Baffin Bay’s reputation continues to hold true Reserve Program could have a devastating impact on ducks and other wildlife, according to conservation group leaders. Widely considered

By Mark England

Texas outdoors groups are opti-mistic they’ll persuade legislatorsto vote favorably this session onsuch issues as restoring a 10-per-cent cut in Texas Parks andWildlife’s budget and allowing the

agency to tap the surplus in its so-called Fund 9.

Legislative sources, however,aren’t saying at this point.

“Honestly, it’s too early in thebudget process to say,” said AmyPeterson, committee clerk for theHouse Appropriations Commit-

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDPLANO, TX

PERMIT 210INDEX

Boat Buyer’s Guide Page 18

Game Warden Blotter Page 10

Fishing Report Page 19

Product Picks Page 16

Heroes Page 17

Weather Page 20

Wild in the Kitchen Page 20

Outdoor Datebook Page 22

INSIDE

www.lonestaroutdoornews.com

Texas’ Premier Outdoor NewspaperFebruary 23, 2007 �Volume 3, Issue 13�

TTEEXXAASS’’BBeesstt

HUNTING

FISHING

NATIONAL

See FUND 9, Page 14

Three poachers arrested in NewMexico face numerous charges.One hunter faces a possible$1,600 in criminal charges andup to six months in jail and upto $10,000 in civil penalties.

See Page 4

Announcements fromWashington regarding theConservation Reserve Programare stirring up outdoorsmen.

See Page 5

CONSERVATION

Hunters from all over theUnited States are traveling toTexas for an affordable hog-hunting adventure.

See Page 6

In cold weather, bass oftenhold tight to cover such asfallen trees or stumps andwon’t chase prey very far orfast. A jig hopping along thebottom where it stirs up amud trail presents an easytarget for lethargic bass.

See Page 8

Boat Buyer’sGuide

Page 18

Outdoors groups await Fund 9 decisions

BIG winter troutBaffin Bay’s reputation continues to hold true

NO TROUT TALE: Capt. Ted Springer holds a trout as long as his arm. Trout activity is expected to pick up soon. Photo by Brandon Schuler.

TITLE FIGHT: Aaron Hastings stretches his 6-pound line and battlesa bass up and over dock ropes to add to his total winning weightat Lake Travis. Photo by David J. Sams.

Pro angler Hastingsdid it his way

Winner dodges obstacles, hooks FLW eventMany pro anglers often fish the docks

in tourneys. Aaron Hastings did it his wayand it worked.

Hasting’s idea was to overcome obsta-cles — dock lines and underwater cables— in last weekend’s FLW Wal-Mart Tourevent at Lake Travis. He ended up sittingon the dock of the title.

On the final day of the FLW Wal-MartTour event, Hastings slipped his drop-shotrig over a dock line and catwalk. He let therig sink to the bottom.

He could feel smaller fish pecking at theworm and kept shaking it until he felt abetter hit. As if he was crappie fishing, he

lightly set the hook and let his drag do therest of the work.

In a few seconds, his 6-pound linebrought a fish to the top. He reached overthe catwalks and netted a 3-plus poundlargemouth to secure the $125,000 win.“Most guys would never try such lightline in these boat docks,” he said Sundayafternoon, two hours before the finalweigh-in. “I know the fish are there, and Iam doing what it takes to catch them. Ibroke off a better fish in that slip, but I amgoing to make this work.”

On Saturday, he caught five bass weigh-See HASTINGS, Page 12

See BAFFIN, Page 14

By Craig Nyhus

Baffin Bay has the reputationof being the place to go for earlyseason big trout.

This year, its reputation isholding true.

Anglers in some areas arereporting good results, with theweather and water temperaturebeing the key ingredients to suc-cess. Others are waiting.

Matagorda fishing guide JesseArsola leaves home for Baffineach February to chase bigtrout.

Arsola, Capt. Ken Marshall,and Full Stringer Lodge ownerDavid Cassady managed to findthe trout between cold fronts,releasing 24 trout between 26and 29 inches in two days. “Weused pink and Day-Glo CorkyFatboys and Original Corky’s,”Arsola said.

Varied retrieves seemed towork the best for the group.“Sometimes burning it acrossthe surface got them to hit,”Marshall said. “Other timesworking it extremely slow pro-duced a hook-up.”

“We were in the right loca-

Page 2 � February 23, 2007

February 23, 2007 � Page 3


NATIONAL

Marine recreational anglerscaught more than 36 million spottedseatrout in 2005, according to newdata included in “Fisheries of theUnited States — 2005,” a reportissued by NOAA Fisheries Service.

Spotted seatrout was the mostpopular catch among marine recre-ational anglers in the South Atlanticand Gulf of Mexico.

The top catches in other regionswere striped bass in the NorthAtlantic, summer flounder in the

Mid-Atlantic and spotted sandbassin the Pacific.

The NOAA Fisheries reportshowed the 2005 catch of 423 mil-lion fish was the lowest recreationalcatch total in the last five years. The10-year trend for fish caught recre-ationally is up by 21 percent since1996.

While anglers are keeping about 7percent more fish than a decade ago,they are also releasing their catchmore often. Of the 423 million fish

caught by anglers in 2005, 249 mil-lion (59 percent) were released alive.

In 2005, more than 12 millionAmericans fished along the Atlantic,Gulf, and Pacific coasts, taking near-ly 83 million saltwater trips, an 11-percent increase more than the pre-vious year. The reported statistics arebased on survey data collectedthrough the Marine RecreationalFisheries Statistics Survey and com-panion state fishery surveys. A NOAA Fisheries Service report.

A Hobbs, N.M. man accused ofpoaching two trophy mule deerfaces possible criminal penalties of$1,600 and up to six months in jail,and civil penalties of up to $10,000.

The suspect was charged with twocounts of unlawful killing of deerand two counts of unlawful posses-sion of deer in connection with apoaching incident south of Hobbsin Lea County.

Two other men were charged withunlawful possession of deer for theiralleged involvement in the case.

The arrest followed a report to the

Convictions to help restore shark habitat

Restitution and contributionscollected as a result of a federalprosecution of a church-basedpoaching operation that removedthousands of undersized Califor-nia leopard sharks from SanFrancisco Bay will be used to createa $1.5 million partnership fundthat will help restore habitat forsharks and other wildlife, federallaw enforcement officials an-nounced.

The fund includes a $500,000contribution by the Holy SpiritAssociation for the Unification of

World Christianity, and more than$410,000 in restitution assessed toa pastor and five co-defendants.

“The prosecution of this casecasts a bright light on the darkworld of illegal worldwide tradingin protected wildlife,” said PaulChang, special agent in charge ofthe Service’s Pacific Region LawEnforcement Office. “These sharkswere shipped illegally fromCalifornia to profit-motivateddealers throughout the UnitedStates and Europe.”A USFWS report.

Anglers catching on to spotted seatrout

Poachers face possiblecriminal penalties

‘TROPHY’ FINES: Officer Brian Guzmanwith seized mule deer skulls and antlers.

‘The new civil penalties will send a strong message to anyonethinking about stealing New Mexico’s wildlife.’

— Brian Guzman

See POACHERS, Page 15


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CONTRIBUTORS

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CHUCK UZZLE

RALPH WININGHAM

DANNO WISE

PETER YOUNG

CONSERVATION

Pheasants Forever has released its2006 annual report. Last year markedthe most successful year in the non-profit conservation organization’s24-year history.

Last year, Pheasants Forever andQuail Forever spent more than $33.8million on 23,552 habitat projectson more than 460,000 acres.

Since the organization’s inceptionin 1982, nearly $200 million hasbeen spent on projects on more than4.4 million acres.

In addition to habitat efforts, theorganization funded 500 youth con-servation education events withmore than 15,000 participants, and2006 marked its most successful yearin forming new chapters.

There are now more than 700Pheasants Forever and Quail Foreverchapters with 115,000 members.

A CALL FOR THE WILD

WIDE-OPEN SPACES: Grouse hunters work a point in a South Dakota CRP field.

Feds CRP plans stir outdoorsmen

By Craig Nyhus

Recent announcements fromWashington regarding theConservation Reserve Programcould have a devastating impact onducks and other wildlife, accordingto conservation group leaders.

Widely considered one of themost successful conservation pro-grams ever, the nation’sConservation Reserve Program’sfuture is being questioned afterannouncements from Washington.Agriculture Secretary Mike Johannssaid his agency would offer no newCRP enrollments in 2007 and 2008.And, Johanns said the administra-tion may allow farmers to cancelexisting CRP contracts to plant cornfor ethanol production, or to har-

vest switchgrass and other grassesfrom CRP land for ethanol produc-tion.

“Make no mistake, every CRPacre we lose in the Prairie PotholeRegion of the United States will

mean fewer ducks, pheasants andother game and non-games birdsacross the continent,” said RobOlson, President of DeltaWaterfowl. “For the duck hunter inTexas, this is a huge issue – virtuallyall of your ducks were raised on CRPacres.”

CRP is a U.S. Department ofAgriculture program that reducessoil and water erosion and providesvaluable habitat for wildlife bycompensating farmers for establish-ing grass cover on marginal, highlyerodible lands under 10- or 15-yearcontracts.

”The commodities industry isdriving the issue right now, saidBart James, Ducks Unlimited’sGovernmental Affairs Representa-tive.

‘For the duckhunter in

Texas, this is ahuge issue ...’— Rob Olson, president

of Delta Waterfowl

PheasantsForever spends

millions onprojects in ’06

Shrimpers licenses retired in record numbersTexas Parks and Wildlife and

Coastal Conservation AssociationTexas teamed up to retire a recordnumber of inshore shrimpinglicenses this year.

Using dedicated funding, TPWwas able to purchase 159 licenses.In addition to that funding, CCAcontributed $200,000, whichallowed for the purchase of an addi-

tional 40 licenses. This brought thetotal number of licenses offered forthis fiscal year to 199, representingthe largest number ever accepted topurchase in any one round of thelicense buy-back program.

A total of 226 license bid applica-tions were received from Texasshrimpers to sell their licenses backto the state in the 19th buy-back

round, which closed in January.Texas saltwater anglers must pur-

chase a saltwater fishing stampeach year and $3 of that stamp goesto the buy-back effort, generatingaround $1.4 million annually.

“We feel this is a positive steptowards conserving blue crabs,croaker, flounder and other species

See CRP, Page 21

See SHRIMPERS, Page 15


HUNTING

By Ralph Winingham

White-tailed deer past, presentand future were the offerings, butbuyers were really dealing in life-long memories as the Texas DeerAssociation conducted a “SuperiorGenetics Whitetail Deer Auction”in early February at the SanAntonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

The memories will be the heart-stopping moments when a recordbook deer steps into a hunter’sview sometime in the next two,three or four years. Birthdays andanniversaries may slip by unno-

ticed, but no one ever forgets theirfirst encounter with a monsterbuck.

“The end user is the one who isgoing to pull the trigger,” MacyLedbetter, a wildlife biologist forSpring Creek Outfitters, told astanding-room-only crowd beforethe auction.

“What we need to determine ishow we get that hunter to spendthe amount of money that needsto be spent for a quality deer,’’ hesaid.

Karl Kinsel, executive director ofthe TDA, said while deer hunting

Deer auctions bring in the bucks

IT’S IN THE GENES: Mark Canales holds amount of King Solomon, a 2-year-oldbuck. A doe bred to King Solomon soldfor $19,500.

Breeders often bag hefty amounts with a genetic gem

CROWD PLEASER: Approximately 625 people attended the TDA whitetail deer auctionthis month at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Photos by Manual Duran.

WILD AS A TEXAS HOGPeople comefrom afar tohunt state’sfierce ferals

HAPPY HUNTING: A Montana hunter is pleased with his hog taken in South Texas. Photo by David J. Sams.

By Bill Miller

ven Europeans know about the feralhogs of Texas, whose tusks have earnedthem the reputation of “dangerousgame.’’

But compared to an African safari or a guidedgrizzly hunt, Texas hog hunts are being promot-ed as affordable adventures, starting at about$350 for a weekend.

“It’s the poor man’s grizzly,’’ said JustinBounds, who operates Caney Creek Lodge nearTeague in Freestone County.

“We’ve had some interesting things happen,’’he added, “like a guy getting run up a tree, butnothing like a mauling.’’

Guides like Bounds and Donnie Hays ofDetroit see hogs as year-round revenue genera-tors because there is no designated season onthem.

But Texans aren’t the only hunters who areexcited about the sheer availability of the prolif-ic pigs.

“I’ve had hunters come from 16 differentstates,’’ Hays said. “And then there was this cou-

E

GOT AN“EYE” ONYOU:Huntersmay zero-inon theirdogs whileusing newGPS dog-trackingtechnology.

A trans-mitter islocated ona dog’sharness.This allowsthe hunterto alwaysknow thewhere-abouts ofhis dogs.

Tracking down technology

Dog collar offers the hunter avirtual trail

By Mark England

To find birds, a hunter needs agood tracking dog. But who or whatfinds his dog if it gets lost.

It’s a more common problemthan most people realize, said TrentPetty.

“I’ve been in a lot of huntingcamps and seen a lot of stray dogs,”

said Petty, town manager ofWestlake. “You know there’s someguy out there acting like an idiot,driving around in his pickup withhis head out the window screamingfor his dog. We all like to think ourdogs are perfectly trained — thenthere’s the real world.”

Garmin, though, believes it hasthe solution.

The company begins production

in June of the Astro dog tracker, aglobal positioning system expectedto cost $600 that features a trans-mitter and a receiver. Additionaltransmitters will cost about $200.

The transmitter will be mountedin a harness strapped to a dog’s col-lar, wrapped around the chest andbehind the front legs. Hunters alsomay fasten the transmitter to anexisting e-collar using a collar

attachment plate.Using GPS technology, the Astro

dog tracker receives location dataon as many as 10 dogs up to fivemiles away. The receiver’s so-calledmap page tells the hunter how far adog is from him — accurate to with-in 10-30 feet, according to Garmin— and in which direction. A hunteralso can see the route his dog trav-eled. It can even tell him if his dog is

running or on point.“There’s nothing out there like

it,” said Ted Gartner, a Garminspokesman.

Other dog trackers use radiotelemetry, such as those made byTracker and Innotek, and are not asprecise as GPS equipment —although advocates argue they’remore reliable in dense cover.

See GENETICS, Page 21

See HOGS, Page 15

See GPS, Page 15


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Special hunt

Youth takeaim on

outdooreducation

The bleary eyes from an early morningdrive turned to wide-eyed smiles as 10young hunters from north Texas arrived atTrinity Outfitters in Ennis for the 4th annu-al “Youth Tower Shoot” sponsored by theDallas Safari Club and the Dallas EcologicalFoundation.

The students were selected from a groupof 125 participants in the Safari Club’sOutdoor Education Program held atGreystone Castle, based on their attitudeand safety skills as opposed to their shoot-ing skills. Their parents were required toattend.

Prior to the hunt, the youngster “warmedup” with a round of sporting clays.

At the hunt, each young hunter waspaired with a “guide”, a volunteer fromDallas Safari Club, to assure that the stu-dent’s safety and success. For some of thehunters, this was their first hunt; otherswere old hands by the age of 12. All had thechance to take chukars on the wing.

“The kids are amazing,” said Dixie Yeatts,a volunteer and Dallas Safari Club director.“In all the years of doing this, I’ve never seena child violate even one safety rule, andmost of them had never seen a shotgunbefore.”

Youth hunters took part in atower shoot at TrinityOutfitters in Ennis.

Photos by Karl Evans


FISHING

Faced with more than 1.5 million visitorsand almost 200 fishing tournaments per year,Amistad National Recreation Area (ANRA) isproposing changes to its fishing tournamentpolicy.

Local anglers, though, claim the new rulesare discriminatory toward small-time tourna-ments.

Lake Amistad had 192 formal fishing tourna-ments last year, up from the previous record ofabout 150, ANRA superintendent Alan Cox saidat a Feb. 7 public meeting. This year more than150 tournaments already are planning to fishthe lake. The lake had a record number of visi-tors last year — 1.6 million.

“We thinkmaybe its timeto take a look”at park policies,Cox said.

“Our numberone priority isto ensure thatwe sustain thisfishery in thefuture,” he said.“It’s good forthe economy,and it’s just theright thing todo.”

Changes re-quiring fees forcommercialfilming of afishing tourna-ment, andextending thewindow for applying for permits for tourna-ments passed with little comment.

Fishermen balked, though, at a proposednon-refundable application processing fee of$25 for each tournament.

Each tournament would be required to makeseparate applications for each tournamentdate.

“In the past we’ve allowed groups to come inand book an unlimited number of tourna-ments with one $25 application fee,” Cox tolda group of about 50 who attended the meeting.“We’re encountering some problems in thatregard — there are individuals and, in somecases, organizations that are kind of rolling thedice, picking out 10 or 15 dates they think theymight want to hold a tournament, and they’reessentially blocking those dates off.

“That is precluding other legitimate tourna-ment organizers from being able to come in

Amistadpolicy

changessurface

Lake’s popularity forcing new tournament fees

Just-a-jiggin’

JUMP ABOARD: Alton Jones reaches for a jumping bass on Lake Fork. Photo by David J. Sams.

Technique lures lunker largemouth bassBy John N. Felsher

othing tempts a bigbass like a succulentcrawfish scurryingalong the bottom.

“If a bass could order itsfood off a menu, it wouldprobably pick crawfish first,frogs second and shad orbream third,” said LonnieStanley, a professional bassangler from Huntington.“Crawfish are a major sourceof protein for bass.”

When crawfish emerge fromthe mud in late winter orspring, bass and other preda-tors pounce on them.

Therefore, anglers fishingwith something that resem-bles a crawfish scurrying alongthe bottom might attract a lotof attention in the spring.

While nothing can dupli-cate the real thing, a rattlingjig sweetened with a porkchunk or plastic claws comespretty close to the original.

When they get disturbed,crawfish jump backwards. Toimitate a crawfish, experts rec-ommend hopping a jig off the

bottom with a series of quickpops and letting it fall back.

In cold weather, bass oftenhold tight to cover such as fall-en trees or stumps and won’tchase prey very far or fast. A jighopping along the bottomwhere it stirs up a telltale mudtrail presents an easy target.

Drop it as close to cover as pos-sible and tediously work itcompletely around the cover.

Don’t expect shoulder-jar-ring strikes when jig fishing.Sometimes, a strike feels like aworm bite. More frequently, afish simply sucks in a jig andmay spit it out without theangler even realizing the strikeoccurred.

“Sometimes, with really bigfish, I never feel the bite,” saidAlton Jones, a professionalbass angler from Waco. “Themajor mistake people make isnot letting it fall on a slackline. When the line stopsfalling, either it hit bottom or Ihave a strike.

“I then raise the rod to makecontact with the lure to see ifit’s on bottom or in a fish’smouth. If I feel anything

Casting bubbles are along for the ride

CASTING BUDDY: A new idea for coastal casting is using a bubble device, with orwithout water, to cast farther. Photo by David J. Sams.

Devices hook up with bait to go the distanceBy Danno Wise

Although casting bubbles can befound in practically every tackle shopin America, many Texas coastalanglers aren’t quite sure what to dowith them.

However, there are a handful offishermen along the state’s coastalcurve that have figured out these sim-ple little devices can go a long waytoward increasing a day’s catch.

For those who haven’t seen them— or maybe didn’t know what they

were looking at — a casting bubble isan oblong, translucent “bubble” thatclosely resembles a bobber. There aretwo types of casting bubbles:adjustable and non-adjustable.

A non-adjustable casting bubble isfitted with an eyelet on each side andis tied “inline” at a predetermineddistance above a lure or bait. Thistype of casting bubble floats and isused to add casting distance to anotherwise weightless or lightlyweighted lure or bait.

Since it is made from clear ortranslucent colored plastic, it is not as

noticeable to fish in shallow or clearwater.

“This time of year (Januarythrough February) I fish exclusivelywith live shrimp,” said mid-coastguide Capt. Marvin Engle. “I usuallyfree-line them, but sometimes I’llthrow them with a bubble just to beable to cast a little farther.Sometimes, especially when it’swindy, you have to cast too hard andend up throwing the shrimp off thehook. A bubble adds weight andmakes it easier to throw.”

‘Our numberone priorityis to ensure

that wesustain thisfishery in

the future.’— ALAN COX

N“The major mistakepeople make is not

letting it fall on a slackline. When the line

stops falling, either it hitbottom or I have a

strike.” — Alton Jones

See BUBBLES, Page 21

See JIGGING, Page 9See AMISTAD, Page 9


When Juanita Robinsonclinched the 2007 season-openerrecently on Lake Amistad with 56pounds, 8 ounces, she broke tworecords, but she was only one of theanglers who rewrote the recordbooks.

Robinson’s total shattered the33-3 winning-weight record set bytwo-time WBT champion TammyRichardson of Amity, Ark., on LakeNeely Henry in April 2006.

“With the fish I was on all week, Iknew I had a good chance of win-ning,” said Robinson, who jumped

from 11th place on Thursday to 8thon Friday before clinching the win-ner’s spot. It was her first WBT vic-tory.

The 57-year-old pro fromHighlands, Texas took home a boatand motor valued at $50,000.

Robinson’s final-day limit thatweighed 26-0 set another record.

Scoring second place was PamMartin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga.Martin-Wells won the first WBTevent ever held, a “preview” tour-nament, on Lewisville Lake in2005.

Third was Sheri Glasgow ofMuskogee, Okla., and fourth wasLucy Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark.Karla Bullard of Del Rio, who ledthe first two days, finished fifth.Co-angler winner Julie Shivers ofDel Rio did more than her part torewrite the WBT record book. Inthe first tournament of her life, shebrought in a winning weight of 42-6, demolishing the 18-0 co-anglerrecord set by Bonnie Ward ofSnohomish, Wash., at Lake NeelyHenry in 2006.A BASS report.

and get a permit for that date.”Small tournament organizers voiced their

concerns.“Most of the TABC (Texas Association of

Bass Clubs) clubs are non-profit organiza-tions,” said Frank Goll, a TABC director fromSan Antonio. “We’re being lumped in herewith the tourneys coming in here with 200,300 boats making thousands of dollars. We’relittle clubs basically fishing for nothing but alittle plaque on the wall.

“I think there should be two sections – fornon–profits up to whatever number of boats,then the big tournaments making thousandsof dollars then leaving town.”

The meeting also addressed Texas Parksand Wildlife’s stocking of striped bass intothe lake.

Bass fishermen told TPW officials they’renot ecstatic over the striped bass stocking,but the fishing is so good they don’t want tomess things up.

Randy Myers, district manager for TPW

inland fisheries, said striped bass, a non-native species, have been stocked in LakeAmistad periodically since 1974. TPW tries tostock about three fish per acre, he said.

The most recent creel survey of LakeAmistad, from the March 2002-February2003 year showed fishermen put in 3,821hours fishing for stripers, catching a littlemore than one fish per hour of fishing.

“That’s a fantastic success rate,” Myers said.Dedicated bass fishermen, though, are not

happy with the stocking of stripers.“My opinion is no, we have all the stripers

we need,” said Bill Fillmon of Del Rio. “Therewere times in October and November youwould see acres and acres of stripers in the 4-to 8-pound range down around the dam onover on the west side in Mexico.”

Fillmon was complimentary on how thefish population is holding up, even with thestripers.

“I have records from our bass club all theway back to 1986,” he said. “It’s phenomenalhow the fishery has come on in the last sixyears. There was a time when our top six(fishermen) were weighing in 200 to 250pounds per year; that’s a total of the top six.Last year the top six caught 1,860 pounds.”

heavy, I’m going to set the hook.”To notice more subtle strikes, jig-

gers pay strict attention to the line,especially when the jig fallsthrough the water. They watch tosee if the line moves off in an odddirection, knowing that fish oftenstrike jigs on the fall.

