April 12, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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April 12, 2013 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 9, Issue 16

“Deer Day” at the

Legislature

❘❚ LSONews.com

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 19Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 19Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 26Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 22Outdoor Business . . . . . Page 26Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 24Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 16Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 19

Inside

Young hunter takes rare turkey.Page 4

White tom❘❚ HUNTING

Solid bite as anglers head north.Page 8

Upper coast for fl atfi sh

Spending for monitoring in West Texas released.

Page 6

Cost of CWD

Knowing the law is key in following rules. Page 8

PFD lesson

❘❚ FISHING

INSIDE: 2013 Texas Fishing Spring Annual

By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

Sitting in a pho-tography blind this spring on his Starr County ranch north of Rio Grande City, Steve Bentsen saw what he considers the bird sighting of a life-time. A hybrid blue/bobwhite quail — also called a “blob.”

And being an internationally rec-ognized bird pho-tographer, he was the right person to be in the right place at the right time.

“I’ve lived my whole life down here and have never seen a hybrid,” he said. “I have seen blues and bobs

The “Blob” quail

Rare hybrids sightedin South Texas

What the amateurs sayBy Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Not all of the best anglers in the state fi sh one of the profes-sional tours.

Those guys might get most of

the glory, but some of the best bass anglers in the state belong to bass clubs and fi sh nothing but local tournaments.

The “weekend warriors” are just as dedicated to their craft as some pros, but they can’t afford

to fi sh for a living, and so head to local tournaments and jack-pot events.

Well-known Sam Rayburn angler Albert Collins said he will check what stage the bass are in

See BLOB, Page 15

See ANGLERS, Page 13

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY: Robert Stover of Clifton is all smiles after catching the winning 10.65-pound bass at the 5th Annual Ram Mega Bass on Lake Fork presented by Bass Champs. With the bass, Clifton topped 1,802 anglers and took home more than $60,000 in cash and prizes. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.


They called it ‘Deer Day’ at the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism hearings on April 3. Chairman Ryan Guillen opened the proceedings at 2 p.m.

And at 11 p.m., it was still going strong.

Ranchers and landowners from across the state pulled their coats and ties, normally reserved for weddings and funerals, out of the closet. One landowner said it was hard to recognize people he had seen many times over the years, since he had never seen them without their cowboy hats on.

And regardless of what side of the arguments they were on, the landowners and committee mem-bers showed their passion, resolve and ability to stay up way past the normally early-to-bed, early-to-rise rancher’s bedtime.

Proposed bills included items dealing with identifi cation of pen-raised deer, seeking to change the consideration of elk from a non-native, exotic animal to a native animal, seeking to change the appeal process for breeders denied a permit, permitting the sale of venison from excess deer, and permitting regulatory authority of deer breeders to be transferred from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Animal Health Commission.

The hottest topic, however, may have been HB 2433, seeking to extend the 10-day rule from 10 to 60 days.

Committee hearings go late into the night

See DEER DAY, Page 23

SEE STORYn Page 23

WHAT IS IT? This hybrid quail is a rare mix between a bobwhite and a blue quail. Photo by Steve Bentsen.

Page 2 April 12, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News April 12, 2013 Page 3


HUNTING

Not your typical yard bird

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Boerne hunter Waylan Owens was as surprised as his 14-year-old son Austin when they first saw the strange-colored tom in a group with two other gobblers on their home ranch.

“My son was about to go to baseball practice when he saw the group,” Owens said. “We could see this bird fighting the two other normal-colored, mature Rios. Austin made about a 170-yard stalk around some trees to get close. I thought it was an albino Rio. They were all fired

up — cackling and carrying on.”Austin’s first shot was a little

wide of the target, but he gave it two more and dropped the white tom.

“I wondered if this was a domestic turkey, but he took off

Shortages reach reloading supplies

See WHITE TURKEY, Page 14

White turkey harvested near Boerne was very wild


Hunters who reload their ammo may want to start planning ahead if they need supplies for next sea-son. The shortages reported on ammunition have extended to reloading supplies and equip-ment, according to hunters, deal-ers and manufacturers.

Terry Blauwkamp writes ammu-nition and reloading columns for Dallas Safari Club, and is a veteran of numerous African safaris.

“There is a shortage, but it’s spotty,” he said. “There seems to be adequate primers, but pro-jectiles in .223, 9mm and .45 are extremely short.”

Manufacturers say they are mak-ing ammo as fast as they can and are using much of the powder and primers.

Blauwkamp has begun ordering supplies online, and waiting.

“If you call the customer service line, prepare to wait,” he said. “It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to get through.”

Avid hunter Bruce Moon of Fort Worth said while you can occa-sionally find supplies, prepare for a jump in the price.

“The buying frenzy has reached down into the reloading com-ponents — when you can find

them,” he said. “Prices have jumped one-third or more for powder and component bullets. On my last two trips to Cabela’s, they were out of all four of the powders I use. The heavier hunt-ing-only weights of premium bul-lets were still available, but forget the ones that match the military bullet weights.”

At Houston Reloading Supplies, owner Sherry Duncan said she spends each day on the phone and computer.

“There is a shortage of every-thing,” she said. “Powders, prim-ers, equipment and presses. I received an order of primers yes-terday (April 4) that I ordered January 7.”

Projectiles also are in short supply.“There’s a shortage in every

type,” she said. “I spend my day scouring all of our distributors and people call here everyday from all over searching.”

Like reports received from the gun and reloading supply stores across the state, hopeful buyers wait at the door each morning looking for reloading supplies.

“We would be sitting pretty if we had more product,” Duncan said. “If I see a FedEx or UPS truck pull up, it’s like Christmas morning.”

UNIQUE TROPHY: Austin Owens shows the white gobbler he harvested this month near Boerne. The bird was wild, but could be a throwback to a domesticated bird. Photo by Waylan Owens.

Landowners join together to improve deer herd


Don Jackson had been part of a group of landowners jointly managing their deer herds with his ranch near Cave Creek.

Owning other property in Mills County, he decided to explore getting land-owners doing the same thing there.

“He was interested in getting hunters together to shoot deer selectively,” said Simms Creek Wildlife Management Area Treasurer Damon Holditch. “Our first meeting was about 10 years ago.”

Wildlife Management Association encompasses 51,000 acres

SHORT SUPPLY: The ammo shortage has reached down into reloading components and equipment, with shooters, hunters and retailers struggling to find powder, projectiles and equipment. Photo by LSON.

See LANDOWNERS, Page 14

JOINING FORCES: Bill Winton, owner of the Muleshoe Ranch in Mills County, is one of more than 60 members of Simms Creek WMA, where landowners work together to manage their deer herds. Photo

by Craig Nyhus, LSON.


Turning on down south, henned up in north

More than $1 millionFor the second straight year, Dallas

Safari Club in 2013 will grant more than one million dollars for conserva-tion, education and hunter advocacy efforts worldwide.

DSC’s total funding commitment for 2013 is $1,010,000 — a record for the organization.

The allocation follows major growth in the DSC annual convention and expo. Held early each January at the Dallas Convention Center, the event has been steadily growing in size, attendance and total fundraising.

Ben Carter, DSC executive direc-tor, said, “As gratifying as it’s been to see our annual convention grow, it’s even more rewarding to see the money from our supporters go for conserving wildlife, protecting wild places, edu-cating youth and the general public, and defending hunters’ rights around the world.”

Carter thanked convention exhibi-tors, attendees and volunteers, along with DSC members, for their passion and continuing support of the DSC mission.

Projects to receive DSC funding this year include anti-poaching efforts in Africa, forest restoration in New Mexico, genetic and lion research in Africa, pronghorn and desert bighorn sheep restoration initiatives in Texas, mule deer and elk research in Nevada, habitat improvements in Africa, several youth and veteran hunts, numerous conservation education events and other worthy initiatives.

DSC also is continuing its annual purchase of life insurance policies for all game wardens in Texas.

Finally, funding also will support DSC’s own mission delivery pro-grams, such as the Dallas Ecological Foundation’s popular Outdoor Adventures program, which is expand-ing conservation curriculum in Texas schools.

— DSC


Lone Star turkey hunter Foster Schempf loves chasing longbeards throughout the state

each spring.This year, he said the

mature toms don’t want anything to do with decoys on the ranch he hunts near Cuero.

“The mature, 3- and

4-year old birds are still henned up. I called a mature tom in and he did not want anything to do with the strutter decoy. The big tom fol-lowed the hens to my

call, but once he saw the decoys, he wanted noth-ing to do with them.

“He was real hesitant.”Schempf said he called

in two 2-year-old toms behind the more mature

bird, and they practically ran to the decoy.

“I ended up taking one of the younger birds,” he said. It was early in the

LOCATING TOMS: Hunters are finding success later in the day throughout much of the state, especially in the North Zone, where toms are more henned up than down south. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

See TURKEY, Page 7


TPWD spent nearly $20,000 on CWD surveillance By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

After Chronic Wasting Disease was found in several mule deer along the Texas/New Mexico bor-der in the Hueco Mountains, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department made a concerted effort to stop the spread of the disease.

Surveys, mandatory check sta-tions, Containment and High- Risk zones and sending mule deer car-casses off for testing soon followed.

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, LSON received a detailed report of how much money was spent on CWD testing in West Texas during the 2012 hunting season.

The graph shows TPWD spent

a total of $13,469.55 directly on testing mule deer in West Texas, including $5,960 on lab fees to test the deer, which came from a federal grant. They spent another $6,651 on supplies for the entire state, some of which went to West Texas.

Estimating a total of $15,000 spent for CWD testing in West Texas, TPWD spent $50.34 per deer.

“The cells (on top) show what TPWD spent on CWD surveil-lance in West Texas,” said TPWD attorney Laura Russell. “The cells (bottom) show what TPWD spent statewide on supplies such as latex gloves, scalpels, etc. and it’s impossible to determine how much of that was spent on CWD surveillance in West Texas ver-

sus elsewhere. Therefore, we have provided a range of expendi-tures ($13,469.55-$20,120.65). In reality, actual expenditures in West Texas were probably close to $15,000.

“The source of funds was a fed-eral CWD grant provided by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services.”

Of 298 mule deer sampled dur-ing hunting season, 107 were harvested in the Containment Zone, 93 were harvested in the adjacent High-Risk Zone, 25 were harvested in the Buffer Zone and 73 deer were harvested outside of the CWD zones. Nineteen of the samples collected from the

containment Zone were from deer harvested in the Hueco Mountains, which turned up four positives.

When LSON asked readers on its Facebook page about the total amount spent for each deer, most hunters agreed the effort was worth the price.

LSON reader Steve Crumpler said TPWD should oversee the problem as they see fit.

“About 1900 the deer population in Texas was estimated at about 100,000,” he said. “Today it is esti-mated at about 4 million. This is mostly due to TPWD. We have more deer than any other state. I believe they know what they are doing. Let them spend what they deem appropriate.”

Chart by TPWD.

Photo by LSON.


Outdoor Channel HD launches in North Texas

The Outdoor Channel announced the network has increased its high-definition pres-ence in Fort Worth and the surrounding North Texas region for Charter customers.

As part of Charter’s all-digital initiative, including the largest launch of HD chan-nels in its history, customers in Weatherford and Cleburne will have access to Outdoor Channel HD beginning in early April, followed by a gradual rollout to viewers in Fort Worth, Highland Park, Azle, Granbury and University Park through June.

“Previously only available in standard defi-nition, we continue to expand our relationship with Charter and are pleased to now offer their North Texas subscribers the only outdoor adventure network featuring the top talent within the industry and our premiere slate of programming in HD,” said Randy Brown, executive vice president, Affiliate Sales & Marketing, Outdoor Channel.

— Outdoor Channel

Changes to mule deer MLDP, pronghorn seasons

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved an experimental pronghorn buck season in some areas of the Panhandle, which would allow landowners to control the harvest of buck pronghorn on their properties. In addition, an extension to the existing mule deer managed lands deer permits season will be part of changes to the upcoming 2013-14 Statewide Hunting Proclamation.

Under the current statewide regula-tions, TPWD determines the harvest quota and issues permits directly to landowners for surplus pronghorn. With the new prong-horn rules, landowners or their agents within selected pronghorn management units in the northeast and northwest Panhandle would determine the harvest quota and control buck pronghorn harvest on their property during the three-year pilot project.

The goal of the project is to simplify pronghorn hunting regulations and increase hunting opportunities in areas with stable populations.

— TPWD

afternoon — about 4 p.m.”Schempf added the birds are gob-

bling better than they were in the early season, but the mature toms are wary of lots of roaming jakes.

In the Hill Country, the toms continue to be henned up, but suc-cess can be had if you focus calling on the hens, which bring the older birds with them.

“The gobblers are really henned up in Kimble County,” said Gary Roberson on the Texas Hunting Forum. “We hunted last Friday and Saturday morning and killed four old gobblers — one 3-year-old and three, 4-year-old toms. We had to call the hens more than the gobblers in several situations but were lucky to get it done. Saturday morning, we had seven long-beards in shotgun range at one time. I am not sure I have ever seen this before.

“The birds are not gobbling in Menard County, just strutting with the hens.”

Farther north, the toms are still tied up with hens, with some hunters reporting success during midday.

Gobbling has been hit or miss, as some areas have good numbers of birds and others are hurting because of the drought.

“We had a 9-year-old boy take a big tom this week, but that is all I am going to hunt the property this year,” said outfitter Richard Naron in Crowell. “Lots of people are in the same situation in northwest Texas because of the lack of rain.

