July 13, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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July 13, 2012 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 8, Issue 22

Trout,redfishreportsCoastal action spotty.

Pages8,11

Wardens staying stealthyOfficers utilizing kayaks on patrol

ByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Richard Justice had hunted, fished and scuba dived all of his life.

When the 32-year-old League City resident began thinking about combining his passions, he looked offshore.

“I combined all of them together and went spearfish-ing,” he said. “It’s like spot and stalk bow hunting in the water.”

His first trip into the blue water was last July 4, and he has been going monthly ever since.

“The first two trips I went scuba diving,” Justice said. “I decided that was too much stuff to take, so I tried free div-ing and I haven’t touched a tank since.”

Justice said he consis-tently dives down 50 feet to search for the fish near rigs that spearfishermen covet — wahoo, amberjack, snapper, jacks, mahi-mahi and ling.

“When you are free diving, the fish are a little more curious then with a tank,” he said. “But

you don’t have to be able to dive really deep. I’ve shot multiple 40-pound ling while still breath-ing through my snorkel.”

When Justice was first getting into the sport, he hooked up with one of the best spearfish-ing guides in Texas — Keith Love of Texas Bluewater Safaris.

“It’s definitely a growing sport,” Love said. “On a calm day, you will now see guys at the marina with rigs.”

The 27-year-old from Angleton said the maximum range he shoots fish is 15 feet.

“If you have to aim, you are too far,” he said. “We hunt the rigs but a lot of the bluewater fish won’t come right into the rigs. They hang 50-100 yards off the rigs, but there is still plenty to shoot on the rigs — sheepshead and redfish.

“Cobia will swim right up to you.”

Love’s biggest fish is a 245-pound yellowfin tuna. Once a fish is shot, the spear is connected to a buoy on top of the water that detaches from the gun.

“Once you let the shot go, it detaches from you,” Love said.

The prime time to go depends on the spearfisher-man’s goal.

“The calmest, clearest days are in June and July,” Love

SPEARINGATROPHY:Wahoo are one of the many game fish spearfishermen enjoy chasing off the Texas coast. The bigger fish are usually found during the winter months, but the summer months can of-fer easier hunting. Photo by Keith Love. See DEEP, Page 16

Huntingthe deep

xz LSONews.com

xz CONTENTSClassifieds . . . . . . . . . Page22Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page28Freshwater Fishing Report . Page10For the Table . . . . . . . . Page28Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page12Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page21Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page29Outdoor Business . . . . . Page30Products . . . . . . . . . . Page22Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page18Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page28

ByJohnKeithLone Star outdoor newS

Fish or hunt for long enough, and chances are you’ve been checked by a game warden — maybe

they pulled up in their powerboat on the lake, or stopped their truck beside yours at the boat ramp.

What you may not have experienced is

being approached by a kayaker — and having him identify himself as a game warden.

“Folks aren’t expecting

See WARDENS, Page 16

SIDEBYSIDE:Some Texas game wardens are using kayaks, such as this one, as an alternate method to patrol lakes and rivers. Photo by Scott Krueger.


A familiar sound is slowly returning to the Texas land-scape this summer, albeit in limited numbers.

Hunters and quail enthusiasts have reported hearing the call of the bobwhite quail more frequently this sum-mer than the past few years, and some are beginning to see chicks trailing hens — a sight almost nonexistent last year.

“Folks all over are seeing birds paired up and hearing lots of birds,” said Robert Perez, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s quail leader. “In a bad year (like last year) you won’t hear or see that. By July 1, a lot of the nests will be hatched.”

Perez said an abundance of bugs and cover will help the birds this year.

“Things are looking good,” he said, “but you can’t

Quail counts

up from last year

See QUAIL, Page 30

Two of 31 mule deer tested in far West Texas have con-firmed positive for Chronic Wasting Disease.

They are the first two con-firmed cases in the state of Texas. Both infected deer were taken from the Hueco Mountains of northern El Paso and Hudspeth counties.

“This is definitely not a crisis,” said Clayton Wolf, Wildlife Division Director with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “There is no need to over-react like other states have done in the past.”

The mule deer tested were part of a strategic sampling after the disease was dis-covered just across the New Mexico border.

The upcoming mule deer hunting season will not be affected, Wolf said.

“We plan to pick of road kills if they are fresh,” he said. “And we’ll notify land-owners if they see animals with clinical symptoms so we can hopefully collect those animals.”

Mandatory check stations will be set up in the immedi-ate area of the discovery.

“We’ll have two check sta-tions, one in Cornudas and

See DETECTED, Page 7

CWD detected

Page2 July 13, 2012 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com



HUNTING

Dove, teal seasons setSTRAPITUP: Hunters are eager for dove season to start on Sept. 1 in the North and Central Zones. Early teal season will begin this year on Sept. 15. Photos by David J. Sams, LSON.


Texas bird hunting is closer then you think.

With a little more than six weeks to go before the opening of dove season, and two months before early teal season, hunters are expecting a good year afield.

According to Kevin Kraii, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s program leader for waterfowl, blue-winged teal will easily surpass the 4.7 million birds needed to trigger the 16-day early season.

“The numbers still aren’t finalized yet, but

I would venture to say they are the highest we’ve seen,” Kraii said. “Conditions this year weren’t quite as good as last year but last year

was the best condi-tions we’ve ever seen. I expect the count will be around 9 million total.”

Kraii said Texas was sitting much better then

last year when it came to habitat conditions.

“The marshes, wet-lands and reservoirs are in much better shape,” he said. “We have a really good response in the wetlands when you have a drought year followed by a wet year with wetland vegeta-tion. There will be a lot of good stuff the ducks need.

“Things look really good.”

The teal season is slated to start nearly two weeks after dove sea-son, which will begin in the North and Central Zones on Sept. 1.

Other states working on CWD live test

Hot scouting


Getting a jump-start on scout-ing in the summer months can be helpful in making educated decisions during hunting sea-son, said San Antonio native John Martinez, on a lease located north of Medina in Bandera County.

“I’m hoping to see trends of when animals are showing up, if they’re showing up on specific days or times, times they eat, or just what all is out there,” he said.

July may seem like a strange time to start scouting for white-tail deer, but the well-prepared hunter can learn valuable infor-mation for fall — if he can bear the triple-digit heat.

Martinez said making sure he knows what caliber of animal is on the land will help him decide which deer to harvest in the fall.

“It’s nice to see what animals are visiting what area, and to pick or choose based on what I’m see-ing on the cameras, whether to shoot a certain buck or doe, or anything else.”

He said studying trail-cam pho-tos and comparing them with others on different areas of the lease can help him to know the difference in deer activity around the ranch, and if he needs to hunt in a different location.

Martinez said he is not afraid of the deer changing their habits too much in the coming months.

“I think when season comes around, as long as I’m careful not to spook them, most should be coming back.”

Breckenridge hunter Justin Read said he is going to be guid-ing on Rock Point Ranch for the first time this year, which adds

some urgency to knowing what animals are available for clients.

“We put lots of cameras up and they help, because you just can’t be there 24 hours a day,” Read said.

Read said there are a number of things a hunter can learn by scouting at this time of year.

“You can age the deer a little bit better and help see when they’re there, how many are there — you can see how many you can take off the place, and how many young deer you have,” he said.

Read said the colder months will work to split the deer from the groups they tend to be travel-ing in during the summer, but he believes most of the deer will con-tinue to use the same trails.

Dr. Thomas Simpson, an asso-ciate professor of biology at Texas State University in San Marcos, said deer are focused on feeding this time of year, which can help determine where to scout.

“They’re hustling for food, and they’ll take advantage of paths to food,” he said. “But if we were to start getting summertime rain or late summer forbs start coming up — who knows how that could change them.”

Simpson said most areas have certain natural pathways deer instinctually deem safer or easier for travel, and these are the types of areas that can be better relied on than a path to a feeder.

However, trail cameras can still give a hunter a good idea of what to expect when he is in the stand, even with the size of the deer, Simpson said.

“By late summer you have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to look like.”

Hunters can gain summer knowledge for fall

SEEINGPOTENTIAL: Game cameras set up in the summer can give hunters a good idea of what to expect in the fall. Photo by Justin Read.


Chronic Wasting Disease has reared its head in El Paso and Hudspeth counties in far West Texas.

All CWD testing in Texas

to this point has been con-ducted on dead animals — either killed by hunters or by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at CWD-suspected ranches. Other states where CWD has been found, includ-

ing New Mexico and Colorado, are working to prefect live testing on deer and elk, especially in cap-tive herds.

Texas officials have been hesitant thus far to endorse any live tests for

the disease.According to Dr. Kerry

Mower, wildlife disease specialist for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, he has been performing live test-ing for CWD on deer for

the past 10 years. Mower said he takes a biopsy of tis-sue from the tonsil area of live deer, before testing for prions — infectious pro-tein agents — that would

See CWD, Page 7

See SEASONS, Page 14

Texas' neighbors moving toward

a solution


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(512) 263-1888ANDREWZIEGLERofGeorgetowntookthismature,openingday8-pointbuck

onaranchinBurnetCountylastseason.Theranchownerwantedthebuck

takenformanagementpurposesbecausetheyestimateditat5.5yearsoldand

thebuckstillhadan8-pointframe.Hewas18.5-incheswideandscored124

B&C;Andrewwasveryhappywiththedeer,accordingtohisdad,Vince.

On American soilByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Editor’s note: This is the sec-ond part of a three-part story on how to get a trophy from overseas into your trophy room.

You’ve taken a great trophy in an exotic locale like Tajikistan, Tanzania or Tibet.

The animal has been skinned, salted and packed for the trip home. It has now arrived on U.S. soil, awaiting inspec-tion and clearance from customs.

But what do you have to do to ensure your trophy will be cleared? There are several things the hunter must ensure to guaran-tee a smooth ride.

First, the hunter should have all necessary per-mits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the ani-mal being imported is on the CITES list, the hunter must have applied for a special import permit. Each hunter will need a USFWS declara-tion form, according to Kim Theurer at the DFW Airport USFWS offi ce.

The USFWS has a declara-tion form that hunters must fi ll out — this can be done on their Web site, www.fws.gov. They also list a fact sheet about federal wildlife laws that every hunter should read

before importing trophies.“However you have your

trophy shipped — by rail, air or ship — it fi rst goes to a customs agent,” Theurer said. “We can do our inspec-tion ahead of time with two business days notice. We ask the hunter to e-mail us all

of the relevant documents from the shipper. We can do an inspection off of the e-mailed documents, but we still need to see the originals when you come to pick up the animals.”

According to John Meehan, owner of Fauna and Flora Customhouse Brokerage Company, Inc. in New York, several agencies come to their bonded warehouse to check trophies upon arrival from a foreign country.

“The fi rst agency that you want to clear is USFWS,” Meehan said. “Then USDA comes in and check all rumi-nants because of hoof and

mouth disease. USFWS is primarily concerned with the legality of the hunt-ing in the country of origin for violations of the Lacey Act. Customs is looking for bombs.”

Many brokerage houses, such as Fauna and Flora or

Coppersmith, can help the process along, but also charge fees for their service. USFWS charges a $93 fee to inspect trophies on the CITES list, but they do not charge for normal trophy inspection.

An LSON team member recently had animals shipped from South Africa, and was dismayed to fi nd charges from a local brokerage company totaling

more than $500 for things like customs fees, airport transfer fees, USFWS fees and security fees.

If you live near an inter-national airport that is also a port of entry, it will be cheaper not to use a brokerage house, but you better have all of your ducks in a row, or it could cause headaches.

“Many problems arise that aren’t with the hunter,” Meehan said. “You can go on an expensive trip with outfi tters who don’t know what they are doing, and it can cause real problems with the Lacey Act.”

PACKEDANDREADY:Getting your trophies through customs and other assorted agencies can be a hassle and cost hunters money if they aren’t prepared going in. Photo by LSON.


Summerfawnfactsn For their first two weeks of life, fawns are bedded

down 20-plus hours a day. The amount of time inactive declines as they age until it matches that of their mother.

n Fawns begin sampling solid food at 2-3 weeks, increasing their intake exponentially, with solid food becoming especially important after 6 weeks.

n They can walk shortly after birth, but wobbly. They run pretty well at one week, and by 2-3 weeks a human cannot catch them if there is any type of cover.

n Mothers do not go more than a few hundred yards away from the fawn (estimate).

n Males may leave their mom as early as 3-4 months. Doe fawns may be displaced at a year of age when their mom is giving birth to the next litter, but they often remain in the area and rejoin their mother when she allows.

n Spots are lost when the fawn’s winter coat grows out. In South Texas, this is generally during October and completed during November.

Information provided by David Hewitt, Stuart Stedman Chair for White-tailed Deer Research at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.

NominationssoughtforCapstickAwardNominations are being accepted through July 30 for a prestigious award that recognizes sig-

nificant contributions to wildlife and habitat conservation, as well as sustained commitment to the heritage of hunting.

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

“If you’re a hunter, you probably know someone who deserves special recognition for their efforts in conservation. There are thousands of sportsmen, women and organizations playing major roles in keeping America’s wildlife populations strong and habitats healthy. We’d like to hear their stories,” said Ben Carter, DSC executive director.

DSC will present the award during its annual convention and expo, Jan. 3-6, 2013, in Dallas.— DSC

Photo by USFWS


indicate an animal has CWD.Along with New Mexico,

Colorado has been developing a live test on elk by taking tissue samples from the rectal area, and Arizona has also used live testing on several Indian Reservations for the disease.

