November 22, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News November 22, 2013 Page 1

November 22, 2013 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 10, Issue 7

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Santa’s little helperCheck out the best gifts for the people on your list.

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❘❚ LSONews.com

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 22Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 22Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 15Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 33Prime Time . . . . . . . . Page 26Products. . . . . . . . . . Page 28Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 22

Inside

❘❚ HUNTING

More ducks arriving in Texas with each front.

Page 4

First split producing for many

❘❚ FISHING

DU’s Jim Lillis retires after 17 years.Page 7

A job well done

Fall transition happening now in North Texas.

Page 8

Deep and shallow

Nueces Bay records highest-ever salinity levels, but helped by recent rain.

Page 8

Highest ever

Goose hunting heating up in west central Texas, Panhandle; lots of specks along the coast

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Goose hunters in the heart of Texas had a tough time the fi rst few weeks of the season.

Low numbers of geese, except for a few big fl ocks of specklebellies, greeted hunt-ers in early November.

“Most of the outfi tters in this area haven’t even got-ten started yet,” said Knox County Game Warden Jay Oyler. “There were just some specks around to begin the season, and a lot of hunters

don’t want to drive out here for a few of those. But the last cold front we had (Nov. 12) pushed a lot of Canadas into the area.”

Oyler said the majority of the geese were hitting peanut fi elds in Haskell County.

Near the Garwood Prairie, hunters reported a big push of snow geese during the same front.

“There are more snows than specks,” said one area guide. ‘I would say we are seeing 50 snows for every one speck. The goose hunt-

ing has been a little tough to begin the season, but we are expecting good hunting as the weather pushes more and more down.”

Along the coast, guide Daniel Kubecka with Run-N-Gun Adventures said the specks showed up at the end of October, and the early hunts were “spotty.”

“The fi rst part of November it was pretty tough,” Kubecka said. “The snows arrived the middle of last week and

See GOOSE, Page 16

BEGINNING TO TAKE OFF: Goose hunters around the state are reporting increasing numbers of snows and large fl ocks of specklebellies in areas. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

Just moving in

A little tougher

Reds on the rise

Deer hunters deal with warm fronts, full moon during mid-November


It turns off just as quick as it turns on.The white-tailed deer rut is a fi ckle mis-

tress, and Texas hunters are learning that the hard way after a warming trend, com-pounded by a full moon, put the brakes on visible rutting activity across much of the state. Even in areas where hunters were seeing lots of chasing earlier in the month.

“We’ve had some nice deer come through,” said Ryan Schmidt, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist in Rocksprings. “The body weights are up

See DEER, Page 30

KIND OF SLOW: A full moon, combined with hotter weather, made for tougher hunting in some areas. However, cold fronts are in the forecast and rutting activity should be more visible as the full moon’s effects fade. Photo by James Richards, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

STILL BIG ONES AROUND: Bull redfi sh, along with plenty of smaller ones, are still being caught along the coast. The bite is getting better in some places like Baffi n Bay, according to local guides. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Capt. Kevin Sparks has seen good numbers of redfi sh again showing up in the Upper Laguna Madre and Land Cut.

“The bite is getting better in Baffi n,” he said. “I have been drift-ing with shrimp under a pop-ping cork and also throwing white (scented plastics) catching both reds and trout. The redfi sh really started

showing up along the west bank of the Land Cut.

“And there are still some bulls around.”

Sparks said the pattern of cool fronts that have hit the coast reg-ularly has the fi sh turning on. But one issue has kept the fi shing from being great.

“The water has been real high,” he said. “It has scattered the fi sh and made them hard to locate on the big fl ats. They have fi nally started moving a little bit.”

Coastal Bend bite improving

See REDS, Page 20

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Duck hunters enjoyed some great mornings during the first half of the opening split of duck season, which runs through Dec. 1 in the South Zone and Dec. 8 in the North Zone.

Ample water made locating and hunting birds tougher for some hunters, even though several cold fronts pushed birds in throughout November.

“They are trickling in,” said Jared Laing, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist for East Texas. “We’ll have a good push, then it will slow down. There are some birds around, then

they’ll thin out between fronts.”Laing said the birds are spread

out because of the new water fill-ing areas that haven’t seen water in a few seasons, giving birds plenty of unpressured areas to feed.

“Folks up on the Red River are doing good some of the time,” he said. “Along the I-30 corridor, some of the ponds are beginning to hold ducks. They aren’t hitting the ponds hard, yet.”

Laing said lots of blue-winged teal remain in the area, along with lots of wood ducks, some gadwalls and wigeon.

In the rice country, guide Matt Friedrichs reports good numbers of birds working decoy spreads, although the numbers have fluc-tuated with each weather change.

“There were a lot of new birds here earlier this week,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of wigeon, the pintails are here and they have been working and a lot of green wing teal are also in the area.”

Friedrichs said the biggest dif-ference between this year and last year is the amount of water in the area.

“The birds can go to a pond and sit and feed and roost on it with-out getting shot,” he said. “Last year, the only water we had was pumped, so everywhere the birds

tried to land, they got shot at. We are holding a lot more birds this season because of it. We have been averaging about 30 ducks per trip — last year it was around five at times.

“This season is much better.”Along the coast, hunters in the

first few weeks of the season had a tough time, but that seems to have turned around after a few cold fronts moved in mid-November.

The LSON crew hunted at the Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club near Rockport, and said the ducks weren’t flying and there appeared to be a lack of ducks overall.

However, that changed Nov. 11 when a big front pushed lots of ducks into the coastal marshes. Hunters reported large numbers of redheads, wigeon, teal and pintails, along with bluebills and shovelers.

In Central Texas, hunters during the weekend of Nov. 16 had good shoots of gadwalls, shovelers and redheads.

Ducks decoyed well in pairs and singles, but big groups were hard to bring down. Plenty of food and water remain inland, giving birds plenty of unpressured ponds and lakes to feed and rest. Expect better shoots as the weather gets colder.

HUNTING

Warden recognizedTexas Game Warden Johnny Jones was

selected as the Shikar-Safari Officer of the Year.

Jones, a 2002 graduate of the Texas Game Warden Academy, served in San Augustine County before moving to Bexar County in 2012. He was recognized for working a num-ber of high profile cases and is a member of the TPWD Dive Team.

Jones was awarded this prestigious honor at the November TPWD Commissioner meeting.

— TPWD

Duck hunting up and down

during first split

KEEP ’EM COMING: Duck hunters have found good numbers of birds, but birds have also found lots of unpressured places to feed and rest. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Hunting accidents mounting this seasonSeveral hunting accidents have marred a

great start to the Texas hunting season.Three fatalities were reported in the early

season.One occurred in Harrison County in early

November, when two friends were deer hunting.

According to local reports, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office received a call of an accidental shooting.

When deputies and game wardens arrived, they found the body of 51-year-old Benjamin Randell Huffman of Hallsville below a deer stand.

A witness said that he and Huffman were going hunting, and he had entered a deer

stand. The witness stated he climbed up a lad-der and then turned to receive his weapon. Huffman reportedly handed the rifle to the witness and the rifle discharged as the wit-ness received the rifle with the muzzle point-ing downward toward Huffman, according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office.

The witness went to a residence to call 911, and Judge Mike Smith was notified and pronounced Huffman deceased and ordered an autopsy.

The incident will be referred to a Harrison County Grand Jury.

Another incident occurred near Bowie in early September.

According to news reports, a grand jury

indicted 17-year-old Michael Underwood for manslaughter in the shooting death of his friend, 18-year-old Nathan Maki.

Maki was killed in early September when he and Underwood, along with several girls, spent the night in a field camping.

Underwood called 911 to report that he had “accidentally shot his best friend.”

Investigators found evidence at the scene that the teens had been drinking. At first, Underwood was only charged with under-age drinking. However, Paige Williams, dis-trict attorney for Archer, Clay and Montague counties, took a second look and decided to present it to the grand jury, which returned

an indictment.“The grand jury was presented all case facts

before reaching their decision,” Williams said. “This is a tragedy for all involved. The les-son for everyone is simple: Introducing alco-hol into any situation can affect not only your life, but the lives of your friends and family.

“Nathan’s friends need to remember him before they think of consuming alcohol.”

A third fatality was recently reported involving a shooting accident on a deer lease in Dimmit County. The incident happened at night and remains under investigation by the Texas Rangers.

— Staff Report

Sky High for St. Jude begins Dream AdventuresFrom college cause to mega charity

By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

Brittany Hebert made a trip to the St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis while a college student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2007.

“I was hooked,” she said. “I decided to try to raise some money for them.”

She held a sporting clays shoot

in her college town, hoping to raise $10,000.

“It earned $50,000,” she said. “The support was incredible.”

The shoots became more and more successful, and now the group holds shoots in Houston, Lafayette, and its first shoot was held in San Antonio on Nov. 16, with more than 600 shooters par-ticipating, followed by a concert by the country duo Big & Rich.

“We are raising $500,000 per tournament to support St. Jude and the Ronald McDonald House of Memphis,” Hebert said. “The support, most from the oil and gas

SHOOTING FOR THE KIDS: More than 600 shooters participated in the Sky High for St. Jude first charity sporting clays event in San Antonio on Nov. 16. Photo by Sky High for St. Jude. See CHARITY, Page 18

Photo by TPWD



Duck hunters in Rockport watched 10 area guides compete for prizes in the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation’s Second Annual Port Bay Guide Cup.

The young guides at the 100-plus-year-old Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club had the unique opportunity to step away from tak-ing customers to the club’s blinds and clean-ing ducks to compete for prizes, including a shotgun, and better yet, bragging rights from getting their name on the trophy.

The rules were simple. The guides leave the dock in a skiff loaded with decoys, motor to the blind, throw out the decoys, shoot at three clay pigeons thrown by the field judge, shoot and retrieve a “cripple,” load the decoys and return.

The title came down to four seasoned guides: last year’s runner-up, Greg “Hodge” Hodson; last year’s second-place finisher, Travis Wilcox; newcomer Jameson Parker; and last year’s champion, Alan Brackett.

Wilcox beat out second-place finisher Hodson with a time of 4 minutes, 49 sec-onds.

Wilcox, happy everything went smoothly for the win, and especially for the prize, a Weatherby PA-08 Synthetic Waterfowler 12-gauge, celebrated with a cannonball into the cold bay water as the crowd cheered.

Photos from the event, including the face-painting contest and Wilcox’s celebration may be viewed at lsonews.com.

— Craig Nyhus

Wilcox wins guide cup

WINNER: Travis Wilcox holds the Second Annual Port Bay Guide Cup after winning the event. Photo by LSON.


By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

After 17 years, Jim Lillis has hung up his fundraising cleats as senior regional director for Ducks Unlimited.

Lillis came to DU from the National Wild Turkey Federation, where his region encom-passed North Texas and Oklahoma.

“In 1997, the DU region was 51 chapters in North Texas and all the way east,” Lillis said. “We grew the region from a fundrais-ing standpoint, and a new regional director was added for East Texas in 2006.”

When Lillis began, the region raised about $515,000. Within two years, the total grew to more than $1 million.

Lillis is most proud of how the volun-

teers and supporters stayed through the eco-nomic downturn.

“It took a few years to recover, but even during the down economy, we retained all of the chapters,” he said.

On Nov. 13, about 80 committee mem-bers, staff and volunteers showed for a send-off for Lillis at Swingin’ D Ranch in Parker.

“He is the consummate professional,” said Johnny Frederick of Belton, a past Texas DU president. “But he is always the one behind the scenes with any prank.”

Phil Schoeneck of Dallas said Lillis’ region is now one-fourth the size from when he started, largely due to the fundraising suc-cess.

“He’s a stalwart part of DU,” Schoeneck said.

Lillis retires as DU regional director

SAY GOOD-BYE: Jim Lillis leaves as Ducks Unlimited senior regional director after 17 years on the job. Photo by Lynn Burkhead.

ATV theft ring bustedSix men were arrested in what

Texas Parks and Wildlife officers are calling a four-wheeler theft ring.

Officers recovered six ATVs reported stolen from East Texas and Southwest Arkansas after respond-ing to a trespassing complaint on a private deer lease in Bowie County.

When they arrived, the men rid-ing the ATVs scattered, but Bowie County Game Warden Daniel Kessler said they were later stopped with three of the four-wheelers in the back of three different trucks.

Further investigating led them to Little River and Howard Counties in Southwest Arkansas, where more stolen property was found.

Kessler said the theft ring was made up of immigrants who may be in the country illegally.

“The individuals, many what appeared to be illegal aliens and are stealing the four wheelers and sell-ing them to other individuals in the community, many of which have been identified as illegal aliens, as well,” he said.

The six are being held at the Bi State Justice Center. No bond has been set.

Immigration officers have gotten involved with the case.

Officers said they do not know how long the alleged theft ring has been operating. The investigation is ongoing.

— Staff report

Photo by TPWD.


FISHING

Jigging time for North Texas bass

Salinity levels drop alongcoast after recent rains


Some good reports are emerging from largemouth bass anglers in North Texas on lakes such as Fork and Tawakoni.

Big bass are still chasing shad in many lakes, but the cooler tem-peratures have anglers fishing a lit-tle deeper water than they were a month ago.

On Lake Fork, guide Andrew Grills said the fishing has been bet-ter so far in November.

“It was tough throughout the month of October,” Grills said. “It has picked up lately. The fish are schooling in the 15- to 25- foot range on humps and ridges in the main lake. This past weekend I fished a tournament and we caught 90 fish in two days throwing an Alabama rig at schooling bass.”

Grills said the bass are at all depths right now — anglers are catching them in the shallow grass and deep on lake points.

“I’ve been doing a lot of run-ning looking at my screens,” he said. “I like fishing this deeper bite, but the shallow bite will stay good throughout the winter. The Rat-L-Trap bite this year will be really good.”

Grills said his favorite pattern of the year is right around the corner — the winter jig bite.

“It is the most consistent time of the year for me,” he added. “Throwing jigs in the creek chan-nels, especially where there is a bend in the channel, the outside of the channel will hold fish. They hang right on the ledge where they don’t have to swim far to change depths.

“You might only catch eight to 12 fish per day, but they will all be over 5 pounds.”

Also on Lake Fork, guide Marc Mitchell wrote in his fishing report that the bass are a little deeper

because of the cold.“If the morning temp is in the

upper 40s, I back out to 5 to 8 feet and as deep as 10 to12 feet on creek channels,” he said. “I am targeting big wood on the edge of the creeks. Jigs in a 3/8-ounce Purple Passion or a Texas rig with an Xcite Raptor Craw Jr in green pumpkin are good,

as well a beaver-type bait. Throw the Texas rig with a 3/8-ounce weight.

“The best way to catch these fish is to cast 10 feet past your target and stay two feet or more to the outside of the tree.”

Mitchell said when the weather warms a little, try going shallower.

“Now, when the days are warmer like they start out in the mid-50s, the fish will be in 2 to 3 feet on big wood,” he said. “It can be ditches or fence rows or tree lines, but the main target is big wood. On the warm mornings when I have had some wind, I have been able to get bit with a 3/8-ounce chatterbait in

chartreuse/white as well as a spin-ner bait and a Xcite XB1 square-billed crank bait. I have been tar-geting the windy banks from the secondary points back to the back of the creeks.

“Just make sure you are throwing it very shallow and go to the back of the pocket.”

NOT AFFECTING THINGS TOO MUCH: Species such as blue crabs and shrimp can weather high salinity, but the juveniles fare better with an influx of fresh water. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Not as saltyBy Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

It wasn’t quite the Dead Sea, but Nueces Bay, just off of Corpus Christi Bay along the Coastal Bend, recorded the high-est salinity levels in October since officials began keeping records in the mid-70s.

But, timely fall rainfall has eased the salinity level, bringing much-needed fresh water into the bay system.

“The data we had prior to the rain events put the salinity at 40 parts per thousand,” said Perry Trial, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s lead biologist for the Corpus Christi Bay complex. “That was the highest mean average we have ever seen for the bay. After the rain, it pushed the salinity down to

PATTERNS SETTLING DOWN: The jig bite in creeks, along with a deeper bite for schooling fish, are two great patterns to focus on in North Texas lakes this month. Photo by Andrew Grills.

See SALINITY, Page 23

More consistentTexas catfish anglers ready

themselves all year for the weather to get colder and the catfish bite to turn on strong.

It’s not quite there yet, but it is getting closer.

“The bite has been more steady here recently,” said Lake Waco guide Jason “Spud” Barton. “We are still catching them in deeper water on the main lake in 35-40 feet. The water tem-perature is between 61 and 64 degrees.”

Barton is catching most of his fish on live shad and perch.

Lake Waco is a slot lake, and Barton said that is mak-ing a huge difference in the quality and quantity of the blue cats he is catching.

“We broke the lake record three times last year,” he said, “and I expect to break it again this year. We are look-ing for that 65-pounder. We are catching mainly eating-size fish right now, but we

did catch a few big ones in the flood a few weeks ago.

“I think Texas should go to a slot for every lake in the state. It has made that much of a difference on this lake.”

A little farther south, guide Weldon Kirk has been catching good numbers on Gibbons Creek, Fayette Lake and Lake Somerville.

“Before the rains, we were catching them in about 7 feet on sand bars through-out the lake,” he said. “After the rains, we started catching them in 3 feet on Somerville around brush piles and stumps.”

Kirk is using crawfish punchbait to catch a lot of his fish. He uses a bobber and keeps his hook about a foot above the bottom.

“We are catching about 50 per trip on Gibbons Creek and Somerville,” he said. “We are averaging about 35 on Fayette but they have

Catfish bite better as water temps fall

GETTING GOOD: The Texas catfish bite is improving thanks to cooler weather. Loads of eating-sized fish are being pulled from area lakes. Photo by LSON.See CATFISH, Page 11


Oyster reefs thriving in electrically charged water

Normally, electrical current is something you want to keep away from water, but researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have refined a way to create oyster reefs by charging seawater with electricity.

Those involved with the project say they may be able to use this information to restore, maintain and pro-tect oyster reefs in Coastal Bend bays and coast-wide in the state of Texas. It’s a proj-ect that could hold the key to replenishing the Gulf Coast ecosystem.

In some areas of the Gulf of Mexico, oyster reefs have declined nearly 90 percent over the last 130 years, jeop-ardizing the well-being of several Gulf Coast industries, the infrastructure that sup-ports them, and the residents who depend on them.

“Oysters are an impor-tant ecological and economic resource,” said Dr. Paul Zimba, director of the Center for Coastal Studies at A&M-Corpus Christi. “They create habitats for fish and shell-fish, filter and clean bay waters, protect shorelines from erosion, and are a valued com-mercial fishery element.”

While electrically charging water to create an artificial reef is not a new concept, Zimba and his team performed lab studies to determine exactly how much electrical current was needed.

“We knew carbonate accu-mulation could be stimulated using electrical currents,” said Zimba. “But there wasn’t enough research done on specific polarity, voltage and electrical current types needed to maximize growth.”

Zimba’s team evaluated polarity, voltage, and electrical current to identify the condi-tions under which artificial oyster or hard bottom substrate habitat could be created, and to determine correct current type and voltage to maximize reef formation. Zimba found that the growth was strongly affected by current type and polarity, mak-ing it important to have just the right mix. Once they were able to perfect the formation of artificial reef in a laboratory setting, they moved their work to the field. A site in Corpus Christi Bay was used to test this system consisting of structures built from rebar and charged using solar power.

“After one month we had a solid community covering the original material,” said Zimba. “Our hope is that this technol-ogy is used for restoration of reef communities, replacement of hard bottom habitat to pre-vent sediment re-suspension, and aquaculture.”

The researchers not only mon-itored the growth on the rebar, but also the environment around the formations. They found there was no negative impact on aquatic or avian populations from the electrical current.

“While preliminary, these results clearly demonstrate a massive potential for restoration of oyster and coral reef habi-tats,” said Zimba.

— Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Targeting cold-weather fish

By Nicholas ConklinFor Lone Star outdoor newS

When anglers have to dress in layers and pack an extra cup of hot coffee, does the fishing change as the temperatures dip?

With temperatures dipping into the low 40s in the beginning of November, Texas bass fishermen could be in for a cold winter. Do fish react much differently when an Arctic blast descends for a day or two?

Not necessarily, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife District Supervisor Rafe Brock.

Typically, when a cold front moves across a region, it takes a sus-tained period of frigid temperatures to begin to alter fish behavior.

“The peak temperature for bait fish to be affected really is around

the 42-degree mark,” Brock said. “This last cold front just didn’t last very long and wasn’t as harsh on fish as it may have seemed.”

Brock said cooler tempera-tures actually have a more posi-tive impact on bait and fish pop-

Short-lived cold fronts don’t hamper, sometimes help fishing

BRING A JACKET: Fish do bite when it is cold, although anglers might want to slow down their retrieve when looking for strikes. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

See COLD-WEATHER, Page 25


Not big yetLAKE WORTH — The catfi sh bite has been good on the North

Texas lake, according to guide Chad Ferguson.“A couple of the guys have had some really good days,” he said,

“but nothing to really shout about yet. We really need a good three, four, fi ve days of cold weather in a row to bring those water temperatures down.”

Ferguson said his clients are catching lots of blue cats in the 2- to 5-pound range — perfect size to eat. He said the bigger fi sh they are catching aren’t the real big ones that will come later in the winter.

“Our big ones right now aren’t what our big ones will be in a little bit,” he said. “We are catching a lot of 15- and 20-pounders, but not the consistent 40, 50 and 60s we will catch.”

To contact guide Chad Ferguson, call (817) 522-3804.

Windy, but still goodRICHLAND CHAMBERS RESERVOIR — Guide Royce Simmons reports strong winds on the

lake, but his clients are still catching good numbers of white bass.“Most of our fi sh were caught on Silver Shad Slabs in 20-feet-plus water off Pelican Island

area on Monday,” he said. Simmons said there is no need to get up early to fi nd the bite.“We’re beginning to start our trips a little later in the morning and fi sh right through the

midday time frame,” he said. “Seems that often the warm-up you have during the late morn-ing and early afternoon gets the fi sh more aggressive.”

To contact guide Royce Simmons, call (903) 389-4117.

Hybrids, whites in the bagBELTON LAKE — Guide Bob Maindelle said the bite has been a

little tough to fi nd, but if you keep looking, the fi sh are there.“The fi shing was consistent,” he said. “We vertical jigged all day today, as the active fi sh were

primarily glued to the bottom. As they did yesterday, the fi sh showed a leaning toward short feed-ing spurts, then shutting down.”

Miandelle said birds can help anglers fi nd fi sh.To contact guide Bob Maindelle, call (254) 368-7411.

— Conor Harrison

SEE MORE■ Saltwater fi shing reports: Page 14

SEE MORE

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 55–64 degrees; 13.3’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on lipless crankbaits, jigs, shallow-running crankbaits and Texas rigs. AMISTAD: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 36.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on blue/black and red/black spinner baits, crank-baits and soft plastics. Catfi sh are good on liver and cheesebait over baited holes. ATHENS: Water clear, 62–66 degrees; 2.71’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shallow-running crankbaits and bladed jigs. BASTROP: Water clear; 72–76 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and crankbaits. BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 64–68 degrees; 6.49’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on fl ukes and small swimbaits. Some fi sh being caught on black/blue jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.BONHAM: Water stained, 63–67 degrees; 2.58’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, lip-less crankbaits, jigs, soft plastic jerkbaits and top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs along the main creek channel. Catfi sh are excellent on prepared bait.BRAUNIG: Water clear. Large-mouth bass are fair on watermel-on spinner baits and soft plastic worms. Striped bass are good on green striper jigs and shad. Chan-nel catfi sh are good on shrimp, liver and nightcrawlers. BRIDGEPORT: Water clear, 62–66 degrees; 20.36’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on square bills in reverse sexy shad near main lake points. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs and minnows. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Channel catfi sh are good on trotlines. BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 9.51’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on spinner baits, craw-colored jigs and craw-colored crankbaits. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies, minnows and shad-colored crankbaits off lighted docks at night. Crappie are good on Li’l Fishies and tube

jigs over brush piles. Channel catfi sh are good on liver and doughbait over baited holes. BUCHANAN: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 31.91’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spin-ner baits, top-waters, and Texas-rigged weightless silver fl ake Whacky Sticks at daylight. CADDO: Water stained; 65–69 degrees; 0.60’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and crankbaits. White and yel-low bass are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on trotlines and nightcrawlers. CALAVERAS: Water clear. Large-mouth bass are good on water-melon crankbaits, spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. CANYON LAKE: Water murky; 68–72 degrees; 7.30’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse lipless crankbaits and white spinner baits in 6–15 feet, and on Texas-rigged grape worms on shaky head jigs along main lake bluffs. CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 63–67 degrees; 5.65’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on square-billed crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on trotlines and nightcrawlers.CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 22.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on tequila sunrise soft plastics in 15–25 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. COLEMAN: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 15.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on blue tube jigs and live minnows over brush piles. Channel catfi sh are good on shrimp and liver. COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 74 degrees at hot water discharge; 4.16’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits and crankbaits in 6–8 feet. Chan-nel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and droplines baited with live perch in 8–10 feet. COOPER: Water clear; 69–73 degrees; 13.35’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs and minnows.

White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. FALCON: Water murky; 73–77 degrees; 27.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/black soft plastics and Brush Hogs in 8–20 feet. Channel and blue cat-fi sh are very good on shrimp, cut bait, and stinkbait up the river. FAYETTE: Water stained. Large-mouth bass are fair on water-melon and tequila sunrise soft plastics, spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. FORK: Water clear; 62–66 degrees; 5.70’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on black/blue fl ipping jigs and weightless soft plastics. Creek channel swings near deeper water are best. Crap-pie are good on minnows near the bridges. FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 55–63 degrees; 12.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigs, jigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs over structure. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfi sh are fair on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.GRANBURY: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 8.67’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse crankbaits, spinner baits and lip-less crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and pet spoons. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. GRANGER: Water murky; 66–70 degrees; 1.04’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Blue cat-fi sh are good on juglines baited with shad and soap in 3–15 feet. GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 61–66 degrees; 9.56’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and small swimbaits along main lake points. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on trot-lines and cut shad.HOUSTON COUNTY: Water murky; 66–70 degrees; 1.54’ low. Large-mouth bass to 8 pounds are very good on square bills and black/blue jigs in 2–6 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh to 3 pounds are good on juglines baited with shad and perch. HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 55–62 degrees; 21.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on shallow-running pearl crank-

baits, Texas rigs, shaky heads and jigs. JOE POOL: Water clear; 63–67 degrees; 1.74’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on crankbaits and plastic jerkbaits near grass. White bass are good on slabs. LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 63–68 degrees; 1.80’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits, lipless crankbaits and shallow crankbaits. LAVON: Water lightly stained; 64–68 degrees; 12.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits and fl ipping jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait. LBJ: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon top-waters and wacky-rigged green pumpkin Whacky Sticks along lay downs and stumps early and late. Crappie are good on chartreuse/white crappie jigs and live min-nows over brush piles in 12–15 feet. Channel catfi sh are good on liver and stinkbait. LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 63–66 degrees; 8.49’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on crankbaits and small shad-pattern soft plastic swimbaits near rocky points. White bass are good on jigs and slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers. LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 70–74 degrees; 0.32’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed crankbaits and soft plastics. MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 71–74 degrees; 0.70’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on 4–6” plastic swimbaits rigged weedless and bladed jigs. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs and minnows. White bass are good on minnows. MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 67–70 degrees; 0.70’ high. Largemouth bass are slow on fl ipping jigs and creature baits around shallow cover. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and trotlines.NAVARRO MILLS: Water murky; 68–72 degrees; 0.19’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits and soft plastic worms. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Channel catfi sh are good on

shrimp and stinkbait. O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 58–63 degrees; 42.63’ low. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crank-baits, Texas rigs and medium-running shad-pattern crankbaits. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers.OAK CREEK: Water stained; 52–63 degrees; 21.12’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and Texas rigs. Catfi sh are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.PALESTINE: Water clear; 61–65 degrees; 0.39’ high. Largemouth bass are slow on shaky heads around docks. POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 54–62 degrees; 12.25’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on jigs, drop-shot rigs, crankbaits and Carolina rigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and tail spinners. PROCTOR: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 7.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and chartreuse soft plastic worms. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp and stinkbait. RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 64–67 degrees; 6.74’ low. Large-mouth bass are fair on medium crankbaits and hollow-belly swimbaits. White bass are good on slabs and minnows. Hybrid striper are good on slabs and top-waters.RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 62–66 degrees; 7.27’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shallow crank-baits and Texas-rigged creature baits along creek channels. Catfi sh are good on cut shad. SAM RAYBURN: Water murky; 69–73 degrees; 6.15’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon lipless crankbaits and deep-running crankbaits early and late. Catfi sh are good on bloodbait, shrimp and minnows.SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 70–74 degrees; 3.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits, spinner baits and lip-less crankbaits. STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 9.82’ low. Large-mouth bass are fair on green pumpkin lipless crankbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. SWEETWATER: Water murky;

52–61 degrees; 22.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs, lipless crankbaits and Texas rigs. Catfi sh are fair to good on pre-pared bait and nightcrawlers.TAWAKONI: Water stained; 64–68 degrees; 8.88’ low. Largemouth bass are good on bladed jigs and spinner baits. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on slabs. TEXOMA: Water clear; 62–66 degrees; 5.75’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Flick shake and drop-shot rigs. Striped bass are good on slabs and top-waters. Catfi sh are good on trotlines and cut shad. TOLEDO BEND: Water murky; 70–74 degrees; 3.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Bream are good on nightcrawlers. TRAVIS: Water murky; 70–74 degrees; 55.43’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chrome crank-baits, red shad worms and grubs in 10–28 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue/white tube jigs in 15–25 feet. WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse lipless crank-baits and soft plastic worms. WHITNEY: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 11.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed lipless crankbaits, spinner baits and crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on liver and nightcrawlers.WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 64–68 degrees; 5.70’ high. Largemouth bass are slow on black/blue jigs or green pump-kin beaver style baits fi shed slow around shallow cover. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

— TPWD


been bigger fish in the 5-pound average. Our biggest was a 10-pound blue.”

On Lake Conroe, guide Darrell Taylor has been having good suc-cess, even though the bite has been light.

“The bite is good but light,” he said. “We are catching plenty of nice fish, but you’ve got to feel for them. They just barely pick the bait up. You have to pay attention.”

Taylor said fish up to 5 pounds are common, and he is catching them on his own Catfish Killer punchbait.

“The big ones are around,” he said, “but my clients have wanted the smaller ones to eat. We will start chasing those big ones when the water cools down a little bit.”

Guide Jason Barton, (254) 760-3044Guide Weldon Kirk, (979) 229-3103Guide Darrell Taylor, (936) 788-4413

— Staff Report

CatfishContinued From Page 8

GOOD SIZE TO EAT: Catfish anglers are catching loads of eating-sized blue catfish in many lakes and rivers this month. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Ray Hubbard home to some big bass

Recent electrofishing surveys conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Fisheries biologists turned up a surprising number of big largemouth bass in Lake Ray Hubbard.

TPWD’s Inland Fisheries dis-trict office in Fort Worth is responsible for managing and monitoring Lake Ray Hubbard’s fishery. Each fall they conduct a nighttime electrofishing survey on Lake Ray Hubbard.

Electrofishing, commonly known as “shocking,” uses elec-tricity to temporarily stun fish, which are then collected using dipnets, measured and weighed.

The two-night survey consisted of 24 randomly selected sta-tions around the shoreline of the lake. Each area was electrofished for five minutes and all target species, which included shad, sunfish and largemouth bass, were collected.

Despite low water levels, this year’s survey revealed record catch rates for largemouth bass more than 14 inches. Incredibly, the best five fish weighed 34.62 pounds. That is not bad for a lake within easy driving distance for many DFW-area anglers.

Most big fish were collected along the many areas of riprap found around the lake. The two biggest fish were each 23 inches long and weighed 8.1 and 7.2 pounds.

Ray Hubbard continues to be a great spot for sportfishing and has produced two bass more than 13 pounds — the most recent in 2003.

Because of its big fish history and good habitat, Ray Hubbard has been stocked annually with

Florida largemouth bass since 2010. This year TPWD added another 502,264 fingerlings with expectations that the Florida influence will produce even more big fish.

—TPWD

Longtime TPWD communications director retires

Lydia Saldaña, the Communications Division direc-tor at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department since 1996, has retired.

Saldaña had been with the agency for 24 years, moving to Austin after working as a reporter for WFAA-TV in Dallas.

“Lydia oversaw the transfor-mation to a global, media savvy communications division,” said TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission November meeting. “She led the effort into social media — we were the first state agency to do it.”

Saldaña said she worked under 44 commissioners and four exec-utive directors, and media trained more than 400 game wardens.

“When I started, if a game war-den saw a camera, the saying was ‘run away as fast as you can,’” she said. “Now, they’re doing tweet-a-longs.”

Saldaña had never hunted, fished or camped when she started with the agency.

“It is really, truly part of me now,” she said.

Saldaña was presented with a lifetime hunting and fishing license by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

— Craig Nyhus


WARDENS PERFORM RESCUES AFTER FLOODS IN ZAVALA, DIMMIT COUNTIES

Floods in South Texas kept wardens busy after heavy rains hit the area. Dimmit County Game Warden Eugene Fernandez and Zavala County Game Warden Chris Stautzenberger, along with Border Patrol agents and the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office, retrieved 11 individuals by TPWD boat from a fish-ing camp that had been flooded by the Nueces River. The occupants of the camp included three elderly individu-als. The persons lost eight vehicles to the flooding. Stautzenberger, with the help of a local landowner, used a 4x4 tractor to rescue a stranded motorist from a road-way being overrun with 3 feet of rushing water. The motorist had attempted to cross, and his truck became disabled. Due to the flow of the water, he was unable to leave the vehicle. Fernandez helped to evacuate three subdivisions in Carrizo Springs and assisted the Sheriff’s Office and fire department with multiple evacuations from homes and businesses within Carrizo Springs, primarily by 4x4 patrol vehicle.

DOVE BAITERS PAY HEFTY FINESWebb County Game Warden Buck

Burchett heard shots coming from a ranch. Upon locating the hunters, he noticed a line of cracked corn and milo around a tank where four individ-uals were dove hunting. After checking the first two hunters, Burchett made his way to the other two hunters, who had left their hunting spot. These two hunters told the warden they had their limit and were done hunting. After a closer inspection, Burchett found an additional 15 doves hidden in the brush. All hunters were cited for hunt-ing dove over bait, and two individuals were cited for being over the daily bag limit. A total of 73 doves were seized from the hunters. The following week, the hunters paid a total of $1,590 in fines to the court.

TRESPASSERS CHOOSE WRONG ROUTEBriscoe County Game Warden Clint

Hunt received a call from a landowner regarding trespassers on his prop-erty. A few minutes had passed, and the landowner called again and said the subjects were speeding away in their vehicle. The rancher pursued the vehicle to be able to tell Hunt which direction they were headed. As luck would have it, they were headed toward Hunt on the highway they chose to take. Hunt stopped the vehi-cle and found five individuals from New Mexico with large knives and a truck bed full of dogs. The five were hunting hogs with dogs on the land-owner’s property without permission. Cases pending.

REPEAT OFFENDER NABBED AGAINAngelina County Game Warden

Phillip Wood received information from a landowner that neighbors were poach-ing deer on his property. The landowner gave information to wardens last sea-son that resulted in several cases and restitution. The landowner said he had heard several shots from the same area as the year prior. Wood was familiar with the suspect and his vehicle. After a lengthy interview with the suspect, mul-tiple subjects turned out to be involved. Eleven hours later, Wood recovered four illegally taken white-tailed deer. Multiple cases and restitution pending.

WARDENS FIND CARCASS OF BIG BUCK SHOT WITH RIFLE DURING BOW SEASON

Trinity County Game Warden Randy Watts received a call about possible deer hunting with a rifle dur-ing bow season. The next morning, Watts stopped by the hunter’s camp. The hunter returned from hunting shortly thereafter. Watts interviewed the man who said he was not hunt-ing. Eventually the man admitted to shooting at a doe with his rifle. Watts and the hunter returned to the deer blind and looked for blood. No sign was found. The rifle was seized and citations were issued for hunt-ing whitetail in closed season and no Texas hunting license. The next day, Watts and Trinity County Game Warden Sam Shanafelt returned to the property to look for carcasses or see if the buzzards had found any-thing. They found a large carcass in a creek that was cleaned and miss-ing the head. The wardens pulled the carcass out of the creek and determined that it was a buck and that it had been shot with a large caliber rifle. Pictures and a sample of meat were taken for evidence. The next afternoon, Shanafelt and Angelina County Game Warden James Barge interviewed the man again and learned he had shot a 14-point buck. Multiple citations and restitution are pending.

FATHER SHOOTS TWO DEER WITH SON IN YOUTH-ONLY SEASON

During the youth-only week-end, Shelby County Game Warden Anthony King started to enter a deer lease when a truck approached him. The driver said his grandson shot a doe that morning. King asked to look at the doe. Upon arrival, King could see four untagged deer. A young, excited boy approached King and said that he shot two deer and his father shot the other two. King asked the boy if his father shot them with a rifle or bow. The boy said his father shot them with a rifle. The father confessed to killing two bucks with his rifle, one of which was a 4-point, less than 13 inches wide, and the other was a 10-point. His unsupervised son, who had not taken hunter education and hunted that morning by himself, also shot a buck less than 13 inches wide. Restitution and cases pending.

POST-SEASON DOVE HUNTERS CLAIM CONFUSION

Atascosa County Game Warden Derek Iden issued 17 citations for hunting doves during closed season from Oct. 24 to Oct 27. Most hunters claimed they didn’t know that they were no lon-ger in the South Zone due to the new Special White Wing Area in Atascosa County being implemented this year. More than 30 dove were seized.

CHILD HELPS BUST MAN WITH 21 BASS

At Lake O’ the Pines, Upshur County Game Warden Mark Frayser was checking an incoming fisher-man who was loading his boat with a 4-year-old waiting in the front seat. The adult said he hadn’t caught any fish. Frayser informed the subject that he should stop in the parking lot for an inspection. While watch-ing the man load the boat on the trailer, the child stuck his head out the window and said, “Don’t take our fish, game warden,” several times. The subject finished loading the boat and crawled through the van into the driver’s seat, avoiding Frayser standing next to the driv-er’s door. The subject quickly drove off the ramp and out of the parking lot, never stopping for inspection as instructed. After a short pursuit, the subject was stopped. The sub-ject had 21 largemouth bass in his livewell. The subject admitted to catching all of the fish and said he had no choice but to run off of the ramp and head toward the highway to try and escape after being busted. The subject had no fishing license, had undersized fish and was over the possession limit. Cases pending.

WARDEN FINDS LOST HUNTERCherokee County Game Warden

Eric Collins received an early morn-ing call from the Cherokee County sheriff regarding a hunter who was lost. The hunter had been missing overnight, and dogs had already been on the scene and searched unsuccessfully during the night. After several hours of searching, Collins was able to locate the hunter but had to wade a large creek to get to him. The hunter appeared to be experiencing a life-threatening situation. Collins and a Cherokee County deputy carried the man to the department ATV and used it to get him to where EMS was staged.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Bell County Game Warden Brandt Bernstein received a call from dispatch stating that a caller just observed someone in a vehicle shoot a deer, load it up and leave the scene in a new subdivision in Temple. Bernstein iden-tified the area as being the location where he jogs at night through his neighborhood. Bernstein made contact with the complainant who gave a good license plate descrip-tion. Bernstein had the department cross-reference the plates of the registered owner to a hunting license and they found an address that was right around the corner

from where the deer was shot. Bernstein went to the sus-pect’s house and located the man with a doe in his shed. The suspect confessed that he and his uncle had shot the deer and got scared when they were confronted by the complainants. The man said, “Yeah, I hope we didn’t get you out of bed. I knew you lived around the corner and me and my uncle had the conversation before we left that it might not be a good idea because the game warden lives right around the corner.” Several deer and weapons were seized, and multiple citations were issued.

WARDEN LIVES AROUND CORNER FROM POACHER



TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

NORTH SABINE: rout are fair to good under the birds when the wind allows on soft plastics. Redfi sh are good in the marsh on small top-waters and jigs tipped with shrimp.SOUTH SABINE: Trout are good under the birds. Bull redfi sh are good at the jetty on crabs. Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp.BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and plugs. Black drum and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.TRINITY BAY: Trout are good under the birds. Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on soft plastics. Redfi sh are good at the spillway on crabs and mullet.EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good under the birds. Trout are good on the south shoreline on top-waters and soft plastics.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Trout are good under the birds in the afternoon.TEXAS CITY: Redfi sh are good at the mouth of Moses Lake on shrimp. Large sand trout are good off the piers and dike.FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs. Bull redfi sh are good at San Luis pass on cracked blue crabs. Flounder are fair to good around the pass on jigs tipped with shrimp and fi nger mullet.EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good for drift-ers on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Redfi sh are good in the middle of the bay under diving gulls.WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on shell

and grass on soft plastics. Flounder are fair to good on soft plastics over muddy bottoms at the locks. Low tides have congregated redfi sh in the guts and bayous.PORT O’CONNOR: Black drum are good on the reefs in San Antonio Bay on live shrimp. Trout and redfi sh are fair on top-waters over soft mud in waist–deep water in San Antonio Bay.ROCKPORT: Trout are fair over grass while drift-ing with live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good on the Estes Flats on mullet and shrimp.PORT ARANSAS: Redfi sh are fair to good on the East Flats on top-waters and scented plastics. Offshore is good for tuna and kingfi sh.CORPUS CHRISTI: Redfi sh are fair to good around Shamrock Cove on small top-waters and spoons. Black drum and redfi sh are good in the Humble Channel on crabs and table shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good in mud and grass on Corkies and top-waters. Redfi sh are good in the Land Cut on natural baits. Trout are good on deep rocks on plum and black plastics.PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on top-waters around sand and grass holes. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting pot holes and sight–casting to the shallows.SOUTH PADRE: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on DOA Shrimp and scented plastics. Redfi sh are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.PORT ISABEL: Trout are good at Airport Cove and Laguna Vista on TTF Flats Killers and small top-waters. Redfi sh are good in Cullen Bay on top-waters and gold spoons.

— TPWD

RunningGALVESTON SHIP CHANNEL — The

fl ounder run is on, according to mul-tiple reports out of the Galveston Ship Channel.

Both sides of the Galveston Ship Channel are lined up with bank fi shermen and boats. Every few min-utes a fl ounder was being caught. Sand Trout were right along with the fl ounder, grabbing shrimp alive or dead at every opportunity. Flounder were biting on any live bait (or dead shrimp) and every soft plastic being bumped along the bottom, according to one guide.

The fl ounder run should continue to gain steam throughout the month of November, so head to the ship channel by boat or by shore for big fl atfi sh.

Tidal movement keyQUINTANA BEACH — Beach anglers are report-

ing a solid bite on an outgoing and incoming tide at the popular beach fi shing spot.

According to multiple reports, good numbers of black drum have been sending anglers home with plenty of meat in the cooler, and good numbers of bull redfi sh are also being caught on cut bait.

Higher than normal tides have been making some fi shing tough, but anglers willing to stick it out and battle the high surf are being rewarded with some big fi sh.

Good numbers of troutSEADRIFT — Guides at the Castaway Lodge are reporting a good trout bite between cold

fronts.According to their blog, artifi cials over shell, along with live shrimp, have been putting

good numbers of trout in the box. Birds working over bait have also tipped anglers off to fi sh feeding.

Much like other places on the coast, tides remain elevated and that has made fi sh more diffi cult to fi nd.

Also, anglers should hit drop-offs near grass fl ats for redfi sh.To contact Castaway Lodge, call (888) 618-4868.

— Conor Harrison

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Nicholas’ sister, RILEY, 6, with a nice bass she caught on Seco Creek.

Wild Sheep Foundation President GRAY THORNTON took this Wyoming big bull elk earlier this season.

CARLEY GIBSON was with her daddy on his birthday and shot her fi rst deer with a crossbow on October 19 in Leon County.

The 29-inch aoudad was taken by JOHN WINANS on the Twisters Ranch in Llano County. GERALD PIPER with a

nice fl ounder and 24-inch speckled trout caught in East Bay, Matagorda.

FRANKIE SILVA caught two 24-inch speckled trout with a popping cork and live shrimp on the Laguna Vista Flats.

Bridgeport hunter JIM WILHOIT traveled to the Malouf Ranch where he harvested this beautiful buck.


on Tuesday, we got our first snows, along with the specks. A big group of snows came in with the last front and we are finally having some consistent hunts.”

Kubecka said plenty of food is around, since rain made the second harvest of rice difficult for many farmers.

“It was a muddy crop of rice, which means the farm-

ers typically leave more rice on the ground, which is good for the birds,” he said. “I don’t wish bad luck on any of the farmers, but the second crop was bad for the farmers, but it was good for the birds.”

In the Panhandle, reports of geese moving into the area came from Ryan Hunter in Moore County.

“We started picking

up birds the first week of November with a good cold front,” Hunter said. “Right now, I’d say we have about one-third to one-half the geese we will have at the peak in late December. We have a lot more Canadas than snows.”

Hunter said outfitters were shooting limits near Spearman.

DROPPING IN: Geese are decoying well for hunters, with good field shoots reported in Haskell County and in the rice fields near the coast. Photo by James Richards, for LSON.

GooseContinued From Page 1



industry, has been incred-ible.”

An offshoot of the char-ity has been developed with an eye toward hunting and fishing. Sky High Dream Adventures was devel-oped with Sky High for St. Jude and the Eric Trump Foundation to give outdoor memories to patients and their families.

“It started with a patient named Bryce Norwood,” said Forrest Moodie, who

is in charge of the dream adventures. “We met him on a tour of the hospital and he said he wanted to deer hunt with his father.”

Time was running out for Bryce, and a hunt was quickly set up at the 4M Ranch in Uvalde. Bryce took a big buck just four weeks before cancer took his life.

Moodie said the dream adventures program took off from there.

“We were bitten by the

bug,” he said. “We held a hunt for three hunters in Sonora last weekend and all three kids killed a deer. Next weekend we’re doing another in Alabama, and we hold an annual fishing trip at the Yamamoto Bass Ranch north of Houston.”

S&D Whitetails in Freer has donated two hunts, and Mike Levee of S&D said he can’t wait.

“They’re coming December 4-8,” he said.

CharityContinued From Page 4

PRIZE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH: Awards for top shooters at the Sky High for St. Jude shoot in San Antonio received ducks hand painted by St. Jude’s patients. Photo by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News.



Other solid reports of good redfish action has come from San Luis Pass, where anglers have been catching numbers at night, especially on an outgo-ing tide with cut mullet.

In Chocolate Bay, anglers are reporting redfish action along drop-offs, oyster beds and marshes. Scented plastics are working well.

Bull reds are also being caught in Port O’Connor on mullet and squid.

Farther north in the Galveston Bay complex, anglers have been catching bull reds on the south jetties.

According to Capt. Lindy Hebert, anglers can have some “all or nothing” days chasing bulls around the jetties.

“Redfish were there — big redfish,” he said. “It was all or nothing; you either caught bull redfish or nothing. We watched people walking the jetties car-rying redfish back to the shore. There again, out of the couple of dozen boats, someone was land-ing a bull red every five min-utes.”

Live shrimp and cut bait will put fish in the box this time of year around Galveston.

All the way back down the coast, anglers are catching red-fish around South Padre Island.

The fish are scattered on the flats, but good boxes can be had drifting live or cut bait around guts and channels leading onto the flats. Tidal movement is key to finding good fish.

Capt. Kevin Sparks, (361) 815-8145Capt. Lindy Hebert, (409) 720-8148

— Staff report

RedsContinued From Page 1

PLENTY OF REDS: Guides are reporting increasing redfish numbers for their clients along many parts of the coast. Photo by LSON.



Moon Phases Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

FOR THE TABLEOUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Solution on Page 33

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

Sun Moon Tides| |

4 goose breasts1/3 cup salt2 tbsps. baking sodaWater1 large onion, chopped1 stalk celery, chopped4 tbsps. butter2 tbsps. Worcestershire sauceGarlic powderHot sauce48 oz. beef consomméSaltCubed vegetables like carrots, pota-toes, rutabaga, turnips, etc.

Soak the breasts overnight in 1/3-cup salt, baking soda and enough

water to cover. Remove and pat dry. Cut into 2-inch cubes. In a Dutch oven or large pot, sauté the onion and celery in butter. Add the meat, Worcestershire sauce, a liberal amount of garlic powder and hot sauce to taste. Cook about 10 minutes over medium high to high heat or until brown. Add the beef consommé and stir together. Salt to taste. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Stir occa-sionally. Add your veggies and simmer another 30 minutes or until the veg-gies are tender, stirring occasionally.

— backwoodsbound.com

1 egg1 tbsp. milk3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese1 1/4 cups all-purpose fl our1 1/2 tsps. salt1 1/2 tsps. ground black pepper1 tsp. paprika8 (4-ounce) fi llets, catfi sh1/4 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat the egg together with

the milk in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir together the cheese, fl our, salt, pepper and paprika. Dip catfi sh in the egg and milk mixture, then dredge in the cheese mixture until coated. Arrange fi sh in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour melted butter over the fi sh. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

— allrecipes.com

Cheesy baked catfi sh

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 12:13 AM 1.3L 2:22 AM 1.4H 12:01 PM 0.1L 8:25 PM 1.5HNov 23 12:48 PM 0.2L 9:15 PM 1.4HNov 24 1:41 PM 0.3L 9:55 PM 1.4HNov 25 2:41 PM 0.5L 10:27 PM 1.4HNov 26 5:05 AM 0.8L 10:41 AM 1.0H 3:47 PM 0.6L 10:52 PM 1.4HNov 27 5:24 AM 0.5L 12:00 PM 1.1H 4:53 PM 0.8L 11:13 PM 1.3HNov 28 5:53 AM 0.2L 12:57 PM 1.3H 5:54 PM 0.9L 11:33 PM 1.4HNov 29 6:26 AM 0.0L 1:45 PM 1.5H 6:47 PM 1.0L 11:54 PM 1.4HNov 30 7:02 AM -0.3L 2:30 PM 1.6H 7:34 PM 1.0LDec 01 12:20 AM 1.4H 7:42 AM -0.5L 3:14 PM 1.7H 8:16 PM 1.1LDec 02 12:51 AM 1.5H 8:25 AM -0.7L 4:00 PM 1.7H 8:57 PM 1.2LDec 03 1:27 AM 1.5H 9:10 AM -0.8L 4:47 PM 1.7H 9:40 PM 1.2LDec 04 2:08 AM 1.6H 9:58 AM -0.8L 5:37 PM 1.7H 10:28 PM 1.2LDec 05 2:55 AM 1.5H 10:48 AM -0.7L 6:28 PM 1.6H 11:25 PM 1.1LDec 06 3:50 AM 1.4H 11:40 AM -0.5L 7:21 PM 1.5H

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 11:22 AM 0.2L 8:36 PM 2.0HNov 23 12:03 PM 0.3L 9:19 PM 2.0HNov 24 12:48 PM 0.5L 9:54 PM 1.9HNov 25 1:40 PM 0.7L 10:21 PM 1.8HNov 26 5:39 AM 1.1L 10:06 AM 1.3H 2:43 PM 1.0L 10:42 PM 1.8HNov 27 5:28 AM 0.9L 11:50 AM 1.4H 4:00 PM 1.2L 10:59 PM 1.7HNov 28 5:39 AM 0.5L 1:04 PM 1.7H 5:18 PM 1.4L 11:13 PM 1.7HNov 29 6:02 AM 0.2L 2:02 PM 1.9H 6:25 PM 1.5L 11:28 PM 1.8HNov 30 6:34 AM -0.2L 2:54 PM 2.1H 7:18 PM 1.7L 11:48 PM 1.9HDec 01 7:11 AM -0.5L 3:42 PM 2.2H 8:00 PM 1.8LDec 02 12:15 AM 1.9H 7:53 AM -0.7L 4:31 PM 2.3H 8:38 PM 1.8LDec 03 12:51 AM 2.0H 8:39 AM -0.9L 5:21 PM 2.3H 9:17 PM 1.9LDec 04 1:34 AM 2.1H 9:27 AM -0.9L 6:11 PM 2.2H 10:01 PM 1.8LDec 05 2:24 AM 2.0H 10:18 AM -0.8L 7:01 PM 2.1H 10:59 PM 1.7LDec 06 3:21 AM 1.9H 11:12 AM -0.5L 7:49 PM 1.9H

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Nov 22 12:18 PM 0.1L 9:06 PM 1.2HNov 23 12:59 PM 0.2L 9:49 PM 1.2HNov 24 1:44 PM 0.3L 10:24 PM 1.1HNov 25 2:36 PM 0.4L 10:51 PM 1.1HNov 26 6:35 AM 0.7L 10:36 AM 0.8H 3:39 PM 0.6L 11:12 PM 1.1HNov 27 6:24 AM 0.5L 12:20 PM 0.9H 4:56 PM 0.7L 11:29 PM 1.0HNov 28 6:35 AM 0.3L 1:34 PM 1.0H 6:14 PM 0.8L 11:43 PM 1.0HNov 29 6:58 AM 0.1L 2:32 PM 1.1H 7:21 PM 0.9L 11:58 PM 1.1HNov 30 7:30 AM -0.1L 3:24 PM 1.2H 8:14 PM 1.0LDec 01 12:18 AM 1.1H 8:07 AM -0.3L 4:12 PM 1.3H 8:56 PM 1.1LDec 02 12:45 AM 1.2H 8:49 AM -0.4L 5:01 PM 1.4H 9:34 PM 1.1LDec 03 1:21 AM 1.2H 9:35 AM -0.5L 5:51 PM 1.4H 10:13 PM 1.1LDec 04 2:04 AM 1.2H 10:23 AM -0.5L 6:41 PM 1.3H 10:57 PM 1.1LDec 05 2:54 AM 1.2H 11:14 AM -0.5L 7:31 PM 1.2H 11:55 PM 1.0LDec 06 3:51 AM 1.1H 12:08 PM -0.3L 8:19 PM 1.2H

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 11:15 AM 0.3L 8:09 PM 1.8HNov 23 11:54 AM 0.4L 8:45 PM 1.8HNov 24 12:40 PM 0.6L 9:17 PM 1.7HNov 25 5:48 AM 1.0L 7:52 AM 1.0H 1:37 PM 0.7L 9:46 PM 1.6HNov 26 5:32 AM 0.9L 10:02 AM 1.1H 2:58 PM 0.9L 10:11 PM 1.5HNov 27 5:34 AM 0.7L 11:36 AM 1.3H 4:48 PM 1.1L 10:33 PM 1.4HNov 28 5:46 AM 0.5L 12:48 PM 1.5H 6:33 PM 1.2L 10:52 PM 1.4HNov 29 6:08 AM 0.3L 1:45 PM 1.7H 8:02 PM 1.3L 11:08 PM 1.3HNov 30 6:38 AM 0.0L 2:38 PM 1.9HDec 01 7:14 AM -0.2L 3:28 PM 2.0HDec 02 7:55 AM -0.4L 4:19 PM 2.1HDec 03 8:41 AM -0.5L 5:10 PM 2.2HDec 04 9:30 AM -0.5L 6:01 PM 2.1HDec 05 10:21 AM -0.4L 6:50 PM 2.0HDec 06 11:15 AM -0.3L 7:36 PM 1.9H

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 11:05 AM 0.4L 8:50 PM 1.9HNov 23 11:40 AM 0.6L 9:08 PM 1.9HNov 24 12:18 PM 0.7L 9:17 PM 1.8HNov 25 1:01 PM 0.9L 9:22 PM 1.7HNov 26 5:12 AM 1.2L 8:44 AM 1.2H 1:58 PM 1.1L 9:25 PM 1.6HNov 27 4:58 AM 0.9L 11:34 AM 1.3H 3:21 PM 1.2L 9:25 PM 1.5HNov 28 5:14 AM 0.6L 1:08 PM 1.5H 5:10 PM 1.4L 9:21 PM 1.5HNov 29 5:41 AM 0.3L 2:13 PM 1.6HNov 30 6:15 AM 0.0L 3:09 PM 1.8HDec 01 6:54 AM -0.3L 4:04 PM 1.9HDec 02 7:37 AM -0.5L 4:58 PM 2.0HDec 03 8:23 AM -0.6L 5:51 PM 2.0HDec 04 9:12 AM -0.6L 6:41 PM 2.0HDec 05 10:02 AM -0.5L 7:23 PM 1.9HDec 06 10:53 AM -0.3L 7:55 PM 1.8H

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 1:21 AM 1.1H 2:14 PM 0.3LNov 23 1:25 AM 1.1H 2:57 PM 0.4LNov 24 1:37 AM 1.0H 3:41 PM 0.4LNov 25 1:51 AM 1.0H 4:23 PM 0.5LNov 26 1:51 AM 0.9H 5:01 PM 0.6LNov 27 12:28 AM 0.8H 8:11 AM 0.6L 11:34 PM 0.8HNov 28 8:17 AM 0.5L 10:29 PM 0.8HNov 29 8:40 AM 0.3L 10:00 PM 0.9HNov 30 9:12 AM 0.2L 9:52 PM 1.0HDec 01 9:49 AM 0.1L 10:31 PM 1.0HDec 02 10:33 AM 0.0L 11:23 PM 1.0HDec 03 11:21 AM -0.1LDec 04 12:20 AM 1.0H 12:13 PM -0.1LDec 05 1:17 AM 1.0H 1:06 PM -0.1LDec 06 2:06 AM 1.0H 1:59 PM -0.1L

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 5:18 AM 0.5H 3:42 PM 0.2LNov 23 5:58 AM 0.5H 4:15 PM 0.2LNov 24 6:28 AM 0.5H 4:42 PM 0.2LNov 25 2:02 AM 0.4H 5:01 PM 0.3LNov 26 1:14 AM 0.4H 5:09 PM 0.3LNov 27 12:52 AM 0.4H 8:53 AM 0.3L 1:05 PM 0.3H 4:39 PM 0.3LNov 28 12:39 AM 0.4H 9:18 AM 0.2LNov 29 12:31 AM 0.4H 9:51 AM 0.2LNov 30 12:31 AM 0.4H 10:30 AM 0.1LDec 01 12:42 AM 0.5H 11:14 AM 0.1LDec 02 1:09 AM 0.5H 12:01 PM 0.0LDec 03 1:50 AM 0.5H 12:52 PM 0.0LDec 04 2:38 AM 0.5H 1:43 PM 0.0LDec 05 3:32 AM 0.4H 2:32 PM 0.0LDec 06 4:26 AM 0.4H 3:16 PM 0.0L

Houston2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets22 Fri 8:39 2:27 9:02 2:50 6:51 5:22 9:50p 10:40a 23 Sat 9:29 3:17 9:51 3:40 6:52 5:22 10:42p 11:18a 24 Sun 10:16 4:05 10:38 4:27 6:53 5:22 11:34p 11:54a 25 Mon Q 11:01 4:50 11:23 5:12 6:53 5:22 NoMoon 12:28p 26 Tue 11:44 5:33 ----- 5:55 6:54 5:22 12:27a 1:02p 27 Wed 12:04 6:15 12:27 6:38 6:55 5:21 1:22a 1:37p 28 Thu 12:45 6:57 1:09 7:21 6:56 5:21 2:18a 2:14p 29 Fri 1:28 7:40 1:53 8:06 6:57 5:21 3:17a 2:54p 30 Sat 2:13 8:26 2:40 8:53 6:57 5:21 4:18a 3:39p 01 Sun > 3:02 9:17 3:31 9:45 6:58 5:21 5:23a 4:29p 02 Mon N 3:57 10:12 4:27 10:42 6:59 5:21 6:28a 5:24p 03 Tue > 4:57 11:13 5:28 11:44 7:00 5:21 7:32a 6:24p 04 Wed > 6:02 11:43 6:33 12:17 7:01 5:21 8:33a 7:29p 05 Thu > 7:08 12:53 7:38 1:23 7:01 5:21 9:28a 8:35p 06 Fri 8:14 1:59 8:42 2:28 7:02 5:21 10:18a 9:42p 07 Sat 9:16 3:03 9:43 3:30 7:03 5:21 11:04a 10:46p 08 Sun 10:14 4:01 10:40 4:27 7:04 5:21 11:45a 11:49p 09 Mon 11:06 4:54 11:31 5:19 7:04 5:21 12:24p NoMoon 10 Tue Q 11:55 5:42 ----- 6:07 7:05 5:22 1:02p 12:49a 11 Wed 12:15 6:27 12:39 6:51 7:06 5:22 1:39p 1:47a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 22 11:10 AM 0.1L 8:36 PM 1.7HNov 23 11:49 AM 0.2L 8:59 PM 1.6HNov 24 12:31 PM 0.4L 9:14 PM 1.5HNov 25 1:19 PM 0.6L 9:24 PM 1.5HNov 26 4:45 AM 0.9L 9:40 AM 1.0H 2:24 PM 0.9L 9:32 PM 1.5 HNov 27 4:52 AM 0.7L 11:54 AM 1.3H 3:54 PM 1.1L 9:37 PM 1.5 HNov 28 5:14 AM 0.5L 1:13 PM 1.5H 5:40 PM 1.4L 9:38 PM 1.5 HNov 29 5:45 AM 0.2L 2:12 PM 1.8HNov 30 6:20 AM 0.0L 3:04 PM 2.0HDec 01 6:59 AM -0.2L 3:55 PM 2.2HDec 02 7:42 AM -0.4L 4:46 PM 2.3HDec 03 8:28 AM -0.6L 5:36 PM 2.3HDec 04 9:15 AM -0.6L 6:24 PM 2.2HDec 05 10:04 AM -0.6L 7:07 PM 2.0HDec 06 10:54 AM -0.5L 7:43 PM 1.8H

San Antonio2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets22 Fri 8:51 2:40 9:14 3:03 7:03 5:36 10:03p 10:53a 23 Sat 9:41 3:30 10:03 3:52 7:04 5:35 10:55p 11:31a 24 Sun 10:29 4:18 10:50 4:39 7:04 5:35 11:47p 12:06p 25 Mon Q 11:14 5:03 11:35 5:25 7:05 5:35 NoMoon 12:41p 26 Tue 11:57 5:46 ----- 6:08 7:06 5:35 12:40a 1:15p 27 Wed 12:17 6:28 12:39 6:51 7:07 5:35 1:35a 1:50p 28 Thu 12:58 7:10 1:22 7:33 7:08 5:34 2:31a 2:27p 29 Fri 1:40 7:53 2:05 8:18 7:08 5:34 3:29a 3:07p 30 Sat 2:25 8:39 2:52 9:06 7:09 5:34 4:31a 3:52p 01 Sun > 3:15 9:29 3:43 9:58 7:10 5:34 5:35a 4:42p 02 Mon N 4:10 10:25 4:40 10:55 7:11 5:34 6:40a 5:38p 03 Tue > 5:10 11:25 5:41 11:56 7:12 5:34 7:44a 6:38p 04 Wed > 6:14 11:55 6:45 12:30 7:12 5:34 8:45a 7:43p 05 Thu > 7:21 1:06 7:51 1:36 7:13 5:34 9:41a 8:49p 06 Fri 8:26 2:12 8:55 2:41 7:14 5:34 10:31a 9:55p 07 Sat 9:29 3:15 9:56 3:42 7:15 5:34 11:16a 11:00p 08 Sun 10:26 4:14 10:52 4:39 7:15 5:34 11:58a NoMoon 09 Mon 11:19 5:07 11:44 5:31 7:16 5:35 12:37p 12:02a 10 Tue Q ----- 5:55 12:07 6:19 7:17 5:35 1:15p 1:02a 11 Wed 12:28 6:40 12:52 7:04 7:17 5:35 1:52p 2:00a

Amarillo2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets22 Fri 9:05 2:53 9:28 3:16 7:28 5:37 10:08p 11:16a 23 Sat 9:54 3:43 10:17 4:06 7:29 5:36 11:02p 11:52a 24 Sun 10:42 4:31 11:04 4:53 7:30 5:36 11:57p 12:26p 25 Mon Q 11:27 5:16 11:49 5:38 7:31 5:36 NoMoon 12:58p 26 Tue ----- 5:59 12:10 6:21 7:32 5:35 12:52a 1:30p 27 Wed 12:30 6:41 12:53 7:04 7:33 5:35 1:49a 2:02p 28 Thu 1:11 7:23 1:35 7:47 7:34 5:35 2:47a 2:37p 29 Fri 1:53 8:06 2:19 8:31 7:35 5:34 3:49a 3:15p 30 Sat 2:39 8:52 3:06 9:19 7:36 5:34 4:53a 3:57p 01 Sun > 3:28 9:43 3:57 10:11 7:37 5:34 5:59a 4:45p 02 Mon N 4:23 10:38 4:53 11:08 7:38 5:34 7:06a 5:40p 03 Tue > 5:23 11:39 5:54 12:10 7:39 5:34 8:11a 6:40p 04 Wed > 6:28 12:12 6:59 12:43 7:39 5:34 9:11a 7:45p 05 Thu > 7:34 1:19 8:04 1:49 7:40 5:34 10:05a 8:53p 06 Fri 8:40 2:25 9:08 2:54 7:41 5:34 10:53a 10:02p 07 Sat 9:42 3:29 10:09 3:56 7:42 5:34 11:36a 11:09p 08 Sun 10:40 4:27 11:06 4:53 7:43 5:34 12:15p NoMoon 09 Mon 11:32 5:20 11:57 5:45 7:43 5:34 12:51p 12:14a 10 Tue Q ----- 6:08 12:20 6:33 7:44 5:34 1:26p 1:17a 11 Wed 12:41 6:53 1:05 7:17 7:45 5:34 2:02p 2:18a

Dallas2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets22 Fri 8:44 2:33 9:07 2:56 7:03 5:22 9:51p 10:51a 23 Sat 9:34 3:23 9:56 3:45 7:04 5:21 10:44p 11:28a 24 Sun 10:22 4:11 10:43 4:32 7:05 5:21 11:37p 12:02p 25 Mon Q 11:07 4:56 11:28 5:18 7:06 5:21 NoMoon 12:36p 26 Tue 11:50 5:39 ----- 6:01 7:07 5:20 12:32a 1:08p 27 Wed 12:10 6:21 12:32 6:44 7:07 5:20 1:27a 1:42p 28 Thu 12:51 7:03 1:15 7:26 7:08 5:20 2:25a 2:18p 29 Fri 1:33 7:46 1:58 8:11 7:09 5:20 3:25a 2:57p 30 Sat 2:18 8:32 2:45 8:59 7:10 5:19 4:28a 3:40p 01 Sun > 3:08 9:22 3:36 9:51 7:11 5:19 5:34a 4:29p 02 Mon N 4:03 10:18 4:33 10:48 7:12 5:19 6:40a 5:23p 03 Tue > 5:03 11:18 5:34 11:49 7:13 5:19 7:44a 6:24p 04 Wed > 6:07 11:48 6:38 12:23 7:13 5:19 8:45a 7:29p 05 Thu > 7:14 12:59 7:44 1:29 7:14 5:19 9:40a 8:36p 06 Fri 8:19 2:05 8:48 2:34 7:15 5:19 10:29a 9:44p 07 Sat 9:22 3:08 9:49 3:35 7:16 5:19 11:12a 10:50p 08 Sun 10:19 4:07 10:45 4:32 7:17 5:19 11:52a 11:53p 09 Mon 11:12 5:00 11:37 5:24 7:17 5:19 12:30p NoMoon 10 Tue Q ----- 5:48 12:00 6:12 7:18 5:19 1:06p 12:55a 11 Wed 12:21 6:33 12:45 6:57 7:19 5:20 1:43p 1:55a

Goose stew

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

ACROSS1. A trout

4. A type of gunsight 6. Month does usually

have young 9. A fi eld area quail

are found10. A deer food11. A duck12. To aim ahead of a

running game13. Skunks are usually

this15. A name for the

largemouth17. A donkey19. The cause of arrow

drift21. The wild boar22. A buck’s mating ritual23. Young deer25. A buck’s collection

of does26. Term for a hookless

lure28. An archer’s as-

sociation32. A wood used in ar-

row shafts33. A camper’s resting

spot34. A northern food fi sh36. A term for a gun sight37. A good crappie bait

40. The main fi n on a fi sh43. Used to pack a

day’s catch45. Sterno is a ____-

like fuel substance46. A gun part, ____

rest47. The tusker48. Fish breathing

organs49. Fish that can grow

to 10-20 ft long

DOWN1. A swan species2. Bowhunter’s prey in

the Everglades3. To propel the fi sh-

ing boat4. A lure, scent ____5. The smallest of a

litter6. The male is a bull7. A perch species8. A large group of

animals14. An in-hole fi replace15. You need this to 3

down16. The fi sh and game

lawman18. Animal that is lost

from the herd20. Game hideaway

LastNov. 25 Full

Dec. 17New

Dec. 2First

Dec. 9

Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $2, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2013 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or email them to [email protected].

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Craig NyhusConor HarrisonMark EnglandAmy MooreMary Helen AguirreMike HughsGinger HoolanBruce SoileauMike NelsonDave IrvineDavid J. Sams

Executive Editor

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Graphics Editor

Business/Products Editor

Operations Manager

Accounting

WebsiteNational Advertising

Automotive Advertising

Founder & CEO

ContributorsWilbur LundeenErich SchlegelDavid Sikes

Scott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

21. A hunter’s platform locale23. Name for the Arizona

whitetail24. Parka, boots, gloves27. The hunting area29. Bait placed in the water

to lure fi sh30. A hard-bodied lure31. Pursuing game

33. Young bears35. Name earned by the

expert fi sherman38. The arrows and shells39. Fishing and hunting

equipment41. A good bear trap bait42. Points at a target44. The electric swimmer


the mid-20s parts per thousand.”

Trial said October and November are tradition-ally when the most fresh-water runs into the bays. He said the high salinity levels shouldn’t affect the fish or the anglers that chase them.

“As far as fish like red drum or trout, they’re adapted to tolerate a broad range of salinity levels,” he said. “They are pretty hardy. Other bays like Baffin get much higher salinity levels than we do, and anglers catch a ton of trout and redfish in there.”

In Corpus Christi Bay, the salinity levels stayed lower than Nueces.

“They were running in the high 30s (parts per thousand) in September and October,” Trial said. “They are down in the low 30s as of today. Of course, the drop in salinity has been more pronounced in Nueces Bay (from low 40s to mid-20s).

“The lower salinities should benefit this year’s crop of white shrimp in Nueces/Corpus Christi Bay.”

Trial said species like white shrimp and blue

crabs can tolerate high salinity levels for the short term, but struggle if it stays too salty for lon-ger periods.

“Over time, it can have an affect on those spe-cies,” he said. “The adults can get by in the short-term long enough to get through it. It certainly hasn’t been high enough to cause a fish kill, but it can affect a year-age class of juveniles.”

Trial said Corpus Christi Bay was helped by the release of city water diverted through the marshes and estuaries.

SalinityContinued From Page 8

Ruger wins awardRuger was presented with the

Firearms Manufacturer of the Year award by the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers for the seventh consecutive year during the Association’s 40th Annual Meeting in Grapevine.

The award was presented to Ruger President and CEO Mike Fifer by NASGW Chairman of the Board Kent Williams and NASGW Vice Chairman of the Board Pete Brownell.

“Winning the Manufacturer of the Year award for the seventh year in a row is a real honor for Ruger,” said Fifer. “We are so pleased that our dedication to two-step distribution is consistently valued and appreciated by wholesalers, and we continue to strive to meet their needs with inno-vative, high-quality products. We want to thank NASGW members for this award and their continued busi-ness and support.”

NASGW wholesaler members evaluate the performance of manu-facturers on distribution policy, marketing, sales and promotion, logistics and operations, as well as NASGW and industry support. The assessment of manufacturer per-formance is designed to provide a balanced appraisal that identi-fies the best manufacturer in each respective category. The NASGW Awards recognize top manufacturers who best demonstrate a commit-ment to two-step distribution and who provide outstanding value and service.

— Ruger


NATIONALOklahoma now offers 1-day fishing license

Visitors to the Sooner State who want to enjoy a spur-of-the-moment fishing outing now have a more cost-effective alternative to obtain the necessary license.

On Nov. 1, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation began offering a one-day nonresident fishing license for the first time.

“This new option allows people who are simply visiting for one day to enjoy fishing on Oklahoma’s lakes and streams without having to buy the six-day license as they did before,” said Michael Chrisman, license section supervisor for the Wildlife Department.

Previously, residents from other states who needed a fishing license in Oklahoma had the choice to buy either a six-day nonresident fishing license for $35 or an annual non-resident fishing license for $55. The nonresident one-day license costs $15.

Nonresidents will still be able to buy the six-day and annual fish-ing licenses, in addition to the new one-day nonresident license.

— ODWC

African conservation leaders meet with SCI Foundation

Last week, Safari Club International Foundation held its 12th annual African Wildlife Consultative Forum in Livingstone, Zambia.

Conservation leaders attend-ing included wildlife management authorities from the nine African counties of Botswana, Ethiopia,

Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as represen-tatives from the safari industry, NGO and wildlife science sectors.

The government representa-tives attending the AWCF delivered this week a letter to the Co-Chairs of the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Attorney General Eric Holder. The letter presents their recommen-dations for the implementation of President Barack Obama’s exec-utive order combatting wildlife trafficking. The letter recommends that the task force appoint Safari Club International Foundation to its Advisory Council to act as a liaison for the African governments, who are the principle agents for con-serving wildlife on their continent.

“It is distressing that Africa’s gov-ernments were not included or even consulted on the U.S. government’s new task force to stop poaching. This policy decision of the U.S. government directly affects Africa’s communities, wildlife, and econo-mies. To ignore these countries is an obvious misstep that needs to be rectified,” SCI Foundation President Joe Hosmer said.

— SCI Foundation

America destroys ivory stockpile

The United States has destroyed its 6-ton stock of confiscated elephant ivory, sending a clear message that the nation will not tol-erate wildlife crime.

The destruction of this ivory, which took place at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Property Repository on Rocky Mountain Arsenal National

Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colo., was witnessed by representatives of African nations and other countries, dozens of leading conservationists and international media represen-tatives.

The Service accumulated the ivory destroyed over the past 25 years, seizing it during undercover investigations of organized smug-gling operations or confiscating it at the U.S. border. Although it is difficult to put an exact figure on the number of different elephants this ivory represents, it certainly numbers in the thousands. Prior to being seized, most of this ivory was destined to be sold illegally in the United States or overseas.

— USFWS

Michigan’s first wolf hunt begins

Michigan’s wolf hunt began November 15 in three distinct units in the Upper Peninsula. These units were designed around areas of chronic wolf-human conflict where other methods of controlling that conflict have proven ineffective.

The 2013 wolf season will open Nov. 15 and will run until the target harvest for each Wolf Management Unit is reached, but no later than Dec. 31. The bag limit is one wolf per per-son per year. Firearm, crossbow and bow-and-arrow hunting will be allowed on public and private lands. A total of 1,200 licenses were sold,

Michigan’s wolf population has grown significantly since 2000, with a current minimum winter pop-ulation estimate of 658. The target harvest is not expected to affect the overall wolf population trajec-tory, based on published scientific research.

— Michigan.gov

Pennsylvania elk hunters have success

Nearly 85 percent of the hunters participating in Pennsylvania’s 2013 elk hunt have taken home a trophy.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced 72 elk were taken by hunters during the regu-lar one-week elk season that ended Nov. 9. And for those licensed to hunt bull elk, the success rate was a perfect 100 percent.

In calling the season a success, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe offered congratulations to the hunters lucky enough to participate in this year’s hunt.

“Our annual elk hunt has become quite a tradition here in Pennsylvania and it’s a hunting opportunity we’re proud to provide,” Roe said. “The fact we’ve been able to expand the hunt in recent years is a testament to the health and management of our elk herd, and hunts like this year’s are something to get excited about.”

The 2013 harvest included sev-eral large elk. Fourteen bulls were estimated to weigh 700 pounds or more, with the heaviest bull taken in this year’s hunt estimated at more than 847 pounds.

That bull sported a 6-by-7 rack that initially was measured with a Boone & Crockett score of 340 1/8 inches.

— PGC

Man attempts to run over wildlife officer, surrenders

Levi C. Wilson, 26, of Lee County, Ark., surrendered to authorities after attempting to run

over an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officer.

On Nov. 9, Wilson Wilson shot at a deer decoy. When approached by the wildlife officer, Wilson took off in his vehicle striking the offi-cer. The wildlife officer fired into Wilson’s vehicle, but did not hit him. Wilson then left the vehicle and fled on foot. Neither the wild-life officer nor Wilson was injured.

Wilson is being held in the Lee County Jail on $120,000 bond. He has been charged with several felo-nies and hunting-related offenses.

— AGFC

N.M. man receives 2013 Pope and Young Conservation Award

Dan Fleming of New Mexico was presented with the 2013 Pope and Young Conservation Award. Fleming’s volunteerism spans more than 30 years and a wide array of endeavors, including with the United Bowhunters of New Mexico and projects with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the New Mexico Game and Fish Department commission on bowhunting issues.

Fleming has been a Boy Scouts of America archery merit badge instructor for 17 years and is a rifle and shooting merit badge instructor and instructor trainer. He designed, developed and implemented the 3-D Apache Springs camp archery program at BSA’s Philmont Ranch in 2000. More than 70,000 scouts from around the world have passed through the 3-D archery program. He developed a second archery program, and is working on a third, at other BSA adventure bases.

— Pope and Young


ulations than the typical 90- to 100-degree summer-time temperatures common in Texas.

Jason Hoffman, who guides on Lake Fork, said when a short front moves through and temps cool, most fishing isn’t always negatively impacted.

“It really is (a positive); it hasn’t hurt those big fish at all,” Hoffman said.

Although the physical condition of fish may not have been impacted, their holding spots and patterns do change. This is especially the case with schools of bait.

Hoffman said the norm of late has been targeting larger schools, as opposed to smaller, more prevalent bait balls.

Despite large schools of fish, their feeding activity may slow, so Hoffman sug-gested a few tactics in order to be successful.

Fishing your bait slower

and less aggressively may produce more bites. Fish may be lethargic with tem-pature changes, so Hoffman said thoroughly and slowly working through an area is key. This should also force anglers to present baits from multiple angles.

Finding isolated cover is another key that Hoffman focuses on this time of year.

“From what I have seen the last few days, the really deep fish are starting to show up and we are starting to see a lot of fish that have pulled out (from the creeks) and have been congregating on some of the main lake struc-ture,” he said.

Sqaure-billed crankbaits and even spinner baits around structure can help elicit more strikes, Hoffman said, if fish seem particularly sluggish.

“Generally, those shal-low fish are going to get real tight to cover,” he said. “You

will have to really slow down and fish tight to that cover. Sometimes you have to try and fish something to really make them react, and draw them off of that cover.”

The final key to fishing in this transition period is per-sistence. Both Hoffman and Brock said lake levels and temperature changes will congregate schools of bait and fish, and success will just come down to finding them.

“With the lake levels being lower and cooler, there are fewer schools of fish,” Hoffman said. “You may look at ten spots, but you may only find two spots with fish on them, but when you find them, they are usu-ally loaded with quality fish.”

For more information on current patterns in Texas lakes, read the report on page 8.

Cold weatherContinued From Page 9

Austin Canoe and Kayak wins award

Outdoor retailer, Austin Canoe and Kayak, a division of MSP Holdings, LLC, has received the “Kayak Angling Retailer of the Year Award” of the Kayak Angler Choice Awards for the third year in a row.

Kayak Anglers Choice Awards is a joint venture between YakAngler.com and KayakFishingRadio.com honoring individu-als, companies, products, events, websites and organizations all within the kayak angling community. Kayak anglers from across the

globe nominate and vote for their favorites in a variety of different categories.

“What really sets this apart from other awards we have received is the direct connection to our kayak angling customers,” said Peter Messana, CEO of ACK, “a segment of the industry in which we are deeply rooted and value; we are honored.”

“We are serious about satisfying the needs of our customers. We listen to our customers’ needs and understand the latest trends and top products. We are committed to delivering those top products to our customers. There is nothing more rewarding than being recognized for this effort.” added Steve Messana, president.

— ACK


Prime Time | November Time6:00 PM6:30 PM7:00 PM7:30 PM8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM

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PURSUIT CHANNELWingshooting USAAvian XPulse Factor TVHardcore Hunting TVDeer ThugsThe American Way Spook NationOutdoor Edge’s Love of the Hunt Anything WildWild Rivers WhitetailsFlyway HighwayTNT Outdoor ExplosionScentblocker & Drury’s Natural Born

PURSUIT CHANNEL Bear WhispererHartcraft Hunting AdventuresSouthern Woods and Water TVThe Bucket ListHank Parker 3DWildlife Pursuit TV Bowhunting AddictionKT Diaries Canadian Whitetail TVAmericana OutdoorsBloodlineSpook NationMayhem OD

PURSUIT CHANNEL Outdoor Insights Game OnThe RUSHSpiritual Outdoor AdventuresHoney Brake ExperienceGame KeepersSave the Habitat, Save the HuntMississippi Outdoors Open SeasonOutdoor TV ClassicsOutdoor TV ClassicsThe High RoadNorth Amercian SafariHank Parker 3D

PURSUIT CHANNEL Huntin’ Is Good!Campfi re StoriesStruttinBucks “The Juncture”Wallhanger TVBackland ExperiencesHunting Connection TVBig Boy AdventuresTNT Outdoors ExplosionTrophy State of MindBob Redfern’s Outdoor MagazineBackland ExperiencesSave the Habitat, Save the HuntAmerican Trigger Sports Network

PURSUIT CHANNEL Young GunsComplete SeasonTrigger Time TVAmerican AirgunnerAmerican Trigger Sports NetworkGun Talk TVDoug Koenig’s Championship SeasonGuns & Gear TV3 Gun Nation3 Gun Nation

Tuff Girls

PURSUIT CHANNEL Avian XFlyway HighwayHoney Brake ExperienceNWTF 365Hunting with HECSTachycardia OutdoorsGulf South OutdoorsWhitetail DiariesHunt Wicked Close TV-- Con Fletcha, LLCShow of SupportMississippi OutdoorsInside the ObsessionGun Talk TV

PURSUIT CHANNELCarnivoreDeadly PassionNorth American HunterThe High RoadInside the ObsessionScentblocker & Drury’s Natural BornNWTF 365BloodlineAvian XSave the Habitat, Save the HuntGulf South OutdoorsHunting with HECSBear Whisperer

SPORTSMAN CHANNELTrijicon’s the Hunt Country Boys Outdoors Guns & AmmoDavidson’s Gallery of Guns Ruger Inside and OutWorld of Beretta Tac TVWhat if?Guns & AmmoDavidson’s Gallery of Guns Ruger Inside and Out World of BerettaTac TV

SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Drake’s Migration NationAntler Insanity Whitetail Properties Major League Bowhunter Realtree’s Monster BucksBack Country Quest Brad Farris’ Game Plan Savage Outdoors Whitetail Properties Major League BowhunterRealtree’s Monster BucksBack Country Quest Brad Farris’ Game Plan

SPORTSMAN CHANNEL A-Way Outdoors TV Scent Blocker’s The Chase w/ Leigh & Travis Big Deer TV Destination WhitetailNorth American Whitetail Winchester World of Whitetail The Zone Adrenaline JunkiesBig Deer TVDestination Whitetail North American Whitetail Winchester World of Whitetail The Zone

SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Priefert’s Backwoods Bloodline Reel Shot Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg The Outfi tters Bulit by Ford F-SeriesPetersen’s HUNTING AdventuresInto High Country3-Gun Nation3-Gun NationFresh Tracks with Randy NewbergThe Outfi tters Bulit by Ford F-SeriesPetersen’s HUNTING AdventuresInto High Country 3-Gun Nation

SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Innerloc’s Out There Backwoods LifeRelentless Pursuit Name the GameBowhunter TVMidwest Whitetail with Bill WinkeEaston BowhuntingMaximum Archery Ambush TourRelentless Pursuit Name the Game Bowhunter TVMidwest Whitetail with Bill WinkeEaston Bowhunting

SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Brush Country MonstersHardcore Pursuit The Western Hunter Hollywood Hunter E-ForceE-ForceTrijicon’s World of Sports Afi eld Moment of Impact The Western Hunter Hollywood Hunter E-Force E-Force Trijicon’s World of Sports Afi eld

SPORTSMAN CHANNELBuckventures Whitetail SLAMPigman Meet the McMillans MeatEater Travelin’ Hunter Territories Wild Gun it with Benny Spies Pigman Meet the McMillans MeatEaterTravelin’ Hunter Territories Wild

OUTDOOR CHANNELHeadhunters TVWhitetail FreaksLegends of the FallHunt MastersJim Shockey’s The ProfessionalsHeartland BowhunterAddicted to the OutdoorsPrimal Instinct Under Amour Presents Ridge ReaperMathews Adventure BowhunterHeadhunters TVHeartland BowhunterThe Best of the West

OUTDOOR CHANNELInside Outdoors TVHank Parker’s Flesh & BloodMoultrie’s The Hit ListTed Nugent Spirit of the WildHunting the CountryDriven with Pat and Nicole BioLogic & Drury’s Wildlife ObsessionDream Season The Journey Eastmans’ Hunting TVShawn Michael’s MRAHunting The CountryPrimos Truth About HuntingBioLogic & Drury’s Wildlife Obsession

OUTDOOR CHANNELChoose Your WeaponField & Stream’s The Gun NutsMidwayUSA’s Gun StoriesShooting USAShooting USAShooting USA’s Impossible Shots American Rifl emanField & Stream’s The Gun NutsMidwayUSA’s Gun StoriesGrateful NationShooting USAShooting USAShooting USA’s Impossible Shots

OUTDOOR CHANNELGrateful NationScent-Lok’s High PlacesBeyond the HuntThe Hunt with Greg & JakeRealtree Road TripsRealtree’s NASCAR Outdoors Bow MadnessCabela’s Ultimate AdventuresThe Season with Justin MartinCuddeback’s Wild OutdoorsThe Jackie Bushman ShowCrush with Lee & TifffanyRazor Dobbs Alive

OUTDOOR CHANNELSolo HuntersSasquatchTrip Gone BadWinchester LegendsFear No EvilRazor Dobbs AliveDriven with Pat and Nicole REAIRWinchester’s Rack Masters Realtree’s NASCAR OutdoorsUltimate Buck ZoneUnder Armour Presents Ridge ReaperBone CollectorJim Shockey’s The Professionals

OUTDOOR CHANNEL Fisher’s ATV WorldShawn Michael’s MRADucks UnlimitedSteve’s Outdoor AdventuresRoger Raglin OutdoorsUltimate HuntingTrophy QuestScentBlocker Most WantedHeartland BowhunterWestern Extreme presented by BowTechTed Nugent Spirit of the WildCraig Morgan All Access OutdoorsThe Bassmasters

OUTDOOR CHANNELMathews TV with Dave WatsonCrush with Lee & TiffanyJim Shockey’s Hunting AdventuresWildgame NationRealtree OutdoorsPrimos Truth About Hunting The Jackie Bushman ShowBone Collector Craig Morgan All Access OutdoorsRed ArrowJim Shockey’s Hunting AdventuresRealtree Road TripsLive 2 Hunt with Cody Robbins

WORLD FISHING NETWORKCollegiate Bass FishingKayak Bassin’ TVBass West USA TVSkeeter Bass ChampsTimmy Horton OutdoorsBig Bass BattleFLW TourFish’n Canada

Reel Fishy Jobs with Mark MelnykOffshore Adventure Quest

WORLD FISHING NETWORK Sportfi shing on the FlyIn the LoopFly NationThe New Fly FisherGame Fisher’s DiaryOrvis Guide to Fly FishingJoy of FishingBC Outdoors Sport Fishing

Reel Fishy Jobs with Mark MelnykHookin’ Up with Mariko Izumi

WORLD FISHING NETWORKCopout Outdoor AdventuresIGFA Saltwater AdventuresBig Coast Sportfi shingInside Sport FishingThe Kayak Fishing Show w/ Jim SammonsBob Izumi’s Real FishingThe New Fly FisherCanadian Sportfi shing

Reel Fishy Jobs with Mark MelnykLost Lake

WORLD FISHING NETWORK Fishing the FlatsFishing TexasFlorida Adventure QuestFlatsClassBelize OutdoorsInside Sport FishingAngler West TVWestcoast Sporting Journal

Backwoods Angler TVFish TV

WORLD FISHING NETWORK Lindner’s Angling EdgeThe Next Bite TVJohn Gillespie’s Water & WoodsMusky HunterThe SessionSeason on the EdgeJarrett Edwards OutdoorsFish TV

Copout Outdoor AdventuresCanadian Sportfi shing

WORLD FISHING NETWORK American Fly GuideMark Berg’s Fishing AddictionIGFA Saltwater AdventuresBoat Fishing With BarhamFLW TourFLW TourFishing 411BC Outdoors Sport Fishing

Beyond the CastBass West USA TV

WORLD FISHING NETWORK George Poveromo’s Saltwater FishingKayak Bassin’ TVThe Kayak Fishing Show w/ Jim SammonsOrvis Guide to Fly FishingForce on ForceFishing the FlatsThe New Fly FisherAngler West TV

Reel Fishy Jobs with Mark MelnykIn the Loop

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Whitetail DiariesEye of the HunterNorth to AlaskaTerritories WildDeer Hunting TVOutdoor SecretsNorth American Hunter

Prime Time is a new section for our readers.

Here at LSON, we got tired of searching the Internet, TV Guide or menus on our digital cable boxes to fi nd the latest hunting and fi shing shows.

So, we decided if we don’t like it, our readers probably don’t either.

Well, here it is. A handy guide to allow you one easy step to fi nd the best outdoors shows in primetime.

If you are looking for Saturday and Sunday morning shows, along with programming during other hours, go to lsonews.com as we are out hunting and fi sh-ing during those times.

If you have any suggestions, please send an email to [email protected].

The Hit ListThe Hit List presented by

Moultrie follows the unfolding stories of four vibrant personali-ties as they devote their efforts and passions into pinpointing trophy deer across the United States.

The work doesn’t stop from the time food plots go in till the arrow leaves the string. Watch as they formulate strategies based on information fed to them from their game cameras provided by Moultrie. Join the personalities of Gerald Swindle, Andy Morgan, Chad Ritter and Branch Warren as they endure the headaches, the heartbreaks, the strategies, the desires, all for the passion of the ultimate reward ... checking one off of the hit list.

On this week’s episode, the boys chase big Nebraska bucks. Nebraska is known as the Cornhusker state for a reason and the deer there utilize that food source to become true trophies.

The Hit List presented by Moultrie airs on The Outdoor Channel, Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Fridays at 12:30 a.m. and Fridays at 2 p.m. All times Central Standard.

Good through January 1. Go to LSONews.com for up to date information.


TPWD to begin stocking trout

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s popular rainbow trout stocking program will kick off November 27 with the first deliver-ies of fish to selected lakes in the Neighborhood Fishin’ program.

The remaining lakes will be stocked November 29.

Lakes to be stocked November 27 include Southside Lions Park and Miller’s Pond in San Antonio; Buena Vista Park, Waco; Bullfrog Pond, Austin; and Central Park Pond #1, College Station.

Stockings will continue until March with some lakes being stocked every two weeks and others on a monthly basis.

“The reason for stocking some lakes on a monthly basis is to reduce losses of fish to resident cormorants,” said Dave Terre, TPWD’s chief of management and research. “We hope the less-frequent stockings will keep the birds from patterning our stocking activities and make more fish avail-able for anglers. We will stock the same total number of fish, just less often.”

A 2012 survey indicated that more than 80,000 people take part in the Neighborhood Fishin’ pro-gram.

“Regular stocking is a key com-ponent of the Neighborhood Fishin’ program, which helps increase fish-catching opportunities in small city park lakes close to where people live,” Terre said. “Providing this opportunity is especially important to our youth and families, who may be new to fishing or just want to have some fun together outdoors. Our surveys show that nearly 50 percent of participants are kids or adults who are new to fishing.”

Stocking dates include:Medical Center South, Amarillo: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Oakes Street, San Angelo: 11/29, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21Southside Lions Park, San Antonio: 11/27, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21Miller’s Pond, San Antonio: 11/27, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21Buena Vista Park, Waco: 11/27, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7,

2/21, 3/7Bullfrog Pond, Austin: 11/27, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Greenbriar Park, Fort Worth: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Hurst Chisholm Park, Hurst: 11/29, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21Lakeside Park, Duncanville: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Mesquite City Lake, Mesquite: 11/29, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21South Lakes Park Pond, Denton: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7South Weeks, Wichita Falls: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Central Park Pond #1, College Station: 11/27, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7Mary Jo Peckham Park, Katy: 11/29, 12/27, 1/24, 2/21Missouri City C.P.L., Missouri City: 11/29, 12/13, 12/27, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7

— TPWD


PRODUCTS

FISHFINDER/CHARTPLOTTER: Lowrance’s Elite-5 HDI fi sh-fi nder and chartplotter combines two award-winning technologies — Broadband Sounder and DownScan Imaging — to provide the best view of the water and every-thing in it. This 5-inch device has built-in GPS antenna and high-defi nition mapping that allows anglers to view more than 3,000 lakes, rivers and coast lines. Users can also upload recorded sonar logs to the online map creation service to make their own custom, high-resolution con-tour, bottom hardness and vegetation maps. This sells for about $450.

(800) 628-4487www.lowrance.com

>>

Holiday Gift Ideas■ Yes, we know they already have every-thing they’ll ever need and more for the outdoors. But, we’re sure they could use just one more gift this holiday season.Here at LSON, we’ve tested a lot of these products, and we’ve got it on pretty good authority that this is cool stuff they have to have for next season. You’ll thank us later.

Holiday Gift Ideas

Star Outdoor News LSONews.com

thing in it. This 5-inch device has built-in GPS antenna and high-defi nition mapping that allows anglers to view more than 3,000 lakes, rivers and coast lines. Users can also upload recorded sonar logs to the online map creation service to make their own custom, high-resolution con-tour, bottom hardness and vegetation maps. This sells for about $450.

CHARTPLOTTER: Elite-5 HDI fi sh-

fi nder and chartplotter combines two award-winning technologies — Broadband Sounder and DownScan Imaging — to provide the best view of the water and every-thing in it. This 5-inch device view of the water and every-thing in it. This 5-inch device

CHARTPLOTTER: Lowrance’s Elite-5 HDI fi sh-fi nder and chartplotter combines two award-winning technologies — Broadband Sounder and DownScan Imaging — to provide the best view of the water and every-Imaging — to provide the best view of the water and every-

MONARCH 5 BINOCULARS: Any out-doorsman (or outdoorswoman) is sure

to be overjoyed to fi nd this under the tree. Nikon’s newest Monarch binoculars have 56 mm objective lenses that provide sharp, high-contrast views by allowing greater amounts of light to enter the optical system (The 8x56 ver-

sion boasts an incredible 7mm exit pupil for extreme low-light performance). Nikon has manu-factured these binoculars with a high-eyepoint design, which provides a clear

fi eld of view for everyone, even when the user is wearing eyeglasses, with suf-fi cient space between the user’s brow and the binocular’s eyecups. Multi-click turn-and-slide rubber eyecups make it easy to fi nd the correct eye positioning to see the full fi eld of view. The lightweight body is made of fi berglass-reinforced polycarbonate resin and is covered in rubber armoring for added durability and ergonomics. The binoculars sell for about $750 for the 8x56 model, about $800 for the 16x56 model, and about $900 for the 20x56 model.

(800) 645-6687 www.NikonSportOptics.com

RED LABEL OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN: Here is something for the hunter who has been very, very nice. Ruger’s reintro-

duced shotgun boasts refi ned inner workings, a new center of gravity and reduced recoil that promise to deliver improved comfort and an enhanced shooting performance. This 12-gauge shot-

gun, which has a great instinctual swing, features 2-inch extended forcing cones, maximum back-bored barrels, and a soft Pachmayr buttpad. Its low-profi le receiver reduces muzzle climb because the centerline of the bore is closer to the gun’s center mass. The shotgun has an American Walnut stock with a 1.5-inch drop at comb and a 2.5-inch drop at

heel. The guns are available with 26-inch, 28-inch or 30-inch barrels. Each shotgun includes a custom molded, semi-soft case, fi ve Briley chokes (two skeet chokes and one full, one modifi ed and one improved cylinder choke), a premium-

quality Briley choke tube wrench and a safety lock. The shotguns have an MSRP of $1,399.

(928) 541-8892 www.ruger.com

PIRANTA BOLT KNIFE: Here is a little something for him (or her). This hunting and skin-

ning knife by Havalon has a strong thick 60a-stainless steel blade and a larger

handle for a better, more comfortable grip for those messy skinning jobs. The 7 3/8-inch-long knife, avail-

able with a bright green or blaze orange handle, features an

open back for easy cleaning. It comes with 12 additional

stainless steel blades and a removable holster clip. It

costs about $50.

(888) 836-3204www.havalon.com

TEAM ELK PACK: This might just hold more than Santa’s pack. Chock-full of hunter-friendly features, such as a fold-away rife scabbard, a built-in bow carrier, and full-depth spotting scope and hydration pockets, this quiet and light-weight pack is just the right size. With 3,100 cubic inches of space, the 23-inch by 11-inch by 9.5-inch pack can work for a one-day or a multi-day hunting trip. And, it is great for hauling game. With its body-following contours and bottom-shelf design, the Intex frame provides comfort and stability. Part of the proceeds of each sale will be donated to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. This pack sells for about $300.

(877) 866-3047www.eberlestock.com

ANGLER’S STOCKING: Don’t you love it when the only work you have to do is to hang the stocking on the chimney

with care? Lurenet has fi lled this one with bass fi sher-men’s favorite lures, including a BOOYAH Single Colorado

Blade Spinnerbait, a 3/4-ounce BOOYAH A-Jig, a pack of 3-inch YUM Wooly Hawgtails, a

pack of 6-inch YUM Salleemanders, an XCalibur Xcs100, an XCalibur

Erratic Shad, a Rebel Buzz’NFrog, and a Bomber Shallow A. The bass lure assortment stocking

sells for just under $20.

(800) 531-1201www.lurenet.com

ALPA TECH JACKET AND PANTS: Your hunter will be happy to don this apparel. Made by Scent-Lok, the hunting wear is made from a breathable textured polyester that is treated to shed light moisture. The inside layer contains moisture-wicking synthetic knit for com-fort. This apparel features the com-pany’s Carbon Alloy technology for scent control. The jacket has a half-zip design and high-rise side zippers; a chin guard and zipper fl ap to help reduce neck abrasion; and an easily accessible safety harness opening. It has large center pocket for acces-sories and a dual hand warmer pocket. The pants have a hook-and-loop adjustable waist, plenty of pockets, and abrasion-resistant tape on the knees. The jacket costs about $230 and the pants cost about $200.

(800) 315-5799www.scentlok.com

S11 SUNGLASSES: Strike King Lure

Company’s new line of sunglasses utilize scientif-ically engineered high-contrast lenses that tailor the light to actively enhance visual clarity under all fi shing and outdoor conditions. The line features 13 new styles — one of which is

sure to suit the angler on your holiday shopping list. The Okeechobee model, shown, has clear gray frames and gray lenses, which are shatterproof and scratch resis-

tant. The lenses also have a hydrophobic coating that repels oils, dust and water. The polarized

lenses also remove glare from the water to enable anglers to see down into the water

to locate underwater habitats and fi sh. The sunglasses sell for about $40.

(901) 853-1455www.strikeking.com

REDHEAD FLEECE VEST: Forget the holiday sweater. This is the type of layering piece he really wants. This versatile fl eece brushed tricot hunting vest is reversible, from Realtree Xtra to Blaze Orange. It has two hand-warmer pockets (on each side) and a zippered pocket on the chest (on the camo side). It is available in sizes small to 3XL and costs about $25.

(800) 227-7776www.basspro.com

CHARTPLOTTER: FISHFINDER/CHARTPLOTTER: FISHFINDER/

LANTERN: Light up your favorite outdoorsman’s life with UCO’s Arka USB charger, lantern and fl ashlight. This light source switches easily between its charger, fl ashlight and lantern functions, eliminating the need for three different devices. In the backcountry, off the power grid, or in a weather emergency, it is a reliable light and power source that can run for up to 100 hours on a rechargeable 4AH Li-Ion battery. Providing up to 180

lumens of light, this collapsible lantern has a red-light mode to preserve night vision. Its battery, which also can be used to power other devices, can be plugged into any electrical socket to recharge. The charger, lantern and fl ashlight combo sells for about $70.

(888) 297-6062www.industrialrev.com

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1-800-434-3897 • www.delriopowersports.com • 2450 Veterans Blvd. Del Rio, Texas

• 2500# Winch w/ Remote Cable

• Utility Seat w/ Gun Rest• Front Double Gun Holder• Steel Roof • Roof Basket

• Front Rollbar Basket

• Tractor Sealant In Tires

• Front Double LED’s (4 per lamp)

Nov. & Dec. ***SPECIAL***

• Winch Kit w/ Gambrel • One person loader

BUY OUR RANGER WITH “RANCH PACKAGE” AND

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2014 Polaris Ranger Crew 900 (Green)MSRP $14,399Ranch Utility Package $4,900Retail Total $19,299 Discount -$2,600

You Pay $16,699 +TTL

FOR GREAT DEALS ON PARTS VISIT: WWW.POWERPARTSPLUS.COM

1) 2500 pound winch with one year motor replacement and 13’ remote controller cable which allows you to get out in front.

2) Heavy duty tractor sealant to seal up to a 1/2 inch puncture (if they tell you they will install extra “slime” they are deceiving you), our actual cost for a Ranger is $75.

3) Heavy duty front roll bar basket.4) 2 ea. fi rst class double gun holders, one in front

fl oorboard and one in the third seat fl oorboard. On Kawasaki front gun holder between center rollbar.

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curtains for custom look, sun and rain drip protection (not a cheap fl at roof).

6) Large rooftop basket at rear of roof, will hold guns and over size ice chest.

7) First class third seat with plenty of storage baskets and a large gun rest and entry steps.

8) NEW FEATURE FOR 2013!! Front double LED’s (4 per lamp)

9) Our posted “Ranch Utility Package” prices include manufactures freight and dealer assembly; watch for this one, they will shaft you with unquoted add on’s.

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Our Ranch Utility Package Is Also Available On The Kawasaki 4010 Trans Mule In Camo with Power Steering$13,499 +TTL

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2013 Polaris Ranger Crew 800MSRP $12,499Ranch Utility Package $4,900.00Retail Total $17,399 Discount -$2,400NEW ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT: -$500

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• Double Gun Holder on Utility Seat

NEW Crew 900

Even with low water, fi shing still solid

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department inland fi sheries biolo-gists conducting fi sh population surveys at Lakes Pat Cleburne and Mexia report particularly high numbers of quality channel cat-fi sh.

Lake Pat Cleburne is a 1,568-acre reservoir located approximately four miles south-west of the town of Cleburne. Lake Mexia is a 1,009-acre res-ervoir located approximately six miles west of the town of Mexia.

Like many larger reservoirs in the area, both these smaller res-ervoirs have been plagued with drought conditions for several years, and much of the reser-voirs’ natural fi sh habitat, such as shoreline structure, aquatic veg-etation, coves and points, have been dry for some time.

Despite tough conditions, TPWD observed some unusually high catches of popular sport-fi sh during recent surveys. At Pat Cleburne, the 2012 channel catfi sh catch rate was the second highest on record for the reservoir, second only to the 1997 sur-vey. In addition to large numbers of channels, individual condi-tion, or plumpness, was good and improved with increasing length.

Most of the channel cat-fi sh observed during this survey were perfect eating size, 2 to 4 pounds. Populations of blues and fl athead catfi sh can also be found in the reservoir, but are in much lower densities. There are currently no water body records for any of the catfi shes in Pat Cleburne, because anglers have never brought these species in for certifi cation.

Largemouth bass anglers should also be happy to learn the fall 2011 survey of Pat Cleburne observed the second highest catch rate of this species in nearly 20 years. Although the catch was dominated by 10-inch fi sh at the time, these fi sh are a harvestable size now and should offer black-bass anglers some good sport for the foreseeable

future. The current water body record for largemouth bass in Pat Cleburne is 11 pounds.

Survey results for Lake Mexia were even more prom-ising. The 2012 channel catfi sh catch rate was the highest on record for the reservoir. Large numbers of fi sh in excellent body condi-tion were collected. Most of the channel catfi sh observed during this survey were in the 2- to 4-pound range. The current water body record for channel catfi sh in Lake Mexia is 7.4 pounds. Blues and fl atheads can also be found in the reservoir, but in much lower densities. The water body record for blue catfi sh is over 25 pounds, while no record exists for fl at-head catfi sh.

— TPWD

Hispanic Outreach Plan to launch in Texas

Texas and Florida will serve as test markets for the launch of The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s fi ve-year Hispanic Outreach Plan.

In partnership with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the program will begin next spring.

“Texas Parks and Wildlife welcomes this partnership with RBFF to improve outreach to Hispanic audiences,” said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director. “This is a business imperative for us, in light of the rapidly changing demographics in our state. It is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do if we wish to maintain support for natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation into the future.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, at 36 percent, Texas has the highest Hispanic population in the country age 16 and up. However, only 17 percent of that population represents active anglers.

Based on preliminary research indicating lack of familiarity of the sport and knowledge of licensing requirements, the outreach plan will focus heavily on awareness and education in the upfront years, and then will shift to drive participation in years three through fi ve.

— RBFF

OPPORTUNITY ABOUNDS: Smaller reservoirs in Central Texas remain a good option for anglers looking for largemouth bass and catfi sh. Photo by LSON.


LONE STAR MARKET

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

and we’ve seen some real nice antlers. They are really rutting right now, but a lot of it has been at night dur-ing the full moon.”

Schmidt said the rut started slowly in the Western Hill Country because of a good acorn crop and an early frost.

“I haven’t seen anything really spectacular yet,” he said. “We’ve had two good years of range conditions, so the deer are in good shape. I’ve seen a lot of midday activity recently during the full moon.

“We are expecting cool and rainy later this week, so that should get them more active.”

In Kerrville, Gary Broach of Rhodes Brothers Taxidermy said the rut has slowed the past week, and low-fenced hunters are still struggling to find mature deer.

“I think they are almost ready to really get going,” he said. “There are a few people seeing bucks chasing does, but I’ve heard a lot of complaints, too. Too hot, the full moon, too many acorns — pretty much the same thing we hear every year.

“Most of the trophies are off of high-fenced ranches

with breeding and feeding programs.”

In South Texas, TPWD Pleasonton biologist Matt Reidy said the hunting has been tough, and bucks are still a ways out from their traditional December rut.

“It’s kind of slow right now,” he said. “It was a hot weekend and there is a lot of food out there right now, so the deer don’t have to move much. A lot of acorns, combined with the full moon has made it difficult.”

Reidy said he has checked locker plants in his area and said the numbers are better than last year for deer harvested, but mature bucks have been scarce.

“It is definitely as good, and probably a little better than this time last year,” he said.

In North Texas, Grayson County Game Warden Michael Hummert said the archery-only county has yet to produce a monster.

“I haven’t heard of anything too special,” he said. “The bucks are chasing right now — I would say they are in full rut.”

Hummert said most hunters are seeing plenty of deer, just not the big ones he knows the county is capable of producing.

DeerContinued From Page 1

STARTING TO BREAK UP IN SOUTH TEXAS: Even though the rut is still at least a month away in South Texas, bucks are beginning to break away from each other and show increased aggression. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.




DATEBOOKNovember 22-23Texas Gun and Knife ShowsKerrville Ag Barn(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

November 30Junction Wild Game DinnerCoke Stevenson Memorial Center(210) 289-2982junctiontexas.com

December 3Coastal Conservation AssociationNorthwest Houston ChapterAnnual Christmas PartyHouston Distributingccatexas.org

Dallas Safari ClubOpen House & Bag N TagDSC Offi ce(972) 980-9800biggame.org

December 4Houston Safari ClubAnnual Christmas PartyCadillac Bar(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

Ducks UnlimitedLamar University Waterfowl Hunters Party1744 Rose Lane, US 90W(409) 781-6850ducks.org/Texas

December 6Ducks UnlimitedStephen F. Austin Waterfowl Hunters PartyVFW Post 3893(936) 371-3428ducks.org/Texas

December 726th Annual Crockett County DeerfestCrockett County Fairpark Convention Center(325) 392-3737deerfest.org

December 7-8Premier Gun ShowsBig Town Event Center, Mesquite(817) 732-1194premiergunshows.com

December 11Ducks UnlimitedBeaumont BanquetMCM Elegante (409) 658-6694ducks.org/Texas

December 12Dallas Safari Club2013 Holiday PartyDallas Petroleum Club(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Dallas Woods and Waters ClubAnnual Christmas PartyOrvis Sporting Goods, Dallas(214) 570-8700dwwcc.org

Delta WaterfowlCowtown Chapter BanquetCooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, Fort Worth(817) 475-9796deltawaterfowl.org

December 14-15Premier Gun ShowsExposition Hall, San Antonio(817) 732-1194premiergunshows.com

Texas Gun and Knife ShowsAmarillo Civic Center(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

December 28-29The Original Fort Worth Gun ShowWill Rogers Center(817) 732-1194premiergunshows.com

January 8Weatherby FoundationInternational Hunting and Conservation Award DinnerDallas, Omni Hotel(866) 934-4976weatherbyfoundation.org

January 9-12Dallas Safari ClubAnnual ConventionDallas Convention Center(972) 980-9800biggame.org

January 10-12Texas Tackle, Hunting and Boat ShowMesquite Convention Center(918) 785-7447montgomeryproductions.com

January 17-19Houston Safari ClubAnnual ConventionThe Woodlands Waterway Marriott(713) 623-8866houstonsafariclub.org

Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7

binoculars. You can check out

the entire line at the nearest dealer:

See a full selection of Nikon products at:

Nagel’s Gun Shop6201 San Pedro Ave

San Antonio, TX 78216(210) 342-5420

http://www.nagelsguns.net/

Eleven-year-old Jan Daniec, of San Antonio, shot this mature wart-hog while on safari with his family in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

Puzzle solution from Page 22


LONE STAR MARKET

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

Texas Trophies

A heavy antlered 10-point buck harvested by Justin McEwen on the Matador Wildlife Management Area. The buck had a gross score of 163 5/8 B&C with a net score of 155 7/8. Photos by TPWD Facebook.

This big 10-pointer scoring 148 B&C was taken by Travis Pape, also at the Matador Wildlife Management Area on Nov. 8.

Makayla Hay was hunting in Madison County when she took this giant nontypical buck.




Documents

November 22, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting