May 11, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com Lone✯Star Outdoor News May 11, 2012

By Craig NyhusLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Mike Shipley grew up in an environment that would appear unusual to most. Both of his parents are deaf. But that didn’t stop him or his father from hunting.

“I’m told my fi rst words were in sign language,” the 20-year-old Texas A&M-Kingsville junior from Austin said. “Both my parents were essentially deaf from birth, although my mom can hear a little with hearing aids, and she speaks well.”

Shipley learned to speak mostly from his grandpar-ents, and he was introduced to hunting by his grandfa-ther and father.

“My grandfather got my uncle and dad into it some — as a kid I would go with my dad when my mom

would let me,” he said.His fi rst recollection of

hunting was at age 10, when his father shot a 10-pointer on their property near Junction.

“Then I got more inter-ested and would go with my dad as often as he would take me,” he said.

Success, though, was another story.

“We didn’t know much about hunting,” Shipley said. “And I got buck fever bad — I missed six deer and four hogs in a row.”

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May 11, 2012 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 8, Issue 18

eBay for animalsNew Web site auctions

exotics online. Page 4

Custom rod maker mixes humor with work

Student chooses career in hunting

By Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

This rod bites!That is the impression one gets

when they hold the custom rattle-snake rod made by former tourna-ment angler and North Texas fi sh-ing guide turned custom rod maker Ron Grantham.

“That rod took a while because I looked for the rightsized snake head,” he said. “I had a couple of guys hunt-ing for them, but they just couldn’t get the correct size, so I found a poly-mer statue and cut the head off. But everything else is real rattlesnake.”

It’s customs like the rattlesnake rod that are getting Grantham noticed, but his regular custom

PURSUING A DREAM: Mike Shipley of Austin realized he wanted to be a wildlife manager while attending Outdoor Texas Camp as an 11-year-old. This fall he will enter his senior year at Texas A&M–Kingsville in the wildlife management program. Photo by Craig Nyhus, LSON. See CAREER, Page 14

Hearing the call

Fishingfor bites

GET BIT: The rattlesnake rod by Ron Grantham, owner of Reel Time Custom Rods, was designed using real snakeskin. Along with unique custom rods, Grantham builds solid fi shing rods for all species of game fi sh. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

❘❚ LSONews.com

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 24Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 24Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 17Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 26Outdoor Business . . . . . Page 25Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 27Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 16Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 24

Inside

Col. Pete Flores hanging up his gun after 27 years.

Page 6

End of an era❘❚ HUNTING

High school senior wins fi sh art contest for second year in a row.

Page 11

Back to back

Game wardens use TV shows andelectronic media to nab law breakers.

Page 4

We’re watching, too

Rattling vs. “silent” crankbaits.Page 8

Noise or no noise?

❘❚ FISHING

See CUSTOM RODS, Page 14

Galveston shark action heating up


Longtime Galveston Bay Capt. Mike Williams has caught quite a few sharks during his 50-plus years of guiding on the Texas coast.

This year, the water warmed up much quicker than normal along the beaches, and that has brought the sharks into the passes about a month

earlier than normal.“The shark fi shing

has been good when we can get out,” Williams said. “The wind just recently died down. I’ve had some mixed trips of bull reds and sharks in the Rollover Pass area.”

Williams said he caught mostly blacktips on his recent trip, but also managed a 200-pound

See SHARK FISHING, Page 25JAWS IN TEXAS: Shark fi shing is getting good in the Galveston Bay area. Trolling with Rapala’s is not a common way to catch them, but it can be effective and fun. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

May 11, 2012 Lone✯Star Outdoor News LSONews.com


HUNTING

Wardens watch TV, tooBy Craig NyhusLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Hunting and fi shing TV shows provide entertainment for those stuck at home on weekend mornings.

Sometimes, though, they provide information to game wardens that cause them to look deeper into the actions of the participants.

Wade Middleton hosts and produces a number of hunt-ing and fi shing shows, includ-ing “American Outdoors” and “Cabela’s Fisherman’s Handbook.”

“We’re really careful, especially when it’s some-thing new for us or we’re out of state,” he said. “The camera is like a beacon to draw more attention to what we’re doing.”

Middleton hasn’t had any questions from any shows his company has pro-duced, but he’s heard the stories from other show producers.

“Most of the problems come from tagging issues, especially with deer and bear,” he said. “Some guys in Canada had a problem with using radios to assist in the hunt, which is ille-gal there. You have to pay atten-tion to detail — I keep a regula-tions book with me at all times, and keep a punch, tape, zip-ties and a pen that works in my bag.”

Col. Pete Flores, the law enforcement director for Texas Park and Wildlife Department

has seen a lot of change in his 27 years with the department.

“I saw a TV show where they were hunting javelina near Laredo,” Flores said. “The host was from out of state, and we checked whether he had a license — so we do check.”

Rocker and TV host Ted Nugent recently aired a black bear hunt in Alaska, and fell prey to a little-known provi-sion that said a non-lethal hit of a bear in the particular area he was hunting counted as the hunter’s one-bear limit. Nugent grazed the rib of a bear with his arrow on the hunt but

found no sign of injury. After the show aired, his taking of another bear brought him a federal charge followed by a guilty plea.

“While I have never inten-tionally violated a hunting regu-lation, ignorance of the law is no excuse, and I am truly sorry, and have paid dearly,” Nugent said in a statement after his plea.

Nugent pointed out the com-plex Alaska regulations and that the local judge and guides also were unaware of the pro-vision and that he would not have hunted in that area of the state had he been aware.

Larry Weishuhn, host of “A Hunter’s Life with Larry Weishuhn,” has hunted across America, and knows the war-dens are watching his shows.

“I’ve had some calls,” he said. “A few times they suggested I didn’t tag the animal, which was incorrect — we just weren’t showing the tags in the images.”

Weishuhn said you have to be on top of things when trav-eling and hunting.

“Each state is different on their tagging requirements, and some, like Kentucky, don’t provide tags with the license; you have to call in within 24 hours after shoot-

ing the animal and get a number, then attach that to the animal.”

And blindly taking the word of guides or outfi t-ters isn’t the best practice.

“I trust my guides and outfi tters,” he said. “But

I still confi rm the game laws for myself, and check with the local warden before I go if there is a question.”

Wardens are now prolifi c in social media, and reading the Game Warden Blotter in each issue of Lone Star Outdoor News reveals numerous incidents of violators posting their illegal activities for all to see.

“I never would have thought of that when I started,” said Flores, who retires May 31. “We were in the brush and bushes. Now we’ve added the electronic brush and bushes.”

Electronic brush and bushes’ part of job

The eBay for exotics


Kerrville resident and exotic animal rancher Lance Blazek has used national Web sites before to attempt to sell several of his animals.

The only problem was, when it came time for the animals to be sent to potential buyers, they were often located in places like Canada or the far Northeast.

“It’s a different crowd,” he said. “This site is Texas-based, and it is one of a kind because you can actu-ally bid on the animals.”

The Web site, Wildlifebuyer.com, was the idea of Circle H Ranch owner John Harwood. Circle H Ranch is a stock-ing facility in Leakey that sells exotic animals to game ranches around the state.

Harwood said he has been buying and selling animals a long time and felt the need to go beyond the “surplus list” that he has put out for years.

“It started out as just a site for our animals,” he said. “Then people started

calling and asking to put their animals on there. It’s been growing and growing and growing ever since.”

The Web site went live in January, and Harwood said close to $1 million in auction sales have been completed in the past four months on approximately 500 listings.

He said the problem with the surplus list occurred when multiple buy-ers would call about the same animal.

“Only the fi rst caller was happy,” he said. “I’d have 30 more call and I’d have to tell them, ‘No, they are sold.’ It just got to be inef-fi cient. I thought there has got to be a better way.”

The surplus list is still available on the Web site, but now potential buy-ers can see the ani-mals and place bids on animals that are still available.

“This thing has

taken on a whole new form,” Harwood said. “We are cur-rently talking to live auc-tion people, like the YO Ranch, about pre-bidding for their auctions. This will open it up for people who can’t go to the live auction.

“People have more options.”Harwood, a past presi-

dent of the Exotic Wildlife

Web site has online auctions for animals

See EBAY, Page 18

GOING ONCE: Wildlifebuyer.com is a new Web site offering exotic ranchers the opportunity to bid, buy and sell animals in a quick and easy format. Photos by Lili Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Good year for Texas turkey hunters


After a dismal 2011 spring turkey sea-son that saw minimal gobbling, almost no breeding and low hunter success, 2012 was a different story.

Plenty of mature toms and an early breeding season in most parts of the state left lots of eager gobblers responding to hunters’ calls when the season rolled around.

“Turkeys were very active across the region,” said Ray Hood, Texas regional director for the National Wild Turkey Federation. “South Texas (toms) started off early and were extremely active. There were no young birds to interfere with hunters, but lots of nice, mature gobblers were taken.

“The birds were so active from March into early April.”

Hood said hunter success was good from the early portion of the season right through the end in both the North and South Zone.

“I talked to an outfi tters in the San Angelo area and he had 100 percent

success on the fi rst bird and 98 per-cent success on the second,” he said. “I also talked to a Houston hunter who went to the North Zone to fi lm a late season hunt (for a TV show), and their hunt took about fi ve minutes.

“They had three birds right on top of them before the cameraman was even set up.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife turkey biol-ogist Jason Hardin agreed that the sea-son was a good one for Texas hunters.

“From my perspective, it was a pretty good season,” Hardin said. “It started earlier than in years past, but we expected that. The Rios are really responsive to when the rains fall, and they came early, so it kicked it off a little earlier this spring.

“The hens got on their nests a early, which made for better hunt-ing during the season.”

Hardin said the early start to the season, especially in the South Zone, proved to be a good thing this year.

See TURKEYS, Page 18

Photo by LSON.

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(512) 472-3532Austin resident AVERY LIARDON, 12, took this great scimitar-horned oryx bull on the

Bar H Bar Ranch near Lampasas. Avery was shooting a Kimber .308 when she took

a rest on shooting sticks and connected with the old bull at 150 yards. Avery is an

accomplished huntress, taking her fi rst deer at age 9, followed by a sika, Corsican

ram, more whitetails and pigs.

MDF looking for membersThe Mule Deer Foundation is looking for members for a new chapter in South Texas. The Mule Deer Foundation, a 25-year-old grassroots conservation organization, is starting a

local chapter in the Cameron County area. An organizational meeting will be held May 16, 2012, at the Loma Alta Skeet and Trap

Range, 500 Old Port Isabel Rd., Brownsville, Texas. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. All inter-ested individuals are encouraged to attend and bring along a friend.

For more information about the MDF or about this meeting, contact Charles S. Stockstill at 817-565-7121 or [email protected].

— MDF

Permits given green lightGood news for all those that have applied for USFWS permits for scimitar-horned oryx, addax

and dama gazelle. The permit section of USFWS has given a green light for the Exotic Wildlife Association’s Senegal Project as an enhancement in-situ, which means you can designate the EWA’s Second Ark Foundation Senegal Project as the receiver of the 10 percent enhancement fee as a result of the “take” of these three species for conservation purposes.

Those ranchers whose permits were being held will be processed immediately. Others who will apply in the future may contact the EWA offi ce for the exact wording.

Ranchers who have both the captive wildlife breeder’s permit and the “take” permit may allow others such as an outfi tter to assist with the culling of surplus animals provided it is for conservation purposes.

There will be no permits issued to anyone who does not own a ranch and has a viable herd of one or more of those species currently listed under the Endangered Species Act. In other words, permits are to be issued for conservation purposes to the ranch and ranch owners.

— EWA

Photo by LSON.



Col. Pete Flores, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Law Enforcement Division director, will retire effective May 31 after more than 27 years of service.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 24 years old,” the 52-year-old Flores said. “It’s been a very emotional expe-rience, though. I will really miss the people.”

Flores graduated from the Game Warden Training Academy in January 1985 and began his career in Chambers County. He later worked in Brazos County and, after a promotion to captain, assumed supervi-sory duties in Beaumont. Later he served as captain in San Antonio and then as a major in San Angelo. In March 2005 he was pro-moted from lieutenant col-onel to the division’s top position.

Flores said he was “most proud of the quality of ser-vice our men and women provide.”

“We’re the law enforcement off the pavement,” he said.

The low points of his

career as director were the loss of three wardens “on my watch,” he said.

He described the new Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton County as a highlight dur-ing his tenure.

“It’s the best in the world,” Flores said. “It’s built like an old Texas fort — 19th cen-tury on the outside and 21st century on the inside.”

As TPWD Law Enforcement

Division director, Flores over-sees 532 game wardens across the state. Though state game wardens focus primarily on conservation laws, they are fully commissioned peace offi cers authorized to enforce all state statutes.

“I am most proud of all Pete has done to ensure our game wardens are the best trained, the best prepared, the best equipped, and the best outfi tted they can be to meet the modern day chal-lenges, complexities and dangers of law enforcement across our state,” TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith said.

A native of Laredo, Flores graduated from Texas A&M University before attending the Game Warden Academy.

Flores plans to stay involved following his retire-ment, but hasn’t decided on his future plans.

“I’m going to take a sum-mer vacation like we had when we were back in school and spend time with my grandchildren,” he said. “And I spent seven years in Spain growing up, so I’ll go back there.”

Texas game warden director to retire

after 27 years

SOON GONE BUT NOT FORGOT-TEN: Col. Pete Flores will retire as the Law Enforcement Division director with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at the end of May, following a 27-year career. Photo by Col. Pete Flores.


BANDED products to hit the shelvesAt the S.H.O.T. show in January in Las Vegas, the Lone Star Outdoor News crew learned of a

new company set to produce rugged products for waterfowlers and outdoorsmen and women. But we had to keep it under our hat — until now.BANDED is up and running. Maxx Outdoors has announced the inaugural launch of BANDED

and the unveiling of its new Web site, www.banded.com. Created by a group of avid outdoorsmen, innovators and product designers that joined forces

after years of working in the outdoor industry, its objective is to produce better products to deal with outdoor activities that are extremely tough on gear.

Currently offering more than 600 items in 19 categories, BANDED says it will continue to provide new, innovative and functional gear for the outdoors.

“The amount of work that has been done by our team in the last nine months is unbeliev-able,” said CEO and President, Jim Hawk III. “With our diverse product offerings, there’s defi nitely something for everyone.”

— Staff report

Bigfoot legal to hunt in TexasApparently, hunters in Texas can shoot “Bigfoot” if they see him.As reported by the Outdoor Hub, John Lloyd Scharf sent a letter to the Texas Parks and

Wildlife Department asking if it is legal to kill a sasquatch in the state if a hunter comes across one of the animals.

Bigfoot is not listed as a game animal in Texas, thus, according to TPWD Chief of Staff Lt. David Sinclair, the animal can be legally hunted in Texas.

Sinclair responded to Scharf by saying, “the statute you cite (Section 61.021) refers only to game birds, game animals, fi sh, marine animals or other aquatic life. Generally speaking, other nongame wildlife is listed in Chapter 67 and Chapter 68 … An exotic animal is an animal that is non-indigenous to Texas. Unless the exotic is an endangered species then exotics may be hunted on private property with landowner consent.”

Bigfoot is said to roam the deep woods of the Pacifi c Northwest, but if any Lone Star Outdoor News readers happen to harvest one, please send a photo for our Heroes Section.

— Staff report

Lone Star Land Stewards announcedThe ability to manage land in diffi cult times, through extended dry periods and economic

downturns, is the hallmark of a good land steward. This year’s recipients of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Lone Star Land Steward Awards are prime examples.

This year’s recipients characterize the unique cultural and natural heritage of Texas. Landowners restoring degraded habitats while conserving fl ora and fauna are a common thread.Cross Timbers and Prairies:

Colonel Burns Ranch, Brown County; Toni and Paul Burns, owners/operators.Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes:

Wexford Ranches, Goliad, Victoria, Refugio Counties; Louise S. O’Connor, owner, Kai Buckert, manager.Rolling Plains:

Gibson Ranches LLC, Cottle and King Counties; Mike and Shonda Gibson, owners/operators.Trans Pecos:

Double H Ranch, El Paso County; Charles, Barbara, David and Anne Horak, owners/operators.Wildlife Management Association:

Arroyo Veleno Wildlife Management COOP, Zapata County; David Dodier, David Volpe, Ernesto Uribe, and Jose Lopez families.Special Recognition:

Roxanne Hernandez, Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan Administrator and Coordinator of the Lost Pines Recovery Team, Bastrop County.

— TPWD


FISHING

High schoolfi shing turning

students into (almost) pro

anglersMore than 50 teams recently

competed at state championship


Kaufman High School sopho-mores Shelton Vasquez and Trevor Thompson came into the 2012 Texas State High School Bass Championship with low expectations.

The duo had never fi shed Lake Ray Hubbard before, but they con-centrated on rocky points and riprap with crankbaits and spin-ner baits.

The result was fi ve bass weigh-ing 19.47 pounds, giving the duo the title of state champions.

“We were rock fi shing and we would make one pass, then another pass,” Vasquez said. “We’d catch a couple here and there throwing a crankbait.

“We came out here blind. This is our fi rst time fi shing this lake.”

For their coach, Crandall Junior High teacher Steve Holland, the

win was the culmination of several years of work building a fi shing cur-riculum at his school and getting youngsters out on the water. They even took a fi eld trip to this year’s Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport.

“Four or fi ve years ago it started in the afternoons with a junior high bass club,” Holland said. “For 45 minutes each day, we would tie knots, go over the basics and things like that. We had a fund-

raiser, got some Zebco reels and if the kids kept up with their grades and went to the meetings, we’d go to some area ponds and have little tournaments.”

Soon, Holland had 84 kids in the seventh and eight grades par-ticipating in the club.

“High school fi shing really caught on in the Midwest,” Holland said. “So this year, I got to thinking about a real program.”

Two tournament trails — the B.A.S.S. Federation and the FLW series — have high school fi sh-ing series, and each offers differ-ent insurance packages. Holland chose to fi sh the Federation because it offered team insurance.

“The biggest hindrance is money and fi nding boats the kids could use,” Holland said. “I was very lucky to have friends who

IT’S FOR GIRLS, TOO: Keaton Davis holds a pair of nice bass she caught at the 2012 Texas State High School Bass Championship. Davis and her teammate from Carthage High School took third place. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

Fisherman’s ingenuity catches on

To rattle or not to rattle?

See HIGH SCHOOL, Page 23

North Texas CCA chapters have successful banquets


Two Metroplex chapters of the Coastal Conservation Association held their annual banquets and fund-raisers in early May, and early reports had them doing very well.

The Dallas CCA chap-ter held its event at the Frontiers of Flight Museum and began a new tradition when it honored longtime rod maker Gary Loomis as its Sportsman/Conservationist of the Year. Loomis, who designs rods for Dallas-based Temple Fork

Outfi tters, was recog-nized for his conserva-tion efforts and industry contributions.

“We knocked our event out of the park,” said John Hansen, presi-dent of the Dallas chap-ter. “We had great donor support, and we sold a record number of tables. We grossed nearly $180,000 and netted around $150,000, so it was really, really a good night for us.”

Hansen said they chose Loomis as their fi rst award winner because of his work in starting CCA chapters in the Pacifi c Northwest and his local rod build-

ing efforts.The Fort Worth chap-

ter held their event May 3 at Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant and also reported a success-ful evening.

Chapter president Fearn Mastin said it was a great event.

“We had great turn-out and a great ban-quet,” he said. “Just lots of good people get-ting together for a good cause.”

Mastin said the money raised will go to support many proj-ects around the state, including habitat resto-ration and getting more kids involved in fi shing.


Bryan Schmidt of Olney had a problem. He didn’t have the lures he needed to catch fi sh. But he did know how to fi nd someone who did.

“We were fi shing the Texas Federation Nation Championship at Amistad,” he said. “The fi sh were both pre- and post-spawn and they were shallow and eating swimbaits.”

His practice had produced

fi sh on swimbaits and he brought what had worked for him.

I was working a large, 7-inch one — but I wasn’t catching any fi sh,” he said. “The fi rst two days, I didn’t catch a fi sh on it.”

On the second afternoon, fi shing with a nonboater, they found an area with some grass.

“The fi sh started follow-ing my swimbait, but they wouldn’t eat it,” Schmidt said.

The nonboater followed

up with a smaller swimbait: a 5-inch Baby E.

“The fi sh wanted that one bad,” he said. “He commenced to kicking my butt.”

Schmidt didn’t have any of the smaller swimbaits, so the two went shopping.

There weren’t any at the stores, but the two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifi er through the Federation Nation didn’t give up.

He called Carl Wengenroth at Angler’s Lodge.

“Carl has molds and can pour worms, lizards, swimbaits — whatever you want,” Schmidt said.

Wengenroth has been pour-ing lures since 1999, and fi shes tournaments, too.

“I get these kind of requests fairly often,” he said. “Especially if I’m whacking them on a cer-tain size or color of lure. And I can match a color usually within 15 minutes of experi-menting, so if I’m not in the

See LURE MAKER, Page 18

Lure maker pours lures to help anglers fi nd what they don’t have


Catching pressured bass is nothing new for Texas anglers.

Many lakes and reser-voirs in the state see loads of boats, anglers and, espe-cially, lures — specifi cally crankbaits.

When the fi sh get hard to catch with traditional crankbaits that vibrate and rattle, some savvy anglers go silent. Although silent is a bit of a misnomer since every crankbait will make some noise due to the movement and hooks.

“I do fi sh with (silent crankbaits),” said South Texas bass guide Justin Bauer. “But most of the time I use the ones that rattle. Very seldom down here do

I run into an area that has been pressured so much that I have to switch to one that doesn’t rattle.”

Bauer said he doesn’t have any set pattern for when he chooses to throw a non-rat-tling crankbait; he just lets the fi sh decide for him.

“If I’ve been catching them on a crankbait in one area and then they stop biting, I’ll switch to a silent one,” he said. “I listen to what the fi sh are telling me.”

Several companies make silent crankbaits, including Strike King, Norman Lures and Lucky Craft.

Tournament angler and Grandview resident Thad Rains recently wrote an arti-cle for anglerworld.com and said that the best times to

GO SILENT: When bass won’t bite a tradition-al rattling crankbait, like the one pictured, switch it up and try a “silent” crankbait, especially in pressured waters. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON. See RATTLE, Page 11

MATCHING THE BASS BITE: Carl Wengenroth poured a bluegill-patterned swimbait that helped propel angler Bryan Schmidt to a top 10 fi nish at the Texas Federation Nation Championship after Schmidt had struggled in the fi rst two days of the event. Photo by Carl Wengenroth.


Texas weighs in on Idle Iron policy


When you pick a fi ght with Texans, you better be prepared for a long, hard battle.

The U.S. Department of the Interior recently released its Idle Iron policy, which calls for all non-producing oil and gas rigs and other structures in offshore waters to be removed within fi ve years of the issuance of the directive.

This has angered many groups like the Coastal Conservation Association, which views the old structures as prime fi sh habitat

for many offshore species.Last week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter

to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar calling for a review of the policy that threatens to dismantle what is regarded as the largest artifi cial reef system in the world.

Perry said the federal policy has negative implications for marine fi sheries and the local coastal communities and businesses that rely on the fi shing opportunities that these structures provide in the Gulf.

“I understand the factors that may have

GOTTA GO? Fishing groups, along with the Texas governor, have asked the federal government to take another look at the Idle Iron policy calling for the removal of inactive offshore wells. The groups argue the old wells are a haven for sportfi sh. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

See IDLE IRON, Page 23


ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 70–76 degrees; 8.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads, Texas rigs and weightless fl ukes. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 68–73 de-grees; 21.07’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinner baits, top-waters and soft plastics. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on cheesebait, shrimp and nightcrawlers in 3–12 feet. Yellow catfi sh are very good on trotlines and throwlines baited with live perch.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 71–76 degrees; 7.7’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, spinner baits and jigs. White bass are good on Road Runners and min-nows. Blue catfi sh are fair to good on live shad and cut bait.

ATHENS: Water lightly stained, 72–76 degrees; 1.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Tex-as-rigged soft plastics and wacky-rigged worms. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

BASTROP: Water stained; 73–77 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on minnows and watermelon spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on live bait, shrimp, and stinkbait.

BELTON: Water fairly clear; 71–75 degrees; 0.07’ high. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters in coves. Hybrid striper are good on white riversides. White bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows under lights at night. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on doughbait and stinkbait. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 71–76 degrees; 2.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics and shallow crankbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. White bass are good on Humdingers. Catfi sh are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with soap.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits and soft plastics in reeds. Striped bass are very good on liver and perch off points near

the pier. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on cheesebait, cut bait and liver near the dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 5.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged green pumpkin crea-ture baits along secondary points and frogs in the Big Creek area. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs (best action midday).