“The test is for the presence of abnormal prion proteins,” Mower said. “(In a test on dead deer) they take a biopsy of the brain and lymph nodes. We do that also because they are also in the tonsil area.”

Mower said his tests on live deer are fairly accurate, with one test in 15 or 20 coming back as a “no test.”

“That is when we don’t get suf-ficient amount of lymphoid fol-licle to make a good assessment,” Mower said. “But this test could be used on mule deer or white-tailed deer anywhere.”

However, Mower said several factors contribute to his testing not being an overall solution to CWD testing.

“The tonsil test,” he said, “is very expensive. The first cost is in catching and immobilizing a deer and the biopsy tool is very expen-sive. Also, their aren’t too many people out there that can adminis-ter the test. You have to have a cer-tain level of expertise taking the biopsy before it can be viable. You also have to assess the weakness in the “no tests.”

“Another problem with all CWD testing (dead or live) occurs when you have an animal that does pick up the infective agent through oral or nasal means, there is a cer-tain lag time between when the animals is infected and when the abnormal prions start showing up.

“This incubation period gives a little uncertainty.”

Mower said he has conducted tests on live deer for breeders in New Mexico, but the costs were worth it from a study perspective and for the deer owners. And New Mexico law currently does not allow deer to be imported into the state based on the live test.

TPWD does not believe the live deer test is ready to be brought to Texas.

According to Mitch Lockwood, TPWD’s big game leader, the test just isn’t accurate enough for use in Texas.

“There is no live test available,” Lockwood said. “We’ve looked at the tonsil biopsy and the rectal biopsy, but so far, they aren’t look-ing good. The deer in New Mexico exhibited a pretty high mortal-ity rate. We are going to visit the New Mexico Fish and Game later this month to learn more about it, though.

“I’m not sure what high loss means when they talk about the number of deer lost while testing.”

Lockwood said he would wel-come a viable test for live deer.

Texas deer breeders would also welcome a test that can be admin-istered without having to kill their commodity if CWD was detected near their ranch.

“A live test would be great,” said Robert Williams, president of the Texas Deer Breeders Corp.

But Williams thinks all of the talk about CWD is much ado about nothing.

“Several deer breeders have had their deer killed and they haven’t found a spec of CWD,” he said. “I think it is purely a political dis-ease. There are some diseases out there they should be much more concerned about, like bluetongue and EHD

“I bet lightning kills more deer than CWD.”

CWDContinuedFromPage4

PheasantsForeveraddsTexasbiologistPheasants Forever and Quail Forever have announced the hiring of Jordan

Menge as the organization’s newest Farm Bill wildlife biologist. Located at the United States Department of Agriculture Service Center in

Muleshoe, Menge will cover Randall, Deaf Smith, Bailey, Lamb, Swisher, Parmer and Castro counties.

Menge’s primary responsibility will be to work with area landowners, ranch-ers and farmers to implement wildlife habitat conservation measures aimed at increasing lesser prairie-chicken, pheasant, quail and other wildlife populations.

— Pheasants Forever

BighornsdodgelegislativebulletBighorn sheep caught a break when Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho,

chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, withdrew his rider to the 2013 Interior Appropriations Bill.

The amendment would have blocked the Payette National Forest from implement-ing the third and final phase of its management plan to separate bighorn sheep from domestic sheep on 6,800 acres of public land through grazing reductions.

The Payette National Forest management plan was finalized in 2010 and the first phase, which banned domestic sheep from 54,000 acres, took effect this past year. The second wave of closures will have another 7,700 acres closed to grazing this year. In 2013, the final 6,800 acres will go off-line, totaling approximately 68,500 acres of closures.

Simpson proposed the new rider, which specifically mentioned the Payette National Forest and would have not allowed federal agencies to spend money to institute grazing reductions that would be implemented after July 1, 2011. However, he decided to withdraw the amendment so that all interested parties can come to the table to discuss potential solutions.

— Staff report

the other in Van Horn,” said Sean Gray, TPWD’s mule deer and pronghorn pro-gram leader. “It shouldn’t be more than 30 to 45 min-utes for the hunter to travel. We also plan to have other check stations throughout the Trans-Pecos, and those would be voluntary.”

CWD among cervids is a progressive, fatal disease caused by infectious protein agents that commonly results in altered behavior as a result of microscopic changes made to the brain of affected ani-mals. An animal may carry the disease for years without outward indication, but in the latter stages, signs may include listlessness, lowering of the head, weight loss, repetitive

walking in set patterns, and a lack of responsiveness. CWD is not known to affect humans.

“Now that we have detected CWD in Texas, our primary objective is to con-tain this disease,” said Carter Smith, TPWD executive direc-tor. “Working collaboratively with experts in the field, we have developed protocols to address CWD and implemen-tation is already under way.”

There is no vaccine or cure for CWD, but steps have been taken to mini-mize the risk of the disease spreading from beyond the area where it currently exists. For example, trans-porting wild or captive deer, elk, or other susceptible spe-cies will be restricted.

— Craig Nyhus and Conor Harrison contributed to this

report

DetectedContinuedFromPage1

See more at LSONews.com


FISHING

Trout hot and coldUpper coast bite better


Call the fish crazy, but the trout bite has been “on” for many anglers along the upper coast — with anglers along the lower coast not having the same luck.

“They’re going nuts right now,” said Capt. Adam Jaynes of Orange. “They’re busting all over the surface, just going absolutely insane.”

Jaynes has been catch-ing trout all the way from the Sabine River to the short rigs in the Gulf, but he says there are some specific tactics that are necessary for success — tactics other anglers have been curious about.

“It’s just one of those times of the year you can go almost anywhere,” he said. “It matters a whole lot what you’re throw-ing — we’ve had boats around us all day, com-ing onto us within cast-ing distance.”

Jaynes said throwing plastics underneath a pop-ping cork works well this time of year, and many of his bites are also being coaxed with a speckled trout pattern top-water crankbait. Watching the shad and ladyfish helps

locate the trout.The patient angler is

catching the fish right now, Jaynes said.

“Get in there and stay with them to get them to bite,” he said. “It gets going around 9, 10, 11 — the midday bite is incredible.”

Beach City angler

Marvin Murray has also had mid-morning suc-cess out of Trinity and East Bay.

“Those that want to work the elements and stay and be a little more persistent — it’s the difference in an aver-

NICECATCH:Brittany Washburn of Orange caught this 7-pound trout on a lipless crankbait. Photo by Capt. Adam Jaynes.

ByMarkEnglandLone Star outdoor newS

Don’t play favorites when choosing colors for lures, according to scientists contacted by LSON.

Fish don’t.“Fish don’t have the capacity within their

nervous system to form emotional attach-ments to certain colors,” said Dr. Keith Jones, research director at Pure Fishing, which owns Berkley and Abu Garcia. “Are some colors more significant? Colors within their visual spectrum fall into that. But do some colors automatically trigger a feeding frenzy? The answer seems to be no.”

That’s because fish don’t see things the way we do.

While many fish see color, Jones said, how much depends on their types of cone cells, the photosensitive receptor cells in the retina.

“Some catfish have one cone cell: red,” he said. “They can see differences in intensity, but there have to be two or more cone cells to see true color.”

Freshwater game fish such as largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill have two types of cone cells: red and green.

“They don’t have blue cone cells, so their ability to see blue or violet is diminished,” Jones said. “They’re limited mostly to the spec-tral range of red-orange and yellow-green.”

Striped bass, red drum and spotted seatrout have up to three types of cone cells, similar to humans. Their cone cells are dispersed, unlike ours, meaning they excel at seeing move-ment and contrast, not detail. Of the three species, striped bass respond far better to red wavelengths than red drum and spotted seat-rout, according to researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Carp go them one better. They have four types of cone cells.

“The fourth one detects ultraviolet light,” Jones said. “They see things we don’t see. At this point, we don’t know what that is.”

Water depth and sediment can give a fish, no matter how many types of cone cells it has, a dif-ferent view of a bait than what an angler sees.

Colors are quickly absorbed in the water col-umn, said Greg Stunz, a marine biology profes-sor at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Red is the first to go (normally in the range of 30 feet in clear water). Cool col-ors such as blue hold on to their hue longer.

“Fish lose their ability to distinguish color the deeper you go in the water column,” Stunz said. “Everything turns to blue.”

When water gets muddy or heavy with sed-iment, however, red is often the only light spectrum available.

In that case, throwing a red or orange lure at

What colors do fish really see?

Seeing isbelieving

Offshore fishing on the upswing


Recent tropical storms which sat churning in the Gulf have some anglers reeling — in a bad way, that is.

“The storm came through and screwed up the current; the blue water disappeared,” said Port Isabel Capt. Todd Lohry.

“Right now we’re in a rut, waiting for the current to leave and get out of here,” he said.

Lohry said he will go deeper off-shore to try and find better fishing, but most of the fish are scattered.

“The snapper fishing is real good — it’s not a problem catching them with anything you throw down there,” he said. “But the bluewater fish are nonexistent.”

Lohry said he is looking forward to shrimp season to start on July 15, because it will group up the fish and give them a reason to stay in the area.

“It’s just a weather issue right now, but we’ll get through it,” he added.

Up the coast, Gabe Goodman of Corpus Christi has been having better luck fishing out of Port Aransas.

“The fishing is pretty hot,” he said. “There are a lot of sails and blue marlin, with a great white marlin bite early.”

Goodman said he normally targets bill-fish, but has also been catching some good wahoo and a few dorados.

“The bite has improved over the past

month, and should keep on for the next couple of months,” he said.

Goodman has been trolling with both lures and natural bait, and both are working right now.

In Galveston, Cass Coroiescu of Conroe has been looking farther offshore to find the same quality of fishing as previous seasons.

“We’ve been having to run farther to catch the big snapper because of all the big seas,” he said. “It’s good fishing out of Galveston — you just have to run far to get the fish.”

Coroiescu said he could catch good fish within 35 miles of shore last year, but this year even a 50-mile run doesn’t seem to be producing big fish consistently.

“When you fish in closer you get sharks,” he said. “The farther, the better.”

Coroiescu said he regularly catches kings, dorado, grouper and ling. However, he likes targeting big snapper during this time of the year, and will transition to blackfin tuna, amberjack, and billfish within the next few months.

“The smaller the structure, the bigger the

snapper,” he said. “The bigger spots are lit up with fish, but they’re small snappers, and you can’t get the bait down past the lit-tle ones to get the big ones.”

Being willing to move and not being stub-born about wanting to fish one specific spot is one of the most important things, Coroiescu said.

“You can’t have the ‘I’m going to fish here today’ mentality, and that just be it,” he said. “Make moves to catch the fish.”

Capt. Todd Lohry, (956) 299-0444.

Lower coast still feeling affects— other areas

better

MOSQUITOFLEET:July and August offer days for smaller crafts to get offshore. Photo by Erich Schlegel, for LSON.

See SEEING, Page 11 See TROUT, Page 19


Fish deep in the heatByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

When the weather gets hot, bass head for deep water.

That is where Capt. Ray Hanselman has been fishing on Amistad International Reservoir this summer.

“In the main lake, the ledge stuff has been working in 40-50 feet,” he said. “It’s the usual summer pattern right now.”

Hanselman has been drop-shotting plastics and using weedless swimbaits to target deep-water bass.

However, even though a lot of bass are being caught down deep, don’t forget to target bass on the edge of grasslines in shallower water.

“The bluegill spawn is on right now and there are a lot of baby carp up shallow, so there are a decent number of fish in 15 feet or less around grass,” he said. “There is a decent top-water and grass frog bite early.”

Hanselman said the lake is 25-feet low, but is actually fishing better than it was last year when it was full.

“It doesn’t really call for a change of tactics,” Hanselman said. “It hasn’t hurt the fishing. In fact, the lake fishes better when it is lower. It makes better points and it isn’t near as rough.”

Hanselman said he and his clients are catching a lot of fish between 3 and 5 pounds.

Lake Ray Roberts guide Mark Howard has a simple solution to find bass in the summertime heat.

“The water is 91 degrees on the surface,” he said. “When they go deep, go deeper with them.”

As the bass head into the deeper, cooler water, Howard said he likes to fish deeper humps, secondary points and anything with structure. Areas with creek channels or a ditch close can also hold good fish.

“Big fish like access to a real deep hole, real close, in the summer,” he said. “Eighteen feet is shallow for me to fish in the summertime.”

Howard said most fish he is catching are coming from around 28-feet deep on jigs in green pumpkin pattern with a 5-inch trailing grub, and he also has been catch-ing fish on 10-inch blue fleck worms, with a 1/2-ounce to 3/4-ounce weight.

“The bass are absolutely set in their summertime patterns,” he said. “Early morning I’ll catch them in water 15- to 18-feet deep, but they’ll move deeper than that a little later.”

On lakes with a lot of boat docks, target the shade, according to Lake Livingston guide Simon Cosper.

“The boat-dock bite for bass has been good,” Cosper said. “We are flip-ping docks and having a lot of success. Use the heat to your advantage. That heat will concentrate fish in the shade or on deep lake points.”

Cosper said the fishing is actually tougher for him on overcast, cooler days.“On those kind of days the

bait is so scattered,” he said. “When it gets really hot, the bait goes deep or stays in the shade and stacks up. The slab bite works really well then.”

Along with a solid bass bite, Cosper said the white bass and striper action was also good on hot days.