To increase the sensitivity fordetecting even the most inconspic-uous nudges, many anglers passthe line over one finger when jig-ging.

Jigs do attract attention fromoccasional small bass, but usually,they produce significantly largerfish. In late winter or early spring,most jig anglers look for one or twobites from giant pre-spawn bassinstead of racking up the numbers.

Admittedly, jigs don’t generatethe anticipation of a spinnerbait orthe adrenaline rush of a big bassexploding on a topwater lure, butthey can put fish into the boat.

But when anglers want to con-centrate on lipping one or twosowbellies, possibly the biggest fishof their lives, they pile on the porkand let that jig rattle around on thebottom.

JiggingContinued from Page 8

HANDFUL OF FIGHT: Alton Jones celebrates after landing a basson Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Photo by David J. Sams.

AmistadContinued from Page 8

Surf fishing tournament goes into the record book

Despite high winds and constant rain,throngs of surf fishermen lined thebeaches of South Padre Island to takepart in the inaugural Kampgrounds ofAmerica World’s Largest Surf FishingTournament.

The event, which ended with 415 reg-istered participants, set the new worldrecord for surf fishing tournaments,according to the Guinness Book ofWorld Records.

Richard Sweet of Shelby, Ohio wasnamed the overall grand champion afterweighing a 19.13-pound black drum.

Robert Klinger of Chippewa Falls, Wis.took top honors in the adult whiting cat-

egory, while Ron Vencil of Waterloo,Neb. weighed in the largest pompano inthe adult division.

David Camarillo, Jr. of Brownsvillewon the whiting category in the juniordivision, and George Tobar, Jr. of SanBenito captured the small fry division.

The KOA World’s Largest Surf FishingTournament doubled as a beachcleanup.

Despite the bad weather, the groupaccounted for more than 2,000 poundsof trash being removed from the beach-es of South Padre Island.

A Fish Across Texas report.

Event doubles as a beach cleanup

Angler sets top mark in the WBT opener

HIGHMARKS:JuanitaRobinson’sname wentinto theWomen’sBassmasterTour recordbook withher 56-pound, 8-ounceperformanceon LakeAmistad.Photo byBASS.

ShareLunker No. 428David Reinarz of Austincaught this 13-poundlargemouth bass from LakeAustin Feb. 18. The fishwas 25.75 inches long and20 inches in girth. Reinarzwas using a 1/4-ounce blackjig with the weedguardtrimmed back and awatermelon seed brushhogalso cut down to keep thebait compact when hehooked the fish in 15 feetof 50-degree water. Photoby TPW.


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ADMISSIONS APLENTY•Newton County GameWarden Ellis Powell inter-viewed a 25-year-old Newtonresident. During the interview,the man confessed to killingtwo deer the previous weekwhile riding as a passenger in aboat on the Sabine River. Asthe man’s father-in-law drovethe boat, the man shot the twodeer while the deer wereattempting to swim across theriver. He also confessed tokilling a 7-point buck on theproperty of another inNovember and tagging it witha mule deer tag. The horns andtwo quartered deer were recov-ered. However, both deer hadbeen left in a cooler for over aweek without any ice. The sus-pect then admitted to possess-ing a Louisiana and Texas resi-dent hunting license. The manfinally admitted roosting woodducks without a state or federalduck stamp. Numerous chargesand restitution pending.

ROAD HUNT PROBE LEADS TO CHIP CAN WITH DRUGS

•Freestone County GameWarden John Thorne madecontact with two local men ona county road when it appearedthey might have been roadhunting. During a search of thevehicle, Thorne and FreestoneCounty deputies found 18.5grams of crystal meth. Themajority of the drugs were hid-den in a Pringles chip can witha false bottom. Both men werealready on probation for previ-ous drug charges. Charges ofmanufacture and delivery werefiled on both subjects, bondsset at $100,000 each andmotions to revoke probationwere filed. One of the men pro-vided information on severalrecent hunting violations,which are under investigation.

POACHING RING’S VIOLATIONSDATE BACK 20 YEARS

•A search warrant was executedby Game Warden Tracy Davisand two Montana game war-dens after a lengthy investiga-tion into a poaching ring thatinvolved two Texas residentshunting in Montana.Approximately 19 elk, muledeer and white-tailed deer

heads had been removed fromthe residence prior to thesearch, but after a short interro-gation of the homeowner, theitems were located at a localbusiness warehouse. The viola-tions went back over a 20-yearperiod. The two face numerouscharges with fines totaling$20,000.

INJURED MAN DOESN’T RECALL FALL FROM DEER BLIND

•Willacy County GameWardens Ira Zuniga and JimmyLindsey, Kenedy County GameWarden Jason Duke and LiveOak County Game WardenClay Pipkin responded to a callfrom the Willacy CountySheriff’s Department. A verydelirious male subject calledthe sheriff’s department fromhis cell phone at 2:30 a.m. andadvised he fell from a deerblind, crawled to his truck, andwas in need of medical atten-tion. The wardens traveled tothe location and their 4x4patrol vehicles were the onlymethod of reaching the inuredman as the field was verymuddy. The man was removedfrom his 18-wheel truck andmoved to where EMS person-nel could treat him. The mansuffered a broken leg, arm, aswell as neck and head injuries.When asked about the deerblind, the injured man had noidea about any blind. He hadbeen working on an oil tankplatform when he slipped andfell. The head injury caused hismind to go blank as he had noidea of where he was.

THREE BUSTED ATTEMPTINGTO STEAL BASS BUSTER

•Young County Game WardenBrent Isom observed three fish-ermen attempt to steal a bassbuster boat on Lake Newcastle.After paddling through shal-

low water and mud, the fisher-men finally made it to shorewhere it was determined byIsom that none of the threehad fishing licenses or life jack-ets. However, they possessed anample supply of marijuana anddrug paraphernalia.Numerous cases are pending.

CAUGHT TWO YEARS LATER•Two years ago, FreestoneCounty Game Warden JohnThorne filed cases on two col-lege students for hunting duckswith lead shot and possessionof drug paraphernalia. One ofthe subjects failed to take careof his lead shot case and a war-rant was issued. Recently,Thorne recognized the man’svehicle leaving RichlandChambers Lake and stopped it.The two men were in posses-sion of 32 freshly killed ducks,14 of which were pintails. Thetwo men spent the night in jailand paid a total of $3,582 infines. Restitution pending.

ROAD SHOOTER NABBED,DEER DECOY DOING FINE

•Wharton County GameWarden Justin Hurst andMatagorda County GameWarden Aaron Koenig workedthe decoy deer along aWharton County road. At 9p.m., a vehicle came down theroad shining a spotlight. A fewmoments later the vehiclestopped. A large-caliber riflewas fired. The man sped offgoing toward Highway 59.After nine miles, Hurst wasable to stop the vehicle. Hursthad stopped the same man twonights earlier for shining aspotlight from the road whilehe was “just looking for rab-bits.” Koenig confirmed agood shoulder shot on Bucky(the decoy) with no mechani-cal damage. Cases pending.

FISHERMAN FACES CHARGES, NO BRAG, JUST FACTS

•Galveston County GameWardens Ray Canales andKevin Webb filed on a commer-cial snapper fisherman for aviolation of the individual fish-ing quota, IFQ regulations. Thecase involved a local fishermanwho had been bragging aboutexceeding his limit. The gamewardens received informationthat this violator was catchingover his limit and selling it to abusiness on the Island.Canales and Webb set up in aboat near the Coast Guard sta-tion-Galveston. The commer-cial fishing vessel came in justafter dark and was boardednear the Yacht Basin. This ves-sel had been allocated only 60pounds of snapper for the sea-son, but was in possession of470 pounds. NMFS SpecialAgent Richard Cook was noti-fied and responded to the loca-tion and, after reviewing theevidence, filed on the captainfor exceeding his allocation,failing to certify his allocationand failing to call in prior tofishing/landing the catch. Thiswas the first case dealing withthe new IFQ limits. Cases pend-ing.

NO WARNING THIS TIME, MAN BAGGED FOR EXCEEDING DEER

LIMIT•Brown County Game WardenTracy Davis checked a hunteras he was coming out of a gateand found he had just shot adoe deer on the last day of theextended season. While check-ing the license tag and harvestlog, he noticed all deer tagswere missing from the man’slicense, and the doe had beenentered on the top line of thelog. The tag was not datedproperly, and since it was thelast day of the season, Davis

issued the man a warning fornot cutting the dates out. Twodays later Davis received a callconcerning two deer carcassesthat were hanging north oftown, out by the lake. Uponarrival, Davis noticed the deerwere both tagged by the sameman he had checked the previ-ous Sunday evening. One was adoe (the deer that was checkedSunday) and the other was abuck with the head removed.Davis interrogated the subjectin regards to how many, andwhat sex of deer the man hadkilled during the past huntingseason. After a few conflictingaccounts, the man finallyadmitted he had exceeded theannual bag limit on deer thispast season. This time no warn-ings were issued.

AFTER HOURS, HUNTERS VOLLEY INTO TROUBLE

•On the last day of duck sea-son, Lamar County WardenBryan Callihan filed on threeParis men for hunting ducksafter legal hours and posses-sion of lead shot. The last volleyof shots was at 6:24 p.m., withBryan standing 10 yards fromthe hunters. Cases pending.

MISSING THE BOAT RAMPLANDS DUI DRIVER IN A DITCH

•Polk County Game WardenChuck Cotton and San JacintoCounty Game Warden ArynCorley were checking people atthe boat ramp on LakeLivingston when a car arrivedat the ramp via the ditch. Alady got out of the car andappeared to be intoxicated.After contact was made, it wasdetermined she was intoxicat-ed. She was arrested for DUI, afelony since her 3-year-olddaughter was in the car withher.

OPERATION WRANGLES UP SOME ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

•Region V, District 3 participatedin Operation Wrangler bypatrolling Falcon Lake for illegalactivity. During this week, morethan 35,000 feet of illegal gill netand two boats and motors wereseized by wardens. Two commer-cial fishermen from Mexico wereapprehended during this sametime.

•Aransas County GameWarden Jason Bussey respond-ed to a call about a man hunt-ing dove from a vehicle with apellet gun. Jason arrived in theFulton area and contacted the

man. The man was in posses-sion of a Eurasian collared dove.He admitted to hunting, butdid not admit to hunting fromthe road. The subject toldBussey he was well aware these

birds had no closed season andwas well within his rights.When asked for his huntinglicense, the subject stated, “Youmean I need a license to huntthese?” Case pending.

‘DO I NEED A LICENSE TO HUNT THESE?’GAME WARDEN BLOTTER



ing 9 pounds, 15 ounces to advanceto the final day of competition inthe lead. Hastings added anotherfive bass weighing 9 pounds, 10ounces to his final-round totalSunday to secure the win.

Hastings fished in the CypressCreek area all week covering all thesame waters and structures. Theonly thing he changed were hisbaits.

In the first round, he was throwingtubes and jigs around contour breaksin 15 to 25 feet of water. In the finalround his bite changed drastically,forcing him to fish smaller withdrop-shot rigs and finesse worms.

“It doesn’t get any better thanthis,” said Hastings, who was com-peting in his first ever FLW Tour top-10. “I am totally pumped about this.

“I had total faith in my ability thisweek; I just had to keep my confi-dence up. I fished slow, stayedpatient, got the right bites and it allpaid off.

“Winning such a prestigiousevent is great, but I would love toclose my eyes right now and behome with my family in Maryland.Family is really what this sport isabout.”

Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C.caught a final-round total of 10 bassweighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces toclaim second place and $50,000.

Thrift was fishing floating boatdocks all week with football headjigs and drop-shots.

“This is awesome,” he said. “I’mnot greedy. I will settle for secondplace and $50,000.

“I am getting married July 21, sothis money will definitely not go towaste; it will probably go toward anew house.”