BROWNWOOD: Water murky; 73–78 degrees; 10.37’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crap-pie are excellent on white Li’l Fishies and black/chartreuse tube jigs in 1–5 feet along the shore-line. Yellow catfi sh to 40 pounds are good on droplines baited with live perch in 12–15 feet.

BUCHANAN: Water murky; 70–75 degrees; 23.85’ low. Largemouth bass are good on perch-colored lipless crankbaits, watermelon top-waters, and weightless wacky-rigged green pumpkin plastics with chartreuse tails along break lines of creek bluffs early. Striped bass are good on chartreuse top-waters and lipless crankbaits on the surface early. Channel catfi sh are good on live bait and cut bait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on juglines and trotlines baited with live bait.

CADDO: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.57’ high. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue soft plastics around isolated cover. Yellow bass are good on minnows.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored lipless crankbaits and spinner baits over reed beds and in the cove near the park store. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad near the dam and power lines. Redfi sh are good on live bait along the crap-pie wall. Channel catfi sh are good on liver, shrimp and shad. Blue catfi sh are good on cut bait and liver near the railroad bridge.

CANYON LAKE: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 6.96’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, watermelon Whacky Sticks and pumpkinseed 1/4 oz. jigs in 8–15 feet. Smallmouth bass are good on smoke tubes and root beer curl tail grubs with chartreuse tails along main lake points and ledges. Crappie are good on white tube jigs and live minnows around submerged

brush piles along break lines.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 72–76 degrees; 0.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, shaky heads and black/blue fi nesse jigs around main lake points and into the backs of creeks. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Crappie are fair to good on minnows.

COLEMAN: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 15.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on wa-termelon soft plastics, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Channel catfi sh are good on live bait.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 71–75 degrees; 2.24’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse Carolina-rigged soft plastics, spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on minnows, shrimp, and liver.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 71–76 degrees; 1.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse shallow crankbaits and Texas-rigged craw worms later in the day. Green pump-kin soft plastics are best. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair to good on Sassy Shad and live shad. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and cut bait.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits over grass, and on small spinner baits along the outside edges of grass.

FORK: Water stained; 71–76 degrees; 2.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on wakebaits. Shal-low crankbaits on windy points are working well later in the day. Deep crankbaits are effective as well. Crappie are good on min-nows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and prepared bait.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/blue and chartreuse/black soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on hot dogs, nightcrawlers, and shrimp.

GRANBURY: Water murky; 71–76 degrees; 0.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon lipless crankbaits and minnows. Striped bass are good on min-nows and chartreuse striper jigs. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers.

GRANGER: Water murky; 73–77 degrees. Crappie are good on char-treuse jigs over brush piles in the main lake. Blue catfi sh are good on prepared bait on rod & reel, and on juglines baited with shad and soap. Yellow catfi sh are very good on trotlines baited with live perch.

GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.09 low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon Texas-rigged worms, watermelon fi nesse jigs, spinner baits, and crankbaits along main lake points. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 76–80 degrees; 0.33’ high. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are good on shad-colored soft plastic worms and lizards. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with shad and chicken hearts.

HUBBARD CREEK: 71–78 degrees; 14.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on jigs, fi nesse spinner baits, Texas rigs and shallow-run-ning crankbaits. Catfi sh are fair to good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers.

JOE POOL: Water lightly stained; 72–76 degrees; Full pool. Largemouth bass are good on Tex-as-rigged creature baits, spinner baits and smaller jigs — midday bite has been best. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 72–76 degrees; 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms and shal-low crankbaits along main lake points. Isolated cover is the key. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LBJ: Water clear; 70–74 degrees; 0.49’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse top-waters, Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits, watermelon fl ukes and weightless green pumpkin wacky-rigged plastics along break lines of fl ats early. Channel catfi sh are good on minnows and dipbait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.12’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shallow to me-dium crankbaits along main lake points. Larger rock along main lake points producing as well. White bass are good on slabs. Cat-

fi sh are good on prepared bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 72–78 degrees; 0.04’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse soft plastic worms and spinner baits along the bank. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse jigs at the marina and Crappie Point early and late. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shad and stinkbait.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.22’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged soft plastics near shallow cover. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 72–76 degrees; 0.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are good on minnows and Li’l Fishies. White bass are good on minnows and shad. Crap-pie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shad and stinkbait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 71–76 degrees; 0.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, square-billed crankbaits and medium crankbaits. White bass are excellent on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in. Cat-fi sh are good on prepared baits.

RAY ROBERTS: Water stained; 70–75 degrees; 0.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shad crankbaits worked around grass in 4–8 feet of water near secondary points. Crappie are good on minnows on COE brush piles. White bass are excellent on slabs in 15–20 feet of water on humps and on shallow windy points early with rattle traps. Catfi sh are good around baited holes on punch bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water stained; 71–76 degrees; 0.12’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crea-ture baits around docks. Square-billed crankbaits are producing numbers as well. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are fair on pre-pared bait and nightcrawlers.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 71–75 degrees; 0.18’ low. Largemouth bass are good on wa-termelon Senkos, lizards and Baby

Brush Hogs. White bass are good on minnows and Li’l Fishies. Crappie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs over brush piles. Bream are good on nightcrawlers and crickets. Catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with nightcrawlers and minnows.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 72–76 degrees; 0.44’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon lip-less crankbaits and soft plastics. Hybrid striper are good on spoons and minnows. White bass are good on slabs and Li’l Fishies. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse jigs with black tails. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on liver and punchbait.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 72–76 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue soft plastics and hollow body frogs. Best bite is around fl ooded cover. White bass are excellent on white slabs and tailspins — schooling on points early and late. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on 4” to 6” white or shad-pattern Sassy Shad in the shallows early then suspending deep during the day — drifting live bait is also producing. Catfi sh are excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 70–75 degrees; 0.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and medium crankbaits along main lake points. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on slabs.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 69–73 degrees; 1.27’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon and chartreuse soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are good on min-nows and green striper jigs.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 71–75 degrees; 42.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse top-waters, red shad worms and grubs. White bass are good on chrome top-waters, smoke grubs and white shad raps.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 70–74 degrees; 0.03’ high. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse spin-ner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and Li’l Fishies. Catfi sh are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

—TPWD

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTSandies attacking

LAKE LAVON — The sand bass action has been outstand-ing on Lake Lavon, according to area anglers who fi shed the power plant lake the fi rst weekend in May.

One angler said he caught more than 100 fi sh in a couple of hours, casting toward the discharge areas and chasing schools that were visibly feeding on top of the water.

Little George lures, small spinners and spoons were putting fi sh in the boat. Anglers said color did not matter — the fi sh were bit-ing on most everything they threw.

The schools were swarming in and out of

the warmer discharge water, and the anglers reported good-sized fi sh, along with plenty of

smaller ones to keep kids interested.Water temperatures were between 72

and 76 degrees on this North Texas lake.

Windy, but goodCHOKE CANYON RESERVOIR — The

fi shing on Choke Canyon Reservoir has been steady the past few weeks.

Guide Carroll Atkinson said when the wind dies down a little bit, the bass fi shing picks up.

“When it isn’t so strong we’re catch-ing 25-35 bass per day,” he said. “Most are from 1 to 3.5 pounds, with a scatter-

ing of 4-, 5- and 6-pounders. I’ve heard of a few 11s and 12s recently but I haven’t caught any of the real big ones.”

Atkinson said Texas-rigged soft plas-tics, spinner baits early and shallow-diving crankbaits on the points and edges were catching bass. He also said to go a little deeper later in the morning.

To contact Carroll Atkinson, call (361) 215-0766.

Some catchin’ them, some ain’t

LAKE LIVINGSTON — According to Martin’s Bait Shop in Trinity near Lake Livingston, the fi shing has been so-so, with anglers targeting largemouth bass, catfi sh

and crappie.

“Some are catching them, some ain’t,” said the man-ager. “Live bait is working best,

with guides buying lots of perch, minnows and worms.”

The water temperature is hovering in the upper 70s, and largemouth bass have been biting on top-waters, spinner baits and soft plastics. Lipless crankbaits are enticing the stripers and white bass are good trolling spoons, slabs and jigs.

The deep crappie bite is picking up around brushpiles with minnows, and the catfi sh are hitting live perch as good as they have all year.

To contact Martin’s Bait Shop, call (936) 594-3624.

— Conor Harrison

■ See Saltwater fi shing reports: Page 16

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o scatter-

s



Warren High School senior Gigi Barker has been drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil.

All of that practice paid off for Barker after she won the Wildlife Forever State Fish-Art Contest as a junior, and again as a senior this month after drawing a largemouth bass turning to strike at a frog.

The winners were chosen by offi cials at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

“I draw pretty much everything, not just fi sh,” she said from her home in Village Mills, north of Houston. “But I did the fi sh for the contest. My favorite thing to draw is portraits of people.”

Barker said she and her parents

brainstormed ideas about what kind of fi sh to draw this year.

“Bass are really popular,” she said, “and I thought it would be cool.”

She worked on the drawing everyday for two months.

“The fi rst step is sketching it out,” she said. ‘Then you start to lightly layer in the pencils. You just keep layering color over and over until you have it where you want it.”

Barker said she plans to major in graphic design at Lamar University next year, and the $1,000 cash prize for winning the 10-12-grade division will go toward college.

And Barker isn’t the only artist in the family. Her little brother, Jeddie, received an honorable mention in the K-3-grade division.

The annual contest is open to all Texas students in public, pri-vate and home schools and is judged in four grade-level divi-sions: K–3, 4–6, 7–9 and 10–12. First-place winners in each grade-level division advance to the national competition. National winners will be announced at the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest Expo to be held in Little Rock, Ark., in June.

Texas winners in the K–3 grade level division are: First Place, Allister Huang, Sugar Land; Second Place, Nancy Shao, Sugar Land; Third Place, Rohun Kulshrentha, Flower Mound.

Texas winners in the 4–6 grade-level division are: First Place, Erin Werner, Santa Fe; Second Place, Jin Lee, Plano; Third Place,

Candice Ma, Sugar Land.Texas winners in the 7–9 grade-

level division are: First Place, Nasa Xu, Katy; Second Place, Sebastian Beil, Houston; Third Place, Josue Montemayor, Pasadena.

Texas winners in the 10–12 grade-level division are: First Place, GiGi Barker, Village Mills; Second Place, Peyton McCown, Willow Park; Third Place, Luis Castillo, Irving.

12th-grader wins top honors at state fi sh art contest for second straight year

use a quiet crankbait were dur-ing “overcast skies, wind, slightly stained water (visibility of about 10-12 feet), after a front or prefron-tal conditions (lowering or steady barometric pressure) on a highly pressured lake.

“Some other observations include silent baits had a much larger average than the rattling baits did; more small fi sh were caught with the rattling baits ver-sus the nonrattling and the non-rattling baits seemed to elicit a subtle strike. The fi sh were just there — not a hard strike at all.”

Other anglers said the best time to use them was during periods of calm, still water because bass are spookier then and might be scared away by a loud crankbait.

However, all agreed that they do work best on pressured lakes where bass have seen a lot of variations of traditional crankbaits.

Well-known fi shing pro Cody Bird from Granbury said he prefers to throw a silent crankbait.

“I like to crank pretty good in gen-eral,” Bird said. “And I prefer a silent crankbait. There’s always a place when you’re throwing a Rat-L-Trap over grass, but I’ve had more success going silent because you can get on a school and change it up a bit.”

Bird said a silent square-billed crankbait has put a lot of fish in his boat.

“The crankbait is a reaction-ary bite,” he said. “Unlike a rat-tling crankbait, which bass can hear coming, you can sometimes get a pure reaction bite on a silent crankbait because the bass don’t know it is there until it is right in front of them.

“I think they both have a place.”

WINNER: Gigi Barker spent two months drawing this winning picture. Photo by TPWD.

RattleContinued From Page 8

Tough day on TravisRuben Ribera and Lino Gutiterez

caught the biggest sack of the day — 18.66 pounds — to win the Skeeter Bass Champs Central Region on Lake Travis May 5.

The wind tried to play havoc for many of the anglers as they scattered across Lake Travis, and the better bass were found on windblown points.

“We got to our fi rst hole as fast as we could, and didn’t catch any keepers on it,” Ribera said.

The pair scrambled to a wind-blown point to look for a limit.

“Once we caught a limit, we started drifting down river and caught a 5-pounder to add to it,” he said. “There were a lot of good fi sh holding in that brush pile. We culled a whole limit out of it. Today was just our day. We’ve been fi shing Bass Champs for seven years now.

“Just being able to fi nally say that we have fi shed with the caliber of people we fi sh against is very nice.”

— Bass Champs


A SCARY MOMENT FOR WARDENWhile checking fi sherman along

the Rio Grande River, El Paso Game Warden Kenneth Zuber heard shots coming from an area where a road-way bridge crosses the river. Zuber found a pickup occupied by two men. Upon command, the driver of the pickup got out of the truck, but he had a rifl e in his hands and it was pointed in Zuber’s direction. The driver and his partner (a convicted felon) had been shooting, drink-ing and hanging out near the river. Cases pending.

CLAIM OF PERMISSION TO FISH DIDN’T WORK

A man was fi shing on pri-vate property in a creek off Eagle Mountain Lake. When approached be Tarrant County Game Warden Clint Borchardt and Tarrant Regional Water District Offi cer Chris Akers, the man claimed he had permission to be on the property. But he soon became noncompliant and failed to provide his identify. However, the Tarrant Regional Water District owned the property. The two offi cers were able to arrest the individual and were eventually able to iden-tify the man, learning that he had an outstanding warrant out of Parker County. Multiple cases pending.

BAIT FOR EASTERN TURKEY HUNT LASTED TOO LONG

Red River County Game Warden Daniel Roraback noticed bait placed in an area where eastern turkeys were present (no baiting is allowed for hunting eastern turkeys). A few weeks later, he cited a man for hunt-ing eastern turkeys over bait and no upland game bird stamp. The sub-ject said that he didn’t think the 50 pounds of corn and birdseed would still be there. Cases pending.

SHOOTER OF CHICKEN-KILLINGOWLS PLUCKED

A landowner notifi ed Titus County Game Warden Jerry Ash that his neighbor had two dead raptors hanging from a tree. Ash went to the area and discovered two dead great horned owls strung up by their feet. The owner of the property was con-tacted and admitted to shooting both birds. His excuse was that the owls were killing his free-range chickens and guinea fowl. Ash informed him that the owls were protected and suggested putting the chickens in a pen. Citation and civil restitution pending.

HOG CHASERS COULDN’T RESIST DOEWalker County Game Warden

Stephen Ingram received information about a deer that was shot around midnight a few days earlier. At the location, he located the remains of a deer carcass hidden in the woods near a residence. The investigation revealed that two men shot the doe deer while hunting feral hogs. The two men confessed. Multiple cita-tions were issued to each individual

along with civil restitution, and the deer meat was seized.

CHECK THE ATV WINCH CABLERunnels County Game Warden

Lane Pinckney assisted EMS and deputies with an ATV accident on a ranch. Apparently, the ATV was being operated with the winch cable hang-ing out of the winch about three feet. The cable became wrapped around the left front tire causing the ATV to roll several times. The operator was airlifted to a San Angelo hospital.

TRESPASSING TO FISH LANDSMAN IN JAIL

Guadalupe County Game Warden Kevin Frazier was preparing to launch his boat at a private boat ramp owned by Texas Lutheran University on Lake McQueeney. Frazier noticed a man whom he had caught trespassing several times on the property. The man provided false information about his name and driver license number. Also, the subject had two warrants, one for burglary and one for failure to appear. He was placed under arrest

and transported to the Guadalupe County Jail.

KEEPER OF BIG BLACK DRUM CAUGHTNueces County Game Warden

Nichole Spatz apprehended an indi-vidual at Red Dot Pier with one oversized black drum measuring 36 inches. Citations were issued.

A LOUSY EXCUSE FOR BOATING WITHOUT LIGHTS

While checking fi shermen at Lake Livingston about an hour after sun-set, Trinity County Game Warden Randy Watts observed a boat running across Lake Livingston without any lights. The boat was heading across the lake to a boat ramp. Watts drove to the boat ramp and observed the boat come across the lake and into the boat ramp area. Once the oper-ator secured his vessel to the boat ramp, the operator told Watts, “I just unplugged them after I reached the boat ramp.” After the man was informed the warden had been watch-ing him for a while, he admitted to having no running lights. A citation for no running lights was issued.

WARDENS RESCUE MAN AFTER FALL OUT OF BOAT

Aransas County Game Warden Richard “Marty” Martin and Captain Henry Balderamas responded to a 911 call of a subject who had fallen out of his boat and could not get back into the watercraft. The war-dens launched a boat and found the subject clinging to his boat in Aransas Bay. Martin and Balderamas were able to pull the subject onto their patrol boat and safely transfer him back to his boat.

TRESPASSING CATFISHERS CAUGHTNear Martin Creek Lake, Rusk

County Game Wardens Kirk Permenter and Chad Gartman observed two vehicles parked on the side of the road. As the wardens pulled up, a man appeared from the brush on the roadside with a fi ve-gallon bucket full of catfi sh. The man was talking to another individ-ual, who ran back into the brush as the wardens approached. The war-dens gave chase to the individual, who had run back to warn others who were involved. Five people were caught trespassing on private land to fi sh. Citations were issued.

EXPENSIVE STOLEN TRAILER RECOVERED

Polk County Game Warden Ryan Hall received a tip regarding the possible location of a stolen fi fth-wheel style camper trailer located on a hunting lease in Polk County. Hall recognized the name of one of the suspects and went to his hunting camp and recovered the stolen camper valued at more than $50,000. Cases are pending in Orange County against the hunter who had been using the camper trailer.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Menard County Game Warden Clint Graham and Mason County Game Warden Cody Hatfi eld were dispatched to an ongoing manhunt. When the wardens arrived, they were told that a Menard deputy was involved in a pursuit and that two subjects fl ed when they drove down a dead-end road. One subject fl ed south and the other fl ed north. The subjects left behind a large sum of money, about a dozen meth pipes and several hundred small bags used to store meth. After several hours of searching by horseback, airplane and on foot, a tip came in on the whereabouts

of the northbound subject. The deputy who was involved in the chase contacted Graham and gave him the location. The two wardens drove to the location and found two landowners speaking to the subject, who fi t the description of the one that fl ed north. Shortly after taking that subject into custody, the deputy who was involved in the pursuit arrived and positively identifi ed the sub-ject as the one who fl ed. The subject was taken to the sheriff's offi ce for further questioning and booked in for money laundering and evading. The other subject was still at large.

WARDENS ASSIST IN MANHUNT


fi shing rods also put fi sh in the boat — something that keeps clients coming back.

Grantham had to stop guiding and fi shing because of a bad back. But that didn’t stop him from fi nding a way to stay connected to the sport he loved.

He and his wife, Tina, started a rod-building company out of their home in Greenville.

The result was Reel Time Custom Rods, and after two years in busi-ness, business is picking up.

“I started this two years ago after being a guide on Lake Fork,” Grantham said. “It makes me feel good to put a rod in someone’s hand. When they catch a 10-pound bass, I feel like I had something to do with it.”

Grantham starts his rods with a blank, and can custom design just about anything for a client — including the rod with a rattlesnake head and snakeskin wraps.

Along with the rattlesnake rod, Grantham has built several other customs including a rod with a real pistol on the handle, camoufl age rods, college team rods and even incorporated a shotgun shell for the end of the handle on several rods.

Grantham said the thing that separates his company from others is he can take a blank and totally change anything on the rod to fi t the customer’s specifi cations.

“I can come up with a blank comparable to any other rods,” he said. “A lot of guys send me the reel they are going to use, and we can weigh it and balance it perfectly on the rod. We get a handle system in place and then start doing guide work.

“And we use all-American products here.”Grantham said each custom rod takes about 15 hours for him to

complete, and he’s been staying busy as word gets out about his rods. His custom rods start at around $150.

“December was our busiest month we’ve ever had, and it hasn’t slowed down since,” he said. “We also do a lot of repairs.”

But do his rods catch fi sh?

He didn’t give up, though. At age 13, he shot his fi rst deer, a 6-pointer, during the youth sea-son. And the following summer, he attended the Outdoor Texas Camp near Columbus.

“It was the camp's fi rst year — it was only a hunting camp then,” Shipley said. “That experience stepped up the

interest in hunting for me.”The next year, he returned as a

camper during the fi shing week offered by the camp.

When it was time to return home, David Todd, the camp’s founder, offered him a job as a counselor in training. He stayed, and this sum-mer will be his seventh year work-ing at the camps.

“I have watched him grow since he was an 11-year-old,” Todd said. “He was totally enthralled with all of the knowledge to be learned.

When I have some kids that aren’t interested, I think of Michael.”

At the camps, Shipley met Jason Sekula, the instructor on deer ecology and management, and wildlife man-ager at the Shiner Ranch near Pearsall.

“He described his job which involved a lot of hunting,” Shipley said. “He taught about white-tailed deer, showed sheds of the same deer from ages 2 through 6, and how to track and follow a blood trail.“

Sekula is a graduate of A&M-Kingsville’s Wildlife Management

program.“He told us what a wildlife man-

ager did,” Shipley said. “I didn’t even know that was a job. I knew then what I was going to do after high school.”

Now, Shipley works at the Shiner Ranch when he’s needed and not in school.

“The fi rst year, I didn’t know any-thing,” he said. “I learned how to fi x fences, drive a tractor, how to scout and I got to shoot some spikes.”

Over the next two seasons,

Shipley has guided hunters and helped score the deer, helped with deer transports and helped take care of the hunters that came to the ranch.

And he got to bring his father to the Shiner Ranch to shoot a management buck, where Shipley said communication in the blind between the guide and hunter was an advantage.

“It was easy,” he said. “We would just use sign language below the window.”

Custom rodsContinued From Page 1

CareerContinued From Page 1

PISTOLS AND SHOTGUN SHELLS: Custom rods by Ron Grantham include a rod with true pistol grips and a camo rod with a shotgun shell designed into the end of the handle. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

According to current Lake Fork guide and Reel Time pro-staffer Andrew Grills, they do.

“I like everything about these rods,” Grills said. “It’s very special to get a rod exactly the way I want it. They are very light and sensi-tive. There just isn’t anything I don’t like about them.”

Each of Grantham’s rods come with a serial number in two places on the rod, and has helped catch thieves who stole the rods out of anglers’ boats.

Tina Grantham said she never imagined they could make a liv-

ing by making their own rods.“I never really thought about

it being a business,” she said. “I really thought, ‘Oh good, now he’s not going to be spending as much money on his own rods.’”

Grantham said the only adver-tising for his rods are by word of mouth and Facebook, but word is getting around.

“We love the sport and we love the people,” he said. “I just wanted to stay a part of it.”

Visit reeltimerods.com for a complete list of Grantham’s custom rods.


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

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Blue Buck Point on top-waters and live shrimp.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on soft plastics and swimbaits. Trout are fair for waders on the east shoreline. Redfi sh are fair to good on the north shoreline on gold spoons.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and swimbaits. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp.

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

TEXAS CITY: Redfi sh are fair to good in Moses Lake on shrimp. Trout are fair to good on croak-ers and live shrimp on the reefs.

FREEPORT: Trout are fair at San Luis Pass on live bait. Sand trout, trout, redfi sh and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christ-mas Bay and at the jetties.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout and redfi sh are fair for drift-ers in the back lakes on live shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good at the jetty and on the reefs on live shrimp.

PORT O'CONNOR: Trout and

redfi sh are fair on soft plastics over sand and grass near Grass Island. Trout and redfi sh are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp. Trout and redfi sh are good at the jetty on croakers and mullet.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in Morris-Cummings Cut on free-lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Redfi sh are fair to good on the Estes Flats on mullet and crabs.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfi sh are fair to good at East Flats on gold spoons and small top-waters. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good in the Shrimpboat

Channel on crabs and fi nger mullet. Redfi sh, trout and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp. Offshore is good for ling and a few kingfi sh.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live shrimp. Black drum and redfi sh are fair to good in the channels on crabs. Redfi sh are good on sand and grass fl ats on shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good at the Tide Gauge on soft plastics. Redfi sh are fair to good at Nine-Mile Hole on gold spoons and plastics. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on top-waters around sand and grass on spoons. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting potholes. Black drum and redfi sh are good on crabs at East Cut.

SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands and grass fl ats on DOA Shrimp and live shrimp. Black drum, redfi sh and jack crevalle are fair at the jetty on live bait.

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

— TPWD

Everything is workingSABINE — According to Capt. Steve

Davis, the fi shing on Sabine started out the spring strong and has only gotten better.

“It’s been great,” Davis said. “We are catch-ing them all — reds, trout and fl ounder.”

Davis said the freshwater infl ux has about dissipated, and the tidal movement with the full moon really got the fi sh biting.

“We are using top-waters early and when the sun gets up, we are using popping corks or straight plastic tails. It’s all working right now.”

Davis said to concentrate on the far upper and far lower extremes of Sabine Lake, as that is where the action has been the past week.

“There isn’t too much going on in the mid-dle of the lake,” he said.

To contact Capt. Steve Davis, call (409) 460-1220.

Bolivar es buenoBOLIVAR —Guides have

been catching good numbers of trout on live shrimp and soft plastics in chartreuse and purple colors, according to Levi Wells at Siever’s Cut Bait Camp in Port Bolivar.

Wells said when the wind dies down (mostly on weekdays) the bite has been good, but when the weekend hits, it gets windy again and the fi shing is tough.

“They are just starting to hit on croaker, but it’s still a little early for that,” he said. “Live shrimp has been the ticket. The big

white shrimp are gone and it is mostly the little brownies right now.

“The bigger bait has been catching bigger fi sh.”

Along with trout action along the south shoreline, redfi sh action has been steady and shark fi shing is picking up. Black drum are also solid in Rollover Pass.

To contact Siever’s Cut Bait Camp, call (409) 684-7777.

Solid on the fl atsESTES FLATS — The redfi shing has been

fabulous on the fl ats of Estes and Redfi sh bays, if you listen to Capt. Tommy Barnard.

Barnard said the trout are also solid when it isn’t too windy. He said he was catching

fi sh early in the morning as the week led into the full moon, but it doesn’t matter as much now that the full moon has passed.

“We were catching three or four reds every morning before the sun even got up,” he said. “I’ve had wade fi shermen who were throwing top-waters and I’ve had trips where we are drifting plastics and even some where we anchored up with live shrimp.”

Barnard said he has been seeing lots of slicks, which is a good thing.

“There is nothing better than sitting at 7 a.m. and looking upwind and seeing, and then smelling the slicks,” he said. “They smell like watermelons.”

To contact Capt. Tommy Barnard, call (361) 510-6655.

— Conor Harrison

Sponsored by

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

out out


HEROES

DEBRA ISRAEL holds a massive black drum she caught on the coast in March while fi shing with guide Brian Holden and her husband. Debra’s fi sh weighed almost 60 pounds.

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

GRACIE MORRIS shows off the great fi rst buck she harvested in January on the 3 Daughters Ranch in Kerr County.

MARK SCHATTENBERG, 19, of Austin caught this 13-pound red snapper on the Taryn It Up charter out of Port Aransas in March.

This heavy 8-point buck was killed by Mesquite hunter PAUL BARTLETT on the Kennedy Ranch. Paul used a Browning .30-06 to take the buck, which scored 142 B&C.

This burly hog was taken by PETER “GUNNER” GONZALES on a dog hunt in Hidalgo County. Peter harvested the hog with a knife.

JENIFER STREETMAN caught this 10.1-pound bass while fi shing in a private lake near Athens.


Association, said the feedback from ranchers and trappers has been very positive.

“My original idea was to have an online auction every two or three weeks,” he said. “But guys said they needed to sell the ani-mals when they catch them. We also have the Circle H for hold-ing animals.”

Blazek said he has used the site several times and found it to be easy and helpful.

“I mostly sell animals on it,” he said. “The good thing for me is it cuts out the middle man. I don’t have to get a trapper involved and it is a lot safer for the animals. A lot of times when you buy from a broker, it’s a gamble.

“John is an upstanding guy.”

eBayContinued From Page 4

ANYTHING EXOTIC: Looking for an axis deer for your ranch? Check out the animal listings at the exotic auction Web site, Wildlifebuyer.com. Photo by Lili Sams, LSON.

tournament, I try to help them.”And he explained his ratio-

nale for the big swimbait bite on Amistad.

“We’ve had two years of out-standing spawns, so there are lots of 6- to 10-inch bass,” he said.

Fortunately for Schmidt, Wengenroth had molds for the Baby E.

“They are no longer in business, so I was able to get some molds,” he said.

The next day with the new, smaller swimbaits, Schmidt had

much better results.“The fi rst cast I caught a

6-pounder, and later I caught a 4-pounder,” he said. “But even bet-ter, it helped me locate fi sh because of the follows. I would throw it by a tree and see one come out and look at it. Then I would follow up with a Senko and he would hit it.”

Schmidt landed 25.59 pounds on the third and fi nal day, moving up from far back in the pack to fi n-ish in eighth place.

After Schmidt’s success,

Wengenroth got more visitors.“The whole bunch at the tour-

nament and some from another event going on at the same time wanted them after Bryan smacked them,” Wengenroth said.

Now, Wengenroth said orange is a color on the lake that is producing.

“We ran across some areas with hydrilla where the water went down and I started seeing orange things,” he said. “Thinking they were lures, I went to retrieve some but they moved away. They were all

crawdads — I started using orange on the belly of the swimbaits and crankbaits and started whacking them on that.”

But don’t fi sh the swimbaits too fast, he said.

“Just slow roll them along the bottom, just enough to make the tail go back and forth,” he said. “The fi sh may hit it fi ve or six times, but just keep reeling until you feel the rod load up. If you sweep it away from them they won’t hit it again.”

Lure makerContinued From Page 8

“The early opener in South Texas was benefi -cial,” he said. “I usually like to hunt the Rolling Plains later in the sea-son, but not this year. The value of the longer season paid off this year.”

Hardin said prelimi-nary date suggests that most hens were bred and already have hatched or are still tending nests — a great sign after very few hens nested last season.

“All of our hens that we are radio tracking at least attempted to nest this year,” he said. “And we had good carryover from this season, meaning a lot of 3-year-old birds will be around next year.”

On public land, hunters had a harder time because of a lack of jakes, but mature birds

were on most public hunting areas, although they stopped gobbling quicker due to hunt-ing pressure.

One hunter that did con-nect was McKinney resi-dent Eric Dulin. He hunted the Caddo-LBJ National Grasslands near his home, taking a tom during the middle of the season.

“The key to hunting on public land is understand-ing the land that is being hunted and the habits of the turkeys that are on the land,” Dulin said. “I found locations that are as far away from easy access points such as roads or trails as possible. Those areas will typically have less hunting pressure than eas-ier to reach areas. Areas that have historically held tur-key in the past will typically continue to hold turkey.

“As the season progressed, the turkeys weren’t as vocal and many did not gobble at all.”

TurkeysContinued From Page 4

NICE SPURS: Plenty of mature birds meant lots of Texas hunters went home happy this spring. Photo by LSON.

Big bass put back in lakes

TPWD has announced stockings from several 2012 ShareLunkers that will go into the lakes where they were caught, along with their fi ngerlings.

About 11,000 fi ngerlings will be put into Lake Austin at the 360 bridge.

About 25,000 fi ngerlings will be delivered to Falcon.

More than 3,000 ShareLunker fi ngerlings are on their way to O.H. Ivie.

— TPWD


NATIONAL

World record mountain goatA Rocky Mountain goat taken by a hunter

in 2011 in British Columbia is the largest of its species ever recorded, according to the Boone and Crockett Club.

Club offi cials confi rmed the goat, a male that scored 57-4/8 Boone and Crockett points, as a new world record.

Troy M. Sheldon of Alexandria, Ky., bagged the record goat on the seventh day of a hunt in the Stikine River area. Sheldon’s friend Carey Renner and guide Heidi Gutfrucht of Northwest Ranching and Outfi tting accom-panied him on the hunt. He used a Tikka T3 .270 WSM to make a perfect 319-yard shot across a ravine.

The new world record goat surpassed the old mark by a substantial 6/8 of an inch.

— Staff report

Catch a million-dollar fi shCabela’s announced the participating

waters for Wanna Go Fishing for Millions? The contest gives anglers a shot at up to $2 million in cash and more than $225,000 in additional prizes by catching tagged fi sh in select lakes across the United States.

Cabela’s tagged fi sh in lakes across 19 states — Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon,

Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The lakes in Texas included in the program are Canyon Lake, Lake Nasworthy, Eagle Mountain Lake, Lake Fork, Lake Travis and Lake Ray Roberts.

One of the tagged fi sh could be worth $1 million. The grand prize will be doubled to $2 million if the grand-prize winner is a cur-rent user of the Cabela's Fish Recon app or downloaded the Cabela's Fish Recon app to their smartphone.

Registration began April 19 and par-ticipants must pre-register before fi shing. Winners of specifi c prizes will be announced after the promotion ends July 8.

Species to be tagged this year include large-mouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, white bass, striped bass, perch, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, walleye, crappie, wiper, bluegill and channel catfi sh. Species will vary state-to-state.

— Staff report

CCA planning new reefs in Louisiana

Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are set to begin construction on a new artifi cial reef in Calcasieu Lake in Southwest Louisiana designed to create new marine habi-tat and support recreational fi shing.

CCA also announced that the structure will be known as “The Brad Vincent Reef” after the late sportsman who frequented the waters of Big Lake and whose family has long played a key role in the preservation marine habitat in Louisiana.

Construction of the reef is scheduled to start this month and will take about seven days to complete.

To build the reef, workers will place 10,000 tons of concrete recycled from I-210 on the lake bottom. The concrete will be crushed to pieces 12 inches or smaller before it is placed in the water. The reef will be between 5 and 7 acres once completed.

CCA has two more artifi cial reefs planned

for 2012: one in Breton Sound and another in conjunction with the Twin Span fi shing piers project in St. Tammany Parish.

— CCA

Louisiana-only snapper season

On Friday, May 4, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission took action to implement a “Louisiana-only” red snapper recreational season, set to begin in 2013.

This Louisiana red snapper weekend-only season would begin the Saturday preceding Palm Sunday each year and end September 30 of the same year, with a recreational bag limit of three fi sh per day at a 16-inch minimum. A weekend is defi ned as Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of Memorial Day and Labor Day, when Monday also would be classifi ed as a weekend.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham was given the authority to modify the portions of this rule pertaining to red snapper recreational daily harvest limits and seasons if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Survey institutes sub-regional management for the species or if it is otherwise deemed necessary.

— LWFC

Youth dove fi elds being prepared in Mississippi

Spring turkey season is now a memory, so that means it is time for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to begin preparing dove fi elds at Black Prairie WMA. While it may seem like a long time until early fall and the beginning of dove season, now is the time to begin planting sunfl owers to prepare for the opening day of dove season.

The opening day of dove season is a spe-cial tradition in Mississippi, and MDWFP seeks to provide a unique hunting opportunity for youth at Black Prairie. The opening day

at Black Prairie is open only to youth hunters 15 years of age and younger. Youth must be accompanied by a licensed adult when hunt-ing and all hunters must possess a WMA User Permit unless they are exempt from purchas-ing an annual hunting or fi shing license.

— MDWFP

Prairie chickensreturning to Missouri

Greater prairie chickens, missing for some years among the grasses at Wah-Kon-Tah Prairie, strutted and boomed again this spring in an eons-old mating ritual. Biologists, digging deep in grassland ecology to save the species in Missouri, brought them back. Now, they watch to see if this iconic but state-endangered member of the grouse family can be restored long-term to prairies where they once thrived.

A fi ve-year translocation project by Missouri Department of Conservation to help answer the question concluded in April. MDC crews trapped Kansas prairie chickens where they are plentiful in the grassy Smoky Hills. Biologists then gave the birds leg bands and tiny radio transmitters before releasing them at Wah-Kon-Tah’s native grasslands north of El Dorado Springs.

The study confi rms that prairie chick-ens have a strong affi nity for “high-clipped” grasses, places where plants are tall enough for them to duck and hide in, but also short enough for them to raise their heads above and watch for predators.

One concern was that with low numbers of prairie chickens, less genetic diversity could cause fewer eggs to be laid by hens. But thus far, clutch sizes are healthy with 11 to 14 eggs in nests.

As the translocation of Kansas birds ends, monitoring results are prompting MDC biolo-gists to provide more variation and diversity in plant species and heights than what occurred in past decades on public grass-lands. Partnerships with private landowners are also an important component in prairie chicken recovery.

— MDC

Photo by Boone and Crockett.


UV Country Powersports will hold its grand opening and giveway on May 19.

“We revised the name to include powersports because we do it all,” said Shannon Tracy, who owns and oper-ates the dealership with her husband, Scott.

UV Country focuses on custom outfi tting of powers-port vehicles, including gas, electric, diesel and amphibi-ous vehicles at the new loca-tion — a transformed former Dodge dealership.

“We are a one-stop shop for vehicles, parts, service, customizing, accessories, feeders, coolers, fi nancing and insurance,” Tracy said. “Our old location was 5,500 square feet. The new one is 20,000, with 8 acres of land with an area to test drive vehicles.”

The dealership opened in 1988 with two em-ployees. It is now the No. 1 dealership in Texas for TERYX vehicles, the 2012 No. 1 Kawasaki Platinum Dealer in the U.S., and has sold Ka-wasaki vehicles for more than 10 years.

UV Country also is an authorized dealer for HuntV, Club Car, Argo, Hustler, Yeti, Big Tex and more.

The refurbished building shows UV Coun-try’s appreciation to veterans, including a stone tribute in front of the shop that employs

fi ve veterans, said Shannon (a veteran of the U.S. Navy).

The grand opening will offer vehicle test drives, door prizes, food and music and will raffl e a 2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 300 and a 2011 custom Kawasaki TERYX. Proceeds will go to Operation Final Home, a charity that provides home sites and custom homes for wounded U.S. veterans.

“And it will give people a chance to check out the dealership and its employees,” Shan-non said. “We want them to see it’s as well organized and clean in the back as it is in the front, and they can meet our certifi ed mechanics and see our 16-bay repair and customizing shop.

“This is a must-see place that you have to visit.”

A passion for powersportsUV Country to hold grand opening

of new location

ADVERTISEMENT

UV Country is located at the intersection of FM 528 and Hwy 35 Bypass North in Alvin.Call (281) 824-1198 or visit uvcountry.com for more information.


take these kids out.”Texas high school fi shing

is just taking off, with sev-eral high schools, including Kaufman, Carthage, Marble Falls, Rowlett, Crandall and Forney, sending teams to the championship.

“It’s only going to get big-ger and bigger,” Holland said. “It’s great because it allows kids without physi-cally imposing attributes to compete and win. I really see it beginning to grow as

more money becomes avail-able for outdoor education programs. The UIL might not take it over, but they could govern it, much like power lifting now.”

Holland said if a major sponsor would step up and fi nance a high school tour, it would really take off.

“Some colleges are giving scholarships now,” he said. “Dobbins Rod Company just made the two that won the state championship pro

staffers.”Holland said while teach-

ing kids to fi sh is important, molding young adults is even more important.

“I try and get them to believe in themselves,” he said. “I want them to pres-ent themselves favorably, whether they are applying for a job, looking for spon-sorships, etc. High schools are results-oriented, but just as important is the quality of kids.”

infl uenced the decision to order the blanket removal of these structures in the aftermath of the tragic oil spill of 2010,” Perry said. “However, a more balanced, reasoned response is required in light of irrefutable evi-dence that these structures are the basis for thriving ecosystems that har-bor and sustain an immense diver-sity of life above and below the water-line, including seabirds, fi sh, turtles, marine mammals and corals.”

Perry’s letter is the latest effort to counter the federal government’s removal policy. At its April meet-ing, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council moved to begin the process of classifying rigs and other vital artifi cial reefs as Essential Fish Habitat. If artifi -cial reefs are eventually designated as EFH, all federal agencies would then have to consult with NOAA Fisheries on federal actions that may adversely affect them.

CCA applauded the move to designate the rigs as EFH.

“This is a signifi cant part of the effort to elevate the importance of artifi cial reefs and save them from an ill-conceived federal order, but we have to continue to work this issue in Congress and with the adminis-tration,” said Pat Murray, president of CCA. “With the offshore sea-son upon us, the realization of the impact of rig removal is only going to become more acute as anglers go off-shore and discover that rigs they have fi shed for years are gone.”

Senators from Louisiana and Mississippi have also joined the fi ght to stop the blanket removal of old rigs.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.) have fi led leg-islation that would prevent rigs and other structures from being removed.

CCA was also grateful for Gov. Perry’s involvement.

“We are grateful to Gov. Perry for weighing in on this issue on behalf of recreational anglers, divers and everyone who cares for a vibrant marine environment,” Murray said. “A more reasoned process is exactly

what is needed to preserve these structures that form the basis of thriving marine ecosystems off Texas and all over the Gulf of Mexico.”

High schoolContinued From Page 8

STATE CHAMPS: Kaufman High School anglers Shelton Vasquez, left, and Trevor Thompson were all smiles after winning the state championship recently on Lake Ray Hubbard. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON.

Idle IronContinued From Page 9

Marsh Mania helps restore Galveston-area wetlands

More than 250 volunteers got their feet wet at Marsh Mania, Galveston Bay Foundation’s annual wetlands resto-ration event. The volunteers planted approximately 13,400 plugs of smooth cordgrass restoring 3.5 acres of tidal wet-land habitat at Baytown Nature Center.

GBF's Marsh Mania is the nationally recognized, signature community-based wetlands restoration and education event of the Galveston Bay area. The fi rst Marsh Mania was held in 1999, that year known as “Marsh Bash.” In its 13 years, Marsh Mania has involved more than 6,381 community volunteers in the restoration of more than 195 acres of vital salt marsh habitat at 69 sites around Galveston Bay.

— Staff report

PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE: Volunteers planted 13,400 plugs of smooth cordgrass in this year’s Marsh Mania, coordinated by the Galveston Bay Foundation. Photo by Gene Fisseler.

Photo by LSON.


LastMay 13

NewMay 21

Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

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

32. Shells and arrows33. A fur seeker's quarry35. An animal hiding place37. Are heavily populated

in Idaho39. A group of decoys40. A duck hunter's cover43. A hunting weapon44. Term for fl ock of

pheasants47. The bowman's fi nger

protector49. Part of a trap50. A species of duck51. Dangerous animal is

sometimes this52. A duck hunter's lure

DOWN1. Anglers consider this

when fi shing 2. Name for the Hawaiian

goose 3. Good to have in a

duck blind 5. The spindle on a fl y

reel spool 6. Handy item to have in

strange areas 7. A mechanism on a rod,

_____ seat 8. King or chinook 9. Angler's term for a

large sturgeon15. Best waters for muskie,

walleye, trout16. A valued commercial

food fi sh17. A female dall19. Used on rifl e parts for

oxidation20. Letters signify shotgun

model21. Good lure color to at-

tract fi sh24. Find wild ones in the

Rockies26. Used over open fi re to

fry the catch27. A lake bird29. They travel upstream

to lay eggs30. A camp fi replace31. Term for method of

snaring skunk34. Need a sharp one to fl esh36. A breed of bird dog38. A good retriever41. A male mallard42. Deer will do this to

escape danger45. Need this to pack the

day's catch46. The moray48. A game bird, ___white49. A protector, recoil ____

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

Sun Moon Tides| |

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté breast in butter until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and keep warm. Sauté apples in butter and juices in skillet. Scoop them out and place on bottom of heavy casserole. Place turkey breast on top. Pour off any fat in the skillet. Add applejack and swirl around over high heat for a minute or two, scraping the bottom of the skillet to de-glaze it. Pour it over the turkey breast. Cover the casserole and bake for 45 minutes. Add cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper and bake for another 30 minutes or until the breast is tender when pricked with a fork. Put breast on serving platter to keep warm, and pour off liquid from casserole into a saucepan. Add water to the cornstarch and stir the paste into the liquid. Cook over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes until the thickness is that of gravy. Pour over the turkey breast. Serve with wild rice and a salad.

— Braxton Gillam

4 fl ounder fi llets 2 tbsps. lemon juice 1/2 cup freshly gratedParmesan cheese 1/4 cup butter, softened 3 tbsps. mayonnaise 3 fi nely chopped green onions 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Preheat broiler. Place fi sh in a greased,

shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, green onions, salt and hot pepper sauce; set aside. Broil fl ounder for 4 to 6 min-utes, or until fi sh fl akes easily with a fork. Remove from oven and spread cheese mixture on top. Broil an additional 30 seconds, or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm.

— easyfi shrecipes.com

Cheesy broiled fl ounder

FullJune 4First

May 28Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 1:20 AM 0.1L 9:48 AM 2.8HMay 12 2:30 AM 0.5L 10:34 AM 2.6H 5:29 PM 1.8L 9:00 PM 2.0 HMay 13 3:51 AM 0.9L 11:08 AM 2.4H 6:03 PM 1.4L 11:06 PM 2.0HMay 14 5:18 AM 1.3L 11:34 AM 2.3H 6:35 PM 1.0LMay 15 12:49 AM 2.2H 6:37 AM 1.6L 11:52 AM 2.3H 7:03 PM 0.7LMay 16 2:06 AM 2.4H 7:45 AM 1.8L 12:07 PM 2.2H 7:27 PM 0.4LMay 17 3:03 AM 2.6H 8:43 AM 2.0L 12:18 PM 2.3H 7:50 PM 0.2LMay 18 3:46 AM 2.7H 9:30 AM 2.2L 12:28 PM 2.3H 8:13 PM 0.0LMay 19 4:22 AM 2.8H 10:07 AM 2.3L 12:38 PM 2.3H 8:39 PM -0.1LMay 20 4:55 AM 2.8H 10:29 AM 2.4L 12:48 PM 2.4H 9:06 PM -0.2LMay 21 5:29 AM 2.8H 10:41 AM 2.4L 12:59 PM 2.4H 9:37 PM -0.2LMay 22 6:06 AM 2.8H 10:57 AM 2.4L 1:10 PM 2.4H 10:10 PM -0.2LMay 23 6:46 AM 2.8H 10:45 PM -0.2LMay 24 7:30 AM 2.7H 11:22 PM 0.0LMay 25 8:14 AM 2.6H

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 1:46 AM 0.1L 10:35 AM 2.2HMay 12 2:56 AM 0.4L 11:21 AM 2.1H 5:55 PM 1.4L 9:47 PM 1.6HMay 13 4:17 AM 0.7L 11:55 AM 2.0H 6:29 PM 1.1L 11:53 PM 1.6HMay 14 5:44 AM 1.0L 12:21 PM 1.9H 7:01 PM 0.8LMay 15 1:36 AM 1.7H 7:03 AM 1.3L 12:39 PM 1.8H 7:29 PM 0.6LMay 16 2:53 AM 1.9H 8:11 AM 1.5L 12:54 PM 1.8H 7:53 PM 0.3LMay 17 3:50 AM 2.0H 9:09 AM 1.6L 1:05 PM 1.8H 8:16 PM 0.1LMay 18 4:33 AM 2.2H 9:56 AM 1.7L 1:15 PM 1.8H 8:39 PM 0.0LMay 19 5:09 AM 2.2H 10:33 AM 1.8L 1:25 PM 1.9H 9:05 PM -0.1LMay 20 5:42 AM 2.3H 10:55 AM 1.9L 1:35 PM 1.9H 9:32 PM -0.2LMay 21 6:16 AM 2.3H 11:07 AM 1.9L 1:46 PM 1.9H 10:03 PM -0.2LMay 22 6:53 AM 2.2H 11:23 AM 1.9L 1:57 PM 1.9H 10:36 PM -0.2LMay 23 7:33 AM 2.2H 11:11 PM -0.1LMay 24 8:17 AM 2.2H 11:48 PM 0.0LMay 25 9:01 AM 2.1H

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height May 11 2:42 AM 0.0L 11:05 AM 1.3HMay 12 3:52 AM 0.2L 11:51 AM 1.2H 6:51 PM 0.9L 10:17 PM 0.9HMay 13 5:13 AM 0.4L 12:25 PM 1.2H 7:25 PM 0.7LMay 14 12:23 AM 1.0H 6:40 AM 0.6L 12:51 PM 1.1H 7:57 PM 0.5LMay 15 2:06 AM 1.0H 7:59 AM 0.8L 1:09 PM 1.1H 8:25 PM 0.3LMay 16 3:23 AM 1.1H 9:07 AM 0.9L 1:24 PM 1.1H 8:49 PM 0.2LMay 17 4:20 AM 1.2H 10:05 AM 1.0L 1:35 PM 1.1H 9:12 PM 0.1LMay 18 5:03 AM 1.3H 10:52 AM 1.1L 1:45 PM 1.1H 9:35 PM 0.0LMay 19 5:39 AM 1.3H 11:29 AM 1.1L 1:55 PM 1.1H 10:01 PM -0.1LMay 20 6:12 AM 1.4H 11:51 AM 1.1L 2:05 PM 1.1H 10:28 PM -0.1LMay 21 6:46 AM 1.4H 12:03 PM 1.1L 2:16 PM 1.2H 10:59 PM -0.1LMay 22 7:23 AM 1.3H 12:19 PM 1.2L 2:27 PM 1.2H 11:32 PM -0.1LMay 23 8:03 AM 1.3HMay 24 12:07 AM -0.1L 8:47 AM 1.3H May 25 12:44 AM 0.0L 9:31 AM 1.3H

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 1:46 AM 0.0L 10:17 AM 1.8HMay 12 2:57 AM 0.3L 10:56 AM 1.7H 6:03 PM 1.0L 9:23 PM 1.1HMay 13 4:20 AM 0.6L 11:25 AM 1.5H 6:24 PM 0.8L 11:29 PM 1.2 HMay 14 5:51 AM 0.8L 11:46 AM 1.4H 6:50 PM 0.6LMay 15 1:14 AM 1.4H 7:18 AM 1.0L 12:03 PM 1.3H 7:18 PM 0.4LMay 16 2:32 AM 1.5H 8:39 AM 1.1L 12:18 PM 1.3H 7:46 PM 0.2LMay 17 3:31 AM 1.7H 9:56 AM 1.2L 12:30 PM 1.2H 8:14 PM 0.1LMay 18 4:18 AM 1.8H 8:41 PM 0.0LMay 19 4:59 AM 1.9H 9:09 PM 0.0LMay 20 5:37 AM 1.9H 9:37 PM -0.1LMay 21 6:14 AM 1.9H 10:06 PM -0.1LMay 22 6:51 AM 1.9H 10:36 PM -0.1LMay 23 7:29 AM 1.9H 11:09 PM -0.1LMay 24 8:06 AM 1.9H 11:45 PM 0.0LMay 25 8:43 AM 1.8H

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 1:18 AM -0.3L 10:35 AM 1.5HMay 12 2:18 AM 0.0L 10:59 AM 1.4HMay 13 3:22 AM 0.4L 11:13 AM 1.3H 5:48 PM 0.8L 10:36 PM 1.0HMay 14 4:34 AM 0.7L 11:21 AM 1.3H 6:13 PM 0.6LMay 15 12:54 AM 1.1H 5:57 AM 0.9L 11:22 AM 1.2H 6:44 PM 0.3LMay 16 2:29 AM 1.3H 7:30 AM 1.1L 11:13 AM 1.2H 7:17 PM 0.1LMay 17 3:40 AM 1.4H 7:48 PM -0.1LMay 18 4:37 AM 1.4H 8:19 PM -0.2LMay 19 5:27 AM 1.5H 8:49 PM -0.3LMay 20 6:14 AM 1.5H 9:19 PM -0.4LMay 21 6:58 AM 1.5H 9:50 PM -0.4LMay 22 7:40 AM 1.5H 10:21 PM -0.4LMay 23 8:20 AM 1.5H 10:55 PM -0.3LMay 24 8:56 AM 1.6H 11:32 PM -0.2LMay 25 9:25 AM 1.6H

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 4:20 AM 0.1L 3:15 PM 0.9HMay 12 5:17 AM 0.3L 3:00 PM 0.8HMay 13 6:07 AM 0.4L 2:57 PM 0.7HMay 14 6:44 AM 0.5L 1:59 PM 0.7H 9:30 PM 0.5LMay 15 12:55 PM 0.7H 9:47 PM 0.3LMay 16 11:17 AM 0.8H 10:10 PM 0.3LMay 17 10:41 AM 0.8H 10:33 PM 0.2LMay 18 10:00 AM 0.9H 10:56 PM 0.1LMay 19 10:07 AM 0.9H 11:22 PM 0.1LMay 20 10:26 AM 0.9H 11:54 PM 0.1LMay 21 10:57 AM 0.9HMay 22 12:33 AM 0.0L 11:38 AM 0.9HMay 23 1:16 AM 0.0L 12:22 PM 0.9HMay 24 2:01 AM 0.0L 1:03 PM 0.9HMay 25 2:46 AM 0.1L 1:38 PM 0.8H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 5:25 AM 0.2L 8:20 PM 0.5HMay 12 6:04 AM 0.2L 9:44 PM 0.4HMay 13 6:31 AM 0.3L 2:12 PM 0.4H 6:09 PM 0.4L 11:33 PM 0.4HMay 14 6:40 AM 0.3L 1:20 PM 0.4H 8:06 PM 0.3LMay 15 2:13 AM 0.4H 6:16 AM 0.4L 1:03 PM 0.4H 9:18 PM 0.3LMay 16 1:02 PM 0.5H 10:11 PM 0.2LMay 17 1:12 PM 0.5H 10:57 PM 0.2LMay 18 1:31 PM 0.5H 11:41 PM 0.2LMay 19 1:58 PM 0.5HMay 20 12:24 AM 0.2L 2:33 PM 0.5HMay 21 1:09 AM 0.2L 3:13 PM 0.5HMay 22 1:55 AM 0.2L 3:58 PM 0.5HMay 23 2:41 AM 0.2L 4:42 PM 0.5HMay 24 3:26 AM 0.2L 5:22 PM 0.5HMay 25 4:08 AM 0.2L 5:56 PM 0.4H

Houston2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets11 Fri 11:18 5:05 11:44 5:31 06:30 08:04 12:50a 12:01p 12 Sat ----- 5:58 12:10 6:22 06:30 08:04 1:30a 1:00p 13 Sun Q 12:34 6:45 12:56 7:07 06:29 08:05 2:06a 1:57p 14 Mon 1:16 7:27 1:37 7:48 06:29 08:06 2:39a 2:51p 15 Tue 1:55 8:05 2:16 8:26 06:28 08:06 3:11a 3:44p 16 Wed 2:32 8:42 2:53 9:03 06:27 08:07 3:42a 4:37p 17 Thu 3:09 9:20 3:30 9:41 06:27 08:08 4:15a 5:30p 18 Fri 3:47 9:59 4:10 10:21 06:26 08:08 4:49a 6:24p 19 Sat > 4:29 10:40 4:52 11:04 06:26 08:09 5:26a 7:17p 20 Sun N 5:14 11:26 5:38 11:49 06:25 08:09 6:07a 8:10p 21 Mon > 6:02 ----- 6:26 12:38 06:25 08:10 6:51a 9:02p 22 Tue > 6:53 12:40 7:17 1:05 06:24 08:11 7:39a 9:51p 23 Wed > 7:46 1:33 8:10 1:58 06:24 08:11 8:30a 10:37p 24 Thu 8:40 2:28 9:04 2:52 06:23 08:12 9:23a 11:20p 25 Fri 9:34 3:22 9:58 3:46 06:23 08:12 10:18a NoMoon 26 Sat 10:26 4:15 10:50 4:38 06:23 08:13 11:15a NoMoon 27 Sun 11:18 5:06 11:41 5:29 06:22 08:14 12:13p 12:37a 28 Mon Q ----- 5:55 12:07 6:19 06:22 08:14 1:11p 1:13a 29 Tue 12:30 6:42 12:54 7:06 06:22 08:15 2:12p 1:48a 30 Wed 1:16 7:28 1:41 7:53 06:21 08:15 3:15p 2:25a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightMay 11 1:21 AM -0.3L 10:25 AM 1.7HMay 12 2:22 AM 0.0L 10:56 AM 1.5HMay 13 3:29 AM 0.2L 11:18 AM 1.3H 5:56 PM 0.7L 10:45 PM 0.9HMay 14 4:46 AM 0.5L 11:33 AM 1.2H 6:16 PM 0.5LMay 15 12:52 AM 1.1H 6:11 AM 0.8L 11:39 AM 1.2H 6:42 PM 0.3LMay 16 2:19 AM 1.3H 7:43 AM 1.0L 11:36 AM 1.2H 7:12 PM 0.1LMay 17 3:24 AM 1.6H 7:42 PM 0.0LMay 18 4:18 AM 1.7H 8:13 PM -0.1LMay 19 5:06 AM 1.8H 8:44 PM -0.2LMay 20 5:50 AM 1.9H 9:17 PM -0.2LMay 21 6:34 AM 1.8H 9:50 PM -0.3LMay 22 7:16 AM 1.8H 10:25 PM -0.3LMay 23 7:56 AM 1.7H 11:00 PM -0.3LMay 24 8:34 AM 1.7H 11:38 PM -0.3LMay 25 9:07 AM 1.6H

San Antonio2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets11 Fri 11:30 5:18 11:56 5:43 06:44 08:16 1:03a 12:14p 12 Sat ----- 6:11 12:22 6:34 06:43 08:16 1:43a 1:14p 13 Sun Q 12:46 6:57 1:08 7:20 06:42 08:17 2:19a 2:10p 14 Mon 1:28 7:39 1:50 8:01 06:42 08:18 2:52a 3:04p 15 Tue 2:07 8:18 2:28 8:39 06:41 08:18 3:24a 3:57p 16 Wed 2:44 8:55 3:05 9:16 06:40 08:19 3:55a 4:50p 17 Thu 3:21 9:32 3:43 9:54 06:40 08:19 4:28a 5:43p 18 Fri 4:00 10:11 4:22 10:34 06:39 08:20 5:03a 6:36p 19 Sat > 4:41 10:53 5:05 11:16 06:39 08:21 5:40a 7:29p 20 Sun N 5:26 11:38 5:50 12:02 06:38 08:21 6:21a 8:22p 21 Mon > 6:14 ----- 6:39 12:51 06:38 08:22 7:05a 9:14p 22 Tue > 7:05 12:53 7:30 1:18 06:37 08:22 7:53a 10:03p 23 Wed > 7:58 1:46 8:23 2:11 06:37 08:23 8:44a 10:49p 24 Thu 8:52 2:40 9:17 3:04 06:37 08:24 9:37a 11:32p 25 Fri 9:46 3:34 10:10 3:58 06:36 08:24 10:32a NoMoon 26 Sat 10:39 4:27 11:03 4:51 06:36 08:25 11:29a 12:12a 27 Sun 11:30 5:18 11:54 5:42 06:36 08:25 12:26p 12:49a 28 Mon Q ----- 6:07 12:19 6:31 06:35 08:26 1:25p 1:25a 29 Tue 12:43 6:55 1:07 7:19 06:35 08:26 2:25p 2:01a 30 Wed 1:28 7:41 1:53 8:06 06:35 08:27 3:27p 2:38a

Amarillo2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets11 Fri 11:44 5:31 ----- 5:57 06:46 08:40 1:26a 12:20p 12 Sat 12:12 6:24 12:36 6:48 06:45 08:40 2:04a 1:22p 13 Sun Q 12:59 7:11 1:22 7:33 06:45 08:41 2:37a 2:21p 14 Mon 1:42 7:52 2:03 8:14 06:44 08:42 3:07a 3:18p 15 Tue 2:20 8:31 2:42 8:52 06:43 08:43 3:36a 4:13p 16 Wed 2:58 9:08 3:19 9:29 06:42 08:44 4:05a 5:09p 17 Thu 3:35 9:45 3:56 10:07 06:42 08:44 4:36a 6:04p 18 Fri 4:13 10:25 4:36 10:47 06:41 08:45 5:08a 7:00p 19 Sat > 4:55 11:06 5:18 11:30 06:40 08:46 5:43a 7:55p 20 Sun N 5:40 11:52 6:03 12:15 06:40 08:47 6:22a 8:49p 21 Mon > 6:28 ----- 6:52 1:04 06:39 08:47 7:05a 9:41p 22 Tue > 7:19 1:06 7:43 1:31 06:38 08:48 7:53a 10:30p 23 Wed > 8:12 1:59 8:36 2:24 06:38 08:49 8:44a 11:16p 24 Thu 9:06 2:53 9:30 3:18 06:37 08:50 9:39a 11:57p 25 Fri 10:00 3:48 10:24 4:12 06:37 08:50 10:36a NoMoon 26 Sat 10:52 4:41 11:16 5:04 06:36 08:51 11:34a 12:35a 27 Sun 11:43 5:32 ----- 5:55 06:36 08:52 12:35p 1:10a 28 Mon Q 12:09 6:21 12:33 6:44 06:35 08:52 1:36p 1:43a 29 Tue 12:56 7:08 1:20 7:32 06:35 08:53 2:39p 2:16a 30 Wed 1:42 7:54 2:07 8:19 06:35 08:54 3:45p 2:49a

Dallas2012 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONMay Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets11 Fri 11:23 5:11 11:49 5:36 06:30 08:15 1:01a 12:02p 12 Sat ----- 6:04 12:15 6:27 06:30 08:16 1:40a 1:03p 13 Sun Q 12:39 6:50 1:01 7:13 06:29 08:16 2:14a 2:01p 14 Mon 1:21 7:32 1:43 7:54 06:28 08:17 2:46a 2:57p 15 Tue 2:00 8:11 2:21 8:32 06:27 08:18 3:16a 3:51p 16 Wed 2:37 8:48 2:58 9:09 06:27 08:19 3:46a 4:45p 17 Thu 3:14 9:25 3:36 9:47 06:26 08:19 4:17a 5:40p 18 Fri 3:53 10:04 4:15 10:27 06:25 08:20 4:50a 6:34p 19 Sat > 4:34 10:46 4:58 11:09 06:25 08:21 5:27a 7:29p 20 Sun N 5:19 11:31 5:43 11:55 06:24 08:21 6:06a 8:23p 21 Mon > 6:07 ----- 6:32 12:44 06:24 08:22 6:50a 9:15p 22 Tue > 6:58 12:46 7:23 1:11 06:23 08:23 7:37a 10:04p 23 Wed > 7:51 1:39 8:16 2:04 06:23 08:23 8:28a 10:49p 24 Thu 8:45 2:33 9:10 2:57 06:22 08:24 9:22a 11:31p 25 Fri 9:39 3:27 10:03 3:51 06:22 08:25 10:19a NoMoon 26 Sat 10:32 4:20 10:56 4:44 06:21 08:25 11:17a 12:10a 27 Sun 11:23 5:11 11:47 5:35 06:21 08:26 12:16p 12:46a 28 Mon Q ----- 6:00 12:12 6:24 06:21 08:27 1:16p 1:20a 29 Tue 12:36 6:48 1:00 7:12 06:20 08:27 2:18p 1:54a 30 Wed 1:21 7:34 1:46 7:59 06:20 08:28 3:22p 2:29a

Creamy turkey breast

*E-mail LSON your favorite recipe to [email protected].

5-6 lb. wild turkey breast1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped tart apples 2 tsps. salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup applejack liquor1 tbsp. corn starch 1 tbsp. cold water

ACROSS1. A small boat

4. This strikes the fi ring pin10. Fish eggs11. A duck species12. Small game is to an owl13. A male dall14. Used to take gamey

taste from meat

17. Large appendage on a muley18. Trapped for the fur20. A female bear22. Young dall23. A fi eld area25. A grommet on a fl y rod26. A fi sh organ28. Fishing equipment29. A name for the deer


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Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscrip-tion is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand cop-ies are $2, in certain markets are free, one per person. Copyright 2012 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without writ-ten permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or e-mail them to [email protected].

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Contributors Kyle CarterDavid DraperShannon DraweWilbur LundeenAaron ReedErich SchlegelDavid SikesScott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

bull shark using whole fi sh as bait — shad, croakers, ribbonfi sh and ice minnows.

“We are still right at the start of the sea-son,” he said. “On a normal year, it is usually toward mid- to late May before we see a big infl ux of sharks, but with the high beach-water temps, it has pushed everything up.”

Williams said the infl ux of water from area rivers has turned the bays muddy, which affects all fi shing, including shark fi shing. He said the sharks migrate from Mexican waters each year, and he targets an area known as Tarpon Alley because so many shrimp boats work the area, which brings in the sharks.

Even with the muddy water, he said he has been putting clients on 20 to 40 sharks each outing.

“We don’t target those 800-pound tiger sharks,” he said. “You could sit over a bait for two or three days before you have a run. We tar-get the sharks in the 40- to 180-pound range.”

Williams said 99 percent of the sharks he catches are two species — blacktips and spin-ner sharks, which are hard to tell apart.

“Of the other 1 percent, 50 percent are bull sharks and the other 50 percent are hammer-heads,” he said.

Also hitting similar water for sharks is Capt. Joel Taylor.

He said his shark spots have been produc-ing “pretty good” so far this year.

“We’ve caught a lot of medium-sized black-tips in the 3- to 4-foot range,” Taylor said. “We’re also catching some sharpnose and bull sharks. We got into a whole herd of them the other day. And they have been pretty close to shore.”

Taylor said he has read online reports recently of plenty of sharks being caught from area beaches. He also said it really doesn’t matter what you throw out for bait.

“We are using cut bait,” he said. “But any-thing works — they aren’t picky.”

Taylor agreed that the sharks are in ear-lier than normal because of the higher water temperatures.

Williams said the shark fi shery isn’t as good as it used to be, but that can be said about most things.

“There ain’t nothing as good as it used to be because the fi sheries of the world are on a steady decline,” he said.

Capt. Mike Williams, (713) 723-1911.Capt. Joel Taylor, (281) 332-5822.

Shark fishingContinued From Page 1

BITE ME: Sharks like this small blacktip are being caught in solid numbers in Galveston Bay. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Dickenson, McGrail take fi rstBrandon Dickenson and Ryan McGrail won fi rst place with 19.54 pounds at the Texas Team

Trail presented by Cabela’s Lake Livingston tournament May 5.Dickenson of Flower Mound and McGrail of Killeen each had an outstanding event.“The fi shing was great,” said Dickenson. “We were on fi sh for most of the entire day. The

Texas Team Trail has been a great bass tournament trail. It is put together well and hasn’t dis-appointed yet. We look forward to fi nishing out the season and ending it on Lake Amistad.”

— Staff report


May 11Texas Deer AssociationCorpus Christi Chapter Casino Fund-raiserRichard M. Borchard Fairgrounds(210) 767-8300texasdeerassociation.com

May 11-13Great Outdoors ExpoHorseshoe Center, Midland(806) 253-1322goetx.com

May 12Bass Champs TournamentNorth Region #4Lake Tawakoni(817) 439-3274 basschamps.com

May 17Dallas Safari ClubAnnual Trophy and Photo CompetitionRoyal Oaks Country Club(972) 980-9800biggame.org

May 18Operation Game ThiefClaystoppers ShootCapitol City Trap and Skeet ClubAustin(512) 389-8801ogttx.com

May 18-20Legend of Lake Fork8th Annual Open Bass TournamentLake Fork(903) 383-7748legendofl akefork.com

May 19Bass Champs TournamentSouth Region #5Choke Canyon(817) 439-3274 basschamps.com

Arabia Shrine Sportsmen8th Annual Fishing TournamentMatagorda Harborshrinesports.com

UV CountryGrand Opening CelebrationAlvin(281) 824-1198uvcountry.com

May 19-20Creekside Christian Fellowship7th Annual Creekside Hunting and Fishing ShowCreekside Christian Fellowship Facility, Needville(832) 287-5217creeksideshow.com

Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentBowhunter Education ClassPottsboro and Weatherford(903) 821-7640 and (817) 999-8585tpwd.state.tx.us

May 22Ducks UnlimitedPlano Chapter BanquetLove and Peace, Plano(903) 372-6089ducks.org

May 24Texas Deer AssociationSan Antonio Chapter BanquetPearl Brewery Stables(210) 767-8300texasdeerassociation.com

May 26Hooked for LifeKids Fishing TournamentBrownsville Event Centerhookedforlife.us

Third Coast Fishing TournamentBluff's Landing, Corpus Christi(361) 992-5152winthirdcoast.com

June 1-2Texas Deer Association2nd Annual Brush to Bay Invitational Fishing TournamentBluff’s Landing Marina and Lodge, Corpus Christi(210) 767-8300texasdeerassociation.com

June 2Bass Champs TournamentCentral Region #5Lake Belton(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

June 2-3Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentBowhunter Education Class, Tyler(903) 292-7014tpwd.state.tx.us

June 3Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentBowhunter Education Online Field ClassDallas(214) 282-3697tpwd.state.tx.us

June 7-10Toledo Bend BattleBassmaster Elite SeriesToledo Bend Lake(800) 358-7802toledobendlakecountry.com

June 9Texas Team Trail TournamentLewisville Lake(210) 788-4143texasteamtrail.com

June 14Dallas Woods and Waters ClubMonthly MeetingSheraton Dallas North Hotel(214) 570-8700dwwcc.org

June 16Bass Champs TournamentEast Region #5Sam Rayburn Reservoir(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

DATEBOOK

LONE STAR MARKET

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

Puzzle solution from Page 24


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DEER LEASE WANTEDLone Star Outdoor News is looking for a hunt-ing and fi shing lease with all hunt and fi sh rights. Central or Northwest Texas. Camphouse is needed.

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STATE WATERFOWLSTAMP/PRINT COLLECTION

FOR SALE 32 total signed and num-bered state prints and stamps from around the country12 state fi rst; Louisiana, Vermont, Arizona,Kansas, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Connecticut, Idaho, Virginia, Nebraska, Canada, Australia. 10 from South Carolina. All unframed.Great art work for any water fowlers offi ce wall or hunting camp. Call and ask for David.

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CLASSIFIEDS

PRODUCTS

LEGACY GAME MOUNT: Texas artist Rita Schimpff was inspired by family heirlooms and the desire to offer hunters an ele-gant — and lasting — way to display their takes. This full-size fi nely carved walnut panel (with cover), for example, can accommodate whitetail, mule deer, axis and other similarly sized exotic and African game antlers. It can be used to dis-play new, existing or even antique mounts. Hand-crafted by Heritage Game Mounts, the 12.5-inch

by 9.5-inch Legacy game mount sells for $225.

(210) 822-7224 www.HeritageGameMounts.com MVD DAMPENER:

Are potential catch-es being scared off

by the vibration of your boat’s trolling mo-tor? Bowjax has designed a

simple, yet effective, device to damp-en those vibrations. Molded as a

single piece of an elastomeric com-pound, the device slips around the diameter of a submersible electric

trolling motor and, according to lab-oratory tests, dampens vibrations on a motor under propulsion by

at least 22 percent. The MVD dampeners are sold in singles (about $15) or pairs (about $28).

(208) 762-3692www.bowjaxmvd.com

PINNACLE SOLOIST COOKWARE: This lightweight cookware by GSI is for anglers who might have to hike up to their out-of-the-way favorite honey holes. The camp set has a crushproof, heat-resis-tant nylon lid that serves as an integrated strainer and as a “sip it lid.” The fold-ing handle locks in place for cooking and secures the set for easy transport. And

its welded stuff sack, which holds the set while traveling, doubles as a sink or wash basin in camp. The cookware sells for about $45.

(800) 704-4474 www.gsioutdoors.com

EQUALIZER: This redesigned archery release aid from Goat Tuff Products al-

lows archers to increase their bow’s performance and arrow speed without increasing the draw weight. It was designed

for short draw archers or those who have had to shoot lower poundages due to age or injury. The device fi ts comfortably in

the palm of the hand with an in-line adjustable trigger that allows for the alignment of the arm, wrist and release. The plunger-type

trigger is activated by the natural movement of the fi nger. The Equalizer will

be available with a Velcro closure or with an ad-

justable metal buckle. It sells for about $200.

(520) 742-1701www.goattuffproducts.com

ELIMINX 360 WITH SILVER-ZYME: Code Blue Scents combines nanosilver and enzyme technol-ogy to form a solution that eliminates bacteria and foreign odors. The secret to Silver-Zyme's effectiveness, according to the company, is a silver molecule that, by design, is missing eight electrons in its outer shell. Each silver molecule rapidly kills multiple odor-causing bacteria, viruses and mold while recharging itself to continue its mission. EliminX 360’s aero-

sol mist penetrates deep into clothing and gear and can be sprayed from any angle — even upside down — to penetrate those hard-to-reach places. Available in Earth Scented or Unscented, the 12-ounce size sells for about $9.50.

(251) 368-4089 www.codebluescents.com

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May 11, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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Transcript of May 11, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting