whipple said.

Other legislation critical to sportsmen includes: H.R. 1818 (Young-Alaska) and S. 847 (Crapo-Idaho) allowing the importa-tion of a small number of already harvested polar bears; H.R. 1819 reinstating sustainable use importation of polar bears by U.S. citizens; and H.R. 322 (Miller-Fla.) protecting traditional hunting and fishing equipment and other policy issues important to all hunters.

— SCI

Oklahoma to allow aerial hog huntingOklahoma pigs better learn to look up, much like their

Texas cousins.Oklahoma landowners will now be able to take to the skies

to hunt feral hogs and other “depredating animals’’ under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.

Fallin signed the bill recently that’s intended to help land-owners control growing populations of wild hogs that have become a problem in many rural parts of the state. The wild animals are known to tear up cropland, destroy fences and spread diseases.

State law already allows the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to authorize people with a big-game commercial hunting area license to hunt wild hogs and other depredating animals, like coyotes, from aircraft. The bill signed by Fallin expands the law to include landowners and those hired by landowners.

— Staff report

Orvis to buy Scientific Anglers and Ross Reels

The Orvis Company, Inc. of Manchester, Vermont announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Scientific Anglers and Ross Reels businesses from 3M.

Upon completion of the transaction, Orvis plans to continue to operate the Midland, Mich.-based business independently under the Scientific Anglers brand. Ross Reels will also con-tinue to operate independently under its brand name from its Montrose, Colo. headquarters. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

— Orvis

Bill Dance to chair National Hunting and Fishing Day

National Freshwater Hall of Fame member Bill Dance will serve as the honorary chairman for National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

Dance understands what it takes to win and the necessity of preserving our hunting and fishing legacy. The fishing icon has three B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles, caught the first bass in B.A.S.S. history, earned seven B.A.S.S. titles and is also a mem-ber of the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.

But Dance is a workhorse on and off the water and has been recognized for his work with many philanthropic orga-nizations including: American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Arthritis foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, Dreams Come True and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This year, Dance pursues a different “cause” as he has been named the honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day 2013.

“We are excited to have Bill Dance as honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day. It’s good to have the voice and perspective of one of America’s favorite anglers. His work and dedications shows that hunting, fishing and conservation remain important in all walks of American life today,” said Misty Mitchell, director of Conservation Programs for Wonders of Wildlife.”

— Blue Heron Communications


him with a shotgun.“I’ve killed several turkeys

since then, but that was the biggest bird of my life.”

Nathan said it was a great experience when he got together with his cousin, Derek Spillar, and Nolan after hearing a gobbler sounding off on the property.

“I can’t believe it came together,” he said. “Derek was getting a response every time he called. The tom was coming and he called one more time, but the turkey looked at us and bugged out. The birds he was looking at (the decoys) weren’t the birds he was hearing.”

Nathan thought the hunt was over, but the wily old

gobbler had made a semi-circle behind the blind and was approaching the decoys from another direction.

“We quit calling,” Nathan said.

The bird finally emerged on one side of the blind and walked about 25 yards to the front. It was time for Nolan to make a good shot, which he did with his 20-gauge.

“I’ve hunted turkeys a few times before, so I kind of knew what I was doing,” the fourth-grader at Naumann Elementary in Cedar Park said. “My dad told me when we sat down that this is where he killed his first turkey. When the turkey went behind the blind I thought he was gone.

“When he stepped back out,

I thought he looked huge.”Both hunters were happy

the hunt ended on a positive note.

“We worked hard the whole weekend to make it happen,” Nathan said. “It was a really neat deal when he came through.”

Spillar agreed and even got the hunt on film.

“I videotaped the hunt,” he said. “We were trying to get Nolan his first turkey and I’m glad we did. He’s a real outdoorsman.”

Nolan kept the beard and the fan of his trophy, but the spurs were a different story.

“We hung the spurs up on the front porch, but the coons got them,” he said. “But it was a really fun hunt.”

TurkeyContinued From Page 1

BIGGER THAN DAD’S: Nolan Seifert shows off the nice beard on his first turkey. Photo by Nathan Seifert.


Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

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

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 pound crappie fi llets, cut into bite size pieces1/4 cup butter1/2 cup chopped onion1 small green pepper, chopped1 clove garlic, chopped1/2 cup chopped celery1 can, 28-oz. tomatoes1 pound okra1 cup water1/4 tsp. thyme1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, amount depends on how spicey you want itSalt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked riceTabasco sauce

In large soup pot melt the butter. Sauté the onion, green pepper, gar-lic and celery until tender. Add the tomatoes, okra, water, thyme, red pepper and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the crappie and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the fi sh starts to fl ake. Serve over cooked rice in indi-vidual bowls. Season to taste.

— backwoodsbound.com

1 whole venison tenderloin/backstrap1 lb. venison burger or breakfast sausageSaltPepperGarlic powderBacon1 large onion, sliced

Cut the tenderloin into 6-inch sec-tions. Cut a hole in the middle but do

not cut in half. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stuff each section with deer burger sea-soned with your favorite seasonings or use sausage. Place in a baking dish and add enough water to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with more season-ings if desired. Top with bacon and onion slices. Cover with foil and bake overnight at 250 degrees.

