Legendary
Inspiration
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
September 14, 2007
Volume 4, Issue 2
Guiding again after
’04 cancer diagnosis
Page 14
w w w. l o n e s t a r o u t d o o r n e w s . c o m
Opening day:
INSIDE
FISHING
The good, the bad
and the ugly
With cold fronts and cooling
waters heating up feeding
activity, fall is fly-fishing time
in Texas.
Page 8
Jonathan and Kris Culpepper
rose to the top at the Wal-Mart
FLW Redfish Series Western
event in Rockport, where they
earned their third series win
by a thin three ounces.
Page 9
Offshore fly-fishing on a kayak
can be a hair-raising
adventure.
Page 12
HUNTING
HEADING BACK: “Niza,” a Brittany spaniel owned by Eric Glass, retrieves a white-winged dove in South Texas. Photo by David J. Sams.
Results vary from great to terrible; city birds most cooperative
By Craig Nyhus
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service operates several
refuges in Texas where many
hunters don’t think they can
hunt — but that’s not true.
Page 6
The ritual known as opening
weekend brought moans from
some dove hunters and cheers
from others. In the Abilene,
Coleman and Breckenridge areas,
known for opening day limits,
heavy rains moved many of the
birds out prior to the opener and
many hunters felt left out as well.
“It was our worst-ever opener,
said one Coleman County hunter.
By Bill Miller
NATIONAL
INDEX
Page 18
Crossword
Page 20
Game Warden Blotter
Page 10
Fishing Report
Page 24
Outdoor Datebook
Page 16
Product Picks
Page 21
Heroes
Page 19
Weather
Page 20
Wild in the Kitchen
Page 20
See DOVE, Page 22
Outdoors network enters bankruptcy
displacing production companies
CONSERVATION
Classifieds
1,700 birds for our 100-plus
hunters, some of whom are worldclass shooters,” said Haskell
Stricklen. “This year it was less
than 500.”
Game wardens felt as many or
Off the air
Early conservationists helped
return health to the outdoors.
Sportsmen have worked
countless hours to protect and
improve millions of acres of
vital habitat-lands and waters
for the use and enjoyment of
everyone.
Page 5
The ‘Blue tongue’ virus has
been killing whitetail deer
in several states.
Page 13
“I didn’t see enough to shoot a
limit, even if I could have hit
them.”
The Dallas Safari Club hunt at
the Hailey Ranch near Abilene
was down from previous years.
“Last year we cleaned more than
Shark sightings pick up
in the bay system
Research project out to hook reasons why
By Hal Brown
Randy Rickerson caught the
state record bull shark in midMay in Aransas Bay. He’s happy
enough with his catch in the
books, but his reaction isn’t what
you might think when he consid-
ers another big shark.
He doesn’t care if he catches
another one that big.
“It was a lot of work,” he said.
“We took on a lot of water in the
boat. I was more worried about
all the water in the boat. After we
got it tied up we started bailing.”
See SHARKS, Page 22
From the surface of a TV screen,
this looks like the ultimate life.
Outdoors television personalities
travel the globe, visit wild places and
slay record-breaking, big-game trophies.
But the envious arm-chair sportsman at home never sees the business
side of the outdoors television
industry, like when DISH Network
and DIRECTV recently dropped the
Men’s Outdoors & Recreation
Network.
MOR subsequently entered bankruptcy, which displaced more than
100 production companies.
Among those affected were longtime Texas personalities Larry
Weishuhn, Jack Brittingham, Kim
Hicks and Alan Warren.
See MOR, Page 17
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
PLANO, TX
PERMIT 210
Page 2 September 14, 2007
September 14, 2007 Page 3
Page 4 September 14, 2007
September 14, 2007 Page 5
CONSERVATION
NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY
Early conservationists helped
return health to outdoors
More than 100 years ago, hunters
and anglers were the earliest and
most vocal supporters of conservation and scientific wildlife management.
Led by fellow sportsman President
Theodore Roosevelt, these early conservationists called for the first laws
restricting the commercial slaughter
of wildlife. They urged sustainable
use of fish and game, created hunting
and fishing licenses and lobbied for
taxes on sporting equipment to provide funds for state conservation
agencies.
These actions were the foundation
of the North American wildlife conservation model, a science-based,
user-pay system that would foster the
most dramatic conservation successes of all time.
Populations of white-tailed deer,
elk, antelope, wild turkey, wood
ducks and many other species began
to recover from decades of unregulated exploitation.
During the next half-century,
sportsmen worked countless hours
to protect and improve millions of
acres of vital habitat-lands and
waters for the use and enjoyment of
everyone.
On May 2, 1972, President Nixon
signed the first proclamation of
National Hunting and Fishing Day,
writing, “I urge all citizens to join
with outdoor sportsmen in the wise
use of our natural resources and in
insuring their proper management
for the benefit of future generations.”
By the end of that summer, all 50
governors and more than 600 may-
Texas Events
Sportsmen’s Celebration
Sept. 21, 7 p.m.
Location: Fort Worth Convention Center
For information visit www.sportsmenscelebration.com or contact Shane
Johnson at [email protected] or (972) 231-9007
Cabela’s NHF Day Celebration
Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: 12901 Cabela Drive, Forth Worth
For more information go to: www.Cabelas.org or call Stephanie Perry at (817)
337-2400
Alamo City Shooting and Outdoor Sportsfest
Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: National Shooting Complex, San Antonio
For more information go to: www.shootingsportscamp.com or contact
Damaso Torres at [email protected] or (210) 674-5559
NorthWest Texas Field & Stream NHF Day Celebration
September 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Northwest Texas Gun Club, Wichita Falls
For information, contact Frank Jones at [email protected] or (940)
692-3158
ors had joined in by proclaiming
state and local versions of National
Hunting and Fishing Day.
The response was dramatic.
National, regional, state and local
organizations staged some 3,000
“open house” hunting- and fishingrelated events providing an estimated four million Americans with a
chance to experience, understand
and appreciate traditional outdoor
sports.
Over the years, National Hunting
and Fishing Day boasted many more
public relations successes, assisted by
celebrities who volunteered to help
spotlight the conservation accomplishments of sportsmen and
women. Honorary chairs have
included Jeff Foxworthy (this year’s
honorary chair), Tracy Byrd, George
Bush, Tom Seaver, Hank Williams Jr.,
Arnold Palmer, Terry Bradshaw,
George Brett, Robert Urich, Ward
Burton, Louise Mandrell and Travis
Tritt.
National Hunting and Fishing Day
is celebrated the fourth Saturday of
every September.
A Wonder of Wildlife Museum report.
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Associate Editor: MARK ENGLAND
Founder & CEO: DAVID J. SAMS
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WILBUR LUNDEEN
S COTT SOMMERLATTE
JOHN F ELSHER
PETER MATHIESEN
KYLE TOMEK
BINK GRIMES
BILL MILLER
CHUCK UZZLE
B OB HOOD
DAVID SIKES
R ALPH WININGHAM
DIANA KUNDE
HAL BROWN
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Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone
Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a
month. A mailed subscription is $25 for 24
issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2007 with all rights reserved.
Reproduction and/or use of any photographic
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Page 6 September 14, 2007
HUNTING
Federal lands
for hunters’ use
Refuges available across the state
By comparison, the average starting cost
of an annual lease starts around $1,000 per
gun, but a permit at a national refuge can be
Put the words “national,” “wildlife” and had for a fee of $125 or less — possibly much
“refuge” together and attach them to a less, depending on the location.
Opportunities include bowhunting for
prime piece of habitat and lots of people
whitetails on the grassy prairies of the
assume they can’t hunt there.
Not so, say officials for the U.S. Fish and Hagerman NWR near Sherman; Gulf coast
blue and greenWildlife
Service,
winged teal shooting
which
currently
on McFaddin NWR
operates 17 refuges
near Sabine Pass; or
in Texas.
deep woods deer,
“The word ‘refuge’
hogs and ducks at
— it throws people
the Trinity River
off,” said Elizabeth
NWR near Liberty.
Slown,
spokesBut these lands are
woman for the
as diverse as the
agency’s Southwest
regions of the state
Region headquarters
where they are locatin
Albuquerque.
ed.
“People are often
Some offer huntvery surprised that
ing opportunities for
we do allow hunt— ELIZABETH SLOWN
the same species;
ing.”
others do not.
Not every refuge is
Hagerman,
for
open to hunting, but
officials say the wildlife service has long example, only has archery deer hunts.
favored game harvesting because it helps Trinity River has both archery and gun
hunts.
them manage game populations.
Aransas Pass NWR offers both archery and
“We have a harvest information program,” Slown said. “We get information rifle deer hunting. “The applications are
from that which feeds into our database on first-come, first-serve,” said Bernice Jackson
with the refuge. “That’s why we remind
how the wildlife is doing out there.”
Hunters in Texas who can’t afford a lease people to get their applications in early. We
can use federal lands all over the state where have four weekends for hunting, and the
their tax dollars are already being spent.
See REFUGE, Page 17
By Bill Miller
“The word ‘refuge’ — it
throws people off.
People are often very
surprised that we do
allow hunting.”
TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Whitetail hunts are available on many National Wildlife Refuges in Texas. Hunters
still have time to apply for permits.
Straight to
the point
Call of the wild
Competition features four
Final preparations can
make the difference
world champion callers
The Ducks Unlimited and Bass Pro Shops Annual State Duck and
Goose calling contests were held in August at Bass Pro Shops in
Katy. Among the competitors were four world champion callers.
“It was a non-sanctioned event — all field calling — and we
offered $3,000 in prize money,” said Tim Soderquist with DU. “We
had the World Championship of snow goose and specklebelly calling, which is a title we secured since we’re in the heart of snow
goose and specklebelly country.”
“It’s more realistic, hunting-style calling,” said James Prince of
Port O’Connor, who captured the World Specklebelly crown over
20 other callers. “Everyone has their own routine; it’s not so regimented like a competition duck-calling contest.”
Nathan Wright of Hemphill topped 17 other contestants to take
the World Snow Goose title. Price and Wright teamed up to finish
third in the Team Goose calling contest.
Chris Lee of Rocking L Outfitters won the Mouth-Calling championship. “It was all snow goose mouth-calling,” he said. “I was
See CALLERS, Page 25
By Bob McNitt
SNOW PRINCE: James Prince of Port O’Connor won the World
Specklebelly title and finished third in the team calling contest
blowing his snow goose call.
Practice, practice, practice. You hear it all the time.
Archers should be tuned up by now. The deer season
opens in less than a month.
Top archery hunters, however, offer tips and techniques that can make last-minute practice time productive.
Because the average distance a deer is arrowed is usually in the 20- to 30-yard range, many bowhunters only
practice at those distances. But to really see just how
accurately they’re shooting, experts practice at longer
distances. Even at 50 yards, it can be surprising at how
accuracy will suffer. Practicing at the longer distances
will help develop a more perfect shooting form and
release technique at shorter ranges while improving conSee BOWS, Page 25
TPW launches shotgun sports
in schools pilot program
Texas Parks and Wildlife is
beginning a target shooting program similar to the popular
Archery in Schools initiative.
The Clay Sports in Schools
pilot, designed to introduce 6th
through 12th grade level youth
to competitive shotgun clay target shooting, will be offered in
selected schools throughout the
state, beginning with the
Wildlife Management and
Recreation curriculum in high
schools.
“I have no doubts there are
some potential international
clay target shooters sitting in
our classrooms and a program
such as this could be the key to
discovering those gifted athletes,” said Steve Hall, TPW education director.
Hall pointed to the department’s Archery in Schools program, where in less than two
years more than 300 physical
education
teachers
have
received training in archery target shooting and more than 400
See SCHOOLS, Page 25
SHOTGUN LESSON: Students in grades six through twelve will have the opportunity to learn clay sports shooting in some schools.
September 14, 2007 Page 7
Sleep in during deer hunting season
Mid-day hunt often
awakens success
By Babe Winkelman
Ah, hunting camp. The cabin
rumbles with the snoring of a half
dozen hunters, each dreaming of
the bragging-rights buck that will
walk past their respective stand in
the morning and hang from the
meat pole that night.
At 4:45 a.m., the community
alarm clock sounds and rouses the
groggy hunters from their slumber.
Within minutes, coffee brews,
bacon sizzles in a massive cast iron
pan and talk of antlers and backstraps fills the cabin. It’s a magical
time.
And some hunters, including me,
intentionally sleep right through it.
No, it isn’t because I stayed up too
late the night before. Rather, it’s
because of something I learned
from an accomplished deer hunter
and sometimes — when my hunting instincts dictate it — I follow his
advice.
I encountered this hunter many
years ago while hunting a large
piece of public land. As I was coming out of the woods at about 11
a.m. after spending a long and fruitless morning on stand, this fellow
was heading in.
He recognized me from my television show, “Outdoor Secrets,”
and we got to talking. As it turned
out, he always began his deer hunting day around 11 a.m. “About the
time most guys are calling it quits,”
he said.
He had two reasons for this tactic.
The first reason was deer-related.
Deer generally have three periods of
daylight activity. Two of them are
morning and evening. The third
period of natural daytime movement occurs during midday,
between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In a typical day in the life of a whitetail,
unbothered by man or other predators, a bedded deer will routinely
get up during midday to stretch and
browse. During the whitetail rut,
bucks take advantage of midday
deer movement to hopefully intercept receptive does.
His second reason for midday
hunting was man-related. Being
on-stand when other hunters are
“calling it quits” made perfect
sense. As these hunters walk out,
they usually don’t attempt to sneak
out the same way they snuck in.
Instead, they walk out at a normal
human pace. Deer recognize the
sound of that crunch-crunch walking pattern and move to avoid it.
The savvy hunter can capitalize
on forced deer movement by situating himself along an escape route or
in thick “safety” destinations.
“When you combine a deer’s natural afternoon movement with
forced movement by exiting
hunters, there’s no better time to be
in the woods,” the veteran deer
slayer said.
If you want to sleep in this season
and give this tactic a whirl, you’ll
want to follow three requirements.
First, pick a stand site that capital-
MISSING OUT: Hunters returning to the deer camp after an early morning hunt may be missing some prime hunting
opportunities by not taking advantage of midday deer activity.
izes on both natural and forced
deer movement. Watch the feeders
and senderos in midday, and even
consider setting a feeder to go off
at noon.
Second, approach your stand
site with extreme stealth. Still-
hunt your way in, taking a step or
two and then stopping to survey
the terrain. You don’t want to be
one of those hunters who inadvertently spooks game upon your
approach.
Finally, do everything in your
East Texas
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power to control and contain
human scent.
If that hunter I met all those years
ago is reading this, then to him I say
“thanks.” Because now, between 11
and 2 during deer season, I’m exactly where I need to be: on-stand.
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Page 8 September 14, 2007
FISHING
Fall fly frenzy
GOT A LINE ON YOU: Marcos Enriquez casts for bass from a belly boat on a Texas pond. Photo by David J. Sams.
Cold fronts, cooling waters heat up feeding activity
By Diana Kunde
September. The cool fronts start to come
through Texas. Water temperatures start to
drop and oxygen rises, energizing fish to
feed.
“To me, fall’s the best time to fly-fish in
Texas. Hands-down,” said Marcos Enriquez,
fly-fishing manager for Orvis in Houston.
Enriquez will kick off fall freshwater flyfishing by leading an outing on the
Colorado River for Texas Flyfishers of
Houston. It will be a five-mile float from
Little Webberville Park east of Austin in
search of bass, catfish and various members
of the perch family.
Lake, river or coast, fly-fishers head for
their favorite spots as soon as the weather
cools.
“All the great Hill Country bodies of
water will be in prime time,” Enriquez said.
Come mid-September, Todd Fleming
takes off for the coast with his kayak.
Fleming, president of Alamo Fly Fishers in
San Antonio, said he’s looking forward to
this fall after a too-wet late spring and summer.
“The heavy rains affected the saltwater
fishing because it pushed a lot of freshwater
into the bays,” he said. “We’re looking forward to fall for saltwater especially — when
the weather gets back to normal, the salinity levels return and the hunters get back in
the field.”
Fleming uses an 8-weight rod with floating line and paddles until he spots tailing
redfish. His favorite fly is a Kwan, which he
ties himself in tan and cream. “It has good
See FLY, Page 26
A bite with fight
Anglers target a big battle
with rolling alligator gar
By Kyle Tomek
Anglers opting for low-budget and
productive fishing should look no further than alligator gar.
Targeted by few fishermen, the long
and slender fish looks to be a creature
from the prehistoric era. Flaunting a
flat-top, alligator-like head above a
back as green as lawn trimmings, the
fish could easily serve as a Halloween
costume.
Middle coast anglers Clayton
Wessels and Jake Leudecke find nothing spooky about the gar, but do rely
on the fish to break the monotony of
redfish and speckled trout fishing.
“Originally, I would go after bull redfish and catch alligator gar by accident,” said Wessels. “Curiosity mixed
with the fight led me to start targeting
them. They remind me of a semi-truck
driving on the water’s bottom; they are
heavy, pull hard, and stay down deep.”
Located in freshwater and saltwater,
alligator gar are fooled best by using cut
bait. “In freshwater, I use half-pound
hickory shad, and mullet are always
effective in saltwater.” Leudecke said.
The biggest factor in tracking down
the green machines is to look for them
rolling. “When you know they are in
the vicinity it can be a guarantee; otherwise, the bends and eddies of rivers
and within the back bayous around
the mouths of rivers make for excellent
starting points,” Leudecke said.
Sunny, calm days are ideal for spotting
rolling gar; the colder it is the less they
will roll at the surface.
See GAR, Page 26
PREHISTORIC-LIKE CATCH: Clayton Wessels targets big fights from alligator gar on the Texas coast. Photo by Kyle Tomek.
September 14, 2007 Page 9
Brothers claim Rockport win
Culpeppers capture third Redfish Series win by 3 ounces
After painfully watching two re-weighs
of their fish on the final day, brothers
Jonathan and Kris Culpepper of Houston
rose to the top at the Wal-Mart FLW
Redfish Series Western event in Rockport,
where they earned their third series win
by a thin three ounces.
But the real pain was suffered by runners-up Skipper Mock of South Padre
Island and Eddie Curry of Port Isabel.
When the Culpeppers lowered their
fish box into the water scale — a system
used exclusively by FLW Outdoors to help
keep fish alive — the two reds proved to be
feisty creatures, thrashing about and
splashing considerable water from the
scale. Understandably, they asked to have
them reweighed.
After resetting the scale to zero, the
same thing happened again as Mock and
Curry watched anxiously from the hot
seat. By the third weigh attempt, the redfish had calmed and the Culpeppers’ fully
hydrated weight came in at up to a halfpound heavier — enough to secure the
win.
Jay Watkins and Jay Watkins Jr. had the
rest of the top five teams thinking they
were all fishing for second place on the
final day, after leading the first two days
with a whopping 32 1/2 pounds. The
father-son team from Rockport was the
last to weigh in, leaving Jonathan
Culpepper to believe officials were
reweighing their fish for a second-place
check because “making up 1 1/2 pounds
this time of year around here is almost
unheard of,” he said.
WINNING WAYS: Jonathan and Kris Culpepper of Houston attempt to weigh in two redfish
during the final day of FLW Redfish Series event in Rockport. Photo by FLW.
But the father-son team unexpectedly
zeroed on the final day, leaving the team
in fifth place.
“We’ve been on good fish all week long,”
Watkins said. “We’ve had lots of 14- to 15pound stringers we’ve culled.
“The fish just didn’t show for us today.
The schools didn’t surface; that’s all there
was to it.”
The Culpeppers fished all three days in
the Upper Laguna Madre south of Port
Aransas, throwing 4-inch Berkley Gulp
shrimp on 3/8-ounce T.C. Custom jigheads, drifting and sight-fishing schools
of reds.
“We got down there to the lagoon this
morning, and it took us about 45 minutes
to find our fish,” Jonathan Culpepper
said. “Then the weather just eased on out
— the water just got glass smooth. It really
allowed us to drift with our fish and see
them.”
The team of Clark Jordan of Pearland
and Chief Tauzin of Manvel finished
third, and fourth place went to the team
of Steve Reupke of Corpus Christi and
Frank Duxstad of Port Aransas.
An FLW report.
White shrimp on the move, redfish come out to play
Last week the tide finally began to pull
out in the Rockport area and the white
shrimp migration to the Gulf kicked
into gear. “The redfishing is getting hot,”
said James Fox, a longtime Rockport
guide. “I found good pods of tailing fish
in the back of St. Charles Bay and way
back in Port Bay. Most of the fish I saw
were tailing and feeding on white
shrimp. There were some big ones but
most were in the mid-20s.” The freshwater that has been messing up the bays all
summer should start to leave, Fox said,
and if the area does not receive a lot
more rain “the fall red drum fishing is
going to be great.”
“The tide did get a little lower,” said
fly-fishing guide Chuck Naiser. “The
water cleared up a bunch and the fish
came out to play.”
A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report.
Jordan cashes
in to join
elite group
Pro angler Kelly Jordon of Mineola is
the newest member of the BASS
Millionaire’s Club, an honor signifying
a pro angler has earned $1 million in
angling competition.
An $11,500 check earned at the
Bassmaster Legends tournament on
Arkansas’ Lake Dardanelle put him
over the top and into this elite group of
30. His career earnings of $1,003,862
rank him No. 22 on the BASS list.
Photos by Cox Group.
Toyota Texas
Bass Classic
returns in ’08
Officials for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic
announced the unique team angling event will return
for its second year.
The tournament will be held on Lake Fork from
April 18-20, and will adhere to the strict slot limits of
the lake.
“It is a great honor to announce the Toyota Texas
Bass Classic will be returning to Lake Fork in 2008,”
said TTBC Co-Founders Dan Friedkin and Donato
Ramos. “Not only will this allow us to continue to
showcase the outstanding bass fishing in Texas, but it
also sets the standard for conservation practices in
angling and it benefits TPWD programs.”
The tournament features 100 professional anglers
grouped in teams of four. The event will benefit Texas
Parks and Wildlife and its outdoor recreation programs.
A Toyota Texas Bass Classic report.
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Page 10 September 14, 2007
GAME WARDEN BLOTTER
WARDEN FINDS LOST CHILD
•Trinity County Game Warden
Ralph Montemayor received a call
concerning a lost 4-year-old, who
had been riding a 4-wheeler on a
ranch. Montemayor arrived at the
ranch and was able to quickly find
the lost child. The 4-wheeler had
gotten stuck in the mud and the
child was on foot. Besides being
very hot and dehydrated from
wearing his helmet, which he
couldn’t get off, the child was in
good condition.
MAN LOSES CONTROL OF BOAT,
RUNS 30 FEET ASHORE
•Trinity County Game Wardens
Ralph Montemayor and Donald
Norred responded to a call concerning a man who had lost control of his bass boat on the Trinity
River and had run the boat ashore
into the woods about 30 feet. The
man was not injured and said he
was “running it hard because it
was missing.”
BOATER IGNORING AIRHORN
FINALLY STOPPED, GETS BWI
•Dawson County Game Warden
Brent Tucker, Dickens County
Game Warden Lacy Loudermilk
and Captain Rick Gully stopped a
boat on Lake Alan Henry for a
water safety inspection. The driver ignored the blue lights and air
horn, and when finally stopped
was disoriented and failed all
afloat tests. The driver was arrested for BWI and transported to the
Garza County Jail.
MAN WHO DUMPED DEER
CARCASS LOCATED, CHARGES FILED
•Harrison County Game Warden
Javier Fuentes received a call while
on his day off from a landowner
advising that a deer carcass had
been dumped on his property.
Fuentes met the landowner and
obtained a vehicle description
vehicle were two spotlights, a shotgun, a .243 rifle, and an open box
of beer. The three minors in the
vehicle denied shooting off the
road but did admit they had been
hunting on some property south
of Merkel and had driven to Nolan
to look at the windmills. Two of
the individuals did not have a
hunting license or a hunter’s education certificate.
Citations
issued.
key was in it. The VIN was located
and a routine check found that it
had been reported stolen through
Rice University PD. A Caterpillar
skid steer loader at the location
had its identification plate
removed; the secondary VIN was
located and it was found to be
stolen. A man on an ATV then
drove by the wardens’ location,
and was stopped. The ownership
of the ATV came into question, so
the wardens followed the man to a
second residence where several
other ATVs were located. The wardens recovered one stolen 2005
Kawasaki Mule 4X4, a stolen
Bobcat loader, and three stolen
ATVs, with an estimated value of
$65,000. The resident was transported to the Montgomery
County Jail for possession of marijuana, and the stolen vehicle
investigations continue.
TRAIL LEADS TO POT CHARGES,
STOLEN VEHICLE PROBES
•Montgomery County Game
Warden Alan Biggerstaff received a
call complaining of people trespassing to hunt on a lease near
Magnolia. Montgomery County
Game Warden Dean Fitzpatrick
responded, found where hogs had
been dragged from the lease then
followed the trail back to a residence. Warden Brannon Meinkowsky and Montgomery County
Game Warden Ernie Garcia joined
Fitzpatrick at the residence to
assist. Meinkowsky noticed what
appeared to be blood on a 2005
Kawasaki Mule 4X4. The resident
said the blood on the Mule was
old, then challenged the game
wardens to find evidence of illegal
hunting on the Mule and gave
consent to search. A bag of marijuana was discovered in the glove
box of the Mule. Garcia also
noticed that the ignition had been
tampered with and a master lock
HUNTERS END UP BEHIND BARS
•Waller County Game Warden
Kevin Glass was patrolling south of
Waller when he heard shots. He
parked his truck and started walking toward the sound of the shots.
Waller discovered three men sitting under a tree shooting at doves
flying by. One of the subjects had a
rifle and was sighting it in. The
men started packing up to leave,
and Waller still had a large hayfield
to cross to get to them. The men
spotted Waller, dropped their
guns, and started walking faster.
Waller instructed them to stop, but
they just looked and waved. The
instructions were repeated in
Spanish, and the men put their
hands on their heads. Waller
recovered the two rifles and one
shotgun. The men were Mexican
Nationals, and the two rifles were
reported stolen. The men were
transported to the Waller County
Jail.
‘I told you guys this was not a good idea’
•Harris County Game Warden
Derek Spitzer received information that a field near Cypress had
been baited and people might
already have been hunting earlier
that week. Spitzer located the
field and found cracked corn and
from a neighbor. A Hallsville PD
unit advised Fuentes of an individual owning a vehicle matching the
description. Upon contact with
the individual, a confession and
written statement were obtained
and charges were filed for taking
deer in closed season and littering.
FISHING WITH WRONG LICENSE
HOOKS UP WITH OTHER CHARGES
•Tarrant County Game Wardens
Clint Borchardt and Chelle Mount
were patrolling Lake Arlington
when they encountered three
individuals fishing from a dock.
One of the men had obtained two
free active duty military licenses
and was allowing his father to fish
on one of them. The two had also
used a cast net to get bait and they
had a 5-gallon bucket containing
minnows and largemouth bass.
Citations were issued for fishing
under the license of another, possession of undersized black bass
and illegal means and methods
(catching black bass in cast net).
CALLER THOUGHT
HE WAS TARGET OF HUNTERS
•Lubbock County Game Warden
Don Taylor received a call about a
drive-by shooting out in the county. After arriving in the area,
Taylor apprehended three men
who were hunting dove and quail
from the road. They were careless
about where their shot landed,
milo along with dove decoys
hanging on the barbed wire
fences. Nearly a week before opening day, Spitzer sat up on the field
in the evening and watched four
individuals shoot skeet for an
hour before the temptation of all
and this caused the caller to
believe he was the target of the
shooting. Cases pending.
ANGLER NETS CITATIONS
•Tarrant County Game Warden
Ronald Mathis gave citations to a
Benbrook fisherman for possession of 30 undersized bass caught
with a cast net.
WARDENS ASSIST WITH REMOVAL
OF MARIJUANA PLOTS
•Dallas County Game Warden
Tom Carbone and Hunt County
Game Wardens Craig Hernandez
and Dale Waters assisted the DPS
Narcotics Service and DEA with
removal of two marijuana plots.
The plots were located on the West
Fork of the Trinity River, and the
only way to remove the 1,500
plants was by a boat. Several people were stung by wasps, and one
DEA agent had to be taken to the
hospital due to his reaction after
being stung.
BEER AND WINDMILLS
•Taylor County Warden Roy
Johnson heard his dog barking at
something. When he went outside
to see what it was, he could hear a
vehicle stopped at a curve near his
house. After about a minute, two
shots rang out and the vehicle
took off. Johnson stopped the
vehicle south of Merkel for running a stop sign and inside the
the doves was too much for them.
The individuals shot doves until
8:15 p.m. Spitzer made contact
with the surprised shooters and
overheard one say, "I told you
guys this was not a good idea."
Cases and restitution pending.
September 14, 2007 Page 11
Page 12 September 14, 2007
Kayaking on the fly an offshore adventure
By Brandon Shuler
What do you get when you cross
two kayak-crazed anglers and one
completely obsessed offshore flyfisherman? Well, besides the outright lies and tall tales about the
few that get away, you get one heck
of an adventure.
“Dude, you really want to do
something cool?” I grinned, feeling like some peer-pressuring high
school bully.
Capt. Dean Thomas of Slowride
Guide Service and Aaron Reed both
sang in unison, “What?”
“Simple, let’s catch some shark
and kings on fly,” I laughed, giving
them a suggestive look and setting
the bait for the kicker.
“From ‘yaks,” I finished after a
pause.
Silently, we all leaned back as the
idea settled in and the possibilities
and implications of what we could
accomplish started building in our
minds. “Papa Getaway” silently listened and offered a sage, yet simple,
response, “You’re all three crazy.”
The next few weeks were a blur of
trip planning, getting accidental
death and dismemberment plans
and life insurance in place, and
ensuring our loved ones were protected in case any toothy critters
decided to pull us into the drink or
join us in the cozy confines of our
kayaks.
As D-Day approached, we came
to our senses and realized there is
safety in numbers. We included
Kendal Larson of Malibu Kayaks
and Jim Shulin of Temple Fork
Outfitters.
However, as the adventure
approached, calamity struck in the
form of a blown lower unit on my
offshore boat. So now, not only
were we chasing the toothy ones
from kayaks, we were in a small
flats boat 20 miles offshore.
As we headed out in 3- to 5-foot
seas, we found our first shrimp boat
nine miles out and quickly
launched the kayaks. Reed looked
up and grinned as Thomas grimaced, and in the best cheesy war
movie cliché possible said, “Tell my
wife and kids I love them.” All of
us on the ‘Mother Ship’ laughed
and pushed them on their way to
destiny.
While the two kayakers bobbed
around the Gulf, Shulin quickly
caught his first king on fly and
Larson his first shark on fly.
Suddenly Thomas, not in the
water five minutes, filled the air
with a loud and infectious Cajun
yell. The entire mother ship turned
to see him on his first offshore
sleigh ride. We all waited expecting to see him throw one hand in
the air and ride the kayak like a
rodeo cowboy. After a good 30minute fight, tons of encouragement and instruction from those
on the boat, Thomas landed an
impressive Jack Crevalle.
Almost as quickly as Thomas
released his jack, Reed yelled, ‘Ling,
ling, ling,’ as he was tugged quickly
from the back of the shrimp boat.
Crazy looks were exchanged
among the crew of each shrimp
boat. Reed was flying across the
water when suddenly, as only ling
and tarpon can do, his line went
inexplicably slack. Sadly, we
thought he was going to cry about
the ling that got away.
After a few bonito, a couple of
kingfish, and a too many annoying
remora, the best in show appeared.
Reed’s lost ling quickly became a
memory as he screamed, “Shark
on.” Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
could not have staged a more comical scene to match what ensued.
Reed would spin one way, and
Thomas would paddle the next.
After what seemed like an impossibly endless kayaking tango, we in
the chase boat motored over to
offer our support and lend a helpful hand.
“Tip up.”
“Don’t highstick.”
“Stay with him.”
“Craaaaack” the rod screamed as
it snapped inches from the cork.
The disheartened look on Reed’s
face was heartbreaking until we all
screamed in perfect unison, “FISH
STILL ON.” Reed hand-lined the
writhing Atlantic Sharpnose
kayak-side like a professional. We
took the requisite photos, and he
gently released the fish.
The tired return trip home into a
beautiful sunset left us all with a
sense of wonder and excitement.
Bruised and beaten from a day of
great fishing, we all talked deliriously as we discussed tomorrow’s
possibilities — bigger sharks, tarpon, and yes, even tuna on fly
from a kayak. In life, as in fishing,
the adventure continues.
SLEIGH RIDE: Capt. Dean Thomas, at top, takes a Texas sleigh ride in the Gulf.
Aaron Reed, bottom, holds a bonito caught behind a shrimp boat. Photos by
Brandon Shuler and Dean Thomas.
September 14, 2007 Page 13
NATIONAL
Briefs
Trout die at New Mexico’s
McAllister Lake
McAllister Lake, the beautiful
New Mexico playa lake and a
popular fishing spot near Las
Vegas, has come on hard times
this year.
With hot summer temperatures and an accidental diversion
of water, the trout in the lake
reached their boiling point and
died.
“McAllister Lake is really on
the threshold for trout in New
Mexico,”
said
Eric
Frey,
Northeast Area Fisheries manager. “Because the lake is so shallow, summer heat causes marginal water quality for trout survival.”
An investigation determined
that high water temperatures
and low oxygen levels likely
killed all the trout in the lake.
McAllister has ranked in the
top 50 waters statewide for
angling use. With proper management and a working aeration
system, the lake can provide
good growth rates for trout.
Department of Game and Fish
biologists and administrators
will be working on a plan of
action with hopes of making
improvements to the lake as soon
as possible.
A New Mexico Game and Fish
report.
DLNR begins Maui reef
monitoring program on jetski
The Department of Land and
Natural Resources’ Division of
Aquatic Resources Maui office pur-
chased a Yamaha Waverunner Jetski, which will be used as part of a
new
monitoring
program
designed to assess nearshore
marine resources in waters surrounding Maui.
All of these areas are ocean
resource management areas
where public use of jet-skis near
shore is not generally allowed.
According to John Mitchell,
DLNR’s new Maui habitat and
fish monitoring coordinator,
“Shallow water inshore areas
are very difficult locations in
which to do fish surveys. In
order to safely and efficiently
conduct these new surveys,
two-person snorkel assessments
will be done, and the survey
team will be utilizing the jetski.”
A Hawaii Department of Land
and Natural Resources report.
‘Blue tongue’ virus
killing whitetails
in several states
Abnormally dry conditions in several states have resulted in an increase in
whitetail mortality from epizootic
hemorrhagic disease (EHD).
EHD-related deer deaths have been
reported in Kentucky, Tennessee,
Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
and Virginia.
The Kentucky Department of Fish
and Wildlife Resources is investigating
recent reports of white-tailed deer
deaths in 11 counties, primarily in
western Kentucky. Officials suspect
the animals died of hemorrhagic disease.
“Hemorrhagic disease is caused by a
virus. We see large outbreaks about
every two years in Kentucky,” said
Danny Watson, a wildlife biologist
with the Kentucky Department of Fish
and Wildlife Resources.
Tennessee is also receiving reports of
deer deaths. “We probably are getting
more reports because the drought is
concentrating deer around the same
watering holes and deer are being bitten by gnats that transmit EDH,” said
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Steve Patrick, the manager of the
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Region II office.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported several hundred deer
died from EHD in four Western
Pennsylvania counties, and that number was expected to increase.
EHD, which is known colloquially
as blue tongue, is a common deer disease contracted by gnat-like biting
midges. Deer can die within five to 10
days after being bitten, but the disease
is not always fatal.
Symptoms of the disease include a
high fever and swelling of tissues
around the eyes and mouth area, often
causing a rosy or bluish color (hence
the “blue tongue” moniker). Sick deer
often lose their appetite, coordination
and their fear of normal dangers.
People usually find the dead or weak
and emaciated deer near water.
EHD is not transmittable to humans
nor does the meat from an infected
animal pose any health risk.
Compiled from wildlife agency reports.
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Page 14 September 14, 2007
Legendary inspiration
Chuck Scates
back guiding
full time after ’04
cancer diagnosis
By Diana Kunde
T
his is a good day for legendary fly-fishing guide Chuck
Scates: blue sky on the Texas coast, a 10-mile-an-hour
wind and a client who sees it all come together.
Scates is seeing more of those good days now after a
bruising two-year fight with throat cancer. His
September is almost entirely booked with fly-fishers
who want to take advantage of the pioneering guide’s know-how
in stalking redfish and other saltwater species.
“Every day is just God’s gift to me,” said Scates, who is guiding
full time for the first year after his cancer diagnosis in November
2004, and looking forward to the fall season out of Rockport.
Scates is credited with being the first guide to popularize fly-fishing in the shallow bays, flats and estuaries of the South Texas coast.
He has coauthored several books on the subject, including “Fly
Fishing the Texas Coast” with Phil Shook and David Sams. He’s the
designer of popular flies like the Scates Shrimp.
And late in 2004, Scates was laid low by a severe cancer that he
first noticed as a lump while shaving.
Unfortunately, he said, he waited about six months before mentioning it to a doctor. “It
had grown to the point
that even shrinking it
(with radiation) wouldn’t
work.”
“I got it all,” Scates said.
He had radical surgery on
his throat, plus received
radiation and chemotherapy. The ordeal cost him
all his original teeth.
“The radiation was like
sticker burrs on your
Adam’s apple,” he said.
“No saliva glands. No
taste. That chocolate malt
just doesn’t taste the
same.”
At first, Scates planned
to be on the water again
by April ’05. But his bone
wasn’t healing, necessitating more advanced
treatment.
For Scates, that meant
spending some time in
HUCK CATES
the tight confines of a
hyperbaric chamber.
“They take you down 240
feet below sea level as far as pressure is concerned,” he said, “It
helps people who have bone loss from radiation heal faster.”
And “it’s a little scary at first,” he said. “Luckily, it was during the
Tour de France when Lance Armstrong won for the seventh time.”
That — viewed on a monitor he could see from the claustrophobic
chamber — was inspiring, he said.
Scates found his inspiration where he could. Tying flies, for
instance. “I tied up every piece of material I had at the time —
javelina skins, you name it. I tied about 5,000 flies.”
Friends helped. There was a benefit to help pay medical bills
that brought tears to his eyes, Scates said.
“Being in this business, you know you meet a lot of people. You
don’t know how many are friends. I had people from (trips) 10 or
15 years ago who came down for the benefit or bought raffle tickets.”
“I cried,” he said. “I used to only cry for ‘Old Yeller’ and ‘Rudy.’”
His wife helped. “I couldn’t have done it without her and my
family,” he said.
And then, miraculously, last year he got out on the water part
time with a clean bill of health. Ninety pounds lighter, “I looked
like a Holocaust victim,” Scates said.
Skinny and cold at first, he’d wear long pants and a fleece jacket
when his clients were in shorts.
Now, he said. he feels better than he did before the cancer. For
one thing, the 53-year-old Scates is at his former surfing weight of
150 pounds. With a healed mouth and new teeth, his first craving
was “chips and hot sauce.”
He’s looking forward to a banner fall on the coast: those golden
days when it all comes together for folks he introduces to the sport
of sight casting for redfish with a fly rod. “For them to see the fish,
put the fly in the strike zone, and then watch the fish come up to
it.” Coastal fly-fishing at its best, a gift.
‘Every day
is just
God’s gift
to me.’
—C
S
Capt. Chuck Scates, after being diagnosed with cancer,
was out of work for two years while he recovered. Today,
Scates happily poles his Maverick skiff on Fence Lake.
Fishing client Steve Faris caught his first red on a fly
while fishing with the legendary fly-fishing guide. To
contact Scates, call (361) 727-1200. Photos by David J.
Sams.
September 14, 2007 Page 15
Page 16 September 14, 2007
OUTDOOR DATEBOOK
HAVE AN EVENT?
E-mail it to
[email protected]
Sept. 19: The
Dallas Safari Club
monthly meeting
will be held at the
Dallas/Addison
Quorum Marriot.
Chris Hudson will
present on archery hunting for polar
bear. For information, call (972) 9809800.
Sept. 19: The LaGrange DU dinner will
be held at the Knights of Columbus
Hall in LaGrange. Call Debra Byler at
(979) 968-9547 for information.
Sept. 20: The
Beeville/Redfish
Bay CCA banquet
will be held at the
High 5 Ranch in
Beeville. For
information, call
(800) 626-4222
for information.
Sept. 20: The San Angelo DU dinner will
be held at the San Angelo Inn and
Conference Center. Contact Jake Way at
(325) 947-0066 or [email protected] for
information.
CCA State of Texas
Angler’s Rodeo
(STAR)
Sept. 21-22: The National Fishing Lure
Collector Club Antique Fishing Lure show
and sale will be held at the Hilton DFW
Lakes in Grapevine. For information,
contact Chip Rice at (817) 295-7750 or
[email protected].
Sept. 21-22: A hunter’s education class
will be held at
the Beaumont
Gander Mountain
store. For
information, call
the store at
(409) 347-3055.
Sept. 21: The Sportsmen’s Foundation
will host its Sportsmen’s Celebration of
National Hunting & Fishing Day at the
Fort Worth Convention Center. For
information, call (888) 846-6411 or visit
www.sportsmenscelebration.com.
Sept. 21: The Cuervo Brothers DU event
will be held in Uvalde. Call Rogers Hoyt
at (830) 278-3833 for information.
Sept. 22-23: A hunter’s education class
will be offered at the Tyler Gander
Mountain store. For information, call the
store at (903) 839-8205.
Sept. 22: Cabela’s in Buda and Fort
Worth will celebrate
National Hunting
and Fishing Day
with wild game and
fish tasting, flycasting lessons,
outdoor seminars,
OFFSHORE DIVISION
Kingfish
Rodney McWhorter of Angleton
55 lbs. 9 ozs.
LEADERS AS OF: 9-3-07
Upper Coast Speckled Trout
Kegan Campbell of Conroe
8 lbs. 8 ozs.
Middle Coast Speckled Trout
Norman Frankum of Sweeney
9 lbs.
Lower Coast Speckled Trout
Bryan R. Tucker II of Corpus
Christi
8 lbs. 14 ozs.
Dorado
Alan Latham of Rockport
46 lbs. 10 ozs.
Ling (Cobia)
Chris Jacobs of Sweeney
75 lbs. 3 ozs.
INSHORE DIVISION
Flounder
Jason Wardrup of LaMarque
7 lbs. 14 ozs.
and more. Visit www.cabelas.com for
information.
Country Club. Call Bryan Ward at (214)
561-1963 for information.
Sept. 22: The Post Oak Savannah Texas
Big Game Awards banquet will be held at
the Cain Center in Athens. For
information, visit
www.TexasBigGameAwards.com or call
(210) 826-2904.
Sept. 28: The Dallas Business Journal
Charity Bass Tournament benefiting the
youth programs of the Dallas Ecological
Foundation will be held at Lake Ray
Hubbard. For information or to register,
call (972) 980-9800 or visit
www.biggame.org.
Sept. 22: The Alamo City Shooting and
Outdoor Sportsfest will be held at the
National Shooting Complex in San
Antonio. For information, call (210) 6745559 or visit
www.shootingsportscamp.com.
Sept. 22: The Granbury DU dinner will
be held at De Cordova Bend Country
Club. Call Kyle Lewis at (817) 573-9836
for information.
Sept. 25: The Athens DU banquet will be
held at the
Texas
Freshwater
Fisheries
Center banquet
hall. Call Brad
Rummel at
(903) 6813347 for information.
Sept. 26: The Rice Belt DU dinner will
be held at the El Campo Civic Center.
Call Curtis Molinar at (979) 543-1688
for information.
Sept. 27: The Dallas Delta Waterfowl
dinner will be held at Royal Oaks
Sheepshead
Ramon Zapata of Baytown
10 lbs. 14 ozs.
Gafftop
Micahel Ray Darder of Beaumont
8 lbs. 8 ozs.
STARKIDS DIVISION
(AGES 6-10)
Flounder
Sam Wittman, 7, of Houston
3 lbs. 14 ozs.
Sheepshead
Ben Ibarra, 7, of Baytown
8 lbs. 14 ozs.
Sept. 29: The East
Texas Delta Waterfowl
dinner will be held at
the Kellyville
Community Center in
Jefferson. Call Darryl
Jacobs at (903) 5760775 for information.
Oct. 1: The Lake Grapevine DU dinner will
be held at the Grapevine Convention
Center. For tickets and information,
contact Fred Sahs at (817) 368-7310 or
[email protected].
Oct. 2: The Taylor DU dinner will be held
at the Taylor Knights of Columbus Hall.
For information, call John McDonald at
(512) 365-3528.
Oct. 4: The Central Houston CCA State of
Texas BBQ will be held at the Edwin
Hornberger Conference Center. For
information, call (800) 626-4222.
Oct. 4: The Dallas DU banquet will be
held at Eddie Deens Ranch. Contact
Andrea Hight at (214) 372-3825 or
[email protected] for information.
Gafftop
Jarren Mahon, 8, of Winnie
7 lbs. 6 ozs.
STARTEENS TROUT & INSHORE
DIVISIONS
(AGES 11-17)
Upper Coast Speckled Trout
Britney Halewyn, 17, of Alvin
7 lbs. 3 ozs.
Middle Coast Speckled Trout
Travis Corporon, 17, of Palacios
7 lbs. 9 ozs.
Lower Coast Speckled Trout
Nicholas Joiner, 17, of Robstown
8 lbs. 3 ozs.
Oct. 4: The San Antonio DU dinner and
dance will be held at the Leon Springs
Dance Hall. Contact Carey Birmingham at
(210) 262-8490 or
[email protected] for information.
Oct. 5-6: Bassfishingworld.com will host
its 3rd Annual Fall Brawl on Toledo Bend.
For information, visit
www.bassfishingworld.com.
Oct. 5: The Texas Parks and Wildlife
EXPO Banquet and Conservation Hall of
Fame celebration will be held at the Hyatt
Lost Pines Resort near Austin. Contact
Kelli Sellers by e-mail: [email protected].
Oct. 6: The Texas Women’s Shooting
Sports/DIVAS will host the 2007 Ladies
Fall Shooting and Outdoors Clinic at Elm
Fork Shooting Park in Dallas. Call (214)
733-8687 or e-mail
[email protected] for information.
Oct. 6: The 8th Annual Wild Game dinner
and fundraiser will be held in Johnson
City. For information, call (830) 8335335 or email [email protected].
Oct. 13: The 10th Annual San Angelo
Sporting Clay Shoot benefiting Scottish
Rite Hospital will be held at the San
Angelo Claybird Association Range.
Contact Melinda Wenk at (214) 5598395 or [email protected] for
information.
Oct. 13: The Equine Angels Special
Needs Foundation will host its 4th
Annual Sporting Clay Fundraiser at
Alpine Shooting Range in Fort Worth.
Call (817) 478-6613 for information.
Flounder
Cory Gagliano, 11, of Portland
6 lbs. 5 ozs.
Sheepshead
Michael Lee, 12, of Sugarland
8 lbs. 3 ozs.
Gafftop
Lance Knox, 11, of Rosenberg
7 lbs. 11 ozs.
TEXAS FORD DEALERS REDFISH
DIVISION
Deborah Alston of Crystal Beach
Orlando Perez of LaPorte
Karen Whittenberg of Port Mansfield
September 14, 2007 Page 17
MOR
Continued from Page 1
Hicks got the news while taping a
Saskatchewan bear hunt for his
show, “Hunting 201: Beyond the
Basics.”
“Now I have to head out again,
this time to Scotland, and I’ve just
had a handful of days to put the
pieces back together,” he said.
MOR officials could not be
reached for comment. Meanwhile,
officials from production companies
speculate on why the network
sought bankruptcy.
Warren, producer and host of
“Alan Warren Outdoors,” and Hicks
echoed the comments of some
industry observers who said the airwaves have become flooded with
outdoor programming, with much
of it mediocre to very bad.
But cable and satellite networks
eagerly air the shows because they’re
“sponsor” driven, meaning producers pay the networks to get their
shows on the air.
To cover that cost, along with production expenses, the producers sell
advertising spots to sponsors, typically sporting goods manufacturers.
But with so many shows in the
market, the outdoors television
industry has become fragmented,
which has resulted in a feeding frenzy for advertising sponsorships.
And that, Warren speculated, may
have cut into profits.
MOR’s parent company, Turner
Media Group, in August filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to
reorganize MOR and some of its
other networks.
“I know the people at MOR,”
Warren said, “and they’re good guys,
smart guys and honest guys. But I
think some decisions were made at
levels higher than them.
“They were as floored as everyone
about this.”
Equally perplexed, he added, were
the sponsors who will be denied
exposure.
“It’s not the producers’ fault at
all,” Warren said. “They had no clue
this was going to happen.
“But now you have sponsors say-
ing, ‘Hey, what’s the deal? This is the
time of the year that I sell my broadheads and my camouflage.’”
Hicks and Warren said they are
among production companies that
diversified by securing contracts and
sponsors for programs on other networks, such as The Sportsman
Channel and Versus.
Hicks said he has also been picked
up by Wild TV and the Internet
venue, MyOutdoorTV.
“But no matter how good of shape
we’re in, we still stand to lose
$100,000,” Hicks said. “That’s
money all tied up in MOR that I
might not get back through their
bankruptcy.
“Our main anchor network was
MOR, which only means they had
the rights to show our original programs first. God only knows what
will happen to the smaller production companies that were only on
MOR.”
Warren and Hicks suggested, however, that quality outdoor programming will dominate future venues,
which will strengthen their industry.
“I think, over time, the strong will
survive as in everything,” Warren
said. “There are fewer places to put
your programming now, and the
value of that air time has increased,
but the hunger is out there.
“I don’t believe people are stationloyal as much as they are program
and program-niche loyal.
“The audiences will find the programming. They always do.”
Refuge
Continued from Page 6
hunter selects his preference. If the weekend he selected
isn’t available, we go to the next preference on his list.” Fees
are $60 for the archery hunt and $125 for the rifle hunt.
There are various fees and deadlines to apply for permits.
“Each refuge manager has a lot to say about how each one
is hunted,” Slown said.
Hunters will have to do their own research to understand
all the differences. Some start with the Internet.
The Web site for the agency’s Southwest Region
(http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/txrefuges.html)
lists properties in Texas. Follow the links to the home pages
of each refuge to see which ones allow hunting — most do
— and their requirements for permit applications.
Also, pay attention to the calendar. Some deadlines to
apply for archery hunts have already passed or are fast
approaching.
For example, the archery deadline at Trinity River is Sept
17, but hunters have until Oct. 10 to apply for the rifle season opportunities.
For information, call:
Aransas Pass NWR (361) 286-3559
Balcones Canyonlands NWR (512) 339-9432
Big Boggy NWR (979) 849-5118
Hagerman NWR (903) 786-2826
Lower Atascosa NWR (956) 748-3607
San Bernard NWR (979) 849-7771
Trinity River NWR (936) 336-9786
Waterfowl hunting only is available at Anahuac NWR
(409) 267-3337, Brazoria NWR (979) 233-5338, McFaddin
NWR and Texas Point NWR (409) 971-2909.
Equine Angels Special Needs
Foundation 4th Annual
Sporting Clays Fundraiser
SUPER RAFFLE!
All Youth Shooters
Over $20,000
in Prizes!
1 ticket for 10
Chances to Win!!!
1st Prize
2008 Bad Boy Buggy
$9,500 Value
(17 & Under must be accompanied by
an adult entry) will be eligible for a
drawing for a lifetime Hunting/Fishing
Combo license donated by
The Sportsmens Club of Ft. Worth $1,000 value
Main Event
Sporting Clays Fun Shoot
100 round 12 station sporting clays
5 person Team Event
Individual entries welcomed and will be
teamed up
2nd Prize — Weatherby Mark V Deluxe .257 Rifle — $2,500 Value
3rd Prize — Beretta 686 Onyx Pro O/U Shotgun — $2,000 Value
4th Prize — Lifetime Hunting & Fishing License — $1,000 Value
5th Prize — Custom Digital Ear Plugs by E.A.R., Inc. — $1,000 Value
6th-10th Prizes — Shotguns/Fishing Trip/Gun Safe/GameGuard Gear
Long-lasting Fiberglass Hunting
Products. Call for a Dealer Near You.
(903) 677-3141
(See www.equineangels.org for ticket purchase and all prize details)
Tickets are $100 each. All prizes valued over $500. Only 1,000
tickets will be sold. One prize per contestant. Prize drawings
held the day of the event and need not be present to win.
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007
Alpine Shooting Range
Ft. Worth, Texas 76140
Contact Brian Gray at (214) 543-5706
For complete details regarding the 4th Annual Sporting Clays Event, visit
www.equineangels.org.
Tower with
Ladder
4’ by 4’ Fiberglass
Blind
Fiberglass Feeder
and Tower
Page 18 September 14, 2007
CLASSIFIEDS
Wildlife Managed Ranch
Comanche County, Kansas
720 acres +/Farm and hunting combo in
south central Kansas.
Big whitetails!
Tensas Parish, LA
1292 acres +/Excellent deer & duck
hunting w/camp.
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
Pratt County, Kansas
760 acres +/Hunting with farm and mineral income. Has producing oil
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
Immaculate Intracoastal
waterfront property with
Nice 3/2 with 100 ft.
of canal waterfrontage in
awesome views of Beachfront
and Gulf of Mexico!!! New
construction 3/2.5 1895 sq.
ft. Sargent, Texas.
Sargent, Texas. Awesome
access to East Matagorda Bay.
Best buy on the Gulf Coast of
Texas!!
FullStringerRealty.com
FullStringerRealty.com
979-863-1143
979-863-1143
THE FULL STRINGER LODGE
IN MATAGORDA, TEXAS!!
XECUTIVE OR ORPORATE HOME with
112 feet of pristine Colorado River
frontage just a few miles from the Gulf!!
Riverfront 4/4 that is immaculate!! Built
in 2005 and loaded with amenities!!!!
Double Boatlifts!!
Outstanding premiere location
on the Colorado River!!
150 ft. of total waterfront, 3,400 sq.foot lodge, 1,400 sq. ft
additional house, 45.5 ft. lot on the
Colorado River that is vacant
and build what you want.
FullStringerRealty.com
257 AC
HALE COUNTY, TX
Arkansas hunting
and fishing lease
Ducks, deer, bear and turkey. SE
Arkansas River bottom. Christian
family atmosphere. $2,500/yr.,
4 memberships available.
Call (870) 644-3845
or (870) 866-1457
FULL STRINGER REALTY, MATAGORDA COUNTY
SERVING PALACIOS, MATAGORDA, SARGENT AND
MOST OF THE TEXAS COAST. WE SPECIALIZE IN
COASTAL PROPERTIES ESPECIALLY COMMERCIAL,
DEVELOPMENT, AND RESORT PROPERTIES!!!!!
177 in CRP, 80 pasture. 1
mile from I-27. Pheasant,
quail, dove and more.
$1,000/ac. Close in August
for 2007’s CRP payment.
800-288-2865
806-983-2548
OR
Madison Parish, LA
464 acres +/Good deer & duck hunting
near Tensas NWR!
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
Gorgeous Waterfront
property on the Colorado
River in Matagorda, Texas.
128.66 frontage and 80-foot
depth. New vinyl bulkhead to
be installed.
FullStringerRealty.com
120’ WIDE X 440’ DEEP, RESTRICTED
WATER FRONT LOT IN THE BAY POINT
SUBDIVISION ON CHOCOLATE BAY IN
PORT LAVACA. CUL-DE-SAC LOT
WITH PAVED ROADS & UTILITIES, 13’
ABOVE SEA LEVEL & READY TO BUILD.
COMMUNITY FISHING PIER & BOAT
DOCK. EXCELLENT FISHING & GREAT
VIEW OF BAY. 713-303-8175
979-863-1143
PEACEFUL SUBDIVISION in
Matagorda that has 250 feet of
prime Intracoastal property. Build
two spectacular homes and
reclaim .4+ acres in the water.
Bargain price for Intracoastal
property in Matagorda!!!! Total size
of tract is 1.40 acres and is the
quietest subdivision in
Matagorda!!
FullStringerRealty.com
979-863-1143 Owner/Agents
Cabins
Up to 6 bedrooms
(830) 372-9999
Ask for Mike
2,218 acre Ranch
10 miles south of I-40
Collingsworth County, TX
Huge whitetail, quail & dove.
Asking $2,218,000 call
Marty Walker, Century 21
903-452-1831
BASS FISHING
1-4 — $750 EA.
5 & Up — $650 EA.
9 Ponds • Room & Board
Boats & Motors
Catch 50-100 Fish/Day
Friday Noon - Sunday Noon
BILL WHITFIELD
210-494-6421
WWW .BILLWHITFIELD .COM
*Hunting Cabins*
Different layouts to
accommodate any
property size!
(830) 303-9431
Michael
WEST TEXAS QUAIL
LEASE
31,000 ACRES
EXCEPTIONAL RAINS HAVE
PRODUCED AN ABUNDANCE OF FEED
AND COVER. THIS RANCH HAD A
HEALTHY POPULATION OF BIRDS LAST
YEAR, AND HAS AN EXCEPTIONAL
CROP THIS YEAR. ONLY 20 SPOTS
AVAILABLE. CONTACT MIKE BRUNER
AT 817-771-8711 OR [email protected]
CHAMPIONSHIP
LABS
FOR SALE!
Hunting
156 SE County Road 3144
Corsicana, TX 75109 (903) 229-2342
Land For Sale
FullStringerRealty.com
1.1 ACRE WATERFRONT
LOT FOR SALE
(254) 722-3140
[email protected]
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
C
Exotics, whitetails
and Alligators
Over 30 species available
po box 879 hewitt, tx 76643
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
E
979-863-1143 Owner/Agents
Joe Wolda
GOLD MEDAL WILDLIFE
Perch Traps
Turtle Traps
Fish Traps
Hog Traps
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
979-863-1143 Owner/Agents
www.goldmedalwildlife.com
Franklin Parish, LA
353 acres +/Borders over 100,000 acres
of WMA & NWR.
Good whitetail genetics!
Young County 433 acres
2 hours from DFW
Professionally managed 5 years,
7 ponds, 2-Bdrm. cabin and
storage unit, big deer, tons of
turkey, hogs, dove, fishing.
$2,200 per acre
Bryan Moore (214) 808-5055
Comanche County, Kansas
1050 acres +/Prime trophy whitetail and
turkey hunting.
Live water!
Richland Parish, LA
1366 acres +/World class duck hunting!
Farm / hunting combo
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
http://www.brownrealtyco.com
Jerry Brown, Broker 318-728-9544
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma
These pups are out of Shotgun Sassy and Shotgun
Simba. (The labs Jerry Wood uses for seminars in
the Cabela’s stores.) These parents are good
hunting/retrieving dogs, and also compete in Field
Trials. Sassy is a Certified Intermediate Pointing
Retriever. There are 47 titles in their past four
generation pedigree. Out of a litter of 10, we have
2 blacks and 2 yellows left to sell. The pups will be
7 weeks old on Aug. 28.
Visit this website for pictures and more info:
www.diamondwkennels.com .
830-833-1291 or 210-259-1454.
NEW LOOK, BETTER RESULTS
Place your classified advertising in the Lone Star Outdoor News — reaching more than a quarter-million readers
monthly — and experience the results of a new look. The 2”x 2” classified will get the attention necessary to say
SOLD!
$30 per month (two issues). Ad also included on Web site.
September 14, 2007 Page 19
HEROES
BRYCE BATCHELOR, left, caught this striped bass while fishing with DAVID BEESON on the Red River below
the dam at Lake Texoma.
ANDREW MARKS holds a Chinook salmon he caught on the Columbia River.
SHARE
AN
ADVENTURE
Want to share your great
hunting or fishing photos
with the Lone Star Outdoor News
family? E-mail your photo,
phone and caption
information to editor@ lonestaroutdoornews.com, or mail to:
Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News,
9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114
South, Dallas, TX, 75243.
COOPER HUFFSTUTLER of Lewisville caught this catfish on a
rod and reel with bloodbait while fishing on a 35-acre lake.
MICHAEL S. WILLIAMS holds a 12-pound,
10-ounce yellow catfish he caught on a 4inch live shiner at Lake Travis.
BECKY GENTRY of Mount Vernon caught these two redfish
trolling the Gulf just south of New Orleans.
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Page 20 September 14, 2007
WEATHER
OUTDOOR PUZZLER
For crossword puzzle solution, see Page 22
ACROSS
1. Paint job on a duck gun
4. Term for a fisherman
8. Camouflage slip-ons for a bow
9. A female elk
10. Buck’s mark to show his
domain
11. A Canada goose
14. This fishing requires an auger
15. A big game
16. The kicks from a firearm
17. Signifies a round-nosed bullet
18. A female turkey
20. A duty of a gundog
22. This pin hits cartridge to fire
24. The snake-like fish
25. Handy item if the boat motor
stalls
26. Letters for a grains
measurement
27. A sight on shotguns
29. The bowhunter’s ammo
31. Game bird’s homes
33. Shoulder hide on a deer
35. A rugged method of fishing
37. Shotgun shell that fails to fire
39. A species of deer
40. A trout species
43. A rifle organization
45. A deer species
47. To stand ready to shoot
49. Oxidation on a firearm part
50. A series of shots fired
51. Signifies side-by-side barrels
DOWN
1. To propel a bait
2. A sportfish
3. The buck’s mate
4. The best of campfire woods
5. The hunter’s friend and helper
6. A grommet on a fishing rod
WILD IN THE KITCHEN
Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 Pound large raw shrimp (16-20
count), shelled and deveined
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Garlic clove, minced
16 Whole wheat butter crackers
(such as Ritz), crushed (about 2/3
cup)
1/4 Cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground
pepper to taste
Lightly oil or coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking
spray and set aside. Preheat the oven
to 350°F. With a sharp knife slit
shrimp deeply down back without
cutting all the way through. Open
the shrimp halves to form a butterfly shape and flatten gently with a
mallet or rolling pin. Place shrimp
on the prepared baking sheet and
7. Consider this when looking for
crappies
8. To scare a game out of range
12. The handle section of a bow
13. The steelhead is one
15. Term for a game at rest
19. A wood used for arrow shafts
20. The Key deer is found here
21. Hunter rattles these to lure
deer
22. Describes a recent track
23. Used to fry fish over open fire
28. Storage cabinet for
bowhunting tackle
30. A fisherman’s waterproof wear
32. Hunter always aims for a clean
one
Young boars
A very large deer
To point a weapon at a target
To a bowman the arrow is this
To interpret a game’s track
A brood of pheasants
Deer teeth can reveal this
Bowman’s protective device,
____ pad
48. Letters signify a single action
gun
34.
36.
38.
41.
42.
43.
44.
46.
Outdoor Puzzler,
Wilbur "Wib" Lundeen
set aside. Heat the olive oil and butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook
until golden, about 1 minute. Add
the crackers, walnuts, and lemon
juice and stir until well combined.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the crumbs evenly and place
on top of the shrimp, pressing down
gently. Bake until the topping is
golden brown and the shrimp are
cooked through, about 18 minutes.
Recipe from The National Fisheries
Institute, www.aboutseafood.com.
Quail In Red Wine
Ingredients:
brandy; dust with flour. Melt butter
6 Quail, cleaned
in a heavy skillet; add quail and saute
Brandy
10 minutes. Saute mushrooms in 1/4
All-purpose flour
cup butter; pour over quail. Add con6 Tablespoons butter or margarine
somme, wine, celery, salt and pepper.
2 Cups sliced mushrooms
Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or
1/4 Cup melted butter or margarine
until quail is tender. Discard celery, if
1 Cup consomme
desired; stir in orange juice. Heat
1 Cup dry red wine
thoroughly. Yields: 6 servings.
1 Stalk celery, quartered
Recipe from the North Carolina
Salt and pepper
Cooperative Extension, www.ces.ndsu.
Juice of 2 oranges, strained
Rub quail with cloth soaked in edu.
Want to share your recipes?
E-mail them to [email protected]
September 14, 2007 Page 21
PRODUCTS
ICAST 2007'S BEST FISHING ACCESSORY: The Berkley TEC Pistol Trigger
Grip features a lock-and-release mechanism that’ll hold a fish until
you’re ready to release it. It offers a pistol grip trigger design and can
be holstered. Available with a sheath, it sells for about $60. For
dealers, call (800) 237-5539.
FIGHT THE BITE: Ultrathon Insect
Repellent from 3M provides
protection against mosquitoes
for up to 12 hours and relief
from ticks, flies, fleas and
other bugs for up to six hours.
The repellant features a
moisture-resistant formula
that makes it a good choice
for anglers (and sweaty
hunters) plus a “controlled
release technology” that extends
its effectiveness. The insect
repellant, which contains DEET,
is available with no added scent
in a 2-ounce tube ($9) and 6ounce spray or pump ($7.39). For
more information, call (800) 4305000.
DIGITAL CALLER: With the Johnny Stewart
PM-4 Remote Digital Caller, hunters
sitting in their blinds can use a
handheld remote to control
the calls. The base unit,
which has a wireless range
of 100 yards (up to 250
yards at optimal
conditions), is
compatible with all
available Preymaster
memory cards. The
handheld remote
transmitter’s waterresistant keypad has
raised select buttons
for each sound,
making it easy to
operate with gloves.
The battery-operated
unit has a 10-foot
extension cord so that its speakers
can be elevated. The system
weighs 2.3 pounds and sells for
about $200. For information, call (319) 395-0321.
INTERCHANGEABLE BARRELS: The new Sako Quad rimfire rifle allows shooters to select from four
interchangeable color-coded rifle barrels that can quickly be removed and replaced without changing the
point of impact. Chambered in .22LR, .17HMR, .22WMR and .17 Mach2, the Sako Quad features a bolt
throw with a short 50-degree bolt handle lift, detachable magazine and adjustable trigger system. A safety
feature prevents shooting the wrong caliber in the wrong barrel. The rifle is available in the Hunter Combo,
which features a walnut stock with traditional checkering (about $1,075 with one barrel to about $1,995 for
four barrels) and the Synthetic Combo with a fiberglass-reinforced copolymer synthetic stock (about $925
with one barrel to about $1,800 with four barrels). To order, call McClelland Gun Shop, (214) 321-0231.
TITANIUM FRAMES: Ono’s Trading Company, who
makes polarized sunglasses with bifocal
lenses for anglers with aging eyes, has
introduced two new styles. The
Latitude model offers gray
titanium rimless frame with gray
lens while the Schooner (shown)
boasts a brown rimless frame with
amber lens. The sunglasses offer
100-percent protection against UVA
and UVB rays. Their “low-profile
reader lenses” set in the interior of
each lens are available in three
magnifications to help anglers perform
such tasks as tying knots, baiting hooks, or
reading boat instruments. The polycarbonate
lenses have a scratch-resistant coating and a
Hydrophobic coating to repel sweat, rain, sunscreen, skin oils
and dirt. They sell for about $150. For dealers, call (866) 865-4695.
PLEASE, SWEAT IT: The Sweat Gutr by Tunnel
Vision Inc. doesn’t absorb sweat, it
diverts it. Built from a soft
PVC compound, the skinny
sweatband features a “micro
lip” that channels the sweat
away from the eyes and toward the
temples. It comes in small, medium
and large and can be adjusted with a
Velcro strap for a snug and comfortable fit
under that hunting cap. The camo-patterned Sweat Gutr costs about
$17. To order, call Long Grass Outfitters at (210) 408-6402.
HIGH-TECH LOOKOUT: Bushnell’s Trail
Sentry, available in a standard 2.1
MP model or with night vision,
boasts one of the quickest trigger
times on the market plus
extra-long battery life. Both
models capture sharp digital
photos or short video clips.
The motion-activated game camera
comes with an adjustable web belt
strap with buckle. The standard
model costs about $200; with night
vision, it costs about $260. For
retailers, call (800) 423-3537.
CHILD-SIZED GEAR: Next
time the grandkids go
along on a fly-fishing
trip, outfit them in
these Kids’ Gore-Tex
Stockingfoots from
Simms Fishing
Products. Designed
especially for children,
the waders feature
three-layer Gore-Tex
plus a high-density
neoprene stockingfoot
that slides over a pair of
athletic shoes or boots.
The waders, which
convert to waist-highs,
have adjustable
suspenders, a built-in
belt loop, a nylon
wading belt and
reinforced knees. They
cost about $140. To
order, call Tailwaters Fly
Fishing Co., (214) 2192500.
ICAST 2007'S BEST LINE: Stren’s
Microfuse Blue Glacier Fluorescent
line is a thermally fused braided
line that glows a fluorescent blue in
daytime and a neon blue in the
dark. Although the glow can be
seen above water, the line
maintains low visibility
underwater. The company says the
line’s super-smooth, mono-like
surface allows for incredible casting
distance while the near-zero stretch
facilitates incredible sensitivity
Available in sizes ranging from 2- to
30-pound test, it costs about $19 for
125 yards. For dealers, call (866) 4478736.
Page 22 September 14, 2007
Dove
Continued from Page 1
more birds were taken in the
Abilene area than in past years. “I
think the numbers of birds killed
was actually up,” said warden
Steve Medford. “The birds were
real spread out — they have so
many places to feed and water —
so hunting in a lot of areas was
spotty, but it’s always spotty.”
Medford said the numbers of
hunters seemed high as well. “I
know the number of violations
was way up from last year,” he said.
Medford had seen more birds in
the area before the heavy rains
leading up to the opener. “A
month before the season, they
were everywhere, but after the
rains they dispersed,” he said.
“But the recent cold fronts have
moved more birds in.”
The opener wasn’t subpar for
everyone, though. Hunters near
San Antonio and Uvalde reported
good, if not great hunts. “Despite
the rains, we had real good hunts,”
said Mark Roberts, who guides
near Uvalde. “We were shooting
mostly whitewings coming from
the Uvalde city limits.”
Roberts felt many of the birds
from farther north have moved in
to the area. “There are more birds
here for the second weekend than
there were for the opener,” he
said.
South of Fort Worth near
Benbrook Lake, hunters took limits in sunflower fields, also prima-
rily birds coming from within the
city limits. “It was awesome,” said
Matt Packard of Southlake. “They
were coming from everywhere.”
Hunters near Haslet and Knox
City reported limits, but the
flights tapered off throughout the
weekend. “It was more difficult
than in previous years,” said
Loren Myers of Copper Breaks,
who guided hunters in Knox
County. “Hunters willing to hunt
both in the morning and evening
were able to scratch out a limit,
along with those that had the hot
spots in the field.
“The good shooters got limits,
but it was tough for the once-ayear hunters.”
Near Graham, three hunters
who spent a good amount of time
scouting managed limits on opening day, but the lower overall
numbers of birds brought less success on the second day.
West of Houston, rains washed
out many hunts on opening day,
but hunting improved the next
day when the skies cleared.
Weather played a role during
the second weekend of the season
in North Texas, as Sunday
brought rains to much of the area.
Hunters near Hondo and San
Antonio shot quick limits of
whitewings, and early morning
whitewings leaving the Waco city
limits flew so high that only the
shotshell manufacturers benefited.
The birds returned in the
evening flying low and fast, offering good evening shoots for wellpositioned hunters.
Sharks
Continued from Page 1
“We normally catch 4- to 6footers — bulls and blacktips —
in that area,” Rickerson said.
“That’s what we were going for. I
just got lucky.”
Rickerson, who’s been fishing
for shark for two or three years,
landed his prize behind Mud
Island after a two hour, 10
minute struggle — and a two and
a half hour trip to Cove Harbor
with the shark tied alongside his
17-foot boat.
The 9-foot, 513-pound shark
has been certified as Texas’ record
for the species. He landed the
shark on 50-pound test line.
Dr. Greg Stunz, an assistant
professor
at
Texas
A&M
University-Corpus Christi, said
fishermen have been quietly targeting sharks in the area where
Rickerson got the big strike for
some time.
“It’s not like (sharks) are
unheard of in the bay, but it does
seem like in the bay system, especially Matagorda Bay, that they’re
becoming more and more prevalent, particularly smaller sharks.
That’s what we’re seeing.”
Rickerson’s catch wasn’t the
only large shark seen in the
Corpus Christi area, though. In
December, a 9-foot, 500-pound
female shortfin mako shark
washed ashore on the university
beach on Corpus Christi Bay.
Stunz said he has no idea why
the mako, normally a pelagic
species, was in the saucer-like
shallow bay. Corpus Christi Bay
is generally about 12 feet deep on
average.
“We took the shark and did
necropsies and tried to figure out
exactly what was wrong with it,
but the results were pretty inconclusive,” he said. “It was a little
on the skinny side for its age,
which led us to believe it might
have been sick. That’s not conclusive by any means.”
Where the sharks are, and
what the big sharks are doing in
the bay system around Corpus
Christi isn’t clear.
Several of the large shark
species come near shore to give
birth. Shark fishermen like Rick
Underbrink of San Antonio try
their luck in the Port Aransas
Ship Channel and the Lydia Ann
Channel in April and May when
the sharks come in to pup.
“The rest of the year, most of
the time it’s in the surf in the
Gulf of Mexico,” Underbrink
said. “It’s a spring ritual, we know
in April and May those sharks are
moving in and that’s the only
time we really fish for them in the
bay system.”
Stunz said there’s not much of
a record to go on either as far as
shark populations and distributions. A research project just getting under way will look at the
distributions of shark population
all along the Texas coast, he said,
especially at the Padre Island
National Seashore.
The influx of sharks could be
due to several things.
“Our feeling is it’s probably
related to warming of the climate,
some,” Stunz said. “The sharks
can tolerate these warmer temperatures better and are just sort
of expanding their range farther
into the bay.”
He’s not certain of that,
though.
Another possibility is the salinity in the bay. Sharks tend to
expand their range when the
salinity of the bay increases, particularly in the summer months,
he said.
With anecdotal reports of
increasing numbers of sharks,
Stunz wants to research it.
“Part of the research we’re
going to be starting is to figure
out why that is,” he said. “Is it
warmer temperatures, or is something going on where sharks are
looking for more baitfish because
others have been depleted in
other areas? We don’t have a good
handle on what that is right
now.”
Underbrink said he hasn’t
heard of many more people going
after sharks in the bay. Activity
seems about normal, he said.
Rickerson, too, said he hasn’t
seen a lot of sharkers out. He’s
only been out for shark two or
three times since his record
catch.
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
SOLUTION
FROM
PAGE 20
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September 14, 2007 Page 23
Zebra truck stripes Texas with newspaper boxes
Lone Star Outdoor News and the Dallas Safari
Club have partnered to co-brand more than 100
metal newspaper boxes sporting the logos of each
organization.
The boxes have been placed at specialty stores
throughout Texas, and copies of Lone Star
Outdoor News will be available at these boxes.
In mid-August, the boxes were ready for pickup
and delivery. David Sams, CEO of Lone Star
Outdoor News, was available to do the delivery,
but needed a trailer. Dallas Safari Club Executive
Director Gray Thornton was quick to offer the use
of its 16-foot trailer, along with the DSC Chevrolet
Silverado truck, which happens to be wrapped to
look like a zebra. The trailer sports the DSC logo,
which has a large stampeding elephant pasted on
its front.
The tour of Texas with the zebra truck brought
stares and questions. When the newspaper boxes
were picked up at the manufacturing facility in
Shiner, a dockworker asked,
“What kind of truck is that?”
Another said, “Man, that looks cool,” before
the foreman called them to load the truck.
While searching for the location to drop the
boxes in Houston, Sams underestimated the distance one could travel in the zebra truck with the
low fuel light illuminated. Autumn Waska, who
operates a delivery business with her sister, came
to the rescue with gas can in tow.
At the gas station to fill the tank, a man
approached the zebra truck wanting to know
what the truck was doing in Houston. After learning of the deliveries, he explained. “I am a DSC
member and just moved down to Houston, and I
was driving by and saw the truck and had to stop
and say hello.”
The boxes have been placed in the Houston
area and the response has been extremely positive.
“Putting these boxes outside our store is a natural,” said Marcos Enriquez, Fly Fishing Manager at
the Orvis Houston store. “It fits our customers
and our products. It has increased the pick up.
They are right at the door, you can’t miss them.”
While en route to Corpus Christi to drop the
boxes for placement throughout the Valley, Sams
ran in to an interesting character. While refueling, a woman asked:
“Do you have a zoo in there?”
“No, no zoo, we are the Dallas Safari Club,”
Sams replied.
“Oh, you are that guy. Are you that guy? Oh no,
he is dead,” she said.
Sams answered, “What, that guy with all the
animals?”
“Steve,” she said.
“Steve Irwin? Yes, ma’am, he is dead,” Sams
replied.
The woman left and returned to her car.
The boxes in Valley were placed by South Texas
Circulation. “For a free publication, the boxes are
the best I have seen; they look great,” said Victor
Cantu, owner. “They are attractive and in good
locations, the retailers benefit because they
endorse a good product and it backs up their
advertising. It lets everybody know we are here
and here to stay.”
At the last stop through Shiner to pick up additional boxes, a dockworker asked Sams.
“How much they pay you to drive that truck?”
“Not near enough,” Sams replied.
After completing the 1,650-mile tour through
Austin and San Antonio and reaching the final destination in Dallas, the zebra truck tour was over.
After making sure the truck wasn’t wrecked,
DSC Executive Director Gray Thornton offered
his thoughts on the partnership. “The newspaper
box partnership is another win/win example of
the partnership between Texas’ finest outdoor
news medium and our international organization. DSC and LSON are truly partners in providing the most up to date and quality outdoor news
in Texas.”
The Chevrolet Silverado zebra truck will be raffled by the Dallas Safari Club at it annual convention in January. Raffle tickets may be purchased
for $100 through the DSC by calling (972) 9809800.
A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report.
ON THE ROAD: The Zebra truck tour logged 1,650
miles. The first placement of a LSON box was in
San Antonio at Texas Hunters Products. Truck
photo by Lili A. Sams.
Page 24 September 14, 2007
FISHING REPORT
HOT BITES
LARGEMOUTH
BASS
BASTROP: Black bass are good on
watermelon red deep diving crankbaits
and soft plastics.
CADDO: Black bass are good on
black/red or watermelon Senkos on the
grass and along the edges of lily pads
and on soft plastic frogs over grass and
lily pads.
TRAVIS: Black bass are good on
white/red topwaters and watermelon
soft plastic worms in 15-25 feet.
WHITE/
HYBRID/STRIPER
BRAUNIG: Striped bass are excellent
on liver and shad off points near the
pier and at the north end of the park,
and down rigging silver and gold spoons
near the jetty and dam.
GRAPEVINE: White bass are good to
excellent all over the lake.
CATFISH
BUCHANAN: Yellow and blue catfish
are very good on rod/reel, juglines and
trotlines baited with goldfish and perch
upriver.
CANYON LAKE: Yellow and blue catfish
are very good on trotlines and juglines
baited with live goldfish and perch from
Cranes Mill Park to the mouth of the
river.
LBJ: Yellow and blue catfish are very
good on trotlines baited with goldfish
and perch.
CRAPPIE
CONROE: Crappie are good on minnows
and white tube jigs.
GRANGER: Crappie are excellent on
minnows and tube jigs in 12-20 feet.
NAVARRO MILLS: Crappie are very
good on minnows along the riprap near
the dam and near the marina.
BREAM
HOUSTON COUNTY: Bream are good
on live worms over grass beds and off
piers.
WEATHERFORD: Bream are good on
worms.
GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 22.75' low. White
ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 85 degrees. Black bass are fair
bass are good on live bait and shad-colored crankbaits along riprap
on shad-colored spinnerbaits and black/blue jigs.
and points. Catfish are good on worms.
AMISTAD: Water fairly clear; 84 degrees; 7.40' low. Black bass are
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.49' high. Black
fair on watermelon Senkos, jigs, and Carolina rigged soft plastics,
bass are good on chrome/black Tiny Torpedoes, and on June bug red
and on topwaters early.
soft plastic worms near drop offs. Channel and blue catfish are good
ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 1' low. Black bass
on trotlines baited with shad.
are good early in day on white soft plastic jerkbaits, topwater lures
JOE POOL: Water off color; 82-84 degrees; 0.84' high. White bass
and spinnerbaits near shallow vegetation. White bass are good
are fair to good on RJR Slabs over mid-lake humps and trolling
trolling and west of state park. Catfish are good in upper end on
Hellbender/Pet Spoon rigs.
punchbait or juglines baited with cut shad or carp.
LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 82-85 degrees; 1.3'
ATHENS: Water fairly clear, 83-84 degrees; 0.12 high. Black bass
high. Catfish are fair to good on chartreuse nightcrawlers (use Wormare fair on topwaters in the coves and off points early, later switchGlo) and Danny King's Punch Bait.
ing to Carolina-rigged worms and lizards in 10-15 feet.
LBJ: Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.29' low. Black bass are good on
BASTROP: Water clear. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and
watermelon jigs, watermelon red Whacky Sticks, and pumpkin 4-in.
blue catfish are very good on shrimp, minnows and chartreuse (use
tubes near docks and lay downs along seawalls and in 10 feet at
Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers.
daylight. Striped bass are good on Spoiler Shads and 1 in. Li'l
BELTON: Water fairly clear; 89 degrees; 23.85' high. Hybrid striper
Fishies at night. Channel catfish are very good on nightcrawlers, liver,
are good on white Riversides at night under lights. White bass are
and dip bait.
good on white Riversides at night under lights. Channel and blue
LIVINGSTON: Water fairly
catfish are good on hot
clear; 80 degrees; 0.15'
dogs, chartreuse (use
high. White bass are good
Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers
on pet spoons and slabs.
and summer sausage.
Blue catfish are good on
Yellow catfish are good on
shad.
live perch.
MACKENZIE: Water lightly
BOB SANDLIN: Water
stained; 84 degrees; 1.7'
clear; 82-84 degrees; 0.05'
low. Crappie are good on
low. Black bass are fair to
minnows and jigs.
good early and late on
buzzbaits and topwater
MEREDITH: Water lightly
plugs, midday switching to
stained; 82 degrees;
black/blue jigs and
33.75' low. Crappie are
Carolina-rigs.
good on jigs and minnows.
BRAUNIG: Water stained;
NAVARRO MILLS: Water
88 degrees. Channel catmurky; 88 degrees; 0.05'
fish are excellent on liver,
low. White bass are good
shrimp, cut bait, and
on red/white roadrunners
cheesebait near the dam
on the flats between Wolf
and the discharge. Blue
Park and Oak Park.
catfish are good on cut
Channel and blue catfish
bait.
are good on stinkbait and
cut shad.
BROWNWOOD: Water clear;
84 degrees; 0.45' low.
O.H. IVIE: Water lightly
Black bass to 2.5 pounds
stained; 84 degrees;
are good on spinnerbaits
10.05' low. Crappie are
and redbug or watermelon
good on minnows and jigs.
worms with near the docks
White bass are good on
and over brush piles in 2-5
live baits and crankbaits.
feet early and 8-15 feet
Channel catfish are good
later. Hybrid striper are
on live baits.
good trolling hellbenders
PALO DURO: Water lightly
near the Woodsman of the
stained; 82 degrees; 23'
Water stained; 89 degrees; 1.35' low. Black bass are good on dark soft plastic
World camp. White bass are
low. Crappie are good on
worms
and
crankbaits.
White
bass
are
good
on
silver
spoons
off
points.
Crappie
are
good on Li'l Fishies off
jigs and minnows.
good on live minnows. Bream are good on chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers.
lighted docks at night.
POSSUM KINGDOM:
Channel catfish are good on
Water stained and clearcut bait and nightcrawlers
ing;
84
degrees;
1.15'
low.
White
bass
are
good just off river channel
over baited holes in 12-20 feet.
north of Costello Island with some topwater action.
BUCHANAN: Water clear; 85 degrees; 2.01' low. Black bass are
PROCTOR: Water murky; 81 degrees; 3.14' high. The boat ramp at
good on daiquiri topwaters, blue shad flukes, Rat-L-Traps, and
High Point is open. Black bass are good on watermelon spinnerbaits
wacky rigged watermelon red Whacky Sticks along docks and over
and Rat-L-Traps, and on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good
flats early. Striped bass are good on Spoiler Shads plastic swim
on frozen shrimp, shad, and stinkbait.
baits and drifting or free lining live bait around Lighthouse Point at
first light. Channel catfish are good on liver, minnows, and dip bait.
RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 81-84 degrees; 0.08' low.
Black bass are fair early on spinnerbaits and Texas rigs around riprap
CADDO: Water stained; 82-86 degrees; 0.19' high. Crappie are good
and lily pads. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are
on minnows and jigs around cypress trees and in the river bends.
good to excellent on topwaters and slabs. Hybrid striper are good on
Catfish are good on limblines with cut bait.
2 oz. slabs. Catfish are good on prepared bait.
CALAVERAS: Water stained; 88 degrees. Striped bass are good on
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 82-84 degrees; 2.76' high. White bass
spoons and striper jigs near the dam and the crappie wall in 15-20
are good (sporadic schooling) on 1/4 oz. Super Spots and clear
feet, and on chicken livers and shad along the shoreline. Redfish are
Torpedoes.
good down rigging spoons with green grubs between the crappie wall
and the dam in 15-20 feet, and on crawfish and tilapia along the
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water off-color; 83-85 degrees; 0.09' high.
shoreline. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp,
Black bass are fair to good on topwaters and spinnerbaits early, midcheesebait, and shad near the railroad trestle, 181 Cove, and the
day switching to Carolina rigs and drop shot rigs. Catfish are good on
discharge.
prepared baits and cut shad.
CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 85 degrees; 5.86' high. Black bass are
TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 82-85 degrees; 0.56' low. Catfish
fair to good on JDC Skip-N-Pops, Pop R's, and wacky rigged waterare good on nightcrawlers and prepared bait. White bass are good on
melon red Whacky Sticks along the edges of grass and buck brush,
Humdingers and topwaters.
and on Texas rigged blue flake worms and drop shot Devil's Tongues
TEXOMA: Water fairly clear; 82-85 degrees; 3.69' high. Striper bass
along break lines and ledges.
are fair early on topwaters and Sassy Shad (still around the shoreCEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 81-84 degrees; 0.16' low.
line), later switching to slabs and sticking with Sassy Shad. Catfish
Black bass are fair to good on Carolina rigs, jigs and drop shot rigs,
are fair on cut shad and nightcrawlers.
with early action on topwaters. Catfish are good drifting cut shad
TOLEDO BEND: Water clear; 91 degrees; 1.25' low. Black bass are
and on chartreuse nightcrawlers (use Worm-Glo).
good on 6" black/blue craw worms and deep diving DD22 crankbaits.
CHOKE CANYON: Water stained, clear from 99 Bridge south; 89
White bass are good on spoons. Bream are good on crickets and
degrees; 0.13' high. Channel and blue catfish are good on punchnightcrawlers in 5-10 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on
bait.
trotlines baited with shrimp and nightcrawlers.
COLEMAN: Water clear; 80 degrees. Black bass are good on charTRAVIS: Water clear; 84 degrees; 1.07' high. Crappie are good on
treuse and chartreuse blue spinnerbaits, soft plastics, and Rat-Lminnows and white tube jigs in 22-30 feet. Channel and blue catfish
Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and green tube jigs. Channel
are very good on chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers, frozen
and blue catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.
shrimp and fresh shad in 20-40 feet.
WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 86 degrees (92 at discharge).
CONROE: Water fairly clear; 0.31' low. Black bass are good on
Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on chartreuse
watermelon red and tequila sunrise Carolina rigged soft plastics and
(use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.
Senkos, and on chartreuse Rat-L-Traps.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 82-86 degrees; 1.08' low. Crappie
FALCON: Water clear south, stained north; 84 degrees. Channel and
are good on minnows and jigs in the crappie house and over brush
blue catfish are good on frozen shrimp and cut bait.
piles.
FORK: Water fairly clear; 82-85 degrees; 0.42' high. Black bass are
WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 26.7' low. Crappie
fair on buzzbaits and Yellow Magics early, midday switching to
are good on jigs and minnows. Channel catfish are good on live baits.
Carolina rigs and 3/4 oz. jigs with trailers. Catfish are good on cut
shad and chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers.
WHITNEY: Water murky; 0.82' high. Catfish are good on frozen
shrimp and punchbait.
GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.56' low. Black bass are good on chartreuse/blue and chartreuse/white spinnerbaits and soft plastics.
WICHITA: Water clearing; 86 degrees; full at spillway. Channel catCatfish are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and liver.
fish are good drift fishing with shrimp or punchbait.
WRIGHT PATMAN: Water off color; 81-85 degrees; 4.77' high.
GRANGER: Water clear; 86 degrees; 13.02' high. White bass are
Catfish are good on cut shad and chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightgood on slab spoons off points. Channel and blue catfish are very
crawlers.
good on chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers and cut bait.
HOT SPOT
Sam Rayburn
Serving a quarter-million people
Bring the best of the
outdoors indoors.
SALTWATER
SCENE
NORTH SABINE: Trout and redfish are
good in the middle of the lake on live
shad under a popping cork. Redfish are
good in the marsh on topwaters and live
bait.
SOUTH SABINE: Trout and redfish are
fair to good under the birds on live shad
and soft plastics. Trout and reds are good
at the jetty on live bait and topwaters.
Redfish are good in Keith Lake on shrimp.
BOLIVAR: Redfish, gafftop and whiting
are good at Rollover Pass on shrimp and
mullet. Trout are good on the outgoing
tide on MirrOlures.
TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair under the
birds on the lower end of the bay.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good
while drifting slicks on limetreuse and
glow plastics. Trout
are good in
the Ship
Channel and
on the reefs
on croakers and live shrimp. Trout are
good under the birds.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and redfish
are good while drifting scattered shell on
live shrimp under a popping cork. Trout
are good under the birds on plastics.
Offshore is good for red snapper, dorado,
shark and kingfish. Tarpon are good near
the beach.
TEXAS CITY: Trout, redfish, flounder, whiting, sand trout and black drum are good
from the dike at night under the lights on
live bait. Trout are good on croaker at
Todd's Dump and the Ship Channel.
Redfish are good on live bait in Moses
Lake.
FREEPORT: Redfish, whiting, croaker and
sand trout are good on fresh dead at the
jetty. Trout are
good at San
Luis Pass on
topwaters and
live bait.
EAST
MATAGORDA: Trout are fair to good on
live shrimp under a popping cork while
drifting deep shell. Trout are good around
Raymond Reef on live shrimp.
MATAGORDA: Trout and redfish are fair to
good along the south shoreline on She
Dogs, Super Spooks and black Trout
Killers, Sand Eels and Bass Assassins.
Redfish are good in Oyster Lake on live
shrimp.
PORT O'CONNOR: Trout are good on the
grass on plum or black plastics. Trout are
good on the shell in Espirtu Santo Bay on
croaker and topwaters. Redfish are good
at the jetty on live bait.
ROCKPORT: Redfish are good on the
Estes Flats on shrimp under a popping
cork. Trout are good on topwaters at
Allyn's Bight and Dagger Island.
PORT ARANSAS: Trout and redfish are
fair to good at the North Jetty, Mustang
Island and San Jose surf on croaker,
shrimp and topwaters. Redfish are good in
the surf on crabs.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are good along
the edges of the Intracoastal on shrimp
and piggy perch. Trout and sand trout are
good from the piers at night on shrimp.
Trout are good on live bait on the reefs in
Nueces Bay.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good in the Land
Cut on croakers and shrimp. Trout are fair
to good while throwing topwaters and dark
plastics around the rocks. Redfish are
good on mullet and piggy perch around
Yarborough and Nine Mile Hole.
PORT MANSFIELD: Redfish are good on
the flats on topwaters and plastics. Trout
are fair to good on soft plastics on the
drop-offs along the Intracoastal.
SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good on the
edges of the channel on soft plastics.
Tarpon are steady at Brazos Santiago
Pass. Snook are good on free-lined jumbo
shrimp.
PORT ISABEL: Trout, sand trout, whiting
and mangrove snapper are good on shrimp
from the piers. Redfish are schooling
along the west side. Trout are good along
the channel edges.
September 14, 2007 Page 25
Bows
Continued from Page 6
centration on every shot.
Bowhunters need not fling dozens of arrows
each practice session to become proficient. Better
to carefully fire a dozen or so per practice session,
but doing one or two short sessions each day.
Shooting too many arrows per session makes it
easy to develop bad techniques when muscles are
tired causing the shooter to strain to draw, hold
and release.
Most archers tend to practice with older arrows,
while saving the new ones for a final session or
two just prior to hunting season. They may discover the new arrows group differently, sometimes a lot differently, than the ones they were
practicing with. This tip may help.
Start out with two-dozen arrows of identical
Callers
Continued from Page 6
happy to win it, there were a
lot of great callers there.”
The Team Goose calling
contest was won by the team
of David Pruett and Brian
Hall, with Lee and Chris Swift
placing second. “I was just
happy to beat James (Prince)
at something,” Lee said.
Ivan Perez, a freelance guide
from Katy, won the duck calling contest, followed by David
Pruett. “Ivan is a great duck
make, weight and vane characteristics. Use one
dozen for practice and save the other dozen for
hunting. Once the season is over, have your practice arrows reworked at the archery shop and delegate your hunting arrows to next year’s practice
sessions.
And do this every year. This way you’ll have
both practice and hunting arrows that fly consistently and group the same each year and for several years to come, without having to invest in
brand new arrows every year or two.
The broadhead is critical. Whatever style is chosen, it must be razor sharp, strong and able to fly
well from the bow. The bow, arrow shaft and
broadhead should be an integrated system.
Compared with field points, hunting broadheads require more precise tuning. They must be
uniform in weight and installed perfectly straight.
For the best hunting accuracy, tune-up and practice with the real thing. No matter how good the
caller and duck hunter,” Lee
said. “I tell customers if they
want to hunt geese to go with
Chris Swift or me. But if they
want ducks, go with Ivan.”
STANDINGS
Youth
1st
Colby Walkoviak
2nd Austin Hebert
3rd
Tyler Fontenot
World Snow
1st
Nathan Wright
2nd Brian Hall
3rd
James Prince
Specklebelly
1st
James Prince
2nd Jason Campbell
Schools
Continued from Page 6
students have competed at two statewide
competitions.
“Texas has a strong dove and quail hunting heritage,” Hall said. “Clay target
games simulate the flight of these popular
game birds, so a program like this is a natural fit.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioner
3rd
Ian Woods
Duck
1st
Ivan Perez
2nd David Pruett
3rd
Lin Vaughn
Mouth
1st
Chris Lee
2nd Mathew Quartura
3rd
Tag Anderson
Team Goose
1st
David Pruett & Brian
Hall
2nd Chris Swift & Chris
Lee
3rd
Nathan Wright &
James Prince
John Parker of Lufkin learned of the
Tennessee program about a year ago and
believes the concept will be successful in
Texas, too.
“I think the potential is there,” Parker
said. “We have a dedicated group of folks
working together to make it happen, and I
support the effort enthusiastically.”
TPW is also planning to launch an
introductory after-school program to
youth clay sports in 2008, called Junior
Clays.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife report.
Page 26 September 14, 2007
nows and woolly buggers can be more productive,” Fair said.
Bruce Hysmith, fisheries biologist for Texas
Parks and Wildlife in Denison, said fly-fishers
Continued from Page 8
in his district like several of the smaller, less
action in the water, lands soft and doesn’t pressured lakes come fall. Loy Lake, for
instance, “is pretty popular for sunfish, red ear
spook the fish.”
In North Texas, Sheryl Knight will head for and small bass,” he said.
Other popular spots are Waterloo Park Lake
an overnight trip on the Brazos River. She’ll be
in Denison, and Lake
looking for Guadalupe bass,
Fannin, north of Ivanhoe,
smallmouth, largemouth,
he said.
“everything that inhabits
Beginning
in
late
the waters of Texas.”
September at Lake Fork, “the
Knight, president of the
largemouth will be schoolSouthern Council, Federaing on top like stripers,” said
tion of Fly Fishers, and an
Rob Woodruff, who guides
Arlington resident, likes to
the lake for fly-fishers. When
use an SOS minnow tied by
that’s not happening, he
her husband. Her favorite
fishes the weed lines with
color combo is a wild green,
frog poppers and larger
orange and yellow with lead
divers.
eyes.
Caddo Lake is another
“Being able to float on a
favorite fall spot in East
— MARCOS ENRIQUEZ
fall day, and in the evening
Texas, Woodruff said. Bass,
have it cool enough that you
crappie and other species
can appreciate a campfire”
“group up” at the intersecare all part of the experience,
tions between dense vegetaKnight said.
Jef Fair, fly-fishing manager for Orvis in tion and boat channels, he said.
Another
bonus
for fly-fishers is historic
Arlington, will also head for the Brazos in fall,
and probably fish with reliable clauser min- Caddo’s look in the fall. “The cypress tree needles start to turn that rusted color,” Woodruff
nows or woolly buggers.
“Top water with poppers can be very excit- said. “It makes a nice contrast with the grey
ing, but, in my experience, using clauser min- Spanish moss.”
Fly
“To me, fall’s
the best time to
fly-fish in Texas.
Hands down.”
hook. Growing to nearly 200
pounds, gar require sturdy rigging.
Without a doubt, landing the fish
can be tricky. “Gar are smart. If the
Continued from Page 8
fish is not hooked well, it is nothing
Approach the area quietly, Wessels for them to shake your bait free or cut
said, and cast a big chunk of mullet. your line with their teeth,” Wessels
“When fishing rivers,
said.
find a big bend and
Letting the gar
fish on the shallow
swim with the bait
sand bar — this is
long enough to hook
their feeding ground.
them past their
If the current is not
sharp teeth is key.
moving, let the bait
“Usually you can
suspend without a
know if they will
weight.”
remain hooked after
The Trinity, Colothe gar makes a
rado, and Brazos are
pause following a
rivers Wessels and
long run,” he said.
Leudecke favor for
Texas has no bag
hooking a gar.
or size limits on alliThe cost-effectivegator gar. Wessels
ness adds more
and Leudecke target
appeal to gar fishing.
the species for fun,
— CLAYTON WESSELS
Other than cut bait,
but will often keep a
a small offshore outsmall gar for the dinfit is the only thing needed. “We like a ner table. “A 20-pounder is an ideal
7-foot, medium heavy stick matched eating fish,” Leudecke said. “Cut the
with an Ambassador 6500,” Wessels fish into thin strips and it tastes pretty
said.
good.” To release a gar hooked too
Both anglers use 30- to 50-pound deeply to extract the hooks with ease,
braided line with a 3-foot steel leader anglers should cut the line to ensure
connecting a number two treble the fish’s survival.
Gar
“They remind me of
a semi-truck
driving on the
water’s bottom; they
are heavy, pull hard,
and stay down deep.”
Guides join up
for gar fishing
roundup
A group of fishing guides in the
Rockport area got together to have
a “just for fun” gar fishing tournament.
The second annual Gar Anglers
Roundup was held recently in
Rockport. Twelve teams of four
fishermen each competed for the
most pounds of gar caught in a single day. The winning team
weighed in two fish totaling 171.4
pounds.
According to weighmaster James
Fox, the top team of Phillip Durst,
Eric Durst, Brent Hopkins and
Raggie Loy caught their fish near
the California Hole using cutbait
(mullet and skipjack) for bait. Team
member Phillip Durst pulled in the
largest fish weighing 92.6 pounds.
The team of Brad Smyth, Mark
Williams, Butch Waggoner and
Ryan Waggoner finished second
with 131.8 pounds, while third
place was landed by the team of
Tommy
Ramzinsky,
Dillion
Ramzinsky, Danny Adams and
Adrian Zuniga with 112.2 pounds.
“The cost to enter was $400 per
team and there was a 100-percent
payback,” Fox said. After the
weigh-in at the Poor Man’s
Country Club Bar and Grill, the
fish were given to commercial gar
fishermen who cleaned the fish
and sold them. Gar meat is selling
for about $2 per pound, Fox said.
Fish must be caught on a rod and
reel and measure at least 36 inches
in length in order to be weighed at
the event.
There were about 20 total fish
caught in the event. “Most of the
participants are fishing guides in
Rockport and this gives them a
chance to have some fun,” Fox said.
Next year, the event will be held
at the end of August. Contact
Albert Mills at (361) 729-7667 for
information.
A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report.
Official truck
of the
September 14, 2007 Page 27
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