October 14, 2005 Volume 2, Issue 4 Bagging · hot on Lake Texoma as the weather gets cool. See page 8 Gigging is a popular way to catch flounder, and Texas Parks and Wildlife experts

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ADVENTUREBird hunting in Mexico

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DEPARTMENTSProduct Picks Page 13

Made in Texas Page 14

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Wild in the Kitchen Page 15

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Game Warden Blotter Page 16

Fishing Report Page 17

Classified Page 18

Outdoor Datebook Page 19

Heroes’ Corner Page 19

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Volume 2, Issue 4October 14, 2005

Bagging the bigbucks

BUCKS: Bowhunters reported the season opener could have been better. Hot temperatures keptbuck movement to a minimum.

South Zone sizzlesBy Todd Nafe

Some people say you haven’tbeen dove hunting untilyou’ve hunted in SouthTexas. And this South Zone

opener didn’t disappoint wing-shooters.

In Uvalde County, openingweek got a thumbs-up. Brad

Draughon, manager of HaciendaRanch, said hunters had to do a lit-tle traveling at times, but theyalways found the birds — whichare plentiful.

Jeff James of Uvalde’s War HorseRanch agreed.

“Things are looking good rightnow, but we’re hoping for the rightweather patterns to keep the birds

Runningof the bulls

By David Sikes

More redfish tags areattached to oversizedfish in the fall than atany other time of year

in Texas.Texas Parks and Wildlife records

show that more than half the11,000 to 12,000 bull reds arecaught and kept between Augustand October.

Biologists estimate that anglerscatch and release thousands ofadditional oversized redfish in thefall — and, to some degree,throughout the year.

A substantial number of thesebull reds are caught between jet-

Rita’s rageStorm slams coast, spares game fish

By Mark England

Chuck Uzzle was practi-cally giddy when heput his Alumacraft onthe Sabine River last

week — more than a week afterHurricane Rita ripped throughTexas and Louisiana.

“It felt really good,” saidUzzle, a coastal fishing guide.“For an hour, I could forgetabout the bad stuff.”

Rita delivered her punch tothe Texas-Louisiana border twoweeks after Hurricane Katrinaslammed into the eastern partof Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

Uzzle’s house in Orange wasspared, but Rita blew over treesand gnawed a hole in his roof.

But what he saw during histour of the Sabine River — aswell as Sabine Lake — madeUzzle hopeful that he can beguiding anglers again by the

Continued on page 10

HOT ZONE: David Sweet prepares to fire on a dove. Photo by David J. Sams /LSON



By Lynn Burkhead

Hot, dry, and not much happening. By manyaccounts, that was the tale that was told bybowhunters around the state as the 2005 earlyarchery season commenced on Oct. 1.

But there were success stories. Take 16-year-old JoshBowers of Van Alstyne.

Bowers scored big in North Texas on the early archeryseason’s opening evening, arrowing a beautiful 11-pointbuck that could have a gross score of 150 inches or better.

“That was the only deer I saw all evening,” said Bowers.Bowers father, Greg, who was sitting in a tree stand

behind his son, could only stare in disbelief when the pairof hunters walked up on the big buck later that evening.

2005 bow season offto a hit-and-miss start


Striper fishing is expected to gethot on Lake Texoma as theweather gets cool.

See page 8

Gigging is a popular way tocatch flounder, and Texas Parksand Wildlife experts say thatspearing the fish isn’t hurtingtheir numbers.

See page 8

HUNTING NEWSHosting an outdoors programmay seem like an easy job.However, those who do it saythe trick is not getting ontelevision, but figuring out howto make your show interestingenough to keep an audiencefrom week to week.

See page 6

When it comes to talking turkey,few do it better than LeeLindeman of Clarksville. Thefuneral home director has wonthe last three state titles,earning him an appearance on“Late Night with ConanO’Brien.”

See page 7

CONSERVATION NEWSWhat was thought to be aminimal outbreak of red tidehas grown recently, spreadingalong the Texas coast. However,state officials say it’s nothing tobe alarmed about – yet.

See page 5

NATIONAL NEWSAn Asian immigrant convicted ofkilling six deer hunters inWisconsin is being looked at inthe killing of another Wisconsindeer hunter some four yearsearlier.

See page 4

INSIDE

FISHING NEWS

REDS: Eric Shirey holds a bull redfishcaught on the South Jetty in PortAransas.

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Page 4 � October 14, 2005

NATIONAL NEWS

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A subscription is $25 for 24 issues. Copyright 2005 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use ofany photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited.

Printed in Dallas, TX, by Midway Press. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243 or e-mail them to

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For the second time in history, awoman has won the Federal DuckStamp contest.

Sherrie Russell Meline’s renditionof a Ross’ goose continues the duckstamp’s tradition of outstanding wildlifeart, said Matt Hogan, acting director of theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The FWS sponsors the Federal DuckStamp contest.

“More importantly, it will help us con-vey the importance of preserving ournation’s wetland habitat and the wildlifeand communities it supports,” Hogansaid.

The painting by Russell Meline, of Mt.Shasta, Calif., bested 232 other entries andwill grace the 2006-2007 Federal DuckStamp, which goes on sale July 1, 2006.

The sale of Federal Duck Stamps raisesapproximately $25 million each year tofund waterfowl habitat acquisition for theNational Wildlife Refuge System.

This year was the first time in thestamp’s 71-year history that the selectionprocess was held outside of Washington,D.C. Held in Memphis, the competitionwas co-hosted for the first time by DucksUnlimited, the Greater Memphis ArtsCouncil and the Memphis College of Art.The competition was surrounded by aweek of public events at the MemphisCollege of Art, Bass Pro Shops and thePeabody Hotel. The week culminated withthe 2005 Ducks Unlimited Expo.

“We want to thank our partners formaking this such a successful event,”Hogan said. “Hopefully, more peoplelearned about the contest this year andwill go out and purchase a duck stamp.”

Don Young, DU executive vice presi-dent, congratulated Russell Meline andpaid tribute to the duck stamp.

“The (Federal) Duck Stamp story is agreat story, and its value to all Americans

in helping build the national wildliferefuge system … makes it one of the great-est conservation programs of all-time.And it’s certainly one waterfowl hunterscan be proud of. It’s that story that makesthis event so special.”

The winner, Russell Meline, had enteredthe Federal Duck Stamp competition 15times over the last 25 years.

“I am completely honored to have beenin the competition with the best artistsout there, and I’m totally shocked that Iwon,” Russell Meline said.

Her winning artwork is a close-up of aRoss’ goose in reeds with several flyingbirds in the background. She completedthe work over a four-month period.Russell Meline was born and raised inMadison, Wis., and graduated from theUniversity of Wisconsin with a degree infine arts. She began her art career doingthree-dimensional art, but was inspired topaint waterfowl after she began collectingwaterfowl decoys.

While she studies mounts for the finedetail of her paintings, she also spendstime watching live birds.

“I watch the birds a lot and get to knowthem,” she said.

Russell Meline and her husband own agallery, Wingbeat, in Mt. Shasta. Her art-work has been used for more than 30 statewaterfowl stamps, including those inArizona, Texas, Nevada and Iowa. Overthe next four years, she will be workingon a commission to paint waterfowlstamps for the 12 provinces of Canada.Her art can be seen atwww.wingbeat.com.

Second place went to Bruce Miller ofMound, Minn., who painted a pair ofnorthern shovelers. Third place went toJim Caturia of Cottage Grove, Minn.,who also painted a male northern shov-eler.

Eligible species for this year’s contestwere the brant, northern shoveler, Ross’goose, ruddy duck and Canada goose.

The Federal Duck Stamp Contest isthe nation’s longest running federallysponsored art competition. No cashprize is awarded, but winning artistsstand to make hundreds of thousandsof dollars from the sale of limited edi-tions of prints of their Duck Stampdesigns.

There are more than 545 NationalWildlife Refuges spread across all 50states and U.S. territories. A valid duckstamp can be used for free admission toany refuge open to the public. Refugesoffer unparalleled recreation opportu-nities, including hunting, fishing, bird-watching and photography.

Duck stamps bearing this year’s win-ning design will go on sale at postoffices, national wildlife refuges, somenational retail chain stores and varioussporting-goods stores nationwide onJuly 1, 2006. The 2006-2007 FederalDuck Stamp will be available at selectlocations in both a self-adhesive formatand the traditional gummed format.

The five judges for the competitionwere chosen by Secretary of the InteriorGale Norton for their dedication toconservation and their professionalexpertise. They are: Ward Burton, win-ner of the 2002 Daytona 500 andfounder of the Ward Burton WildlifeFoundation; Bill Crawford, 2005Budweiser Conservationist of the Year;Steve Runnels, president and CEO of theAmerican Birding Association; Ruby J.Bridgeforth, postmaster/metro managerin Memphis; and Jane Lavino, curator ofeducation for the National Wildlife ArtMuseum.

— A Ducks Unlimted report.

WANT TO SOUND OFF ON AN ISSUE?WRITE US!

Lone Star Outdoor News welcomes comments and suggestions on our newspaper and your views on the Texas outdoors. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Send letters to: [email protected], or mail them to: Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243.

An Asian immigrant,convicted by aWisconsin jury ofkilling six deer hunters

last year, awaits sentencing and,also, possible questioningregarding another hunter’sdeath.

Chai Soua Vang, 36, anHmong who came to Americamore than 20 years ago, faces amandatory life sentence.Wisconsin doesn’t have thedeath penalty. A jury inHayward rejected Vang’s claim

that he fired in self-defense afterbeing racially taunted, then shotat during a hunting dispute.

Vang, a truck driver from St.Paul, Minn., admitted trespass-ing on private land in SawyerCounty, Wis., last Nov. 21.

He was spotted in a deer standand asked to leave by one of theslain hunters. Vang, who said hewas lost, was leaving when theother hunters arrived and thedispute escalated. Vang claimedhe was cursed at and tauntedwith racial epithets. Survivors

denied the latter. There was also a dispute as to

who fired first. Vang claimed the deer hunters

did. The survivors claimed thatVang, who served in theNational Guard and describedhimself as an experiencedhunter, fired first. Prosecutorsnoted that only one of the deerhunters fired a shot, and manyof them were shot in the back asthey fled.

Vang was convicted of killingAl Laski, Jessica Willers, Robert

Crotteau, Joey Crotteau, MarkRoidt and Dennis Drew in thewoods near Birchwood, Wis. Hewas also convicted of trying tomurder Terry Willers and LaurenHesebeck.

The slayings exposed racialtensions between the predomi-nantly white north woods resi-dents and immigrants from theHmong ethnic group. Many ofits members came to the UnitedStates after being persecuted bythe Laos government for beingan American ally during the

Vietnam War. After the verdict, detectives

with the Clark County Sheriff’sDepartment announced thatthey want to question Vangabout the shooting death ofanother deer hunter four yearsago. Jim Southworth was shottwice in the back near a treestand on family land east ofNeillsville in Central Wisconsinon Nov. 23, 2001.

—Compiled from news reports.

Man convicted of slaying six hunters

Duck, duck, goose win the day

FIRST PLACEARTIST: Sherrie Russell Meline of Mt. Shasta, Calif. SPECIES: Ross’ goose

SECOND PLACEARTIST: Bruce Miller of Mound, Minn. SPECIES: Northern shoveler

THIRD PLACEARTIST: Jim Caturia of Cottage Grove, Minn. SPECIES: Northern shoveler

October 14, 2005 � Page 5

CONSERVATION NEWS

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Texas Parks and Wildlife isproposing mandatoryseagrass protectionmeasures for the Redfish

Bay State Scientific Area to pro-tect ecologically important sea-grass beds from motorboat-pro-peller scarring.

This past January, the depart-ment acted to continue theRedfish Bay State Scientific Areathrough 2010 and sought inputfrom anglers, fishing guides,conservation organizations andothers on the best ways to pro-tect the shallow-water seagrass-es.

On Aug. 25, the TPWCommission authorizedemployees to publish for publiccomment a proposal making itillegal to destroy seagrass in thescientific area. This would pro-hibit the uprooting of five sea-grass species: Clover Grass(Halophila engelmanni),Manatee Grass (Syringodium fil-iformis), Shoalgrass (Halodulebeaudettei), Turtle Grass(Thalassia testudinum) andWidgeon Grass (Ruppia mariti-ma).

The commission also directedthe inclusion in the proposal ofmandatory “no-prop zones” inthree critical and well-definedlocations within the state scien-tific area. Violation of the pro-posed new rules would be a ClassC Misdemeanor.

“The Commission is commit-ted to the conservation of sea-grass habitat and is concernedthat whatever they adopt isenforceable and as effective aspossible,” said Larry McKinney,

the TPW coastal fisheries direc-tor. “They wish to hear from ourconstituents regarding bothmandatory no-prop zones andbroad area prohibition of sea-grass destruction.”

The mandatory no-prop areaswould replace the voluntary no-prop areas in place currently.The commission wants to hearfrom constituents in order togive the proposal a thoroughreview.

The new mandatory no-propzone regulations would beaccompanied by a concertededucation campaign and anextensive effort to mark accesspoints into the area in order tominimize seagrass loss.

“We feel we can design theproposed no-prop zones in afishing-friendly way to makeaccess into and out of the zoneseasy,” McKinney said. “We willconfer with local guides andfishermen in doing so, and I amsure we can accomplish our con-servation goals without signifi-cantly impacting how the areasare already being fished.”

McKinney said the voluntarypropeller up — or no-prop zones— and the public-educationapproach that TPW attemptedhasn’t been effective. Propellerscarring has continued in thearea, and research shows it ispersistent and cannot readily becorrected or restored.

Shallow-water seagrasses inTexas bays provide vital nurseryareas for diverse marine life, foodand cover for game fish, bottomstabilization and better waterquality. Seagrass has declined in

many areas on the Texas coast.In Galveston Bay, 95 percent ofall seagrass has disappeared. Inthe Redfish Bay area, the totalacreage of seagrass has declined13 percent since 1958. The areamarks the northernmost extentof one important species com-monly known as turtlegrass.This species is particularly sus-ceptible to propeller damagebecause of its long recovery timewhen damaged.

The commission is expected tomake a final decision on the pro-posal at its Nov. 3 meeting inAustin.

Before then, three publicmeetings will be held to solicitinput on the proposal:

• Oct. 19, 7-9 p.m. — TexasA&M University CorpusChristi, Natural ResourcesCenter, Room 1003, 6300Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi.

• Oct. 19, 7-9 p.m. — Lion’sField Adult Center, 2809Broadway, San Antonio.

• Oct. 20, 7-9 pm — AransasCounty District Courtroom,301 N. Live Oak, Rockport.

In addition, anyone may com-ment on the proposed newmandatory rules for Redfish Bayby writing, calling, or e-mailingJerry Cooke, Texas Parks andWildlife, 4200 Smith SchoolRoad, Austin, TX 78744, (512)389-4492, or [email protected].

— A Texas Parks and Wildlifereport

Mandatory no-propzone sought for seagrass

Agency wants to protect Redfish Bay habitat from decline

By Mark England

State officials said a red tideoutbreak initially character-ized as minimal has grown

— stretching for 75 miles alongthe Texas coast, from the tip ofthe Rio Grande River to north ofPort Mansfield.

“It’s patchy,” said MeridithByrd, who facilitates harmfulalgal bloom studies for TexasParks and Wildlife. “In someplaces, it’s darker than others.But you can see it pretty contin-uously all the way up the Gulf.”

Red tide is a naturally occur-ring organism that produces atoxin that attacks the centralnervous system of fish. It para-lyzes them, rendering themunable to breathe and can resultin dramatic fish kills. Red tide isvisible as discolored patches ofocean water, often reddish incolor.

Initially, the red tide along theTexas coast was thought to beconfined to two small patches —one halfway between the mouthof the Rio Grande and theBrazos-Santiago Pass and theother 13 miles up the coast fromSouth Padre Island.

Also, the fish kill seen was lim-ited to menhaden and baitfish.

“Now we’re starting to seegame fish among the dead fish:some speckled trout, snook andsome redfish,” Byrd said.

More than 100,000 dead fishlittered a 7-mile stretch of BocaChica Beach in early October.Included among the toll werethe game fish listed by Byrd.TPW officials, however, cautionthat such numbers shouldn’talarm the public.

In 1986, red tide killed an esti-mated 22 million fish from theRio Grande to Galveston.

“If we were talking 100,000 reddrum found dead, that wouldhave an impact,” said MarkLingo, the TPW biologist for theLower Laguna Madre. “But thevast majority of the fish kill issardines, menhaden and mullet.We don’t have such a classifica-tion, but I’d say the impact nowis moderate. It’s more than a few,but we’re not into the millions ofdead fish. That’s when the statehas to start looking at thelongterm impact.”

The current red tide, thoughit’s grown, may have subsided.

“It’s definitely grown since wegot word of it in September,”Byrd said. “In about three weeks,it’s moved to the north to northof Port Mansfield. But wehaven’t seen any movement in

the past few days. I’m not goingto run with that and say it’s notmoving, however. At this point,we don’t know. We’re monitor-ing it.”

Byrd said TPW is workingclosely with the University ofTexas-Pan American CoastalStudies Laboratory and a net-work of volunteers, so-called RedTide Rangers, to keep an eye onthe red tide.

“We want to know if thisbloom is moving any farthernorth,” she said. “That’s whywe’re taking water samples as farnorth as Port Aransas.”

The results will be posted onTPW’s Web site.

“We will update our Web siteto keep the public informed,”Byrd said.

Although the public shouldnever eat fish they find dead onthe beach, red tide should notdeter them from eating the fishand crabs they catch or theseafood sold at restaurants,according to TPW officials. Theysay there’s no evidence that theedible portions of such catch areaffected by red tide.

“The toxin released from redtide isn’t absorbed into thefleshy tissue we eat,” Byrd said.

Red tide grips coast


HUNTING

By Virgil Peritts

Most deer hunters havespent many hourswondering how toown their own hunt-

ing property. In my case, it was418 acres adjoining the propertyI leased for hunting. I was con-stantly looking over the fence ata field that contained abundantgame. It seemed as if the biggestbucks were always on this prop-erty. I tried persuading thelandowner to let me to hunt andfish on his land, but to no avail.Then, all of the sudden, thisbeautiful property came up forsale. Unfortunately, though, formuch more than I could afford.Does this sound familiar?

There is an obvious solution tothis problem — simply purchasethe property. There will be nomore losing your lease, orlandowners telling you how tomanage the property.

But how? Believe me, I spentyears looking over the fence try-ing to figure out how I could owna place that big and beautiful.Sitting in my tree stand one day,the solution came to me.Although I could not afford topurchase the land by myself,why not form a corporation andsell shares? That is exactly what Idid! Fortunately, by the time theland became available, I wasalready leasing it from the

owner. This was a real plus. It isalways easier to negotiate withsomeone you already know.

I should tell you up-front thatthis process is not easy, andsometimes you will questionyour decision (and sanity). Thefirst step is to start talking withyour friends and associates andform a pool of potentialinvestors. Having a property inmind helps, but is not critical atthis stage. When searching forpotential investors, invite peopleyou like and those with similardeer-management goals. Mostimportantly, invite people youtrust. They are going to becomeyour business partners, and youwant this venture to be a success.

Since large sums of moneyoften are involved, informpotential investors that theyhave to be ready to write thecheck when the money is neededfor down payments, improve-ments, equipment, etc. When itis time to close the deal, you willquickly see who is truly commit-ted. Later, you should establish aset payment schedule. Our pay-ments are every six months,which allows us time to save.

The next step is to locate aproperty. Once the property sizeand purchase price have beenestablished, determine the totalcost per acre, and try to get itowner–financed. There are manygood reasons to try ownerfinancing. Usually the interest

rate is lower and there is no loan-qualifying process. Your downpayment is also usually smaller,and in some cases all you have toput down is earnest money.There are no bank charges orfees, and you can do your owntitle search to save attorney fees.

Once you have establishedyour group, located a property,and are ready to close the deal,run a title search. This isextremely important and shouldnot be overlooked. If you areattaching a name to your corpo-ration, you also must contact theSecretary of State’s office so theycan check to see if your corpora-tion’s name has been reservedpreviously in the Library ofCongress. You will also have toget the corporate name listed in anewspaper for 5 weeks. Once youhave been approved by theSecretary of State’s office, you’llneed a corporate seal and papers.You can get a kit containing thisinformation from most officesupply stores.

Next, unless someone in yourgroup has accounting experi-ence, you’ll have to hire a CPA tohandle your tax papers and cor-poration establishment require-ments. You then should hold acorporate meeting, elect officers,write your bylaws and establish achecking account. It is veryimportant to have well-plannedand well-documented proce-dures in your bylaws for making

and voting on decisions relatedto the property. This will clearlydefine the voting procedure andhow many votes it takes to passor defeat any proposed action. Byaddressing these issues in thebeginning, you can save time,money, friendships — and possi-bly even your new corporation.

As you can see, this process isnot easy or cheap. But it is worthit in the long run. Rememberthat you are not going it alone,and it is much more affordablewhen the costs are split amongseveral people. Here is an exam-ple of some of your expenses,once the corporation has beenestablished, using a model with10 shareholders. A $25,000semi–annual payment for themortgage divided by 10 shares is$2,500 per share. A tractor andequipment is around $16,000,divided by 10 is $1,600 per share.Just think of all those beautifulfood plots you can make withyour own equipment! Taxes areapproximately $1,300 a year, or$130 per share. Seed and fertiliz-er costs are approximately$2,000 per year or $200 pershare. In this example, the totalcost per shareholder for a yearwould be $6,930. While thesecosts soon add up, many huntersspend more than this on huntingeach year. You will have a fewother expenses such as utilities,fuel and oil for the tractor andsome repairs. I think you get the

idea that there is safety in num-bers.

Once you own the propertyyou can make it into anythingyou — and a majority of share-holders — desire. You can clearany areas you want. You can plantbeneficial trees or cut trees toclear areas for food plots. You candam creeks or swamps to createwetlands. There are an unlimitedvariety of things you can do onyour own land. When I’m aloneon the property, I consider it“my” 418 acres. Obviously, whenother shareholders are there, Irespect their rights as well. It isjust such a great feeling to walk orride around on your own placewithout fear of losing it next yearbecause it was sold or leased toanother group offering moremoney.

I have given you just a fewideas, and I am sure you can thinkof many others. So, don’t just sitthere, get on the phone and getbusy. Another deer season willsoon be upon you and, if you startpursuing your dream now, youcould soon be hunting on yourown little piece of heaven.

Virgil Peritts is an engineer for theNorfolk Southern Railroad. He isalso the manager of Reid PlaceFarms, Inc., a Quality DeerManagement–managed property inGeorgia. This article was reprintedwith permission from QualityWhitetails, www.qdma.com.

One way to beat high lease costs: Buy it

By Mary Helen Aguirre

So you want to be an out-door TV star.

You see those guys on TVand you’re thinking: I can

do that. Why not me? Honestly,you ask yourself, how hard couldit be to get those TV honchos topay you for indulging in yourfavorite hobby?

Well, it’s harder than you thinkif you’re counting on more than15 minutes of fame.

Keith Warren, the NewBraunfels-based host of “Fishing& Outdoor Adventures” and“Hunting & OutdoorAdventures” on The OutdoorChannel, said keeping a show onthe air is the hard part. As a 10-year veteran of the outdoor TVbusiness, he believes it’s easier toget a show on the air in today’soutdoor channel market, butharder to succeed long-term.

“A lot of shows come up, thengo away. Those who do it out ofego aren’t there very long,” saidWarren, who’s been in the busi-ness for 22 years.

The bottom line?“The key to any business is

delivery. Our ratings are strong.Our following is strong. We’vebeen very effective at deliveringour demographics to our adver-tisers,” said Warren.

And it takes more than lookinggood in camo to attract that cov-eted demographic audience.Hosts need to know how toengage the viewer, attract spon-sors and offer credible informa-tion to an increasingly savvy

audience.“What we look for is people

who do certain things with pas-sion,” said Jake Hartwick, execu-tive vice president of TheOutdoor Channel, a decade-oldnational cable channel thatoffers about 100 weekly shows.

In the beginning, outside pro-ducers would approach themfrom local markets, but theindustry is evolving.

“In the last two years, we’vedone a lot more original pro-gramming,” Hartwick said.

Most important, he said is thecredibility of the host. Not onlydo prospective hosts need toknow what they’re talking about,but they have to be genuine inwhat they’re doing.

“The absolutely worst thingyou can do is disappoint yourcore constituency,” saidHartwick, whose cable channelreached an estimated 24.4 mil-lion households as of April 2005.

T.J. Greaney, host of the Austin-based “The Texas Outdoor Zone,”said another important quality isthe ability to relate to your audi-ence. “You need to be someonethe audience likes. You also needto show opportunities that every-body can participate in.”

Greaney was hosting a radioshow of the same name when aproduction company thatthought his format would trans-late nicely into televisionapproached him.

“Our concept was unique,” saidGreaney, who has infused theAustin music scene into his showby taking artists along with himas he hunts throughout Texas.

“We wanted interaction withthese artists in a way that mostpeople don’t normally get to seethem.”

On one show, the audience getsto share country performer KevinFowler’s passion for bowhuntingas he stalks a wild hog.

Greaney, who is in his secondyear with the TV show, would liketo eventually land on a nationalcable network.

“Our goal is to find a bigger cor-porate sponsor to take the show tothe next level,” he said.

Mike de Avila got his shot at anational show by producing apilot and sending it to TheSportsman Channel, whichreaches 13.3 million householdsand charges producers for their air

time. De Avila’s show was one ofabout 20 tapes per month thechannel receives from outdoorstar wannabes.

"It costs big bucks to get yourshow aired, and the way produc-ers make money is by resellingadvertising," says de Avila, co-owner of Rockville Pictures. Heestimates it would cost a mini-mum of $5,000 for a quality pro-duction company with a smallcrew to produce a half-hourepisode.

De Avila's "Lunkerville" wenton the air in April 2004 and view-ers that year voted it the best showand de Avila best host.

“In me, they see a fishingbuddy,” said de Avila, whose tac-tic is to present guests who teach

him along with the viewers.De Avila, who’s based out of

Manhattan, N.Y., travels aroundthe Northeast in search of every-day-kind-of guys willing to takehim to their favorite fishing spots.

But no matter the individualapproach to hosting an outdoorshow, Warren, Greaney and deAvila all recognize the importanceof storytelling.

“It’s not about how big a fishyou catch,” said Warren.

Rather, it’s about the story andpresenting it in a compelling way.

Mary Helen Aguirre is a nativeTexan with almost 15 years ofexperience editing and writing fornewspapers, including the AtlantaJournal-Constitution.

Outdoor TV For most, it’s 15 minutes of fame

TV FAME: Outdoor TV host Keith Warren does a stand-up with his cameraman in the Texas Hill Country.

The Texas Youth HuntingProgram, which provides chil-dren between the ages of 9 and17 with safe, affordable and edu-cational group hunting trips,launched a Web site makinginformation about and registra-tion for the hunts more accessi-ble.

A schedule of the huntingtrips, which vary by game ani-mal, location and other factors, isposted at http://www.tyhp.org.

The list is updated frequentlyto reflect new and filled hunts.

The animals hunted includedeer, turkey, feral hogs, javeli-na, exotics, dove, small game

upland game birds, waterfowl,varmints and other species.Some hunts involve camping.There are currently five huntsfor experienced bow users only.A “girls only” hunting trip willtake place Oct. 28 to 30.Additional themed trips as wellas hunts to accommodate thephysically challenged will bescheduled throughout the year.

Once children and parentsreview the schedule and decidewhich hunts interest them, theycan use the form on the Web siteto apply for their choices.

Landowners are needed to vol-unteer hunting sites.


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By Robert Cadwallader

On some nights thehaunting cries ofwildlife can beheard drifting

from the Clarksville FuneralHome.

But it spooks no one in thisfar northeast Texas town of3,800.

That’s because they knowodds are it’s just funeralhome director and six-timeturkey-calling champion LeeLindeman honing his mim-icking skills.

“It’s my hobby, becausethe funeral business is sostressful,” said Lindeman,39, a Clarksville native.“That’s my getaway.”

In turkey-calling circles,Lindeman has ruled theroost for most of the last nineyears.

In 1996, he won his firststatewide contest, sponsoredby the Texas chapter of theNational Wild TurkeyFederation. He’s won the lastthree consecutive titles -–earning him an appearanceon NBC’s “Late Night withConan O’Brien” last year todemonstrate his callingskills.

Lindeman now is focusedon getting a TV show. Hemade a hunting video, usingwhat he said so many otherhow-tos lack — humor. Hehas started shopping itaround, and sent a copy tothe Outdoor Channel.

“It has been a lifelongdream of mine to have myown outdoor show,” saidLindeman, who teamed witha cousin to shoot the video.“It’s going to be duck hunt-ing, deer hunting, turkeyhunting — everything. Wetry to be personal, just morefunny, I guess.”

He plans to keep his dayjob, the family funeral busi-ness. Lindeman is a third-generation director of theonly funeral home in town.He was groomed for the posi-tion at an early age.

“I always knew what Iwanted to do,” he said. “Mygranddaddy and my daddydid it. I love to help people intheir time of need. I still getup at 2 in the morning to goto a wreck or whatever.That’s why it’s so stressful,because you know everybodyin a small town.”

He also began hunting atan early age, which led tohim imitating the sounds ofhis prey. And now the fatherof two is proud to see his 12-year-old son, Layne, follow-ing in his tracks. Layne’sturkey call placed third inthe hunter division of thestate contest this year inHouston.

What makes a great turkeycaller? Lindeman’s friendssay you have to be born withit and then become obsessedwith it afterward.

“He’s a natural. That’s theway we look at him,” saidShannon Jeans, a longtime

friend and hunting buddy.“At school, he would begoing down the halls makingnoises. He might bray like amule, make sounds like asquirrel barking — actingcrazy, basically.”

Lindeman is an accom-plished crow and owl impres-sionist as well. The year hewon his first state turkey-call-ing contest, he placed thirdin owl calling in the nationalcontest sponsored by theturkey federation. It’s a levelhe’s yet to reach in turkeycalling.

Perfecting his hoot has apurpose, Lindeman said.

“The owl is the naturalenemy of the turkey,” hesaid. “You do the owl soundbecause it makes the turkeygobble, and you know wherethey are.”

Lindeman uses a mouth-piece, or a diaphragm, tomake his best competitioncalls. But he’s convincingwithout it, said Gary Ensey, afriend who owns the Fish FryRestaurant in nearby Paris.

“He can make a turkey callwith his mouth better thanmost folks can do with acall,” Ensey said. “It’s pecu-liar, I guess is the word. It’snearly like playing a bandinstrument. A lot of peoplecan learn it, but some peopleare better at it than others.”

Robert Cadwallader is a FortWorth area freelancer withmore than two decades ofexperience as a journalist.

A cry in the nightFuneral home director gobbles up the spotlight

Youth hunters get own Web site

STARDOM CALLS: Lee Lindemanis a funeral home director and expert turkey caller. Photo by LongeEdwards.


FISHING

Big stripers play it cool this fall By Diana Kunde

By the time you read this,the striper fishingshould be red hot onLake Texoma.

That’s because the weatherwon’t be — hot, that is.

The fall striper season hasbeen a little late starting thisyear on the 89,000-acre lakebecause September weather inNorth Texas set heat records, sayguides and fisheries experts.

“We’ll get our first cold snap;the wind will be out of thenorth; the air will be dry; andevaporation will start the cool-ing of the water,” said BruceHysmith, fisheries biologist withTPW in Pottsboro.

And that will result in watercirculation throughout the lake— or what fisheries experts call“turnover.” Nutrients will moveup, water quality will improveand “the fish’ll go nuts,”Hysmith said.

Guides expect prime stripertime this year to be from roughlymid-October through mid-November. The fall season laststhrough December.

“From the middle of thismonth till the middle of nextmonth, you’ll catch ’em as fast asyou can pull them in,” saidFrank Atkins, a striper guidefrom Sherman.

Atkins says his parties caughtplenty of striper during the

early, hotter days of October, butthey were smaller than they’ll belater on. He’s been going deeperto get them.

“What you’ve got to do is for-get them on top,” he said.“They’re kindergarten fish.We’re going below from 12 to 24feet. Next month, it won’t beunusual to get a 16- to 20-

pounder. If you get one 12pounds now, it’ll be down deep.”

Atkins uses cocahoe and slablures and finds that silver andchartreuse colors are workingbest.

“When I’m bait fishing, I’ll usea 7-foot rod,” he said. “WhenI’m lure fishing, I use a 5-foot, 6-inch (with 30-pound test line).”

Stan Constant, owner of LakeTexoma Guide Service inKingston, Okla., said he caughtplenty of fish late in Septemberand early in October, but theywere smaller fish.

“We’re just fixing to get a goodtime right now,” he said. “You’llget up some morning, andthey’re everywhere.”

Constant says he uses live shadfor bait during most of the fallseason.

Striper, or striped bass, werefirst introduced to the big lake in1965, and stocked through theearly ’70s. The sporting stripedbass now reproduce naturally inTexoma. It’s one of a relativelysmall number of inland lakesworldwide that can claim natu-ral reproduction of stripers, saysTPW’s Hysmith.

The state rod-and-reel recordfor striper is 53 pounds, and theTexoma record stands at 39pounds, according to TPW.

The big lake is unrivaled forsheer fishing action during itspeak fall season, says Hysmith.The daily bag limit for Texoma is10 striped and hybrid stripedbass, of which only two can belonger than 20 inches.

Contrast that with thestatewide daily limit of fivestriped and hybrid striped bass,and “that’s testimony toTexoma’s capability,” Hysmithsaid.

“All I can tell you,” guideAtkins said, “is get yourself in acar, come up here and learnwhat life is all about.”

Diana Kunde has 30 years ofexperience writing and editing fornewspapers that include the DallasMorning News. She is a freelancerbased in Arlington, reachable [email protected].

TOP WATER: Striped bass should turn on to topwater baits after some cooler weather arrives.

By Bink Grimes

Shorter days and coolernights seem to put any-one who has endured aTexas summer in a better

mood. For flounder, autumn’smercury readings and reduceddaylight hours gets them in themood, too — the mood to prop-agate.

Find a cut, pass or drain lead-ing to the Gulf of Mexico andyour chances of intercepting afall flounder flourish.

“We are already getting themat the mouth of the ColoradoRiver,” said Capt. Mark Talasek.“They are beginning to move tothe Gulf and are laying justunder the sand by the jetty.”

Talasek’s Flounder Pounder isa shallow-running aluminumboat rigged for gigging at night.Lights on the bow shine into theshallow, exposing flatfishburied on the bay or ocean floor.Anglers “gig” fish with metalforks as they lie motionless, try-ing to ambush prey.

Some conservation-mindedanglers cry foul concerningthese tactics. But since southernflounder are not categorized as a“game fish” species, catchingthem by means other than a rodand reel is legal.

Gigging is the method mostcommercial fishers use to taketheir 60-fish limit per day (recre-

ational anglers are allowed 10).According to some, gigging islike “shooting deer in the head-lights.” Nevertheless, accordingto Texas Parks and Wildlife biol-ogist Mark Fisher, gigging bycommercial and recreationalanglers has little effect on floun-der stocks.

“Shrimp trawl bycatch resultsin 80 percent of the flounderharvested,” said Fisher. “Smallflounder from 3 to 6 inches getscooped from the bottom of thebay and never have a chance tospawn. Commercial fishermenare responsible for only 10 per-cent of the entire flounder har-vest, according to our numbers.Recreational fishermen accountfor the other 10 percent. Thenumbers say gigging is not hurt-ing the fishery.”

Fisher explains that theheight of the commercialshrimping industry occurred in1995. Since commercial “buy-back” programs were initiatedand the entry into commercialshrimping was limited, flounderlineage has improved.

“The recent upturn in floun-der numbers can be attributedto the recent demise in shrimp-ing,” said Fisher. “Fewer shrimpboats are on the water due to thedecline in shrimp prices.”

The average weight for aflounder is 1 to 3 pounds,though some push double-dig-its. Following their hatch in the

ocean, small flounder follow thetides and proceed up channelsand passes en route to the bays.There, juveniles take shape rap-idly. Females grow to about 10inches by the end of their firstyear. By the second year, theyreach 14 inches and spawn forthe first time. Male flounderonly grow to 8 inches their firstyear and 11 inches by year two.They max out at 14 inches.

Talasek said he sees the bestfish of the year during the fallflounder run.

“From now until December, Iwill be floundering somewhere

that leads to the Gulf ofMexico,” he said. “Whether it’son the edges of the river, thespoil banks in the Intracoastalor the cuts that empty the bay,find a highway leading to theGulf and you will find flounder;and they usually are the biggestof the year.”

For floundering information,contact Talasek at (979) 479-1397, or on the Internet atwww.talasekguideservice.com.

Bink Grimes is a freelance outdoorswriter. He can be contacted atwww.binkgrimesoutdoors.com.

The gig is upfor flounder

FLOUNDER FEVER: Capt. Mark Talasek searches for flounder near Matagorda Bay.

GIGGING: This age-old fishing methodremains popular. Photos by David J.Sams.

BASS announced it’s mov-ing the Women’sBassmaster Tour previewevent to Lake Lewisville

because of the damage wroughton the Sam Rayburn Reservoir inJasper by Hurricane Rita.

The dates of the event, Oct. 20-22, will stay the same.

“We are deeply saddened thatthe community was impacted soseriously that it can not currentlyhost the Women’s BassmasterTour preview event,” said BruceMathis, tournament director. “Wetruly hope we can bring anotherwomen’s event to Sam Rayburnafter its recovery is complete. BASShopes the area is restored for itscitizens and businesses as quicklyas possible.”

The field for the preview eventwas filled when Melinda Mize, ofBen Lomond, Ark., daughter ofBASS pros Jimmy and Lucy Mize,registered as the 100th registeredboater.

Mize will be joined by her moth-er, Lucy. She registered withdozens of other women in earlySeptember.

“I think this tour is going to befor women of all backgrounds —even if they are just beginning,”Lucy Mize said, while attendingthe BUSCH Shootout on TableRock Lake in Missouri. “Anybodythat loves to fish should come outand try it because it is gonna be abig deal for everyone.”

Because the women’s previewevent was met with an unequivo-cal fervor, BASS continued to regis-ter boaters and non-boaters untilOct. 12, based on an even field.

After the preview event, womenwill have the chance to sign up forthe five-event Women’sBassmaster Tour. The 2006 sched-ule, which will remain intact, is: • March 16-18: Toledo Bend

Reservoir, Huxley, Texas.• April 20-22: Neeley Henry

Lake, Gadsden, Ala. • May 18-20: Lewisville Lake ,

Lewisville, Texas.• July 27-29: Lake Norman,

Huntersville, N.C. • Aug. 24-26: Lake Dardanelle,

Russellville, Ark.

— A Bassmaster.com report

LewisvilleLake to host

lady Bassmaster

Ownership and man-agement of theCopano Bay Cause-way State Fishing Pier

is expected to transfer from TexasParks and Wildlife to AransasCounty Navigation District No. 1this fall, a move expected to havelittle immediate effect.

TPW’s State Parks Division hasoperated the fishing pier since1967, after it was transferredfrom the predecessor of theTexas Department ofTransportation. The pier is actu-ally the remnants of the oldcauseway bridge over the bay.After a hurricane damaged thecauseway, the swing bridge inthe middle was never replaced,leaving two sections of causewaysticking out into the bay. Theselater became the state fishingpier, in effect two piers, the6,190-foot north pier and the2,500-foot south pier.

Two bait and tackle shops, oneon either pier, have been operat-ed as a leased concession by

Danny Adams of Rockport sincethe piers opened as a public park.

The current transfer has beenin the works for almost two years.It is one of the outcomes of HB2108, a bill passed by theLegislature several years ago toprovide a process for transferringthe operation of state park sitesthat would be more appropriate-ly managed by local entities. Atthe time, TPW sent letters tolocal governments seeking possi-ble transfer partners. The naviga-tion district contacted thedepartment in early 2004 aboutthe pier.

The navigation district hassent a letter in which it formallyagreed to the transfer, but theexact transfer date is pending thedevelopment of a new leaseagreement between the conces-sionaire and the navigation dis-trict. The transfer is tentativelyscheduled for this fall.

—A Texas Parks and Wildlifereport

State poised to transferCopano Bay fishing pier



Continued from page 1

Dovewe’ve got in the area from movingfarther south,” he said.

Bird hunters are also findingsuccess closer to the coast.

Olivia Barrera has had lots ofbirds and good dove hunts on herranch near Alice, where she trav-eled to escape Hurricane Rita. Shehas also seen quite a few dovesaround Victoria, where she worksfor the chamber of commerce.

With the recent cool weather,the outlook is promising forhunters to fill their game bags.Frontal systems drive mourningdoves southward from the GreatPlains to their wintering groundsin the southern United States andMexico.

Draughon expects cold frontsto add to the already outstandingnumber of doves at his ranch.

“It’s hard to predict, but I havebeen seeing an increase in dovesin the area, and if the cold frontskeep pushing through new dovesfrom up north, we should be justfine and have a successful season,”Draughon said.

In addition to hunting outfit-ters, South Texas has more than12,000 acres of public dove hunt-ing land available through TexasParks and Wildlife. These hunting

areas are scattered throughout theregion and most are only a couplehundred acres in size, althoughseveral are more than 1,000 acres.Many of these are privatelyowned farmlands leased to TPWduring dove season. They havespecial restrictions in addition tolicense requirements and a publichunting permit.

South Texas is home to a hugepopulation of white-wingeddoves. Shooters targeting thesebirds should be aware that whilethey feed in the same fields asmourning doves, they tend toarrive a little later in the morning.

The South Zone is bounded onthe north along U.S. 90 from DelRio to San Antonio, then south ofLoop 1604 through San Antonio,continuing eastward alongInterstate10 to Orange. The zone’sfirst split continues through Nov.10, and the second season runsfrom Dec. 26 – Jan. 15.

For more information, callHacienda Ranch at (830) 279-4758and Uvalde’s War Horse Ranch at(830) 591-0153.

Todd Nafe is the outdoor writer forthe Waco Tribune-Herald and can bereached at www.centexoutdoors.com.

“I was thinking, ‘My gosh, I’venever seen anything this bigwhile I’ve been hunting and I’vesurely never shot one that big,’”the elder Bowers said.

“I turned around and gavehim a hug and a high five. Hewas kind of speechless.”

With good antler mass, talltines, an inside spread of nearly22 inches, and a field-dressedweight of 175-pounds, that’seasy to understand.

Amazingly, it was the first everbow-kill for the younger Bowers,who plays fullback on his juniorvarsity football team.

While the youthful Bowers

came up big on the season’sopening weekend, the deerhunters who annually visitRanell Walker’s Ranger CreekRanch on the rolling plains ofnorthwest Texas to the west ofSeymour weren’t as fortunate.

“Some of my season-lease guysare bowhunters,” Walker said. “Ihave not heard of them beingsuccessful. Usually if they are,they call or come by, and theyhaven’t done that.”

While there has been a markedincrease in deer numbers onWalker’s hunting properties inrecent years thanks to manage-ment and supplemental feeding

efforts, a southerly breeze andwarm weather kept those deerfrom moving.

“It’s tough because everyonewants to come out and sit in astand, but that first weekend canbe tough because of the weath-er,” Walker said.

With the pre-rut and peak-rutphases of the whitetail autumnapproaching, Walker is opti-mistic that things will pick upsoon.

In fact, they could pick upsooner than later, thanks to astrong cold front that blewthrough her area on Oct. 5.

“We’re seeing a lot of deer on

our trail cameras,” Walker said.“Plus, the deer are really hittingthe protein feeders right now.And with this cold front, thingsshould start to shake up quite abit.”

Down at the Richland CreekWMA, Texas Parks and Wildlifebiologist Jeff Gunnels gave amixed report after the openingweekend action in his neck ofthe woods.

“I had 59 hunters show up,”Gunnels said. “But it was slowand very, very hot. We still har-vested five does and five hogs,though.”

“Most of my hunters were on

deer and were seeing deer regular-ly,” he added. “I know of fivehunters that missed a buck, so wedid have guys on deer. It’s justthat they weren’t shooting toowell.”

With three weeks of the earlyarchery season yet to come — andhopefully some more cool weath-er — those archers should getanother chance or two to makegood on their next shootingopportunity for a Texas bow buck.

Lynn Burkhead is a frequentcontributor to Lone Star OutdoorNews and an associate editor forESPNOutdoors.com.


Bow hunting

A New Era in BASS® Fishing Has Arrived.See a new era in women’s professional bass fishing!

Coming to Lake Lewisville, October 20-22. Thispreview event will feature up to 100 boats and200 anglers casting for serious cash.

If you’re ready to watch BASS history unfold atan event as big as Texas, then the Women’s

Bassmaster™ Tour is ready for you!

Weigh-In Location and Schedule:October 20-22, 2005

Sneaky Pete’sLewisville,TX972-434-2500

Daily Weigh-Ins: 3:30 p.m.There’s a new Tour in town.© 2005 BASS. All rights reserved. www.Bassmaster.com


ties such as the granite groinsguarding the Corpus Christi ShipChannel at Port Aransas. Dozens offall anglers line the concrete bulk-head with long rods, heavy tackleand natural baits, waiting on thenext run.

It’s not unusual for half-a-dozenhookups or more to occur simulta-neously at one location when aschool of broad-shouldered reddrum swims past waiting anglers.Chaos ensues. Lines tangle andbreak. For others, battles can last 15minutes before both angler andfish succumb to exhaustion.

Most anglers who target thesegiant redfish do it for sport. Theypractice catch and release.

These fish are considered poortable fare. Smaller redfish are muchtastier. Reasons for keeping big red-fish range from ignorance —anglers who don’t know better andwant to taste for themselves — to adesire to have the fish mounted by

a taxidermist. The taxidermy bill for a 35-inch

redfish can run between $400-$500.

Aside from redfish making forcoarse and gamey fillets, Texas lawprotects those measuring greaterthan 28 inches in an attempt tospare spawning adults from har-vest.

A licensed angler is allowed tokeep only two oversized redfishannually. And each fish must betagged immediately after it’scaught with a small document cutfrom the angler’s fishing license.The angler has the option to returnthis used tag to any license vendorto receive a second one.

Biologists believe that jetties link-ing bays to the Gulf probably arethe final leg of a redfish journeythat essentially is a round-the-clockbuffet culminating with the fallspawn. Many of the redfishinvolved in this annual migration

soon graduate to the next stage oftheir existence: a life spent almostentirely in the open Gulf. Redfishlive 40 years or more. It’s widelyaccepted that when redfishapproach the 30-inch mark, atabout 4 years old, the sea beckonsthem.

Of course, nature is not precise.Many anglers have caught reds inthe bays much larger than 30 inch-es.

Spawning generally occurs eachSeptember and October in themajor Gulf passes of Texas.

But fisheries biologist Scott Holtat the University of Texas MarineScience Institute at Port Aransas hasnoticed in recent years that redfishalso spawn up and down the beach-front within six miles of shore inplaces not associated with passes.There is no hard evidence suggest-ing redfish spawn in the bays,though biologists are investigatinganecdotal reports.

What’s puzzling about redfish isthe various size classes that make upthe fall migration schools. The fallmigration always includes plenty ofslot-size fish between 20 and 28inches long, which are not matureenough to spawn. Why do they par-ticipate in the run? Why wouldthey swim long distances only toturn around and retrace their path?Maybe they don’t, suggests redfishguru Bob Colura with Texas Parksand Wildlife. Maybe they remain inthe surf or the near Gulf. We don’tknow. Maybe they’re imprintingthe route for future use. Nature usu-ally isn’t inefficient.

Most anglers are happy to seethese juvenile wannabes hang withthe big boys. It gives them some-thing to take home in addition tomemories and spent tackle.

David Sikes writes about theoutdoors for the Corpus ChristiCaller-Times.


Bull redsend of the month.

Rita killed carp and buffalo, butnot game fish.

“The farther back I got, the pret-tier the water got and the moresigns of life I saw,” Uzzle said. “Alot of the big islands were choppedup. The landscape’s going to bedifferent. But, for the most part, itlooks like it’s going to be OK.”

Calcasieu Lake, where Uzzleoften led fishing expeditions, did-n’t fare as well. A friend told Uzzlethat he tried to tour it on a jet ski.His engine kept getting cloggedwith debris. Rita hammeredLouisiana fishing communitiessuch as Hackberry and Bell City.One, Holly Beach, she wiped offthe map, according to reports.

The structures at the well-known Hackberry Rod & GunClub were inundated with water.Its owner, Buddy Oakes, saidabout 95 percent of the lodge wasdestroyed. He made it throughRita safely ensconced in Lafayette.He e-mailed friends shortly afterhearing of what befell his camp.

“The future of Hackberry Rod &Gun is not in doubt,” Oakes wrote.“WE WILL REBUILD even strongerthan ever. To build in the king-dom of God is to build on strongerground and Hackberry, Louisiana,is about as close to Heaven as youcan get.”

Mark Atwell, whose Bell Cityguide service offers fishing on a3,500-acre private marsh, sur-veyed his property soon after Ritadeparted. He promptly declaredthe fishing season over.

His camp suffered minor dam-age. The marsh, though, wasanother story.

“There’s houses sitting out nowwhere we fish,” Atwell said. “Iguess it’s fishable, though a lot ofit ain’t going to be prime. You’vegot to realize, we’ve got 10 to 12feet of water where normally wehave a foot or so.”

Hunting season is coming up,but Rita dashed Atwell’s plansthere, too.

“I planted sunflowers on severalhundred acres of dove fields,”Atwell said. “But my dove fieldslook like I-10 — flat.”

Still, Atwell’s not feeling sorryfor himself. His camp and boats,which he grounded and filledwith water before leaving to rideout Rita in northern Louisiana,were largely spared.

“I’m going to take a hit in mypocket, but a lot of people aroundhere lost everything,” Atwell said.“So I’d have to say we’re in goodshape.”

That’s the word out of TexasParks and Wildlife, too, eventhough a storm surge did result ina significant fish kill.

“Salt water was pushed fartherinland than any of the expertspredicted,” said TPW spokesmanTom Harvey. “There is fish killalong the Sabine River and its trib-utaries. It doesn’t appear relatedto chemicals, but nutrient load-ing.”

Harvey, like Uzzle, said thegood news is that game fishseemed to have made it throughthe storm in good shape.

The primary concern for thefishing industry in the followingdays and weeks will be restoringelectrical power and finding fuelin the area ranging from theSabine Pass to Galveston Bay,Harvey said.

Mark England, a Dallas-area writer,has more than two decades ofexperience as a journalist.


Hurricane


ADVENTURE

Photography by David J. Sams

Story by Mark England

It sounds insulting — especially when you consid-er that most of the “bird boys” chasing the fallenwhitewings and mourning doves at RanchoCaracol in Abasolo, Mexico, are men.

The bird boys don’t take it that way. Maybe becausethey know the skill required to find a bird that plum-mets to earth against the vast horizon and the staminaneeded when the shooting can go on for hours underan unrelenting sun. Or maybe it’s because the valueplaced on a bird boy’s services tops the prevailing dailywage of $10 several times over.

Rancho Caracol, a wing-shooting resort some threehours south of Harlingen, promises visitors the shootof a lifetime.

A sky full of game birds is certainly mind-boggling,but it’s the bird boys who prove unforgettable. Theywork tirelessly — hacking down brush to provide ahunter with a good spot to sit, fetching him cool waterwhen needed and ensuring he has a fresh supply ofshells for his Beretta. When their senses and experi-ence tells them the moment is at hand, the bird boysyell, “huachale,” a bit of Spanglish that sounds like“watch-a-lay” and means, “Ready. Here they come.”And when the hunter’s aim is true, the bird boys run.Always they run. Sometimes they run until theyalmost disappear from view, resourcefully dropping alog into a pond to serve as a makeshift bridge or plung-ing without a whimper into bramble with only amachete and, usually, running back with the bird.

The few times they don’t, you get an intimation ofthe pride that bird boys take in their job. Most won’tentertain the notion they couldn’t find a bird. Instead,they wiggle their index and middle fingers to indicatethe bird must have hotfooted it before they arrived.

For certain, not many birds elude the bird boys.Those that try are usually finished off expertly withthe slingshots carried in their pockets.

Sometimes at Rancho Caracol you’ll see bird boyswho really are boys, paired with men who tutor themin the nuances of their calling. Most are shy andwatchful, reluctant to accept a hunter’s offer to holdhis shotgun. With a little encouragement, though,one tries it. Two shots later, he has his first whitewing.The budding bird boy holds it aloft triumphantly. Hissmile needs no translation.

For more information on Rancho Caracol, call theirtoll-free number: (888) 246-3164 or visit their Web siteat www.ranchocaracol.com.

These ‘boys’know birds


PRODUCT PICKSSILENT NIGHT: The Phantom Quiet Feeder features afelt-lined opening and a water-wheel dispenser thatsilently dishes out feed. An adjustable photocelltimer allows users to choose the light level — upto 30 minutes before sunset — for the eveningfeed cycle. Moultrie Feeders offers this battery-operated product as a kit (about $70) that can beattached to any bucket-type container. It also isavailable with a 6.5-gallon metal bucket that iscovered in a camouflage pattern (about $90). Forretailers or to order, visit www.moultriefeeders.comor call (800) 653-3334.

NIFTY KNIFE: SheffieldManufacturing’s Quick Change UtilityKnife is now available in acamouflage pattern. This utilityknife is equipped with fivereplacement blades that can beconveniently stored in its handle.The company’s patented one-handedquick-change blade mechanismmakes it easy to operate. The knife,which folds to pocket-size, comeswith a belt clip. It uses standardutility knife blades and costs about$16. For retailers, visitwww.sheffield-tools.com or call(800) 457-0600.

HUNTRESS ATTIRE: Whether you’replanning an African safari or just want todress the part, check outwww.tagsafari.com, where you’ll findthese Zambezi Slax for women. The 100-percent prewashed cotton pants featurecargo pockets and are convertible. Witha quick unzip, the pants become knee-length shorts. Available in four huesfrom size 2 through 14, they cost about$53. To find retailers, visit the Web siteor call (713) 688-3424.

SKEETER BEATER: SkeeterBan by Odornix is an all-natural, non-toxic product that is safe for childrenand pets. Made from plant and tree oils thatcontain insect-repelling properties, SkeeterBan’sformula will help protect wearers against West NileVirus, Lyme disease and other diseases spread byinsects, according to its maker. A version forhunters features a cedar or pine cover scent; onefor fishermen features an anise scent. A 4-ouncespray bottle costs about $7. It can be orderedonline at www.skeeterban.com. Call (800) 656-8605 for more information.

CRANK IT UP: Outdoorsmen out in thefield don’t need to get rattled whentheir cell phones get low on power. TheSideWinder Charger allows them tocharge their cell phones withoutelectricity. This 2.5-ounce compactcharger features a small hand crankthat can be turned two minutes for sixminutes of talk time or 30 minutes ofstandby time. It sells for about $25,plus shipping. The SideWinder Chargercomes with a Nokia cable and fouradapters that make it compatible withvarious phone models, including someby Motorola, Audiovox, Ericsson andKyocera. Adapter tips for other cellphone models are available for $5. Goto www.istdesigns.com to order.

ON THE LINE: DuraTuf fishing line by Stren is foranglers who just want to have fun or for thosewho fish for a living. According to the company,the tried-and-true line outperformed itscompetitors in abrasion and shock-resistancetests. The DuraTuf fishing line, which won bestin show in the line category at the 2005 ICASTshow, comes in Clear, Lo-Vis Green and Green. Itranges in size from 4- to 30-pound test andcomes in various lengths. Three hundred andthirty yards of the 12-pound test costs about $7.For retailers, go to www.purefishing.com or call(877) 777-3850.

SAFE BLADE: Clip Kershaw’s E.T. knife onto a belt loop withoutfear that it might accidentally deploy. Its external toggle lockprovides the highest level of security: Fold the blade in, engagethe safety and the blade simply cannot be deployed, promisesthe company. It features a stainless-steel blade and ananodized aluminum handle. Named Blade Magazine’s 2005Most Innovative Design, the knife sells for about $100. Forretailers, visit www.kershawknives.com or call (800) 325-2891.

SUMPTUOUS SATCHEL: Travel tothe rugged outdoors in stylewith the Santa Fe Trolley by

Loma Vista. Made from polishedItalian calfskin leather, thiswheeled bag features adetachable shoulder strapand extendable handle. Theinterior is lined with leather.A gusseted compartment on

the front and pocketsthroughout allow travelers to

organize their gear. The 24-inch-long overnight bag costs $430 and

is available in three colors. To order,go to www.lomavistaranch.com.


ARKANSAS

Elk hunting beginsArkansas’ eighth elk hunt

began Sept. 26 with fourhunters going after bull elkalong the Buffalo River.

The limited-permit hunts area major attraction for Arkansasoutdoors enthusiasts, with sev-eral thousand persons applyingeach year for one of 18 free per-mits. Two others are issuedthrough fund-raising activitiesof the Rocky Mountain ElkFoundation, which returnsmost of the money received toArkansas to improve elk habitat.

In addition to the four bullpermit holders for theSeptember hunt, 16 others willbe in the field in early December—12 with cow elk permits, threewith bull permits and one, ayouth, with an either-sex elkpermit.

The four September bull elkhunters were: Jason Rose,Conway, Elk Zone 1; Roy Brann,Brinkley, Elk Zone 2; Bob Wood,Monitor, Wash., Elk Zone 3; andWalton Short, Magnolia, ElkZone 4.

Wood and Short receivedtheir permits through ElkFoundation auctions. Except forthese auctions, the elk hunts arerestricted to Arkansas residents.

Although limited in numbersand in their range, the Arkansaselk have become a majorwildlife success story. Elk inhab-ited the state in its early days

but disappeared in the 19thCentury. A restoration programbegan in 1981, led by the lateHilary Jones of Pruitt (NewtonCounty), who was a member ofthe Arkansas Game and FishCommission at the time. Thework included importing 112elk from Colorado andNebraska and releasing them onlands near the Buffalo NationalRiver.

The Arkansas elk have gradu-ally expanded in numbers, withthe present population about400- 450 animals, according toMike Cartwright, elk programcoordinator for the ArkansasGame and Fish Commission.The elk herd is officially namedthe Hilary Jones Elk Herd.

Arkansas’ elk range from theheadwaters of the Buffalo Riverdown its corridor past U.S.Highway 65 in Searcy County.Some are usually visible — andphotographable — alongArkansas Highway 43 in theBoxley Valley, especially early inthe morning and late in theevening. This viewing area isclosed during elk hunting.

LOUISIANA

Hurricanes alter huntingseasons

The impact of HurricanesKatrina and Rita on theLouisiana coast and inland fishand wildlife habitat have forcedseveral closures or delays in the

previously announced 2005-06Hunting Seasons.

In the Plaquemines and St.Bernard parishes, deer and rab-bit season will be closed untilfurther notice due to the exten-sive damage caused by Katrina.The closure will remain in effectuntil more detailed surveys ofthe hurricane’s impact on thesetwo species and their habitatscan be conducted.

Finally, the National Huntingand Fishing Day eventsstatewide were postponed untilOct. 22 due to safety concernsposed by Hurricane Rita.

The 21st annual Hunting andFishing Day events were origi-nally scheduled for Saturday,Sept. 24 in Minden, Monroe,Woodworth and Baton Rouge.

Events rescheduled for Oct.22 will feature all activities orig-inally planned.

NEW MEXICO

Angling changes ponderedThe New Mexico Department

of Game and Fish is invitinganglers and others interested inNew Mexico’s fisheries toaddress possible changes in thestate’s fishing regulations.

“Sometimes regulations needto be adjusted as conditionschange in our lakes andstreams,” Department Chief ofFisheries Mike Sloane said. “Wewant to be responsive and pro-vide the public with great recre-ational fishing, and at the same

time protect the fisheries.”The department is seeking

public input on the proposals,which stem from issues raisedby fishing clubs and interestedindividuals. Some changesbeing considered are:• Upping the minimum-size

restriction on smallmouthbass at Conchas and Ute lakesto 14 inches. The current sizerestriction is 12 inches.

• Removing the special troutwater designation on GilitaCreek, which has few trout.

• Increasing the daily bag andpossession limit on yellowperch, to reduce the fish pop-ulations and allow them togrow larger and compete lesswith other fish at the EagleNest, Charette and Navajolakes.

• Designating one of the pondsat Tingley Beach inAlbuquerque for children’sfishing only.

• Reducing the bag limits for allspecies on the lower PecosRiver to allow waters to recov-er from golden algae bloomsthe past few years.

• Restricting the use of baitfishto prevent certain minnowsfrom interbreeding or com-peting with native or endan-gered species. The restrictionsproposed include: Gila basin— fathead minnows only; RioGrande basin — red shinersand fatheads only, except inElephant Butte, where goldenshiners are allowed; Canadianbasin — red shiners and fat-heads only, except in ClaytonLake, where golden shinersare allowed; and Pecosdrainage — red shiners andfatheads only.

OKLAHOMA

Weeds good for quailWeed pollen may have many

Oklahomans reaching for a tis-sue this fall, but that’s goodnews for quail, according toMike Sams, upland bird biolo-gist for the OklahomaDepartment of WildlifeConservation.

“Biologists call them forbs,but everybody else calls themweeds,” Sams said. “These forbsor weeds are often overlooked asan important component inquality quail habitat.”

While weather patterns oftendictate booms in quail popula-tions, no boom would be possi-ble without habitat — andweeds are an important part ofquail habitat.

“There’s nothing we can doabout the weather, but we canwork hard to make sure thatquality habitat is available forquail,” Sams said. Good habitatis like a buffer: It can lessen theimpact of severe weatherswings. While weeds are cussedand discussed by landownersmanaging for grass, weeds are alifeblood of quail in nativebrushy prairie, he said.

According to Sams, one ofthe most important factors inquality habitat is weed diversi-ty.

Ragweed, sunflowers, cro-tons, smartweed and manyother weeds are an importantpart of a quail’s diet.

BORDERING TEXAS

MADE IN TEXAS

By Mary Helen Aguirre

Gary Maultsby is a self-taught artist who haschosen sedimentaryrock as his canvas. He

engraves flagstone, limestone andsandstone with graceful images ofwildlife that resonate withhunters and fishermen.

“We are an outdoors family,”Maultsby said. “We all love to fishand hunt every chance we get,and I think you can see our lovefor the outdoors and wildlife inour creations.”

It was at the 2005 HuntersExtravaganza in Fort Worth, puton by the Texas Trophy HuntersAssociation, that Maultsby andhis wife, Tonya, launched theirventure, Custom Carvers of Texas.Based in the Panhandle town ofMay, the budding business fea-tures items ranging from lampsand bookends to address stonesand memorial markers. Eachpiece is handmade and can becustomized.

“We got a lot of business fromthat show,” Maultsby said. “We’restill busy.”

He estimates that 70 percent oftheir customers ask for some sortof hunting or fishing theme.

Al Sturdivant, a board member

of the Dallas Gun Club, ordered15 trophies made from limestonefor a recent trap shoot. The tro-phies were engraved with theclub’s logo plus the name of theevent and the date.

“The trophies were exceedinglywell-received,” said Sturdivant,the event’s chairman. “Everyonethought they were terrificallyunique.”

Other orders include stonesthat read “Gone Hunting” or“Gone Fishing” and a memorialmarker. Last year, the Maultsbysdonated a 200-pound stone forTexas Ducks Unlimited’s silentauction that featured etchings ofpintails taking flight from thewater while a mallard flew over-head.

But the best sellers are 24-inchby 48-inch flagstone addressmarkers with a name and suchimages as deer, fish or quail. The“welcome stones” range from$150 to $350 and are Maultsby’sfavorite to craft.

“They challenge you a bit,” hesaid.

The larger pieces usually takeabout four hours to create,excluding the time it takes todraw the design. That can rangefrom 30 minutes to 12 hours,depending on the sketch’s sizeand detail.

Maultsby says the process startswith a photo or a sketch based onan idea from the customer. Usinga computer program, he regener-ates the image and produces astencil to transfer the drawingonto the stone. Then, using sand-blasting equipment and masonrytools, he cuts the image onto thestone. Finally, paint and sealantare applied.

The rock artist says he began todabble in metal silhouettes a fewyears ago.

“I enjoyed it, but I always want-ed more detail,” he said.“Something that had depth andlooked different.”

One day, a stone carvingcaught his eye.

“People were using the sameold metal art silhouette patternsand putting them in stone,” hesaid. “I thought maybe I could doit a little better.”

After a lot of trial and error, anew business was born. Maultsbydoes the drawing, blasting and

cutting. Tonya, whose back-ground is in marketing, handlessales and maintains the Web site.They both pitch in on the prepwork and the finishing touches.

“There are a lot of 14- to 16-hour days,” Maultsby said. “Wejust grit our teeth and go.”

Eventually, they’d love for theirside business to blossom into afull-time venture, said Maultsby,who is an equipment designer.

For more information, visitwww.customcarversoftexas.com.

ROCK ARTISTS: Gary Maultsby and his 6-year-old son, Cameron, sandblast an image onto a piece of sandstone. Custom Carversof Texas offers unique pieces, including home-decor items, address stones and memorials. Turnaround time for an order isusually two to three weeks. Photo by Tonya Maultsby.

Hard rock artistFamily etches love for wildlife in stone


WEATHER

Across 3. The business end of a canoe

paddle4. Free-floating fishing device

that features a one-gallonplastic container

8. Circular metal device thatkeeps hooks attached to fish-ing lures

10. Woody covering on top of apecan shell

11. Welcome autumn visitorsfrom the north that bringcooler weather

14. Term used to describe spentshotgun shells

15. Native tree that looks verysimilar to a hickory or pecan

16. Schooling bass feast on thisbaitfish

17. The "safety" knots used byrescuers

18. Test done to a shotgun to seehow many pellets it deliversinside a circular target

19. Part of a boat hull thatextends off the transom

Down1. Nickname for a praying mantis2. A strong cold front5. Constriction in shotgun barrel

that helps consolidate pellets6. South Texas hasn't had any of

this in two months7. Towering cloud formations

which typically develop onwarm afternoons

9. A body of water, generallyfound at the end of a rapid

12. To aim your shotgun in frontof your target as it is moving

13. Female pig16. Turkeys have these but they

don't jingle

Copyright 2004 Texas Word Treasures, Greg Berlocher. All Rights Reserved.

For crossword puzzle solution, see page 18

WILD IN THE KITCHENTEXAS WORD TREASURES

TEXAS TIDBITS

Doves with raspberryvinaigrette

Season doves with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, whisk togethergarlic, preserves, vinegar, onions and mustard. While whisking, addoil in a thin stream until emulsified. Place doves in bowl, toss to coat,cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Bake, broil, pan-sear or barbecueuntil medium to medium-rare and still juicy in the center of thebreast.

— Chef Scott Leysath

Visit SportingChef.com for more great fish and game recipes and where tocatch Leysath’s TV Show, HuntFishCook. Leysath is the official chef forRealtree and Ducks Unlimited. He also appears weekly on DucksUnlimited TV on OLN and The Sportsman Channel.

12-16 whole doves, skin intactsalt and freshly ground blackpepper2 garlic cloves, minced1⁄2 cup raspberry preserves

1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar (or sub-stitute 1⁄3 cup red wine vinegar)1⁄3 cup green onions, chopped1 tablespoon Dijon mustard1 cup olive oil

This recipe is so easy and yetso delicious that I’m almostembarrassed to share it with

anyone. I suggest that you playaround with this one by substitut-ing different vinegars, preserves,fruits, etc. I like to marinade thedoves for about 24 hours in therefrigerator, but you can get awaywith marinating for only an houror two.

4 servings


SPOOKY SHOE• Two teens swimming in the

Trinity River at Highway 787reported finding a shoe float-ing in the water. A decom-posed human foot was inside.Liberty County GameWardens Gary Cain andDaniel Diaz looked unsuccess-fully for a body.

HUNTER BAGGED ON OPENING DAY• Harris County Game Warden

Kevin Malonson witnessed ahunting accident on theopening day of dove season inthe Central Zone. Malonson

saw one hunter swing on apassing dove. The hunterfired, wounding another manabout 35 yards away. The manwas not severely injured, buthe sustained 56 pellet woundsranging from his face to hislegs.

ILLEGAL HUNTERS TRACKED DOWN• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent

Steve Hamilton and WiseCounty Game Warden ChrisDowdy patrolled the north-ern end of Lake Bridgeport tocheck teal hunters. The war-dens were able to locate sever-al hunters in heavy cover.Citations were issued for ille-gal shotguns and failure tohave a Federal MigratoryStamp.

HUNTERS PAY FOR BAITING• While patrolling for dove-

hunting violators, MillsCounty Game Warden GaryVoges heard several shotscoming from a secluded ranchsoutheast of Goldthwaite.Voges found the hunters andsaw a large amount of maize

spread out over the huntingarea. Seven hunters wereissued citations for huntingover a baited area.

DEADLY AMEBA ATTACKS CHILD• The Texas Department of

State Health Services con-firmed a case of primary ame-bic meningoencephalitis thatclaimed the life of a CentralTexas child. The illness wascaused by Naegleria fowleri,an ameba common to almostall lakes, ponds, rivers, creeksand other bodies of freshwater. The infection, which isnot spread person-to-person,is almost always fatal. Thechild had been wading andplaying in Lake Somerville.The lake is in Burleson, Leeand Washington counties.Officials recommend thatpeople stay out of stagnantwater during hot weatherperiods with little or no rain.They also recommend thatpeople hold their nose or usenose plugs when swimming toprevent the ameba from trav-eling through the nasal pas-

sage into the brain.

THEY DUG THEMSELVES INTO AHOLE• A hunter reported he had seen

two hunters shoot more than40 doves. When Tom GreenCounty Game Warden ZachHavens asked for the location,he was surprised to learn hewas about 200 yards from themen. He located the huntersand walked to their locationunobserved. The hunters wereon their knees cleaning theirkill and placing the remainsinto a hole. They were 21 birdsover their limit. The men werecited.

DEER HUNTER ACTS HORSY• Newton County Game

Warden Landon Spacekreceived a call after midnightfrom the Sheriff’s departmentthat a landowner advised adeer had been shot in hishorse pasture. Spacek, alongwith a Newton police officer,apprehended a NewtonCounty resident as he wasleaving the area. He was found

to be in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun, spent buckshot shells and a flashlight. Aconfession was obtained andcharges were filed for huntingwhite-tailed deer at night. Thecase is pending.

DRUNK AND DANGEROUS• A 29-year-old man ran the

wrong person off the road.Angelina County GameWarden James Barge was runoff Hwy. 69 near his residence.Barge turned around andstopped the vehicle. The manstopped by the warden failedall field sobriety tests and wasturned over to state troopers.

COUNTING WOULD HAVE SLOWEDHIM DOWN• Tarrant County Game

Wardens Ronald Mathis andMichael McCall contacted adove hunter in southernTarrant County near Crowley.The hunter stated that thedoves had been flying goodthat day, and he wasn’t surehow many birds he had in his

RAGING WHILE EVACUATINGRefugio County Game WardenRaul “Pinky” Gonzales helpedsheriff’s deputies subdue a truckdriver frustrated by the pace ofthe Hurricane Rita evacuation.The truck driver, enraged byslow-moving traffic in down-town Refugio on Highway 59,struck a vehicle with a crowbar.Some Houston-area traffic wasdiverted to Highway 59, leadingto fuel shortages at local servicestations and ice houses.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

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101405



FISHING REPORT

Prepared by J.P. Greeson, Bink Grimes, Kendal Hemphill, Luke Clayton and Karen Taylor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

CENTRAL

BASTROP: Water stained. Black bass are fairon white/red and white/green soft plasticworms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Crappieare fair on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs.Channel and blue catfish are good on live baitand stinkbait. Yellow catfish are slow.BELTON: Water clear; 80 degrees; 0.49' low.Black bass are very good on green/white andred/white soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits, andcrankbaits. Hybrid striper are slow. White bassare fair on spoons and minnows. Crappie arefair on minnows and red tube jigs. Channel andblue catfish are good on stinkbait, liver, andnightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 81 degrees; 1.05'low. Black bass to 4 pounds are good on red-bug and wicked watermelon Ghost Baits 6"slam worms and crawfish and shad coloredPersuader Stealth shad crankbaits off docks in8-15 feet, and on Pop-R's and buzzbaits early.Hybrids are fair under lights and trolling. Whitebass are excellent on crankbaits under lights,Li'l Fishies, and small tubes, and fair trollingcrankbaits. Crappie are fair on small tubes andminnows. Channel and yellow catfish are fair onlive bait and cutbait.BUCHANAN: Water clear; 80 degrees; 6.40'low. Black bass are fair to good on Texas riggedwatermelon/red Snap Back creature baits,wacky rigged Wacky Sticks, and watermelon/redfleck JDC Strike Grubs on 1/8oz. exposed jig-heads along break lines of flats with laydownsand bluff ledges in 4-10 feet early. Stripedbass are slow to fair vertically jigging white πoz.bucktails and drifting live bait along main lakepoints at Crystal Cove in 30 - 40 feet at day-light. White bass are slow vertically jigging.Perk Minnows, chrome/blue back Tiny Traps,and white grubs in 15-25 feet. Crappie are fairon minnows at night. Channel catfish are fair togood. Yellow and blue catfish to 8 pounds arefair on trotlines.CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 82 degrees; 1.22'low. Black bass are fair to good on watermelonJDC Skip-N-Pop topwaters, wacky rigged 4"Whacky Sticks, and Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Trapson flats above break lines at first light tight tostumps and laydowns in 4-8 feet. Striped bassare slow. White bass are slow to fair at nightunder lights. Smallmouth bass are slow to fairon Smokin' Green Devils Tongues and camo 4"JDC Drop Shot worms on drop shot rigs overrock piles in 20-35 feet. Crappie to 13" aregood on minnows near the fishing dock.Channel catfish to 6 pounds are fair on BlackSalty baitfish and minnows. Yellow and bluecatfish are slow.COLEMAN: Water clear; 80 degrees; 0.76' low.Black bass are good on dark red soft plasticworms and lizards. Hybrid striper are slow.Crappie are good on minnows and green jigs.Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow cat-fish are slow.COLORADO RIVER: (At Colorado Bend StatePark) Water clear. Black bass are slow. Stripedbass are slow. White bas are slow. Crappie areslow. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers, shad,perch, and shrimp.GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.50' low. Blackbass are fair on chartreuse green soft plasticsand crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. Whitebass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows.Catfish are good on shrimp, live bait, and cut-bait.GRANGER: Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.12'low. Black bass are slow. White bass are goodon slab spoons along the roadbeds near thedam. Crappie are good on jigs in 5-12 feet.Blue catfish are fair on fresh shad and preparedbaits. Yellow catfish are good on live perch andgoldfish.LBJ: Water stained; 75 degrees. Black bass to5 pounds are fair on Texas riggedwatermelon/red Craw Tubes, Snap Back crea-ture baits, and wacky rigged 4"-5"watermelon/red Whacky Sticks in 5-12 footholes near boulders. Striped bass to 19" aregood on 2" Spoiler Shads and white bucktailswith plastic trailers at night around lights.White bass are good at night on Li'l Fishies,small Terminator In-Line spinnerbaits, andcrappie jigs. Crappie to 15" are good on min-nows over brushpiles in 15 feet. Channel cat-fish to 6 pounds are good on trotlines baitedwith large minnows. Yellow and blue catfish areslow.NAVARRO MILLS: Water murky; 2.48' low.Black bass are slow. White bass are slow.Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish areslow. Yellow catfish are slow.PROCTOR: Water clear; 84 degrees; 3.22' low.Black bass are good on chartreuse spinnerbaitsand crankbaits. Striped bass are good on char-treuse deep diving crankbaits and jigs. Whitebass are excellent on chartreuse spinnerbaitsand crankbaits. Crappie are excellent on min-nows and chartreuse jigs. Channel and bluecatfish are very good on shad and shrimp.Yellow catfish are slow.SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 1.87' low. Blackbass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. Whitebass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel andblue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.STILLHOUSE: Water clear; 84 degrees; 0.16'low. Black bass are good on watermelon softplastics. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow.Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimpand hot dogs. Yellow catfish are slow.TRAVIS: Water clear; 84 degrees; 12.00' low.Black bass are fair on red and green soft plasticworms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Stripedbass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie aregood on minnows. Channel and blue catfish arefair on stinkbait, shrimp, and liver. Yellow cat-fish are slow.WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 82 degrees.Black bass are slow. Hybrid striperare slow.White bass are good on minnows. Crappie arefair on minnows. Channel and blue catfish aregood on Black Salty baitfish. Yellow catfish areslow.WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 1.42' low.Black bass are good on green/white crankbaitsand spinnerbaits, and on white Rat-L-Traps.

Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow.Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fairon stinkbait, liver, and cut bait.

NORTHEASTATHENS: Water stained; 82-83 degrees; 2.9'low. Black bass are fair on topwaters aroundshoreline, submerged vegetation early, laterswitching to Texas rigged worms on deeperbrush piles. Crappie are fair in 15 feet on liveminnows and jigs in 12-18 feet. Catfish aregood on punch bait and fresh cut bait in 15feet. Bream are good on crickets and earth-worms in 4-6 feet.BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 82-83 degrees; 4'low. Black bass are good early on Texas riggedworms, Pop R's and Chug Bugs. Crappie aregood on live minnows at night under the rail-road and Highway 21 bridges. White bass arefair trolling Hellbender/Pet Spoon rigs overhumps 18-24 feet. Catfish are good on Bill'sCatfish Bait in 20 feet and on trotlines with cutbait.BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 81-83. Black bassare fair on Rat-L-Traps and soft plastics in 8-10feet — the topwater bite is fair during the firstcouple hours of daylight. Crappie are fair onlive minnows around main lake brush in 15-20feet. White bass are good on live shad andslabs in 15-20 feet. Hybrid striper are fair onlive shad in 12-20 feet. Channel catfish aregood in 15-20 feet on punch bait.CADDO: Water clear; 81-83 degrees; 0.15' low.Black bass are fair on Texas rigged worms in 6-8 feet around lily pads and isolated groups ofcypress trees. White bass are fair trolling Rat-L-Traps in the Big Lake area — some are begin-ning to show in the channels. Channel catfishare good on punch bait in 6 feet around theedge of lily pads. Warmouth (goggle eye) andbream are good on worms under a floater fishedalong the edge of lily pads in 6-8 feet.CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 81-83 degrees;2.72' low. Black bass are fair on topwatersearly, switching to Texas rigged worms and deepdiving crankbaits later in the day. White bassare fair on slabs in 18-24 feet. Hybrid striperare fair trolling Hellbender/Pet Spoon rigs onthe flat between the dam andCrappie Island. Night fishing is good on smallminnow imitation soft plastics around lightedboathouses. Crappie are slow. Catfish are goodon Danny King's Punch Bait in 18-22 feetaround holes baited with soured grain.COOPER: Water stained; 81-84 degrees. Blackbass are good on plastic worms fished aroundbrush and timber in 8-12 feet close to creekchannels. Crappie are good on minnows andBetts Jigs in 15-20 feet around timber andsubmerged brush piles. Catfish are good on jug-lines with cut shad. White bass are fair on jig-ging spoons in 24 feet.FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 82-97 degrees. Blackbass are fair on Carolina rigged centipedesaround main lake points in 16-22 feet. Redfishare slow. Hybrid striper are fair on live shadand perch fished under balloons in 18-22 feetaround mid-lake points. Catfish are fair on liveshad in 18-20 feet.GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 81-84 degrees;4.40' low. Black bass are fair early on topwa-ters, later switching to medium running shadpattern crankbaits and Carolina rigged frenchfries. Crappie are fair on live minnows in 15-20feet. White bass are good on slabs and jiggingspoons around humps and points in 12-18feet. Catfish are good on punch bait in 15-20feet around baited holes.JOE POOL: Water stained; 81-84 degrees;2.30' low. Black bass are good early on topwa-ters fished around points with submerged grass,later switching to Texas rigged worms. Crappieare fair on jigs and minnows around the bargesand Corps of Engineers brush piles in 22-24feet. White bass are fair early on Holiday Slabsin 20 feet around main lake humps and ridges— limited surface schooling early. Channel cat-fish are fair on punch bait and fresh shadaround baited holes in 20 feet.LAKE O' THE PINES: Water stained; 81-83degrees; 2.75' low. Black bass are fair on PopR's early around lily pads, later switching toTexas rigged worms in heavy brush and alongthe edges of deeper hydrilla beds in 10-12feet. Crappie are slow. White bass are slow.Channel catfish are good in 20 feet on pre-pared baits in baited holes.LAVON: Water stained; 81-83 degrees; 6.95'low. Black bass are fair on Texas rigged wormsaround standing timber close to creek channelsand on the outside edge of vegetation alongmain lake points. Crappie are fair on live min-nows in 22-28 feet around lower lake pointswith brush. White bass are fair on slabs andtrolling Hellbender/Pet Spoon rigs in 20-24 feetaround mid to lower lake points and the island.Catfish are fair on punch bait and fresh shad in15-20 feet around baited holes on the edge oftree lines.LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 81-83 degrees;4.90' low. Black bass are fair on soft plasticsearly and late around shoreline vegetation, mid-day switching to deep diving crankbaits in 15feet. Crappie are fair early and at night aroundbrush in 15-20 feet. White bass are fair onslabs and live shad in 20-24 feet around sub-merged humps and ridges. Catfish are good onfresh shad under schooling white bass and onDanny King's Punch Bait in baited holes in 20-24 feet.MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 84 degrees mid-lake, 98 at hot water discharge; normal pool.Black bass are slow during the day and fair atnight on dark worms fished around main lakegrass. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on trot-lines with small live perch.MONTICELLO: Water clear; 83 degrees upperend, 99 degrees at hot water discharge; normalpool. Black bass are fair at night on large darkcolor worms and during the day on deep divingcrankbaits and Carolina rigs along creek ledgesin 15 feet. Crappie are slow. Channel catfishare fair on punch bait in 10-20 feet.PALESTINE: Water clear; 81-83 degrees; 2.20low. Black bass are fair on soft plastics pitchedaround boathouses with brush and shade -

most fish landed in the mid to lower lake.Crappie are fair on live minnows in 20- 25 feetaround main lake brush piles. Catfish are goodon prepared catfish baits in 18-22 feet aroundbaited holes. White bass are fair on slabs andRat-L-Traps around main lake points, with occa-sional schooling activity early. Hybrid striper arefair on small live perch in 20-24 feet aroundmail lake points.PAT MAYSE: Water clear; 81-83 degrees; 3'low. Black bass are fair early on topwaters andsoft plastic on the outside edge of grass beds in4-6 feet. Crappie are fair on Betts Jigs in 15feet around man-made brush piles. Catfish aregood on punch bait around baited holes adja-cent creek channels in 20-24 feet. White bassare fair on slabs in 20 feet around steep sub-merged ledges. Hybrid striper are slow.RAY HUBBARD: Water stained; 81-84 degrees;2.60' low. Black bass are fair on topwaters andTexas rigged worms around lily pads on thenortheast end of the lake. Crappie are slow.White bass are fair on slabs and by trollingHellbender/Pet Spoon rigs out from RobertsonPark and the Peanut. Hybrid striper are fair onlive shad, slabs and 1oz. Rat-L-Traps. Catfishare good on punch bait in holes baited withsoured grain - better catches coming north ofthe I-30 bridges along the edge of standingtimber.RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 83-83 degrees; 2'low. Black bass are fair early on Pop R's aroundshallow grass and in 18-22 feet on Carolinarigged centipedes around mid to lower lakepoints and humps. Crappie are fair on tube jigsin 24-28 feet around man-made brush piles.White bass are good on spoons and slabs in 20feet around the mouth of major creeks andadjacent flats. Catfish are good on punch baitand fresh shad in 12-20 feet.RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water stained; 81-83degrees; 3' low. Black bass are slow. Whitebass are fair on slabs and topwaters on the 309Flats and around Hickey Island (watch for spo-radic schooling action early). Hybrid striper arefair on large slabs, live shad, perch and Rat-L-Traps on the 309 Flats and out from WindsockPoint. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good onprepared baits and fresh shad in 15-20 feet.TAWAKONI: Water stained; 81-84 degrees;5.50' low. Black bass are fair on Carolina rigsin 10-12 feet around main lake points, with afew landed on topwaters around docks early.Crappie are slow. Catfish are good on punchbait off the fishing barge at Duck Cove Marinaand around baited holes in 18-20 feet all overthe lake — some good catches made fromwater as shallow as 3 feet during early morning.White bass are good on 1 oz. white or char-treuse Holiday Slabs. Striped bass and hybridstriper are good under the birds on 2 oz. char-treuse or white Holiday Slabs, Sassy Shad andlarge pearl Chug Bugs.TEXOMA: Water clear; 81-83 degrees; 1.05'low. Black bass are fair on soft plastics arounddocks. Smallmouth bass are fair on crawfishpattern deep diving crankbaits along lower lakerocky points. Crappie are fair on jigs and min-nows around docks with brush in 20 feet.Striped bass are good on live shad - some fishbeginning to bite slabs and Sassy Shad. Bluecatfish are good on cut shad in 15-22 feet.WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 82 degrees;4.2' low. Black bass are fair on dark coloredsoft plastics and crankbaits. Crappie to 1pound are good in the relocated crappie bargeand on deep brush piles. Channel catfish aregood from the marina docks on live night-crawlers. White bass are schooling early. Breamare excellent on worms in the marina cove andalong the wall. All boat ramps are open.

SOUTH

AMISTAD: Water clear; 85 degrees. Black bassare fair on drop shot rigs and heavy jigs ingrass. Striped bass are slow. White bass areslow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue cat-fish are slow to fair on cheesebait over baitedholes in 30 - 40 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.BRAUNIG: Water stained; 99 degrees. Blackbass are slow. Striped bass are slow. Redfishare good on perch and tilapia on the bottom,and down rigging spoons and Rat-L-Traps.Channel catfish are fair on cutbait, stinkbait,liver, and shrimp. Yellow catfish are slow.CALAVERAS: Water stained; 98 degrees. Blackbass are slow. Striped bass are slow. Redfishare good on perch and tilapia on the bottom.Channel and blue catfish are fair on shad,shrimp, and liver. Yellow catfish are slow.CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 84 degrees;1.84' low. Black bass to 6 pounds are good onMathis special Jo-Baby spinnerbaits, fall crawLucky Craft Fat CB-BDS2's, and white All-Terrain Swim Jigs at sunrise, and later on alli-gator 11/2 oz. Falcon jigs with green pumpkinYUM Big Claw trailers in holes in the grass, andwatermelon seed Norman Deep Divers andgreen moss craw Lucky Craft LVR-10's alongthe edges of grass lines in 10-20 feet. Whitebass are fair on live minnows and vertically jig-ging silver CC spoons around main lake pointsin 15 - 20 feet. Crappie to 2 pounds are goodon live minnows and brown pumpkin Curb'scrappie jigs tipped with live minnows overbrushpiles and standing timber in 6 - 15 feet.Channel and blue catfish to 15 pounds are fairon cut perch, punchbait, and jumbo minnowsin 8 - 15 feet. Yellow catfish to 20 pounds arefair on trotlines and juglines baited with jumbominnows.COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 88 degrees (98degrees at hot water discharge); 1.61' low.Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and softplastic worms and lizards over shallow grassbeds. Striped bass are slow. White bass areslow. Crappie are fair on live minnows. Channeland blue catfish are good on live perch andshad. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines andjuglines baited with live perch.FALCON: Water fairly clear; 90 degrees. Blackbass are good on deep running crankbaits andsoft plastic worms. Striped bass are excellentnear the dam. Crappie are slow. Catfish areexcellent on frozen shrimp and cutbait. Yellowcatfish are slow. Mexican fishing licenses and

boat permits are required to fish in Mexicanwaters. Everyone in the boat must have aMexico Fishing License whether fishing or not.MEDINA: Water clear; 85 degrees; 5.44' low.Black bass to 4 pounds are fair on green shadJo-Baby spinnerbaits and mad craw Lucky CraftCB-100's before sunrise in 2-8 feet, and lateron watermelon shad 4" ring worms along mainlake points in 10-16 feet. Striped bass are fairdrifting perch near the dam and trollingfiretiger 4" Berkley Saltwater Pogy baits overmain lake points in 20-35 feet. White bass arefair on live minnows and vertically jigging1/8oz. XPS Tungsten spoons around main lakepoints in 10-20 feet. Smallmouth bass to 3pounds are fair on firebug 3/16oz. spinnerbaitsand Mardi Gras Cyclone Slip-n-Jigs with water-melon gold 3" YUM Dinger trailers along ledgesand rock piles in 10-25 feet. Crappie are fairon live minnows and brown pumpkin Curb'scrappie jigs tipped with live minnows aroundbrushpiles and standing timber at night underlights in 10-25 feet. Channel and blue catfishto 15 pounds are fair on Danny King's PunchBait, chicken livers, and goldfish. Yellow catfishto 25 pounds are good on juglines baited withperch and goldfish.

SOUTHEASTCONROE: Water fairly clear; 2.60' low. Blackbass are slow. Striped bass are slow. Crappieare fair on minnows. Catfish are slow.GIBBONS CREEK: Water fairly clear. Blackbass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows.Catfish are fair on minnows and shad.HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 82degrees; 0.32' low. Black bass to 6 pounds arefair on topwaters, and on green pumpkinseedand black soft plastic worms on the south sideof the lake and near the marina. Crappie arefair on live minnows early. Bream are good onlive worms in grassy areas. Catfish are good ontrotlines baited with live perch, chicken livers,doughbait, and stinkbait.LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 90 degrees; 3.87'low. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow.White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channeland blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish areslow.SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 87 degrees;3.27' low. Black bass are fair onchartreuse/blue back and root beer deep divingcrankbaits. Crappie are fair on live shiners.Catfish are fair on live bait.TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 88 degrees;8.15' low. Black bass are fair on red Texasrigged soft plastic worms around hydrilla in 4 -6 feet, and on watermelon seed and pumpkin-seed spoons in 20-25 feet. Crappie are fair onminnows in 15-20 feet.

PANHANDLEBAYLOR: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees.Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfishare slow.GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees;22' low. Black bass are fair on shad-coloredsoft jerkbaits and white spinnerbaits alonggrass lines. Crappie are good on minnows.White bass are fair on live bait and small crankbaits. Smallmouth bass are fair. Walleye aregood on live bait. Catfish are good on chickenliver.MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 71 degrees;65.75' low. Black bass are fair on white spin-nerbaits and black back crankbaits. Crappie aregood on minnows and jigs. White bass andstriped bass are fair on live bait. Smallmouthbass are fair. Walleye are fair. Catfish are goodon live bait.MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 71 degrees;23.45' low. Black bass are fair on white spin-nerbaits or Carolina-rigged black/blue fleck softplastics and jigs along rocky points. Crappie arefair on jigs and minnows. White bass are goodon live bait and spinnerbaits near rocky points.Smallmouth bass are good on minnows.Walleye are fair on live bait and bottom bounc-ers. Channel Catfish are fair on silver shad.

WESTALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 74degrees. Black bass are good on white spinner-baits and shad-colored soft plastics along thebrush lines. Crappie are fair on minnows andjigs.COLORADO CITY: Water clear; 78 degrees.Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Whitebass are slow. Redfish are slow. Catfish areslow.FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 78 degrees;4.45' low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fairon minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on livebait. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 77degrees; 9.35' low. Black bass are fair on whitespinnerbaits along rocky points and grass lines.Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Whitebass and hybrid striper are fair. Catfish aregood on live bait.NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 80degrees. Black bass are fair. Crappie are fair onjigs and minnows. Redfish are fair. White bassand striped bass are fair on chrome/bluecrankbaits. Catfish are good on minnows.OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees;18.45' low. Black bass are fair on live bait.Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfishare fair on minnows and chicken liver. No boatramps open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on thedirt road near the dam.OH. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees;15.7' low. Black bass are fair on white spinner-baits and pumpkin soft plastics along brushlines. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.White bass are fair. Smallmouth bass are goodon small crankbaits. Channel catfish are goodon cut baits.POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 82 degrees;1' low. Black bass are fair in Rock Creek andCaddo Creek areas. White bass are good inBluff Creek and Neely's Cove. Striped bass arefair near lighted piers at night. Blue and chan-nel catfish are fair in the upper part of reser-

voir.SPENCE: Water lightly stained; 77 degrees; 45'low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie arefair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair.Striped bass and hybrid striper are fair on livebait. Catfish are fair.STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 76 degrees;Black bass are fair on white spinnerbaits.Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Whiteand striped bass are fair. Catfish are fair on cutshad.SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 77degrees; 31' low. Black bass are fair on whitespinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows andjigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair onminnows.WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 78degrees; 22.32' low. Black bass are fair onblack neon or watermelon red soft plasticsalong tree lines and white spinnerbaits workedthrough stickups. Crappie are fair on jigs andminnows. Walleye are fair on live bait. Channelcatfish are good on chicken liver.WICHITA: Water clearing; 82 degrees; Full atspillway. Crappie are slow. White bass andhybrid striped bass are fair on large minnows,white twister-tails and silver spoons along dam,Lake Wichita Park area, and near spillway.Channel catfish are fair on bait shrimp orpunchbait. North side public ramp is tem-porarily closed for maintenance.

COASTAL

NORTH SABINE: Flounder are fair on char-treuse jigs tipped with shrimp in the marsh.Redfish are good in the marsh on topwatersand gold spoons. Tides remain above normal.SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good whiledrifting the Reef on shrimptails and red shadBass Assassins, Sand Eels and Trout Killers.Bull redfish are good in the surf and at the jettyon finger mullet. Trout are good on tandem-rigged DOA Shrimp at the causeway at night.BOLIVAR: Bull redfish are good on the beach-front on finger mullet. Croaker and flounder arefair to good on fresh dead shrimp at RolloverPass.TRINITY BAY: Trout are fair to good on the reefin front of the Spillway on gold spoons, topwa-ters and live shrimp. Redfish are fair in themarsh on cracked crabs.EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to goodaround Frozen Point on Top Dogs, SuperSpooks and Corkies. Trout and redfish are goodat Hannas Reef on plum and pumpkinseedplastics and live shrimp, when the wind allows.WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout and redfish arefair to good around Green's Cut andConfederate Cut on plum and glow artificialsand live shrimp. Bull redfish are good on thebeachfront on mullet and cracked blue crabs.TEXAS CITY: Trout are good on live shrimp andjigs under the lights at night. Croaker are goodoff the lighted pier at the end of the dike ondead shrimp. Redfish are fair to good on liveshrimp in Moses Lake and on the reefs.FREEPORT: Trout and redfish are fair to goodin Christmas Bay and Bastrop Bay on liveshrimp. Bull redfish are fair at the Surfside andQuintana jetties on finger mullet and cut-bait.EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair to good fordrifters working deep shell on plum and glowBass Assassins, Sand Eels, Red Killers andHogies. Redfish are fair to good on shrimp onthe Chinquapin Reefs and on crabs in LakeAustin. Nagging east winds have made fishingtough.MATAGORDA: Bull redfish are fair to good atthe jetty on finger mullet. Trout are fair overgrass beds on She Dogs and black Sand Eels,Trout Killers, Stanley Wedgetails and BassAssassins. Redfish are good in Crab Lake andOyster Lake on live shrimp.PORT O'CONNOR: Bull redfish are fair to goodat the jetty on finger mulletand squid. Troutand redfish are good for drifters working theback lakes on live shrimp, She Dogs and SuperSpooks. Trout are fair to good on the reefs inSan Antonio Bay on She Dogs and Corkies.ROCKPORT: Trout and redfish are fair to goodon topwaters and live shrimp on the shell inCopano Bay. Trout and redfish are good on theshell in Mesquite Bay on live shrimp, mulletand She Dogs. Redfish are fair to good on theEstes Flats and around Mud Island on liveshrimp under a popping cork. Winds havemade fishing tough.PORT ARANSAS: Bull redfish are fair to goodat the jetty on squid and mullet. Redfish aregood in Corpus Christi Bay around PelicanIsland on live shrimp. Red snapper and tunaare good offshore.CORPUS CHRISTI: Redfish and black drumare good on live piggy perch in Shamrock Cove.Redfish are fair to good on the East Flats onbone Top Dogs, Super Spooks and She Dogs.BAFFIN BAY: Trout and redfish are fair to goodin Emmords Hole and the Humble Channel onlive shrimp and DOA Shrimp. Trout are fair togood on piggy perch and soft plastics on thegrass beds adjacent to the Intracoastal.PORT MANSFIELD: Trout and redfish are goodat the Land Cut on live shrimp and pumpkin-seed Red Killers, Bass Assassins, Sand Eelsand topwaters. Trout and redfish are good fordrifters over grass beds on black/chartreuseShe Dogs and soft plastics under a MansfieldMauler. Tarpon are steady near East Cut.SOUTH PADRE: Trout and redfish are good ongold spoons and Top Dogs at Three Island.Redfish are schooling on the flats. Trout arefair to good on the grass on Red Killers, BassAssassins and Sand Eels under MansfieldMaulers. Tarpon are showing at the jetty.PORT ISABEL: Trout, redfish and black drumare good on live shrimp under a popping corkat Un-necessary Island and Laguna Vista.Redfish and black drum are fair to good at theGas-Well Flats on shrimp, DOA Shrimp andglow soft plastics.


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Game warden blottergame bag. Upon inspection,the wardens found him to bein possession of 20 freshlykilled doves. The hunter wascited for exceeding the dailybag limit of doves.

SEARCH TURNS DEADLY• San Jacinto County Game

Wardens Aryn Corley andBrian Scott recovered twobodies after responding to a911 call on the Trinity River.A 22-year-old man haddrowned. Sheriff’s depart-ment officials arrived on theshoreline while the wardenswere approaching from theriver. A 35-year-old deputyconstable drowned trying tofind the first victim. WardensCorley and Scott recovered

both victims within minutes.

THIS RALLY’S NOT SMART• Hill County Game Warden

Douglas Volcik received a callabout a person driving a four-wheeled Mule through a sun-flower field near Hubbardand shooting doves. Whenthe man was contacted, hereadily admitted to rallyingdoves with the ATV. A cita-tion was issued for rallyingmourning doves. The case ispending.

GOT IT ALL WRONG• Walker County Game

Warden Anthony Corcoranand Montgomery CountyGame Warden BrannonMeinkowsky apprehended

four people cast netting inLake Conroe. The men had acooler full of brim, tilapia,and half-a-dozen catfish,along with an undersizedblack bass. Citations for nofishing license and takinggame fish by illegal meansand methods were issued.The cases are pending.

BOAT SNATCHED BACK• Marine Theft Sgt. Ned

Nichols seized a 20-ft. pon-toon boat at the Garlandoffice. A customer had calledtrying to register the boat,and it was flagged stolen. Thecustomer was told he neededto bring the boat in for agame warden inspectionbefore it could be registered.

He happily complied, and theboat was seized andimpounded. The boat wasstolen out of Plano in 2003.The investigation continues.

HIDE AND SEEK• Two Spring men fled upon

seeing Harris County GameWarden Kevin Malonson.Shotguns in hand, they leftbehind their four-wheelersand 13 doves. Malonsonchased the men into a nearbywarehouse, which was alsotheir place of employment.Malonson made contact withthe warehouse supervisor,who contacted the suspectsand advised them to surren-der. The men were chargedwith evading detention, no

hunting license and huntingwithout written consent. Thecases are pending.

ROADRUNNER, QUAIL BAGGED• Some hunters shooting from

a truck had a pair of interest-ed observers watching them.Coke County Game WardenJim Allen and SterlingCounty Game WardenMichael Jaramillo tracked thehunters to a ranch house.There the game wardensfound the men in possessionof quail during closed seasonand in possession of a pro-tected non-game bird, a road-runner. The men had nohunting licenses and had nottaken the hunter-educationprogram.

EMPLOYMENT

Hunt the BIG Bucksof South Te x a s .

9000 acre Nueces River Ranchw w w. g h o s t a p a c h e r a n c h . c o m

214-929-0823

Offshore and Bay fishing30' Stamas21' Shallowsport

South TexasDeer and TurkeyHunting10,000 Acres

Duck, Goose andDove Hunting

40,000 Acres

Capt. Scott Hickman3218 Coral Ridge Ct.

League City, TX 77573(218) 535-1930

Fax: (218) 535-1935www.circleh.org


OUTDOOR DATEBOOK

OCT. 15: Angler Education Instructorcourse, McKinney Falls SP. Free classequips adult youth leaders to teachbasic fishing skills to youth andprepare them to be responsibleanglers. Participants receive a specialinstructor pin, become part of TPW’sAngler Education team and are able toorder incentive awards andeducational materials for students; 9a.m.-2 p.m.; registration required. Formore information, call (512) 389-4732 or (512) 389-8183.

OCT. 15: Fly fishing clinic at TexasFreshwater Fisheries Center in Athensfor those 18 and older, equipmentavailable, $30 fee includes lunch,from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

OCT. 15: DU Palestine dinner andraffle at K-C Hall. Contact JohnSchwab, (903) 729-2777, or [email protected] for moreinformation.

OCT. 15: DU Granbury banquet at thecountry club. Contact Kyle Lewis at(817) 573-9836 or via e-mail [email protected].

OCT. 15: DU and Bass Pro Shops teamup for Waterfowl Weekend in Katy.The event will include a duck-callingcontest on Saturday with prizes, a fishfry lunch and raffles. A worldchampionship goose-calling contestwill take place on Sunday, including amouth-calling division. For more

information, contact Tim Soderquist at(281) 259-9638,[email protected].

OCT. 15: DU Rockport/Fulton dinner.Contact Michael Canterbury, (361)563-9799, for more information.

OCT. 17: DU Hill Country banquet inLakeway. Contact John Thomas, (512)261-3859, for more information.

OCT. 18: DU Village Creek dinner.Contact Scott Nieland at (409) 893-2565 or via e-mail [email protected].

OCT. 18: DU Sealy banquet. ContactJim Havel at (979) 378-2273.

OCT. 18: DU Tyler dinner at the HarveyConvention Center Complex. ContactDavid Lomax at (903) 593-7373 or e-mail him at [email protected].

OCT. 18: DU Texoma 30th Anniversarybanquet at the Voyager Air ServiceHangar. Auctions, barbecue and funawaits attendees. Call Jim Salling at(903) 463-1151 for more informationor e-mail him [email protected].

OCT. 18: DU “Best Southwest”chapters banquet at the DesotoHoliday Inn. Decoys, guns and artworkwill be featured at the event’sauctions. Contact Christy Hamman at(972) 228-3295 or via e-mail at [email protected].

OCT. 19: Dallas Safari Club monthlymeeting, Dallas/ Addison MarriottQuorum Hotel. Zimbabwe ElephantSafari – Jerry Peterman & StanNewding. The cost is $35 per person.

RSVP by calling (972) 980-9800 orvisit [email protected].

OCT. 19: DU Katy-Brookshire dinner atthe Brookshire Civic Center. ContactBrandon or Heather Gay at (281)463-7789 or via e-mail [email protected].

OCT. 20: DU Conroe dinner at the FairGrounds. Contact Paul Johnson at(936) 321-3117 [email protected].

OCT. 20: North Texas Delta WaterfowlBanquet, Royal Oaks Country Club,Dallas. RSVP [email protected].

OCT. 20: DU Dallas banquet andauction at the International ApparelMart, 2300 Stemmons Fwy., Dallas;5:30 p.m. with 7 p.m. dinner. Ticketsare $100 in advance ($125 at thedoor) and tables of 10 are $1,000and up. Price includes dinner and DUmembership. Call Liz Foster at (214)824-5285 or e-mail her [email protected].

OCT. 20: DU Weatherford chapterbanquet at the skating rink with funprizes and food. Contact Chris Bragg,(817) 594-3888.

OCT. 20-22: Second annual Oklahoma-Texas Shootout bass fishingcompetition will be held at LakeGuerrero, Mexico, at Lago Vista lodge.For more information, contact CarecoMultimedia (251) 948-3011 or visitwww.lagovistalodge.com.

OCT. 21-23: Second annualOktoberfisch, Keller’s Riverside Store,

Highway 87 between Fredericksburgand Mason. Festival offers fly fishingenthusiasts a weekend of education,kayaking and fly fishing in the LlanoRiver. Registration begins Friday,noon-10 p.m. The cost is $25 andincludes two nights of streamsideprimitive camping, Saturday boatshuttles and entry to vendor area andfestival activities. Visitwww.fredericksburgflyfishers.org formore information or call (830) 997-8881 or (830) 997-8388.

OCT. 22: DU’s Duck Eve Celebration atCentral Flyway Outfitters outside ofHouston. The event will featurebarbecue, skeet shooting and more.Admission is $10 and the eventbegins at 2:30 p.m. Contact TimSoderquist at (281) 259-9638 formore information.

OCT. 22–23: Youth/adult dove andquail hunt, Chaparral WMA. Daily feeof $15 waived with annual publichunt permit; no fee for youth underage 17. For more information, call(830) 676-3413.

OCT. 22-23: Hunter education course(session 1 and 2), Cabela’s, FortWorth. Must pre-register at store andattend both sessions. Hours are 8a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, and 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., Sunday. For moreinformation, call (817) 337-2400.

OCT. 25: Northeast Texas HuntersSeminar. This annual educationalevent will include speakers, exhibits,displays and more. Door prizesinclude firearms, ATV trailers, dogkennels and other merchandise

donated by area merchants. The eventwill be held at the Mt. Pleasant CivicCenter, 1800 N. Jefferson St. Exhibitsand displays open at 5 p.m.,presentations begin at 6:30 p.m.;fees: adults $1, free for children 12and under; open to the public. Foradditional information, contact JohnGullion (903) 572-4537 or JerryHarvey (903) 572-3172.

OCT. 27: DU Kingwood/Humble dinner.Contact Bradley Fuentes at (713)679-6385.

OCT. 26: DU Midland banquet atGreenTree Country Club. Contact Clintor Kristie Moeglein at (432) 694-9374 or via e-mail [email protected].

OCT. 27: DU Arlington banquet.Contact David Lansford at (214) 837-9437 or via e-mail [email protected].

OCT. 27: Free muzzleloading course,Bass Pro Shops, Grapevine, 2501Bass Pro Drive. A basic introductionto muzzleloading firearms (rifle,pistol, shotgun and in-lines) and willcover loading, safety, care andcleaning, black powder and substitutepowders, bullets and accessories.Instructional only.

OCT. 28–30: Dove and quail hunts,Chaparral WMA. Daily fee of $15waived with annual public huntpermit; no fee for youth under age 17.Call (830) 676-3413 for information.

OCT. 29–31: Quail hunts, Black GapWMA. To confirm and for moreinformation, call (432) 376-2216.

HEROES’ CORNERWant to share your great hunting or fishing adventure with the Lone Star Outdoor News family? E-mail your photo, phone and caption information to

[email protected], or mail to: Heroes’ Corner, Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX, 75243.

JOSH MCCORD, 14, used an AR-34 to harvest his first bow kill in Sabinal.

HAVE AN EVENT TO PUBLICIZE?E-mail it to

[email protected] must bo open to the public

COREY SPRAYBERRY of College Station caught his personal best bass on Sept. 11at Houston County Lake near Crockett. It was 9 pounds 9 ounces and 25 1/4inches long. Sprayberry caught it on a Rat-L-Trap. If not for the help from JackCrouch to land it, Sprayberry said he might not have gotten it in the Bass Cat.

The NUECES 4-H SHOOTING CLUB in Corpus Christi won the Associated Builders and Contractors 4th Annual Skeet & Trap Shoot,five-man team. They are (left to right): Sam Hinnant, Josh Parks, Donny Netek, Leo Ybanez and Dane Young.

For the second time in five months,Alex Dieste, 9, of Frisco has scoreda state fishing record. He caughtthis tilapia about two weeks ago,breaking a state record for rod andreel all ages as well as for the juniorclass for private water. Alex caughtthe blue tilapia, which weighed4.85 pounds and measured 18.5inches, on a worm. He was actuallyfishing for big bluegill when thismonster showed up. His first staterecord came May 30 when helanded a 4.94-pound hybrid stripedbass that snared a state record inthe youth private water bodycategory.

FEATURED HERO

Documents

October 14, 2005 Volume 2, Issue 4 Bagging · hot on Lake Texoma as the weather gets cool. See page 8 Gigging is a popular way to catch flounder, and Texas Parks and Wildlife experts