“We just don’t have many birds.”On the Matador Wildlife

Management Area, Assistant Area Manager Derrick Holdstock said they haven’t held their spring hunts yet, but he has seen a lot of strutting by the big toms.

“I’ve seen a lot of strutting and a lot of mixed flocks,” he said. “Our population wasn’t hurt too bad by the drought, and the birds are defi-nitely out and visible. We do have a good number of mature birds.”

TurkeyContinued From Page 5

Photo by LSON.


FISHING

Do you know the law?


Maybe it is becoming second nature for the younger generation of boaters.

Much like seat belts, many kids are put-ting on life vests every time they step in a boat.

It is a great habit to get into.But many adults are unfamiliar about

the rules and regulations regarding per-sonal flotation devices, especially that children aren’t required to always wear one on the water.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department mandates that all PFDs must be U.S. Coast Guard approved, in serviceable condition, readily accessible and of the appropriate size for the intended user. Most boaters and anglers are aware of these requirements.

A lot of boaters don’t realize the next rule: All children under 13 years of age in all vessels under 26 feet in length must wear a PFD while underway. In boats more than 26 feet, life vests are not required on children.

“Underway means not at anchor, made fast to the shore or aground,” accord-ing to TPWD’s Digest of the Texas Water Safety Act.

Aransas County Game Warden Scott McLeod said more parents know about the law regarding their kids, but confusion does happen when applying the law.

“Most parents are probably aware that a child under 13 needs a life vest,” said McLeod. “We do get a lot of questions on the definition of underway. Technically, we consider drift fishing as underway. It does not mean the boat’s motor has to be running. If the boat is moving, it is underway.”

McLeod said he finds the most com-

mon issues arise when friends or family borrow a boat.

“Dad may have a boat and the son grabs a couple of friends and heads to the coast,” he said. “They don’t realize the boat may only have one or two life vests. It is often

an innocent mistake.” The guide goes on to say that any ves-

sel, including kayaks and canoes, must be equipped with a Type I, II, III or V wear-

See LAW, Page 13

KNOW THE LAW: Boaters should take a close look to know and understand all of the laws regarding personal flotation devices, especially with children. Photo by LSON.

Smallies are on

By Jacob LongoriaLone Star outdoor newS

The farther north anglers fish up the Texas coast, the better the flounder fishing, according to recent reports.

Capt. Randy Foreman is wait-ing for the end of equinox and the croakers to come into the Port Arthur area. When they do, he knows better flounder fishing is ahead. Currently, the croaker move is three weeks late, which has Foreman waiting for the switch to occur.

Foreman is catching flounder in 2 to 8 feet of water with 3/8-ounce jig heads and pumpkin-seed soft plastics scented with crab, trout, shrimp or floun-der gels. The water temperature has started near 67 degrees but Foreman wants the temperature to top 70 for a more consistent bite.

The longtime guide has been fishing drop-offs and points,

where he caught 45 flounder in the 2- to 3-pound range, along with several that were more than 4 pounds on a recent trip.

In the past weeks, he has seen the females putting on weight in the shallower waters. Foreman recommends rivers and points to find fish.

Corpus Christi Bay continues to have cold weather into April.

Capt. Dan Pike said this long winter has been a pain for his fishing, but admits he has had years like this before.

Pike and his customers fish channel edges from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Most trips have ended with smaller flounder around 18 inches being caught on finger mullet.

Pike knows the fishing will pick up and is waiting for the spring run to start.

“The run should start in May going throughout the summer,”

Head north for flounder

See FLOUNDER, Page 15

Bronzebacks biting well in post-spawn

Personal flotation device laws are easy to follow — if you

know what they are


The smallmouth bass spawn is over across most of the state, and the fishing has picked up as post-spawn bronzebacks get back into feeding mode.

On Lake Texoma, guide Dan Barnett said the fishing has been great and he expects it to get better throughout the next few months — his favorite time to chase smallmouth bass.

“The fishing for everything in the lake has been really good,” Barnett said. “But we are really catching the smallies when people want to go after them.”

See SMALLIES, Page 23

NORTH TO THE UPPER COAST: The flounder fishing has picked up along the upper coast, with anglers reporting solid catches of flatfish recently. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

NOT TARGETED: Texas isn’t known for great smallmouth fishing, but Lake Texoma, Lake Whitney and many rivers hold good numbers of the great fighters. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.


Offshore captains catching waves, big fish


Capt. Ron Pierson of Port Aransas has no doubt that his area has all the ingredients for good fishing.

“It gets deeper, faster here more than anywhere,” said Pierson.

Pierson focuses his fishing tactics to take advantage of how quickly the water slopes down to create a good strike zone for predator fish.

On Pierson’s trips, most of his cli-ents have been catching oversized redfish. Their reds were caught in 40- to 50-feet depth on live shrimp and cut bait. Pierson’s clients have also been limiting on 3-foot Atlantic sharpnose shark and sheepshead.

Pierson is waiting until the end of

the month before he switches over to trolling for mahi mahi, kingfish and cobia.

The South Padre Island area had fronts move in and out of the area, keeping the fishing more inconsistent.

Capt. Michael Walker took his customers 40 miles out, where they caught a 36-pound yellowmouth grouper, a 40- to 60-pound warsaw grouper and a few amberjack. All of his catches were caught on artificial lures in 72-degree water. Walker hopes no more cold fronts come in so he doesn’t have to fish so deep anymore.

“I’ve been transitioning from bot-tom fishing into fishing on top,” he said. “It has been late this year”

Walker recommends anglers use artificial baits if you are not target-

ing snapper. When he used live bait, the snapper were the first to bite.

Capt. Tres Atkins knows the first quarter of the year can be very unpredictable for fishing in the Galveston area. The water nearer the shore is stained, but offshore the water is clear 20 feet down.

Atkins takes his clients 50 to 60 miles out. They use sardines to catch and release red snapper in the 10- to 15-pound range. He uses jigs to catch cobia and kingfish in 140 feet. Atkins said the water is still too cold for consistent kingfish action, however.

Capt. Michael Walker, (361) 793-1598Capt. Ron Pierson, (361) 749-7311Capt. Tres Atkins, (409) 692-3474

Drag chain: A few materials

that change kayak fishing


The amount of gear a boat angler puts onboard would sink a kayak angler.

So every item put on a kayak must be a necessity, as well as have the ability to fit securely.

Drag chains are a new necessity used by kayak anglers to slow their pursuit. Anchors stop kayaks with no drifting capabilities and drift socks cause difficulties in floating rivers.

The struggle for position can be a game rarely won by kayak anglers when winds pick up, waves form or currents are strong.

A few simple materials are needed to make your own, home-made drag chains. A common kit includes a small retractable dog leash, one foot of chain, one foot of bike inner tube and

See DRAG CHAIN, Page 15 WINDY BUT GOOD: Offshore captains have had success landing kingfish, sharks and red snapper offshore this month. Photo by LSON.

NECESSARY MATERIALS: The main materials for incorporating a drag chain include a chain, rope, float and attachment. Photo by Brice Sanchez, Solo Skiff Pro Staff.


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

AMISTAD: Water clear; 60–64 degrees; 51.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green tubes, Senkos and spinner baits in 20–40 feet. Striped bass are good on Red Fins. Crappie are good on minnows and trolling hellbender crankbaits.

ATHENS: Water clear, 56–60 degrees; 2.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin Texas-rigged soft plastics around shallow cover. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

BELTON: Water clear; 58–62 de-grees; 7.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and spinner baits. Hybrid striper are good on live shad in coves. White bass are good on spinner baits and watermelon jigs. Crappie are very good on minnows early and under lights at night. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and hot dogs.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 56–61 degrees; 4.80’ low. Largemouth bass are good on bladed jigs and spinner baits. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are slow. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait, and liver. Blue catfi sh are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 55–59 degrees; 15.92’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits around shallow cover as well as Texas-rigged craws. Crappie are excellent on minnows near the 380 bridge. White bass are good on slabs. Channel catfi sh are good on trotlines.

BROWNWOOD: Water lightly stained; 58–64 degrees; 11.00’ low. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are good on redbug and green

pumpkin soft plastics, crankbaits and spinner baits around docks in 3–5 feet. White bass are excellent on minnows and jigs. Crappie are excellent on minnows and watermelon tube jigs over brush piles. Blue catfi sh to 8 pounds are good on trotlines baited with live bait. Yellow catfi sh to 40 pounds are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 58–62 degrees; 28.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin jigs, top-waters, and wacky-rigged watermelon red Whacky Sticks in creeks. White bass are good on Pirk Minnows and Tiny Traps near Paradise Point. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on juglines and trotlines.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 56–60 degrees; 3.34’ low. Largemouth bass are good on fi nesse-rigged soft plastics around docks. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 2.76’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon lipless crankbaits, soft plastics and spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows in 10–20 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with perch and liver.

COOPER: Water clear; 55–59 de-grees; 7.68’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, Senkos and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs.

FALCON: Water stained; 63–67 degrees; 34.21’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spin-ner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Channel and blue catfi sh are excellent on minnows, frozen shrimp, shad, and cut bait.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on shallow-running shad-colored crankbaits over grass, and on watermelon and watermelon seed Carolina-rigged soft plastic worms along the outside edges of grass.

FORK: Water clear; 57–61 degrees; 4.32’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/yellow fl ipping jigs in 10–12 feet around timber near channels — some fi sh being caught on beds at midday all over the lake. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on wa-termelon spinner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and frozen shrimp.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 58–62 degrees; 6.02’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics and spinner baits. White bass are good on minnows and chartreuse spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers, and liver.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 55–60 degrees; 5.56’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and shallow crankbaits.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 0.05’ high. Largemouth bass to 10 pounds are good on purple soft plastic worms. Crappie are good on live minnows over brush piles. Bream are good on worms. Catfi sh are good on juglines baited with perch.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 57–64 degrees; 21.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medium-running shad-pattern crankbaits, Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are fair to good on min-nows and jigs.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 56–60 degrees; 1.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics and weightless Senkos. Crappie are good on jigs. White bass are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 75–62 degrees; 2.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics and weightless fl ukes. Crappie are

good on minnows.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 57–61 degrees; 8.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on blad-ed jigs and around shallow cover. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows.

LBJ: Water clear; 60–64 degrees; 0.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on bleeding shad lipless crankbaits, chartreuse creature baits and pumpkin top-waters on fl ats. White bass are good verti-cally jigging Tiny Traps and Pirk Minnows under birds.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 58–62 degrees; 0.26’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, spinner baits, and soft plastics. Blue catfi sh are good on shad.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 67–76 degrees; 1.61’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on bladed jigs in shallow areas. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 57–61 degrees; 0.34’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits around timber. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

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

PALESTINE: Water clear; 56–60 degrees; 0.32’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue jigs and shaky heads around docks. Bladed jigs around shallow cover are effective as well. White bass are good on jigs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

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

PROCTOR: Water lightly stained; 58–62 degrees; 5.76’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and fresh shad.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 55–59 degrees; 3.46’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics and jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on 1 oz. slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 55–60 degrees; 3.85’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits near staging areas. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 55–61 degrees; 5.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits and weight-less Senkos. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 58–62 degrees; 2.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits, soft plastics and Super Flukes over grass in 3–10 feet. Crappie are good on live shiners, and on pink and black tube jigs around wil-lows. Catfi sh are good on juglines baited with prepared bait.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 59–63 degrees; 1.91’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are good on chartreuse striper jigs. White bass are good on minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp.

STILLHOUSE: Water lightly stained; 58–62 degrees; 6.51’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics and watermelon Super Flukes.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 58–62 degrees; 5.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, Texas rigs and spinner baits. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on

slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 55–59 degrees; 5.38’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastics. Striped bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on cut bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water lightly stained; 59–63 degrees; 2.71’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon red soft plastics and spinner baits. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

TRAVIS: Water clear; 58–62 degrees; 50.99’ low. Largemouth bass are very good on white grubs and watermelon Senkos in 10–20 feet.

WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are fair on silver slabs. White bass are good on watermelon spinner baits and minnows.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 58–62 degrees; 8.88’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon Texas- and Carolina-rigged soft plastics and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and cheesebait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 56–61 degrees; 3.45’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Senkos, Texas-rigged soft plas-tics and spinner baits. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

— TPWD

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTGood for cats, crappie

LEWISVILLE LAKE — Guide Noel Ibarra has seen more anglers than usual on Lewisville.

The majority of his fi shing resulted in limits of hybrids and sand bass, both caught on 4-inch white and pink soft plastics.

Currently the water temperature is at 54 degrees with temperatures trend-ing upward.

Ibarra also reports a solid catfi sh bite drifting with cut shad near Sand Bass Cut. His last trip for three to four hours produced a 40-pound catfi sh. He then reversed and drifted the same area to catch another 38- and 27-pound catfi sh. All the big catfi sh were released.

Ibarra has found that the new toll bridge, under the I-35 bridge and in Little Elm Park are the three best places to catch crappie. Ibarra uses jigs and minnows to fi sh for crappie.

“For crappie fi shing, anglers have to be patient,” he said.To contact Noel Ibara, call (469) 355-5728.

No heatLAKE BASTROP — Guide Mike Hastings doesn’t know why the

power plant isn’t discharging warm water into the Lake Bastrop.The water temperature is in the mid-60s right now, but when

the power plant warms up the water it gets up in the 70s. The water clarity stays clear due to all the large amount of eel-

grass keeping any dirt from causing water discoloration. Hastings is catching crappie near the Boy Scout Park in 6 to 8 feet of water on jigs and

minnows. On his last trip, he caught only 13 crappie but they were all in the 2-pound range. Hastings fi shes according to the weather conditions. When the wind picks up, he fi shes

swimbaits in the shallows and for bass. When the sun is out and it’s too hot for the fi sh, he fi shes deeper, 15 to 25 feet, with an Alabama or Carolina rig.

“Top-water will always be there early,” said Hastings. To contact guide Mike Hastings, call (512) 773-7401.

Tearing them upNAVARRO MILLS — According to guide Allen Morehouse, the

crappie fi shing on Navarro Mills has been as good as anywhere in the state.

“We are tearing them up,” he said. “Every time the weather stabilizes, we go to hammering them. We have been catching up to 200 in a day.”

Morehouse said this has been a strange year on the lake, with the fi sh congregating in creeks on the east side of the lake instead of the western edge.

“I contribute that to the main lake being a mudhole right now,” he said. “The creeks aren’t run-ning much of a current, but the mud is settling out quicker and the water is clearer.”

Morehouse said the crappie are averaging more than 1.5 pounds per fi sh and he has caught 20 over 2.5 pounds this season.

“I’ve been catching a bunch on minnows, but jig fi shing is good under a cork,” he said. “Cotton candy and blue color is working, along with chartreuse and cotton candy and pearl. Most of the females I am seeing are two weeks out from spawning.”

To contact guide Allen Morehouse, call (254) 717-2946.— Jacob Longoria

Currently the water temperature is at 54 degrees with temperatures trend-

SEE MOREn Saltwater fi shing reports: Page 16

“We are tearing them up,” he said. “Every time the weather stabilizes,


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The crappie are moving shallow on many Texas lakes, and anglers are taking advantage and catching boatloads of slabs.

On Lake Waco, guide Greg Culverhouse said he has seen the crappie transitioning from deep to shallow depending on each day’s weather conditions.

“They are defi nitely turning on,” Culverhouse said. “During the early mornings, they are out a little deeper, during the day they start to move up and by the evening, we are catching them shallow.”

During the last minor cold front, Culverhouse said the water temperature dropped 8 degrees overnight, pushing the fi sh deep for a day.

“We fi shed April 4 and caught one crappie in 12 feet and none in the shallows,” he said. “Then we

Bite is going strong with warming trend

Crushing crappie

BEST TIME OF YEAR: The crappie bite has been consistent for anglers across the state. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

moved to 24 feet and caught them nonstop for an hour before dark. Hopefully, that will be the last big front of the year. The water tem-perature was up to 68 degrees.”

Culverhouse said the females are full of eggs and very fi nicky about what they are eating.

“I use minnows or small shad with clients,” he said. “When we get experienced anglers who want to fi sh with jigs, black and char-treuse have worked really well. The females have started separating and we have been catching them in 2 to 3 feet of water.”

Cedar Creek guide Lane Palmer wrote that the crappie fi shing is outstanding on his lake.

“Water temp is holding around 60, with fi sh being caught any-where from 3 to 12 feet,” Palmer wrote in his report. “We’re look-ing for submerged structure in the warmest water we can fi nd, and not staying around very long if we don’t get a bite within 3 to 5 minutes. We’ve gotten a bit of rain here this week, which is an abso-lute blessing. The crappie fi shing is fantastic right now, and should remain that way until early July.”

Palmer said all of his fi sh were caught on Thump Buddies and Slab Bandits.

“These baits are being rigged on 1/16- and 1/8-ounce unpainted jig heads, and being fi shed about a foot off the bottom,” he added.

Other good reports have come in from Navarro Mills and Lake Fork.

Farther south, the crappie spawn is over and the fi sh are back to a consistent feeding pattern.

On Amistad Reservoir, anglers are having success in deeper water using minnows, and also trolling small crankbaits.

On Choke Canyon, guides have reported a good crappie bite on jigs tipped with minnows.


WARDEN FISHES ON DAY OFF, CATCHES MAN SNAGGING FISH

While fishing on the Neches River, Henderson County Game Warden Chad West noticed an individual snagging fish. West contacted Smith County Game Warden Chris Swift, who was patrolling nearby. Swift made contact with the individual shortly thereafter, and after examining the fish, it was clear that the fish had been snagged. Cases pending.

TRESPASSER WISHES DEER SHOT HAD NOT BEEN FOUND

Milam County Game Warden Charlie Mayer received a call from a landowner who stated that he had just seen an individual walking across his property dressed in cam-ouflage and carrying a rifle. Upon arriving on the scene, Mayer noticed three individuals — two landown-ers and the suspect — talking. The suspect said he was hunting on the fence line, shot a deer that jumped the fence and ran into the brush on the adjoining property, at which time he crossed the fence and went after the deer. Mayer asked the suspect to take him to the spot where he had hunted that evening. He questioned the man further about the deer he had shot, where he shot it and what happened after he shot it. His story stayed the same. The suspect, the landowners and Mayer looked for the deer. Unable to find but a small amount of blood, Mayer noticed the suspect was reluctant to keep searching. He questioned him again as to where he had shot the deer. This time the suspect stated that he had shot the deer on the other side of the fence, followed it, but was unable to locate it. The suspect was charged with criminal trespass. The next morning the landowner found the deer. The deer had an inside antler spread of 8 1/2 inches. The suspect was also cited for harvesting an illegal buck.

WARDENS SURPRISE BOATFUL OF MEN WITH DOPE

Zapata County Game Warden Jacob Mort and Starr County Game Warden Brad Whitworth were observ-ing an area along the Rio Grande River. The wardens observed a boat make landfall with several subjects on the boat. Approximately eight to 10 individuals quickly exited the boat and offloaded several bundles of what appeared to be marijuana. The individuals then started to back-pack their way toward the town of Salineno. Both wardens fell in behind the backpackers and iden-tified themselves. The backpackers dropped their backpacks and quickly fled into the brush. One individ-ual was found and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol. The seizure was turned over to U.S. Border Patrol in Rio Grande City. There were a total of 37 bundles weighing 624 pounds with an estimated street value of $499,200.

BUZZARDS TARGET OF NEW GUNMilam County Game Warden

Charlie Mayer received a call from the sheriff’s office that someone had called in to report a shooting from a vehicle on a farm to market road. A Milam County deputy was able to locate the car and get it stopped. Mayer arrived and questioned the individuals as to what they were doing. The driver had just bought a new AR-15 and wanted to try it out, so they decided to shoot at some buzzards off the road. The driver

thought that would be a good first kill for his new gun. Citations were issued.

PIER FISHERMEN WEREN’T USING TAPE MEASURE

Nueces County Game Warden Saul Aguilar, while working a pop-ular local fishing pier, cited three individuals — two for possession of an oversized black drum (36 inches) and one for an undersized spotted seatrout (13.5 inches).

BODY WASHES ONTO RIO GRANDE SHOREMaverick County Game Wardens

Gregg Johnson and Wes Groth were patrolling the Rio Grande River for illegal fishing activity and discov-ered a body that had washed onto some rocks within the boundaries of the river. The local fire department and sheriff’s department assisted in the investigation. The victim’s cause of death is unknown.

LOGJAMS ALONG RIVER DON’T DETER WARDENS

Dimmit County and Zavalla County Game Wardens Gene Fernandez and Chris Stautzenberger teamed up to work the local river in Dimmit County. After removing abandoned and ille-gal throw lines, the two came upon some illegal trotlines in a hard-to-reach location past several logjams. The two wardens noticed a boat with expired registration and made con-tact with the owner of the boat. It was determined that two illegal trotlines belonged to the subject and he

had no fishing license. The subject asked, “How did you get past those logjams? I did not think anyone could have gotten past them.” Appropriate charges were filed.

MAN BRAGS ABOUT COUSIN’S TWO BUCKS IN ONE BUCK COUNTY

Henderson County Game Warden Chad West and Cherokee County Game Wardens Brian Bearden and Eric Collins were patrolling the Neches River for fishing violations when they made contact with an individual who was fishing along the riverbank. The individual told them about his cousin who had an outstanding deer season. West con-tacted Smith County Game Warden Chris Swift, who located the resi-dence and made contact with the deer hunter. After a lengthy inter-view process and an hour or so of repeated denials, the hunter con-fessed to shooting an 8-point buck and a 10-point buck in a one buck county. Cases pending.

FIELD TRIP LEADS TO FOOT PURSUITLt. Brad Guinn of the Game

Warden Training Center traveled to Zapata with eight cadets for the Border Field Trip. On the first day of the trip, he worked with Zapata County Game Warden Jake Mort, Starr County Game Warden Brad Whitworth and Cadet Colton Thomas. Mort received a call from a Border Patrol agent about some illegal fish-ing on a creek off of the Rio Grande River. They all traveled to the area

and located the fishermen. After locating them, they found a way down to their location, where they set up and watched them cast nest for fish. After awhile, the two men started walking their way. The offi-cers announced themselves and the two subjects took off running toward the river. After a short foot pursuit, the two subjects were apprehended. They were arrested and taken to the Zapata County Jail for multiple violations.

WARDEN DOUBLES AS LIFEGUARDLieutenant Cliff Swofford was

at a hotel swimming pool with his children. He observed a commotion at the other end of the pool, which was caused by a little girl who had slipped out of her floaties and could not swim. She had begun to sink, but was still conscious when Swofford grabbed her and pulled her out of the water. The little girl was fine.

WARDENS FIND LOST MOTORIST TRYING TO CIRCUMVENT HIGHWAY

BACKUPVal Verde County Game Wardens

Isaac Ruiz and Allison Hatten responded to a stranded motorist call from DPS. The caller had left his stranded vehicle, hiked up a hill and made contact with DPS dispatch via cell phone but was unable to give a location. It turned out that the caller had been held up by a vehicle acci-dent that closed down the highway for a number of hours. He decided he could not wait, so he drove his 5-ton truck into the adjacent ranch and attempted to find a way around the accident. After several hours of searching, the man was located by the wardens at 2 a.m., deep inside the ranch. The man was rescued, but the truck needed a tow, as it was high-centered on a rise with a washout.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Williamson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shot-fired call in a subdivision in Leander. Game Warden Joel Campos was notified and responded to the scene. The suspect was caught in the greenbelt with a .22-caliber rifle and several knives. The man shot a doe and stated he

was getting rid of the “bad” from the forest. When asked to explain, the man said he was killing deer that were destroying the forest. The sheriff’s office filed misde-meanor charges, and Campos filed several misdemeanor cases, a state jail felony charge and civil restitution.

MAN CAUGHT KILLING DEER THAT WAS ‘DESTROYING THE FOREST’


able PFD for each person on board. Vessels 16 feet and longer, exclud-

ing canoes and kayaks, are also required to have a Type IV throw-able PFD, in addition to the wear-able PFDs for everyone on board.

“One of the big things we see a lot is not having the life jackets readily accessible or they are too old,” said Aransas County Game Warden Derek Reeder. “A life jacket needs to be ser-viceable, and when they are down in a hatch they can get waterlogged.

“If they tear, they are no good and

don’t count toward the usable num-ber in a boat.”

With the prevalence of kayaks on the coast and in Texas lakes, lighting is the biggest issue.

“Kayaks have to have some sort of light,” McLeod said. “It doesn’t have to be stationary or a red or green color. The law says it just has to have some sort of illumination. That could be a flashlight or a headlamp, but we recommend they have a sta-tionary or full-time light.”

Game wardens say they have seen

a general rise in safe boating prac-tices the past several years, but one issue that could really save lives is a kill switch.

“A kill-switch lanyard would pre-vent a lot of the fatalities we see,” Reeder said. “That would really save more lives than anything. I’ve seen four or five instances of boats hit-ting a wave and sending a person overboard. Then that boat just starts doing circles and people get run over.

We tell people all the time, wear a kill switch.”

LawContinued From Page 8

before deciding on a pattern.“Usually, this time of year,

the bass are in a post-spawn pattern,” he said. “Most peo-ple see the beds and assume that is where the bass are. I look for channel drops and little creek points — most people call them secondary points.

“It just has to be within rea-sonable distance to a chan-nel.”

Collins, who won the last tournament on Rayburn, said he fishes a variety of baits this time of year.

“The fish in the post-spawn aren’t feeding really good, but a few of them are starting,” he said. “I throw a variety of baits, includ-ing a plastic worm, spinner bait and top-water. If they aren’t biting on one, I’ll go to another to figure out what they are doing. I feel it out.

“Start shallow and work your way out.

Another of the state’s best is Robert Hargrove from Century Bass Club in Dallas.

Hargrove is a dedicated shallow-water angler.

“I key on boat docks,” he said, “but I certainly don’t mind fishing beds. My favor-ite setup is a Carolina-rigged plastic in green or brown pumpkin. I fish a 10-inch leader with a light weight.”

Hargrove said his favorite lake to fish is Cedar Creek because of its plethora of boat docks and shallow structure.

“You can stay shallow there the whole time,” he

said. “But I watch the water temperatures pretty closely. When it gets to 55 degrees and above, I’m shallow.”

LSON’s own Mike Hughs is also one of the top amateur anglers in the state, recently placing third individually at the 2013 B.A.S.S. Federation Nation State Championship, besting nearly 200 of the other qualifiers.

Hughs likes to fish deeper water near spawning flats during the spring. He said he likes spring fishing the best of any time of year because of the amount of options a bass angler has.

“You can fish the pre-spawn, on the beds or post-spawn,” he said. “There are a lot of different patterns that an angler can use to catch bass right now.”

Hughs said his preference is catching bass coming and going from the beds.

“I like it when the fish are moving toward the beds,” he said. “I look for spawning flats and focus on the near-est available cover or struc-ture. That could be lily pads, timber or laydowns. I’ve had really good success on lay-downs lately.”

Hughs said he uses baits that fall slowly through the water column.

“Tubes, Senkos, Trick Worms and Wacky Worms all work great,” he said. “My go-to colors are pretty generic, but they work. I like watermelon and pumpkin.”

STAYING SAFE: Kids that have grown up wearing a life vest have no issues with wearing them whenever they go on the water. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

AnglersContinued From Page 1


just as quick as those other two toms at the first shot,” Owens said. “He also flew in the air before he dropped. This was definitely a wild bird.”

When the two hunters approached the downed tom, they found a pure white bird with black feath-ers along its back and a black streak of tail feathers. He also had a 4 1/2-inch beard and thick spurs that were completely worn down to nubs.

“The eyes were dark brown and it clearly wasn’t an albino when we took a close

look at him,” Owens said. “Nobody lives on the prop-erty next to us, and I don’t know of anyone in the area that has ever had domesti-cated birds.”

Owens took the bird to his taxidermist, who told him it was a Royal Palm turkey — a domesticated breed that was established in the 1920s.

“He told us it was the only commercial breed that isn’t harvested for food,” Owens said. “This tom was between 25 and 30 pounds. It could have been a genetic throw-back to some Royal Palms from a long time ago. I really

don’t know.”Jason Hardin, upland

game bird leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, viewed a photo of the bird and said the bird probably was wild.

“Rios do get different color phases,” Hardin said. “I’ve seen them in white and a smoky color, so it is possible. They are pretty rare, though. I see more of the smoky color than the pure white, but it does happen.

“Based on the photo and the fact that he was with two other wild birds, I think this is a wild turkey.”

White turkeyContinued From Page 4

The group has grown to include more than 60 landowners and a range encom-passing more than 50,000 acres.

“Our goal is to shoot bucks that are more than 4 years old,” said Warren Blesh, pres-ident of the WMA and a Texas Wildlife Association board member. “It has worked; everyone has moved the age class of bucks shot up two years. If you aren’t on a high-fenced ranch and have small acreage, it’s the best option.”

Getting landowners on board wasn’t dif-ficult, Blesh said.

“They can get their lease license for five dollars instead of $75 to $125, depending on acreage,” he said. “And once they join, we can help educate them and their hunters.”

The Simms Creek Wildlife Management Area shouldn’t be confused with state-oper-ated WMAs, though.

“It’s really a Wildlife Management Association, like a Wildlife Co-op,” Blesh said. “It’s all private land.”

Landowners and hunters have noticed the difference in their deer herds.

“We can tell over the last five years how the herd has improved,” said Steve Holditch. Damon’s brother. “And the 13-inch antler restriction has helped, too. It started about five years ago.”

Tommy Head’s ranch has been in the fam-ily for generations.

“It’s been in the family since the 1880s,” he said. “For many years we just let the guys hunt. The deer never had a chance to grow up.”

Bill Winton retired from Shell Oil and bought the Muleshoe Ranch in Mills County.

“I grew up on a ranch in the Panhandle,”

he said. “I wanted a place out of the wind. The wind fol-lowed me.”

Winton has owned his ranch for 28 years and agrees working together has helped improve the deer in the area.

About 50 percent of the property in the WMA is located in Mills County, with the rest in Lampassas and Hamilton counties.

“We’re bordered by Highway 84 on the north, trian-gled by Highway 281 and 183 to Lampassas,” Blesh said. “It’s all part of the Simms Creek watershed.”

The group uses its twice-annual meet-ings to help educate landowners and their hunters on items such as aging on the hoof, management for quail and Boone & Crockett scoring. And Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist Mike Miller of Stephenville pro-vides harvest recom-mendations.

The members do spotlight sur-veys in August and have eight survey

routes,” Miller said. “And they collect herd composition information on their own properties. I get information on 2,500 to 3,000 observations of deer that allows me to prepare the harvest recommendations.”

In 2012, the recommended harvest was one buck per 125 acres and one doe per 33 acres.

“We limit the buck harvest to 30 to 33 per-cent of the buck population,” Miller said.

Miller has noticed an increase in the har-vest of older bucks, along with an increase in the antlerless harvest, although it is not yet “where it needs to be,” he said. The group is trying to address the doe population.

“Our landowners require their lease hunt-ers to shoot a doe before they can harvest a buck,” Damon Holditch said. “Now they are all out hunting does on opening day.”

At their March 30 meeting at the Star Firehouse in Star, the Operation Game Thief trailer was present along with two game war-dens from San Saba County — Brad Reeves and Eric Cooper. Landowners brought hun-dreds of jawbones from all of the deer shot to be aged by TPWD biologists Miller and Devin Erxlebin. And the 60 or so attendees got a chance to catch up.

That’s an added benefit,” Damon Holditch said. “It’s a great way to meet your neighbors.”

LandownersContinued From Page 4

TOOTH TALES: Each year, Simms Creek WMA members bring jawbones from bucks shot on their properties to be aged by TPWD biologist Mike Miller, right.


together many times. At a water hole, there was a pair that was clearly devoted to each other — the male was defending the female.”

Scaled (blue) quail and northern bobwhites are two separate species, but occasionally interbreed,” said Fidel Hernandez, the Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Chair for Quail Research at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville. “Their ranges do overlap, pri-marily in the western third of Texas.”

The blobs have a crest, but the crest is not white-tipped like in the blue quail.

Bentsen’s ranch is in the area where the two species co-exist.

“We’re about half blues and half bobs down here,” he said. “Although there are more blues now since it’s so dry. The blues handle the dry weather better.”

Hernandez said the hybrids, the product of a suc-

cessful pairing of a blue and a bobwhite, are rare, but do occur in the wild.

“There is some research on the frequency and it has been estimated that out of 1,000 quail that you trap in areas where they overlap, you might run into one hybrid,” he said. “Every now and then, we get a report from a hunter of a hybrid being seen or shot.”

Bentsen questioned whether the hybrids occur even that frequently.

“As much time as we spend out here, I doubt it,” he said. “These are the first bonafide hybrids I’ve ever seen and I’ve been looking for 35 years. There are at least two of them here now.”

Bentsen plans many more trips to the waterhole to see and photograph the hybrids, and hopefully see some more.

“I want to hear them sing,” he said. “And I have my recorder with me.”

BlobContinued From Page 1

he said. In the Galveston area, the flounder bite

has been more consistent.Capt. Paul Marcaccio takes his trips right

after dusk to catch flounder nearing 24 inches and up to 6 pounds in Dickinson Bay.

Last month he caught mostly undersized males but recently Marcaccio caught males from 18 to 20 inches.

“I have seen improvement in the size of the males,” said Marcaccio.

Marcaccio has been catching flounder on fire tiger-colored soft plastics in 3 to 5 feet of water. Water temperatures have been steady at 65 degrees with more than a foot of clarity.

Marcaccio doesn’t see the fishing slow-ing down any time soon.

“Get around the wind and you will catch fish,” he said.

Capt. Randy Foreman, (409) 719-6067Capt. Dan Pike, (361) 368-3219Capt. Paul Marcaccio, (281) 788-4041

FlounderContinued From Page 8

three small zip ties. It only takes a few steps to put together a

drag chain. First, put the chain inside the bike tube. The tube is tight on the chain so it takes a little work to get it on completely. The bottom of the chain is then tied with a zip tie. Then, tie the leash to the chain by putting the clip though the chain and then tie it back to itself.

Another option is to take the snap hook off, leaving only the leash stopper. The angler then can thread a zip tie from the chain to the end of the leash stopper.

The idea has been spread throughout the kayaking community by fishing blogs and forums, with kayak anglers recom-mending it to their fellow anglers.

Austin angler Immanuel Salas never heard of drag chains, and when he was introduced to them, he couldn’t find any at local outdoor stores.

Salas was an avid anchor-user, but now prefers to use the drag chain because he can control it very quickly.

“It’s easier to sneak into shallower waters without dropping a bulky anchor or trying to slow down by digging my pad-dle into the ground,” he said.

Houston angler Brice Sanchez also pre-fers using a drag chain instead of a drift sock. The biggest problem he comes across is the lack of control with a drift sock. Sanchez’s drift chain lets him slow down in areas with lots of structure.

“It’s much easier to deploy and retrieve, and it doesn't get hung up on branches or other structure as often,” said Sanchez. “It also seems to keep me drifting at a very com-fortable speed.”

Sanchez can easily control the speed with his chain. The longer the rope from his kayak, the slower he drifts. Sanchez’s setup for his chain starts by connecting a 2.5-feet piece of heavy galvanized chain to his drift sock rope, then connecting the other end to his anchor trolley.

With less gear on his kayak, he flows a lot smoother through the water.

Mark Palovik, a Murphy native and avid kayak angler, uses both drag chains and drift socks on the water. He uses the drift sock in deeper waters, then uses the drag chains in shallower waters. Palovik found that one chain can slow him down, but two chains can also serve as a successful anchor.

Palovik said drag chains go great with kayaks that have anchor trolleys.

Anchor trolleys allow the angler to push their anchor from the back to the front of kayak. He believes dragging the drag chain while being adjusted by the anchor trolley can better position the kayak angler.

Palovik saw other kayak anglers using their drag chains to drag the bottom while they paddle slowly through the shallows.

“The chain stirs up the dirt, attracting the catfish,” Palovik said.

This new technique has taken off among the blog/forum crowds but, so far, drag chains haven’t been manufactured on a large-scale commercial level.

Drag chainContinued From Page 9

Photo by Steve Bentsen


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

SOUTH SABINE: Flounder are good on the fl ats on the incoming tide. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Garrison Ridge on top-waters and Corkies.

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

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for wader working the east shoreline on soft plastics. Catfi sh are good around Long Island Bayou and shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good for waders around Rabbit Bayou.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on twitchbaits and top-waters. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Black drum

are fair to good in the Ship Channel on crabs.

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

TEXAS CITY: Black drum are good in are chan-nel on crabs. Trout are fair on the reefs on live shrimp on the incoming tide.

FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay and Bastrop Bay. Black drum and redfi sh are good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair to good while drifting deep shell with plastics and live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair for drifters in the back lakes on live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp

and crabs. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good at the jetty on crabs.

PORT O'CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are fair on soft plastics over soft mud. Trout and redfi sh are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in Morris–Cummings Cut on free–lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Redfi sh are good in the back of Allyn’s Bight on scented plastics, mullet and shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: Black drum are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and fi nger mul-let. Redfi sh, black drum and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp.

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

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good for wader working the King Ranch shoreline on Gam-blers, soft plastics and Corkies. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp.

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

SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on plastic Shrimp in 3–4 feet of water. Black drum, redfi sh and sheepshead have taken at the jetty. Flounder are fair to good on the spoils along the ICW.

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

— TPWD

Sponsored by

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORTFocus on the fl ats

PORT MANSFIELD — Capt. Rene Hinojosa is having a tough time fi nding the clear water he needs to fi sh the shallows

Hinojosa fi shes the fl ats, where he caught a 23-inch redfi sh and 18-inch trout on soft plastics recently. Hinojosa believes the bite will stay strong in the fl ats if the water stays clear.

“That wind comes in and stirs up that water,” he said. “It’s hard to see the fi sh, and for the fi sh to see the lure.”

Hinojosa still focuses on fi shing the fl ats and believes that even though the water is off-color, the fi sh will continue stay there. Hinojosa said local anglers should be patient and take advantage of every nice day to chase the fi sh.

To contact Capt. Rene Hinojosa, call (956) 327-3534.

Keep your bait downGALVESTON BAY — Capt. Greg Verm recommends that every

cast should have weight behind it to counter the wind. In Galveston Bay, Verm is using live shrimp to catch 6- to 8-pound

speckled trout in 3 to 5 feet of water near the jetties. Currently, Verm sees the trout spread out in their transition from their spring pattern.

While fi shing for trout, redfi sh were also in the same area biting on live shrimp. Verm and

his customers all limited on slot redfi sh recently.The sheepshead being caught have been full of eggs and in spawn-

ing areas. Verm is catching fi sh in the 2- to 6-pound range in water less than 5 feet deep.

“The sheepshead are slowing down but the speckled trout area is going to pick up,” said Verm.

To contact Capt. Greg Verm, call (409) 739-8526.

More than one approach SABINE LAKE — Capt. Robby Trahan doesn’t stick to one

presentation on southern Sabine Lake. Trahan knows the winds can pick up at any time, so when

the wind is blowing he drifts using soft plastics. When the wind dies down, he switches to a top-water presentation.

Currently, the water temperature is between 61 and 65 degrees, but to get the fi sh more active, Trahan needs the water in the 70s.

“The warmer the water, the better the fi shing,” he said.Trahan has been catching slot-sized redfi sh on popping corks with a chartreuse-colored

shrimp. He has been catching trout on soft plastics. Trahan noticed bank anglers catching drum and trout near oyster reefs on dead shrimp.

To contact Capt. Robby Trahan, call (337) 309-7881.— Jacob Longoria

Hinojosa fi shes the fl ats, where he caught a 23-inch Hinojosa fi shes the fl ats, where he caught a 23-inch Hinojosa fi shes the fl ats, where he caught a 23-inch

Keep your bait downcast should have weight behind it to counter the wind.