Local favorite Clark Wendlandtfinished fourth. He also was usingmarina docks for part of his catchesduring the week. “The marinas holda ton of baitfish under those docks,”he said. “And it seems that the fishthat come from marinas are of a lit-tle better quality.”

On Sunday, he also caught fish onthe rocky shorelines of main lakepoints using crankbaits.Compiled from staff reports.

FLW FLAIR: Aaron Hastings didn’t let obstacles get in his way as he fished along aboat dock at the FLW-Wal Mart Tour event at Lake Travis. Photo by David J. Sams.

‘I fished slow,stayed patient, got

the right bites and itall paid off.’

— AARON HASTINGS

HastingsContinued from Page 1

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tion right in between cold fronts,” Cassady said. “Ihad three guides with me, and everyone said it wasthe best trip of their lives.”

The cold fronts and changing weather has been thebiggest factor in his success, he said. “The fishing hasbeen on and off,” he said. “The weather hasn’t beenright in weeks.”

Capt. Alan Beck also reported big trout catches onBaffin Bay. “We fished the shorelines and sandholesin the grass, and caught 12 fish one day and eight twodays later, all between 24 and 29 inches,” he said.“Our best luck was with Corky’s and MirrOLures and,when the water was colder, with a white four-inchGulp! fished real slow.”

Beck believes Baffin’s big trout hang out in deeperwater near the rocks. When the conditions are right“they move up on the flats and feed on big mullet.Many of the fish we caught had mullet tails in theirmouths.”

In the Lower Laguna Madre, the afternoon bite hasbeen the most productive.

“We were working guts that made you sink to yourknees,” said Capt. Ernest Cisneros. “But that’s wherethe fish were. The bite didn’t turn on until late after-noon on each day.”

Cisneros’ group dragged purple and white smalldevils across the mud. Sandra Garza, wife of guideRuben Garza, caught her personal best, a 6 1/2-poundtrout.

Capt. Skipper Ray of South Padre Island said thetrout fishing has fluctuated with the weather. “Wehad a nice, overcast day and a client brought in a 27-inch trout on a Tequila gold Norton Bull Minnow,” hesaid. “And, a few days earlier we caught several in the24- to 26-inch range on flies.”

Most of the fish were caught in two- to three-feet ofwater over a mixture of mud and shell. “The biggerspecks sometimes feed on dogfish, since they are slowand can’t get away,” he said. “A few of the smallerones we cleaned had Piggy Perch in them.”

Houston Chronicle outdoors writer and radio showhost Doug Pike reported on his Web site that SabineLake locals have been close-mouthed about big troutshowing up on traditional late-winter flats, beingcaught on suspending plugs or topwaters.

In Galveston Bay, Capt. Greg Francis spent Feb. 16wading and searching for big specks, with little suc-cess. “The fish are there,” he said. “But there was ice

on my boat in the morning and the water tempera-ture was 47 degrees.”

An improved forecast has his hopes rising. “Whenthe water temperature gets above 55 degrees, weshould start picking up bigger fish along the mudstreaks. Right now, you can catch smaller trout drift-ing in deeper water, but we’re waiting for warmerwater and the mullet to move in. If you find the mul-let, you find the trout.”

Kyle Tomek contributed to this report.

tee.An aide for a committee

member, however, hinted legis-lators won’t settle for the statusquo with Fund 9.

“From what I understand,there will be some significantthings occurring with Fund 9and the methodology associat-ed with it,” the aide said.

Fund 9 is money from the saleof hunting and fishing licensesas well as game stamps whosesurplus grew from $44 millionin 2004 to $66.7 million at thestart of the 2007 budget year.Many in the outdoors commu-nity complain the Legislature isusing such surpluses to help bal-ance the state’s budget.

A longtime outdoors advo-cate said he’s being told theLegislature will both restoreTPW’s budget and free up theFund 9 surplus.

“What I’m hearing back rightnow from our folks at theCapitol, in the back rooms andso forth, is that the restorationof the 10 percent will occur,”said Kirby Brown, executive vicepresident of the Texas WildlifeAssociation. “I also think theLegislature will put Fund 9spending back on track, spend-ing down the balance over aperiod of three to four years.”

Outdoors groups argue thatsqueezing TPW’s budget couldlead to everything from closinghatcheries and curbing pro-grams that help landownersmanage their property forwildlife to reducing the numberof game surveys.

That’s worst-case thinking,

however.Few are that pessimistic after a

new banding called TexasOutdoors Partners, a loose coali-tion of 35 outdoors organiza-tions — including CCA Texas,the Dallas Safari Club, DucksUnlimited, Quail Forever, theRocky Mountain ElkFoundation and Texas BlackBass Unlimited.

“It lets groups keep their sepa-rate identities and philoso-phies,” said Brown, TOP’s firstchairman, “while facilitatingcommunication on the overar-ching issues we agree on.”

Vice Chairman Tim Cookcalled the partnership “his-toric,” and said it would giveoutdoors groups more clout onissues such as TPW beingallowed to tap Fund 9’s surplus.

“It’s one of the most impor-tant things to happen when itcomes to outdoors advocacy,”said Cook, conservation direc-tor for Texas BASS FederationNation. “There are so manysportsmen in the state, butwe’ve all been working in differ-ent organizations to achieve dif-ferent goals. Working together,we should be instrumental inapplying pressure to make surefunds are used the way they’resupposed to be.”

Despite his own optimism,Brown said he’s warning every-one not to become overconfi-dent.

“First, they never guaranteeanything in Austin,” Brownsaid. “Second, if they do, don’tbelieve them. I say that becauseyou have to keep pressing issuesuntil the bills you want aresigned by the governor. Untilthen, you don’t really have any-thing.”

Fund 9Continued from Page 1

BaffinContinued from Page 1

FIESTY FISH: Dr. Bill Alborado battles a big trout on Baffin Bay.Photo by David J. Sams.


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• Women’s Bassmaster Tour – Feb. 8 – 10, 2007• Team of Champions – Feb. 16-19, 2007

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Department of Game and FishOperation Game Thief hotline froma citizen who witnessed a trophy-class mule deer shot out of season.

Search warrants served byDepartment conservation officers,New Mexico State Police, LeaCounty Sheriff’s Office and theHobbs Police Department for twohomes led to the seizure of evidence

including 32-inch and 24-inch setsof deer antlers.

The 32-inch set of antlers wasscored at 202 3/8 inches, accordingto the Safari Club International sys-tem. The score qualifies the deer as atrophy according to new standardsadopted by the state Legislature andthe State Game Commission. Civilpenalties for poaching a deer thatscores 200 or more inches on the SCIsystem can be as high as $10,000.

A New Mexico Department of Gameand Fish report.

PoachersContinued from Page 4

that are caught as bycatch in bayshrimp trawls, noted Robby Byers,executive director of CCA Texas.“The sooner we can meet the goals ofthe buy-back program, the better allof our bay systems will be.”

The inshore shrimp license buy-back program was established in1995 by the Texas legislature. The

legislative initiative was designed tomore effectively deal with the issueof over-shrimping through cappingthe sale of new licenses and allowingfor a buy-back program to retirelicenses from voluntary and willingsellers.

TPW has spent $9.8 million andpurchased 792 bay licenses and 746bait licenses — about 47 percent ofthe licenses in existence — sincethen, not including the latest round.

Shrimping effort on Texas bays hasdeclined from about 20,000 days per

year in the mid-1980s to less than10,000 days per year now.

Bay and bait shrimp license hold-ers may still sell their licenses on theopen market, or sell them back toTPW through the buy-back pro-gram. McKinney noted that manyfactors, including increasing compe-tition from farm-raised and import-ed shrimp and the high cost of dieselfuel, have led some shrimpers todecide to quit the business.A Texas Parks and Wildlife report.

ShrimpersContinued from Page 5

Quail Unlimited andBudweiser announced that theywill continue to sponsor theAdopt-A-Covey Program that wasinitiated in 2006. In its first year,almost 300 landowners partici-pated, enrolling over 100,000

acres under active managementfor quail and other uplandspecies.

As part of this process, eachlandowner submitted an enroll-ment form that was subsequentlyjudged by a panel of judges con-

sisting primarily of state wildlifeand Quail Unlimited biologists.

Participants also receive awildlife management handbookfull of examples of practices thatare beneficial to quail and otherupland species.

QU, Budweiser renew Adopt-A-Covey

ple from Fairbanks, Alaska.“The wife won free airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S.,

and for their anniversary they decided to hunt hogs inTexas.’’

Hays’ Red River County ranch in far northeast Texas beganoffering hog hunts last March.

He started the business because he was tired of working forother people, but he still needed a stable income.

Business has been good. In his first year, he could count onone hand the number of weekends that he wasn’t booked.Repeat customers have come back for seconds and thirds.

Hays also offered guided deer hunts for nine weekends lastseason, but those proceeds were dwarfed by his year-roundhog profits.

Hays charges $125 a day or $350 for a weekend.“My prices are at the lower end, but I’m not trying to get

rich,’’ he said. “My goal is to make a living at it, but to alsotreat people right.

“Hog hunting is a service industry.’’On the higher end, Bounds charges $695 per gun for a

weekend hunt on regular feral pigs. Some clients pay him as much as $1,500 for a package that

includes a feral “meat’’ hog and a trophy boar with Europeanbloodlines.

His ranch in east-central Texas also offers a wide range ofexotic game, but he estimated that hogs comprise 85 percentof his business.

Now in its fifth year, Caney Creek Lodge has hosted week-end hog hunts for clients from as far away as Montana, theDakotas, New York and even Sweden and Finland.

But Bounds, a former archery pro shop owner, wants toleverage hog profits toward improving the trophy whitetailherd he has been developing in high-fence pens.

The goal is to place Caney Creek Lodge among the “elite’’of Texas ranches that charge as much $50,000 to hunt a 200-class buck.

“I’m using hog hunting to get me there,’’ Bounds said.“It’s a filler, but a great filler.’’

As hog popularity continues to grow, guides might be con-cerned about supply. But with an estimated 2 million fast-breeding hogs in the state, Hays said, “The sky is the limit.’’

“I’m sure there’s a point out there where there could besaturation,’’ he added, “but I don’t know how to slow downthe population of Texas hogs.’’

“They tell you the direc-tion to look for your dog,”Gartner said. “We tell youexactly where your dog is inrelation to you.”

For years, hunters askedGarmin, which manufac-tures GPS products, to createa dog tracker, Gartner said.Technology wasn’t up to thetask. Until now.

Gartner, one of the prod-uct’s testers, said he wasquickly sold on it.

For starters, the Astrohelped him arrange hunts. Itdid everything from locatemotels in an area, completewith phone numbers, totelling him where to findrestaurants, gas stations andeven veterinarians, Gartnersaid.

“There are more than 6million points of interest inthe database,” he said.

In the field, the Astro madehim a better hunter, Gartnersaid.

“In Kansas, I hunted hugesections of open grass,” hesaid. “There are pockets ofthicket where quail might belurking. I saw one, about 100yards away, and wasn’t sure Iwanted to walk over andcheck it out. I looked at myAstro. It’s like laying down abread crumb trail. I could seethat my dog had alreadyworked that cover. I didn’thave to waste energy check-ing it out.”

The Astro let him focus on

hunting and not worrywhere his dog was, Gartnersaid.

Losing a dog can ruin ahunt, as Petty can attest. Hisdog, Cinnamon, a GermanShorthair, vanished during a1999 pheasant-hunting tripin Oberlin, Kan.

“A white-tailed deerjumped out and Cinnamonwent after it,” Petty said.“There was no stopping her. Ithought she was doing well,but the deer was a whole newchallenge.”

Cinnamon’s safari endedthe hunt for Petty. Hechecked nearby farms, noti-

fied area veterinarians andanimal shelters and evenlocal radio stations about hismissing dog.

“The guy I had to comehome with, I’m sure hewould have as soon left meup there,” Petty said.

Gartner has heard manysuch stories.

“A hunting dog is morethan a dog,” Gartner said.“It’s your hunting buddy.Some of the best times in mylife, I’ve shared with a dog. Tolose one is a nightmare. If wecan save just one dog and onehunter from going throughthat, it’s definitely worth it.”

Luckily, a fellow hunterfound Petty’s dog in McCook,Neb., about 14 miles fromwhere he was hunting. Pettypaid to fly Cinnamon toChicago, then back toDallas/Fort WorthInternational Airport.

Astro will be sold at majoroutdoors stores, Gartner said.Hunters seeking more infor-mation can go towww.garmin.com/astro.

Petty, given his history,said he finds the product’sprice reasonable.

“It’s just the cost of a planetrip from McCook, Neb-raska,” he said.

HogsContinued from Page 6

GPSContinued from Page 6

ON YOUR TRAIL: A wingshooter keeps tabs on his hunting buddy with new GPS technology.

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488-5688. For more information, visitwww.hazelcreekturkeys.com.

NEW BLIND: Ameristephas introduced itsnew Hardside Blind.Designed for easy setup and concealment,the manufacturerdescribes it as theperfect blind forhunting. Theweatherproof blind ismade from highdensity polyethyleneand features acarpeted floor, alarge door, tintedwindows, and theRealtree Hardwoods HDcamo pattern. Itsdimensions are 4-feet by4-feet by 7-feet, 2-inches tall. It costs about$700. For retailers or toorder, visitwww.ameristep.com orcall (810) 686-4035.

VEST-DRESSEDDOG: ThisorangeDog SafetyVest byHunter Dogwas designedso that huntingretrievers couldbe safe in thefield. It will fitdogs 45 to 110pounds andattaches easilywith two side-releasebuckles. Highly reflectivegreen stripes, which makethe dog visible in the dark,also make this vest a goodoption for owners who walk theirdogs at night. The vest sells for about$24. For information, visitwww.hunter-dog.com or call (970)870-6164.


CLASSIFIEDS

1982 JeepScrambler:5 speed, re-movablehard top,Rhino linerfloors and truck bed, power steering andbrakes, air-conditioning, AM/FM CD player,fog lights, PIAA lights, bed lights, front- orrear- mounted 5K# winch with quickconnects. Don’t wait. Enjoy it this huntingseason. 117K miles. Priced at $14,500. CallAnthony at (214) 212-9292.

ULTIMATE 4WD HUNTING VEHICLE!

BASS FISHING1-4 — $750 EA.

5 & Up — $650 EA.9 Ponds • Room & Board

Boats & MotorsCatch 50-100 Fish/Day

Friday Noon - Sunday Noon

BBIILLLL WWHHIITTFFIIEELLDD221100--449944--66442211

WWWWWW..BBIILLLLWWHHIITTFFIIEELLDD..CCOOMM

AKC/UKC YELLOW AND BLACK LABS born Feb.6th

SIRE: FC COLONEL BOWIE’S REVENGE(FC-AFC WATERMARK’S THE BOSS/LAKE PARK

MAGIC SR) ADVANCED TO 9TH ROUND IN ’06 NATIONAL OPEN, 3 OPEN WINS, ALL

AGE @ AGE 2, DERBY LIST IN ’05.DAM: HR Watermark’s Fancy To Go, SH.(FC Espirit’s Out Of The

Woods/Watermark’s Penny Lane) Puppies will have dew claws removed, wormed, 1st shots and socialized. 18

Field Champions in Bloodline. $1,000 Contact: Taylor Scharck 713-818-1126,

[email protected]

SHARE AN ADVENTURE: Want to share your great hunting or fishing photos with the Lone Star Outdoor News family? E-mail your photo, phone and cap-tion information to editor@ lonestaroutdoornews. com, or mail to: Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX, 75243

HEROES

TODD STEELE and his son, HUNTER, show birds shot by themand some friends they were hunting with at the ThunderbirdHunting Club. Hunter shot his first bird on this hunt, a Pintail.

TREY PETTIGREW shot this buck with his Remington youth model 7mm-08 at165 yards. The buck was a 4-1/2 years old, 9 point that gross scored 124 andfield dressed at 130 pounds. The buck was taken in Stonewall County.

ALLISON MORAVITS took down this 20-inch spread buck, her first, inUvalde with her 25-06 Remington.

JEFF HORN caught this 18-pound peacock bass in Brazil. WESTON RHEA, 12 and Koy Rhea, 8, sons of SCOTTY AND CINDYRHEA of Red River County, killed these two doe deer in the lateyouth season on the Daniel Ranch in the Boxelder area.

SHONN CONNOR’S son, BRANDON, andhis dog, DUKE, had a successful hunt atLake Palestine.

BRITNEY BLOOD of San Antonio showsoff a trophy bluegill from SagecreekRanch.

NEW LOOK, BETTER RESULTSPlace your classified advertising in the Lone Star Outdoor

News — reaching more than a quarter-million readersmonthly — and experience the results of a new look. The2”x 2” classified will get the attention necessary to say

SOLD! $30 for two editions.

Call (214) 361-2276


THE SPECS: This boat is 22-feet, 6-inches long with an 8-foot beam and about a 6-inchdraft. It weighs about 2,000pounds. Its recommendedhorsepower is 120; its maxi-mum horsepower is 225. Itcan accommodate eight people (1,200 pounds). DESCRIPTION: Features include a front casting deck with bow storage access door, rod holders, an aeratedlivewell, a passenger seat in front of console with an aerated baitwell underneath, transom storage boxes withaccess lids for batteries and oiler, plus more. An aluminum T-top is optional. BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: Owned by Norman Marshall, the company is dedi-cated to building the best shallow draft boats without a tunnel in the industry. PRICE: At Boat Ramp Marine (www.boatrampmarine.net; (409) 722-0865), it’s priced at $29,895, whenequipped with a150 HP Suzuki four-stroke outboard engine, hydraulic steering, dual jack plates and trailer. FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR DEALERS: www.marshall-marine.com or call (361) 552-1870.

The Marshall 226from MarshallBoats in Port

Lavaca

THE SPECS: The company’s best-sellingcatamaran is 21 feet, 4 inches long with an8-foot beam and a 6-inch draft. It weighs1,650 pounds and has a maximum horse-power of 150 with a fuel capacity of 40gallons. It can accommodate eight passen-gers.DESCRIPTION: Standard features includebow storage, rod holders, cooler holders,self-bailing deck plus more. Options include custom deck layouts, livewells, a leaning post, a T-top, greater fuelcapacity and more.PRICE: $16,300, with tandem aluminum trailer (no motor).FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR TO PURCHASE: www.transportboats.com; (361) 972-6629.

210 V Cat by Tran Sport Boats

in Palacios

THE SPECS: This 24-foot-long boat has a 99-inch beamand an 8-inch draft. Its hullweight is about 2,300pounds. It has a fuel capacityof 40 gallons (with 55 gallons optional) and a maximum horsepower of 200. DESCRIPTION: The fiberglass boat’s "Jet Chute" and the forward entry give this boat hull the ability to operatein water as shallow as six inches without giving up its safe, comfortable ride. This design ensures a smooth, dryride without giving up speed or performance. Boats are customized to suit the boater's specific requirements. Alldecks, platforms, livewells, fuel tanks and storage areas are incorporated into the individual design to enhancecomfort and efficiency. BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: “Victoria El Pescador, Inc. prides itself in producing aquality customized boat known throughout the Gulf Coast for its durability, versatility, dependability and afford-ability,” said owner Dave Kveton.PRICE: From $35,000 to $50,000, depending on the upgrades selected.FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR TO PURCHASE: www.elpescadorboats.com or call (361)576-2056.

El Pescador240 by

PescadorBoats ofVictoria

THE SPECS: New for 2007,this 22-foot, 9-inch-long boathas a 96-inch beam. It canaccommodate seven people(1,050 pounds). It has a 62-gallon fuel tank and its horse-power rating is 225.DESCRIPTION: This boat keeps anglers dry, runs shallow and offers plenty of room to fish. Like the 200 Pro, thisversatile boat offers in-deck lockable rod storage and fish boxes in the floor. Standard features include a paddedleaning post with storage, aerated livewell, a 94-quart cushioned cooler, rod holders at the console, and an aft-fac-ing cushioned seat plus more. BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: G.C. Boats strives to build boats that suit the fisher-man. The company says it gives customers what they ask for, not what it thinks they need. “That’s what separatesus from others. We listen, then do.” PRICE: At Red Wing Boats in Houston ((713) 921-0656), a boat completely rigged is priced at $39,900, withtrailer and 200 HP Evinrude engine.FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR DEALERS: www.gulfcoastboats.net or call (713) 477-7119.

230 Pro fromGulf Coast

Boats ofPasadena

THE SPECS: This 14-feet, 6-inch-long boathas an 89-inch beam. It has a 12-gallon fuelcapacity and a recommended horsepower of50. It can accommodate four people (600pounds). DESCRIPTION: This scooter boat is stable,dry and runs in water as shallow as 3 inches.Standard equipment includes four rod holders,two 100-quart ice chests, and storage behindthe backrest. Options include three choices ofconsoles, additional ice chests, bow-casting platform, fly rod holders, poling platforms, plus more.BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING MANUFACTURER: Owner Forest Canion says this is a very dry, stable boatthat floats shallow. PRICE: $13,700, with trailer and 50 HP TLDI Nissan outboard motor, hydraulic jack plate, and stainless steel pro-peller.FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR TO PURCHASE: www.flatlanderboats.com or call (361)552-4975.

Chiquita by MarineService

of Port Lavaca

THE SPECS: This Skout’s cen-ter line length is 19 feet, 4inches long with an 8-foot, 6-inch beam and a 7-inch draft.It has a maximum horsepowerof 150 and a total weightcapacity of 1,650 pounds. Itsfuel capacity is 34 gallons.DESCRIPTION: Designed with a modified “V” entry, afterplanes, “hydrolift” tunnel, low profile gunnels and extrawide beams, this boat features a deluxe console with scouting platform and a removable 36-quart cooler, a tintedwindscreen with spoiler, console rod holders, a front casting deck with three storage compartments, a stainless steelwelded console rail, a 94-quart foldback ice chest and more. Options include a fish guide console, a captain’s chair,a Bimini top, an aerated livewell, a leaning post, a detachable windscreen, a folddown console rail, plus more. BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: This boat has been designed for great performanceeven in the skinniest water. It’s ready to go where the fish are.PRICE: Starts at $25,500, with Evinrude E-Tec 150 engine and sportsman galvanized trailer. FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR INFORMATION ON ORDERING: www.dargel.com or call(956) 464-2263.

190 Scout byDargel Boat

Works ofDonna

TEXAS’ BEST BOAT BUYER’S GUIDE

THE SPECS: This new24-foot boat has an 8-foot beam and weighsabout 1,800 pounds. Ithas a fuel capacity of 53gallons and a maximumhorsepower of 275. DESCRIPTION: The 24 HO is available with two different consoles (with front seat baitwell optional). Thefront and rear deck dimensions are adjustable as are other custom-built options. Standard equipment includeshydraulic steering, 10-inch hydraulic jack plate, a four-bladed stainless steel propeller, two padded ice chestcooler seats, plus more. The hulls are offered in monotone or two tones, with more than 80 colors available.BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: The boat boasts a modified “V” pad hull for high-speed performance and promises a smooth, dry ride with exceptional handling and maneuverability.PRICE: At Chris’s Marine in Aransas Pass (www.chrismarineboats.com; (361) 758-8486), it runs about$37,675 with 200 HP Mercury OptiMax engine, custom tandem axle aluminum trailer and standard equip-ment.FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR DEALERS: www.hayniebayboats.com

The 24 HighOutput by

Haynie Boats(built of JC CustomBoats of Seadrift)

THE SPECS: This new 20-foot,3-inch-long boat has an 8-footbeam and a 6-inch draft. Itweighs about 1,250 pounds. Itcan accommodate six peopleand has a maximum horsepowerof 200. Its fuel capacity is 28/40 gallons. DESCRIPTION: Standard features include a choice of a 28- or 40-gallon fuel tank, storage on the front deck, cor-ner boxes and more. Anglers can choose from upgrades including 90- or 120-quart coolers, a leaning post, fiverear boxes, a raised platform and raised center console and custom storage plus more.BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER: “For over 30 years, we have custom built thestrongest, highest performing boats ever built. ... We have custom built each and every boat to the customer'sspecifications and we still do.”PRICE: At LMC Marine Center in Humble ((888) 797-9805), it’s priced at $27,699, with trailer, 150 YamahaVMax engine, 50-gallon fuel tank, raised console with 100-quart cooler in front that doubles as seating, 6-footfront deck, hydraulic steering, aluminum leaning post with storage box, hydraulic jack plate, stainless steel propellerand battery.FOR ADDITIONAL FEATURES/OPTIONS OR DEALERS: www.explorerboats.com or call (903) 872-8373.

TheAttackaflat byExplorer Boatsof Corsicana

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair while drift-ing deep shell in the middle of the lakeon black/chartreuse and red shad. SOUTH SABINE: Trout and redfish arefair on red shad Norton Sand Eels, BassAssassins and live shrimp off the reef onthe south endof the lake.Flounder arefair on mudminnows andchartreuseand white jigs tipped with shrimp aroundthe Causeway Bridge.BOLIVAR: Redfish and black drum arefair in the surf on cut-bait. Flounder arefair at Rollover Pass on mud minnows.TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair over deepscattered shell throughout the bay on redshad, black, plum and fire tiger TroutKillers, Bass Assassins, Hogies andNorton Sand Eels.EAST GALVESTON BAY: Black drum andsheepshead are fair to good on fresh deadshrimp over deep shell. WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and redfishare fair on Confederate Reef on red shadand black plastics. Black drum andsheepshead are fair to good on live shrimpor fresh dead at the jetty.TEXAS CITY: Sheepshead, croaker, blackdrum, redfish and sand trout are fair fromthe pier at the end of the dike on freshdead shrimp. Sheepshead are fair to goodat the jetty on fresh dead shrimp andcrabs.FREEPORT: Black drum, whiting andsand trout are fair to good in the after-noon at Oyster Creek Park. Redfish areblack drum are good in the backwaters ofthe marsh on shrimp and crabs.EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair on thedeep shell on red shad, morning glory, firetiger and glow/chartreuse Bass Assassins.Flounder are good on the south shorelinefor giggers.MATAGORDA: Trout are redfish are fair onthe south shore-line on lime-treuse, blackand electricchicken BassAssassins, TroutKillers and Sand Eels. Redfish and blackdrum are fair at the jetty on fresh deadshrimp.PORT O'CONNOR: Trout are fair aroundthe First Chain on pumpkinseed/char-treuse and fire tiger Trout Killers, SandEels and Bass Assassins. ROCKPORT: Trout and redfish are fair onthe Estes Flats on live shrimp and redshad.PORT ARANSAS: Black drum andsheepshead are fair to good from the jettyon shrimp.CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair aroundthe Causeway and in the Humble Channelon plum/white and glow/chartreuse BassAssassins, Hogies, Trout Killers andNorton Sand Eels. PORT MANSFIELD: Trout, redfish, andsheepshead are fair in the Ship Channelon live shrimp. Mangrove snapper,sheepshead, croaker and flounder are fairon live bait at the jetty. Trout and redfishare fair at the Saucer and on the flats onplum, black and glow Bass Assassins,Trout Killers, Hogies and Sand Eels. Troutare good on topwaters on the flats in theafternoon.SOUTH PADRE: Black drum and redfishare fair to good off the Intracoastal on liveshrimp. Trout are fair on live mullet andplum/chartreuse Trout Killers and BassAssassins on the flats. Sheepshead arefair to good at the jetty on live shrimp.PORT ISABEL: Sheepshead are fair togoodaround rockgroins andpiers on liveshrimp.Trout are fair at Holly Beach and AirportCove on Corkies and Crazy Croakers.Redfish, black drum and sheepshead arefair in the channels on live shrimp undera popping cork.


FISHING REPORTFISHING REPORT

HOUSTON COUNTY: Black bass to 6pounds are very good on watermelonlizards off points at mid lake and near thedam in 8 - 16 feet. ARROWHEAD: Black bass to 10 poundsare good near submerged timber or riprapareas with black/blue jigs and black/bluecrawfish trailers.CHOKE CANYON: Black bass are good onshad and watermelon/green deep runningcrankbaits on main lake points early, andlater on white grubs over submergedstructure in 15 - 30 feet. CANYON LAKE: Smallmouth bass aregood on Curb's hair jigs with JDC dropshot worms as trailers, smoke/red tubeson jigheads, and pumpkin JDC craws onmain lake points and bluff ledges in 6 -15 feet.

PROCTOR: White bass are very good onminnows early. RAY ROBERT: White bass are good onCC jigging spoons and Bomber slabs in25-35 feet (don't move your rod tip over6-8 inches when working the bait).BRAUNIG: Striped bass are good onliver and shad, and down rigging spoonsnear the dam and jetty. WICHITA: White bass and hybrid stripedbass are good on minnows and orangerooster tails along the dam, near oldpier poles, and on live shad and a bob-ber by spillway.CANYON LAKE: Striped bass to 29" aregood vertically jigging silver 1⁄2oz. PirkMinnows and white Curb's striper jigs inthe main river channel under birds.White bass are good vertically jigging1⁄4 oz. Pirk Minnows and white andchartreuse rubber skirted Road Runnersin 12 - 20 feet.

BRAUNIG: Channel and blue catfish areexcellent on shrimp, cheesebait, night-crawlers, and cutbait.CALAVERAS: Channel catfish are excel-lent on shrimp, cheesebait, and night-crawlers. Blue catfish are good on cut-bait and liver near 181 cove.PROCTOR: Channel and blue catfishare good on shrimp.

PROCTOR: Crappie are very good onminnows early.TRAVIS: Crappie are good on minnowsand chartreuse tube jigs under docks in20 - 35 feet.WALTER E. LONG: Crappie are good onminnows and green tube jigs.

CATFISH

HOT BITES SALTWATERSCENE

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 35 degrees. Black bass are slow. Crappieare slow on minnows and jigs.AMISTAD: Water clear; 55 degrees. Black bass are good on spinnerbaits,crankbaits, soft plastics, and jigs. Striped bass are good on jigging spoons andslabs. White bass are fair on jigging spoons and slabs. Channel and blue catfishare good on chicken livers, cheesebait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers in 40 - 80feet. ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees; 5.4' low. Crappie are fair onsmall minnows near derricks and off the state park piers. White bass to 17-inch-es are good on shad-imitation lures and white soft plastics off deeper points.Catfish are fair on shad, punch bait and juglines.BASTROP: Water lightly stained. Black bass are fair on watermelon red andwatermelon/gold soft plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair onminnows and green tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on cutbait andlive. BELTON: Water clear; 56 degrees; 6.50' low. Black bass are good on char-treuse/yellow tipped soft plastic worms. White bass are fair on minnows andslabs early. Crappie are fair on minnows early and late. Blue catfish are good onfrozen shrimp. BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 46-51 degrees; 7.41' low. Black bass are fair onRat-L-Traps and jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair onprepared baits. White bass are fair to good on slabs.BRAUNIG: Water stained; 60 degrees. Black bass are good on crankbaits anddark red soft plastic worms in the reeds and near the dam. BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 43 degrees; 6.95' low. Black bass are fair on3/8oz. black/blue StrikeWorks jigsnear docks and over brushpiles.BUCHANAN: Water clear; 46 degrees;22.16' low. Black bass are fair on 3"JDC Drop Shot Worms and pumpkinDevil's Tongues along points in 12 -25 feet,. Striped bass to 24" are fairto good vertically jigging Pirk Minnowsand white Curb's striper jigs, trollingGizz 4 crankbaits, and drifting livebait from Paradise Point to ShawIsland in 18 - 28 feet. CADDO: Water stained to murky; 40-45 degrees; 0.88' high. Black bassare slow. Catfish are good in the BigCypress Channel on cutbait. CALAVERAS: Water stained; 60degrees. Black bass are good on liveminnows and dark red soft plasticworms near the dam and over reedbeds. CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 53degrees; 6.19' low. Black bass areslow on Smokin' Green Devil'sTongues on drop shot rigs, bubblegumJDC Dog Bones, and Carolina riggedlizards over humps off main lakepoints in 12 - 30 feet. CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 46-50 degrees; 2' low. Black bass are fairon slow-rolled spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs.Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair minnows and jigs.Catfish are fair on Catfish Charlie and nightcrawlers.CHOKE CANYON: Water lightly stained; 54 degrees; 7.44' low. White bass arefair on chartreuse shad and vertically jigging gay blades off main lake points in10 - 25 feet. Crappie are fair on live minnows and blue crappie jigs over brush-piles in 5 - 15 feet. Channel and blue catfish are very good on stinkbait andcutbait in 10 - 30 feet. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with liveperch.COLETO CREEK: Water murky; 66 degrees (74 degrees at hot water discharge);0.02' low. Black bass to 7 pounds are fair on chartreuse soft plastics andcrankbaits. Channel and blue catfish to 8 pounds are fair on trotlines baitedwith live perch. CONROE: Water stained; 0.06' high. Black bass are good on pumpkinseed andtequila sunrise crankbaits and spinnerbaits, and on perch colored Rat-L-Traps.Striped bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are goodon stinkbait, liver, and live bait.FAIRFIELD: Water fairly clear; 48-62 degrees. Black bass are fair to good onflukes, spinnerbaits and Senkos. Hybrid striper and redfish are fair on live shadan perch. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.FALCON: Water stained; 58 degrees. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow.Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, cutbait, andlive bait. FAYETTE: Water lightly stained; 71 degrees. Black bass are good on watermelonred and watermelon gold light Carolina rigged worms and Senko Chompers in 4 -8 feet, and on jigging spoons along the outside edges of grass in 5 - 10 feet.Channel and blue catfish are good on juglines baited with live perch in thecreeks.FORK: Water clear; 47-51 degrees; 3.26' low. Catfish are good on preparedbaits in 23-25 feet along creeks.FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 45 degrees; 7.35' low. Crappie are fair onminnows and jigs. White bass are fair on live bait. Catfish are fair.GIBBONS CREEK: Water stained. Black bass are good on chartreuse and water-melon spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and greentube jigs. Catfish are good on cutbait, live bait, and nightcrawlers.GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.50' low. Black bass are fair on watermelon redand chartreuse soft plastics and shallow diving crankbaits. Striped bass are fairon silver and white striper jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good onpunchbait and liver.GRANGER: Water murky; 50 degrees; 0.39' high. Blue catfish are fair on pre-pared baits near Willis Creek Park. GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 42-48 degrees; 11' low. Crappie are fair on live min-nows and jigs. Catfish are fair on cut and prepared baits.HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 51 degrees; 0.71' high. Channel and bluecatfish are good on stinkbait off piers.HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 12.35' low. Black bass arefair on live baits and jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass andhybrid striper are fair on live baits. Catfish are fair on cutbaits and prepared baits.JOE POOL: Water fairly clear; 47-51 degrees; 0.09' high. Black bass are fair onflukes and spinnerbaits. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water stained; 46-52 degrees; 0.2' high. Black bass arefair on slabs, jigs and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs(December 1st thru February 28th anglers keep their first 25 crappie regardlessof size). Catfish are fair on prepared baits. LAVON: Water stained; 40-46 degrees; 7.46' low. Black bass are fair on red Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits, and jerk baits. Crappie are fair on live minnows and jigs.Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and Catfish Charlie.LBJ: Water clear to stained; 47 degrees; 0.05' low. Black bass are fair on Texasrigged Ring Worms with chartreuse tails, watermelon red Whacky Sticks, andsmoke tubes on 1/8oz. ball jigheads along creek points with brush or wood andalong docks in 6 - 14 feet. White bass are fair to good trolling Shad Raps andvertically jigging Tiny Traps and Pirk Minnows under birds. Crappie are fair togood on live minnows and crappie jigs around boat docks. LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 41-46 degrees; 5.68' low. White bass are fair onslabs and live minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad under trees where cor-morants are roosting.LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.13' high. Black bass are good onsoft plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. White bass are fair on soft plastics,pet spoons, and hellbenders in the extreme north end of the lake. Crappie aregood on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad. MEDINA: Water stained; 52 degrees; 36.44' low. Black bass are fair on char-treuse deep running crankbaits and chartreuse/white spinnerbaits on main lakepoints early, and later on drop shots rigged with green pumpkinseed YamamotoCurltail worms on main lake and secondary points. White bass are good on liveminnows and dark blue crankbaits off main lake points in 10 - 20 feet. Catfishto 8 pounds are good on stinkbait and live shad, and on juglines baited with

perch.MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 32degrees; 32.3' low. Black bass areslow. Crappie are fair on jigs and min-nows. White bass are fair on live bait.Walleye are fair on slabs tipped withminnows. Channel catfish are fair.NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained;46 degrees. Black bass are fair.Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.Redfish are fair. White bass andstriped bass are fair. Catfish are fairon live baits.O.H. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 44degrees; 21.62' low. Black bass arefair on live baits and crankbaits alongsecondary points. Crappie are fair onminnows and jigs. Smallmouth bassare fair. Channel catfish are fair oncut baits and shad.PALESTINE: Water fairly clear; 41-45degrees; 0.12' high. Crappie are fairon live minnows. Catfish are fair ontrotlines with live perch. POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 47degrees; 2.3' low. Black bass are fair

near boat docks and back of coves on heavy jigs or shad imitation crankbaitswith 12.1-lb. bass caught Feb 7. White bass are fair near deeper points jiggingwith silver slabs with some striped bass being caught. Catfish are fair on setlines baited with shad in the upper part of reservoir.PROCTOR: Water clear; 42 degrees; 8.55' low. Black bass are good on minnows. RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 42-46 degrees; 1.57' low. Crappie are fair onminnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs fished very slowly. Hybrid striperare fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.RAY ROBERTS: Water murky; 43-48 degrees; 7.06' low. Black bass are slow tofair on drop shot rigged 4: Yum finesse worms in 30 to 40 feet. Crappie are fairaround the dam suspended in 40 feet. Catfish are fair to good on punch baitunder roosting cormorants.SAM RAYBURN: Water murky; 68 degrees; 2.12' high. Black bass are fair onchartreuse Carolina rigged soft plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Crappieare fair on minnows and green tube jigs.STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 47 degrees; 3' low. Crappie are fair on jigsand minnows. White and striped bass are fair on live baits. Catfish are fair onlive baits.STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 48 degrees; 2.29' low. Black bass are slow. Whitebass are slow. TAWAKONI: Water stained; 44-51 degrees; 8.14' low. Black bass are slow.Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and live min-nows. Catfish are fair on punch bait.TEXOMA: Water clear; 44-51 degrees; 1.44' low. Black bass are fair on Rat-L-Traps, brown jigs and Hula Grubs. TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 50 degrees; 1.86' low. Black bass are fair onspinnerbaits in shallow areas. Channel and blue catfish are fair on trotlines bait-ed with live bait and shrimp. Yellow catfish are fair on live bait.TRAVIS: Water clear; 53 degrees; 33.30' low. Black bass to 9 pounds are goodon brown Shaky Head worms and watermelon Super Flukes in 5 - 25 feet. Whitebass are fair on white grubs, minnows, and chrome jigging spoons in 25 - 45feet. Channel and blue catfish to 12 pounds are fair on fresh cutbait, night-crawlers, and small perch in 20 - 40 feet. WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 67 degrees. Black bass are fair on chartreuseand chartreuse/blue soft plastics and crankbaits.Channel and blue catfish arefair on stinkbait and cutbait. WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 40-43 degrees; 9.05' low. Black bass are fairon finesse worms in shad colors, jerk baits and spinner baits around docks andon rocky point. Crappie are fair to good in the crappie house and boat slips.Channel catfish are fair on worms and dough bait. Bream are fair on worms.WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 46 degrees; 27.27' low. Crappie are fair onjigs and minnows. Walleye are fair on live baits and shad-imitation crankbaits.Channel catfish are fair on live and cut baits.WHITNEY: Water stained; 7.66' low. Black bass are fair on chartreuse and char-treuse/black soft plastics, and on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped bass arefair on minnows and white striper jigs. White bass are fair on perch coloredcrankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and blue tube jigs.Catfish are good on punchbait and liver.WICHITA: Water clearing; 45 degrees; full at spillway. Channel catfish are goodon jug lines with new 16.1-lb lake record.WRIGHT PATMAN: Water fairly clear; 44-50 degrees; 5.42' high. Catfish are fairon prepared baits.

CRAPPIE

WHITEHYBRIDSTRIPER

Trout are good for waders working the rocks.Trout are fair in four to five feet ofwater on Corkies, Crazy Croakers, Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels.

LARGEMOUTHBASS

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ACROSS

1. Trapped for the fur3. A very large fish-eating

bird8. A member of the weasel

family9. Small game classified as

a varmint10. A protection against bow

string snap11. Sharp appendage on a

turkey’s feet16. A very large bass species17. Act of bobbing a lure to

attract fish20. Term for old gobblers

left to themselves21. A very rare deer species23. A female bear24. To stand ready to shoot26. Part of the body of a

bow30. The change in flight of a

bullet32. Also called a dogfish33. Over and under is one

model34. The ______ catfish

DOWN

1. A game trail2. Hunter wears this color

for safety4. To make ready for another

shot5. To shoot an arrow6. A popular brand of camo7. Trout said to have good sense

of this

12. A distribution of shot pellets13. This is very sharp on gobblers14. Grooves in the bore of a rifle15. A grouping of fish in one spot18. A big game arrow, _____ head19. Pheasants or quail in flight22. Procedure of igniting a shell

25. Term for feathers on heads of some fowl

27. A very good walleye bait28. A large game of the plains29. A hunter’s mountain quarry31. The whitetail’s brow _____.

WILD IN THE KITCHEN

WEATHER

For crossword puzzle solution, see Page 22

OUTDOOR PUZZLER

Makes four servings,two tacos per serving

Ingredients:• 4 tablespoons lime juice, divided• 2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder, divid-

ed• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder• 1 pound striped bass fillets,

skinned• 2 tablespoons olive oil• 4 teaspoons white vinegar• 1/8 teaspoon salt• 8 crispy corn taco shells or 6” flour

tortillas, warmed• 1/2 cup chopped ripe avocado• 2 cups packaged coleslaw mix

Combine 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2

teaspoons chili powder and garlic pow-der in a small bowl. Brush over the fil-lets and let stand 5 minutes.Meanwhile, combine remaining limejuice and chili powder with olive oil,vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Mixwell with a fork and set aside.

Broil fillets 4 to 6 minutes on each sideor until fish flakes easily with a fork. Filleach taco shell with about 1/2 cupcoleslaw mixture. Break fish apart intolarge chunks with fork, and placechunks in each taco shell or tortilla, ontop of coleslaw. Sprinkle fish with 1tablespoon of avocado. Drizzle withdressing or salsa and serve immediately.Recipe from The National FisheriesInstitute, www.aboutseafood.com

Ingredients: • 1 pound bacon, diced into 1/4-

inch pieces• Cajun poultry seasoning, as

needed• 4 table

spoons but ter or mar-garine, divided

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

• 1 (2-pound) boneless turkey breast, cut into 1-inch chunks

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large, heavy skillet, add baconand sprinkle it with Cajun seasoning.Fry until crisp. Drain, discard greaseand set aside. In the same skillet, add

1 tablespoon of butter,and sauté the choppedonion until tender.Remove onion, and setaside. In a large bowl,combine turkey, 2 table-spoons of oil,Worcestershire sauce andmore Cajun seasoning.In the same skillet, heatremaining butter and oil

until sizzling. Add turkey, bacon andonion. Sauté until turkey is brownand tender. Serve entree over rice.The dish yields 4 to 6 servings.Recipe from NWTF’s Wild AboutTurkey, www.nwtf.org

Cajun Mardi Gras Wild Turkey Breast

Spicy Striped Bass Tacos

Outdoor Puzzler, Wilbur "Wib" Lundeen

“The current rental rates for cropproduction in the prairie potholestates greatly exceed the amountsreceived in CRP payments. With noadjustments being made to the CRPrental rates, it takes options awayfrom America’s farmers.”

“We’re extremely concerned,”said Dave Nomsen, Pheasant

Forever’s vice president ofGovernmental Affairs. “We don’tknow the extent of the early-outs,just that they are evaluatingoptions. We want to be at the tablewhen these proposals are developedfor biofuels.”

Nomsen felt the biggest chal-lenge is to come in developing thenext Farm Bill. “These are voluntaryprograms,” he said. “We have tomake them competitive — we needconservation whether we’re talkingabout $1.80 (per bushel) corn or $4

corn.”Most conservation groups feel

biofuel production and wildlifehabitat can co-exist. “A perennialcover provides soil erosion andwater quality benefits, and cover forwildlife,” Nomsen said. “On theother end, intensely managedcrops, even switchgrass, are notvery compatible for wildlife.”

As a result of the changes, theestimate for short-term losses ofCRP-enrolled land is 2.4 millionacres.

Of the 36 million acres currentlyenrolled in CRP in the lower 48states, about 28 million are set toexpire between 2007 and 2010. In2004, the administration an-nounced that Farm SecurityAdministration was to fully enrollCRP at 39.2 million acres. Theannouncement had been hailed asa victory for wildlife, conservationand the environment.

Research conducted by the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service confirmedthat CRP contributed approximate-

ly two million birds to the fallflights of ducks each year between1992 and 2004.

Conservation and other groupspresenting their concerns to theAdministration and members ofCongress. “It’s pretty scary what thefuture holds,” James said. “Half ofour country’s land is in agriculture— that’s where the wildlife is, andwhere we hunt.”

Delta Waterfowl contributed to thisreport.


A Camp to Teach Young TexansHunting, Fishing and Outdoor Skills

June 3-9June 10-16July 15-21July 22-28

All activities taught by experienced Texas professionals

OUTDOOR TEXAS CAMP IS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTH OF COLUMBUS, TEXAS

www.outdoortexascamp.com

512-217-1587 • 830-562-3354

• Deer & Bird Hunting

• Rifle & Archery

• Shotgunning• Dog Training• Predator

Hunting

• Bass & Coastal Fishing

• Fly Fishing• Camping,

Survival• Kayaking &

Boating

OutdoorTexas

2007CAMP

DATES

CRPContinued from Page 5

in Texas is an industry that has an annual economic impact ofmore than $2 billion and creates 18,000 jobs, raising big bucks ismore than a race for big dollars.

“The rural economy thrives on hunting, but this is not justabout breeders,’’ he said. “We want to educate landowners aboutproper management and have turned the corner — learningfrom what we’ve done in the past 10 years,’’ he said.

While resource management and education were stressed dur-ing panel discussions before the auction, big bucks, as in dollars,being spent on potential big bucks dominated the sales floor.

A record $845,715 in sales was generated Feb. 9 during the auc-tioning of 125 lots that featured fawns, does and straws of semenfrom genetically superior white-tailed deer. A breeder’s permitwas required for all potential buyers.

The high bid was $100,000 for five straws of semen out of Max,considered one of the top sires in the country before his recentdeath, and the father of Maxin, Big Jake and Maxbo — all bucksscoring 300-plus in the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system.The semen was sold by Curt Waldvogel of Waldvogel Whitetailsin Antigo, Wis.

Topping the Texas offerings was a lot by Gonzalez WhitetailDeer out of Uvalde, who received $25,000 for an unborn buckfawn that will be the offspring of Highroller (the world’s bestwhitetail with a score of 419) and a doe that is the offspring ofDreambuck, the 320-plus buck that sold for $500,000 just a fewyears ago.

Pictures of the incredible bucks and their offspring wereflashed across a giant screen as the bidding took on the feveredpace of a high-dollar auction for racehorses or prize bulls.

“This is our first trip to Texas for a sale and it seems that thestate is really catching up to what has been going on for quitesome time up North,’’ said Dean Shoup of Demar Whitetails outof Dundee, Ohio.

Starting as a hobby with nine deer in 1995, Shoup said hisoperation is now selling semen straws across the country to peo-ple interested in developing quality white-tailed deer.

“A lot of the effort is in genetics, but you also need to allow deerto reach maturity and have to provide them with the propernutrition,’’ he said.

Many people asked how the semen is collected. Shoup said theprocess involves putting the buck to sleep, then performing amedical procedure involving the insertion of a probe until asemen sample is collected.

“Some bucks are able to produce up to 200 straws (during thebreeding season), but the average is about 45 or 50,’’ he said.

Since some straws bring in as much as $20,000 each, theprocess can provide a hefty income for the deer owners.

“We are really pleased to see the growing interest and are con-tinuing to set sales records every year,’’ Kinsel said. “That is goodfor the breeders and for the rural economy.”

GeneticsContinued from Page 6

SUPERIOR SALE: A record $845,715 in sales was generated during theauctioning of 125 lots that featured fawns, does and straws of semenfrom genetically superior white-tailed deer. Photo by Manual Duran.

BubblesContinued from Page 8

Adjustable casting bubbles, on the other hand,can be made to float or sink at various rates. Thisadjustment is made by filling the bubble with vary-ing amounts of water. The less water, the higher itfloats and vice-versa.

Using “filled” casting bubbles is particularly use-ful when trying to fish natural baits on or near thebottom in shallow, clear water.

“When we’re fishing mullet for redfish, we’ll usu-ally free-line them,” said Port Aransas guide Capt.Clark Miles. “But I’ll add a bubble if I need to getthem down a little.”

Although bubbles are most often used in con-junction with natural baits, they can also be pairedwith artificial lures and flies. Soft-plastic jerkbaits,rigged weedless, are particularly well-suited for fish-ing behind bubbles. However, one underutilized,but extremely effective, method of employing acasting bubble was actually pioneered on troutstreams, but translates well to bay fishing.

“There are times when flies will catch more fishthan lures on our bay,” said Lower Laguna Madreguide Capt. Steve “JR” Ellis. “But not everybody canthrow a fly rod. So, you can tie a fly behind a castingbubble and a guy with a spinning rod can do thesame thing. All he has to do is cast the weight of thecasting bubble and the fly goes along for the ride.It’s a great way to fish around the potholes.”

No matter how you choose to use them, theseclear oblong oddities definitely deserve a place inevery tackle box on the Texas coast. While theymay not be right for every situation, there are plen-ty of instances where they can be a real difference-maker.

•$1,250 Gold Table PackageOne sponsor annual NWTF membership, three regular annual NWTF memberships

8 dinners at the local banquet w/special seating8 chances on door prizes at the local banquet

NWTF members receive subscription to Turkey Call magazine and the Caller newsletterRecognition in the program and on the table. Sponsor member receives one chance at sponsor gun raffle, a limited edition pin, a

cap, NWTF soft-side cooler, PLUS ONE NEW ON THE MARKET STOEGER CONDOR 16 ga (SWEET SIXTEEN) O/U!

•$850 Gold Table PackageFour regular annual NWTF memberships

8 dinners at the local banquet w/special seating8 chances on door prizes at the local banquet

NWTF members receive subscription to Turkey Call magazine and the Caller newsletterRecognition in the program and on the table

$100 worth of raffle tickets and one chance on the bonus gun raffle

•Sponsor Member Ticket $275One NWTF sponsor membership. One dinner at local banquet

Subscription to Turkey Call magazine and the Caller newsletter, one chance at sponsor gun raffle, limited edition pin, a cap, andNWTF soft-side cooler

Sponsor gun raffle, limited edition pin, a cap and NWTF soft-side cooler(One extra meal ticket $40 with sponsor member)

• Couples Ticket $125 • Singles Ticket $80 • Jakes (youth) Ticket $25


Feb. 22-March 4: Spring Great Outdoor Days atCabela’s in Buda. Activities will include freeseminars, contests and storewide savings. Forinformation, visit www.cabelas.com or call (512)295-1100.

Feb. 24-25: Cabela’s in Fort Worth will offerseminars on Saltwater Destinations and Techniquesand Bass Bug Castingby fly-fishing expertBrian O’Keefe,beginning at 1:30 p.m.Additional seminarswill include Masteringthe Drop Shot Rig,Shotgun Skills forTurkey, and TakingTurkey with a Bow. For times and information, visitwww.cabelas.com or call (817) 337-2400.

Feb. 24 – March 4: Spring Fishing Classic at BassPro Shops in Garland.Seminars from nationaland area anglers will beheld March 2-4, displaysfrom top manufacturers,and savings throughoutthe store. Forinformation, seminars and times, visitwww.basspro.com or call Lisa Byrn at (469) 221-2617.

Feb. 28-March 4: The Houston Fishing Show willbe held at the George R. Brown Convention Centerin Houston. Visit www.houstonfishingshow.com forinformation, exhibits and seminars.

March 1: The Park Cities Quail Unlimited dinnerwill be held at the Dallas Country Club. ContactBruce Klingman at 214-802-9854 or Joe Crafton at469-814-1201 for tickets and information.

March 1: The West Bowie NWTF banquet will beheld at Elk Meadow Game Ranch in New Boston.Call Jeff Addison at (903) 838-4507 forinformation.

March 1: The West TexasCCA banquet will be heldat the Midland CountryClub. For tickets andinformation, call RobertTaylor at (800) 626-4222.

March 1: The Sabine-Neches CCA banquet will be held at the IBEW Hallin Beaumont. For tickets and information, call EllenOhmstede at (800) 626-4222.

March 2: The 10th Annual Tri-County CCA banquet

will be held at the Show Barn in Pleasanton. CallEllen Ohnstede at (800) 626-4222 for tickets andinformation.

March 2: The Red River Valley NWTF banquet willbe held at the Love Civic Center in Paris. Forinformation, contact Mike Fuller at (903) 784-0627 or [email protected].

March 2: The Hunt County DU dinner will be heldat The Old Greenville Post Office at 2920 Lee St.in Greenville. Call James Handley at (903) 455-1631 for tickets and information.

March 2-4: Cabela’s Spring Great Outdoors Days atthe Fort Worth store. Activities will include theNational Series Dock Dogs Competition. For timesand information, visit www.cabelas.com or call(817) 337-2400.

March 3: The Texas State DU banquet will be heldat Valhalla Hall in San Marcos.For tickets andinformation, contact Mike Wilson at (979) 219-1187 or [email protected].

March 3: The 2 of Us Couples Tournament at PatMayse Lake, Sanders Cove. For information, call(972) 754-2458 or visitwww.fishingworld.com/TwoofUs.com.

March 3:The SouthTexasRockyMountainElkFoundation Big Game Banquet will be held at LeonSprings Dance Hall in San Antonio. For tickets andinformation, call (210) 889-8332.

March 3: The Eighth Annual Fly Fish Texas will beheld at the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.Learn to cast, tie flies, and build your own rod, andattend seminars and hands-on demonstrations. Fora schedule of events and for information, visitwww.tpwd.state.tx.us.tffc or call (903) 670-2222.

March 3: Trophy Bass on the Fly seminar at 10a.m. at the Dallas Orvis store. Guide Rob Woodruffwill show the tactics needed for both pre- and post-spawn fly-fishing for bass. For information, call

(214) 265-1600 or visit www.orvis.com.

March 3: Grand Prairie Parks & Recreation Kid’sFishing Day at Mike Lewis Park. Free for kids 16and under. For more information, call (972) 237-8100 or visit www.GrandFunGP.com.

March 3: The Red River Valley DU banquet will beheld at the Gainesville Civic Center. For tickets andinformation, call Phil Bellows at (903) 665-0581.

March 3: The Cass County Longbeards NWTFdinner will be held at Horn Enterprises in Atlanta.Contact Gary Stewart at (903) 796-7893 [email protected] for information.

March 3: The Corpus Christi NWTF banquet will beheld at the Ortiz Center. For information, call BrianPreston at (361) 758-7878.

March 6: The East Texas NWTF banquet will beheld at the Longview Exhibit Center. Call CharlesMuller at (903) 757-9572 for information.

March 8: The Milam County DU banquet will beheld at Bea’s Kitchen, 101 East Main in Cameron.For tickets, location, and information, call AlvinFrail at (254) 697-4444 or [email protected].

March 8: The Dallas NWTF banquet will be held atBrookhaven Country Club. Call Marc Edwards at(972) 743-8986 for tickets and information.

March 8: The ShelbyCounty NWTF dinnerwill be held at CenterCountry Club inCenter. Forinformation, contactWalter Rainbolt at(936) 598-3361 [email protected].

March 9: Tri-County Longbeards will hold its NWTFbanquet at Seaton Star Hall in Temple. Contact JeffCowen at (254) 780-3068 or [email protected] forinformation.

March 9: The Henderson County NWTF banquet willbe held at the Cain Center in Athens. Forinformation, contact Bubba Matthews at (903) 880-

9573 or [email protected].

March 10: The Heart of the Hill NWTF Chapter willhold its banquet at the Hill Country Youth ExhibitCenter in Kerrville. Contact Tamrah Smith at (940)257-0312 or [email protected] forinformation.

March 10: The Panola County NWTF banquet will beheld at the Panola County Expo Center in Carthage.Contact Glenn Allums at (903) 754-4635 [email protected] for information.

March 15: The 1st Annual Hurricane Creek DUbanquet will be at the Lone Star Party Barn in Anna.Contact Matt Sullivan at (903) 712-0099 [email protected] for information.

March 15: The Alvin DU dinner will be held at theAlvin KC Hall. For information, contact John Brau at(281) 393-1100 or [email protected].

March 17: The Second AnnualGarland/Mesquite DU ChapterFun Shoot will be held at ElmFork Shooting Range. Cost is$100 per person. ContactCharlie Preslar at (972) 270-8688 or [email protected] information.

March 17: The Bosque County DU dinner will be heldat the Clifton Armory. Contact Jay Hutchins at (254)253-1133 or [email protected] forinformation.

March 22: The Alamo Chapter NWTF banquet willbe held at Alzafar Shrine Center in San Antonio. Forreservations and information, call Charlie Klein at(210) 218-5889 or visitwww.alamochapternwtf.org.

March 22: The Lake Lavon DU banquet will be heldat the Fairview Farms Corral Barn. For tickets andinformation, contact Paul Romano at (972) 442-5106.

March 24: TheWhitetails UnlimitedDFW chapter banquetwill be held at EmbassySuites at Outdoor Worldin Grapevine. Fortickets and information,call Kevin Harrington at(402) 301-6860 or visit www.whitetailsunlimited.com/events.

March 29: The Dallas DU Chapter’s 1st Annual DURaffle Night will be at Eddie Deen’s Ranch inDallas. For tickets and information, contact AndreaHight at (214) 402-4197.

Offshore and Bay fishing30' Stamas21' Shallowsport

South TexasDeer and TurkeyHunting10,000 Acres

Duck, Goose andDove Hunting

40,000 Acres

Capt. Scott Hickman3218 Coral Ridge Ct.

League City, TX 77573(281) 535-1930

Fax: (281) 535-1935www.circleh.org

It’s easy to advertise on this page — just send us your business card, and let us know how many weeks youwant your ad to run. Purchase 12 issues of advertising and your business will be profiled with a photo in thissection. Outfitter Listings: $40 each issue. Please include either a check or credit card billing information withyour order. Mail to: Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243 or call(214) 361-2276.

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Documents

Baffin Bay’s reputation continues to hold true Reserve Program could have a devastating impact on ducks and other wildlife, according to conservation group leaders. Widely considered