— backwoodsbound.com

Stuffed backstrap

LastMay 31Full

May 25New

May 10

FirstMay 18

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 5:43 AM 1.9H 11:10 AM 1.4L 3:11 PM 1.5H 10:35 PM 0.0LMay 11 6:20 AM 1.8H 11:40 AM 1.4L 3:18 PM 1.5H 11:11 PM 0.0LMay 12 6:57 AM 1.8H 12:11 PM 1.4L 3:25 PM 1.5H 11:50 PM 0.1LMay 13 7:38 AM 1.7H 12:49 PM 1.4L 3:36 PM 1.5HMay 14 12:31 AM 0.2L 8:25 AM 1.7H 1:45 PM 1.4L 3:50 PM 1.4HMay 15 1:16 AM 0.3L 9:18 AM 1.6HMay 16 2:05 AM 0.4L 10:10 AM 1.6HMay 17 3:02 AM 0.6L 10:54 AM 1.6H 5:30 PM 1.1L 9:46 PM 1.2HMay 18 4:05 AM 0.7L 11:29 AM 1.5H 5:52 PM 0.9L 11:54 PM 1.3HMay 19 5:14 AM 0.8L 11:56 AM 1.5H 6:22 PM 0.7LMay 20 1:07 AM 1.4H 6:21 AM 0.9L 12:20 PM 1.5H 6:56 PM 0.4LMay 21 2:04 AM 1.6H 7:23 AM 1.0L 12:43 PM 1.5H 7:33 PM 0.1LMay 22 2:54 AM 1.8H 8:17 AM 1.1L 1:09 PM 1.5H 8:14 PM -0.1LMay 23 3:42 AM 2.0H 9:07 AM 1.2L 1:39 PM 1.6H 8:57 PM -0.4LMay 24 4:29 AM 2.1H 9:52 AM 1.3L 2:13 PM 1.7H 9:42 PM -0.5L

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 6:06 AM 2.3H 11:25 AM 1.9L 2:36 PM 1.9H 10:08 PM -0.1LMay 11 6:45 AM 2.3H 11:50 AM 1.9L 2:43 PM 1.9H 10:39 PM 0.0LMay 12 7:25 AM 2.3H 12:13 PM 1.9L 2:42 PM 1.9H 11:13 PM 0.0LMay 13 8:08 AM 2.2H 11:50 PM 0.1LMay 14 8:55 AM 2.1HMay 15 12:29 AM 0.2L 9:42 AM 2.1HMay 16 1:12 AM 0.4L 10:27 AM 2.0HMay 17 2:00 AM 0.6L 11:04 AM 2.0HMay 18 2:56 AM 0.8L 11:32 AM 1.9H 6:28 PM 1.2L 11:24 PM 1.4HMay 19 4:05 AM 1.0L 11:54 AM 1.8H 6:21 PM 0.9LMay 20 1:03 AM 1.6H 5:27 AM 1.2L 12:10 PM 1.8H 6:39 PM 0.6LMay 21 2:16 AM 1.9H 6:48 AM 1.4L 12:25 PM 1.8H 7:08 PM 0.2 LMay 22 3:15 AM 2.1H 7:59 AM 1.6L 12:41 PM 1.9H 7:45 PM -0.2LMay 23 4:09 AM 2.3H 8:58 AM 1.8L 1:02 PM 1.9H 8:26 PM -0.5LMay 24 5:00 AM 2.5H 9:48 AM 1.9L 1:31 PM 2.0H 9:11 PM -0.7L

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height May 10 6:36 AM 1.4H 12:21 PM 1.1L 3:06 PM 1.2H 11:04 PM 0.0LMay 11 7:15 AM 1.4H 12:46 PM 1.1L 3:13 PM 1.2H 11:35 PM 0.0LMay 12 7:55 AM 1.4H 1:09 PM 1.2L 3:12 PM 1.2HMay 13 12:09 AM 0.0L 8:38 AM 1.3HMay 14 12:46 AM 0.1L 9:25 AM 1.3HMay 15 1:25 AM 0.1L 10:12 AM 1.3HMay 16 2:08 AM 0.2L 10:57 AM 1.2HMay 17 2:56 AM 0.4L 11:34 AM 1.2HMay 18 3:52 AM 0.5L 12:02 PM 1.1H 7:24 PM 0.7L 11:54 PM 0.8 HMay 19 5:01 AM 0.6L 12:24 PM 1.1H 7:17 PM 0.5LMay 20 1:33 AM 1.0H 6:23 AM 0.7L 12:40 PM 1.1H 7:35 PM 0.3LMay 21 2:46 AM 1.1H 7:44 AM 0.9L 12:55 PM 1.1H 8:04 PM 0.1LMay 22 3:45 AM 1.3H 8:55 AM 1.0L 1:11 PM 1.1H 8:41 PM -0.1LMay 23 4:39 AM 1.4H 9:54 AM 1.1L 1:32 PM 1.2H 9:22 PM -0.3LMay 24 5:30 AM 1.5H 10:44 AM 1.1L 2:01 PM 1.2H 10:07 PM -0.4L

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 5:57 AM 1.9H 10:11 PM 0.0LMay 11 6:37 AM 1.9H 10:40 PM 0.0LMay 12 7:17 AM 1.9H 11:12 PM 0.1LMay 13 7:58 AM 1.8H 11:46 PM 0.1LMay 14 8:40 AM 1.8HMay 15 12:24 AM 0.2L 9:21 AM 1.7HMay 16 1:06 AM 0.3L 9:59 AM 1.7HMay 17 1:55 AM 0.5L 10:33 AM 1.6H 6:57 PM 0.9L 9:14 PM 1.0HMay 18 2:58 AM 0.6L 11:02 AM 1.5H 6:38 PM 0.8L 11:14 PM 1.1HMay 19 4:23 AM 0.8L 11:28 AM 1.5H 6:38 PM 0.6LMay 20 12:43 AM 1.3H 6:08 AM 0.9L 11:52 AM 1.4H 6:51 PM 0.4LMay 21 1:54 AM 1.5H 7:50 AM 1.1L 12:12 PM 1.3H 7:16 PM 0.2LMay 22 2:55 AM 1.7H 9:22 AM 1.2L 12:28 PM 1.3H 7:49 PM -0.1LMay 23 3:51 AM 1.9H 8:29 PM -0.3LMay 24 4:45 AM 2.1H 9:13 PM -0.5L

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 6:28 AM 1.5H 9:56 PM -0.3LMay 11 7:20 AM 1.5H 10:30 PM -0.3LMay 12 8:11 AM 1.5H 11:03 PM -0.2LMay 13 8:59 AM 1.5H 11:38 PM -0.1LMay 14 9:41 AM 1.5HMay 15 12:14 AM 0.0L 10:12 AM 1.5HMay 16 12:54 AM 0.2L 10:32 AM 1.5HMay 17 1:39 AM 0.3L 10:44 AM 1.4HMay 18 2:34 AM 0.5L 10:53 AM 1.4H 6:21 PM 0.8L 9:51 PM 0.9 HMay 19 3:44 AM 0.7L 10:59 AM 1.3H 6:09 PM 0.6LMay 20 12:26 AM 1.0H 5:12 AM 0.8L 11:01 AM 1.2H 6:27 PM 0.3LMay 21 2:00 AM 1.2H 6:53 AM 0.9L 10:58 AM 1.1H 6:56 PM -0.1LMay 22 3:11 AM 1.3H 7:31 PM -0.4LMay 23 4:14 AM 1.5H 8:12 PM -0.7LMay 24 5:14 AM 1.6H 8:57 PM -0.9L

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 12:06 AM 0.2L 11:17 AM 1.0HMay 11 12:34 AM 0.2L 11:48 AM 1.0HMay 12 1:06 AM 0.2L 12:20 PM 1.0HMay 13 1:43 AM 0.2L 12:56 PM 0.9HMay 14 2:26 AM 0.2L 1:34 PM 0.9HMay 15 3:12 AM 0.2L 2:09 PM 0.9HMay 16 4:01 AM 0.2L 2:39 PM 0.8HMay 17 4:50 AM 0.3L 3:01 PM 0.8HMay 18 5:39 AM 0.4L 2:56 PM 0.7HMay 19 6:26 AM 0.5L 1:14 PM 0.6H 8:59 PM 0.4LMay 20 11:26 AM 0.7H 9:11 PM 0.3LMay 21 7:44 AM 0.7H 9:35 PM 0.2LMay 22 8:37 AM 0.8H 10:07 PM 0.1LMay 23 9:27 AM 0.9H 10:47 PM 0.0LMay 24 10:21 AM 1.0H 11:34 PM -0.1L

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 12:55 AM 0.2L 3:11 PM 0.5HMay 11 1:41 AM 0.2L 3:56 PM 0.5HMay 12 2:28 AM 0.2L 4:48 PM 0.5HMay 13 3:17 AM 0.2L 5:45 PM 0.5HMay 14 4:04 AM 0.2L 6:41 PM 0.5HMay 15 4:48 AM 0.2L 7:37 PM 0.5HMay 16 5:28 AM 0.2L 8:38 PM 0.4HMay 17 6:02 AM 0.3L 2:41 PM 0.4H 6:52 PM 0.4L 10:06 PM 0.4HMay 18 6:30 AM 0.3L 2:09 PM 0.4H 8:16 PM 0.4LMay 19 12:26 AM 0.4H 6:48 AM 0.3L 1:47 PM 0.4H 9:08 PM 0.3LMay 20 3:47 AM 0.4H 6:28 AM 0.3L 1:27 PM 0.4H 9:51 PM 0.3LMay 21 1:08 PM 0.4H 10:34 PM 0.2LMay 22 12:59 PM 0.5H 11:19 PM 0.2LMay 23 1:12 PM 0.5HMay 24 12:07 AM 0.1L 1:46 PM 0.5H

Houston2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets10 Fri N 6:00 ----- 6:24 12:36 06:31 08:03 6:58a 8:53p 11 Sat > 6:50 12:38 7:15 1:03 06:31 08:04 7:42a 9:44p 12 Sun > 7:43 1:31 8:07 1:55 06:30 08:04 8:29a 10:32p 13 Mon 8:35 2:24 8:59 2:47 06:29 08:05 9:19a 11:17p 14 Tue 9:28 3:16 9:51 3:40 06:29 08:05 10:09a NoMoon 15 Wed 10:19 4:08 10:42 4:31 06:28 08:06 11:01a NoMoon 16 Thu 11:09 4:57 11:31 5:20 06:27 08:07 11:54a 12:37a 17 Fri Q 11:56 5:45 ----- 6:07 06:27 08:07 12:48p 1:14a 18 Sat 12:17 6:30 12:41 6:52 06:26 08:08 1:43p 1:49a 19 Sun 1:02 7:13 1:24 7:36 06:26 08:09 2:39p 2:23a 20 Mon 1:44 7:56 2:08 8:20 06:25 08:09 3:38p 2:59a 21 Tue 2:26 8:39 2:52 9:04 06:25 08:10 4:39p 3:37a 22 Wed 3:11 9:25 3:38 9:52 06:24 08:10 5:44p 4:18a 23 Thu > 4:01 10:15 4:30 10:44 06:24 08:11 6:51p 5:03a 24 Fri > 4:55 11:11 5:26 11:41 06:24 08:12 7:58p 5:55a 25 Sat F 5:56 ----- 6:27 12:12 06:23 08:12 9:04p 6:52a 26 Sun > 7:01 12:45 7:33 1:17 06:23 08:13 10:06p 7:54a 27 Mon > 8:09 1:53 8:39 2:24 06:22 08:13 11:01p 8:59a 28 Tue 9:15 3:01 9:44 3:30 06:22 08:14 11:50p 10:06a 29 Wed 10:18 4:05 10:46 4:32 06:22 08:15 NoMoon 11:11a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 10 6:08 AM 1.9H 9:53 PM -0.2LMay 11 6:57 AM 1.9H 10:29 PM -0.2LMay 12 7:46 AM 1.8H 11:05 PM -0.2LMay 13 8:35 AM 1.7H 11:42 PM -0.1LMay 14 9:20 AM 1.6HMay 15 12:22 AM -0.1L 9:57 AM 1.5HMay 16 1:05 AM 0.0L 10:24 AM 1.4HMay 17 1:53 AM 0.2L 10:42 AM 1.4HMay 18 2:51 AM 0.4L 10:57 AM 1.3H 6:02 PM 0.7L 10:45 PM 0.9 HMay 19 4:05 AM 0.6L 11:08 AM 1.3H 6:08 PM 0.5LMay 20 12:49 AM 1.1H 5:35 AM 0.9L 11:15 AM 1.3H 6:31 PM 0.3LMay 21 2:10 AM 1.4H 7:10 AM 1.1L 11:19 AM 1.3H 7:01 PM 0.1LMay 22 3:14 AM 1.7H 8:52 AM 1.3L 11:11 AM 1.4H 7:38 PM -0.2LMay 23 4:12 AM 2.0H 8:18 PM -0.4LMay 24 5:08 AM 2.1H 9:02 PM -0.6L

San Antonio2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets10 Fri N 6:13 ----- 6:37 12:49 06:44 08:15 7:11a 9:05p 11 Sat > 7:03 12:51 7:27 1:15 06:44 08:15 7:56a 9:56p 12 Sun > 7:55 1:43 8:19 2:07 06:43 08:16 8:43a 10:44p 13 Mon 8:48 2:36 9:12 3:00 06:42 08:17 9:32a 11:29p 14 Tue 9:41 3:29 10:04 3:52 06:42 08:17 10:23a NoMoon 15 Wed 10:32 4:20 10:55 4:43 06:41 08:18 11:15a 12:11a 16 Thu 11:21 5:10 11:44 5:32 06:41 08:19 12:08p 12:50a 17 Fri Q ----- 5:57 12:08 6:19 06:40 08:19 1:01p 1:26a 18 Sat 12:29 6:42 12:53 7:05 06:39 08:20 1:56p 2:01a 19 Sun 1:14 7:26 1:37 7:48 06:39 08:20 2:52p 2:36a 20 Mon 1:56 8:08 2:20 8:32 06:38 08:21 3:51p 3:12a 21 Tue 2:39 8:52 3:04 9:17 06:38 08:22 4:52p 3:50a 22 Wed 3:24 9:37 3:51 10:05 06:38 08:22 5:57p 4:31a 23 Thu > 4:13 10:28 4:42 10:57 06:37 08:23 7:03p 5:17a 24 Fri > 5:08 11:23 5:38 11:54 06:37 08:23 8:11p 6:08a 25 Sat F 6:08 12:00 6:40 12:24 06:36 08:24 9:17p 7:05a 26 Sun > 7:14 12:58 7:45 1:29 06:36 08:25 10:18p 8:07a 27 Mon > 8:21 2:06 8:52 2:36 06:36 08:25 11:13p 9:13a 28 Tue 9:28 3:13 9:57 3:42 06:35 08:26 NoMoon 10:19a 29 Wed 10:31 4:17 10:58 4:45 06:35 08:26 12:03a 11:25a

Amarillo2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets10 Fri N 6:26 ----- 6:50 1:02 06:47 08:39 7:14a 9:31p 11 Sat > 7:16 1:04 7:41 1:29 06:46 08:39 7:58a 10:22p 12 Sun > 8:09 1:56 8:33 2:21 06:46 08:40 8:44a 11:10p 13 Mon 9:01 2:49 9:25 3:13 06:45 08:41 9:34a 11:55p 14 Tue 9:54 3:42 10:17 4:06 06:44 08:42 10:26a NoMoon 15 Wed 10:45 4:34 11:08 4:57 06:43 08:43 11:19a 12:35a 16 Thu 11:34 5:23 11:57 5:46 06:42 08:43 12:14p 1:12a 17 Fri Q ----- 6:10 12:22 6:33 06:42 08:44 1:10p 1:46a 18 Sat 12:43 6:56 1:07 7:18 06:41 08:45 2:07p 2:19a 19 Sun 1:27 7:39 1:50 8:02 06:40 08:46 3:06p 2:51a 20 Mon 2:10 8:22 2:34 8:46 06:40 08:47 4:07p 3:24a 21 Tue 2:52 9:05 3:18 9:30 06:39 08:47 5:11p 4:00a 22 Wed 3:37 9:51 4:04 10:18 06:39 08:48 6:19p 4:38a 23 Thu > 4:27 10:41 4:55 11:10 06:38 08:49 7:28p 5:22a 24 Fri > 5:21 11:36 5:52 ----- 06:37 08:49 8:37p 6:11a 25 Sat F 6:22 12:14 6:53 12:38 06:37 08:50 9:43p 7:07a 26 Sun > 7:27 1:11 7:58 1:43 06:36 08:51 10:44p 8:09a 27 Mon > 8:34 2:19 9:05 2:50 06:36 08:52 11:38p 9:15a 28 Tue 9:41 3:27 10:10 3:56 06:36 08:52 NoMoon 10:23a 29 Wed 10:44 4:31 11:12 4:58 06:35 08:53 12:25a 11:31a

Dallas2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets10 Fri N 6:06 ----- 6:30 12:42 06:31 08:14 6:57a 9:05p 11 Sat > 6:56 12:44 7:20 1:08 06:30 08:15 7:42a 9:56p 12 Sun > 7:48 1:36 8:12 2:00 06:30 08:15 8:28a 10:44p 13 Mon 8:41 2:29 9:05 2:53 06:29 08:16 9:18a 11:29p 14 Tue 9:34 3:22 9:57 3:45 06:28 08:17 10:09a NoMoon 15 Wed 10:25 4:13 10:48 4:36 06:28 08:18 11:02a 12:10a 16 Thu 11:14 5:03 11:37 5:25 06:27 08:18 11:56a 12:47a 17 Fri Q ----- 5:50 12:01 6:12 06:26 08:19 12:51p 1:23a 18 Sat 12:22 6:35 12:46 6:58 06:26 08:20 1:47p 1:56a 19 Sun 1:07 7:19 1:30 7:41 06:25 08:21 2:45p 2:30a 20 Mon 1:49 8:01 2:13 8:25 06:24 08:21 3:45p 3:04a 21 Tue 2:32 8:45 2:57 9:10 06:24 08:22 4:48p 3:40a 22 Wed 3:17 9:30 3:44 9:58 06:23 08:23 5:54p 4:20a 23 Thu > 4:06 10:21 4:35 10:50 06:23 08:23 7:02p 5:04a 24 Fri > 5:01 11:16 5:31 11:47 06:22 08:24 8:11p 5:54a 25 Sat F 6:01 ----- 6:33 12:17 06:22 08:25 9:17p 6:51a 26 Sun > 7:07 12:51 7:38 1:22 06:21 08:25 10:18p 7:53a 27 Mon > 8:14 1:59 8:45 2:29 06:21 08:26 11:12p 8:58a 28 Tue 9:21 3:06 9:50 3:35 06:21 08:26 NoMoon 10:06a 29 Wed 10:24 4:10 10:51 4:38 06:20 08:27 NoMoon 11:13a

Crappie gumbo

*email LSON your favorite recipe to [email protected].

ACROSS1. A tasty way to pre-

pare carp 5. A spring procedure

for deer hunters 9. Very large on the

muley10. Parts on a bow11. A type of tent12. Cloth used to

sharpen hooks13. A black-and-white pelt14. A handy item to

have in the kit15. Need to have to

pack day’s catch in17. Letter code for a

shotgun model19. A grouse20. A duck23. A group of pheasants26. Line grommet on a

fi sh rod27. A long-armed tree

dweller28. Color of the bull’s-eye

on a shooting target30. The fi sh basket33. The mourning is one34. A perch35. A moray

36. A Hawaiian goose38. To skin a game afi eld40. Letter code for a one

shot rifl e42. The scaup is one43. Angler’s name for a

large perch44. Found in the boathouse45. A scope protector

46. A large member of the deer family

47. A small game predator

DOWN1. Fish in a can

2. A shellfi sh3. A species of the

bighorn

4. A lake dweller 6. A young quail 7. Term for a

20-gauge rifl e 8. A game bird13. A grouse16. Bait placed in the

water to lure fi sh18. Not brought down

but only ______19. The underside of

a bow21. The shoulder hide

on a deer22. Knot on leader to

fl y line24. Duck hunter’s lures25. A grouse29. The whitetail31. Initials for famous

Texas Longhorn running back

32. A class of bow37. The trapper’s interest38. A shedded antler39. Deer can turn these

to pick up sounds41. A kangaroo pouch43. Method to lake fi sh

with this


PRODUCTS

A-BOLT III: Browning describes its latest A-Bolt as a precision, accurate and value-priced rifl e. Its new features include a bolt unlock button that allows users

to unload the fi rearm while leaving the safety on; a removable box magazine; and an infl ex recoil pad to reduce felt recoil. The A-Bolt III Composite Stalker model is chambered in .30-06, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag or 7 MM Rem Mag. The compos-ite stock is matte black with textured grip areas while its steel receiver has a matte blue fi nish and is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Its hand-chambered barrel features a free fl oating, target crown. The A-Bolt III sells for about $600.

(801) 876-2711 www.browningcom

OUTDOOR BUSINESS

PRODUCTS

describes its latest A-Bolt as a precision, accurate and value-priced rifl e. Its new features include a bolt unlock button that allows users

to unload the fi rearm while leaving the safety on; a removable box magazine; and an infl ex recoil pad to reduce felt recoil. The A-Bolt III Composite Stalker model is chambered in .30-06, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag or 7 MM Rem Mag. The compos-ite stock is matte black with textured grip areas while its steel receiver has a matte blue fi nish and is drilled and tapped for scope

(801) 876-2711

A-BOLT III: Browning describes its latest A-Bolt as a precision, accurate and value-priced rifl e. Its new features include a bolt unlock button that allows users

to unload the fi rearm while leaving the safety on; a removable box magazine; and an infl ex recoil pad to reduce felt recoil. The A-Bolt III Composite Stalker model is chambered in .30-06, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag or 7 MM Rem Mag. The compos-ite stock is matte black with textured grip areas while its steel receiver has a matte blue fi nish and is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Its hand-chambered barrel features a free fl oating, target crown. The A-Bolt III sells for about $600.

IMAGEVIEW 8X30 MM DIGITAL CAMERA BINOCULAR: Bushnell Outdoor Products’ camera binoculars combine eight-power magnifi cation optics with an integrated

12 MP camera that deliv-ers high-resolution photos

and high-defi nition video, allowing outdoors-

men to capture clear images with ease. The

binoculars, built with a compact roof prism

design, feature BK7 prisms and fully-coated lenses. At 13.5 ounces, they are light enough to

hold steady when captur-ing images or video in the

fi eld for extended peri-ods of time. Compatible

with up to a 32GB SD card, outdoorsmen can

capture thousands of images, more than two hours of HD video, or

a combination of both. The tripod-adaptable

ImageView sells for about $290.

(800) 423-3537www.bushnell.com

WHITETAIL TWO-MAN BLIND: This weather-resistant and bug-resistant blind by Advantage Hunting Blinds is light-

weight and virtually maintenance-free. It has a heavy-duty polyethylene shell with a carpeted pressure-treated ply-wood fl oor, tinted windows for a 360-degree view, plus a

polycarbonate window that fl ips up and out the way for gun or crossbow hunting. The 5-foot by 5-foot by 6-foot-1-inch

tall blind offers a through-bolt design with interlocking corners. It sells for about $700 (platform available separately).

(800) 772-7679www.advantagehunting.com

CRYSTAL 3D MINNOW JOINTED LURE: Yo-Zuri’s multi-species lure is available in a fl oating and a fl oating deep-diving model. Both models have a natural minnow-shaped body that produces a responsive darting action plus a new joint pin strong enough to hold on to the biggest of freshwater or saltwater game fi sh. And, they are fi nished in a 3-D prism effect that produces a refl ective shine that attracts fi sh from far distances or in turbid water. The shallow fl oating version features a triangle lip design, which allows the lure to maintain an enticing rolling action even when it is being fi shed slowly. The deep dive model is designed to get down to where the big fi sh lurk. The 5 1/4-inch lures are available in 12 colors. They sell for about $20.

(888) 336-9775www.yo-zuri.com

>>

>>

>>

>>


Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7

binoculars. You can check out

the entire line at the nearest dealer:See a full selection of

Nikon products at:

Victoria All Sports1902 Houston Hwy

Victoria, Texas 77901victoriaallsports.com

(361) 575-0655

LAYNE GERKE was

hunting in turkeys

on April 20 in Lavaca County

when he and his

dad found this

big boy strutting.

Layne put a sneak

on the bird and

got within 50 yards, with his

mom and older

brother keeping

the tom occupied

with their calling.

One shot from his

.17 HMR rifl e was

all it took.

Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $2, in certain mar-kets copies are free, one per person. Copy-right 2013 with all rights reserved. Repro-duction and/or use of any photographic or written material without 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 email them to [email protected].

Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or email mhughs@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com(214) 361-2276

Executive Editor

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Graphics Editor

Business/Products Editor

Intern

Operations Manager

Accounting

Website

Craig Nyhus

Conor Harrison

Mark England

Amy Moore

Mary Helen Aguirre

Jacob Longoria

Mike Hughs

Ginger Hoolan

Bruce Soileau

Mike NelsonNational Advertising Accounts Manager

ContributorsWilbur LundeenErich SchlegelDavid Sikes

Scott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

grow at a faster rate. “Young bass need minnows,” he said.

“When they get older, they eat shad and small bluegills. As they get older, they also eat good-sized bluegills.”

A bluegill’s diet mostly consists of small bugs, snails and the feed from local pond feeders.

Tibbs believes any bluegill less than 6 inches is at a “vulnerable stage.” Once they get more than 6 inches, they are not hunted as much and can defend themselves. At 5 years of age, they can grow up to 8 inches in length. The lifespan of a bluegill is only six or seven years.

On freshwater ponds near the coast, a prime predator to bluegills are pelicans, which can eat several small bluegills at a time, according

to Tibbs. Standing timber on pri-vate ponds provide great landing spots for pelicans, especially when near the water.

“Don’t leave standing timber; sink it,” Tibbs said.

Pelican use the timber to sit and dive for bluegills with ease.

When a body of water holds big bluegill measuring more than 6 inches, this is a great sign the large-mouth bass will be big as well.

Bluegills are known for the being protective of their nests. When a lure or bait is put in front of them while they are protecting their nest, they will strike hard, making them fun and easy targets for anglers.

Males create nests in less than 4 feet of water and tend to bunch up. Lakes Conroe, Fork, Arlington and Possum Kingdom are amoung Texas lakes with a good population of bluegills.

BluegillContinued From Page 11

State fi sh art winners announcedThe Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, headquarters for the Texas

division of Wildlife Forever’s State-Fish Art Contest, has announced the Texas division winners for 2013.

In the K-3 category, winners were: First Place, Sofi a Elena Di Stefano of Keller; Second Place, Tatyana Panchishna of Flower Mound; Third Place, Gabriella Malapitan of Flower Mound.

In the grades 4-6 category, winners were: First Place, Erin Werner of Santa Fe; Second Place, Amy Liu of Sugar Land; Third Place, Madeleine Alexander of Keller.

In the grades 7-9 category, winners were: First Place, Casey Nixon of Longview; Second Place, Daniel Heaney of Roanoke; Third Place, Candice Ma of Sugar Land.

In the grades 10-12 category, winners were: First Place, Brady King of Livingston; Second Place, Jessica Hooks of Fred; Third Place, Mary Campbell of Fort Worth.

Texas artists and their families will be recognized at an expo and banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens on June 15.

First-place winners will advance to the national level and compete against winners from other states. National winners will be announced at an expo to be held at the Go Fish Education Center in Perry, Georgia, July 12-13.

Texas winners received $1,000 for fi rst place, $750 for second place and $500 for third place in the grades 10-12 division. Prizes in the K-3, 4-6 and 7-9 grade levels were $100 for fi rst; $75 for second; $50 for third.

— TPWD

HOOKED: Male bluegills can be caught while protecting their beds. Photo by LSON.

REALLY GOOD: This lionfi sh by Erin Werner of Santa Fe won fi rst place in the grades 4-6 cat-egory. Photo by Wildlife Forever.

Automotive Advertising

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HEROES

OLIVIA SEKULA took this 11-point buck scoring 143 B&C with one shot from her .270.

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

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TOWSEND VOGT, 8, was hunting in Jim Hogg County in November when he harvested his fi rst buck, this 13-pointer scoring 140 B&C.

KACEE CRAWFORD took this big mule

deer in the Pan-handle shooting a

Remington 7 MM-08.

BEVERLY PERRY fi shed Lake Cooper on March 30 and caught this 10-pound hybrid with boyfriend Billy White

of Billy’s Guide Service.

ERIC RAMIREZ, from Donna,

harvested this beauty of a

redfi sh measuring 26 inches using a

pink top-water.

ABE PEREZ was hunting with BDS Outfi tters in Wil-lacy County when he took this big nilgai cow.

Spring Branch angler TYLER MCNEEL, right, caught this 43-pound kingfi sh on a recent trip to Port Aransas.

MAGGIE TYLER was fi shing with a friend when she caught this 17-inch, 3.85-pound crappie. The fi sh was submitted to TPWD for the Texas junior state record crappie for length.

This big tom was taken by Keller resident HUNTER JONES, 12, on his fi rst turkey hunt in Dimmit County.


from 1,400 feet off the bottom.”But he is quick to say his

product doesn’t use vibration.“It is not a vibration, it

is a frequency,” he said. “We take multiple frequen-cies and create our own. All (game fi sh) react to the same frequencies, but some react faster. Saltwater fi sh react the quickest.”

Several studies have been conducted on sound fre-quencies attracting fi sh. One study in Australia had fairly dramatic results. Knowing that sound can travel for miles in water, they experi-

mented to see if it attracted returning fi sh.

“The researchers built 24 artifi cial reefs off the coast of Australia, leaving some silent and planting speakers in others to broadcast reef noise. In the fi rst test, reefs with sound collected 325 fi sh, compared with 108 in silent reefs. A second exper-iment had high-frequency noise, low-frequency noise and silent reefs. Reefs with high-frequency sounds attracted 1,118 fi sh, the low-frequency reefs 1,171 and the silent reefs 657.

“The researchers say their fi nding raises the possibil-ity there may be damaging effects from human-caused noise, such as that from shipping and drilling. The discovery may show fi sh-ery managers a new way to attract fi sh to restock depleted areas.”

But some biologists in Texas aren’t so sure.

“I am a little skeptical,” said Mark Fisher, TPWD’s Coastal Fisheries science director. “But it very well might pull some fi sh toward a boat that are curious.”

SoundContinued From Page 11

Texas to receive oil-spill funding

Five Texas-based projects totaling about $18 million have been proposed to begin to compensate Texas for lost human use of natu-ral resources resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The three artifi cial reef and two state park projects are part of the latest round of early restoration led by state and federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment trustees.

The fi ve proposed Texas-based projects are listed below. All costs are approximate.• Galveston Island State Park Beach

Re-development. The project would construct multi-use campsites, tent campsites, an equestrian trail head, beach access via dune walk-over boardwalks and other recreational enhancements on the Gulf side of Galveston Island State Park. The purpose is to restore the loss of recreational opportunities by enhancing access to the Gulf. Estimated cost: $10.7 million.

• Sea Rim State Park Amenities. The proj-ect would construct facilities to provide

enhanced recreation within Sea Rim State Park, including a fi sh cleaning station, restroom facility, and two wildlife viewing blinds, in order to enhance fi shing experi-ences, wildlife observation, and educational interpretive opportunities. Estimated cost: $210,000.

• Texas Artifi cial Reef off the mid or upper coast. This project would place artifi cial reef structures offshore if the necessary large-scale materials are available. Or, it would enhance existing, permitted nearshore reef sites using constructed, stable and clean materials. Artifi cial reefs are used by fi sher-men and scuba divers as recreational areas because of the aquatic community that develops in reef habitat. Estimated cost: $1.8 million.

• Brazoria Neashore Artifi cial Reef Enhancement. This project would enhance a nearshore reef site off Freeport. Estimated cost: $2 million.

• Matagorda Nearshore Artifi cial Reef. This project would include construction of a new nearshore artifi cial reef off of Matagorda. Estimated cost: $3.5 million.

— TPWD


May 11Dallas Safari ClubYPG Crawfi sh BoilBarley House(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Coastal Conservation AssociationMatagorda Bays Lil’ Salties Fishing Tournament(979) 541-9901ccatexas.org

Delta WaterfowlMuddy Water Chapter (Wichita Falls) Trap ShootIowa Park Gun Club(940) 781-3129deltawaterfowl.org

May 16Dallas Safari ClubMonthly MeetingBent Tree Country Club(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Ducks UnlimitedComal County BanquetNew Braunfels Civic Center(830) 660-2007ducks.org/texas

Ducks UnlimitedDripping Springs BanquetThe Terrace Club(512) 496-8333ducks.org/texas

Ducks UnlimitedAlvin BanquetAlvin Knights of Columbus Hall(281) 393-1100ducks.org/texas

National Wild Turkey FederationCottonwood Creek Chapter BanquetStonebriar Country Club, Frisco(972) 473-9190nwtf.org/texas

May 17Texas Deer AssociationSportsmen’s Night OutRustic GardensSan Antoniowww.texasdeerassociation.com

May 17-18Arabia Shrine Sportsmen9th Annual Calcutta Fishing TournamentMatagorda Harbor(713) 296-9154arabiashrinesportsmen.com

May 17-19Legend of Lake Fork9th Annual Bass TournamentLake Fork Marina(903) 383-7748legendofl akefork.com

May 18Kayak Angler Tournament SeriesCanyon Lake(512) 719-4386fi shkats.com

Bass ChampsCentral #4Lake Travis(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

National Wild Turkey FederationBois D’Arc Chapter BanquetBonham Golf and Country Club(903) 227-1204nwtf.org/texas

Crappie Anglers of TexasLake Palestine Tournament(903) 887-0334crappieanglersoftexas.com

May 18-19Texas Gun and Knife ShowAbilene Civic Center(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

May 23Ducks UnlimitedPlano Dinner and BanquetClassic BMW, Plano(903) 372-6089ducks.org/texas

May 24-25Willacy County Young FarmersAnnual Fundraising Fishing TournamentPort Mansfi eld Community Pavilion(956) 746-6810wcyf.org

May 25Third Coast Fishing TournamentBluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge(361) 992-5152winthirdcoast.com

National Wild Turkey FederationPanola County BanquetCarthage Civic Center(903) 754-4635nwtf.org/texas

June 1National Wild Turkey FederationHopkins County Longbeards BanquetHopkins County VFW, Sulphur Springs(903) 885-6237nwtf.org/texas

Texas Team TrailCedar Creek Tournament(210) 788-4143texasteamtrail.com

June 7-8Texas Deer AssociationBrush to Bay Fishing TournamentBluff’s Landing Marina and LodgeCorpus Christiwww.texasdeerassociation.com

June 8National Wild Turkey FederationPease River Chapter BanquetCrowell Activity Center(940) 684-1372nwtf.org/texas

5th Annual Battle of the Bay Fishing Tournament and BBQ Cook-offKaufer Hubert Park DocksBaffi n Bay(361) 296-3798

June 14-15Texas Game Warden Association Fishing Tournament and Music FestivalRoberts Point Park, Port Aransastexasgamewarden.com

June 15National Wild Turkey Federation8th Annual JAKES DayComfort(210) 422-8783nwtf.org/texas

June 22Lone Star Bowhunter Association2013 Annual Awards Banquet and ExpoBrazos County Expo Center, Bryan(214) 282-3697lonestarbowhunter.com

Rudy’s Texas Redfi sh SeriesGalveston Tournamentredfi shseries.com

DATEBOOK

LONE STAR MARKET

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or email him at [email protected].

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may 10, 2013 - lone star outdoor news - fishing & hunting

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