In Galveston Bay, Verm is using live shrimp to catch 6- to 8-pound speckled trout in 3 to 5 feet of water near the jetties. Currently, Verm

In Galveston Bay, Verm is using live shrimp to catch 6- to 8-pound




Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

FOR THE TABLEOUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Solution on Page 24

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| |

1-2 pounds smallmouth bass fi llets1 stick butterLemon juice

Heat 1/2 stick butter and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice in a large skillet. Mix together and heat until very hot but short of smoking. Add some fi llets and sear quickly on both sides. This should brown the fi llets slightly. Lower the temperature and continue cooking until fi llets fl ake easily turning as needed. Remove and keep warm while you cook the rest of the fi sh using the rest of the butter and more lemon juice.

— Backwoodsbound.com

Back strapFew jalapeñosOnionCream cheeseGarlic powder (not salt)BaconMarinade (your choice)

This works better when your back-strap is butterfl y cut. After it is completely defrosted, tenderize your straps with a mallet and meat ten-derizer; salt if needed.

Marinate the straps with your favorite marinade (McCormick’s Brown Sugar Bourbon works great). Use about half the packet and marinate for about 6 hours. Cut jalapeños into strips, as well as the onions. Open up the straps and, on half of them, put a strip or two of onion, jalapeño, some cream cheese and some sprinkles of garlic powder. Wrap the straps in bacon and grill over hot fi re until medium rare.

— Margaret Phillips

Brown sugar and bourbon straps

LastMay 3Full

Apr 26New

May 10First

Apr. 18

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 6:27 AM 1.8H 11:55 AM 1.2L 4:33 PM 1.5H 11:43 PM 0.1LApr 13 7:12 AM 1.7H 12:29 PM 1.3L 4:38 PM 1.5HApr 14 12:24 AM 0.2L 8:03 AM 1.7H 1:06 PM 1.4L 4:33 PM 1.4HApr 15 1:09 AM 0.2L 9:05 AM 1.6H 1:52 PM 1.4L 4:25 PM 1.4HApr 16 1:59 AM 0.3L 10:23 AM 1.6HApr 17 2:56 AM 0.4L 11:38 AM 1.5HApr 18 4:00 AM 0.5L 12:28 PM 1.5HApr 19 5:06 AM 0.6L 1:00 PM 1.5H 6:57 PM 1.1LApr 20 12:03 AM 1.3H 6:08 AM 0.6L 1:23 PM 1.5H 7:10 PM 1.0LApr 21 1:11 AM 1.5H 7:05 AM 0.7L 1:44 PM 1.5H 7:36 PM 0.8LApr 22 2:06 AM 1.6H 7:57 AM 0.8L 2:03 PM 1.5H 8:07 PM 0.5LApr 23 2:55 AM 1.8H 8:44 AM 0.9L 2:23 PM 1.6H 8:43 PM 0.3LApr 24 3:43 AM 1.9H 9:29 AM 1.0L 2:44 PM 1.6H 9:21 PM 0.0LApr 25 4:30 AM 2.0H 10:13 AM 1.1L 3:08 PM 1.6H 10:04 PM -0.2LApr 26 5:20 AM 2.1H 10:55 AM 1.2L 3:35 PM 1.7H 10:49 PM -0.3L

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 6:51 AM 2.2H 11:55 AM 1.7L 4:11 PM 1.8H 11:12 PM 0.1LApr 13 7:41 AM 2.2H 12:28 PM 1.8L 4:15 PM 1.8H 11:49 PM 0.1LApr 14 8:35 AM 2.1H 1:02 PM 1.8L 3:55 PM 1.8HApr 15 12:30 AM 0.2L 9:34 AM 2.1HApr 16 1:16 AM 0.3L 10:38 AM 2.0HApr 17 2:09 AM 0.4L 11:39 AM 2.0HApr 18 3:11 AM 0.6L 12:25 PM 1.9HApr 19 4:19 AM 0.7L 12:58 PM 1.9H 7:32 PM 1.5L 11:08 PM 1.6HApr 20 5:28 AM 0.8L 1:21 PM 1.9H 7:12 PM 1.3LApr 21 12:43 AM 1.7H 6:31 AM 0.9L 1:39 PM 1.8H 7:19 PM 1.1LApr 22 1:57 AM 1.9H 7:28 AM 1.1L 1:55 PM 1.8H 7:41 PM 0.8LApr 23 3:00 AM 2.1H 8:21 AM 1.2L 2:10 PM 1.8H 8:12 PM 0.4LApr 24 3:58 AM 2.3H 9:10 AM 1.4L 2:25 PM 1.9H 8:48 PM 0.1LApr 25 4:53 AM 2.4H 9:58 AM 1.6L 2:42 PM 1.9H 9:29 PM -0.2LApr 26 5:49 AM 2.5H 10:44 AM 1.8L 3:02 PM 2.0H 10:14 PM -0.3L

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Apr 12 7:21 AM 1.3H 12:51 PM 1.0L 4:41 PM 1.1HApr 13 12:08 AM 0.1L 8:11 AM 1.3H 1:24 PM 1.1L 4:45 PM 1.1HApr 14 12:45 AM 0.1L 9:05 AM 1.3H 1:58 PM 1.1L 4:25 PM 1.1 HApr 15 1:26 AM 0.1L 10:04 AM 1.2HApr 16 2:12 AM 0.2L 11:08 AM 1.2HApr 17 3:05 AM 0.3L 12:09 PM 1.2HApr 18 4:07 AM 0.3L 12:55 PM 1.2HApr 19 5:15 AM 0.4L 1:28 PM 1.2H 8:28 PM 0.9L 11:38 PM 1.0Apr 20 6:24 AM 0.5L 1:51 PM 1.1H 8:08 PM 0.8LApr 21 1:13 AM 1.0H 7:27 AM 0.6L 2:09 PM 1.1H 8:15 PM 0.6LApr 22 2:27 AM 1.1H 8:24 AM 0.6L 2:25 PM 1.1H 8:37 PM 0.5LApr 23 3:30 AM 1.2H 9:17 AM 0.7L 2:40 PM 1.1H 9:08 PM 0.3LApr 24 4:28 AM 1.4H 10:06 AM 0.9L 2:55 PM 1.1H 9:44 PM 0.1LApr 25 5:23 AM 1.5H 10:54 AM 1.0L 3:12 PM 1.2H 10:25 PM -0.1LApr 26 6:19 AM 1.5H 11:40 AM 1.1L 3:32 PM 1.2H 11:10 PM -0.2L

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 6:37 AM 1.8H 11:11 PM 0.1LApr 13 7:26 AM 1.7H 11:44 PM 0.1LApr 14 8:19 AM 1.7HApr 15 12:23 AM 0.2L 9:16 AM 1.7HApr 16 1:07 AM 0.2L 10:15 AM 1.7HApr 17 2:00 AM 0.3L 11:10 AM 1.6HApr 18 3:04 AM 0.4L 11:54 AM 1.6HApr 19 4:20 AM 0.5L 12:29 PM 1.6H 7:57 PM 1.0L 11:06 PM 1.1HApr 20 5:39 AM 0.6L 12:58 PM 1.5H 7:51 PM 0.9LApr 21 12:34 AM 1.2H 6:53 AM 0.7L 1:21 PM 1.4H 7:55 PM 0.7LApr 22 1:44 AM 1.4H 8:01 AM 0.8L 1:43 PM 1.4H 8:07 PM 0.6LApr 23 2:45 AM 1.6H 9:05 AM 0.9L 2:02 PM 1.3H 8:28 PM 0.3LApr 24 3:42 AM 1.8H 10:10 AM 1.0L 2:19 PM 1.3H 8:58 PM 0.1LApr 25 4:37 AM 1.9H 11:18 AM 1.1L 2:34 PM 1.3H 9:34 PM -0.1LApr 26 5:33 AM 2.1H 12:35 PM 1.2L 2:43 PM 1.3H 10:16 PM -0.2L

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 7:00 AM 1.5H 10:56 PM -0.1LApr 13 8:04 AM 1.5H 11:35 PM -0.1LApr 14 9:14 AM 1.5HApr 15 12:16 AM 0.0L 10:26 AM 1.5HApr 16 1:01 AM 0.1L 11:26 AM 1.5HApr 17 1:51 AM 0.2L 12:06 PM 1.5HApr 18 2:49 AM 0.4L 12:29 PM 1.5HApr 19 3:52 AM 0.5L 12:42 PM 1.5HApr 20 4:59 AM 0.6L 12:50 PM 1.4H 7:10 PM 1.0L 11:33 PM 1.1HApr 21 6:08 AM 0.7L 12:56 PM 1.3H 7:13 PM 0.8LApr 22 1:13 AM 1.2H 7:17 AM 0.8L 1:00 PM 1.2H 7:33 PM 0.5LApr 23 2:30 AM 1.3H 8:27 AM 0.9L 1:00 PM 1.1H 8:00 PM 0.2LApr 24 3:38 AM 1.5H 9:41 AM 0.9L 12:55 PM 1.0H 8:34 PM -0.1LApr 25 4:44 AM 1.6H 9:13 PM -0.4LApr 26 5:50 AM 1.6H 9:57 PM -0.6L

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 1:00 AM 0.2L 11:40 AM 0.8HApr 13 1:31 AM 0.2L 12:49 PM 0.8HApr 14 2:07 AM 0.2L 1:54 PM 0.9HApr 15 2:49 AM 0.2L 2:50 PM 0.9HApr 16 3:41 AM 0.2L 3:35 PM 0.9HApr 17 4:42 AM 0.3L 4:11 PM 0.9HApr 18 5:50 AM 0.3L 4:39 PM 0.8HApr 19 7:02 AM 0.4L 5:01 PM 0.8HApr 20 8:14 AM 0.4L 5:16 PM 0.7H 9:56 PM 0.7LApr 21 1:48 AM 0.7H 9:26 AM 0.5L 4:51 PM 0.6H 9:48 PM 0.6LApr 22 5:38 AM 0.7H 10:45 AM 0.6L 2:37 PM 0.6H 10:05 PM 0.4LApr 23 7:07 AM 0.8H 10:31 PM 0.3LApr 24 8:18 AM 0.9H 11:05 PM 0.2LApr 25 9:24 AM 1.0H 11:45 PM 0.1LApr 26 10:31 AM 1.0H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 1:56 AM 0.1L 4:37 PM 0.4HApr 13 2:47 AM 0.1L 5:29 PM 0.4HApr 14 3:40 AM 0.2L 6:31 PM 0.4HApr 15 4:34 AM 0.2L 7:40 PM 0.4HApr 16 5:29 AM 0.2L 8:48 PM 0.4HApr 17 6:23 AM 0.2L 9:54 PM 0.4HApr 18 7:12 AM 0.2L 11:01 PM 0.4HApr 19 7:55 AM 0.2LApr 20 12:16 AM 0.4H 8:33 AM 0.3L 4:02 PM 0.4H 7:46 PM 0.3LApr 21 1:51 AM 0.4H 9:06 AM 0.3L 3:30 PM 0.4H 9:18 PM 0.3LApr 22 3:56 AM 0.4H 9:32 AM 0.3L 3:04 PM 0.4H 10:26 PM 0.3LApr 23 6:50 AM 0.4H 9:30 AM 0.4L 2:38 PM 0.4H 11:21 PM 0.3LApr 24 2:15 PM 0.4HApr 25 12:13 AM 0.2L 2:14 PM 0.5HApr 26 1:06 AM 0.2L 2:46 PM 0.5H

Houston2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONApr-May Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets12 Fri > 7:22 1:10 7:46 1:34 06:57 07:45 8:18a 10:08p 13 Sat > 8:15 2:03 8:39 2:27 06:56 07:46 9:02a 11:00p 14 Sun 9:09 2:57 9:33 3:21 06:55 07:46 9:47a 11:50p 15 Mon 10:02 3:50 10:26 4:14 06:54 07:47 10:35a NoMoon 16 Tue 10:54 4:42 11:18 5:06 06:53 07:48 11:25a 12:37a 17 Wed Q 11:44 5:32 ----- 5:56 06:52 07:48 12:16p 1:21a 18 Thu 12:07 6:20 12:31 6:43 06:51 07:49 1:09p 2:01a 19 Fri 12:53 7:05 1:16 7:28 06:50 07:49 2:04p 2:40a 20 Sat 1:36 7:47 1:59 8:10 06:49 07:50 2:59p 3:16a 21 Sun 2:17 8:29 2:40 8:52 06:48 07:51 3:56p 3:52a 22 Mon 2:58 9:10 3:22 9:34 06:47 07:51 4:55p 4:28a 23 Tue > 3:40 9:53 4:05 10:18 06:46 07:52 5:56p 5:05a 24 Wed > 4:26 10:39 4:52 11:06 06:45 07:53 7:00p 5:45a 25 Thu F 5:17 11:31 5:45 11:59 06:44 07:53 8:06p 6:28a 26 Fri > 6:14 12:05 6:43 12:29 06:43 07:54 9:13p 7:16a 27 Sat > 7:17 1:01 7:47 1:32 06:42 07:54 10:19p 8:10a 28 Sun 8:23 2:08 8:54 2:39 06:41 07:55 11:21p 9:08a 29 Mon 9:31 3:16 10:01 3:46 06:40 07:56 NoMoon 10:10a 30 Tue 10:37 4:22 11:06 4:51 06:39 07:56 12:18a 11:14a 01 Wed 11:38 5:24 ----- 5:51 06:38 07:57 1:09a 12:18p

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightApr 12 6:45 AM 1.7H 10:55 PM 0.0LApr 13 7:46 AM 1.7H 11:35 PM 0.0LApr 14 8:53 AM 1.7HApr 15 12:18 AM 0.0L 10:05 AM 1.6HApr 16 1:07 AM 0.0L 11:10 AM 1.5HApr 17 2:02 AM 0.1L 11:57 AM 1.4HApr 18 3:04 AM 0.2L 12:26 PM 1.4HApr 19 4:10 AM 0.2L 12:43 PM 1.3H 7:33 PM 0.9L 9:37 PM 1.0 HApr 20 5:16 AM 0.4L 12:56 PM 1.3H 7:05 PM 0.8LApr 21 12:02 AM 1.1H 6:22 AM 0.5L 1:05 PM 1.3H 7:16 PM 0.7LApr 22 1:30 AM 1.3H 7:26 AM 0.7L 1:14 PM 1.3H 7:39 PM 0.5LApr 23 2:41 AM 1.5H 8:32 AM 0.9L 1:19 PM 1.3H 8:08 PM 0.3LApr 24 3:45 AM 1.8H 9:40 AM 1.2L 1:21 PM 1.3H 8:42 PM 0.1LApr 25 4:46 AM 2.0H 10:57 AM 1.4L 1:13 PM 1.4H 9:21 PM -0.1LApr 26 5:48 AM 2.1H 10:04 PM -0.3L

San Antonio2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONApr-May Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets12 Fri > 7:34 1:22 7:59 1:46 07:10 07:57 8:32a 10:20p 13 Sat > 8:27 2:15 8:52 2:40 07:09 07:58 9:15a 11:12p 14 Sun 9:21 3:09 9:45 3:33 07:08 07:59 10:01a NoMoon 15 Mon 10:15 4:03 10:39 4:27 07:07 07:59 10:49a 12:02a 16 Tue 11:07 4:55 11:30 5:18 07:06 08:00 11:38a 12:49a 17 Wed Q 11:56 5:45 ----- 6:08 07:05 08:00 12:30p 1:33a 18 Thu 12:20 6:32 12:44 6:55 07:04 08:01 1:23p 2:14a 19 Fri 1:06 7:17 1:29 7:40 07:03 08:02 2:17p 2:52a 20 Sat 1:49 8:00 2:11 8:23 07:02 08:02 3:13p 3:29a 21 Sun 2:30 8:41 2:53 9:04 07:01 08:03 4:09p 4:04a 22 Mon 3:11 9:22 3:34 9:46 07:00 08:03 5:08p 4:40a 23 Tue > 3:53 10:05 4:18 10:30 06:59 08:04 6:09p 5:18a 24 Wed > 4:39 10:52 5:05 11:18 06:58 08:05 7:13p 5:58a 25 Thu F 5:29 11:43 5:57 ----- 06:57 08:05 8:19p 6:42a 26 Fri > 6:26 12:12 6:56 12:41 06:56 08:06 9:26p 7:30a 27 Sat > 7:29 1:14 8:00 1:44 06:55 08:06 10:32p 8:24a 28 Sun 8:36 2:21 9:07 2:51 06:54 08:07 11:34p 9:22a 29 Mon 9:44 3:28 10:14 3:59 06:53 08:08 NoMoon 10:24a 30 Tue 10:49 4:35 11:18 5:04 06:52 08:08 12:31a 11:28a 01 Wed 11:50 5:36 ----- 6:04 06:51 08:09 1:22a 12:32p

Amarillo2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONApr-May Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets12 Fri > 7:48 1:36 8:12 2:00 07:19 08:16 8:35a 10:45p 13 Sat > 8:41 2:29 9:05 2:53 07:17 08:16 9:17a 11:39p 14 Sun 9:35 3:22 9:59 3:47 07:16 08:17 10:02a NoMoon 15 Mon 10:28 4:16 10:52 4:40 07:15 08:18 10:50a 12:29a 16 Tue 11:20 5:08 11:44 5:32 07:13 08:19 11:40a 1:15a 17 Wed Q ----- 5:58 12:1 0 6:22 07:12 08:20 12:33p 1:58a 18 Thu 12:33 6:46 12:57 7:09 07:11 08:20 1:28p 2:37a 19 Fri 1:19 7:31 1:42 7:54 07:10 08:21 2:24p 3:14a 20 Sat 2:02 8:13 2:25 8:36 07:08 08:22 3:22p 3:48a 21 Sun 2:43 8:55 3:06 9:18 07:07 08:23 4:22p 4:21a 22 Mon 3:24 9:36 3:48 10:00 07:06 08:24 5:23p 4:54a 23 Tue > 4:06 10:19 4:31 10:44 07:05 08:25 6:27p 5:29a 24 Wed > 4:52 11:05 5:18 11:32 07:04 08:25 7:34p 6:06a 25 Thu F 5:43 11:57 6:11 ----- 07:02 08:26 8:42p 6:47a 26 Fri > 6:40 12:25 7:09 12:55 07:01 08:27 9:51p 7:34a27 Sat > 7:43 1:27 8:13 1:58 07:00 08:28 10:58p 8:26a 28 Sun 8:49 2:34 9:20 3:05 06:59 08:29 NoMoon 9:23a 29 Mon 9:57 3:42 10:27 4:12 06:58 08:30 NoMoon 10:26a 30 Tue 11:03 4:48 11:32 5:17 06:57 08:30 12:56a 11:31a 01 Wed ----- 5:50 12:03 6:17 06:56 08:31 1:45a 12:37p

Dallas2013 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONApr-May Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets12 Fri > 7:27 1:15 7:52 1:39 07:00 07:53 8:19a 10:19p 13 Sat > 8:20 2:08 8:45 2:33 06:59 07:54 9:01a 11:12p 14 Sun 9:14 3:02 9:38 3:26 06:58 07:55 9:46a NoMoon 15 Mon 10:08 3:56 10:32 4:20 06:57 07:55 10:34a 12:03a 16 Tue 11:00 4:48 11:23 5:11 06:55 07:56 11:24a 12:49a 17 Wed Q 11:49 5:38 ----- 6:01 06:54 07:57 12:16p 1:32a 18 Thu 12:13 6:25 12:37 6:48 06:53 07:58 1:10p 2:12a 19 Fri 12:59 7:10 1:22 7:33 06:52 07:58 2:06p 2:49a 20 Sat 1:42 7:53 2:04 8:16 06:51 07:59 3:03p 3:25a 21 Sun 2:23 8:34 2:46 8:57 06:50 08:00 4:01p 3:59a 22 Mon 3:04 9:15 3:27 9:39 06:49 08:00 5:01p 4:33a 23 Tue > 3:46 9:58 4:11 10:23 06:47 08:01 6:04p 5:09a 24 Wed > 4:32 10:45 4:58 11:11 06:46 08:02 7:10p 5:48a 25 Thu F 5:22 11:36 5:50 ----- 06:45 08:03 8:17p 6:30a 26 Fri > 6:19 12:05 6:49 12:34 06:44 08:03 9:25p 7:17a 27 Sat > 7:22 1:07 7:53 1:37 06:43 08:04 10:32p 8:09a 28 Sun 8:29 2:14 9:00 2:44 06:42 08:05 11:34p 9:07a 29 Mon 9:37 3:21 10:07 3:52 06:41 08:06 NoMoon 10:09a 30 Tue 10:42 4:28 11:11 4:57 06:40 08:06 12:30a 11:14a 01 Wed 11:43 5:29 ----- 5:57 06:39 08:07 1:20a 12:19p

Stovetop smallmouth bass

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

ACROSS1. This holds the cartridges

3. The point of a bullet 8. Grouse species found in Rockies 9. A lake bird11. Good boat for lake fi shing12. A game pathway13. Used for bait at times14. A very large caribou15. Pack the day’s

catch in this16. A sport shooter’s

target17. Wood used for ar-

row shafts20. Very large on the

muley22. The deer-like _____

horn24. The male moose26. They fl y in forma-

tion27. Angler’s name for

large crappies29. A good breed of

hunting dog33. A fi shing lure34. An area to fi sh in35. This is given TLC36. A salmon 37. Newborn elk

39. The sound of a shotgun40. The female bear42. Wild pigs43. Still hunter’s platform44. To pull the trigger

DOWN1. An underwater weed growth

2. A game bird

4. Small fi sh, bait for the brown trout

5. Add to lake water for drinking 6. A sight tip on a shotgun 7. Stream fi shermen's wear10. A fi shing lure12. A deer lure, scent ____16. Basket to carry day’s catch

18. Oral method to lure a wildfowl

19. The inside of a gun barrel

20. Fish to be21. The smallmouth is

one23. Deer meat24. A game bird25. The moray28. Part of a stag’s rack30. A very large game31. Foul weather haven

for game32. Slots in the end of

an arrow34. Refers to a bow with

backing35. Deer domain mark-

ings38. A type of gunsight41. A type of fl y lure


NATIONAL

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McBride’s Guns2915 San Gabriel St.

Austin, TX, 78705mcbridesguns.com

(512) 472-3532 Tim Croley, 13, of Leander, harvested his fi rst game animal on a hunt in

Gonzales County. Tim took his black-and-white hog with a shot of 180 yards

from a pop-up blind using a Sako .243.

Doug Hannon, “The Bass Professor,” dies at 66

Doug Hannon died at his home in Tarpon Springs, Fla., on March 29, following complications from neck surgery.

Hannon came to prominence in the bass fi shing world as a Central Florida fi shing guide in the 1970s and ’80s. He caught more than 800 bass topping 10 pounds in his career, including a 17-pounder, according to Bassmaster.

Hannon also was a tackle inventor, including his recent WaveSpin spinning reel and MicroWave spinning rod guides, and was regularly featured on “The Bassmasters” television program in a segment titled “The Bass Professor.”

— B.A.S.S.

Arkansas elk herd growing, harvest tops record

A record 44 elk were harvested during the 2012 hunting seasons, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Wes Wright said.

In 2012, 20 bull elk and 24 antlerless elk were harvested during hunting seasons in September and October in terri-tory near the Buffalo River. The previous record was 38. Since

1998, when elk hunting began in Arkansas, 376 have been harvested (195 bulls, 181 antlerless).

Wright said a recent survey found at least 620 elk on pub-lic and private land, up from 453 counted during the previous survey.

— AGFC

Florida Rep. introduces legislation to combat Fisheries Council decision

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, introduced the Gulf Fisheries Fairness Act last week. The bill would extend the state water boundaries of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, allowing the states to man-age reef fi sh species like snapper, grouper, amberjack and triggerfi sh.

With federal management agencies planning for the short-est red snapper season ever this year, Southerland said the legislation would “cast a life preserver to fi shermen and coastal economies struggling to stay afl oat amid crippling fed-eral regulations.”

In Florida, the legislation would reset state water boundar-ies for reef fi sh management from nine miles to a depth of 20 fathoms (120 feet), which could reach 60 miles offshore in some areas.

— Staff report

Youth entries in B&C records up 126 percent

Young hunters age 16 and under have taken 152 Boone and Crockett-qualifying trophies over the past three years.

That total represents a 126 percent increase over the previ-ous three-year period.

“Congratulations to the growing number of young hunters whose name now appears in Boone and Crockett records next to a world-class big-game trophy taken in fair chase,” said Richard Hale, chairman of the club’s Records Committee. “From deer to bear to sheep, entries by youths appear to be more and more common in the B&C records book.”

Hale attributed the growth in entries to more youths afi eld, more youths hunting selectively, and big-game herds that are increasingly abundant, healthy and well-managed in many areas of North America.

Between 2007-2009, young hunters claimed 67 of the total 4,907 entries in Boone and Crockett records, or 1.3 percent.

In the 2010-2012 period, youths claimed 152 of the total 4,825 entries, or 3.2 percent.

— Staff report

Oklahoma hunters taking more older bucks

Oklahoma deer hunters are harvesting increasingly greater numbers of older bucks while letting more and more young bucks walk, according to data collected in recent years.

The Quality Deer Management Association recently issued a report on a list of states that provided the organization with their 2011 buck harvest data, and Oklahoma was in the top fi ve states with the highest harvest of bucks age 3.5 years old and older (Texas was fourth). In Oklahoma, 51 percent of the deer jaw bones aged from the 2011 buck harvest was com-prised of deer that were 3.5 years old or older. In comparison, the national average of states from which QDMA was able to collect harvest data is about 33 percent. Oklahoma harvest data for 2012 is expected to be complete this summer.

Additionally, offi cials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation report that the percent of yearlings in the total buck harvest has continually decreased from nearly 70 percent in the late 1980s to just 25 percent in 2011.

— ODWC

Arkansas working to keep oil spill out of Lake Conway

If not for the quick work of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff, other state and local agencies, along with various hazardous material cleanup crews, the oil spill at Mayfl ower may have been much worse.

Two weeks ago, a 20-inch pipeline carrying heavy Canadian crude oil burst spilling thousands of gallons of oil into a residential storm drain that leads to Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir.

The Pegasus pipeline carries crude oil from Patoka, Illinois to Nederland, Texas. Twenty-two homeowners in the Northwood subdivision were evacuated after the oil rushed across lawns and residential streets.

At this time, oil has not reached the main body of Lake Conway. Several dams and booms have been erected to pro-tect the lake from the spill. To date, six dead ducks and a coot have been found. Nine other ducks have been found alive as well as a muskrat, a beaver, nine snakes and seven turtles that were affected by the spill. The animals have been taken to wildlife rehabilitators to be cleaned.

— AGFC

Photo by Johnson Communications



April 13-14Big Bass ExtravaganzaLake Conroebigbassextravaganza.com

April 13Houston Safari ClubAnnual HSC Crawfi sh BoilFloyd’s Cajun Seafood and Steakhouse(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

Bass ChampsEast Division #3Sam Rayburn Reservoir(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

April 18Ducks UnlimitedMcKinney Dinner and BanquetMeyers Park Event Center (972) 529-0091ducks.org/texas

Coastal Conservation AssociationCentral Houston Chapter Annual BanquetBayou City Event Center(713) 986-7204ccatexas.org

Coastal Conservation AssociationDallas Chapter Annual BanquetFrontiers of Flight Museum(817) 239-6200ccatexas.org

Dallas Safari ClubMonthly MeetingDSC Offi ce(972) 980-9800biggame.org

April 18-19Texas Wildlife Association Deer Study GroupGlen Rose(210) 826-2904texas-wildlife.org

April 19-20National Wild Turkey FederationEastland County Chapter BanquetFirst Baptist Church, Eastland(254) 631-1638nwtf.org/texas

Coastal Conservation AssociationMid Coast Chapter BanquetVictoria Community Center(979) 266-9104ccatexas.org

Coastal Conservation AssociationTri-County Chapter BanquetAtascosa County Show Barn(830) 769-3737ccatexas.org

Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters AssociationSpring RendezvousHunt County Fairgrounds, Greenville(512) 756-4609txtrappers.com

Taxidermy KingBig Game Trophy Mount and Western AuctionWill Rogers Memorial Center, Ft. Worth(512) 451-7633taxidermyking.com

Brickhouse Beauties on the Bay1st Annual Ladies Inshore Fishing TournamentJackie’s Brickhouse, Kemah(832) 864-2459brickhousebeautiesonthebay.com

April 19-21World Predator and Wild Hog ExpoWaco Convention Center(404) 732-5658scurryoutdoorssouth.com

April 20Kimble County Annual Outdoor Women Gone WildJunction(325) 446-2622junctiontexas.net

National Wild Turkey FederationBlackland Prairie Chapter BanquetThe Knights of Columbus Hall, West(254) 855-2902nwtf.org/texas

National Wild Turkey FederationCypress Creek Chapter BanquetGilmer Civic Center(903) 856-2932nwtf.org/texas

Ducks UnlimitedPittsburg DinnerPrincedale Country Club(903) 563-4340ducks.org/texas

Coastal Conservation AssociationNortheast Houston Chapter BanquetHumble Civic Center(979) 266-9104ccatexas.org

Coastal Conservation AssociationRedfi sh Bay Chapter BanquetPort Aransas Civic Center(713) 626-4222ccatexas.org

Crappie Anglers of TexasCedar Creek Lake(903) 887-0334crappieanglersoftexas.com

Bass ChampsNorth #2Lake Ray Roberts(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

Dallas Safari Club6th Annual Big Bore ShootTrinity Outfi tters, Ennis(972) 980-9800biggame.org

April 23National Wild Turkey Federation AssociationSouth Plains Chapter BanquetThe KoKo Place, Lubbock(806) 789-6824nwtf.org/texas

April 25Ducks UnlimitedGalveston Dinner(409) 762-9900ducks.org/texas

April 26Shooting for the Stars2013 Sporting Clay ShootDallas Gun Club(214) 421-8723bigtex.com

April 27Kayak Angler Tournament SeriesLake Travis(512) 203-9849fi shkats.com

May 9CASA13th Annual Pulling for Kids Sporting Clay TournamentDallas Gun Club(940) 243-2272casadenton.org

DATEBOOK

<— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — Clip for your camp ✄ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — >

Times given above are for Dallas. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of Dallas, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of Dallas. The table below gives adjustments for some Texas cities. Information provided is the lon-gitudinal distance from Dallas and the time adjustment for sunrise and sunset.

Abilene . . . . . . . . . . . .165 miles west . . . . . add 14 minutesAlpine . . . . . . . . . . . . .405 miles west . . . . . add 24 minutesBeaumont . . . . . . . . . .160 miles east . . . . . subtract 13 minutesCorpus Christi . . . . . . .35 miles west . . . . . . add 3 minutesAustin . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 miles west . . . . . . add 5 minutesDel Rio. . . . . . . . . . . . .235 miles west . . . . . add 20 minutesEl Paso* . . . . . . . . . . .555 miles west . . . . . subtract 23 minutes

Houston . . . . . . . . . . . .170 miles east . . . . . subtract 5 minutesLaredo . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 miles west . . . . . add 14 minutesLubbock. . . . . . . . . . . .280 miles west . . . . . add 24 minutesSan Angelo . . . . . . . . .215 miles west . . . . . add 18 minutesSan Antonio . . . . . . . . .95 miles west . . . . . . add 8 minutesTyler . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 miles east . . . . . . subtract 6 minutes*El Paso is in Mountain Time Zone.

Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set

1 Mon 7:14 7:46 2 Tue 7:13 7:46 3 Wed 7:12 7:474 Thu 7:10 7:485 Fri 7:09 7:486 Sat 7:08 7:497 Sun 7:06 7:508 Mon 7:05 7:50 9 Tue 7:04 7:5110 Wed 7:03 7:5211 Thu 7:01 7:5312 Fri 7:00 7:53 13 Sat 6:59 7:54 14 Sun 6:58 7:55 15 Mon 6:57 7:55 16 Tue 6:55 7:56 17 Wed 6:54 7:57 18 Thu 6:53 7:5819 Fri 6:52 7:5820 Sat 6:51 7:5921 Sun 6:50 8:0022 Mon 6:49 8:0023 Tue 6:47 8:01 24 Wed 6:46 8:02 25 Thu 6:45 8:0326 Fri 6:44 8:0327 Sat 6:43 8:0428 Sun 6:42 8:05 29 Mon 6:41 8:06 30 Tue 6:40 8:06

1 Wed 6:39 8:07 2 Thu 6:38 8:08 3 Fri 6:37 8:094 Sat 6:36 8:095 Sun 6:35 8:106 Mon 6:35 8:117 Tue 6:34 8:128 Wed 6:33 8:129 Thu 6:32 8:1310 Fri 6:31 8:1411 Sat 6:30 8:1512 Sun 6:30 8:15 13 Mon 6:29 8:16 14 Tue 6:28 8:17 15 Wed 6:28 8:18 16 Thu 6:27 8:18 17 Fri 6:26 8:19 18 Sat 6:26 8:2019 Sun 6:25 8:2120 Mon 6:24 8:2121 Tue 6:24 8:2222 Wed 6:23 8:2323 Thu 6:23 8:2324 Fri 6:22 8:2425 Sat 6:22 8:2526 Sun 6:21 8:25 27 Mon 6:21 8:26 28 Tue 6:21 8:26 29 Wed 6:20 8:27 30 Thu 6:20 8:28 31 Fri 6:20 8:28

1 Sat 6:19 8:292 Sun 6:19 8:293 Mon 6:19 8:304 Tue 6:19 8:30 5 Wed 6:18 8:316 Thu 6:18 8:327 Fri 6:18 8:328 Sat 6:18 8:329 Sun 6:18 8:33 10 Mon 6:18 8:33 11 Tue 6:18 8:34 12 Wed 6:18 8:34 13 Thu 6:18 8:35 14 Fri 6:18 8:35 15 Sat 6:18 8:35 16 Sun 6:18 8:36 17 Mon 6:18 8:3618 Tue 6:18 8:3619 Wed 6:18 8:3620 Thu 6:18 8:3721 Fri 6:19 8:3722 Sat 6:19 8:3723 Sun 6:19 8:3724 Mon 6:19 8:3725 Tue 6:20 8:3726 Wed 6:20 8:3827 Thu 6:20 8:3828 Fri 6:20 8:38 29 Sat 6:21 8:3830 Sun 6:21 8:38

1 Mon 6:22 8:382 Tue 6:22 8:38 3 Wed 6:22 8:384 Thu 6:23 8:375 Fri 6:23 8:376 Sat 6:24 8:377 Sun 6:24 8:37 8 Mon 6:25 8:379 Tue 6:25 8:3710 Wed 6:26 8:3611 Thu 6:26 8:3612 Fri 6:27 8:36 13 Sat 6:27 8:3514 Sun 6:28 8:35 15 Mon 6:28 8:35 16 Tue 6:29 8:3417 Wed 6:30 8:3418 Thu 6:30 8:3319 Fri 6:31 8:3320 Sat 6:31 8:3221 Sun 6:32 8:3222 Mon 6:33 8:3123 Tue 6:33 8:3124 Wed 6:34 8:3025 Thu 6:35 8:3026 Fri 6:35 8:29 27 Sat 6:36 8:28 28 Sun 6:37 8:28 29 Mon 6:37 8:2730 Tue 6:38 8:2631 Wed 6:39 8:25

1 Thu 6:39 8:252 Fri 6:40 8:243 Sat 6:41 8:234 Sun 6:42 8:225 Mon 6:42 8:216 Tue 6:43 8:207 Wed 6:44 8:198 Thu 6:44 8:199 Fri 6:45 8:18 10 Sat 6:46 8:17 11 Sun 6:46 8:16 12 Mon 6:47 8:15 13 Tue 6:48 8:14 14 Wed 6:49 8:1315 Thu 6:49 8:1216 Fri 6:50 8:1117 Sat 6:51 8:0918 Sun 6:51 8:08 19 Mon 6:52 8:0720 Tue 6:53 8:0621 Wed 6:53 8:0522 Thu 6:54 8:0423 Fri 6:55 8:0324 Sat 6:55 8:01 25 Sun 6:56 8:0026 Mon 6:57 7:59 27 Tue 6:57 7:58 28 Wed 6:58 7:57 29 Thu 6:59 7:5530 Fri 6:59 7:5431 Sat 7:00 7:53

1 Sun 7:01 7:522 Mon 7:01 7:503 Tue 7:02 7:494 Wed 7:02 7:485 Thu 7:03 7:466 Fri 7:04 7:457 Sat 7:04 7:44 8 Sun 7:05 7:429 Mon 7:06 7:4110 Tue 7:06 7:4011 Wed 7:07 7:3812 Thu 7:07 7:3713 Fri 7:08 7:36 14 Sat 7:09 7:3415 Sun 7:09 7:3316 Mon 7:10 7:3217 Tue 7:11 7:3018 Wed 7:11 7:2919 Thu 7:12 7:2820 Fri 7:12 7:2621 Sat 7:13 7:2522 Sun 7:14 7:24 23 Mon 7:14 7:22 24 Tue 7:15 7:2125 Wed 7:16 7:20 26 Thu 7:16 7:1827 Fri 7:17 7:17 28 Sat 7:17 7:1529 Sun 7:18 7:1430 Mon 7:19 7:13

1 Tue 7:19 7:112 Wed 7:20 7:103 Thu 7:21 7:094 Fri 7:21 7:085 Sat 7:22 7:066 Sun 7:23 7:057 Mon 7:24 7:04 8 Tue 7:24 7:02 9 Wed 7:25 7:0110 Thu 7:26 7:00 11 Fri 7:26 6:59 12 Sat 7:27 6:57 13 Sun 7:28 6:5614 Mon 7:29 6:5515 Tue 7:29 6:5416 Wed 7:30 6:5217 Thu 7:31 6:5118 Fri 7:32 6:5019 Sat 7:32 6:4920 Sun 7:33 6:4821 Mon 7:34 6:4722 Tue 7:35 6:4623 Wed 7:36 6:4524 Thu 7:37 6:4325 Fri 7:37 6:4226 Sat 7:38 6:4127 Sun 7:39 6:4028 Mon 7:40 6:3929 Tue 7:41 6:3830 Wed 7:42 6:3731 Thu 7:43 6:36

1 Fri 7:43 6:352 Sat 7:44 6:353 Sun 7:45 6:344 Mon 6:46 5:335 Tue 6:47 5:326 Wed 6:48 5:317 Thu 6:49 5:308 Fri 6:50 5:309 Sat 6:51 5:2910 Sun 6:52 5:28 11 Mon 6:53 5:27 12 Tue 6:53 5:2713 Wed 6:54 5:2614 Thu 6:55 5:2515 Fri 6:56 5:2516 Sat 6:57 5:2417 Sun 6:58 5:2418 Mon 6:59 5:2319 Tue 7:00 5:2320 Wed 7:01 5:2221 Thu 7:02 5:2222 Fri 7:03 5:2223 Sat 7:04 5:2124 Sun 7:05 5:2125 Mon 7:06 5:2126 Tue 7:07 5:2027 Wed 7:07 5:2028 Thu 7:08 5:2029 Fri 7:09 5:2030 Sat 7:10 5:19

1 Sun 7:11 5:192 Mon 7:12 5:193 Tue 7:13 5:194 Wed 7:13 5:195 Thu 7:14 5:196 Fri 7:15 5:197 Sat 7:16 5:198 Sun 7:17 5:199 Mon 7:17 5:1910 Tue 7:18 5:1911 Wed 7:19 5:2012 Thu 7:19 5:2013 Fri 7:20 5:2014 Sat 7:21 5:2015 Sun 7:21 5:2116 Mon 7:22 5:2117 Tue 7:23 5:2118 Wed 7:23 5:2219 Thu 7:24 5:2220 Fri 7:24 5:2221 Sat 7:25 5:2322 Sun 7:25 5:2323 Mon 7:26 5:2424 Tue 7:26 5:2425 Wed 7:27 5:2526 Thu 7:27 5:2627 Fri 7:27 5:2628 Sat 7:28 5:2729 Sun 7:28 5:2730 Mon 7:28 5:28 30 Tue 7:29 5:29

April 2013 toDecember 2013


Sen. John Davis, R-Houston, introduced the bill to the committee, whereby a breeder would be required to release deer 60 days (over a three-year period in increments of 30, 45 and 60) before any legal hunting season.

“TWA (Texas Wildlife Association) came to me with the bill,” the Houston resident and Menard County land-owner said. “I’m here to lay out the bill — we’ll see where it goes.”

Proponents on one side of the fence, usually a low fence, included William Eikenhorst, a Quality Deer Management Association board member, Brian Murphy, CEO of QDMA, Joseph Fitzsimmons, a rancher and former TPWD Commission chairman, veterinarian Dan McBride and TWA president Greg Simons. Their concerns with the current 10-day rule included giving the deer time to acclimate to the wild before being hunted, raising “fair chase” ques-tions and making sure any residue from drugs administered to the deer before release is elimi-nated before harvest.

“The deer are pub-lic property lawfully possessed by permit,” Fitzsimmons said. “We’re talking about manage-ment of a public resource

— the bill gives deer a chance to acclimate before being hunted.”

“We prefer a lon-ger release period and a spring release,” Murphy said. “The bill is a step in the right direction. There needs to be a fair chase opportunity.”

Those on the other side of the fence, mostly a high fence, consisted of deer breeders, wildlife biolo-gists and even a celebrity. Private property rights, the health of the deer, the lack of scientific data sup-porting the change and the increased hunting opportunities provided by breeders were some of the reasons given, along with the threat to their industry.

“In July, the deer’s ant-lers are still growing,” said longtime breeder Robert Williams. “If you have to move deer in July, run them through the chute, they bang the antlers and cause damage and get infections. They talk about hunting heritage but have no concerns for the deer — if you really want to kill the deer busi-ness, this bill will do it.”

Dr. James Kroll, known as “Dr. Deer,” said the issue concerns a philo-sophical divide about how deer should be man-aged rather than a scien-tific one.

And rock star host Ted

Nugent cited the free-doms offered in Texas and the risks of catering to those who would put restrictions on any form of legal hunting.

“I live in Texas by choice, because of the freedoms,” he said. “They would ban it all under the scam of fair chase — rifles, crossbows and feeders.”

A compromise of a 30-day release was offered by deer breeders but rejected by the bill’s authors.

Kroll said studies in Canada showed residue from the drugs studied was eliminated within 27 days, prompting the com-promise offer.

“We initially pursued a spring release only,” Simons, TWA’s president, said. “The 60 days was our compromise.”

As the decision con-tinued past dinner-time, Mike Ford, the for-mer SMU quarterback, ordered pizza for the committee and attend-ees. Sen. Davis, in clos-ing the discussions on the bill, offered the most sage advice.

“I filed the bill to stim-ulate the conversation,” he said, noting he was not aware of the compromise offer. “For the sake of deer and deer hunting, I don’t want this to get too much dust and hope we can all speak in a unified voice.”

Barnett said conditions have been dic-tating where to find the fish, which many anglers think are the best fighters pound for pound.

“On windy days, they get up less than 10 feet,” Barnett said. “On sunny days, we are finding them off of main lake points. The spawn is over and they are getting hungry. The shad will start spawning here soon, and April/May is my second favorite time of year to catch them.”

Barnett said the Alabama rig is the bait the smallies have trouble resisting.

“There isn’t a fish alive that feeds on

shad that can resist that bait,” he said. “The smallmouth is no exception.”

Along with solid action on the border lake, other reports of a good smallmouth bite this spring have come from the Brazos River below the Lake Whitney Dam and on the Devils River above Amistad Reservoir.

According to anglers, the best bite on the Brazos is before they let water out of the dam. The best action has come around structure with a current. Soft plastics are the ticket.

On the Devils River, anglers should head up from the reservoir and search out faster-moving water that is clear.

Deer DayContinued From Page 1

SmalliesContinued From Page 8

Clifton angler catches big prizeRobert Stover was one excited man when he hooked into a 10.65-pound bass during the

final hour of the 5th Annual Ram Mega Bass Tournament on Lake Fork presented by Bass Champs.

The Clifton angler wanted to go to a spot he knew held big fish, but four other boats were already there.

“I decided to go to a different point instead,” he said at the weigh-in. “We pulled up on the first tree that I wanted to cast to. I threw my worm and just let it sit. Then I felt her hit and set the hook. The fish actually got hung in the tree and I thought for sure I would lose her.

“But I got it to the boat and my son netted it.”Stover was one of two anglers in the tournament — out of 1,802 total — that weighed a

fish over the slot limit.The LSON crew also fished the event, and reported anglers having good success on Alabama

rigs near riprap along drop-offs.The water temperature hovered between 60 and 63 degrees on the overcast day, and most

well-known spots had multiple boats vying for places to fish.However, the crew was surprised to find the boat ramps were not crowded, probably due to

the fact that anglers could put their boat into the water at any of the lake’s ramps.Anglers from across Texas traveled to the event, along with others as far away as Arkansas,

Oklahoma, New York, Maryland and Toronto, Canada.The hourly winners each won a new truck: 8 a.m. Joe Bray, Marble Falls, 9.24 pounds 9 a.m. Cortland Curgus, Plano, 2.53 pounds 10 a.m. Brent Cantrell, Wortham, 2.45 pounds 11 a.m. Robert Laird, Livingston, 2.49 pounds 12 p.m. Tyler Landers, College Station, 2.59 pounds 1 p.m. Rob Hope, Mineola, 2.65 pounds 2 p.m. Robert Stover, Clifton, 10.65 pounds

— Staff report


PRODUCTS

>>

TACVAULT: GunVault’s new-est safe is for single long guns such as the AR rifl es, shotguns and other rifl es popular among hunters. The 48-inch-high by 10-inch-wide by 17-inch-deep TacVault will fi t discreetly inside most standard size closets. It offers space not only for long guns but also for spare maga-zines, ammunition, knives, etc. on a handy shelf. The 14-gauge steel safe is pre-drilled to secure to the fl oor and features a high-strength lock mechanism. It is available with either a keypad or a biometric fi ngerprint scanner system that can hold up to 10 fi ngerprint templates. It sells for about $500 (or about $550 with the biometric scanner).

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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

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

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LEARN TO FLY FISH CASTING LESSONS

Lessons by a certifi ed cast-ing instructor in Dallas. Group lessons available.

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(830) 634-2878

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(210) 764-1189

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Puzzle solution from Page 19

TACVAULT: est safe is for single long guns such as the AR rifl es, shotguns and other rifl es popular among hunters. The 48-inch-high by 10-inch-wide by 17-inch-deep TacVault will fi t discreetly inside most standard size closets. It offers space not only for long guns but also for spare maga-zines, ammunition, knives, etc. on a handy shelf. The 14-gauge steel safe is pre-drilled to secure to the fl oor and features a high-strength lock mechanism. It is available with either a keypad or a biometric fi ngerprint scanner system that can hold up to 10 fi ngerprint templates. It sells for about $500 (or about $550 with the biometric scanner).

est safe is for single long guns such as the AR rifl es, shotguns and other rifl es popular among

TACVAULT: GunVault’s new-est safe is for single long guns

>>

fi ngerprint scanner system that can hold up to 10 fi ngerprint templates. It sells for about $500 (or about $550 with the biometric scanner).

(800) 222-1055www.gunvault.com

>>

fi ngerprint scanner system that can hold up to 10 fi ngerprint templates. It sells for about $500 (or about $550 with the

TOUR-GRADE TUNGSTEN SLITHER RIG: Strike King’s sassy new Slither Rig is for anglers who need to punch through thick vegetation to get to those big bass to come hither. This rig

is a specially modifi ed tungsten weight that features the addition of a skirt collar and

silicone skirt. It is designed to punch or penetrate heavy matted vegeta-tion as well as any other kind of nasty cover that can present an obstacle to anglers. Pro angler Greg Hackney suggests pairing this bait with his Hack Attack hook and a favorite plastic for “a punching and fl ipping bait that can go anywhere.” The lure, which is available in 1/2 to 1 1/4-ounce sizes and six colors, sells for about $8.

(901) 853-1455www.strikeking.com

DUCK COMMANDER SUNGLASSES: Now, we too can wear the sunglasses that those guys on “Duck Dynasty” wear. The 11 models in Noveau Eyewear’s new collection range in style from classic aviators to sleek and modern perfor-mance styles. They all have PC polarized lenses and the iconic Duck Commander logo. Some styles are available with Realtree MAX-4 Camo accents. They sell for about $40 at Walmart’s vision center.

(800) 292-4342www.nouveaueyewear.com

THE PISTOLERO: Outback Wildlife Feeders introduces the Pistolero direc-tional spinner unit. The Pistolero will spread fi sh feed or corn up to

50 feet in one direction, which is desirable for bow hunters and hog traps. The Pistolero is available as a complete spreader unit that can

be attached to any feed hopper. It is also available on Outback Wildlife Feeders’ 600-pound and 1,000-pound low-profi le fi sh feeders. It also works

well on any of Outback Wildlife Feeders’ taller corn feeders. The Pistolero unit sells for $600. On a 600-pound feeder, it sells for $1,525 and on a

1,000-pound feeder, it sells for $1,575.

(903) 734-4210www.outbackfeeders.com

>>

>>

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DOUBLE D LURES: The redfi sh magnet spinner bait by

Double D Lures is a profes-sional-grade spinner bait made with heavy-gauge wire, 24-carat gold #5

Colorado spinner blade, premium ball bear-

ing swivel and a durable jighead made with 3-D molded

eyes and premium Mustad hooks. These spin-ner baits are durable and will catch the angel redfi sh. The blades also come in copper and

silver colors, making them an ideal choice for rec-reational and tournament anglers alike. Produced

in Texas, these spinner baits sell for $4.75.

www.shop.doubledlures.com

The redfi sh magnet spinner bait by

is a profes-sional-grade spinner bait made with heavy-gauge wire, 24-carat gold #5

Colorado spinner blade, premium ball bear-



silver colors, making them an ideal choice for rec-

The redfi sh magnet spinner bait by

is a profes-



silver colors, making them an ideal choice for rec-

>>


LONE STAR MARKET

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

A long way to comeA pair of Arizona anglers came a long way to beat the home

state’s teams and take the top prize.Clay Lippincott, of Goodyear, Ariz., and Shawn Carnahan,

of Queen Creek, Ariz., brought 30.59 pounds of largemouth bass to the scales to win the second event of the 2013 sea-son of the Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s on April 6 at Lake Ray Roberts.

The winning anglers took home a new fully-rigged boat and motor package, valued at $30,000.

The winning team made the long drive from Arizona to compete in the event. The anglers ran seven miles from the launch and fought high winds in a creek arm, flipping soft baits around brushy trees.

“We only had one fishing spot that we thought we could catch a few fish in,” said Lippincott. “So that one spot is where we spent our entire day.”

Despite only bringing four fish to the weigh-in, the 11.04 lunker bass landed by the anglers helped them top a field of nearly 200 teams and added an additional $985 for win-

ning the Big Bass Award. Overall, the anglers took home over $33,000 for their efforts.

“We couldn't believe that we had four fish for over 30 pounds,” said Lippincott. “The Texas Team Trail is a great cir-cuit and well worth the time to drive all the way from Arizona. We can’t wait for the next event on Belton Lake.”

— Texas Team Trail

Fishing regs changedAnglers should take note of several new fishing regula-

tion changes recently adopted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The regulations go into effect Sept. 1.On Lake Jacksonville, the change removes an 18-inch mini-

mum length limit for largemouth bass. The five-fish daily bag for bass will be retained, but anglers will be allowed to keep two largemouth bass less than 18 inches in length as part of that five-fish bag.

For Lake Kurth, the change establishes a 16-inch maximum length limit on largemouth bass, with a temporary retention of

bass 24 inches or greater for weighing purposes and/or submis-sion to the ShareLunker program. Anglers will be allowed to harvest five largemouth bass less than 16 inches in length.

TPWD also adopted changes defining the parameters of handfishing for catfish and restrictions to aid in public under-standing and enforceability, specifically regarding prohibition of the use of devices, such as poles, sticks, boxes, and pipes to aid in handfishing.

TPWD also removed prohibitions concerning possession of red drum and bonus red drum tags simultaneously.

The department also adopted provisions regarding enforce-ment of federal regulations in state waters. The change would make it a state violation for a person to possess an aquatic wildlife resource taken in the Exclusive Economic Zone (federal waters nine-200 miles out) during a closed season provided by federal law; within a protected length limit or in excess of the daily bag limit established by federal law; or with any gear or device prohibited by federal law; or without a required license or permit required by federal law.

— TPWD


HEROES

Karson Seidel, 7, was hunting with his dad, Brandon, on their ranch near Tilden when he downed his first javelina.

SHARE AN ADVENTUREn Want to share hunting and fishing 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.

OUTDOOR BUSINESS

Twelve-year-old David Laxson shot this nice 10-point buck with a 19.5-inch spread Jan. 12 on the family ranch in Comal County.

Logan Terry, 7, harvested this 9-point buck while hunt-ing with his dad, Jason, and big brother, Blake, using a .223 Remington.

Johnny Ballow took this elk on the third day of his hunt, right before he saw a better bull. “That kinda made me sick,” he said.

Fredericksburg angler Mark Lackey, 13, caught this 34-inch black drum in Humble Channel on March 11.

Lauren Holden holds her first-ever redfish — a 28-inch keeper.

Guy Pemberton of Burnet was fishing with friends on the

Little Red River near Heber Springs, Ark., when he caught this

fat rainbow trout.



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April 12, 2013 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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