“The fish are sitting on the thermacline,” he said. “The stripers are starting to con-gregate on the south end of the lake and fishing deep humps and points is also working. Keep moving if you aren’t catching fish.

“It’s brutal hot, but you have to love summertime in Texas.”

Ray Hanselman, (830) 317-9942Mark Howard, (940) 367-9553Simon Cosper, (936) 355-2889

HOTBASS:Largemouths are on typical deep summer pattern right now. Photo by LSON.


ALANHENRY: Water lightly stained; 81–88 degrees; 6.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, midday switch-ing to shaky heads, Texas rigs, jigs and drop-shot rigs.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 25.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, top-waters, swimbaits, soft plastics and Texas rigs. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and live perch. Yellow catfi sh are good on juglines baited with live perch.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 80–87 degrees; 9.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, Texas rigs and lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs and Rooster Tails. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared bait.

ATHENS: Water clear, 82–89 degrees; 1.97’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastic crawdads in green pumpkin or black neon. Shad color top-waters — early morning has been effective. The bite is fairly consistent throughout the day. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

BASTROP: Water stained; 86–89 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. Channel and blue cat-fi sh are good on shrimp, minnows and nightcrawlers.

BELTON: Water clear; 84–88 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on dark soft plas-tics in coves early and late.

BOBSANDLIN:Water lightly stained; 84–89 degrees; 3.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medium crankbaits in 4–10 feet. Deep water brush piles are best later in the day. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs over brush piles and mid– to deep–wa-ter stickups. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with scent and nightcrawlers.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on spin-ner baits and dark soft plastic worms in reeds near the jetty. Striped bass are good downrig-ging silver spoons near the jetty and dam. Redfi sh are good down-rigging spoons near the jetty and dam. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on liver, shrimp, and cheesebait near the dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 83–89 degrees; 6.35’ low. Largemouth

bass are good on weightless Soft plastics around deeper docks. Some fi sh being caught on drop-shot rigs with soft plastics in bluegill. White bass are good on slabs.

BROWNWOOD:Water clear; 83–86 degrees; 11.34’ low. Largemouth bass to 4 pounds are excel-lent on redbug and watermelon top-waters, soft plastics, jigs and perch-colored crankbaits along shorelines in 4–6 feet. White bass are good on lipless crankbaits under lights at night. Crappie are excellent on white artifi cials and black/chartreuse tube jigs in 10–15 feet. Channel catfi sh to 3 pounds are good on cut bait over baited holes. Yellow catfi sh to 25 pounds are good on trotlines baited with perch in 5–15 feet.

BUCHANAN:Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 23.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters and Texas-rigged watermelon soft plastics. Striped bass are good on minnows, lipless crankbaits and swim baits. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on goldfi sh and perch upriver.

CALAVERAS:Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on wa-termelon soft plastic worms, spin-ner baits and lipless crankbaits over reed beds. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad along the shoreline. Redfi sh are good on live bait along the crap-pie wall.

CANYONLAKE: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 5.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, lipless crankbaits and watermelon soft plastics along shorelines.

CEDARCREEK:Water lightly stained; 84–89 degrees; 1.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on blue fl eck soft plastics, shaky heads and shallow crankbaits around docks closer to main lake — crankbaits on deeper brush piles effective as well. Some fi sh being caught on artifi cial frogs in black near fl ooded willows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Crappie are good on minnows.

CHOKECANYON: Water clear; 85–88 degrees; 13.53’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits and crankbaits, and watermelon soft plastics.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 84–88

degrees; 2.71’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and white spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows over brush piles. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 83–89 degrees; 1.68’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and cut bait.

FALCON:Water clear; 88–92 degrees; 35.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits off points. Crappie are good on live minnows over rock piles. Channel and blue catfi sh are very good on shrimp and cut bait.

FAYETTE:Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics, spinner baits, and crankbaits off points.

GRANGER: Water clear; 84–88 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on black power worms upriver around shallow stumps. Crappie are good on chartreuse marabou jigs. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 83–89 degrees; 2.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin fi nesse worms Texas-rigged and on shaky heads. Top-waters and crankbaits along main lake points are good early (best bite is in 4–8 feet). Crappie are good on min-nows. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

GREENBELT:Water stained; 81–88 degrees; 37.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on buzzbaits early, midday switching to Carolina rigs, drop-shot rigs and jigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs over brush piles.

HOUSTONCOUNTY: Water clear; 87–91 degrees; 0.08’ low. Largemouth bass to 8 pounds are good on black/blue soft plastic worms along banks in 10 feet. Bream are good on live worms around grass beds. Blue catfi sh are good on juglines baited with perch.

HUBBARDCREEK:79–88 degrees; 15.6’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early and late, midday switching to Texas rigs, jigs, deep diving crankbaits and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and live minnows over brush

piles. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

JOEPOOL:Water clear; 83–88 degrees; 0.66’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin Texas-rigged soft plastics and medium-running crankbaits in 8–10 feet. Early bite is sporadic. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on pre-pared baits.

LAKEO'THEPINES: Water lightly stained; 83–88 degrees; 3.61’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin Carolina-rigged soft plastics and medium-running crankbaits along main lake points. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 83–89 degrees; 1.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms — crankbaits are also productive around riprap. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns.

LBJ:Water clear; 82–86 degrees; 0.43’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and lizards and on char-treuse lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs over brush piles. Chan-nel catfi sh are good on liver and stinkbait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 83–89 degrees; 1.39’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on fi nesse presenta-tions in 10–15 feet along main lake points — key on larger rock along main lake points for best results. Larger isolated rock is best. Catfi sh are good on pre-pared bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 84–88 degrees; 0.20’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs, troll tubes, and pet spoons. Blue catfi sh are good on shad.

MARTINCREEK: Water fairly clear; 83–87 degrees; 4.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin or black neon soft plastics in the fl ooded willows and watermelon jigs and worms in deeper water. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and minnows.

O.H.IVIE: Water stained; 81–89 degrees; 41.55’ low. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits and buzzbaits early and late, midday switching to

Texas rigs, shaky heads, Carolina rigs and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. White bass are good on slabs and Humdingers. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

OAKCREEK: Water stained; 80–87 degrees; 16.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on poppers early and late, midday switching to Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, jigs and spoons. Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Catfi sh are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 84–89 degrees; 0.30’ low. Largemouth bass are good on fi nesse jigs and Texas rigs in hematoma near shal-low cover and docks — best bite is later in the day. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs, artifi cial and live shad. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

POSSUMKINGDOM:Water fairly clear; 80–87 degrees; 6.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on drop-shot rigs, spoons, shaky heads and Texas rigs with a decent early top-water bite. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs over brush piles and around bridge columns. White bass are good on top-water early — mid-day on slabs and tail spinners. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

PROCTOR:Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 1.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on small crankbaits and spinner baits. White bass are good on minnows and shad. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live bait.

RAYHUBBARD: Water clear; 84–89 degrees; 0.64’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics and foot-ball jigs along deeper brush piles. Medium-diving crankbaits along riprap points are catching fi sh. Crappie are good on minnows and Road Runners. White bass are good on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in. Catfi sh are good on prepared baits.

RAYROBERTS: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 0.63’ low. Largemouth bass are good on 12” worms in Montezuma’s Revenge color fi shed near deep drop-offs in 20 –25 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs on COE brush piles. White bass are excellent on

clear artifi cials around school-ing fi sh, with good success on slabs around humps and points in 28–32 feet after the schooling action is over. Catfi sh are good on punch bait over baited holes.

RICHLANDCHAMBERS:Water clear; 83–89 degrees; 0.87’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin fi nesse worms on shaky heads around docks. Carolina-rigged soft plastics and black/blue football jigs around deep brush piles have also been effective. White bass are good on slabs and live shad.

SAMRAYBURN:Water lightly stained; 83–87 degrees; 1.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon spinner baits, crankbaits, and soft plastic worms. Crappie are good on min-nows and pink tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 1.86’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics and small crankbaits. White bass are good on minnows and watermelon jigs. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait, chicken livers, and nightcrawlers.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 84–88 degrees; 1.03’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged black/blue soft plastics and hol-low body frogs around vegetation. White bass are good on slabs. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on 4” to 6” white or shad pattern artifi cial shad in the shallows early then suspending deep during the day — drifting live bait is also producing. Catfi sh are good in deep water drifting cut bait.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 85–89 degrees; 40.92’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse soft plastic worms, white grubs, and small top-waters in 10–20 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp in 20–40 feet.

WHITNEY:Water stained; 84–87 degrees; 1.20’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse lip-less crankbaits and soft plastics. Catfi sh are good on shrimp and live minnows.

—TPWD

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTGoodmorningslabs

LAKE TEXOMA — The stripers are biting, but you need to be at the boat ramp on time, said guide Scott Bridgess.

“They are certainly pretty active in the morning,” he said. “You want to be out there early, because they start shutting off about 10 or 11 a.m.”

White and char-treuse slabs have been reliable and soft plastic shad imitations have also been working.

Top-waters are not as dependable, but can be effective when the fi sh are chasing shad to the surface. Watching for egrets or herons

working over a spot on the lake can give you an idea of where to fi sh on top.

To contact Scott Bridgess, call (903) 624-1315.

CrawdadsandcrappieTOLEDO BEND — The fi sh are cooling

down, but the fi shing is not, said lake guide Scott Covington.

“The bass are kind of hunkered down for summer,” he said. “But it’s really been

pretty good.”Most fi sh are coming between 18 and 28

feet off of main lake points and ridges, with Carolina-rigged soft plastic crawdads in cin-namon purple and watermelon gold patterns,

or green pumpkin on overcast days.

“The better fi sh are deeper, but there are some smaller fi sh shallow,” he said.

Crappie are doing well in the 20-foot depths, and are biting consistently on live minnows.

To contact Scott Covington, call (318) 315-3559.

BitofafunkLAKE FORK — The fi shing has not been as

steady as usual, Lake Fork Lodge owner Kyle Jones said.

“It’s been a funny summer so far, with the biggest problem being a lack of grass,” Jones said.

With the absence of cover and the effectiveness of electronics, Jones

believes the bass are getting overpres-sured, and therefore are fi nicky.

“It’s been spotty,” Jones said. “The fi shing has improved slightly but it’s still hit or miss, with the lake just fi shing real small.”

Finding humps and points that are not as well-known or haven’t been hit as hard is important, he said. Deep-diving crankbaits, jigs and swimbaits have been fair in produc-ing fi sh.

To contact Lake Fork Lodge, call (903) 473-7236.

— John Keith

n SeeSaltwaterfishingreports:Page 18

or green pumpkin on overcast

some smaller fi sh shallow,”

or green pumpkin on overcast or green pumpkin on overcast



Anglers are reporting having to search around to find good redfish action.

Of course, even if you get a fish on the line and bring it up to the boat, you haven’t neces-sarily won.

League City angler Chris Wells was fishing in Dickinson Bayou recently when he hooked into a hard-fighting red and, after a brief struggle, man-aged to pull the fish alongside his kayak.

“Then the bait hit me in the chest, and there was a huge tail flap and a bath for me,” he said.

Besides the saltwater shower, Wells reported slow action until low tide. Then there are certain areas he likes to target as the water level drops.

“One thing I like is a falling tide better than a rising tide,” he said. “I want to key in on cuts and little tributaries in the marsh — fish stage there because they know that when the tide goes out, all the little shrimp and baitfish drain out.”

Wells’ best luck has been on plum-bodied plastic baits with chartreuse paddle tails, along with gold-plated spinner baits. He said conditions this year have shown him better fishing than last summer.

“With the drought last year,

the saline condition of the water was so high, we didn’t have enough freshwater influx,” he said. “We’ve had a phenomenal start of this year — a good balance of rain and saltwater.”

Judd Barron of Beaumont also reported spotty success in the Sabine Lake area as he was out fishing with friends Jim and Cameron Boudreaux of Nederland.

Barron had been fishing the marshes around the lake heav-ily, but, with little to show for it, he ventured onto the main body of the lake to find better fishing, making his way to the boat channel. Once there, he still did not find much luck — until a storm rolled in.

“We were soaked, but the fishing was not good until the rain hit us,” he said.

Barron said even with the bite turning on, getting the reds to take the bait was still tricky.

“We were working our bait real slow because they were being finicky — too slow or too fast wouldn’t get a bite,” he said. “It was 100 percent better in Sabine than in the marsh.”

Houston angler Jason Calhoun said the redfish bite has dropped off for him the past couple of months in the East Galveston Bay marsh, but he is still finding some produc-

tive spots.“All year up until May was

really good as far as redfish, then it kind of died off on us,” he said.

Calhoun said he looks for clear water, bait movement or slicks, and prefers to fish with either white artificial shrimp or live shrimp. Fishing in the marsh can be tricky during the warmer summer months, he said.

“Usually when the marsh

heats up like it has, they’ll start moving out to the bays,” he said. “We covered two, three miles to get three reds — then we found some good, clear water after the wind had laid from the storm, and started nailing the small reds.”

Calhoun said the reds he has been catching seem healthy, but the weather needs to coop-erate for him to start catching big ones.

a largemouth bass could catch on. “If there’s any sediment, the different

color spectrums start disappearing rap-idly,” Jones said. “As long as the bass sees any color at all, it’s going to be red.”

When it comes to color and fish, though, things often aren’t as they appear.

For example, that blood-red lure you’re sure mimics a dying baitfish — don’t be so sure.

“There’s no indication to suggest that fish look at red and associate it with blood,” Jones said. “That’s not to say that red on average can’t be an effective lure. But there is no single, magical color that fish will always respond to. That’s why it’s wise to have different colors in your tackle box.”

If a fish has a favorite color, it’s the color of whatever it’s feeding on, Stunz said.

“Predator fish have what we call a search image of the prey species they’re hunting,” he said. “That could be a cer-tain color in their image. In that case, color could make a difference. We call it ‘match the hatch.’ A redfish feeding on crabs has a different search image than one feeding on mullet.”

Color may help most in just ensuring a fish sees your lure, according to Dr. David McKee, a biology and mariculture profes-sor at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

It can’t catch what it can’t see.“I think you’re more likely to catch

fish using two colors, say a white tail on a red swimming minnow, for instance,” he said. “Fish can see the change in color better.”

One scientist, though, thinks color is sometimes overrated.

“If you put a lure right in front of a bass’ nose and it makes a big splash, I don’t think it matters what color the lure is,” said Dr. Kevin Conway, assistant professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science.

SeeingContinuedFromPage8Picky redfish

Upper coast fishing hit-or-miss

REDFISHINTHEHEAT:Marvin Murray shows off a five-spot red caught in Galves-ton Bay. Photo by David Snell.


WARDENSNEVERREALLYONVACATIONWhile on vacation at a Corpus Christi

beach, Freestone County Game Warden Craig Hernandez witnessed a group of people pull a man from a hotel’s pool. The man’s face was purple and he was not breathing. Hernandez immedi-ately began chest compressions while another female from the hotel began rescue breathing. After five minutes of CPR, the man began to breathe on his own for about 30 seconds and then stopped. Hernandez and the female began CPR again until the fire depart-ment arrived. The man was alive when he was taken by EMS.

TOOMANYBIGFISHBUSTSGUIDE,FISHERMEN

Grayson County Game Warden Dale Moses was patrolling Lake Texoma and checked an Oklahoma fishing guide fishing in Texas waters. When Moses asked the guide how his box of fish was looking, the guide replied, “I’ve got too many, not total, but big fish.” Lake Texoma’s bag limit only allows for two striped bass over 20 inches per fisher-man. There were 16 stripers over 20 inches and only four fishermen. Cases and civil restitution pending.

ROADHOGHUNTERSBAGGEDHouston County Game Warden

Eddie Lehr cited two subjects for criminal trespass and discharge of a firearm from a public road. The sub-jects had killed one hog and caught several small pigs. Cases pending.

SNAPPERVIOLATORSSNAGGEDMultiple Nueces and San Patricio

County game wardens encountered numerous violations that included undersized red snapper, possession of red snapper fillets, undersized trout, over the limit of red snapper and undersized gag grouper. Game Wardens Albert Flores, Lerrin Williams and Saul Aguilar boarded a vessel in the Port Aransas channel in which 24 red snapper were discovered that had already been filleted. Cases pending.

EARLYMORNINGKAYAKRESCUEJust after midnight, Garza/Lynn

County Game Warden Drew Spencer received a call regarding three kay-akers who had not returned to their shoreline campsite at Lake Alan Henry. During water safety patrols the previous day, wardens had seen the kayakers paddling into a cove on the lake. Spencer and Scurry County Game Warden Trey Kram responded and located the subjects, by boat and spotlight, on a remote shoreline of the lake at 3:30 a.m.

MOTORCYCLELEAVESEVERYONE,INCLUDINGPASSENGER,INTHEDUST

Bandera County Game Wardens Mark McQueary and Jeff Carter responded to a call for assis-tance with a motorcycle pursuit in Bandera County that originated in Kerr County. The motorcyclist had been stopped for speeding by a DPS trooper in Kerr County. The driver of the “sport bike” stopped momen-tarily, then decided to leave his passenger with the trooper on the side of the road and headed south towards Bandera County. The motor-cycle was clocked at speeds up to 150 mph on the winding roads in Bandera County. After pursuit by numerous law enforcement officials, the motorcycle was lost. Arrest war-rants were issued for the driver.

RUNNINGAWAYMAYNOTHAVEBEENWISESTCHOICE

Rockwall County Game Warden Clint Brown arrested a Collin County man for BWI. On the way to the marina with the suspect, his boat and his friends, the suspect took off his PFD and dove into the water. Warden Brown called Dallas County Game Warden Martin Oviedo for assistance. The suspect got away, but Brown was still in possession of his boat, his ID and the keys to his truck. Brown had the boat and truck towed. The suspect already had warrants out for his arrest. Cases pending.

WARDENSINRIGHTPLACEATRIGHTTIMEFORRESCUE

Dallas County Game Wardens Martin Oviedo and Jamie Sanchez were crossing Lake Ray Hubbard on I-30 when they noticed a man standing on the causeway waving a long pole. As the wardens were look-ing to see what he was doing, they noticed a sinking boat and people in the water. The wardens stopped and climbed over the concrete barrier, made their way to the edge of the water and retrieved seven people. The boat had taken on water during a sudden severe storm. The boaters were transported back to the boat ramp parking lot.

TOURNAMENTCHEATERSCHARGEDAt the Skeeter Owners Bass

Tournament at Lake Fork, Wood County Game Wardens Derek Spitzer and Kurt Kelley, along with Rains County Game Warden Dewayne Noble, Van Zandt County Game Warden Steve Stapleton and Captain David Modgling worked the two-day event where more than 1,650 anglers entered. Five sub-jects were caught with illegal fish being brought to the weigh-in. Two of the fish had their tails altered or “cut” to make them under the slot of 16 inches; and the other fish, an 8-pounder, was caught on a crappie used as bait. All subjects wrote out and signed vol-untary statements concerning their actions after being questioned by the wardens. Five charges were filed for fraud in a freshwater tournament — a third-degree felony.

CATFISHSNAGGERSNAGGEDAt about 10 p.m., Smith County

Game Warden Chris Swift and Wood County Game Warden Derek Spitzer stopped a jonboat on Lake Palestine. One of the passengers was wet and trying to hide something. Spitzer found a fishing rod with heavy line and a large treble hook. After a short interview, the operator and the wet subject admitted to snagging flat-head catfish. The next day, Swift went to the subject’s house and con-

fiscated four bags of catfish fillets and three large catfish heads. Cases and civil restitution pending.

ASMELLYRETALIATIONA criminal mischief complaint

involving deer poaching was reported to Harris County Game Warden Kevin Malonson. After an altercation between two childhood friends, one of them decided to retaliate against the other by going out in the early morning hours to kill two white-tailed deer. The suspect then cut the deer carcasses open and placed one in the cab of his friend’s truck, while the other was placed on the front porch. Around lunchtime, the deer were discovered. The vultures gave clues as to the carcasses being present. Malonson tracked down the suspect and obtained a written confession.

POORSHOOTINGSAVESONECITATION,NOTOTHERS

Concho County Game Warden Brad Clark was watching a group of hunters who had activated a deer depredation permit. While Clark was watching, a car drove down the highway between Clark and the hunters. The car then slowed down almost directly in front of Clark and fired a single shot and sped off. Clark attempted to catch the vehicle for several miles, but could never get close enough to acti-vate his emergency lights. As the car entered town, Clark watched the vehicle turn off a highway and onto a side street. Clark found the vehicle parked at a residence with two adults and one small child passenger still inside. After a brief denial, the driver admitted to shooting at a road sign with his .357 pistol. A DPS trooper was soon on the scene and, after field sobriety tests, the driver was arrested for DWI with a child, unlawful car-rying of a weapon and disorderly conduct. The driver avoided a crimi-nal mischief charge — he missed the sign. Cases pending.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Game Warden Nichole Spatz was contacted by a Corpus Christi police officer who had seen a headless and finless shark carcass on the beach (later identified as a scalloped hammerhead). Spatz went to Bob Hall Pier, a popu-lar shark-fishing pier, and

interviewed many of the shark fishermen on hand. The investigation produced a name, which led to photos and video on social media sites. It was discovered that the shark had been weighed, but had fallen short of the state record for a scalloped hammer-

head shark with a weight of 243.7 pounds. With the help of Bell County Game Warden Brandt Bernstein, the suspect who caught the shark was contacted and admitted to catching the shark and removing the head. The suspect said he had been feeling guilty and

was expecting a visit from game wardens and had thought about contacting them and turning himself in. The investigation also led to the identity of the individual who disposed of the carcass. Cases pending for waste of game fish and littering on a beach.

SHARKFALLSSHORTOFRECORDBUTBRINGSFINES



Mallard 10.602 9.183 +15 +40

Gadwall 3.586 3.257 +10 +96

Wigeon 2.145 2.084 +3 -17

Green-winged 3.471 2.900 +20 +74

Blue-winged 9.242 8.948 +3 +94

Pintail 3.473 4.429 -22 -14

Shoveler 5.018 4.641 +8 +111

Redhead 1.270 1.356 -6 +89

Canvasback 0.760 0.692 +10 +33

Scaup 5.239 4.319 +21 +4

TOTAL DUCKS 48.575 45.554 +7 +43

Below are complete season dates for dove, teal and early Canada goose:

Dove: North and Central Zones: Sept. 1– Oct. 28 and Dec. 22-Jan. 2.South Zone: Sept. 21-Oct. 28 and Dec. 22-Jan. 22.Daily bag limit: 15 mourning, white-winged or white-tipped doves in the aggregate, to include no more than two white-tipped doves.Shooting hours: Thirty minutes before sun-rise to sunset.

Special White-winged Dove Area: Sept. 1-2, 8-9; Sept. 21-Oct. 28 and Dec. 22-Jan. 18.Daily bag limit: 15 mourning, white-winged

or white-tipped doves in the aggregate, to include no more than two white-tipped doves. During the Sept. 1-2, 8-9 open sea-son, the 15-dove bag limit may include no more than four mourning doves.Shooting hours: Sept. 1-2, 8-9, noon to sun-set. Remainder of season, 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

Teal:Statewide: Sept. 15-30.Daily bag limit: Four teal (blue-winged, green-winged, cinnamon) in the aggregate.Shooting hours: Thirty minutes before sun-rise to sunset.

Early Canada geese:Eastern Goose Zone: Sept. 15-30.Daily bag limit: Three.Shooting hours: Thirty minutes before sun-rise to sunset.

All numbers in millions. LTA is long-term overage. — USFWS

Species 2012 2011 % changefrom 2011

% changefrom LTA

SeasonsContinuedFromPage4

Ducknumbersatall-timehigh



said. “When we are hunting big fish, the winter is the best. But you have to deal with the weather and the sharks. In summer they are there, but they aren’t as aggressive. If you see them, they won’t attack. It’s the ones you don’t see that will get you.

“I know a few people who have been bitten.”One person who has had several close calls with aggressive sharks is Steven Harris.

Harris began spearfishing about four years ago.“I finally figured out how to turn hunting and fishing into the same sport,” Harris said.

“A lot of people don’t understand how good we have it (in Texas). In places like California or Hawaii, they have been doing this for centuries, so spearfishing is tough. Here, there are so many species out there in the Gulf, we are usually limited out by 1 or 2 p.m.”

Harris said he has had run-ins with lots of big sharks.“Last year, I missed the world record blackfin tuna (held by Love) by five pounds. When

I shot the fish, I had more than 300 sharks swimming around,” he said. “The weather is more of a concern than the sharks.

“You have a spear gun, so you are a predator also.”Startup spearfishing guns start at about $400, but could run into the thousands for

heavy-duty offshore rigs. And participants don’t have to be accomplished scuba divers to have success.

“Free divers can still have a lot of success on clear days,” Love said. “On a good day, a free diver can out hunt a scuba diver.”

Harris and Love both see the sport taking off in Texas.“Four years ago, nobody wanted to go,” Harris said. “It’s definitely blown-up now. If

they leave the wells alone in the Gulf, there will always be plenty of fish.”

DeepContinuedFromPage1

SWIMMINGWITHTHEBIGBOYS:Spearfisherman Richard Justice brings a trophy wahoo to the surface after spearing the fish near an offshore rig. Photo by Richard Justice.

us, so it’s surprising to a lot of people — we’ve had some funny reactions,” said Gillespie County Game Warden Scott Krueger. “There will be a look of shock in their eye.”

With the use of a kayak, Krueger can not only keep a lower profile, but areas of a lake or river that are not as accessible can be more easily reached.

“It’s a very effective tool,” he said. “You can get into tight spots you don’t usually get to. You can also find deer camps you didn’t even know about.”

When patrolling from a kayak, Krueger said war-dens still have on their nor-mal uniform and cap, along with a life jacket that iden-tifies them. The kayaks, however, are not marked.

Officers are using kayaks on Bernie Lake, the Llano River, the Guadalupe River and others, Krueger said.

“One time we came around a bend in the river

and a group of kids were drinking under a bridge — we pulled up to them, found out they were under-age and had marijuana.”

If he had been in some-thing other than a kayak, the kids would have hidden everything, Krueger said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Capt. Alan Teague of Kerrville said the implementation of kay-aks was to be able to access areas by water where tradi-tional boats couldn’t go.

“The wardens are hitting areas of the river no one has ever seen, and they may find any number of things we wouldn’t have been able to before,” Teague said.

Teague said wardens generally only use kayaks on nonmotorized lakes or rivers, and there are at least a dozen counties in the Hill Country using them, in addition to some West Texas counties.

“You are more in a stealth mode because you aren’t easily recognized and are paddling with every-one else,” he said. “There’s

no noise given off, so you round the bend and there’s no telling what you’re going to come across.”

The absence of gas and oil costs is another major benefit, Teague said.

Guide Kevin Hutchinson of Bastrop has been checked by a kayaking game warden before while on the Llano River, and said it wasn’t hard for him to recognize the law enforcement officers.

“When fishing, kayakers will intentionally get out of your way, and these guys were making a beeline for us, so it was real obvious.”

Hutchinson said he is glad the wardens are out there patrolling, but is unsure if their goal is to be less noticeable or not.

“If they’re trying to be more stealthy or trying to blend in more,” he said, “then why they are wear-ing game warden polo shirts?

“The part of the river I was on, there was no other way to get there other than a kayak.”

ShrimpseasontostartJuly15

As expected, the Gulf of Mexico com-mercial shrimp season for both state and federal waters will open 30 minutes after sunset Sunday, July 15.

The opening date is based on an evalua-tion of the biological, social and economic information to maximize the benefits to the industry and the public.

In making its determination, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division used the best available

scientific information including samples collected by using trawls and bag seines in TPWD routine data collection.

The purpose of the closed Gulf season is to protect brown shrimp during their major period of emigration from the bays to the Gulf of Mexico until they reach a larger, more valuable size before harvest and to prevent waste caused by the discarding of smaller individuals.

Federal waters (from nine to 200 nauti-cal miles offshore) will open at the same time that state waters will open. The National Marine Fisheries Service chose to adopt rules compatible with those adopted by Texas.

— Staff report

WardensContinuedFromPage1



NORTHSABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics. Redfi sh are good in the marsh on small top-waters and swim baits.

SOUTHSABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad. Trout are good at the jetty on live bait and top-wa-ters. Sheepshead are good on live shrimp tight to the rocks.

BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on artifi -cials and soft plastics. Black drum, sand trout and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITYBAY:Trout are fair for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on scented plas-tics, and artifi cials. Redfi sh

are good on live bait around the reefs. Trout are good at the wells.

EASTGALVESTONBAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on limetreuse and plum plastics. Waders have taken good trout on top-wa-ters on the south shoreline.

WESTGALVESTONBAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live bait over reefs. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Offshore is good for ling, kingfi sh and red snapper.

TEXASCITY:Trout are fair to good on April Fool’s Reef on live shrimp and croakers. Trout are good in the channel

on croakers.

FREEPORT: Trout are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and twitchbaits. Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christ-mas Bay. Offshore is good for red snapper, kingfi sh, ling and dorado.

EASTMATAGORDABAY:Trout are good for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scat-tered shell. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet and in the middle of the bay on live shrimp.

WESTMATAGORDABAY: Trout are good on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and

top-waters. Redfi sh are good on top-waters and live shrimp in Oyster Lake and at Twin Islands.

PORTO'CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are good on top-waters and live bait over sand, grass and shell in San Antonio Bay. Trout and redfi sh are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp. Trout are good in the surf when the wind allows.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in the guts and chan-nels on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Redfi sh are good on the fl ats on shrimp and top-waters.

PORTARANSAS: Trout, redfi sh and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Trout are good in the surf on top-waters and croakers. Offshore is good for kingfi sh and red snapper.

CORPUSCHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live shrimp. Redfi sh are good in the potholes on shrimp. Trout are good on croakers in the sand holes.

BAFFINBAY: Trout are good on top-waters around rocks and grass. Trout are good at night in the Land Cut on live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good at Yarborough Flats on top-waters.

PORTMANSFIELD:Trout are good on top-waters around sand and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting potholes and while anchored with natural baits at East Cut. Offshore is good for red snap-per and kingfi sh.

SOUTHPADRE:Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on live bait in the shallows in South Bay and Mexiquita Flats. Trout, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead are good at the jetty.PORTISABEL: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on the fl ats on live shrimp in Airport Cove and Laguna Vista. Trout are good on the deeper edges and fl ats on top-waters and live shrimp.

— TPWD

Sponsoredby

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORTRedfishreceding

BAFFIN BAY — The effects of the last fall’s red tide outbreak is still being felt by area anglers, said Corpus Christi guide Jon Fails.

“I’m seeing about 10 to 15 percent of the redfi sh I saw last year,” he said. “It’s been very tough — you can fi nd clear water past Baffi n, but in Baffi n the visibility is about 12 inches.”

Fails said the weather conditions have been good, but there is no consistent food source for the fi sh in the bay right now, which has the fi sh moving out.

“The only advantage about it is if you put a shrimp out there, they’re going to hit it,” he said.

To contact Capt. Jon Fails, call (361) 949-0133.

Troutout-bitingredsMATAGORDA BAY — The trout action is overshadow-

ing anything the redfi sh can provide right now, said guide Charlie Paradoski.

“We’re not catching a ton of redfi sh,” he said. “They’ve just been kind of scarce this year. But we’ve been getting the trout every day, and they’ve been outstanding.”

Artifi cial shad has coaxed some bites, but drift-ing with live shrimp in the middle of the bay has most consistently been bringing success, Paradoski said. Wading the reefs has also been working. If there is a lot of bait on the surface in an area, top-waters can be thrown.

“The fi sh are staying in the middle of the bay, and have all year long,” he said.To contact Capt. Charlie Paradoski, call (713) 725-2401.

SeatroutsteadySABINE LAKE — The trout are hungry and biting well, area anglers are reporting.Lipless crankbaits are doing very well on spots where the fi sh are chasing bait on the sur-

face, but the trout are consistently hitting live shrimp across the board, and seems to be the most reliable. Soft plastic mullet, shad or shrimp, especially with chartreuse in the pattern, is also eliciting some bites.

Watching for birds working areas of open water can help fi nd schools of feeding, and less picky, trout. If the schools of shad can be located, the trout are chasing them.

— John Keith

Fails said the weather conditions have been good, but there is Fails said the weather conditions have been good, but there is Fails said the weather conditions have been good, but there is


age day and a very good day,” he said. “The biggest fish we caught was at 10:30.”

Murray’s best luck has been fish-ing the slicks, using soft plastics with chartreuse paddle tails, and he has also been catching a few on croakers and live shrimp.

“Always look and determine which way the fish are moving,” he said. “Ease up, but stay to the side of them with a trolling motor or drift sock and let the wind push them to you. If you cast farther and get the bait away from the boat, you improve opportu-nities on getting on the fish.”

Mason Thomas of Seabrook has had some luck recently fishing the middle of Galveston Bay over shell, and also around the Bolivar area.

“There is a good, aggressive bite right now — when we get hits, they’re solid,” he said. “They com-mit to the bite — there’s none of this finicky, soft bite.”

Thomas has been

using croaker as well as pink soft plastics.

“I’ve been fairly successful,” he said. “I’m steadily picking up 10 trout a trip.”

Down on the lower coast, anglers are still feeling the effects of tropical storm Debby, said Island Outfitters owner Skipper Ray of South Padre Island.

“We have been inundated with high water and high winds the last seven or 10 days,” he said. “We were spanking them before that, on anyway you wanted to fish for them.”

Ray said anglers need the water dumped by Debby to fall before the trout will start going back

to normal. The bites Ray has managed to get are coming off 4-inch white plastic shrimp.

“Debby came through and scat-tered them every-where,” he said. “We’re catching a few, but not like we’re supposed to be doing this time of year.”

TroutContinuedFromPage8

MID-MORNINGBITE:Randy Wheeler didn’t catch this 28-inch trout until 10:30 a.m. Photo by Marvin Murray.


NATIONALLAmansentencedforgatorhunting

Gregory K. Dupont, 38, of Plaquemine, La., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to serve six months in prison, to be followed by four months in a halfway house and two years of supervised release. Dupont was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. Dupont’s sentencing was the first ever felony conviction and prison sentence resulting from the illegal hunting of American alligators in violation of the Lacey Act, the Endangered Species Act and Louisiana law.

Dupont owned and operated Louisiana Hunters Inc., a hunting outfitting company, since 2001. His clients hired him to take them on alligator hunts in Louisiana, and they included out-of-state residents who were required to hunt with a licensed resident alligator hunter. On Feb.10, Dupont pleaded guilty to selling American alligators by provid-ing outfitting and guiding services, knowing the alligators to have been taken illegally, on a hunt in September 2006.

According to court documents, Dupont, in violation of law, guided his clients to places in Louisiana, regardless of whether he had tags for the areas, where he hoped his clients would kill trophy-sized alligators so that they would pay him a trophy fee in addition to the guiding fees.

— Staff report

Berettamayopenstore,rangeonVegasstrip

High-end Italian gun maker Beretta received approval from the Clark County Planning Commission to build a shooting range in The Shoppes at the Palazzo Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas strip.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, paperwork on file with Clark County show Beretta plans to build 25 shooting stations in

two live-fire rifle and pistol ranges and three virtual ranges, as well as gun sales.

“Customers will not be allowed to bring firearms or ammunition from outside the facility for use in the shooting range,” the company said.

The 19,256-square-foot, four-story retail and shooting complex is expected to open later this year.

Other neighboring casinos oppose the Planning Commission’s decision and plan to appeal.

— Staff report

FishinWhiteRiverstressedbylowflows

Due to low flows in the White River, Colorado Parks and Wildlife managers are requesting that anglers fish only during the cooler, early morning hours, or to look for alternative fishing locations that are not as significantly affected by the current climate conditions.

An official, voluntary closure like the one implemented on the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs last week is not currently planned for the White River. Wildlife manag-ers hope to avoid an official closure by asking for voluntary cooperation from local anglers.

“The current situation is very stressful for fish,” said Bill de Vergie, Area Wildlife Manager in Meeker. “We ask the public to help us pro-tect this fishery by honoring our request and avoid it during the hottest part of the day, or perhaps find a cooler, higher-altitude fishery.”

Wildlife officials have observed water tem-peratures approaching dangerous levels for cold-water fish in the White River during the early afternoon and evening. Although water temperatures dip into the 50s overnight, the high daytime temperatures are a source of concern. Under these stressful conditions, hooked fish may experience mortality even if released quickly back into the water.

It could take several years for an affected fishery to fully recover if a significant number

of fish die due to the drought-like conditions. — Staff report

MountainlionattacksCAman

The California Department of Fish and Game has confirmed a mountain lion attacked a 63-year-old man who was camp-ing northwest of Nevada City. The attack occurred in the early morning hours of July 1.

The man was traveling through Nevada County on a planned hiking trip and decided to stop for the night to sleep. He laid a sleep-ing bag out along a tributary to the Yuba River. Approximately 1 a.m., he was attacked in his sleeping bag for what he reported to be between 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. He said the animal attacked, bit and clawed him through his sleeping bag. He said it bit through the cap he was wearing and his clothes. The ani-mal ceased the attack, looked at him from 15 feet away for another 15-30 seconds, then ran into the night. The man drove himself to a hospital in Grass Valley where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and later released.

California has had 15 confirmed mountain lion attacks since 1890.

— CDFG

RMEFsecuresprimeelkhabitatinIdaho

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has completed two projects that permanently pro-tect almost 2,000 acres of prime elk habitat in Idaho.

“We can all appreciate that this property is an important big game winter range for elk and other wildlife,” said Blake Henning, RMEF vice president of lands and conservation.

In the southeast part of the state near Soda Springs, RMEF transferred the remaining por-tion of a 1,657-acre tract of land to Idaho Fish

and Game after acquiring it from the Bingham family in 1991. The transaction adds an additional 907 acres to the now 3,349-acre Georgetown Summit Wildlife Management Area, which features rolling, grassy habitat critical for elk, mule deer and other wildlife, and is open for everyone to enjoy.

The project took more than two decades to complete.

“We are pleased to have worked again with Idaho Fish and Game to ensure protection of this important wildlife habitat,” Henning said.

— RMEF

FishsalvageunderwayonPlatteRiver

The Platte River from the Nebraska Highway 92 bridge at Clarks to its confluence with the Loup River below the U.S. Highway 81 bridge south of Columbus is experiencing a fish die-off due to low water flows and high water temperatures. Several species of fish have been found dead or dying.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will allow the harvest of stranded fish of all species in the designated area by any method, except electricity, explosives, poisons, chemi-cals, other fish toxicants, firearms, and seines or nets other than legal baitfish seines, dip, or landing nets through July 31.

Other legal methods of fishing include snagging, hand fishing, spearing and archery. All daily bag limits will be maintained, but length limits will be rescinded for this area during this period. Salvaged fish cannot be sold or used for stocking purposes into either public or private water bodies.

The extended weather forecast calls for air temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s and limited chances of rain. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will monitor other stretches of the river for fish die-offs.

Anglers are having good success with rod and reel for channel catfish above and below the designated area of the Platte.

— Staff report


HEROESDanaHuminsky, of Plano, took this

mature male lion in the Kalahari, Northwest Territory in South Africa on

May 2, with a 270 WSM.

SHAREANADVENTUREn Wanttosharehuntingandfishingphotoswithother Lone Star Outdoor Newsreaders?E-mail them with contact and caption infor-mation to [email protected]. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.

JoshuaChilders caught this 8.17-pound hybrid in Lake Ray Hub-bard on a chartreuse and white slab in June.

JavierMaldonado caught this nice wahoo 50 miles

from the coast in 200-feet of water.

Eighteen-year-old KayleighWright of New Braunfels caught this nice red on a recent trip to the Lower Laguna Madre with her dad, Darby.

RyanElrodholds his nice amberjack caught 65

miles off Corpus Christi on the Fish and Fun II.

The big fish was caught in 225-feet of water.

TonySum, of Harlingen, shot his first buck on Dec. 17, 2011. It was taken on La Oveja Ranch in El Sauz, Texas using a .243.


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HUNTER’S DREAMBeautiful 517 acre High-Fenced and cross-fenced Hill CountryRanch in Kimble county. Game managed with abundant oaks.Paved county road frontage. 2 wells, stock tank, 3 bedroom /2 bath home, 2nd camp site with water / electric andtelephone. Will con-sider dividing. $2,850/acre. [email protected]

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has upgraded its popular line of single blade, two-blade and three-blade Kodiak knives. No matter what animal the hunter is fi eld-dressing, one of these knives will do the job. The two-

has upgraded its popular line of single blade, two-blade and three-blade Kodiak knives. No matter what animal the hunter is fi eld-dressing, one of these knives will do the job. The two-


(800)333-3288(800)333-3288www.browning.com


(800)333-3288

KODIAKKNIVES:knives. No matter what animal the hunter is fi eld-dressing, one of these knives will do the job. The two-

and three-blade models feature a new gut hook that tucks inside the handle frame to get it out of the way when using the main blade. The hook also has a larger throat to keep the hide from bunching up for a cleaner cut. The multi-blade knives incor-

porate two different blade-locking systems: a button liner-lock and a lockback to more securely lock the blades. The three-blade model also has a saw. The knives


1-2-3AEROSOLCLEANERS:BirchwoodCasey’s aerosol value pack will help clean and protect fi rearms in three simple steps: First, use the Bore Scrubber to clean out lead and copper fouling, pow-der residue, and plastic wad residue from the barrel. Next, spray on the Gun Scrubber solution to remove dirt and powder from all the gun’s components. Finally, fi nish with the Barricade spray to remove light surface rust and to protect all metal parts from rust. The pack of three 10-ounce sprays sells for about $23.

(800)328-6156www.birchwoodcasey.com

SPOT-ONLASERBOWFISHASSASSIN:Clean-ShotArchery has introduced a broadhead with advanced laser technology for bow fi shermen. The Assassin

features an internal laser beam that automatically activates when the archer comes to full draw. This Fish Point has a line of sight out to 60 feet that allows the archer to simply put the laser dot directly on the fi sh without the need to estimate the depth of the fi sh due to the refraction of light in water. It works especially well in low light

conditions. The broadhead features quick release barbs for easy removal from the fi sh. For bigger fi sh or gators,

the company also makes the Bowfi sh Assassin Pro Series, which has a longer barb and a larger tip.

The Bowfi sh Assassin sells for about $50 while the Pro Series model costs about $70.

(800)242-9023www.clean-shot.com

>>

SPOT-ONLASERBOWFISHASSASSIN:broadhead with advanced laser technology for bow fi shermen. The Assassin






SPOT-ONLASERBOWFISHASSASSIN:Clean-ShotArcherybroadhead with advanced laser technology for bow fi shermen. The Assassin






Clean-ShotArchery has introduced a broadhead with advanced laser technology for bow fi shermen. The Assassin



Clean-ShotArchery has introduced a broadhead with advanced laser technology for bow fi shermen. The Assassin



X-2COUNTDOWN:ABT’s deep-diving “Next Generation

Series” crankbait will dive as deep as 40 feet using a traditional

countdown cast-rip-pause and slow crank retrieve technique. The company credits the

bait’s innovative design for its diving prowess. “No gimmicks or borderline illegal fi shing methods are needed with the X-2 Countdown” says its inventor

Allen Borden, who engineered the lure to dive deep with little resistance so that angler strain and fatigue are greatly reduced. This crankbait comes in two versions: a silent lure and

one with a rattling sound chamber version. Available in a variety of true-to-life colors, the crankbait replicates the look and frantic swimming action of fl ee-

ing prey. Each X-2 is equipped with strong, laser-sharp hooks. The 2.75-inch crankbait sells for about $10.

(877)228-5873www.abtlures.com

>>

>>

>> >>

FLIPMAXJIG:Lonnie Stanley is known for meeting the needs of anglers and his FlipMax jig is a prime example. Stanley

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CevichegoodanywhereImagine you are sitting on a deep-sea fishing

boat and have just drug a nice red snapper, mahi mahi, ling or red drum from the blue waters. And you’re hungry.

A great summer meal on the boat, dock or deck is just a few steps away and requires minimal effort and no cooking.

Ceviche’s origins are debated, but many historians believe it started in the coastal regions of Western Europe or South or Central America.

Ceviche is made by tak-ing raw fish and “cooking” them in citrus — lemon works best, but limes and even oranges work, accord-ing to Dallas seafood chef Carlos Capistran.

Carlos said the best cevi-che is made from the fillets of any commonly found Texas white fish.

His recipe is simple: the

fish, the vegetables and the lemon juice.First, cut up several tomatoes. The size of

the chunks is a personal decision. Next, do the same to a red or sweet onion and several avacados. Finely cut cilantro to taste before adding the cubed fish fillets.

You can add a chopped jalapeno or Serrano pepper if you want a little heat.

Once the mixture is in a bowl (or even on top of a cutting board if sitting on the deck of a boat), squeeze several lemons onto the mixture, being careful to remove the seeds as they are squeezed out.

If you like sushi, you can eat the mixture right then and there, but Carlos recom-mends a two-hour wait for the fish to be fully cooked by the acid in the citrus.

Grab a cold drink, a few corn chips to dip and enjoy a refreshing, cool meal.

— Staff report

COLORFULFEAST:Bringing a few veg-etables onto an offshore boating trip can pay dividends when you catch a fish. Just throw the mixture together, add lemons and kick back for a few hours. Photos by LSON.

Cabela’sholdsmilliondollarfishpromotion

Who ever thought catching a fish could make you a mil-lionaire?

Cabela’s summer con-test, Wanna’ Go Fishing For Millions?, ran from May 5 to July 8.

The nationwide promo-tion included the release of tagged fish across 19 states.

Six Texas lakes had tagged fish placed in them, includ-ing Lake Nasworthy, Canyon Lake, Eagle Mountain Lake, Lake Fork, Lake Travis, and Lake Ray Roberts, accord-ing to Emily Dietman, event

and marketing manager for Cabela’s. A total of 67 tagged fish were released in the

six Texas lakes, with 4,000 Texas anglers signing up for the competition, and seven of them catching tagged fish.

One of the tagged fish released in a national lake was worth $1 million, and if the angler had downloaded the Cabela’s Recon Fish app on their smartphone before the catch, the prize was dou-bled to a $2 million payout.

Species of fish released included largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, white bass, striped bass, perch, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, walleye, crappie, wiper, bluegill and channel catfish.

— Staff report

MIGHTBEAMILLION:Cabela’s pro-staffer Clark Wendlandt helped tag fish in Lake Travis for this year’s contest. Photo by Cabela’s.

Mr. SpottyNearly 1,000 spots adorn

angler’s catchByJohnKeithLone Star outdoor newS

You could say the red drum fishing was spot-on for this angler.

Henry Perdue, of Willis, was fishing with Bolivar Guide Service in East Galveston Bay when he hooked into a fish that had him scratching his head.

“We couldn’t figure it out,” Perdue said. “We could tell it was a bull red because it was in a big school of 500 to 1,000 reds, but it just looked almost black.”

Perdue said his two previous casts had elicited bites, using a pearl white split-tail mullet with a green tail, but both fish had shaken off the hook before they got all the way to the boat.

“I’d cast out, get a bite, and the hook would come off,” he said.

When Perdue saw the strange markings on the fish, he knew letting the fish off the hook before it got to the boat was not an option.

“The guide made it clear — we needed to get it in,” he said.

The hook stayed set, and the 37-inch redfish was successfully landed, where every-one on board the boat could see the hun-dreds of spots that made the fish look black in the water. Perdue said it took a minute for the uniqueness of the catch to set in.

“My first thought was to put it back and let it go, but everybody said I had to get it mounted — I knew I’d kick myself later if I didn’t,” he said.

Captain Jim West was guiding the trip, and was just as surprised as Perdue when the fish was brought up.

“It’s very unique, very unusual,” West said. “It’s mind-boggling.”

West has been guiding for 35 years full-time, and had never seen another fish like it. He said catching it was by pure chance.

“There were over 1,000 fish — just a big ball of reds,” he said. “It was just luck of the draw to catch that one.”

West said there is no way to say for sure how many spots are technically on the fish, because some seem to touch or be connected.

“Some of the spots almost look like a chain-link fence at the top,” he said. “I counted over 470 spots on one side, and the other side is identical.”

According to Megan Robillard, researcher at the Harte Institute of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, there is no solid data on what would cause the increased spots.

“It’s probably just a neat thing of nature — a weird genetic mix,” she said. “Every once in a while you’ll catch one with four, five, or six spots — but to catch one with hundreds is very weird. I would say it’s very rare.”

Robillard said she sees redfish with a higher-than-average number of spots pop up every four to five years, but Perdue’s fish has the most spots she has ever seen.

SPOTTYFISHING:Henry Perdue, of Willis, was surprised when he pulled in this redfish that displayed almost 1,000 spots. Photo by Jim Harred.


LONE STAR MARKET

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


ADVERTISEMENT

Hunters, anglers and outdoorsmen get ready.The 22nd Annual Texas Hunters & Sports-

man’s Expo is coming back to the new McAl-len Convention Center July 20-22.

After record-setting attendance each of the past three years, this year’s show is once again expected to set attendance records.

“We have had solid crowds over the past 21 years and the show’s attendance continues to grow each year,” said show co-director Chris Curl. “This three-day weekend event is expected to draw several thousand hunting and fishing enthusiasts and visitors from both sides of the border.”

Exhibits for everyone, includ-ing women and children, and all types of retailers representing all price levels will be on hand for attendees to check out.

Want to go on a great hunt? The Texas Hunters & Sports-man’s Expo is recognized as the highest-quality hunting and fishing show in South Texas, with outfitters from across the United States, Cana-da, Mexico and Africa booking hunts for white-tailed deer, big game, exotics, bear, moose, elk, mule deer, turkey, quail, dove and waterfowl.

Is fishing more your thing? Come and speak with trophy guides for bass and saltwater game fish. Also, a huge display of boats, mo-tors, rods, reels, fishing lights, tackle and more are waiting for you this year.

Manufacturers and dealers will also be on-hand offering special show prices on hunting blinds, ATVs, camouflage clothing, ranching equipment, tractors, hunting accessories, sup-plies and more.

“This is a show the whole family can enjoy,” said show co-director Justin Curl. “There is something here for everyone — wildlife art,

hand-crafted rustic furniture, barbecue pits, smoked meats, gourmet foods and jewelry are just a few of the exhibits and attractions. Another crowd-pleasing favorite is the free samples of wild game barbecue and Pan de Campo that are handed out to visitors through-out the weekend.”

Other features include:• World-class whitetail taxidermy display by

Los Cuernos Taxidermy• Trophy exotic exhibit by La Coma Ranch, Inc.• McAllen Motorsports will be on hand with a

large display • Hourly giveaways, including hunting trips,

gear and more• CCA boat raffle

Children under 12 get in free! Door prizes and giveaways could make anyone a winner.

“In a nutshell, this show is designed for the sportsman and his family by sportsmen who know what they want,” Curl said. “This is the type of show people can attend and leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

“It’s all under one roof … A sportsman’s paradise.”

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

Sportsman's Expo bigger and better


LastJuly 11

NewJuly 19

Solunar|Suntimes|MoontimesMoonPhases

FORTHETABLEOUTDOORPUZZLER|By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen SolutiononPage30

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

SunMoonTides| |

1 1/2 lbs. venison, cubed1 onion, chopped1 green pepper, diced1/2 lb. mushrooms1/2 stick of butter1 tsp. garlic saltPepper Salt1 package frozen Chinese vegetables8 oz. can brown gravy2 tsps. soy sauceCooked rice

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms and simmer until soft. Add the venison, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Stir together. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables, gravy and soy sauce. Mix together. Cover and simmer another 30 min-utes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve over rice.

— backwoodsbound.com

Gently cook the fi sh in 3 tbsps. of butter. Add enough water to cover the fi sh and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain water and set fi sh aside. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the corn fl akes and cheese.

Mix well and fold in fi sh. Place into a buttered casserole dish and evenly top with corn fl akes. Sprinkle on the cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 min-utes. Remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes.

— easyfi shrecipes.com

Casserolea’labluegill

FullAugust 2First

July 26TexasCoastTidesSabinePass,jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 3:13 AM 2.2H 6:13 PM -0.4LJuly 14 3:35 AM 2.3H 6:47 PM -0.5LJuly 15 3:54 AM 2.3H 7:21 PM -0.6LJuly 16 4:12 AM 2.3H 7:54 PM -0.7LJuly 17 4:33 AM 2.3H 8:59 AM 2.1L 11:40 AM 2.2H 8:26 PM -0.7LJuly 18 4:55 AM 2.3H 9:05 AM 2.1L 12:32 PM 2.2H 8:58 PM -0.6LJuly 19 5:18 AM 2.3H 9:35 AM 2.0L 1:23 PM 2.1H 9:31 PM -0.5LJuly 20 5:42 AM 2.3H 10:14 AM 1.8L 2:21 PM 2.0H 10:05 PM -0.3LJuly 21 6:04 AM 2.2H 11:00 AM 1.6L 3:31 PM 1.8H 10:40 PM 0.0LJuly 22 6:24 AM 2.2H 11:50 AM 1.3L 5:00 PM 1.7H 11:16 PM 0.4LJuly 23 6:42 AM 2.1H 12:44 PM 0.9L 6:48 PM 1.6H 11:55 PM 0.8LJuly 24 6:56 AM 2.1H 1:41 PM 0.5L 8:48 PM 1.6HJuly 25 12:37 AM 1.3L 7:09 AM 2.1H 2:40 PM 0.1L 10:52 PM 1.9HJuly 26 1:26 AM 1.8L 7:20 AM 2.2H 3:40 PM -0.3LJuly 27 12:44 AM 2.2H 2:47 AM 2.2L 7:31 AM 2.3H 4:40 PM -0.6L

GalvestonBayentrance,southjettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 4:00 AM 1.7H 6:39 PM -0.3LJuly 14 4:22 AM 1.8H 7:13 PM -0.4LJuly 15 4:41 AM 1.9H 7:47 PM -0.5LJuly 16 4:59 AM 1.9H 8:20 PM -0.5LJuly 17 5:20 AM 1.9H 9:25 AM 1.7L 12:27 PM 1.7H 8:52 PM -0.5LJuly 18 5:42 AM 1.9H 9:31 AM 1.7L 1:19 PM 1.7H 9:24 PM -0.5LJuly 19 6:05 AM 1.9H 10:01 AM 1.6L 2:10 PM 1.7H 9:57 PM -0.4 LJuly 20 6:29 AM 1.8H 10:40 AM 1.4L 3:08 PM 1.6H 10:31 PM -0.2LJuly 21 6:51 AM 1.8H 11:26 AM 1.3L 4:18 PM 1.5H 11:06 PM 0.0LJuly 22 7:11 AM 1.7H 12:16 PM 1.0L 5:47 PM 1.3H 11:42 PM 0.3LJuly 23 7:29 AM 1.7H 1:10 PM 0.7L 7:35 PM 1.3HJuly 24 12:21 AM 0.7L 7:43 AM 1.7H 2:07 PM 0.4L 9:35 PM 1.3HJuly 25 1:03 AM 1.1L 7:56 AM 1.7H 3:06 PM 0.1L 11:39 PM 1.5HJuly 26 1:52 AM 1.4L 8:07 AM 1.7H 4:06 PM -0.2LJuly 27 1:31 AM 1.7H 3:13 AM 1.7L 8:18 AM 1.8H 5:06 PM -0.5L

SanLuisPassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height July 13 4:30 AM 1.0H 7:35 PM -0.2LJuly 14 4:52 AM 1.1H 8:09 PM -0.2LJuly 15 5:11 AM 1.1H 8:43 PM -0.3LJuly 16 5:29 AM 1.1H 9:16 PM -0.3LJuly 17 5:50 AM 1.1H 10:21 AM 1.0L 12:57 PM 1.0H 9:48 PM -0.3LJuly 18 6:12 AM 1.1H 10:27 AM 1.0L 1:49 PM 1.0H 10:20 PM -0.3LJuly 19 6:35 AM 1.1H 10:57 AM 0.9L 2:40 PM 1.0H 10:53 PM -0.2LJuly 20 6:59 AM 1.1H 11:36 AM 0.9L 3:38 PM 1.0H 11:27 PM -0.1LJuly 21 7:21 AM 1.1H 12:22 PM 0.8L 4:48 PM 0.9HJuly 22 12:02 AM 0.0L 7:41 AM 1.0H 1:12 PM 0.6L 6:17 PM 0.8HJuly 23 12:38 AM 0.2L 7:59 AM 1.0H 2:06 PM 0.4L 8:05 PM 0.8HJuly 24 1:17 AM 0.4L 8:13 AM 1.0H 3:03 PM 0.2L 10:05 PM 0.8 HJuly 25 1:59 AM 0.6L 8:26 AM 1.0H 4:02 PM 0.0LJuly 26 12:09 AM 0.9H 2:48 AM 0.9L 8:37 AM 1.0H 5:02 PM -0.1LJuly 27 2:01 AM 1.1H 4:09 AM 1.0L 8:48 AM 1.1H 6:02 PM -0.3L

FreeportHarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 3:04 AM 1.5H 6:29 PM -0.2LJuly 14 3:42 AM 1.6H 7:10 PM -0.3LJuly 15 4:14 AM 1.7H 7:50 PM -0.3LJuly 16 4:44 AM 1.7H 8:27 PM -0.4LJuly 17 5:11 AM 1.7H 9:01 PM -0.4LJuly 18 5:36 AM 1.7H 9:34 PM -0.3LJuly 19 5:58 AM 1.7H 10:08 PM -0.3LJuly 20 6:19 AM 1.6H 10:42 PM -0.1LJuly 21 6:40 AM 1.6H 1:22 PM 0.9L 4:30 PM 1.0H 11:20 PM 0.0LJuly 22 6:59 AM 1.5H 1:27 PM 0.8L 5:56 PM 1.0HJuly 23 12:01 AM 0.3L 7:18 AM 1.4H 1:48 PM 0.6L 7:29 PM 1.0 HJuly 24 12:50 AM 0.5L 7:35 AM 1.3H 2:23 PM 0.3L 9:10 PM 1.1HJuly 25 1:51 AM 0.8L 7:49 AM 1.2H 3:08 PM 0.1L 10:59 PM 1.3HJuly 26 3:40 AM 1.1L 7:54 AM 1.2H 4:02 PM -0.1LJuly 27 12:44 AM 1.5H 5:01 PM -0.3L

SouthPadreIslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 4:16 AM 1.1H 6:12 PM -0.3LJuly 14 4:43 AM 1.2H 6:54 PM -0.4LJuly 15 5:13 AM 1.3H 7:34 PM -0.5LJuly 16 5:41 AM 1.3H 8:11 PM -0.5LJuly 17 6:05 AM 1.4H 8:45 PM -0.5LJuly 18 6:24 AM 1.4H 9:19 PM -0.5LJuly 19 6:38 AM 1.4H 9:54 PM -0.4LJuly 20 6:49 AM 1.3H 10:31 PM -0.3LJuly 21 6:57 AM 1.2H 12:24 PM 1.0L 2:49 PM 1.0H 11:09 PM -0.1LJuly 22 7:01 AM 1.1H 12:42 PM 0.7L 4:38 PM 0.9H 11:50 PM 0.1LJuly 23 7:01 AM 1.0H 1:14 PM 0.5L 6:36 PM 0.8HJuly 24 12:34 AM 0.4L 6:57 AM 1.0H 1:56 PM 0.2L 8:57 PM 0.8 HJuly 25 1:22 AM 0.7L 6:47 AM 0.9H 2:46 PM -0.1L 11:51 PM 1.0 HJuly 26 2:20 AM 0.9L 6:24 AM 1.0H 3:43 PM -0.4LJuly 27 2:20 AM 1.2H 4:42 PM -0.6L

PortO’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 9:16 AM 0.5H 8:39 PM -0.3LJuly 14 9:20 AM 0.5H 9:22 PM -0.3LJuly 15 9:37 AM 0.5H 10:09 PM -0.4LJuly 16 10:06 AM 0.6H 10:56 PM -0.4LJuly 17 10:39 AM 0.6H 11:42 PM -0.4LJuly 18 11:07 AM 0.5HJuly 19 12:23 AM -0.4L 11:17 AM 0.5HJuly 20 12:59 AM -0.3L 11:15 AM 0.4HJuly 21 1:31 AM -0.2L 11:16 AM 0.4HJuly 22 1:59 AM -0.1L 10:49 AM 0.3HJuly 23 2:22 AM 0.0L 9:29 AM 0.3H 4:27 PM 0.1L 9:35 PM 0.2 HJuly 24 2:25 AM 0.1L 8:48 AM 0.3H 4:57 PM 0.0LJuly 25 8:15 AM 0.4H 5:37 PM -0.2LJuly 26 8:11 AM 0.5H 6:27 PM -0.3LJuly 27 8:15 AM 0.6H 7:25 PM -0.3L

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 11:28 AM 0.2H 9:36 PM -0.1LJuly 14 12:08 PM 0.2H 10:24 PM -0.1LJuly 15 12:53 PM 0.2H 11:12 PM -0.1LJuly 16 1:39 PM 0.2H 11:58 PM -0.1LJuly 17 2:22 PM 0.2HJuly 18 12:40 AM -0.1L 3:01 PM 0.2HJuly 19 1:18 AM -0.1L 3:37 PM 0.2HJuly 20 1:52 AM -0.1L 4:13 PM 0.2HJuly 21 2:21 AM -0.1L 4:56 PM 0.1HJuly 22 2:45 AM -0.1L 11:16 AM 0.1H 4:37 PM 0.1L 6:56 PM 0.1HJuly 23 2:57 AM 0.0L 10:25 AM 0.1H 5:34 PM 0.0L 10:51 PM 0.0HJuly 24 2:25 AM 0.0L 9:54 AM 0.1H 6:18 PM 0.0LJuly 25 9:38 AM 0.2H 7:04 PM -0.1LJuly 26 9:44 AM 0.2H 7:54 PM -0.1LJuly 27 10:13 AM 0.2H 8:47 PM -0.2L

Houston2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJul-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets13 Fri 1:27 7:39 1:51 8:02 06:29 08:23 2:04a 3:57p 14 Sat 2:09 8:21 2:33 8:46 06:30 08:22 2:45a 4:49p 15 Sun 2:52 9:05 3:17 9:29 06:30 08:22 3:30a 5:40p 16 Mon 3:37 9:49 4:02 10:14 06:31 08:22 4:19a 6:29p 17 Tue > 4:23 10:35 4:48 11:00 06:31 08:21 5:12a 7:15p 18 Wed N 5:10 11:23 5:35 11:47 06:32 08:21 6:07a 7:58p 19 Thu > 5:59 ----- 6:24 12:36 06:32 08:21 7:04a 8:38p 20 Fri > 6:50 12:38 7:13 1:02 06:33 08:20 8:02a 9:16p 21 Sat > 7:41 1:29 8:05 1:53 06:33 08:20 9:00a 9:51p 22 Sun 8:34 2:22 8:57 2:46 06:34 08:19 9:59a 10:27p 23 Mon 9:27 3:15 9:51 3:39 06:35 08:19 10:59a 11:03p 24 Tue 10:21 4:09 10:46 4:34 06:35 08:18 12:00p 11:42p 25 Wed 11:16 5:03 11:42 5:29 06:36 08:18 1:03p NoMoon 26 Thu Q ----- 5:57 12:11 6:25 06:36 08:17 2:08p 12:24a 27 Fri 12:37 6:51 1:06 7:20 06:37 08:16 3:13p 1:10a 28 Sat 1:31 7:46 2:01 8:15 06:37 08:16 4:18p 2:02a 29 Sun 2:25 8:40 2:55 9:10 06:38 08:15 5:19p 2:59a 30 Mon 3:18 9:33 3:48 10:03 06:39 08:15 6:14p 4:01a 31 Tue 4:12 10:26 4:41 10:55 06:39 08:14 7:05p 5:05a 01 Wed > 5:05 11:19 5:33 11:46 06:40 08:13 7:49p 6:10a

PortAransas,H.CaldwellPierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJuly 13 3:20 AM 1.4H 6:05 PM -0.2LJuly 14 4:01 AM 1.5H 6:50 PM -0.3LJuly 15 4:37 AM 1.6H 7:32 PM -0.5LJuly 16 5:09 AM 1.6H 8:10 PM -0.5LJuly 17 5:36 AM 1.6H 8:46 PM -0.6LJuly 18 5:58 AM 1.5H 9:21 PM -0.6LJuly 19 6:16 AM 1.5H 9:55 PM -0.5LJuly 20 6:31 AM 1.4H 10:31 PM -0.4LJuly 21 6:44 AM 1.4H 12:32 PM 0.9L 3:22 PM 1.0H 11:08 PM -0.1LJuly 22 6:54 AM 1.3H 12:54 PM 0.8L 5:05 PM 1.0H 11:47 PM 0.2LJuly 23 7:01 AM 1.3H 1:27 PM 0.6L 7:02 PM 1.0HJuly 24 12:30 AM 0.6L 7:02 AM 1.3H 2:09 PM 0.4L 9:24 PM 1.1HJuly 25 1:18 AM 1.0L 6:57 AM 1.4H 2:57 PM 0.1LJuly 26 12:12 AM 1.4H 2:33 AM 1.4L 6:35 AM 1.5H 3:52 PM -0.1LJuly 27 2:02 AM 1.7H 4:50 PM -0.3L

SanAntonio2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJul-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets13 Fri 1:40 7:52 2:03 8:15 06:42 08:35 2:17a 4:09p 14 Sat 2:22 8:34 2:46 8:58 06:43 08:34 2:59a 5:01p 15 Sun 3:05 9:17 3:30 9:42 06:43 08:34 3:44a 5:52p 16 Mon 3:49 10:02 4:14 10:27 06:44 08:34 4:33a 6:41p 17 Tue > 4:35 10:48 5:00 11:13 06:44 08:33 5:25a 7:28p 18 Wed N 5:23 11:35 5:47 12:00 06:45 08:33 6:20a 8:11p 19 Thu > 6:12 ----- 6:36 12:48 06:45 08:32 7:17a 8:51p 20 Fri > 7:02 12:50 7:26 1:14 06:46 08:32 8:15a 9:28p 21 Sat > 7:54 1:42 8:17 2:05 06:47 08:32 9:14a 10:04p 22 Sun 8:46 2:34 9:10 2:58 06:47 08:31 10:12a 10:40p 23 Mon 9:40 3:28 10:04 3:52 06:48 08:31 11:12a 11:16p 24 Tue 10:34 4:21 10:59 4:46 06:48 08:30 12:13p 11:55p 25 Wed 11:28 5:15 11:55 5:41 06:49 08:30 1:16p NoMoon 26 Thu Q ----- 6:09 12:23 6:37 06:49 08:29 2:21p 12:37a 27 Fri 12:49 7:04 1:18 7:33 06:50 08:28 3:26p 1:24a 28 Sat 1:43 7:58 2:13 8:28 06:51 08:28 4:30p 2:16a 29 Sun 2:37 8:52 3:07 9:22 06:51 08:27 5:31p 3:13a 30 Mon 3:31 9:46 4:01 10:16 06:52 08:26 6:27p 4:15a 31 Tue 4:25 10:39 4:53 11:08 06:52 08:26 7:17p 5:19a 01 Wed > 5:18 11:32 5:45 11:59 06:53 08:25 8:02p 6:23a

Amarillo2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJul-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets13 Fri 1:53 8:05 2:17 8:28 06:42 09:01 2:20a 4:35p 14 Sat 2:35 8:47 2:59 9:11 06:43 09:01 3:00a 5:28p 15 Sun 3:18 9:31 3:43 9:55 06:44 09:00 3:45a 6:20p 16 Mon 4:03 10:15 4:28 10:40 06:44 09:00 4:33a 7:08p 17 Tue > 4:49 11:01 5:14 11:26 06:45 08:59 5:26a 7:53p 18 Wed N 5:36 11:48 6:01 12:13 06:45 08:59 6:23a 8:35p 19 Thu > 6:25 ----- 6:49 1:02 06:46 08:58 7:22a 9:12p 20 Fri > 7:15 1:04 7:39 1:27 06:47 08:58 8:22a 9:47p 21 Sat > 8:07 1:55 8:31 2:19 06:48 08:57 9:23a 10:21p 22 Sun 9:00 2:48 9:23 3:11 06:48 08:57 10:25a 10:53p 23 Mon 9:53 3:41 10:17 4:05 06:49 08:56 11:27a 11:27p 24 Tue 10:47 4:35 11:12 5:00 06:50 08:55 12:32p NoMoon 25 Wed 11:42 5:29 ----- 5:55 06:50 08:55 1:37p 12:03a 26 Thu Q 12:13 6:23 12:37 6:50 06:51 08:54 2:45p 12:42a 27 Fri 1:03 7:17 1:32 7:46 06:52 08:53 3:52p 1:26a 28 Sat 1:57 8:12 2:26 8:41 06:53 08:52 4:57p 2:17a 29 Sun 2:50 9:06 3:21 9:36 06:53 08:52 5:58p 3:14a 30 Mon 3:44 9:59 4:14 10:29 06:54 08:51 6:53p 4:15a 31 Tue 4:38 10:52 5:07 11:21 06:55 08:50 7:41p 5:21a 01 Wed > 5:31 11:45 5:59 ----- 06:56 08:49 8:24p 6:27a

Dallas2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJul-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets13 Fri 1:33 7:45 1:56 8:08 06:27 08:35 2:04a 4:09p 14 Sat 2:15 8:27 2:39 8:51 06:28 08:35 2:44a 5:02p 15 Sun 2:58 9:10 3:23 9:35 06:29 08:35 3:29a 5:53p 16 Mon 3:42 9:55 4:07 10:20 06:29 08:34 4:18a 6:42p 17 Tue > 4:28 10:41 4:53 11:06 06:30 08:34 5:10a 7:27p 18 Wed N 5:16 11:28 5:40 11:53 06:30 08:33 6:06a 8:09p 19 Thu > 6:05 ----- 6:29 12:41 06:31 08:33 7:04a 8:48p 20 Fri > 6:55 12:43 7:19 1:07 06:32 08:32 8:04a 9:24p 21 Sat > 7:47 1:35 8:10 1:58 06:32 08:32 9:04a 9:59p 22 Sun 8:39 2:27 9:03 2:51 06:33 08:31 10:04a 10:32p 23 Mon 9:33 3:21 9:57 3:45 06:34 08:31 11:05a 11:07p 24 Tue 10:27 4:14 10:52 4:39 06:34 08:30 12:08p 11:44p 25 Wed 11:21 5:08 11:48 5:34 06:35 08:29 1:13p NoMoon 26 Thu Q ----- 6:02 12:16 6:30 06:36 08:29 2:19p 12:25a 27 Fri 12:42 6:57 1:11 7:26 06:36 08:28 3:26p 1:10a 28 Sat 1:36 7:51 2:06 8:21 06:37 08:27 4:31p 2:01a 29 Sun 2:30 8:45 3:00 9:15 06:38 08:27 5:31p 2:58a 30 Mon 3:24 9:39 3:54 10:09 06:38 08:26 6:27p 4:00a 31 Tue 4:18 10:32 4:46 11:01 06:39 08:25 7:16p 5:04a 01 Wed > 5:11 11:25 5:38 11:52 06:40 08:24 7:59p 6:10a

Deerhunter’ssurprise

*E-mail LSON your favorite recipe to [email protected].

ACROSS1. Name for trout that

spawn upstream 4. A fi sh coloration 8. Shotgun model, over

and _____10. Term for a group of

pheasants11. Used to wash out gun-

dog’s eyes

12. Ova or roe13. A good bait for brown

trout14. Something to consider

when choosing lures17. A lure that attracts

game, fowl or fi sh18. An art of the fl y-fi sh-

erman21. Sought after for the fur

22. To adjust a scope24. A game hideaway25. Stream fi shermen do this30. Term for a perch species32. A turkey call34. This might be in a

hunter’s kit35. A boat that folds up

for carrying37. Device on a fl y, ____

guard39. A shell that fails to fi re40. Bowhunting equipment45. A game pathway46. Color worn by hunters

for safety47. The turkey’s feet48. Hunter’s quarry in the

Rockies

DOWN1. A species of deer

2. To make ready to shoot 3. The ____necked

pheasant 4. Name for the large

lake trout 5. Used for bait at times 6. A game resting place 7. Summer trout are

found in _____ waters 9. A duty of the gundog15. Shooting at random

targets

16. A two-legged support for shooting

17. Term for a whitetail’s tines

19. Teeth reveal this on some game

20. A bowhunter’s quarry in Florida

23. A very good walleye bait26. To ready gun or bow

for a shot27. Excellent pheasant

gun, _____ musket28. A good thing to have

in a tent29. Hauls the catch into

the boat30. Name refers to the

young wild turkey31. Used for troll fi shing33. Old gobblers that stay

to themselves36. An action on the

repeating shotgun38. Term for a type of

deer drive41. A good grain lure for

traps42. A female bear43. A fl y lure, hares

_____44. Said to be best lure

color to attract fi sh

4 cups bluegill fi llets1 stick butter1 cup soft bread crumbs3 tbsps. parsley, chopped2 tsps. lemon juice1 can cream of celery soup2/3 cup milk2 tsps. grated onion

1 tsp. dry mustard1 tbsp. pimento, chopped3 tbsps. Worcestershire sauce1 green pepper, chopped1 can creamed corn1 1/2 cups crushed corn fl akes1 cup grated cheddar cheesesalt and pepper to taste


Through September 3CCA State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo(713) 626-4222startournament.org

July 13Dallas Safari ClubWine Pairing DinnerChamberlain’s Steak and Chop House, Addison(972) 980-9800biggame.org

July 19Dallas Safari ClubMonthly Meeting Bent Tree Country Club(972) 980-9800biggame.org

July 20-2222nd Annual Texas Hunters and Sportsman's ExpoMcAllen Convention Center, McAllen (956) 664-2884texashunterassociation.com

9th Annual Southeast Texas Great Outdoors ExpoFord Park Exhibit Hall, Beaumont(512) 358-1000, ext. 202iemshows.com/setexas

July 21-22Texas Gun and Knife Association ShowCivic Center, Amarillo (830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

July 26-29Port Mansfi eld Fishing Tournament(956) 944-2354portmansfi eldchamber.org

July 27-28Deer Breeders CorpQuality Whitetail Deer AuctionWestin La CanteraSan Antonio(866) 972-5001dbcdeer.com

July 28-29Gulf Coast Trout SeriesTexas Redfi sh ShowdownHarbor Walk Marina and Yacht ClubHitchcock(281) 300-5806

August 1-5Texas International Fishing TournamentPort Isabel-South Padre Island(956) 943-8438tift.org

August 3-5Texas Trophy Hunters AssociationHunters ExtravaganzaReliant CenterHouston(800) 800-3207ttha.com

August 4Deer FestWichita Falls(940) 704-2984deerfestwichitafalls.com

Rocky Mountain Elk FoundationAnnual Big Game BanquetEmbassy SuitesGrapevine(972) 742-9101northtexasrmef.org

August 4-5Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentBowhunter Education Class, Grand Prairie(817) 564-6579tpwd.state.tx.us

Texas Gun and Knife Association ShowCivic Center, Abilene(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

August 9Dallas Woods and Waters ClubMonthly Meeting and DinnerBeretta Gallery(214) 570-8700dwwcc.org

Quail CoalitionGreater Houston ChapterAnnual Banquetquailcoalition.org

August 9-11Texas Deer AssociationTDA’s 14th Annual Conventionand Fund-raiserJW Marriott Hill Country ResortSan Antonio(210) 767-8300texasdeerassociation.com

August 11Arabia Shrine Sportsmen2012 Shriners ShootoutAmerican Shooting Center, Houston(936) 672-3103arabiashrinesportsmen.com

August 16Coastal Conservation AssociationHill Country Chapter Annual BanquetNew Braunfels Civic Center(800) 594-2056ccatexas.org

Dallas Safari ClubHill Country Chapter Annual BanquetNew Braunfels Civic Center(800) 594-2056ccatexas.org

August 17San Antonio Stock Show and RodeoBoots ’N Shoot Sporting ClaysNational Shooting Complex(210) 225-5851sarodeo.com

AMX Companies7th Annual Clay ShootElm Fork Park, Dallas(972) 573-2352bigclayshoot.com

Quail CoalitionTu Mile Annual BanquetHuntsvillequailcoalition.org

August 17-19Texas Trophy Hunters AssociationHunters ExtravaganzaWill Rogers Center, Ft. Worth(800) 800-3207ttha.com

August 18Ducks UnlimitedNorthwest Prairie DinnerLa Hacienda Party Room, Cypress(713) 594-5359ducks.org/texas

August 24-26Texas Trophy Hunters AssociationHunters ExtravaganzaAlamodome, San Antonio(800) 800-3207ttha.com

August 25Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentHunter Safety CourseCopper Breaks State Park, Hardeman County(940) 839-4331tpwd.state.tx.us

DATEBOOK

dbcdeer.com

July 28-29Gulf Coast Trout SeriesTexas Redfi sh Showdown

August 24-26

ttha.com

American Shooting Center, Houston(936) 672-3103arabiashrinesportsmen.com

August 16Coastal Conservation


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Puzzle solution from Page28

expect a boom this year. But we are building back. The fi res and drought cre-ated tough conditions from last year, but areas that lost cover are very weedy right now. That provides good brood cover but not good nest sites.

“But quail are resource-ful and they will use stand-ing prickly pear, shrubs and other things to build nests.”

Perez expects to see more birds than last year and hens “double clutching,” mean-ing they could nest several times.

“The hens will try to nest up to four times,” Perez said. “We could use a tropi-cal depression that dumps some rain — that could pro-long the nesting season.”

In the Rolling Plains, quail counts are also up, accord-ing to the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch.

“I typically think of the 4th of July as a milestone when I should be seeing

quail broods,” according to Dale Rollins in the July RPQRR newsletter. “Many of you have jumped the gun this year though, with broods reported as early as late May. I’ve heard encour-aging reports over the past two weeks from Fisher, Runnels, Somervell and Tom Green counties.

“Several quail watch-ers report broods of 15-plus chicks.”

Also, the ranch is averag-ing 3.2 birds per stop at their whistle count points — much better than last year but still well below previous years.

Last year, two areas of the state that had decent recruit-ment were the Gulf Coast and Coastal Prairie regions. Those regions seem to be primed for another good year.

“My fi ngers are still crossed about our degree of recovery, but I can positively say that the hatch at Encino is far superior to this time in 2011,” said Ronnie Howard of Quail

Coalition. “I am seeing about three to four pairs for every covey I see. The coveys I am seeing are very early-hatched birds — probably late April through May — and are look-ing great. Twelve to 20 birds in a covey and these birds are plenty old to survive the summer. I am seeing proba-bly two times the number of pairs I saw last year.”

Howard said even with a great year of recruitment, huntable numbers of birds will still remain low.

“If rains continue through July, we should get repro-duction from at least half the pairs we are seeing and maybe more if the rains are good and continue into August,” he said. “If this best case scenario were to occur, we will not have a good or even an average number of birds this fall.

“We will still have a low population, but at least we are in position for recovery.”

QuailContinuedFromPage1



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July 13, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting