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Page 1: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 1

July 26, 2013 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 9, Issue 23

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Big fi sh at BastanteBig marlin, tuna highlight Rockport tournament.

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❘❚ LSONews.com

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 21Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 21Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 20Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 22Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 16Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 21

Inside

❘❚ HUNTING

West Texas gets much-needed moisture.Page 4

Rain is falling

❘❚ FISHING

Hunting expos start the hunting year. Page 5

Showtime

Crooks look for high-end boxes.Page 11

Cooler theft

What to buy depends on the fi sh.Page 8

The right fl y rod for saltwater

By Mark EnglandLone Star outdoor newS

Herds of the scimitar-horned oryx, addax and dama gazelle are rebounding in Texas after an initial “panic” when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced endangered spe-cies permits would be required to hunt the antelopes.

The decision came after a federal court ruling, and per-mitting went into effect April 4, 2012.

“There was tremendous cull-ing during the panic stage,” said Charly Seale, executive director of the Exotic Wildlife Association. “People were sell-ing for pennies on the dollar.”

A 2010 EWA survey esti-

mated there were 11,032 scimitar-horned oryx, 5,112 addax and 894 dama gazelle on EWA-member ranches. Seale believes those numbers are down at least 40 percent, through culling and sell-offs.

One Texas game ranch sold discount hunts of $1,500 for a scimitar-horned oryx. As many

Holding strongThree antelope species alive andwell in Texas after permit fi asco

See ANTELOPE, Page 15

STILL HERE: After an initial rush to cull some herds due to federal regulations, scimitar-horned oryx, addax and dama gazelle are still prevalent on many Texas ranches. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Summer cats are purringBy Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Lake Tawakoni catfi sh guide David Hanson is having one heck of a summer tar-geting channel catfi sh on his home lake.

“We are wearing the channel cats out,” he said. “We have been catching 125 to 150 fi sh per day, and most days by 10 a.m.”

Hanson said he has been fi shing since the spring in 27 to 30 feet of water and hasn’t had to change tactics because the fi shing has been so good.

“If you aren’t catch-ing a limit out here,

something is wrong,” he said. “I have been fi shing in those depths, but I’ve talked to guys who are fi shing shallow under corks and they are catching a ton, also.”

Hanson has been using punchbait to pull fi sh between 3 and 10 pounds.

On Toledo Bend Reservoir, the summer catfi sh bite has also

been solid, according to guide Ed Snelson.

“We tore them up several nights ago,” he said. “We caught 700 pounds in two nights. All of those fi sh were caught on river chan-nel banks in 6 feet. The channels drop off into 30 feet or more, but there is no oxygen on the bottom.”

Snelson said he was

Fishing great across the state

See CATFISH, Page 18

DAY OR NIGHT: Anglers have been catching summer cat-fi sh during the day and night at a variety of depths. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

THE FIGHT IS ON: Anglers from the Over-Ride attempt to reel in a big blue marlin. They were successful and landed the 561.5-pound fi sh to take second place in the Poco Bueno tournament. Photo by Dave Matisons, Texas Charter Fleet.

WE HAVE A WINNER: This giant, 584.5-pound blue marlin, caught by Bryan Richter, brought home a fi rst-place check in Poco Bueno for anglers aboard the Let it Ride, earn-ing the boat a large chunk of the nearly $2 million in prize money. Photo by Dave Matisons, Texas Charter Fleet.

Let it Ride wins Poco

The Let it Ride from Port Aransas took home top honors at the prestigious Poco Bueno tour-nament July 21 in Port O’Connor when they brought a 584.5-pound blue marlin to the scales.

They took the winner’s share of the almost $2 million prize in the notoriously exclusive

tournament. The meat pot alone reportedly paid more than $1 million.

The 118-inch long fi sh beat out several other big blues for the top spot.

“We were running on fumes so getting to the jetties was as big a victory as catching the

See POCO, Page 14

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HUNTING

Summer storms a welcome

sight

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Texas Parks and Wildlife Lubbock biologist Sean Kyle had his bird dog out last week to run and stretch its legs.

The 18-month-old puppy had some first-time experiences.

“I think it was the first time he had ever seen moisture on the ground,” Kyle said. “It was a pretty new experience for him.”

Kyle said the Lubbock area received 2.39 inches of rain the past week and 3.33 inches over-all for the month of July — a big increase over last year.

“We’ve also gotten a lot of rain at the Muleshoe Refuge,” he said. “Five inches in June alone. There are lots of forbs and grasses responding.”

Kyle said it might be a little late

See STORMS, Page 7 THUNDERSTRUCK: Rain has swept across much of Texas recently, providing grasses and forbs with a boost heading into late summer. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

TPWD taking public comment on trailing deer with dogs

Hunters could use dogs to trail a wounded deer in 12 counties in East Texas, a practice that has been pro-hibited in this area of the state since 1990, under a proposal being consid-ered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

A series of public meetings will be held to provide details of the proposal and give the public an opportunity to comment. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is expected to take action on the pro-posed change at its August 22 meeting.

In 1990, TPWD adopted rules prohib-iting the use of dogs to trail wounded deer in 34 East Texas counties. The rulemaking was necessary because the department determined that dogs were being used unlawfully to hunt deer, which was causing depletion of the resource.

By 2000, TPWD determined that the practice of using dogs to hunt deer had declined to the point of being nonex-istent in some counties and removed the prohibition in 10 of those counties. TPWD now believes the prohibition could be lifted in an additional 12 counties, including: Harris, Harrison, Houston, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Panola, Polk, Rusk, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker.

Details about the proposal, along with an opportunity to provide public com-ment, can be found online at tpwd.state.tx.us. Comment may also be made in writing to Robert Macdonald, TPWD Regulations Coordinator, 4200 Smith School Rd., Austin, TX 78744, in person at any of the following public hearings or at the TPWD annual public hearing on Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at the above address.

— TPWD

Landowners encouraged to report hog damage

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

A statewide program is now helping land-owners report and deal with the damage caused by feral hogs.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service went statewide with a landowner assis-

tance program aimed to keep track of feral hogs, especially around watershed areas.

According to Jared Timmons, an exten-sion associate at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department, the program began with the Plumb Creek Watershed but has expanded.

“There are two different ways to participate,”

Timmons said. “First, we have a section where landowners can create an account and enter monthly reports to give damage assessments, control methods they are using and number of hogs removed. Also, the public can log in with no account needed. Users can click on a Google map of the nearest stream or water-shed and give the number of hogs observed, damage reports and provide any other infor-mation they want.

“We use this information as the basis for our educational efforts.”

Timmons said the program has had good participation in the short time it has been available, and user information is kept con-fidential by the Extension Service.

“We’ve hired a new agent in the Gatesville area,” he said. “We already had good partici-pation in the South-Central (Texas) area and Coastal Bend region. A lot of what we do is look at the reports and see where we need to provide technical guidance for control efforts.”

Timmons said something that has become clear with the new system is the abundance of hogs in urban areas.

“We are seeing a lot of urban feral hog problems popping up,” he said. “That has been a little surprising.”

Timmons said hogs in watershed areas can create a public health problem.

“The two main issues in the watershed are hogs will defecate in and around the streams,” he said. “The feces has E. coli bac-teria in it that can be harmful. Also, hogs can’t sweat, so when they wallow in the steams to cool off, it can cause sedimenta-tion issues.”

COUNT THEM AND REPORT: A statewide effort by Texas AgriLife Extension offices is encouraging landowners and the public to document property damage caused by hogs and landowners’ removal efforts. Photo by James Richards.

Rainfall across portions of the

state helping habitat, game

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Outdoor shows on tap this fall

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Fall is fast approaching, and Texas outdoor shows are a sure sign hunting season is close.

Already, reports from the Texas Hunter’s and Sportman’s Expo in McAllen on July 19-21 showed record attendance.

Below is a rundown of some of the major shows coming to the state in the next few weeks.

Texas Trophy Hunters Association 2013 Hunters Extravaganza

Aug. 2-4Houston, Reliant CenterAug. 16-18Fort Worth, Will Rogers CenterAug. 23-25San Antonio, AlamodomeHours:Friday: 3-9 p.m.Saturday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.Sunday: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.Ticket prices:$10 for adults, $5 for kids, free for kids 12

and under, active military with identifica-tion, TTHA members on Friday and Platinum Life Members all weekend.

Attractions:Joe Martin’s Snakes of Texas, Texas Junior

Angler’s Catch Fish Tank, LSBA Youth Archery Shoot and Operation Game Thief’s Wall of Shame (San Antonio and Houston).

Celebrities:Travis “T-Bone” Turner, Kevin Meacham

(Fort Worth and San Antonio), Chris Ashley (Fort Worth and San Antonio), Keith Burgess (Fort Worth and San Antonio), David Blanton (Fort Worth) and James Kroll.

Go to ttha.com for more information.

Deer FestAug. 3MPEC Exhibit Hall in Wichita Falls

Hours: 9 a.m.-CloseTicket Prices:$7 in advance, $10 adults and kids day of

the show, free for kids 12 and under.Attractions:Ultimate Shootout Archery Trailer,

Operation Game Thief’s Wall of Shame, Texas Junior Angler’s Catch Fish Tank.

Celebrities:The Deer Fest girls, Stephanie Hayden and

Kris Ford, from the TV show Sons of Guns, MMA fighter Robert “Bubba” McDaniel, Priefert Backwoods Team, 2013 Miss Texas International, Samantha Riddle.

Go to deerfestwichitafalls.com for more information.

Texas Hunting and Outdoor ClassicAug. 31-Sept. 1Freeman Coliseum and Expo Hall, San AntonioHours:Saturday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Ticket Prices:$10 daily for adults and kids, kids 12 and

under free.Attractions:3-D Pop-Up Archery Range, Texas Jump

Off Dog Dock Diving, Indoor ATV Demo Track, San Antonio Gun Show, Texas Big Game Awards.

Go to huntersclassic.com for more infor-mation.

Uvalde Dove ExpoAug. 31Oasis Outback Sporting GoodsHours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Go to texasdovehunters.com for more

information.

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Directors meeting held at the convention. During the meet-ing, former TWA president and director emeritus Derry Gardner sought to amend the bylaws of the organization to allow proxy votes to be consid-ered in an election of officers. Gardner also presented a floor nomination whereby Mike Murski chal-lenged President-elect Greg Simons in the election for the office of president.

TWA bylaws allow proxies when mem-bers elect the direc-tors, but do not when directors elect officers, Joiner said.

The motion to amend the bylaws failed and the elec-tion took place with directors present at the meeting, with Simons winning decisively. Simons, the owner of Wildlife Systems, Inc. in San Angelo, became the organization’s 15th president, succeeding Glen Webb of Abilene.

Other officers elected for a one-year term were Marcus T. Barrett IV of San Antonio — vice pres-ident, Dr. Louis Harveson of Alpine — second vice president for Programs and J.

David Anderson of Houston — treasurer. In addition, 67 individuals were elected to a three-year term on the Texas Wildlife Association Board of Directors.

Awards presented included the Sam Beasom Conservation Leader Award, presented to Dr.

Neal Wilkins of San Antonio and the Ray Murski Friend of Wildlife Award, presented to David Langford of Comfort.

Wilkins, a wildlife biologist and wildlife conservation professional, is president and CEO of the East Texas Wildlife Foundation. He was a pro-fessor of wildlife science and served

as the director of the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources and the Texas Water Resources Institute. He has more than 25 years of experience lead-ing research and conserva-tion efforts on private lands.

Langford, the owner of Western Photography Company, is a longtime

TWA and natural resource conserva-tion leader and proponent of private lands stewardship.

“David K. Langford has been a cornerstone in the natural resource conservation arena for almost three decades in Texas, said TWA Vice President Marcus T. Barrett IV. “He has given tirelessly to TWA in many ways.

By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

A contested election for the office of president of the Texas Wildlife Association may have been part of the reason the con-vention broke its all-time atten-dance record.

The convention, held in San Antonio July 11-14, also met the financial goals set by the organiza-tion, said CEO Gary Joiner.

The election of officers took place at the Annual Member and

Easy tick removalMost everyone who has spent time in the outdoors knows

dealing with ticks can be a headache. But now, there is a new, easy, painless way to remove the little biters.

Tick bites, if left untreated, can lead to Lyme disease, which can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system.

According to Lauren Allen, who just completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in communica-tion media studies and journalism from DePaul University, and writing for RadioMD.com, “you can have a tick (or three) burrowed in your skin without even feeling a thing.”

She notes that ticks are usually most active from April until September.

But she also reveals that removing ticks, once an oner-ous task using tweezers (which often did not remove the tick and was impossible to use for some parts of the body) is now a swab of cotton balls away.

Her advice:• Apply a dime-sized dollop of dish or hand soap onto a damp paper towel, tissue or cotton ball.• Cover the tick with the soap-saturated tissue or cotton ball, and hold in place for a few seconds (15-20).• The tick will come out all on its own and will be stuck on the towel or cotton ball when you lift it away.

Look for tick bites under arms, behind ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between legs, around the waist and through hair. Also make sure to check any gear that was taken along, including clothing. A helpful tip is to put clothes in the dryer on high heat for at least an hour. It’s also a good idea to shower as soon as possible.

Ticks are small but they can cause big problems, so be vigi-lant when walking in outdoors and take the proper precautions.

— Radio MD

Elections, awards at TWA convention

Dr. Louis Harveson

J. David Anderson

Greg Simons

Photo by State of Massachusetts.

Marcus T. Barrett IV

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for the rains to substantially impact nest-ing habitat for quail and pheasants, but the rains will bring good residual ground cover for next year.

“I don’t expect much in the way of pheas-ants,” he said. “I have run into a few of them and some may get off some late clutches, but they are pretty much done crowing. The game birds have taken a beating lately. No rain means no forbs which means no bugs which means no broods.

“That has been the case the past few years.”Kyle said the playa lakes have gotten some

water, and ground cover is being helped along fencerows and corners where birds like to hide.

“Near the CRP fields, a lot of the seedheads are popping up,” he said. “I’ve seen sideoats, weeping love, milk-vetch and the asters are going crazy. There are also lots of forbs.”

Kyle said the sandhills area had also seen moisture and were responding with sun-flowers and greenery in many places.

Farther north near Pampa, Pheasants Forever Field biologist Curtis Greene said the rainfall has varied in his region, with the average in Pampa being about 2 inches.

“We got pretty good moisture early in the year,” Greene said. “Some of the early birds might have gotten a hatch. It’s a little late now, but some could still take advantage

and nest again.”Greene said the caprock country was

pretty bare, with forbs and grasses not yet responding to the recent rains.

“The grasses won’t see a full recovery,” he said. “This rain wasn’t a drought buster; more of a drought helper. The insect crop was great this year for the birds and we are seeing a few chicks.”

In the Hill Country, most areas saw upward of two inches, although it was scattered.

“We’ve had some; not a lot,” said TPWD Uvalde biologist David Rios. “Our year-to-date has been 11.7 inches but our month-to-date has been .7 inches. But almost any rainfall is important, especially with the drought.”

Rios said brush cover in the western Hill Country was good all winter long and, coupled with a mild spring, the deer and game birds came into the summer in pretty good shape.

“We haven’t been real wet but the rains have been timely,” he said. “It has been much better than the last couple of years. I expect the deer quality to be better, although it is a little early to tell, yet.”

Rios said forbs that help deer are mostly spring forbs, so summer rains will be more beneficial to quail.

“Ragweed, sunflowers and bristle grass will be helped,” he said. “The quail can possibly have another hatch. I’ve heard lots more calling this summer than in the past. There has been more rain to the north, south and east of Uvalde, so those ranches could be in even better shape.”

StormsContinued From Page 4

Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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FISHING

Giant salvinia

engulfing Caddo

LakeBy Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Caddo Lake angler Aaron Yohn headed out for a fishing trip a few weeks ago and was dismayed at what he saw on the lake he grew up on — giant salvinia growing every-where, clogging boating lanes and covering many of his best fishing holes.

“It’s scary bad,” he said. “Pretty much anything not on the main lake is covered in that stuff. A lot of places I couldn’t even see the water. It’s choking out a lot of spots. I can’t even get to some spots where I’ve caught 10-pound bass in the past.

“It is sad to see.”The salvinia is covering more of

the lake this summer because of a mild winter that did not freeze and kill the plants, according to Lucas Gregory, project manager at Texas A&M University’s Water Resource Institute.

“I don’t know if it is worse than it ever has been, but it is very bad because of the mild winter,” Gregory said. “There were 2,000 to 3,000 acres already covered com-ing out of winter. There’s probably double that now.

“It’s thick.”Removing the salvinia without a

major rain event to push it down-stream out of the lake or a freeze is tricky, but Gregory is heading a project to introduce salvinia wee-vils — small, grub-looking insects that lay eggs in the salvinia that eventually hatch and eat their way out, effectively killing the plant.

See SALVINIA, Page 18

Second annual Bastante tournament a hit with anglers, charities

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The second John Uhr Memorial Billfish Tournament “Bastante” held July 10-13 in Rockport was a huge suc-cess, capped off by a 561-pound blue marlin arriving at the dock.

According to Tournament Director Tami Noling, it was an incredible tournament.

“We had fewer boats than last year, but more money,” she said. “I’m trying to find out if there has ever been another 21-boat tournament that had $420,000. It was very cool. There were a lot of big boats and the fishing was good.”

Noling said six blue marlin, five white marlin and around 20 sailfish were caught, including the 561-pound blue.

“Thanks to the Legacy Fishing Team, the first blue marlin to ever be weighed at Rockport Harbor hap-pened late Friday night,” Noling said. “A crowd of about 200 showed up to cheer the Legacy on as she backed up to the brand new weigh scales and hoisted a 561-pounder. Capt. Kevin Deerman and crew were all smiles as the fish was deployed.”

The team took first place in the Blue Marlin category and third place overall, winning $28,372.

More than $40,000 was donated to local charities.First place overall went to Locomia for catching and

releasing two blue marlin. They also placed 2nd in the tuna division for a total cash payout of $51,912.50.

Second place overall went to Wildcatter for catching and releasing one blue marlin and three white marlin. They also placed first in the tuna division for a total cash payout of $79,492.

Mucho Mas won the dolphin category with a 36-pounder, winning $11,250.

Island Time won the wahoo category by catching a 27-pound wahoo worth $22,252.

The event was founded by Noling after one of her best friends, Capt. John Uhr, lost his battle with cancer in 2010, just a few days shy of his 49th birthday. He was well- known around the world in the sportfishing community as he competed and won several prestigious sportfishing tournaments throughout his career. His first offshore boat was named Bastante, which is the Spanish word meaning “a lot or more than enough,” so he was promptly nick-named “Johnny Bastante” by most who knew him.

CHOOSE WISELY: Saltwater fly anglers should take care to pick the right setup for the fish they plan to pursue. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Nicholas ConklinFor Lone Star outdoor newS

Almost every fly-angler has a fantasy saltwater trip on their fishing bucket list.

But what happens when it comes time to select a rod?

Should the angler go inexpen-

sive or high-end? Should they purchase a variety of weights and lengths? Or, stick with one, do-it-all type rod?

Larry Haines of the Salty Fly Shop in Port Isabel suggested that those new to salt, or even doing a short-term trip, should keep their rod purchases as inexpensive and convenient (inclusive) as possible.

“The ideal rod for inshore/coastal fly-fishing is something inexpensive,” Haines said. “As you fish the salt more, gain more experience, you can upgrade to something with higher modulus graphite,” Haines said.

The first thing an angler needs to figure out is their target species.

Most experienced freshwater anglers will likely have a rod suf-ficient for most saltwater species.

A 5- or 6-weight rod can be per-fect for fishing for 1- to 2-pound fish around marina boats or under dock lights.

If fishing inshore or the flats along the Texas coast for redfish, speckled trout and snook, a 7- or 8-weight rod is ideal. It will have enough power to deliver flies and heavier, salt-specific fly lines.

It may also be wise to keep a 10-weight rod rigged on the skiff in case an encounter with big black drum or a jack crevalle is possible.

Rod action or flex is only important as long as it is some-thing that aids the angler in cast-ing and is enjoyable to throw, Haines said.

Dave Hayward of Swan Point Landing said rod action is some-thing that is often overempha-sized when it comes to purchas-ing a saltwater rod.

“We get way more ques-tions about it than we should,” Hayward said. “In reality, the most ideal rod action is medium, because it can cover up a lot of mistakes made by beginners and even average casters.”

The correct choice for a

saltwater trip is path to success

See FLY ROD, Page 14

CEMENTING A LEGACY: The winning crew from Legacy stands beside their winning catch — this 561-pound blue marlin. Photo by Larry Doonan.

Right rod makes a difference

Winning blue marlin brought to the docks in Rockport

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By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Flatfish seem to be a forgotten species along the Texas coast this summer.

While consistent trout and redfish action has been com-mon, anglers aren’t targeting Texas floun-der nearly as much as the other two, and those that are have been having a tricky time catching many.

“It’s been a little slow on flounder,” said Sabine and Galveston Bay complex Capt. Lindy Hebert. “I caught a few last week in the Kemah area of the Galveston Bay com-plex.”

Hebert said he was seeing more flounder than he’s ever seen until about a month ago, then they shifted.

“The flounder are there, especially in the rivers, canals and cuts,” he said. “If I was targeting them, I would throw live shrimp or scented plastics. In Sabine right now there are a lot of shad and mullet, which work well and are cheaper with a cast net than shrimp.”

Hebert said his most recent success came on scented plastics in cuts near shorelines.

Farther south, Capt. Lynn Smith in Port O’Connor said the flounder fishing has been tough this sum-mer.

“It has been slow on flounder,” Smith said. “I don’t know why. Everyone I’ve talked to has said it has been slow. Even the com-mercial guys said it has been tough. They haven’t done super well, either.”

Smith hypothesized that hotter water in the bays around Port O’Connor has pushed some of the flounder out of the area, or at least slowed the bite.

“I think that has a lot to do with it,” he said. ‘We’ve had a little cold spell here the past week and I expect it to pick up.”

More flounder action farther down the coast has been reported, but the majority of the flatfish being caught were a bycatch while fishing for redfish or trout.

Scented plastics and live shrimp under pop-ping corks put some flounder in the boat.

Most captains and anglers are waiting for the weather to cool down water tempera-tures before they seri-ously start to target big flounder.

Flounder fishing hit or miss

HARD TO FIND: Flounder have been tougher to catch throughout the month of July. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

A new twist on bass tourneysIt might seem unusual, but the new Platinum

Team Trail is taking a creative approach to team bass tournaments — higher entry fees and higher payouts.

The trail will be run by USA Bass Trails, LLC, which also operates the Bud Light Trail, Bass ‘N Bucks and Crappie Bucks trails.

“We were approached by several anglers a few years ago,” said Charlie Davis, who owns the busi-ness with his two sons, Bryan and Chris. “They wanted a trail they could fish when the Elite and FLW events weren’t going on. We challenged them to find some anglers and they did.”

The first event will be held at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Dec. 7-8, and three events are already set for 2014.

Entry fees are $500 per person based on two-person teams. Fields will be limited to 100 teams, although alternates may add three to five additional teams. Top payouts based on a 100-team field will be $30,000 for first place, $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third. Anglers can expect 95 percent payouts at all tournament.

Davis said the plan is to take the trail beyond just Texas and add open tournaments and individual tour-naments.

“We want it to be something that does more than just fill in the gaps,” he said.

— Staff report

Photo by LSON.

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SEE MORE■ Saltwater fi shing reports: Page 16

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTBig stringers

TOLEDO BEND RESERVOIR — The lake is in good shape with water temperatures in the low 90s, according to Holly Park Marina. Crappie are still biting good in baited holes from 16 to 20 feet deep. White bass and yellow bass are biting on spoons in 20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are a little harder to fi nd although the Bass ‘N Bucks Tournament brought in some big string-ers on the lower end of the lake this past weekend. The winning string was 37 pounds, with some 7-pound bass caught. They were mostly caught on jigs and monster worms. They are being caught in 8 feet of water, with some deeper.

To contact the Holly Park Marina, call (409) 625-4424.

Shallow, deep doesn’t matterFALCON INTERNATIONAL RESERVOIR — Summer patterns are all over the map right now,

according to Falcon Lake Tackle.“Some fi sh are being caught fl ipping, some caught cranking and some fi sh caught on a

spinnerbait,” said owner James Bendele. “The dam got a lot of attention but that is not where the heavy stringers came from, but, like usual, it did put out some fi sh.”

Bendele wrote that fi sh are being caught in all depths.“There is no such thing as too shallow or too deep right now,” he said. “I have heard of

quality fi sh coming from water as skinny as 2 feet, and as deep as 30 feet. “So I believe that anyone out there should fi sh their favorite kind of water and methods.”To contact Falcon Lake Tackle, call (956) 765-4866.

Not dried upLAKE MEREDITH — Anglers have been reporting a slow large-

mouth bass bite on the West Texas lake. Water temperatures have been above 85 degrees, and anglers are hav-

ing moderate success fi shing big baits slowly in deeper water. The smallmouth bite has been decent in shallower water early and late, especially in the shadows. Drop-offs and deep channel bends are producing some fi sh on deep-diving crankbaits and soft

plastics.— Conor Harrison

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 82–88 degrees; 12.81’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on buzzbaits early, later switching to Texas rigs, weightless fl ukes and shaky heads. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Catfi sh are good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

AMISTAD: Water stained; 81–85 degrees; 59.19’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics and perch-colored lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on top-waters and slabs.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 81–87 degrees; 13.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks, Texas rigs and shallow-running shad-pattern crankbaits. Crappie are fair to good on min-nows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

ATHENS: Water clear, 81–87 degrees; 3.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early then switching to Texas-rigged green pumpkin Baby Brush Hogs. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

BASTROP: Water clear; 84–88 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

BELTON: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 8.03’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spin-ner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 81–86 degrees; 5.78’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms in green pumpkin. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

BONHAM: Water stained, 81–85 degrees; 0.84’ low. Largemouth bass are good in fl ooded vegeta-tion, cattails, around boat docks and on points. Crankbaits, soft plastics, jigs and top-waters are all working well — the key is to cover water. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around bridges and brush piles in 12’–15’. Cat-fi sh are good on minnows along the bank in the park area.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and dark soft plastic worms in reeds. Redfi sh are good on perch, tilapia,

and shad. Channel catfi sh are good on liver, shrimp and cut bait.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 78–83 degrees; 18.65’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs green pumpkin worms — some top-water fi sh are being caught early. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 12.77’ low. Largemouth bass to 3 pounds are good on watermelon seed, green pumpkin, and redbug soft plastic worms, white fl ukes, and crankbaits around docks in 8–10 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and white Li’l Fishies over baited brush piles in 5–15 feet.

BUCHANAN: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 29.78’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white crankbaits, watermelon top-waters, and purple fl ake Whacky Sticks in creeks in 10–20 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and watermelon tube jigs over brush piles. Yellow and blue catfi sh are very good on juglines and trotlines baited with goldfi sh and perch.

CADDO: Water stained; 81–86 degrees; 0.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics in California 420.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Large-mouth bass are good on watermel-on lipless crankbaits and soft plas-tic worms. Striped bass are good on spoons and striper jigs near the dam. Redfi sh are very good down-rigging silver and gold spoons near the crappie wall. Channel and blue catfi sh are very good on liver, cheesebait and shrimp.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 81–85 degrees; 9.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon red worms, Texas-rigged watermelon Whacky Sticks, and white crank-baits off points. Smallmouth bass are good on green pumpkin grubs and tubes on main lake points. Crappie are good on chartreuse tube jigs and live minnows over brush piles.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 4.71’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads around deeper docks and deep-div-ing crankbaits on brush piles. Some top-water action noted early. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and trotlines.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 80–84 degrees; 15.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms and perch-colored crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

CONROE: Water lightly stained; 83–87 degrees; 2.89’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin soft plastics, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on pre-pared bait, liver, and shrimp.

COOPER: Water clear; 80–85 degrees; 9.39’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad-pattern wakebaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Catfi sh are good on cut bait and trotlines.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse crank-baits and lipless crankbaits early.

FORK: Water clear; 81–86 degrees; 5.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged creature baits and crankbaits in soddy blue on main lake points. Yellow bass and white bass are good on min-nows. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 82–88 degrees; 12.05’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early, later switching to lipless crankbaits, Texas rigs and watermelon/red fl ukes. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Cat-fi sh are fair to good on cut bait.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin lipless crank-baits and soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Catfi sh are very good on dough-bait, cut bait, and frozen shrimp.

GRANGER: Water clear; 85–89 de-grees; 0.90’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits in fl ooded willows upriver. Crappie are good on marabou jigs in 4–12 feet. Blue catfi sh are good on shad and prepared bait in 4–10 feet. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait upriver.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 79–85 degrees; 6.94’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged craw baits and fi nesse jigs near rocky points. Some fi sh being caught on deeper brush piles.

White bass are good on slabs.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 87–91 degrees; 1.06’ low. Large-mouth bass to 5 pounds are good on watermelon and purple worms with red tails early and late, and on top-waters around grass beds. Crap-pie are good on live minnows in 10 feet. Bream are good on live worms off piers and over grass beds. Chan-nel catfi sh to 3 pounds are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 83–88 degrees; 23’ low. Large-mouth bass are good on Yellow Magics early, later switching to Texas rigs and Senkos. Crappie are good on live minnows.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 1.06’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics along brush piles in 10’–12’. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 80–85 degrees; 2.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on wacky-rigged worms. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 81–86 degrees; 8.37’ low. Large-mouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged creature baits. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

LBJ: Water stained; 84–88 degrees; 0.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon top-waters, chartreuse Whacky Sticks, and Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits in 5–15 feet.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 78–83 de-grees; 5.64’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shaky heads and fi nesse jigs around larger submerged rock. White bass are good on jigs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 84–88 degrees; 0.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin spinner baits and crankbaits. Striped bass are good on slabs, pet spoons and troll tubes. White bass are good on troll tubes, pet spoons and slabs. Crappie are very good on minnows in 20 feet.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 81–85 degrees; 2.94’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on swim jigs and hollow body frogs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are

good on prepared bait.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 80–85 degrees; 0.10’ low. Large-mouth bass are fair on shad-pattern square-billed crankbaits and bladed jigs in baitfi sh patterns — the frog bite is consistent in areas with lily pads. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 85–89 degrees; 1.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon shallow-running crankbaits near the dam. Crappie are good on minnows and char-treuse jigs off docks in Liberty Hill Park. Channel catfi sh are good on stinkbait over baited holes.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 82–88 degrees; 38.8’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks early and late, midday switching to Texas rigs, Senkos and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 81–87 degrees; 18.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early, Texas rigs and shaky heads. Crappie are good on jigs and live minnows. Catfi sh are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads and weightless Flukes. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 82–88 degrees; 11.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, later switching to Yum Dingers, shallow-running crankbaits, drop–shot rigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 86–90 degrees; 5.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on live shad. Crappie are good on min-nows and pearl tube jigs.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 84–86 degrees; 3.81’ low. Largemouth bass are good on football jigs along points. White bass are good on slabs and minnows.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 80–85

degrees; 4.78’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Carolina-rigged soft plastics along main lake points in 12–15’. Deep-diving crankbaits in shad patterns are effective as well. White bass are good on slabs and minnows.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 79–84 degrees; 7.60’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on medium crankbaits near brush piles in 8–10’. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows.

STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 7.92’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and crankbaits.

SWEETWATER: Water murky; 83–89 degrees; 20.83’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Senkos, Texas rigs and wacky rigs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 81–86 degrees; 6.38’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on fl ipping jigs and Texas-rigged soft plastics around shallow cover. White bass are good on slabs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on cut bait and trotlines.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 78–83 degrees; 0.19’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

TRAVIS: Water clear; 86–90 degrees; 56.11’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon top-waters, green pumpkin soft plastic worms, and smoke grubs in 15–30 feet. White bass are good on pearl grubs, top-waters, and chrome jigging spoons. Chan-nel and blue catfi sh are good on nightcrawlers and fresh cut perch.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 10.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and crankbaits. White bass are good on white Li’l Fish-ies. Catfi sh are good on night-crawlers and stinkbait.

— TPWD

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By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

A barbeque cook-off team had their meat in big expensive cool-ers locked inside their specially equipped trailer in Concan this summer. After staying up late to prepare for the cooking, they finally headed to their tent.

In the morning, the coolers and the meat were gone — thieves had broken into the trailer just for the coolers. Prints from the thieves “Crocs” were visible where they climbed in through a small opening.

Across the state, a fisherman at Lake Austin had his expensive cooler cable-locked to the dock. After a trip up to the house, when he returned the cable was cut and the cooler was gone.

Police departments along the Texas coast receive repeated reports of thefts from boats and vehicles.

A scan of hunting and fishing forums across the country reveals a growing trend of high-end cooler theft.

“It’s a big problem out there and it seems to be getting worse,” said Stephen Holderness of HP Coolers, the distributor of Icey-Tek coolers. “Unfortunately, if someone really wants to take it, they will.”

Holderness knows the Texas tra-dition of keeping coolers in the bed of pickup trucks, but doesn’t recommend it.

“Coolers weren’t designed to be in the back of trucks exposed to the sunshine,” he said. “It’s 140 degrees on the face with ice inside.”

A quick payoff seems to be the reason for the cooler grabs.

“The law enforcement people tell us that pawnshops are accept-ing the coolers from 16-17-year-olds when it’s clearly not their product,” Holderness said. “Most people that young aren’t buying coolers that cost from $250-$400.”

Pawnshops aren’t the only destination for missing coolers, though. A quick search of eBay revealed 243 high-end coolers of various brands for sale, while craigslist showed 44 on its Dallas site alone.

Knowing the Texas tradition of coolers in pickup beds will con-tinue, manufacturers say there are a few things you can do to help minimize the threat.

“There are two types of thieves,” Holderness said. “One type makes a quick grab when they see an opportunity. The other has given it some thought and will take extra steps to get that cooler.

“About the only way to stop them is to have the cooler where they can’t get at it.”

Denise Smith, marketing proj-ect manager for Yeti Coolers, said there is one fail-safe tip.

“The number one way to keep opportunists from stealing your Yeti is to keep it inside your house or garage,” she said.

If the cooler is being kept in the truck bed, keeping it out of sight is at the top of the list.

“Make sure to hide or cover it,” she said. “You can also personalize it by adding your initials or cov-ering it with stickers. That way if it’s ever recovered, you’ll be able to identify it.”

Owners of coolers have become creative in personalizing their coolers, with some burning a brand into the side or top while others use identifiers numbers like their driver’s license number.

“In most cases, though, if it’s gone, it’s gone,” Holderness said.

Crooks target high-end coolers

Yeti offers a security cable lock and bracket for truck beds to deter thieves, and most of the more expensive coolers of all brands design ways to lock the cooler down in the bed of the truck.

“The locking bracket slips into the tie-down points and allows you to use a wide variety of locks, chains or other security devices,” Smith said. “It’s our

number one seller behind the coolers.”

Another option may not stop the person determined to take your cooler, but could leave the owner with a slight sense of satisfaction.

Many manufactur-ers provide locking mechanisms that are bear proof to the cor-ners of the coolers.

“That’ll leave those crooks nothing but frustrated,” Smith said.

Manufacturers offer tips to deter thieves

PREY FOR PLUNDERERS: Expensive coolers have been stolen from boats in Texas coastal and fresh waters, and from the truck beds of hunters and fishermen. Photo by HP Coolers.

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MARINE THEFT UNIT PAYING OFFLubbock County Game Warden

Mallory Brodrick received a call from the Region 1 Marine Theft Investigator and Moore/Sherman counties Game Warden Ryan S. Hunter about two separate suspects who had falsified their boat marine tax affidavit and failed to transfer title. Hunter set up times for the suspects to come in to the Lubbock office to give a voluntary statement. Brodrick interviewed both suspects separately and received two con-fessions and two signed affidavits. Hunter has filed three criminal cases related to tax fraud/evasion and boat titling against one of the suspects.

WARDEN HAD A GOOD MEMORYMitchell County Game Warden

David Hopkins was patrolling Lake Champion when he came across a large group of people on the shore-line. Hopkins recognized one of the subjects and his vehicle from a pre-vious encounter. He began a casual conversation with the subject. The subject quickly changed the con-versation and began discussing the last encounter. Previously, when Hopkins had contacted the indi-vidual at the lake, he didn’t have a valid license or identification, his vehicle inspection and registration stickers were more than two years old and he was cited for fishing with-out a valid fishing license. Hopkins stepped around to the front of the truck to check the registration and inspection stickers to see if they had been corrected. When his light hit the window, he observed a large glass pipe with a white powdery substance inside. The rest of the vehicle and camp were searched. The white powder tested positive for methamphetamine. The subject was arrested on possession of controlled

substance and cited for drug para-phernalia.

LIVEWELL HELD MORE UNDERSIZED CATFISH

Travis County Game Wardens Christy Vales and Natali Mejia were patrolling Decker Lake and stopped a vessel occupied by several fishermen. The wardens asked if they had any fish on board. The fishermen said yes and held up one single catfish from their livewell. When asked if they had any more fish in the livewell, the fisher-men appeared nervous and confused. Vales boarded their vessel and dis-covered several undersized and dead catfish. The wardens issued a citation for undersized catfish and filed civil restitution. Cases pending.

HOSTILE MOTORIST CHALLENGES WARDEN, SPEEDS AWAY

Gonzales County Game Warden Dan Waddell stopped to assist a motorist on the highway while towing a boat on his way to Lake Gonzales. A pas-senger in the vehicle was upset and crying. When Waddell asked about the passenger, the motorist began pacing and cursing and became ver-bally hostile toward Waddell. When Waddell attempted to check the wel-fare of the passenger, the man ran at Waddell and screamed at him and

the passenger, challenging Waddell to draw his pistol. Waddell, fearing the man was high on narcotics and fearing for the safety of his passen-ger, called for backup and informed the motorist that he was not free to leave. Another vehicle stopped and a man gave the motorist a gas can. The motorist put the gas in the vehicle’s tank and sped away. Waddell was able to ascertain the identity of the suspect and applied for and received four arrest warrants, including felony evading charges. The suspect was arrested the next morning without incident. Cases pending.

STRANGE HUNTING METHODS CATCH WARDENS’ EYES

On Palo Duro Creek, Hemphill/Lipscomb counties Game Warden Mark Collins and Ochiltree/Hansford counties Game Warden Mike Wheat observed what they believed to be bank fishermen. As the wardens watched, they observed two men beating the brush with sticks, then a third man rise up from the brush and shoot. After a short while, the vehicle near the three men drove approximately one mile up the creek, leaving the three men behind. The wardens circled around and approached the vehicle to make contact with the driver. Five men were observed near it, but when the war-

dens neared, three of the five ran away and threw a rifle into the brush. Collins chased, caught the men and retrieved the rifle. There was a lan-guage barrier with the men of Asian descent, but an inspection of the SUV resulted in several game birds and some non-game birds. Another rifle was also recovered. Three of the men remained missing. After the citations were issued, the wardens patrolled to the main route returning to Oklahoma. After about an hour, the SUV belong-ing to the men came along, on the way back to Oklahoma. A traffic stop was conducted, and the original three who thought they had eluded the war-dens were identified. Three additional rifles were found, but no other wildlife resource. Cases pending.

FISHERMAN REPORTS OTHERS KEEPING SMALL BASS

Edwards County Game Warden Scott Holly was patrolling the Nueces River when he was stopped by a vehi-cle. The driver stated that a group of people were about to leave the river from fishing and that one of them had kept an undersized black bass. Holly drove to the location, found the vehicle getting ready to leave and stopped them. Holly cited one indi-vidual for being in possession of an undersized black bass (12.5 inches).

WARDEN PUTS OUT GRASS FIRE, HELPS TRUCKER

Edwards County Game Warden Scott Holly was in route to a call in Real County and noticed an 18-wheeler pulled off the road. He then noticed smoke down the road from the rig. Holly was able to put out a grass fire the 18-wheeler had started from a broken front wheel. Holly was able to get the driver assistance and on his way.

COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN CAUGHT NETTING CATS

Liberty County Game Warden Randy Button was patrolling the Trinity River around 6:50 a.m. and inspected a local commercial fisher-man who was in possession of several illegally taken blue catfish, channel catfish, one flathead catfish and a hoop net. After a short interview, Button and the violator traveled to an undisclosed location and recov-ered another hoop net in the river. Numerous citations pending.

MAN SWIMS TO AVOID CHECK FROM WARDEN

Travis County Game Wardens Jeff Hill and Natali Mejia were check-ing the low water crossing below Mansfield Dam on Lake Austin when one of the anglers they planned to check at the end of the bridge dis-appeared. After checking under the crossing and in the immediate area, they could not locate the fisherman. A man was then spotted sitting on a rock 100 feet from shore. Once located, the subject took off swim-ming to the other side of the lake and was greeted by Mejia. Coming out of the water the man asked, “Can’t anyone go anywhere without being hassled by law enforcement?” The subject admitted to fishing with-out a fishing license. Case pending.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

At Eagle Mountain Lake, Tarrant County Game Wardens Clint Borchardt and John Padgett responded to a PWC accident in which a teenage male was thrown from a tube and then run over by the PWC. The teen was transported to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. The operator was cited for boating under the influence by a minor. The wardens also arrested a man for BWI. A warrant was obtained after the operator refused to give a sample. The suspect had to be held

down to retrieve his blood. When returning to the lake, the wardens responded to a drowning call. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office had responded to a shooting of fireworks in an apartment complex. When the sheriff’s deputy approached the subject, the subject ran down a pier, jumped into the water and never surfaced. The wardens assisted the TPWD dive team in recovering the subject. Later in the weekend, another man was arrested for BWI. A warrant was obtained and blood was drawn.

A BUSY 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY FOR WARDENS

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As you move up to larger species like tarpon and jack crevalle, a 10- or 12-weight rod has sufficient backbone and fish-fighting power. On the coast, 12-weight rods can be perfect because of the physical geography of the sea floor.

“A 10- or 12-weight rod is suggested for fishing for larger tarpon off jetties and even the flats, because of the fact that fish have a much larger water column (12 to 25 feet) in which to run in,” Hayward said.

For bluewater fishing around structure and oil rigs, something with a stout

butt typically made from a combination of S-glass material and graphite is ideal. In deep water, rods in 12 to 14 weights are advised for fighting fish that will sound such as tuna, amber-jack and billfish. They will have extended grips allow-ing for better hand place-ment easing the strain while combating hard-charging pelagic fish.

“Some of the really hard-core billfish guys will often fish the 14-weight rods, but that is typically only a small number of guys per year,” Hayward said.

Hayward also said that rod

length becomes important in this style of fly-fishing.

Much shorter rods — 8 to 8 1/2 feet long — are standard, along with ceramic guides to limit the friction generated by line movement. These rods are generally desig-nated by a line grain window, instead of a rod-weight rat-ing. Most fly lines manufac-tured for this style of fishing will be made ranging from 300 to 1000 grains.

Regardless of your target, being properly equipped for a trip can make the dif-ference between time well spent and a day of getting sunburned and skunked.

IS HE THE ONE? All of the boats and anglers were hoping to catch a big blue marlin like this one to claim their share of the prize money, but more importantly, bragging rights for the next year. Photo by Joey Mahmoud.

Texas student wins national fish-art awardFifth-grader Erin Werner of

Santa Fe had her drawing of an invasive lionfish picked as Wildlife Forever’s National Silent Invader category winner.

Erin beat out entries from across the country after placing first in the Texas State Fish Art Competition.

“Erin is not only an extremely talented artist, but her entry, of a red lionfish swimming in waters with channel bass, spotlights the battle we are facing with invasive species.” Wildlife Forever said in a press release. “We are very excited to have her as our Invader Crusader to help with the critical task of introducing kids to the nationwide epidemic of invasive species in our rivers, lakes and streams.”

Erin’s art will be used on highway billboards by Wildlife Forever’s Threat Campaign, alerting boaters to “clean, drain and dry” when leaving any body of water to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

— Staff report

big fish,” said Bryan Richter, who reeled in the catch for more than two hours, told the Victoria Advocate. “We were worried. It was up and down.”

Over-Ride, which brought in a 561.5-pound, 110.5-inch marlin Friday night, fin-ished second, and First Choice came in third

with a 414.5-pounder measuring 101 inches.The tuna category was won by Sun Doll,

with an 81-pounder. Bimini Babe won the mahi category with a 47.5-pound fish and the biggest wahoo, 53 pounds, was caught by Double Oak South.

— Staff report

PocoContinued From Page 1

Fly rodContinued From Page 8

Photo by Erin Werner.

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as 75 of the ranch’s 200 animals were taken.

“It was something we had to do and it was the time to do it,” a ranch employee told LSON. “Everyone wanted one.”

Zack Thompson of Anahuac said the permitting hubbub led him to book a hunt for a scimitar-horned oryx last year.

He took a 40-inch female at La Coma Ranch in South Texas.

“I didn’t know how it would affect prices and whether the hunting would be more limited,” Thompson said. “The speculation definitely influenced me to jump on it when I did.”

Scimitar-horned oryx trophy fees are now as high as $4,500 plus.

The other two species cost more, with dama gazelles fetching up to $7,000.

Fear of the permitting process didn’t lead every ranch to thin its herds.

The 27,000-acre YO Ranch west of Kerrville increased its number of antelopes. General Manager Alex Tradd fondly calls the scimi-tar-horned oryx, addax and dama gazelle “the three amigos.”

“At the end of the day, we sup-port the conservation of these ani-mals,” Tradd said.

The permitting process hasn’t compromised herd management.

“The herds I’m aware of are thriving,” Tradd said. “We’ve had good rain, which is to say some rain, and we’ve got babies, which is the biggest indicator the herds are doing well.”

The USFWS requires game ranches to have two permits to hunt the three antelopes, almost extinct in their native Africa.

Ranches first need a Captive-bred Wildlife Registration permit. The $200 processing fee remains in effect for five years. Also needed

is an Endangered Species Take and Interstate Commerce (cull) per-mit. The $100 annual processing fee doesn’t limit the number of animals taken, as long as the take is for herd management.

Approximately 140 Texas ranches have both permits, according to the USFWS. Getting them takes 60 to 90 days, if there are no problems.

A fee is also charged on each animal taken, which goes to non-profit organizations (such as the EWA) reestablishing the three spe-cies in their native lands.

The fee isn’t set, although it’s

usually 10 percent of the gross. “If someone wants to give one

percent, we’d probably ask what level of benefit that would pro-vide to the animals,” said Tim Van Norman, chief of USFWS’ Branch of Permits. “If they want to give 50 percent, we’d say, ‘Great.’”

Some ranchers think the panic over permitting was overblown.

“People were afraid by how com-plicated they thought the permit-ting would be,” said Glenn Munal, La Coma Ranch manager. “Don’t get me wrong, there is a little com-plexity to it, but it’s not terrible.

You have to document that you have the proper facilities for the animals, that sort of thing. It took some time, but it wasn’t impossi-ble to do.”

Tradd called the permits “a fact of life.”

“It’s tedious, but is it a deal-killer? No. Is it going to bring the world to an end? No. Would I rather not do it? Yes. Being in this business, though, we have to com-ply with the spirit and letter of the law all the time.”

The EWA, however, will con-tinue fighting to exempt the ante-

lopes from the designation of endangered species.

“What I’ve heard from produc-ers is that they don’t want the federal government telling them what they can do with their own property,” Seale said.

Thompson said as a hunter he’s not opposed to the permitting, at least for now.

“There were a lot of animals taken in the months leading up to the permits,” he said. “The herds definitely need a few years and some kind of restrictions to let them recover.”

AntelopeContinued From Page 1

PRICES ARE UP: Even though good numbers of scimitar-horned oryx remain, prices to hunt the animals have increased during the past year. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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Page 16 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics. Red-fi sh are good in the cuts and drains leading to the marsh on shrimp and scented plastics.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good while drifting the reefs on live shrimp and top-waters. Drifters have been working slicks and pods of shad on the Reef on the south end. Trout are good at the jetty on live bait and top-waters.

BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on soft plastics, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Black drum, sand trout and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass. Deep shell has produced trout on the outgoing tide. Trout are good in the surf on live bait.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters work-ing wells and shell pads on shrimp, croakers and plastics. Redfi sh are good on live bait around the reefs and at the spillway. Redfi sh have been showing in the middle of the day.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on limetreuse and plum plastics. Whiting and sand trout are

good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Trout are good on the Ship Channel on croakers and plastics.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good at the railroad bridge on live shrimp. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Offshore is good for tarpon, kingfi sh, dorado and ling.

TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good on the reefs on live shrimp and croakers. Solid trout have come from the edge of the Ship Channel on croakers and shrimp.

FREEPORT: Trout are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and twitchbaits. Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Trout, Spanish mack-erel and sand trout are good at the jetties on live bait.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drift-ers on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet. Trout are fair to good in the surf on live bait and top-waters.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and top-waters and live bait. Redfi sh are fair on top-waters and live shrimp in Oyster Lake and Crab Lake.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are fair on top-waters and live bait over sand, grass and shell in San Antonio Bay. Trout are fair to good in the surf and at the jetty on croakers. Redfi sh are fair on the shorelines and running with jack crevalle.

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

PORT ARANSAS: Trout, redfi sh and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Trout are fair to good in the surf on top-waters and croakers. Offshore is good for dorado, kingfi sh and ling.

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

on shrimp. Trout are fair to good at Emmord’s Hole on croakers and piggy perch.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good over grass in the Land Cut. Trout are good on top-waters around rocks and grass. Trout are fair to good on the King Ranch shoreline on croakers, top-waters and scented plastics.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good on top-waters around sand and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting potholes and on live bait. Offshore is good for ling and kingfi sh.

SOUTH PADRE: Redfi sh and trout are good in the shallows of South Bay and Mexiquita Flats on shrimp and plastics under rattling corks. Tarpon are showing at the pass. Snook are fair on top-waters and shrimp.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on the fl ats on live shrimp and scented plastics under a cork. Redfi sh are good on top-waters and live shrimp under a cork. Trout are good on live bait on the edge of the chan-nel drop–offs.

— TPWD

Jacks on top-watersPACKERY CHANNEL — Corpus Christi Caller-Times outdoor writer

David Sikes had this report on his Facebook page: “Went to north Packery this morning. Wind was blowing harder than I expected but water clar-ity was good. Sargassum was spotty in the channel. About a half-dozen anglers were catching 3- to 4-pound jacks on the surf side on top-waters. That lasted more than an hour. Then two or three folks free-lining live shrimp in the channel started catching 17- to 20-inch trout.

“There were a bunch of guys at the end that were trying to catch kings, but I didn’t see any landed.”

Slow fi shingRED DOT PIER — The fi shing has been a little slow,

according to Red Dot Pier manager Hector Garcia.Trout, redfi sh and black drum are making up the majority

of the catch.“Anglers are catching speckled trout between 15 and 26 inches,” Garcia said. “They are

using live shrimp and perch to catch the trout. There have also been some nice redfi sh up to

24 inches caught, also on live shrimp and perch.”Garcia said several eating-sized black drum have also been pulled up.“Last night a 24-inch black drum was caught and this morning we

had two; 20 and 25 inches,” he said. “That is about it from the pier. No sharks right now.”

To contact Red Dot Pier, call (361) 937-5347.

Yak attackCHRISTMAS BAY —The fi shing is heating up, according

to kayak guide George Young. Posting on 2coolfi shing.com, Young said he fi shed

Christmas Bay recently from his kayak and found favorable conditions on the south shoreline of the bay.

“Sight-casting to schooling redfi sh has been the ticket to getting our line stretched,” he wrote. “We caught most of our fi sh using soft plastics swim shads in Truce Goose and Space Guppy color combinations.”

Young said he also threw top-water skitterwalks but couldn’t entice any big reds to take the top-waters.

To contact guide George Young, call (713) 501-0636.— Conor Harrison

Sponsored by

Page 17: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 17

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Page 18 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

SalviniaContinued From Page 8

“The weevils are doing really good,” Gregory said. “We’ve released about 34,000 of them, but we probably need about 34 million. But we don’t have the capability to grow that many of them.”

The past several years, biologists have released an average of 125,000 weevils into Caddo, which has helped minimize the sal-vinia impact.

“The weevils are showing great promise.

Our facility at Caddo is for growing weevils and research, with research being the main focus,” Gregory said. “If we can get enough, the research has shown weevils to be effective. We need 20 weevils per kilogram of salvinia.”

However, Gregory said without a cold win-ter or a flood to push the salvinia out, things “could get ugly.”

“Eradication is not in the plans,” he said. “We’re never going to get rid of all of it.”

using cut perch for bait.Yellow cats have been slower on

Toldeo Bend, but channel and blue cats have also been caught on live bait, stink-bait and livers.

Another good report came from Central Texas.

“We drove over to Hubbard Creek (Reservoir) and caught 60 fish, and Saturday we caught 50 fish and left by 2 p.m.,” wrote Greg Pavur on Texas Fishing Forum. “We fished from 2 to 10 feet of water and the fishing was awesome. The blues were acting like bass when you caught them. When a rod would go down, a lot of times, the blue cat would jump clear out of the water. The qual-ity of the fish was even better. Most fish were from 6 to 9 pounds. We had five fish between 11 and 16 pounds.

“We did some night fishing but the fish were biting best during the middle of the day.”

Guide Cliff Hill also reported a good bite on Lake Calaveras near San Antonio in 3 to 12 feet on cut shad and cheese-bait.

Down south on the border lakes, blue and channel catfish have been good to great, depending on who you ask. Frozen shrimp, stinkbait, punchbait and night-crawlers are all catching fish.

CatfishContinued From Page 1

Photo by David J. Sams, LSON

Page 19: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 19

Two anglers place winning bids for GLO fishing cabins

Two serious fishermen won exclusive rights to fishing spots along the Texas coast, earning the school children of Texas $68,651 in the process.

The School Land Board voted to accept the top two bids for two General Land Office fishing cabin sites along the Texas coast. The cabins, located on islands built by dredge materials, are known among coastal outdoorsmen as some of the finest, most secluded fishing spots anywhere along the Texas coast.

By law, the number of available sites is strictly limited, making opportunities to bid on them a rare treat.

“Serious fishermen and duck hunters know the value of these sites and the bids can get pretty high — little bits of paradise like this don’t become available every day,” said Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. “But the school kids of Texas are the real winners today.”

One permit site — on the upper Texas coast on Moody’s Island, just between Christmas Bay and West Bay — went for $16,000. The site is only accessible by boat via Titlum Tatlum Bayou. The winning bidder must tear down and haul off an old and decrepit cabin on the site and even then won’t own the cabin he will have to build.

The other permit site — located in Kenedy County in the Land Cut area of the Laguna Madre — went for $52,651. It also is only accessible by boat. The permit site is located on uplands originally created by the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway. The area is still an active dredge disposal site if needed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This is only the fourth time the General Land Office has offered cabin permits on a sealed bid basis.

— GLO

More snapper in October

In a special meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in New Orleans, La., the council voted to increase the 2013 red snapper total quota from 8.46 million pounds (mp) to 11 mp. This means a 2013 commercial quota of 5.610 mp and a recreational quota of 5.390 mp.

The 11 mp quota is the highest catch level the council could set without having to possibly decrease the quota in subsequent years.

The council also agreed that, if NMFS determines that unused recreational quota is available, a supplemental season will open Oct. 1 and run continuously until the quota is met. Preliminary estimates indicate that the supplemental sea-son will be approximately 21 days long. However, this estimate will be reevaluated when the June rec-reational landings data become available in mid-August.

— Staff report

Houston County warden receives Officer of the Year award

Eddie Lehr, a Texas game warden in Houston County, was named the 2013 Officer of the Year by the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers.

Lehr’s patrol area includes the Davy Crockett National Forest and the Neches and Trinity River sys-tems. He has apprehended several groups of violators that were illegally netting water resources and others that were using electricity-producing devices to take fish from the rivers. Another investigation resulted in the seizure of eight deer that were ille-gally taken by one hunting party.

— Staff report

Eddie Lehr

Page 20: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 20 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

HEROES

Murphy hunter BETTE CARTER took this tom with an 11-inch beard on April 29 in northwest Texas.

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

CLASSIFIEDSFISHERMAN’S DREAM

ARROYO CITYDock / Pier. 2 Acre Waterfront.$215,000. Pride Of Texas Realty. Broker: Lenny Cavazos

(956) 874-5890

TROPHY DEER HUNT$700 2 days. Free DVD. Wife or child 1/2 price. Brackettville. www.Double-JJ-Ranch.com

(830) 563-2658

STOCKER BUCKSFOR SALE

140”-200” B&C. 2, 3 & 5 years old. Texas Sales Only. Ready for delivery. Call Jay:

(505) 681-5210

UTAH, NEVADA HUNTING

Deer, Elk, Sheep, Mountain Lion, Antelope, Moose, Mountain Goat. Bow, Rifl e, Muzzloader. Guaranteed permits. Private & lim-ited draw hunting areas.

(435) 623-2744(435) 681-0560

RANCHES FOR SALESOUTH TEXAS

150 up to 2,600 acres. El Sendero Properties. Call agent:

(956) 330-5408

SOUTH PADRE FISHING

Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything sup-plied but food and licenses. Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or [email protected]

(956) 551-1965

TROPHY WHITETAILBUCK HUNTS

Guided hunts, 780 acre high fence ranch, intensive management pro-gram, lodging provided. www.ha t t on r anch . com

(940) 362-4219

LEASE WANTEDLooking for a year round hunt-ing lease. Fishing included. Camp house is needed. North, Central or West Tx.

(214) 361-2276

TDHA - JOIN TODAYTEXAS DOVE HUNTERS ASSOC.www.texasdovehunters.com

(210) 764-1189

BIG CUTTING BOARDS24"x48" Cutting Boards for hunters and fi sher-men. Made in the U.S.A.BigCuttingBoards.com

BOW — DEER / HOG$550 - 2 days. October only.Brackettville — Free [email protected] Contact Jimmy.

(830) 563-2658

RANCHERS IMPROVE WHITETAIL GENETICS ON

YOUR RANCHReplace & improve deer that have died in the drought.Available does $1,500 - $2,500 each. All does are from deer that scored over 200 inches sire & dam. All deer DNA certi-fi ed (proof of 200” + genetics). Wildpoint [email protected]. Contact Chris Scheel.

(972) 922-4225

PER WORD$12 issues minimum

Call (214) 361-2276 or email

[email protected]

DALTON PERRY caught this 8-pound bass on a Father’s Day fi shing trip with his dad, Steve.

ANDREW SILVA harvested his fi rst rabbit with a .22 at 35 yards at a deer lease in Rio Grande City with his dad, Frank.

J.R. RODRIGUEZ, JESSIE GARCIA and MARK CANTU took these ducks last fall near Port Mansfi eld.

Dallas Safari Club youth member

SKYLAR FAIN, 11, caught this trout

measuring 30 1/4 inches near Corpus

Christi in June.

ZACH LONG, 13, of Austin harvested his fi rst axis buck in Stonewall on June 14 with a .270 Remington.

Friends BAYRO CRUZ and ALFONSO DELACRUZ caught these bull reds on June 8.

Page 21: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 21

Moon Phases Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

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

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

Sun Moon Tides| |

1 side deer backstrap1/2 gal buttermilk6 tbsps. garlic powderFlour, optionalSalt and pepper, optional

Cut backstrap into 1-or 2-inch thick slices. Place meat in casserole dish. In a bowl, mix enough but-termilk that will cover steaks with the garlic powder. Pour over steaks.

Cover and refrigerate 1–2 days. Flip if necessary.Remove steaks from buttermilk and drain. Grill 2-inch thick steaks over medium heat until medium doneness. If cooking 1-inch thick steaks, bread with fl our seasoned with salt and pepper and fry in a little oil in a skillet. Turn as needed until cooked medium.

— backwoodsbound.com

3 tbsps. honey3 tbsps. soy sauce3 tbsps. balsamic vinegar1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste2 tsps. olive oil4 (6-ounce) mahi mahi fi lletsSalt and pepper to taste1 tbsp. vegetable oil

In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, bal-samic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fi sh fi llets with salt and pepper, and place them into

the dish. If the fi llets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 min-utes to marinate. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fi sh from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fi sh for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fi sh fl akes easily with a fork. Remove fi llets to a serving plat-ter and keep warm. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mix-ture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fi sh, and serve immediately.

— allrecipes.com

Ginger glazed mahi mahi

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 12:29 AM 0.2L 7:19 AM 1.5H 1:27 PM 0.5L 7:38 PM 1.3HJul 27 1:20 AM 0.5L 7:55 AM 1.5H 2:27 PM 0.3L 9:18 PM 1.2HJul 28 2:16 AM 0.8L 8:31 AM 1.4H 3:27 PM 0.2L 11:07 PM 1.3HJul 29 3:27 AM 1.1L 9:08 AM 1.4H 4:26 PM 0.1LJul 30 12:50 AM 1.4H 5:25 AM 1.2L 9:47 AM 1.3H 5:21 PM 0.0LJul 31 2:09 AM 1.5H 8:11 AM 1.3L 10:30 AM 1.3H 6:11 PM -0.1LAug 01 3:03 AM 1.6H 6:57 PM -0.1LAug 02 3:42 AM 1.6H 9:54 AM 1.3L 12:09 PM 1.3H 7:39 PM -0.1LAug 03 4:10 AM 1.6H 9:55 AM 1.3L 12:55 PM 1.3H 8:18 PM -0.1LAug 04 4:32 AM 1.6H 9:47 AM 1.3L 1:37 PM 1.4H 8:55 PM -0.1LAug 05 4:50 AM 1.6H 9:54 AM 1.2L 2:18 PM 1.4H 9:30 PM -0.1LAug 06 5:08 AM 1.6H 10:16 AM 1.1L 3:00 PM 1.4H 10:05 PM 0.0LAug 07 5:27 AM 1.6H 10:47 AM 1.0L 3:45 PM 1.4H 10:39 PM 0.1LAug 08 5:48 AM 1.6H 11:23 AM 0.9L 4:35 PM 1.3H 11:14 PM 0.3LAug 09 6:08 AM 1.5H 12:03 PM 0.7L 5:31 PM 1.3H 11:50 PM 0.4L

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 12:07 AM 0.2L 7:31 AM 1.7H 1:22 PM 0.7L 7:36 PM 1.4 HJul 27 12:56 AM 0.6L 8:00 AM 1.7H 2:28 PM 0.4L 9:22 PM 1.4HJul 28 1:48 AM 1.0L 8:26 AM 1.6H 3:32 PM 0.2L 11:26 PM 1.5HJul 29 3:03 AM 1.4L 8:50 AM 1.6H 4:31 PM 0.0LJul 30 1:44 AM 1.6H 5:43 AM 1.6L 9:11 AM 1.6H 5:25 PM -0.1LJul 31 3:08 AM 1.8H 6:12 PM -0.2LAug 01 3:54 AM 1.9H 6:55 PM -0.3LAug 02 4:24 AM 1.9H 7:33 PM -0.3LAug 03 4:43 AM 1.9H 8:07 PM -0.3LAug 04 4:55 AM 1.9H 9:17 AM 1.7L 12:47 PM 1.8H 8:37 PM -0.2LAug 05 5:08 AM 1.8H 9:16 AM 1.6L 1:38 PM 1.8H 9:07 PM -0.2LAug 06 5:25 AM 1.8H 9:38 AM 1.5L 2:28 PM 1.7H 9:35 PM -0.1LAug 07 5:44 AM 1.8H 10:12 AM 1.4L 3:21 PM 1.7H 10:04 PM 0.1LAug 08 6:04 AM 1.8H 10:50 AM 1.2L 4:18 PM 1.6H 10:34 PM 0.3LAug 09 6:23 AM 1.8H 11:30 AM 1.1L 5:26 PM 1.5H 11:05 PM 0.5L

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Jul 26 1:03 AM 0.1L 8:01 AM 1.0H 2:18 PM 0.4L 8:06 PM 0.9 HJul 27 1:52 AM 0.4L 8:30 AM 1.0H 3:24 PM 0.3L 9:52 PM 0.8 HJul 28 2:44 AM 0.6L 8:56 AM 1.0H 4:28 PM 0.1L 11:56 PM 0.9HJul 29 3:59 AM 0.8L 9:20 AM 1.0H 5:27 PM 0.0LJul 30 2:14 AM 1.0H 6:39 AM 0.9L 9:41 AM 1.0H 6:21 PM -0.1LJul 31 3:38 AM 1.1H 7:08 PM -0.1LAug 01 4:24 AM 1.1H 7:51 PM -0.2LAug 02 4:54 AM 1.1H 8:29 PM -0.2LAug 03 5:13 AM 1.1H 9:03 PM -0.2LAug 04 5:25 AM 1.1H 10:13 AM 1.0L 1:17 PM 1.1H 9:33 PM -0.1LAug 05 5:38 AM 1.1H 10:12 AM 1.0L 2:08 PM 1.1H 10:03 PM -0.1LAug 06 5:55 AM 1.1H 10:34 AM 0.9L 2:58 PM 1.0H 10:31 PM 0.0LAug 07 6:14 AM 1.1H 11:08 AM 0.8L 3:51 PM 1.0H 11:00 PM 0.1LAug 08 6:34 AM 1.1H 11:46 AM 0.7L 4:48 PM 0.9H 11:30 PM 0.2LAug 09 6:53 AM 1.1H 12:26 PM 0.6L 5:56 PM 0.9H

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 12:28 AM 0.2L 7:16 AM 1.3H 1:42 PM 0.6L 7:15 PM 1.2HJul 27 1:24 AM 0.5L 7:35 AM 1.2H 2:27 PM 0.4L 8:55 PM 1.2HJul 28 2:33 AM 0.8L 7:51 AM 1.2H 3:18 PM 0.2L 10:54 PM 1.2HJul 29 4:27 AM 1.1L 8:03 AM 1.2H 4:12 PM 0.1LJul 30 1:06 AM 1.4H 5:07 PM 0.0LJul 31 2:25 AM 1.5H 6:00 PM -0.1LAug 01 3:12 AM 1.6H 6:49 PM -0.2LAug 02 3:48 AM 1.6H 7:34 PM -0.2LAug 03 4:16 AM 1.6H 8:15 PM -0.2LAug 04 4:40 AM 1.6H 8:51 PM -0.1LAug 05 5:00 AM 1.6H 9:24 PM -0.1LAug 06 5:19 AM 1.6H 11:57 AM 1.1L 2:31 PM 1.1H 9:54 PM 0.0LAug 07 5:37 AM 1.6H 12:09 PM 1.0L 3:29 PM 1.1H 10:23 PM 0.1LAug 08 5:55 AM 1.5H 12:19 PM 0.9L 4:28 PM 1.1H 10:53 PM 0.3LAug 09 6:12 AM 1.4H 12:30 PM 0.8L 5:32 PM 1.1H 11:26 PM 0.4L

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 6:54 AM 1.0H 12:49 PM 0.4L 6:30 PM 0.9HJul 27 12:40 AM 0.3L 6:59 AM 1.0H 1:42 PM 0.2L 8:27 PM 0.9HJul 28 1:23 AM 0.6L 7:02 AM 1.0H 2:39 PM 0.0L 10:54 PM 0.9HJul 29 2:05 AM 0.9L 7:00 AM 1.0H 3:38 PM -0.1LJul 30 6:42 AM 1.1H 4:38 PM -0.2LJul 31 3:21 AM 1.2H 5:36 PM -0.3LAug 01 4:00 AM 1.3H 6:29 PM -0.3LAug 02 4:36 AM 1.4H 7:17 PM -0.3LAug 03 5:07 AM 1.4H 7:59 PM -0.2LAug 04 5:32 AM 1.4H 8:36 PM -0.2LAug 05 5:50 AM 1.4H 9:09 PM -0.1LAug 06 6:00 AM 1.3H 9:40 PM 0.0LAug 07 6:05 AM 1.3H 10:53 AM 1.1L 1:50 PM 1.2H 10:10 PM 0.1LAug 08 6:07 AM 1.2H 11:09 AM 1.0L 3:04 PM 1.1H 10:42 PM 0.2LAug 09 6:08 AM 1.2H 11:34 AM 0.8L 4:21 PM 1.1H 11:17 PM 0.3L

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 2:31 AM 0.0L 9:52 AM 0.3H 3:52 PM 0.1L 9:05 PM 0.2 HJul 27 2:48 AM 0.1L 9:11 AM 0.3H 4:49 PM 0.0LJul 28 8:42 AM 0.4H 5:44 PM -0.1LJul 29 8:22 AM 0.5H 6:37 PM -0.2LJul 30 8:33 AM 0.5H 7:29 PM -0.2LJul 31 8:51 AM 0.6H 8:19 PM -0.2LAug 01 9:12 AM 0.6H 9:06 PM -0.2LAug 02 9:32 AM 0.6H 9:50 PM -0.2LAug 03 9:54 AM 0.6H 10:32 PM -0.2LAug 04 10:17 AM 0.6H 11:12 PM -0.2LAug 05 10:34 AM 0.6H 11:51 PM -0.2LAug 06 10:26 AM 0.5HAug 07 12:27 AM -0.1L 10:19 AM 0.5HAug 08 1:01 AM 0.0L 10:22 AM 0.5HAug 09 1:33 AM 0.1L 9:49 AM 0.4H 2:55 PM 0.3L 6:45 PM 0.3H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 2:43 AM 0.0L 9:53 AM 0.1H 3:57 PM 0.0L 9:01 PM 0.1HJul 27 2:22 AM 0.0L 9:26 AM 0.1H 5:26 PM 0.0LJul 28 9:27 AM 0.2H 6:27 PM 0.0LJul 29 9:45 AM 0.2H 7:20 PM -0.1LJul 30 10:15 AM 0.2H 8:09 PM -0.1LJul 31 10:55 AM 0.2H 8:59 PM -0.1LAug 01 11:41 AM 0.2H 9:49 PM -0.1LAug 02 12:32 PM 0.2H 10:39 PM -0.1LAug 03 1:23 PM 0.2H 11:26 PM -0.1LAug 04 2:12 PM 0.2HAug 05 12:08 AM -0.1L 2:58 PM 0.2HAug 06 12:43 AM -0.1L 3:43 PM 0.2HAug 07 1:14 AM 0.0L 4:31 PM 0.2HAug 08 1:40 AM 0.0L 5:37 PM 0.2HAug 09 2:01 AM 0.0L 9:49 AM 0.1H 3:11 PM 0.1L 7:30 PM 0.1H

Houston2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets26 Fri 9:18 3:06 9:43 3:31 6:36 8:17 10:59p 10:49a 27 Sat 10:13 4:01 10:37 4:25 6:37 8:17 11:37p 11:49a 28 Sun 11:05 4:53 11:29 5:17 6:37 8:16 NoMoon 12:46p 29 Mon 11:55 5:43 ----- 6:06 6:38 8:15 12:16a 1:43p 30 Tue Q 12:18 6:30 12:42 6:54 6:38 8:15 12:56a 2:37p 31 Wed 1:03 7:15 1:27 7:39 6:39 8:14 1:37a 3:30p 01 Thu 1:47 7:59 2:11 8:23 6:40 8:13 2:21a 4:20p 02 Fri 2:30 8:42 2:53 9:05 6:40 8:13 3:08a 5:08p 03 Sat 3:12 9:24 3:36 9:48 6:41 8:12 3:56a 5:53p 04 Sun 3:55 10:07 4:18 10:30 6:42 8:11 4:47a 6:36p 05 Mon > 4:38 10:50 5:01 11:13 6:42 8:10 5:40a 7:15p 06 Tue N 5:22 11:33 5:45 11:56 6:43 8:10 6:33a 7:52p 07 Wed > 6:07 11:52 6:30 12:19 6:43 8:09 7:27a 8:27p 08 Thu > 6:54 12:43 7:16 1:05 6:44 8:08 8:21a 9:01p 09 Fri > 7:43 1:31 8:05 1:54 6:45 8:07 9:15a 9:36p 10 Sat 8:33 2:21 8:55 2:44 6:45 8:06 10:11a 10:11p 11 Sun 9:25 3:13 9:48 3:36 6:46 8:05 11:08a 10:49p 12 Mon 10:18 4:06 10:43 4:31 6:46 8:05 12:07p 11:30p 13 Tue 11:13 5:00 11:39 5:26 6:47 8:04 1:08p NoMoon 14 Wed Q ----- 5:54 12:08 6:22 6:47 8:03 2:10p 12:15a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJul 26 6:57 AM 1.3H 1:01 PM 0.6L 6:36 PM 1.1HJul 27 12:38 AM 0.4L 7:06 AM 1.2H 1:49 PM 0.4L 8:32 PM 1.1HJul 28 1:26 AM 0.8L 7:10 AM 1.2H 2:42 PM 0.2L 10:53 PM 1.2HJul 29 2:25 AM 1.1L 7:06 AM 1.3H 3:38 PM 0.1LJul 30 1:15 AM 1.4H 4:36 PM 0.0LJul 31 2:34 AM 1.5H 5:33 PM -0.1LAug 01 3:23 AM 1.6H 6:26 PM -0.2LAug 02 4:04 AM 1.6H 7:15 PM -0.3LAug 03 4:38 AM 1.6H 7:57 PM -0.3LAug 04 5:07 AM 1.5H 8:35 PM -0.3LAug 05 5:28 AM 1.5H 9:09 PM -0.3LAug 06 5:42 AM 1.4H 10:49 AM 1.2L 1:04 PM 1.2H 9:41 PM -0.2LAug 07 5:51 AM 1.4H 10:55 AM 1.1L 2:19 PM 1.2H 10:11 PM 0.0LAug 08 5:58 AM 1.3H 11:14 AM 1.0L 3:30 PM 1.2H 10:43 PM 0.2LAug 09 6:03 AM 1.3H 11:41 AM 0.9L 4:45 PM 1.2H 11:17 PM 0.5L

San Antonio2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets26 Fri 9:31 3:18 9:56 3:43 6:49 8:29 11:12p 11:02a 27 Sat 10:26 4:13 10:50 4:38 6:50 8:29 11:50p 12:01p 28 Sun 11:18 5:06 11:42 5:30 6:50 8:28 NoMoon 12:59p 29 Mon ----- 5:55 12:07 6:19 6:51 8:27 12:29a 1:55p 30 Tue Q 12:30 6:42 12:54 7:06 6:52 8:27 1:09a 2:50p 31 Wed 1:15 7:27 1:39 7:51 6:52 8:26 1:51a 3:42p 01 Thu 1:59 8:11 2:23 8:35 6:53 8:25 2:35a 4:33p 02 Fri 2:42 8:54 3:06 9:18 6:53 8:25 3:21a 5:21p 03 Sat 3:25 9:37 3:48 10:00 6:54 8:24 4:10a 6:06p 04 Sun 4:07 10:19 4:31 10:42 6:55 8:23 5:01a 6:48p 05 Mon > 4:51 11:02 5:14 11:25 6:55 8:22 5:53a 7:27p 06 Tue N 5:35 11:46 5:57 12:09 6:56 8:22 6:46a 8:04p 07 Wed > 6:20 12:09 6:42 12:31 6:56 8:21 7:40a 8:40p 08 Thu > 7:07 12:56 7:29 1:18 6:57 8:20 8:34a 9:14p 09 Fri > 7:55 1:44 8:17 2:06 6:57 8:19 9:28a 9:49p 10 Sat 8:45 2:34 9:08 2:57 6:58 8:18 10:24a 10:24p 11 Sun 9:37 3:25 10:01 3:49 6:59 8:17 11:21a 11:02p 12 Mon 10:31 4:18 10:56 4:43 6:59 8:17 12:19p 11:43p 13 Tue 11:25 5:12 11:52 5:39 7:00 8:16 1:20p NoMoon 14 Wed Q ----- 6:07 12:21 6:35 7:00 8:15 2:22p 12:29a

Amarillo2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets26 Fri 9:44 3:32 10:09 3:57 06:51 08:54 11:24p 11:17a 27 Sat 10:39 4:27 11:03 4:51 06:52 08:53 NoMoon 12:19p 28 Sun 11:31 5:19 11:55 5:43 06:52 08:53 NoMoon 1:19p 29 Mon ----- 6:09 12:20 6:32 06:53 08:52 12:35a 2:18p 30 Tue Q 12:44 6:56 1:08 7:20 06:54 08:51 1:13a 3:14p 31 Wed 1:29 7:41 1:53 8:05 06:55 08:50 1:54a 4:08p 01 Thu 2:13 8:25 2:37 8:49 06:55 08:49 2:37a 4:59p 02 Fri 2:55 9:07 3:19 9:31 06:56 08:49 3:23a 5:47p 03 Sat 3:38 9:50 4:02 10:14 06:57 08:48 4:12a 6:31p 04 Sun 4:21 10:32 4:44 10:56 06:58 08:47 5:03a 7:12p 05 Mon > 5:04 11:15 5:27 11:39 06:58 08:46 5:57a 7:50p 06 Tue N 5:48 11:59 6:11 12:22 06:59 08:45 6:52a 8:24p 07 Wed > 6:33 12:22 6:56 12:45 07:00 08:44 7:48a 8:57p 08 Thu > 7:20 1:09 7:42 1:31 07:01 08:43 8:45a 9:29p 09 Fri > 8:08 1:57 8:31 2:20 07:02 08:42 9:42a 10:01p 10 Sat 8:59 2:47 9:21 3:10 07:02 08:41 10:40a 10:35p 11 Sun 9:51 3:39 10:14 4:02 07:03 08:40 11:39a 11:10p 12 Mon 10:44 4:32 11:09 4:56 07:04 08:39 12:41p 11:49p 13 Tue 11:39 5:26 ----- 5:52 07:05 08:38 1:44p NoMoon 14 Wed Q 12:10 6:20 12:34 6:48 07:05 08:36 2:47p 12:33a

Dallas2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJuly-Aug Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets26 Fri 9:24 3:11 9:49 3:36 6:35 8:29 11:04p 10:55a 27 Sat 10:19 4:06 10:43 4:31 6:36 8:28 11:40p 11:56a 28 Sun 11:11 4:59 11:35 5:23 6:37 8:28 NoMoon 12:56p 29 Mon ----- 5:48 12:00 6:12 6:37 8:27 12:18a 1:53p 30 Tue Q 12:23 6:35 12:47 6:59 6:38 8:26 12:56a 2:49p 31 Wed 1:08 7:20 1:32 7:44 6:39 8:25 1:37a 3:42p 01 Thu 1:52 8:04 2:16 8:28 6:39 8:25 2:21a 4:33p 02 Fri 2:35 8:47 2:59 9:11 6:40 8:24 3:07a 5:21p 03 Sat 3:18 9:30 3:41 9:53 6:41 8:23 3:56a 6:05p 04 Sun 4:00 10:12 4:24 10:35 6:42 8:22 4:47a 6:47p 05 Mon > 4:44 10:55 5:07 11:18 6:42 8:21 5:40a 7:25p 06 Tue N 5:28 11:39 5:50 12:02 6:43 8:20 6:34a 8:01p 07 Wed > 6:13 12:02 6:35 12:24 6:44 8:19 7:29a 8:35p 08 Thu > 7:00 12:49 7:22 1:11 6:44 8:19 8:25a 9:08p 09 Fri > 7:48 1:37 8:10 1:59 6:45 8:18 9:21a 9:41p 10 Sat 8:38 2:27 9:01 2:50 6:46 8:17 10:18a 10:15p 11 Sun 9:30 3:18 9:54 3:42 6:46 8:16 11:16a 10:51p 12 Mon 10:24 4:11 10:49 4:36 6:47 8:15 12:16p 11:31p 13 Tue 11:18 5:05 11:45 5:32 6:48 8:14 1:18p NoMoon 14 Wed Q ----- 6:00 12:14 6:28 6:49 8:13 2:21p 12:16a

Old-time easy deer steaks

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

ACROSS1. A fl oating marsh wetland

4. A species of geese 6. Said to be best time to

hunt whitetails 8. To remove spent shell 9. Special locale of active fi sh

10. Large groups of animals12. A wingshooter’s prey13. A grouping of fi sh in one

spot15. A popular fi sh for frying18. Act of doe having young21. Brown or polar

LastJuly 29 Full

Aug 20New

August 6First

Aug 14

22. A female pheas-ant

24. Reading tracks for freshness

25. A deerhunter’s spring activity

30. Bucks’ mating rituals

31. Code for a type bullet

32. An oak to be33. A game bird37. Prevents rust on

gun parts38. A male pheasant39. A camp stove

fuel40. The male dall

DOWN1. To clean meat

from carcass 2. Trapped for the

pelt 3. A part on a bow 4. A game bird, ___

rail 5. A valued fur

bearer 6. Preparing tent

area for rain runoff

7. Brookies are

caught here11. Good wood for

arrow shafts12. Term used in

shooting contests14. It is said fi sh can

do this16. A deer food17. Large one is the

dorsal18. Name for the

Arizona whitetail19. Usual feeding

time for bucks20. Angler’s name for

really large bass23. A game lure,

_____ rag26. A camper’s food

supply27. A method of deer

hunting28. Stream fi shermen

wear them29. Area anglers fi sh

at times34. Field area quail

are found35. A type open

gunsight36. A group of decoys37. Found in the

boathouse

Page 22: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 22 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

PRODUCTS>>

LONE STAR MARKET

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

MISS BRITT SUNGLASSES: Costa describes its new

polarized sun-glasses for women as the perfect blend of world-class

performance tech-nology and on-trend

styling. This model, named after legendary offshore captain Ray Rosher’s boat, offers female anglers a large square frame and, of course, the company’s 580 lenses, which block harsh, yellow light while enhancing color images. Anglers can opt for hard-coated, optically-ground glass or super lightweight, impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses in gray, copper, amber, and blue-and-green mirror. Frame colors include light blue, coral, tortoise and gray. The sunglasses cost just under $130. Prescription sun lenses are also available.

(800) 447-3700 www.costadelmar.com

POWERSYNC SOLARWRAP 400: Whether it’s a week spent at a hard-to-reach honey hole or in the backcountry for a

hunt, outdoorsmen are taking their electronic devices with them. Inevitably, during these lengthier off-grid adven-tures, these electronic devices will need to be charged.

Bushnell Outdoors’ has introduced a line of portable solar char-gers that will power those electronics via a simple plug-and-play USB port.

The line includes the SolarWrap 400, a lightweight fl exible solar panel that rolls up in a protective case so it can be easily packed. The 11-ounce SolarWrap features a durable, rubber-armored

case that protects the solar panel and high-capacity lithium-ion battery. It is outfi tted with advanced amor-phous silicon thin fi lm solar technology that performs in less than full sunlight. Redundant wiring throughout the solar panel allows each cell to collect energy independently, meaning a damaged cell won’t diminish the

overall performance. The SolarWrap 400 sells for about $215.

(800) 423-3537www.bushnell.com

TOUGH SERIES CLEANERS: Gunk’s new line of cleaners is a god-send to outdoorsmen whose SUVs and trucks accumulate the dirt and detritus associated with fi shing or hunt-ing trips. The LSON crew tested the Gunk Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner on a patch of dried blood in the back of an SUV. After the stain sat in the heat and cold for six months, the Gunk cleaner removed the stain completely. The prod-ucts range in price from about $4 to $10 each.

(877) 464-4865www.gunk.com

MONARCH 5 BINOCULARS: Nikon’s new-est edition of Monarchs weighs almost an

ounce less than its predecessor because of a lighter rubber armor material. And, the bin-

oculars deliver sharp, high-contrast views thanks to the extra-low dispersion (ED) glass lenses,

which effectively compensate for chromatic aberrations to provide images of superior contrast and outstand-

ing resolution. The eco-glass lenses are fully multicoated to provide maximum light transmission. Other features include a

high-eyepoint design that provides a clear fi eld-of-view and long eye-relief; turn-and-slide rubber eyecups that make it easy to fi nd

the correct eye positioning to see the full fi eld-of-view; and a smooth central focus knob that makes it easy to bring objects into focus for fast view-ing. Available in a black fi nish, these go-to binoculars for outdoorsmen are offered in 8x42, 10x42 and 12x42 magnifi cations. The MSRP for the fully waterproof and fogproof binoculars ranges from $299.95 to $349.95.

(800) 645-6687www.nikonhunting.com

and trucks accumulate the dirt and detritus associated with fi shing or hunt-ing trips. The LSON crew tested the Gunk Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner on a patch of dried blood in the

a lighter rubber armor material. And, the bin-oculars deliver sharp, high-contrast views thanks

to the extra-low dispersion (ED) glass lenses, which effectively compensate for chromatic aberrations

to provide images of superior contrast and outstand-ing resolution. The eco-glass lenses are fully multicoated to

provide maximum light transmission. Other features include a high-eyepoint design that provides a clear fi eld-of-view and long

eye-relief; turn-and-slide rubber eyecups that make it easy to fi nd

>>

MISS BRITT SUNGLASSES: describes its new

polarized sun-glasses for women as the

performance tech-

MISS BRITT SUNGLASSES: describes its new

polarized sun-glasses for

performance tech-

>>

>>

>>>>

and cold for six months, the Gunk cleaner removed the stain completely. The prod-

PRODUCTS

SUPER X PUMP MARINE DEFENDER: Winchester Repeating Arms’ newest fi rearm is ideal for shooting while on the water. The matte hard chrome plating on the barrel and magazine tube offers excellent protec-

tion against the elements while the synthetic stock’s textured gripping surfaces provide a more secure hold. The SXP has an 18-inch barrel and uses the Invector-Plus choke system. A cylinder choke is installed, allowing the SXP to shoot anything from

slugs to buck shot. Features include an inertia-assisted action for faster cycling of shells; a drop-out trigger group that allows for easy cleaning; and a removable fi ber-optic front sight. The gun is drilled and tapped for scope bases. The SXP sells for about $400.

(800) 333-3288 www.winchesterguns.com

Page 23: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 23

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

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

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

Executive Editor

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Graphics Editor

Business/Products Editor

Operations Manager

Accounting

Website

Automotive Advertising

Founder & CEO

Craig Nyhus

Conor Harrison

Mark England

Amy Moore

Mary Helen Aguirre

Mike Hughs

Ginger Hoolan

Bruce Soileau

Mike Nelson

Dave Irvine

David J. Sams

National Advertising Accounts Manager

ContributorsWilbur LundeenErich SchlegelDavid Sikes

Scott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

Poachers busted in online sting

Scores of illegal wildlife traf-fi ckers face federal and state charges for selling protected species online last summer.

The cases resulted from a coordinated undercover law enforcement operation con-ducted simultaneously by Texas game wardens, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other states and federal agencies, and three Asian countries.

Operation Wild Web, a coor-dinated effort between the USFWS and the other participating agen-cies, resulted in more than 150 arrests involving federal wildlife crimes.

Wildlife and wildlife products seized in Texas during Operation Wild Web included a Russian Amur leopard pelt, Hartmann’s mountain zebra skin, hawksbill sea turtle, Texas tortoises (a threatened species), invasive freshwater stingrays, and numer-ous illegal and non-native invasive snakes.

“We are proud Texas played a vital role in this operation; we assigned 30 game wardens and led the nation in charges

fi led, includ-ing 61 state and federal cases,” said Grahame Jones, TPWD Law Enforcement chief of special operations. That included 20 cases in Houston, 16 in Austin, and 25 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Texas game wardens, includ-ing our covert unit, have been steadily

increasing their use of the Internet and technology in general to solve wildlife crimes and I am extremely proud of their work,” Jones added. “This week, CNN reported the western black rhi-noceros has offi cially become extinct. Unfortunately, that’s a very poignant example of why our offi cers focus on the sale of protected wildlife and wildlife parts. These are global problems that require team coordination with every state and nation.”

— TPWD

Photo by TPWD.

Page 24: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 24 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

NATIONAL

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:

McBride’s Guns2915 San Gabriel St. Austin, TX 78705mcbridesguns.com

(512) 472-3532

IV Webb (7 years

old) took his fi rst whitetail —

this great Hill Country buck — in

Comfort. It was an

incredible hunt

enjoyed by three

generations —

Nathan D. Webb,

Jr. (Buddy), III (Trey) and IV. “I

am a blessed man

and can’t thank

my dad enough for

the times we have

shared together

in the fi eld,” said

Trey. “Now I am

getting to do the

same with my boys

and my father.”

Colorado town wants to hunt dronesThe small Colorado town of Deer Trail is considering an

ordinance that would create drone-hunting licenses and offer bounties for hunters who shoot down an unmanned aerial vehicle.

“We do not want drones in town,” said Phillip Steel, a resident in town who drafted the ordinance and submitted it for approval by the town board. “They fl y in town, they get shot down.”

Offi cials admit they have never seen a drone plane on the Eastern Plains, but they want to make a statement that they think using unmanned surveillance planes to spy on people in the United States is wrong. They say the ordinance is mostly symbolic. They also recognize it’s against federal law to destroy federal property.

“This is a very symbolic ordinance,” Steel told the Denver Post. “Basically, I do not believe in the idea of a surveillance society and I believe we are headed that way.”

— Staff report

Oklahoma stocks record number of bass

Over a three-week period this spring, the Fisheries Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation released a record-setting 2.22 million Florida-strain largemouth bass into 44 Oklahoma lakes.

This year’s exceptional FLMB production at three of the state’s fi sh hatcheries doubled what would be expected in an average year, said Cliff Sager, a senior biologist with the wild-life department.

“We had a good situation this year by having so many fi sh,” Sager said, which resulted in many more lakes being stocked than would have been stocked in an average year. “Being able to stock 44 lakes, to give so many lakes a shot in the arm with the Florida genetics, that just increased the potential for trophy bass production for years to come.”

— ODWC

RMEF grants helping Colorado elkThe Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will fund 18 projects

that positively affect nearly 6,000 acres of Colorado elk habi-tat and also assist with research efforts, a wounded veterans’

elk hunt and several hunting heritage outreach gatherings.RMEF grants for 2013 total $260,769 and directly affect

19 counties. Two additional projects have statewide interest.“This latest round of grants further solidifi es our longstand-

ing commitment to elk and elk country in Colorado,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “These projects will improve habitat by treating noxious weeds, using prescribed burns and thinning to improve forage, decommissioning old logging roads, and collaring elk to better determine their seasonal movement patterns to assist wildlife managers in dealing with confl ict areas.”

From 1985 to 2012, RMEF and its partners completed more than 570 different conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Colorado with a combined value of more than $147 million.

— RMEF

Arkansas names new Game and Fish commissioner

Gov. Mike Beebe has named Ken Reeves of Harrison as the newest commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

“Ken grew up hunting and fi shing in the natural beauty of north Arkansas, and has experienced our entire state’s outdoor destinations that need to be both enjoyed and con-served. His lifetime of legal experience will also serve him well as matters come before the commission requiring thoughtful and objective review.”

Reeves, 65, is a vice president and general counsel for FedEx Freight in Harrison. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. A fi sherman on Bull Shoals Lake since childhood, Reeves is also an avid turkey hunter, and enjoys hunting duck, deer, squirrel and quail.

— AGFC

Mule Deer Foundation gives $50,000 to Wyoming

The Mule Deer Foundation recently pledged $50,000 to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Platte Valley Habitat Partnership.

The PVHP was formed to establish partnerships and work collaboratively to improve habitat for mule deer and other

wildlife in the area, as well as to address declining numbers of mule deer in the Platte Valley.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department approved $500,000 seed money for establishment of the partnership, even while dealing with millions of dollars of cuts to their 2014 budget. It is anticipated that the seed money will trig-ger matching dollars, a projected $4 million, from private landowners, land management agencies, and conservation groups.

MDF President and CEO Miles Moretti said, “We feel the Platte Valley is important to Mule Deer Foundation members and Wyoming hunters, so we want to partner with this group to make sure projects in the region move forward.”

— WGFD

Louisiana accepting bids for mooring sites

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is accepting bids through July 31 for 40 percent of the avail-able houseboat mooring sites at Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area in St. Mary Parish. The remaining sites will be awarded through a lottery at a later date.

Successful bidders will be awarded a fi ve-season lease agreement, allowing houseboat mooring from Sept. 1 to March 15 for the duration of the lease. LDWF will provide mooring pilings at the designated lease site on the WMA.

Houseboat permits will be issued to allow for outdoor opportunities at the WMA. Houseboats can be used for hunt-ing (deer, ducks, hogs, rabbits, etc.), fi shing, boating, and other activities. The permits will allow for mooring on the WMA from teal season through the end of rabbit season.

— LDWF

Angler capsized by big tunaA 54-year-old man was rescued from his capsized ves-

sel approximately 10 miles southwest of Port Allen, Kauai, Friday.

Anthony Wichman was fi shing in the area when he hooked a 230-pound Ahi that subsequently capsized his boat. When his boat capsized, his leg was caught in the fi shing line and he was dragged underwater. After freeing himself, he was able to get on top of the hull and call his wife for help.

— USCG

Page 25: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News July 26, 2013 Page 25

Page 26: July 26, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 26 July 26, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

LONE STAR MARKET

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

July 26-27Deer Breeders Corporation6th Annual Convention and AuctionWestin La Cantera, San Antonio(972) 289-3100dbcdeer.com

July 27Rudy’s Texas Redfi sh SeriesFreeport tournamentredfi shseries.com

August 1Dallas Safari ClubDSC 100 Meeting Open HouseDSC Offi ce(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Ducks UnlimitedAllen DinnerSwingin’ D Ranch, Parker(214) 455-3082ducks.org/texas

August 2-4Texas Trophy Hunters AssociationHouston Hunters ExtravaganzaReliant Center(210) 523-8500ttha.com

August 3-4Texas Gun and Knife ShowAbilene Civic Center(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

Premier Gun ShowsMesquite Rodeo Gun Show(817) 732-1194premiergunshows.com

August 3Coastal Conservation AssociationGalveston Chapter Annual BanquetMoody Gardens, Galveston(713) 626-4222ccatexas.org

Rocky Mountain Elk FoundationLee County Bull Busters Big Game BanquetDime Box(512) 217-3608rmef.org

Deer FestMPEC Exhibit Hall,Wichita Falls(940) 704-2984deerfestwichitafalls.com

August 7Houston Safari ClubMonthly MeetingHouston Racquet Club(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

Quail CoalitionPark Cities Quail Check Presentation CeremonyCollectors Covey, Dallas(214) 534-4122parkcitiesquail.org

August 8Dallas Woods and Waters ClubSummertime Happy HourBass Pro Shops, Garland(214) 570-8700dwwcc.org

Quail CoalitionGreater Houston Chapter Annual BanquetRiver Oaks Country Club(214) 534-4122quailcoalition.org

August 9-11SPI Chamber Ladies Kingfi sh Tournament(956) 761-4412spichamber.com

August 10Rocky Mountain Elk FoundationNorth Texas Chapter Annual Big Game BanquetEmbassy Suites Grapevine(972) 964-5292rmef.org

August 15Dallas Safari ClubMonthly MeetingHilton Dallas/Park Cities Hotel(972) 980-9800biggame.org

August 16-18Texas Trophy Hunters AssociationFort Worth Hunters ExtravaganzaWill Rogers Center(210) 523-8500ttha.com

August 16Operation Game ThiefClaystoppers ShootoutRio Brazos Hunting Preserve, Simonton(512) 389-4381

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo2013 Boots ‘N Shoot Sporting Clays TournamentNational Shooting Complex(210) 255-5851sarodeo.com

August 17Crappie Anglers of TexasLake Lavon tournament(903) 887-0334crappieanglersoftexas.com

Arabia Shrine Sportsmen2013 Shriners ShootoutAmerican Shooting Center, Houston(936) 672-3103arabiashrinesportsmen.com

Through Sept. 2Coastal Conservation Association2013 STAR tournament(713) 626-4222ccatexas.org

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