www.lonestaroutdoornews.com

Texas’ Premier Outdoor NewspaperMay 12, 2006 �Volume 2, Issue 18�

DEPARTMENTSProduct Picks Page 13Heroes Page 14

Outdoor Puzzler Page 15

Wild in the Kitchen Page 15

Weather Page 15

Game Warden Blotter Page 16

Made in Texas Page 16

Outdoor Datebook Page 17

Fishing Report Page 18

INSIDE

HUNTING

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDPLANO, TX

PERMIT 210

Hunters should inspect theirtreestand and fall-arrest gear inthe off-season and before eachhunt. The TreestandManufacturers Association offerssafety guidelines.

See Page 6

Volunteers from the Dallas SafariClub were on hand to help younghunters at the S.A.F.E.T.Y.Extravaganza. Josh Lakatos, a worldchampionship shooter and Olympicmedalist in the 1996 Atlantagames, was among the instructors.

See Page 7

FISHINGReports from across Texasindicate it’s a good time foranglers to head to the lakebecause Mr. Whiskers is biting.Channel cats are leading the way.

See Page 8

Supreme masters of camouflage,the elusive flounder bury theirmottled-brown bodies under softbottom slop or grass. There areways, however, to catch thissurprisingly aggressive fish.

See Page 9

NATIONALA 66-year-old Florida man wasattacked by a 10-foot alligatorwhile fly-fishing on Lake Istokpoga.Also, in Boynton Beach, Fla., adiver hired to retrieve golf ballsfrom a golf course lake wasattacked by a 9-foot alligator.

See Page 4

CONSERVATIONLeading national conservationofficials gathered in support ofthe National Fish Habitat ActionPlan designed to protect, restoreand enhance fish habitat.

See Page 5

FISHING

Texas rig is nostranger to coast

See Page 8

Blaze orange producta gray area to deer

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: David Campbell holds a replica of thebass he traveled 500 miles to the Canadian River to pick up.

Rollin’ across TexasShareLunker manager’s job is ‘keeping fish alive’

By Mark England

David Campbell manages the BudweiserShareLunker program. That means from Oct.1 to April 30, he’s on call 24/7. On amoment’s notice, he must be ready to driveanywhere in Texas — provided the caller isholding a largemouth bass that weighs morethan 13 pounds.

“I’ve met people at a boat ramp at mid-

night, at a marina at three in the morningand I picked up one at Alan Henry(Reservoir) at 5 a.m.,” Campbell said. “Thesooner we get a fish in our possession, thebetter its chances of surviving.”

The bass are taken to the Lunker Bunker,part of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Centerin Athens, for spawning purposes as well asresearch.

Producing a world-record largemouth bass

AT SEASON’S END StillhouseHollow

Best-kept secret in Texas?

By Craig Nyhus

Nestled on the fringe of the Texas Hill Countryjust five miles east of Belton sits Stillhouse HollowReservoir, a 6,429- acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineersreservoir impounded in 1968, where big largemouthand spotted bass arethriving.

This scenic high-land lake offers clear,deep water with amaximum depth of107 feet. A trip to thisunassuming, un-crowded lake is all themore appealing if youconsider that it hasexcellent fishing.

Stillhouse presents adifferent fishing pic-ture than many otherlakes. “The water issuper clear, and thereis a lot of hydrilla,”said fishing guide andpark ranger Kevin Cobb. To deal with this, most fish-ermen use braided line and a fluorocarbon leader.

“You might bring up 10 pounds of grass with a 2-pound fish, so you need the strength.”

The fishing at Stillhouse has been reported asexcellent. Cobb also fishes the weekly Wednesdaynight open tournaments. “Most winners have beenweighing in more than 20 pounds in a 3 1/2-hourtournament,” he adds.

TOTIN’ A TOM: Derek Rambo crosses the Clear Fork of the Brazos River with a harvested bird. He washunting on the Krooked River Ranch. As another turkey season draws to a close, find out how thehunting was on Page 8. See related photos “Calling all toms” on Page 19. Photo by David J. Sams.

HOOKED ON HOLLOW: This 8-poundlargemouth, caught on a BerkleyBeast, is a “Stillhouse” trophy.

See LUNKERS, Page 10

See STILLHOUSE, Page 11

By Mark England

Next season a product will hit themarket that claims it can trick deerinto turning a blind eye to hunterswearing blaze orange.

Deer, despite what some huntersbelieve, are not color-blind, accordingto scientists. But never fear, capitalism

has come to the rescue.Covert Orange, manufactured by

Carlile Design of Rolla, Mo., is a mix-ture of safety orange and ultravioletpigment designed by three researchophthalmologists. When applied to ahat and vest combo, it triggers differ-ent reactions in humans and deer, saidKevin Carlile.

See COLORS, Page 12

Page 2 � May 12, 2006

Page 4 � May 12, 2006

NATIONAL

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In Brief Monster Missouri crappie

may be international recordJohn Hortsman, 69, of Fulton, Mo.,

landed a 5.02-pound black crappiefrom a private pond in CallawayCounty on April 21. The MissouriConservation Department has certi-fied the fish as a state record. The fishis larger than the current all-tacklerecord listed by the InternationalGame Fish Association. The currentrecord has two fish tied at 4.5 pounds.

Hortsman’s fish was caught on aminnow. The fish has been donatedto Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo..

Louisiana man, 25, shot in hunting accident

Louisiana Department of Wildlifeand Fisheries Enforcement Divisionagents cited a 24-year-old Colfax resi-dent after he allegedly shot anotherhunter accidentally while turkeyhunting in Winn Parish on April 10.

While hunting on the CatahoulaWildlife Management Area, thecited hunter mistook another 25-year-old Colfax resident for a gob-bler.

He had been stalking a turkey thatcrossed a woods road near the otherhunter. The injured hunter said hewas unable to get a shot at the turkeyand then saw the 24-year-old huntercome out onto the road about 35yards away.

The victim waved his arm toannounce his presence and theshooter raised his gun and shot.

The accused man and his huntingpartner rendered aid by calling 911and transporting him out of thewoods. Once on the highway, themen flagged down Louisiana StateTrooper Mike Gilliam, who trans-ported the injured hunter to WinnParish Medical Center. He was

treated for his injuries and trans-ferred to St. Frances Cabrini Hospitalfor further treatment.

After investigating the shooting,agents ruled it was accidental, butcited the hunter for negligent injurybecause he failed to identify his tar-get. A Remington 870 Express 12-gauge shotgun was seized for evi-dence.

Marathon Oil joins NWTF’sEnergy for Wildlife programThe National Wild Turkey

Federation’s Energy for Wildlife pro-gram recently reached another mile-stone that could help improve thou-sands of acres of wildlife habitat.

Marathon Oil Company, based inHouston, Texas, became the firstpetroleum company to join the fed-eration’s membership-based certifi-cation program for all energy com-panies with the primary goal ofenhancing wildlife habitat on com-pany managed, owned or influ-enced lands. These propertiesinclude power line and gas rights ofway, plant sites, forest lands or otherproperties. As part of the program,Energy for Wildlife’s 26 membersmanage more than 1.5 million acresof wildlife habitat.

Energy for Wildlife was created bythe NWTF in response to the utilityindustry’s need for assistance inmanaging the millions of acres ofrights of way and other land thatcould potentially provide ideal habi-tat for a number of wildlife species.

Texas groups join Teaming With Wildlife

Texas groups recently met withcongressional and conservation lead-ers here as part of a coalition of 3,000organizations that make up Teaming

with Wildlife, an effort to boost stateand federal funding for wildlife con-servation, outdoor recreation andconservation education and preventwildlife from becoming endangered.

Teaming with Wildlife is a nation-al grass-roots organization thatincludes wildlife managers, conser-vationists, hunters, anglers and busi-nesses.

The national steering committeeincludes the American FisheriesSociety, American Zoo and AquariumAssociation, Congressional Sports-men’s Foundation, InternationalAssociation of Fish and WildlifeAgencies, Izaak Walton League ofAmerica, National Audubon Society,National Wild Turkey Federation,National Wildlife Federation, NatureConservancy, Theodore RooseveltConservation Partnership, WildlifeSociety, Wildlife ConservationSociety and Wildlife ManagementInstitute.

The group is calling for new andgreater funding to support full imple-mentation of recently completedState Wildlife Action Plans, which layout clear needs and actions forwildlife conservation in every state.

Sportsman Channel moves into Laredo market

Time Warner Cable is now offeringThe Sportsman Channel, to customersin Laredo and throughout the SouthTexas area. The Sportsman Channel(TSC) is the first and only televisionnetwork dedicated exclusively tohunting and fishing programming 24hours a day, seven days a week. Thechannel is currently airing on TimeWarner Cable digital cable channel315.

TSC airs hunting and fishing pro-gramming 24/7.

Mexican wolvesbound for Gila

The New Mexico Department ofGame and Fish will assist in thetranslocation of five federally endan-gered Mexican Wolves in the GilaNational Forest within the next threemonths as part of the Department’scontinued participation in theMexican Wolf Recovery Program.

The Department’s recently hiredwolf biologist, Saleen Richter, willassist with the releases and ensure theyare conducted according to currentrestoration rules and with close inter-action among the department, otheragencies, landowners and livestockoperators in the release areas.

“We are aware of the need for cau-tion in releasing wolves that have beencaptured elsewhere,” Richter said. “It isimportant that we work to releasewolves that will adapt to their new sur-roundings without conflict.”

Two wolves, a male and a pregnantfemale, will be released in the easternside of the Blue Range Recovery Area inlate April, just prior to birthing to

increase the likelihood the wolves willremain in the area. The site was select-ed because the release was acceptablewith the owners of the closest privateland, and the current grazing permit-tee. The site also is a considerable dis-tance from the San Carlos Reservation,where the wolves were removed in2005 because of boundary issues.

In June, two female wolves and onemale wolf will be released in one offour approved sites within the GilaWilderness. The females were capturedin the Gila National Forest in 2005 aspups when the Francisco Pack wasremoved from the area because of live-stock depredation issues. The male wascaptured outside its boundary in 2005following a single depredation inci-dent. The exact release site of the threewolves will be determined after otherwolf packs have established dens tomaximize the distance between thetranslocated wolves and existingpacks. — A New Mexico Game and Fish report

Photo by Bobby Sanchez

MEXICAN GREY WOLF

’Gator attacks angler

A 66-year-old Florida man was attacked by an alliga-tor while fly-fishing on Lake Istokpoga on April 24.The 10-foot gator grabbed him by the hip as he stoodin 41-inch deep water.

Also, in Boynton Beach, Fla., a diver hired to retrievegolf balls from a golf course lake was attacked by a 9-foot alligator that bit his arm.

Neither man sustained life-threatening injuries. Warm weather and spring breeding seasons bring

about increased activity in alligators, and on May 1,Texas Parks and Wildlife issued public safety tips.“Springtime is when alligators are most active,” saysMonique Slaughter, a TPW biologist. “Courtship andmating begins in late spring, and continues throughearly summer.”

In Texas, no fatalities have been documented due toalligators, but 17 injuries have been reported in thepast 15 years. TPW estimates there are about 286,000alligators in Chambers, Jefferson and OrangeCounties, but no statewide estimate exists. Alligatorscurrently are found in 120 of the 254 counties inTexas.

Alligator experts say the most important rule is tonever feed an alligator or allow it to get food. InOctober 2003 it became a Class C misdemeanor tointentionally feed a free ranging alligator. Baiting forlegal hunting purposes is still allowed. As ofSeptember 2005, a special alligator hunting license isnot required to hunt alligators in Texas, but all otherrequirements, including tag requirements, remain ineffect.

Other tips for persons near alligators include:•Keep pets on a leash or in a penned enclosure;•Don’t get too close or swim in areas where alliga-

tors have been observed;•Don’t harass or agitate alligators at any time;•Remember that alligators are most active at dawn

and dusk in the warmer months.— Compiled from Florida Fish and Wildlife and TPWreports

Judges sentence poacher to penitentiaryFor a nighttime poaching spree Nov. 26-27

near Boulder claiming four mule deer bucks,Michael Benjamin Acuna was assessed $17,000in fines and restitution — plus sentenced to 2-3years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary forbeing a felon in possession of a firearm whencommitting the crimes.

Acuna, 37, was convicted of one count of the“winter range statute” for taking an antlereddeer out of season, two counts of wantondestruction of deer, one count of taking a deerout of season and one count of using artificiallight to take a deer. He was also sentenced to 2.5years in the Sublette County Jail to run concur-rently with his prison term and had his hunt-

ing, fishing and trapping privileges revoked for20 years.

During sentencing March 23, SubletteCounty Circuit Judge John Crow said the finesand restitution would be waived if a $5,500donation to the Wyoming Wildlife Protector’sAssociation — administrator of the StopPoaching Program — was made before thedefendant’s future parole was ended.

District Court Judge Norman Young sen-tenced Acuna to the prison term for the felonycharge on April 6.

Game wardens were first alerted to the Acunacase Nov. 27 while keeping the apartment of asuspect in another case under surveillance. The

sheriff’s office was looking for a man who hadtrespassed into a Pinedale residence to sleep ona couch. The Wyoming Highway Patrol laterlocated the suspect at a convenience store andnotified the Game and Fish Department of abuck mule deer in the back of his truck. The sus-pect, Michael Acuna, was booked into theSublette County Jail for being a felon in posses-sion of a firearm and the out-of-season deer.

“The poaching occurred in the middle of alarge migration route used by thousands of deerto get to their winter range from the highly cov-eted Sublette Mule Deer herd,” said SouthPinedale Game Warden Brian Nesvik. — A Wyoming Fish and Game report

May 12, 2006 � Page 5

CONSERVATIONOfficials launch landmark

fish habitat action planLeading national conservation offi-

cials recently gathered on the banks ofthe Potomac River to announce a boldnew initiative designed to stop thedownward spiral in the populations ofmany fish and other aquatic species.

The National Fish Habitat ActionPlan, supported by hundreds ofdiverse partners and stakeholdersacross the country, provides strategiesto protect, restore and enhance fishhabitats in watersheds and waterwaysacross the country.

“This is a historic day for the organ-izations dedicated to making sure wehave healthy fish and other aquatic

creatures for years to come,” said LynnScarlett, acting secretary of theDepartment of the Interior. “Cleanwater and healthy habitat are essen-tial for people and wildlife. Withtoday’s announcement, we’ve rededi-cated our national commitment toachieving both.”

“We’re putting together Americaningenuity, existing and emerging sci-ence and the determination of theAmerican people to pass along a pre-cious legacy to the next generation:viable fish habitats,” said CarlosGutierrez, secretary of theDepartment of Commerce.

The National Fish Habitat ActionPlan is targeted toward fisheries pro-tection, restoration and enhancementin key watersheds and is based on aconsolidation of the best scientificexpertise on fisheries and habitatmanagement.

To date, the action plan has morethan 450 organizational supporters,from small local watershed groupsand fishing clubs to internationalconservation organizations, federalagencies, angling industries and aca-demia.— A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicesreport

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicehas announced a redhead duck willbe featured on the 2006-2007 JuniorDuck Stamp. The design for the newstamp, painted by 15 year-oldRebekah Nastav of Amoret, Mo., waschosen by judges on April 20 at theFederal Junior Duck Stamp DesignContest held in Washington, D.C.

The acrylic painting, entitled“Morning Swim,” which previouslywon the Missouri State Junior DuckStamp Contest, was judged the toppainting among the Best-of-Stateentries from all 50 states, the Districtof Columbia and American Samoa.The 2006-2007 Federal Junior Duck

Stamp, which the Fish and WildlifeService makes available for $5 tostamp collectors, conservationistsand the general public will bereleased on June 1. Proceeds fromJunior Duck Stamp sales are used tosupport environmental educationefforts and awards for contest win-ners.

A conservation message contestwas also held. Chris Thiessen ofKentucky won first prize with themessage, “When conservationbecomes a way of life, it benefits alllife.”— A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicesreport

‘Morning Swim’

Redheadduck on

new stamp

Tree seedlingstake root for

wildlifeEach year, conservation-minded

Americans celebrate National ArborDay by joining forces on the lastFriday in April to plant an estimated18 million tree seedlings.

However, to improve wildlife habi-tat and the environment, tree-plant-ing efforts must span much furtherthan Arbor Day celebrations. Duringthe last two months, more than1,000 private landowners and landmanagers have worked through theNational Wild Turkey Federation’sregional habitat programs to plantnearly 225,000 tree seedlings.

Each year, the NWTF distributesseedlings to volunteers, who in turnplant the trees to improve wildlifehabitat.— A NWTF release

In spring and summer, most Texashunters keep their treestands in agarage, in the back yard, or, forsome, they may even still be in thetree from this past season.

Then, as the fall season approach-es, some just pick up their treestandsand go hunting. Dozens of times

each fall, asimple mis-step or animproperlyinstalled orfailed piece ofequipmentresults in, atbest, a ruinedhunting trip,and, at worst,serious injuryor death.

The off-sea-son is a goodtime toinspect yourtreestands.“Huntersshould inspecttheir treestandbefore thebeginning ofeach season,as well asbefore each

hunt,” said Lawrence Taylor ofPradco Outdoor Brands. “Huntersshould check the webbing, tightenall bolts, and check for durability. Ifthey see any problems or cracks,they absolutely should not use thatstand.”

The Treestand ManufacturersAssociation (TMA), a non-profitorganization made up of manufac-turers, retailers and other profes-sional organizations, devotes itsresources to treestand safety.

TMA promotes the mandatoryuse of fall arrest systems/full bodyharness devices. Through educa-tion in the proper use of treestands,the development of treestand man-ufacturing standards and qualitycontrol, and promotion of properequipment, TMA hopes to mini-mize treestand accidents and

injuries.TMA has issued Treestand Safety

Tips, and also has jointly producedwith the National BowhuntingEducation Foundation a video

titled, “Safe Treestand Hunting,”which is used by many state wildlifedepartments and hunter safetyinstructors.A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report

Page 6 � May 12, 2006

HUNTING

Off-season is time to inspect gear

A GRIP ON SAFETY: Hunters in treestands should always use safety equipment. The No. 1cause of treestand accidents is falling asleep. Photos by David J. Sams.

Drought conditionsdry up turkey season

By BILL MILLER

With only a few days left in the 2006spring turkey season, state wildlife officialswere predicting a fair harvest, even thoughdrought conditions were especially unkindto hunters in south Texas.

Steve DeMaso, upland game programleader for Texas Parks and Wildlife, said har-vest figures wouldn’t be available until June.

But, he noted, “I think we had a prettydecent season, considering the weather

conditions.“The Rolling Plains and Edwards Plateau

areas seemed to have the most favorableconditions, while South Texas is still in adrought, which kind of delays the nestingseason.’’

Hunters and guides reported inconsistentgobbler behavior right from the start. Theseason opened in the Panhandle and HillCountry simultaneous with the breedingseason, which wildlife officials try to avoid.

At first, many toms preferred communingwith hens over heeding hunters’ calls. But

the dry weatherdown south seemed tokeep things totally outof whack.

“Hens and gobblers mightnot even mate if they have tospend all their time on maintenance;i.e., finding food,’’ DeMaso said. “It justmesses up the whole system.’’

Professional guide James Prince of PortO’Connor agreed. Prince, who sits on thegame bird advisory council for TPW, said hewas especially challenged this year while

guidinghunters in several South

Texas counties.“If I had to rate it on a

scale of one to five, I’d haveto give it a one and a half,’’he said.” All the hens were

staying together and not evengetting on a nest.

“Of course there’s really nograss to make a nest.’’

Although there are an estimated 600,000

The toms ‘just weren’t talking’

Hunters in highplaces

‘Huntersshould

inspect their treestand

before thebeginning

of eachseason, as

well asbefore each

hunt.’— LAWRENCE

TAYLOR

TREESTAND SAFETY GUIDELINES

See TURKEYS, Page 7

TMA has prepared its Treestand Safety Guidelines, which includethe following:• Wear a fall-arrest system (FAS)/full body harness meeting TMAstandards even during ascent and descent. Be aware that single-strap belts and chest harnesses are no longer the preferred fall-arrest devices and should not be used. Failure to use a FAS couldresult in serious injury or death.• Read and understand the manufacturer’s warnings andinstructions before using the treestand each season. Practicewith the treestand at ground level prior to using at elevatedpositions. Use allsafety devicesprovided with yourtreestand. Neverexceed the weightlimit specified by themanufacturer.• Inspect thetreestand and thefall-arrest system forsigns of wear ordamage before eachuse. Contact themanufacturer forreplacement parts.Destroy all productsthat cannot berepaired by themanufacturer. TheFAS should bediscarded andreplaced after a fallhas occurred.• Practice in full-body harness in thepresence of an adult,learning what it feelslike to hangsuspended at groundlevel.• Attach the harnessin the manner andmethod described bythe manufacturer.Failure to do so mayresult in suspension without the ability to recover into yourtreestand. Prolonged suspension may be fatal. Have in place aplan for rescue. If you do not have the ability to recover orescape, hunt from the ground.• Hunt with a plan and if possible a buddy. Before you leavehome, let others know your exact hunting location, when you planto return and who is with you.• Carry emergency signal devices such as a cell phone, walkie-talkie, whistle, signal flare, personal locator device and flashlighton your person at all times and within reach, even if suspended.Watch for changing weather conditions. In the event of anaccident, remain calm and seek help immediately.• Select the proper tree for use with your treestand. Select a livestraight tree that fits with the size limits of your treestand. Do notclimb or place a treestand against a leaning tree. Never leave atreestand installed for more than two weeks since damage couldoccur from changing weather conditions or other factors.• Use a haul line to pull up your gear and unloaded firearm orbow to your treestand once you have reached your desired huntingheight. Never climb with anything in your hands or on your back.Prior to descending, lower your equipment on the opposite side ofthe tree.• Know your physical limitations. Don’t take chances. If youstart thinking about how high you are, don’t go any higher. • Never use homemade or permanently elevated stands or makemodifications to a purchased treestand. • Never hurry! While climbing with a treestand, make slow, evenmovements of no more than 10 to 12 inches at a time. Makesure you have proper contact with the tree and/or treestand everytime you move. On ladder-type treestands, maintain three pointsof contact with each step.

For a detailed list of products that meet or exceed TMAstandards, contact the TMA office at 601/584-7983 or visit theTMA Web site at www.tmastands.com.

CHECK IT OUT: Lawrence Taylor puts on his fall-arrest body harness before climbing into histreestand in West Texas.

to 1 million Rio Grande turkeys inTexas, biologists have feared thatdry conditions might throttle veg-etation needed for turkey nests,and also their preferred food —insects.

Recent rains in West Texas andNorth Texas offer glimmers ofhope for everyone concernedabout wildlife in those regions.

Folks in South Texas, however,haven’t seen any of that yet.

Nevertheless, Prince, who shottwo birds this season, urgedhunters to get out and test theirskills, no matter how wet or drythe conditions.

Some hunters improved theirchances by getting out moreoften. Larry Hodge, spokesman forthe Texas Freshwater FisheriesCenter in Athens, wished hecould’ve done that.

He got out got out only twice:once on his West Texas lease nearComstock, and the other time onthe Gus Engeling WildlifeManagement Area, 21 miles north

of Palestine in East Texas.The 30 mph winds gusts kept

gobblers from hearing his callsduring the West Texas hunt. Onthe other side of the state, heatwas the problem.

“It was 100 degrees, and it seemslike it just shut them down,’’Hodge said of his East Texas hunt.“We knew they were there; theyjust weren’t talking.’’

Had he to do it over again,Hodge would have picked a morecentral spot.

“I would have loved to havebeen able to get out to the HillCountry,’’ he said, “but we huntwhere we can and we take ourchances.’’

Bill Miller is a Fort Worth-basedfreelancer.

May 12, 2006 � Page 7

TurkeysContinued from Page 6

On May 18 at Texas StateUniversity in San Marcos, the TexasWildlife Association will host aseminar titled: OverabundantWhite-Tailed Deer in Texas:Impacts on People, Communities,and the Land.

TWA reports that while white-

tailed deer are a valuable resourceproviding enjoyment for thousandsacross Texas, they are very adaptiveto life near people. However, whendeer numbers escalate and theybecome overabundant, deer canthreaten wildlife and plant diversityas well as cause economic, health

and safety concerns. Some Texascommunities are confronting theseissues and others soon will be.

This seminar will allow attendeesto learn about the experiences ofcommunities as well as hear fromnationally recognized experts cur-rently working with overabundant

deer issues. Issues covered willinclude the impact of overabun-dant deer populations, currentmanagement tools, what’s workedand overabundant deer planning.

Other sponsors include TheNature Conservancy, Texas Parksand Wildlife, Texas State University

and the Lower Colorado RiverAuthority. The seminar begins at7:45 a.m. and registration is $50.

For further information, call 800-TEX-WILD or visit www.texas-wildlife.org.

— A Texas Wildlife Association report

TWA sets seminar on overabundant white-tailed deer

More than 100 middle schoolers along with theirparents learned to shoot hunting weapons at theS.A.F.E.T.Y. Extravaganza held at the Greystone CastleSporting Club in Mingus on May 6.

On hand to provide assistance and instruction were150 volunteers from the Dallas Safari Club, which hassponsored the event for the past 17 years.

S.A.F.E.T.Y. stands for Shooting Archery FieldExcellency Trials for Youth. Each participant was giveninstruction in the safe and responsible handling of .22-caliber rifles and revolvers, shotguns, muzzleloadersand archery equipment. They then had an opportuni-ty to shoot each of them with the help of a certifiedinstructor. In addition, they were exposed to a fieldexercise trail where they applied the knowledge andoutdoor ethics taught in the hunter safety program.

Josh Lakatos, a world championship shooter andOlympic medalist in the 1996 Atlanta games, washelping out with the clay target shooting. “ I drove allthe way from California for this,” Lakatos said. “I will

do it every year. I love helping the kids.” Lakatoshelped with the positioning and aiming of the shot-guns, as many of the participants were shooting a gunfor the first time. One boy was so nervous that he wasshaking after shooting a 20-gauge and did not want toshoot again. Kakatos took him aside and calmly spokewith the youngster. In two minutes, he had himshooting again. The boy walked away with great con-fidence and the knowledge that he could shoot a shot-gun.

Many of the parents were proudly “outshot” bytheir children.

As a requirement for participation, each studentmust successfully complete the state-certified huntersafety course taught in their school’s “Outdoor Trails”education course. Outdoor Trails is an elective coursetaught in participating public schools and introducesmore than 1,500 secondary school kids to the out-doors.A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report

S.A.F.E.T.Y. for youth

Josh Lakatos, at top, a world championship Olympic shooter, assists a student withpositioning a shotgun. Students also sharpened their archery skills. Photos by DavidJ. Sams.

Page 8 � May 12, 2006

FISHING

Texas rig is no stranger to coastWorm’s weedless wayslure trout, redfish too

By Danno Wise

The Texas-rigged worm has been afavorite of bass fishermen since practi-cally the day Nick Creme invented the“rubber” worm in 1949.

Few folks realize it’s been in usealong the Texas coast for nearly as long.And, although its use is far from preva-lent among coastal pluggers, it remainsa productive way to take speckled troutand redfish in Texas bays.

“Late spring and early summer is anideal time to throw a Texas-riggedworm,” said longtime South Texasguide Capt. Chuck Scates. “Especiallywhen you get a low tide and the grass isall ‘layed over’ (the top of the water).Since it is so weedless, it is sometimesthe only thing you can fish throughthat grass without getting fouled.”

Besides their weedless qualities, theworms actually do imitate a naturalforage item for marine fish, says PortIsabel-based guide Capt. Steve “JR”Ellis.

“I think it looks like a sand eel,” saidEllis. “And it is awful effective whenthose fish are up on the sand or insandy potholes rooting out eels andthose little marine worms. It is one ofthe best baits you can use when bigtrout are lazing in potholes in kind of alethargic state. In that situation, youjust lay the worm right in the potholewith ’em and irritate them into striking— just like you would with beddingbass.

Not only do both guides agree on theeffectiveness of Texas-rigged worms in

saltwater, they also point to the samesource as being responsible for intro-ducing them into South Texas’ saltwa-ter environment — Capt. Freddie Pettyof Laguna Vista.

“We originally started fishing themback in the ’70s because we were fishingsuch shallow water with lots of grass,”recalled Petty, who still operates a high-ly successful guide service on the LowerLaguna Madre along with his wife,Capt. Janie Petty. “At that time, therereally weren’t any weedless saltwaterbaits, so we began using worms. Ofcourse, we couldn’t hardly find those oranything else way down here backthen, so I started making ’em myself.

“I’ve experimented with all kinds ofcolors back then, but most of the time,I’d use purple or some other dark color,”added Petty.

Ellis agrees with Petty’s color choice,adding that, although he typicallythrows purple or red, he will some-times go with a bright color, such aschartreuse. Among today’s models ofworms, Scates says his favorite is theCulprit swirl-tail worm, while Ellis optsfor a Stanley Wedge Tail worm.

“The other great thing about this rigis its versatility,” Ellis stated. “By vary-ing your choice of worm colors and thesize of your weight, you can rig a wormto fish in practically any shallow watersituation.”Danno Wise is an outdoor writer and fish-ing guide who lives in Port Isabel.

DUAL DUTY: A speckled trout often falls victim to a Texas-rigged worm in late spring and early summer. The rig, popularamong freshwater anglers, is not a stranger this time of year in the coastal saltwaters.

RICHARD M. “DICK” HART ALBERT S. “BUDDY” BRADLEY

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING HALL OF FAME

Hart, Bradley to join ranks of eliteTwo men have been selected as

the 2006 inductees into the TexasFreshwater Fishing Hall of Fame,and their background and achieve-ments make them perfect comple-ments to each other.

Albert S. “Buddy” Bradley ofDallas has devoted much of his lifeto the study of largemouth bassand how to fish for them, helpingto popularize bass fishing by giving

how-to-fish presentations acrossthe nation.

Richard M. “Dick” Hart of Dallashas spent much of the last severalyears raising funds to help preservethe tradition of fishing so ablydeveloped and promoted byBradley and others. His crowningachievement was a successful effortto secure private funding for a $2million structure to be built at the

Texas Freshwater Fisheries Centerin Athens. Included in those fundswas a $650,000 matching gift fromBass Pro Shops founder JohnnyMorris. Construction is due to startthis year.

Hart and Bradley will be induct-ed into the Texas FreshwaterFishing Hall of Fame in Athens at abanquet on June 3.— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report

It’s a good time for Texas anglers to head tothe lake in search of Mr. Whiskers.

Reports from across the state indicate cat-fishing remains good to excellent on manyTexas lakes, with channel cats leading theway. Fishermen are still awaiting the spawnin most of the state.

Near Austin, at Canyon Lake, SylvanDeJardo reports channel cats are good toexcellent in 15-25 feet of water. “Fishermenare having the best luck with Lewis KingPunch Bait or live hybrid bluegills,” he said.

On Choke Canyon, the best bet seems tobe either bluegill or goldfish also in 15-25feet.

In North Texas, Chad Ferguson, whoguides on Lake Grapevine, Lewisville Lakeand Lake Ray Roberts, reports channel catsare biting good good in 2-3 feet of water onprepared baits and stinkbaits.

“I expect the spawn to begin in the nexttwo weeks,” Ferguson said. “The fish willthen move to the rip-rap and timber.”

He also reports good results for blue cats in4-10 feet, using fresh shad under slip corks.“It’s been down a little, we’re still catching

50-60 fish per day, but not like last monthwhen we were catching over 100 per day.”

Ferguson expects fishing for flathead topick up “in another month or so.”

Omar Cotter, who guides primarily onGrapevine, Lewisville, Lake Tawakoni andRichland Chambers, agrees the catfish arebiting.

“It’s going to be great real soon,” Cottersaid. “I like to bait out holes with maize, gofish for sand bass for a few hours, and comeback with fresh cut shad and catch cats.”

He reports success with both channel catsand blues, but says the flatheads will pick upsoon. “You need live shad for the flatheads,because they won’t take anything dead,” hesaid. “To catch your shad, you’ll have to go toshallow water well before daylight.”

North of Houston at Lake Conroe, DarrellTaylor reports good results on channel catsand blues at depths of 19 1/2 to 20 1/2 feet,using his creation, Catfish Killer Cheese dip.

Taylor expects the spawn at the end ofMay. “We don’t fish too much for big fish,but we have been catching blues weighing 5-6 pounds,” he said.A Lone Star Outdoor News staff report

The catfish are jumping 0n Texas lakes

MR. WHISKERS: While anglers await the spawn, reports indicate catfish are biting well.

May 12, 2006 � Page 9

Anglers ‘flip’ for flatfishA flounder’s forte is hide-and-watch

THE ELUSIVE ONE: To catch a flounder, it’s best to get close.

By John N. Felsher

Most saltwater anglers probably catchflounders more by accident than inten-tion, but people who know how to workthe weeds might “flip” for flatfish.

Long ago, bass anglers in coastal areasdiscovered that flounders love to slurpworms, jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaitsand even topwater baits. Any lures thatresemble natural food, such as babycroakers, shad, menhaden or shrimp,might work on these surprisinglyaggressive fish.

During one trip to Sabine Lake alongthe Louisiana-Texas line, Capt. SkipJames, a guide from Orange, HowardHammonds “flipped” for flounder.With the tide high and water milky, flat-fish closely hugged the reeds. Like fish-ing thick brush for bass, he probedpockets along the shoreline to yankflounders from their reedy lairs at closerange.

Flounders don’t run; they hide.Supreme masters of camouflage, elusiveflatfish bury their mottled-brown bod-ies under soft bottom slop or grass.With only their eyes protruding abovethe muck, they watch and wait for foodto pass foolishly close. In an instant,they dart from their silty coating todevour baitfish or passing shrimp withastonishing speed for such oddly-shaped fish.

Since flounders rely heavily uponcamouflage to protect themselves frompredators and ambush prey, anglers canget close to them. Believing themselveswell hidden, they might not spook evenif a boat passes overhead. Therefore, hepositioned the boat close to the shore-line and dropped Texas-rigged wormsinto every pocket between the reeds.

Using long rods almost like canepoles, he stripped a few feet of line fromour reels and held the line in one hand.Then, he and the fishing party swungtheir rods toward likely hiding spots and

slowly released the remaining line.With this method, the Texas-rigged softplastics dropped vertically into cover.

“Flounder bite for two reasons —intrusion of domain or hunger,” Jamessaid. “Unlike specks or reds, they won’tgo chasing baits. Anglers need to getclose to the bank and put the baits righton top of the flounders. Put a bait in thebite window and it will hit.”

When not feeding aggressively, aflounder might strike something thatalmost lands on it, but it might notreveal its hiding spot to attack a morselseveral feet away. Therefore, anglersneed pinpoint accuracy to work an areathoroughly. With the hook insertedinto the plastic, the worm easily slipseasily through cover. Jig the bait up anddown a couple times before moving tothe next pocket. Usually, a fish eitherbites instantly or not at all.

Wacky worms also provoke flounderstrikes. To rig a wacky worm, run a hook

See FLOUNDER, Page 12

Pro Tim Harp, of Pottsboro, caught a two-day total of10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces to win the TexasTournament Trail event on Lake Texoma.

A field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers competed in theevent, which featured a $220,500 purse.

With rainy and windy weather making an uncomfort-able two days of fishing, the fishermen prevailed and stillcaught healthy limits of fish.

Harp caught his bass on a 3/4-ounce Nichols spinner-bait around boat docks.

Rounding out the top five pros are Spencer McAlesterof Denison (10 bass, 24 pounds, 4 ounces); ChuckLawless of Park Hill, Okla. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 3 ounces);Charles Reagan of Marquez (10 bass, 22 pounds, 3ounces); and Chad Griffin of Cresson (nine bass, 22pounds, 2 ounces).

On a tough day with thunderstorms leading up to launchtime, and windy conditions throughout the day, 149 teamsattempted to land first prize in the Central Region’s thirdevent of the season at Lake Travis.

A total of 408 fish were caught with an average weight of1.82 pounds. James Scogin and Roland Loera had a huge day,winning both the event and the big bass competition. Theirfive-fish total was 17.84 pounds, and the big bass topped thescales at 7.88 pounds.

Second place went to Kelly Mauldin and Tom Cantwellwith 14.70 pounds, and Jack Waldrop Sr. and his son MichaelWaldrop finished third with a total weight of 12.28 pounds.

The Central Tour will finish its schedule with its final regu-lar season event on June 17 at Lake Buchanan, with theCentral Tour Championship to follow on June 18, also onLake Buchanan.

Jonathon and Kris Culpepper, of Houston, caught a six-redfishtotal weighing 41 pounds, 12 ounces to win the FLW RedfishSeries Western Division event in Port Aransas .

The Culpeppers fished depth transitions on shallow flatsabout 75 miles north of Port Aransas.

Fishing 4-inch Berkley Gulp! Shrimp in pearl-white color on3/8-ounce jigheads, the winners caught approximately 40 red-fish Saturday. “We had 13 pounds within the first half hour,”Culpepper said. “We kept waiting for that big bite, but they wereall cookie-cutter 6-pounders. We kept culling them and upgrad-ing ounces at a time.”

Rounding out the top five teams were Cory Walker, Stafford,and Jason White, Austin; Danny Coppin, Belton, and GrantCoppin, Corpus Christi; Tommy Ramzinsky, Fulton, and ToddAdams, Rockport; and Jay Watkins and Jay Watkins Jr., both ofRockport.

TournamentsFLW Redfish Series Western DivisionBass Champs Tournament Trail Central RegionTexas Tournament Trail

Page 10 � May 12, 2006

is the ultimate goal.While Campbell’s unpredictable schedule

seven months out of the year may have somepeople questioning who’s really the lunkhead,Campbell isn’t one of them.

“I tell people I have the best job in theinland fisheries program,” he said. “I meet theconstituents I work for. And I’ve never metanyone who was mad after having caught a 13-pound bass. It’s very encouraging to me tomeet people who really support the program.”

Jason Baird met Campbell in February.Baird, the parks and recreation director inHerington, Kan., caught the ShareLunker pro-gram’s 400th bass, a 13.1-pounder taken fromLake Amistad.

Baird admits to being surprised atCampbell’s demeanor.

“I caught the fish around noon,” Baird said.

“He got there about 11 at night. He was happyas could be. We talked for awhile, then heturned around and drove all the way back. Icouldn’t believe it. He must really love what hedoes.”

Catnaps and Budweiser’s specially riggedtruck — which has two 50-gallon compart-ments complete with temperature probes andaerators — make the job easier, Campbell said.

“I can monitor the fish while going downthe road,” he said, “rather than stopping everyhour to check the fish. That way, I can make alittle better time.”

Technology and experience have improvedthe survival rate of the largemouth bass. Thisyear, only five of 32 lunkers perished beforereaching Athens. Most were in bad shapewhen he picked them up, Campbell said.

“I tell people they‘ve got to realize is thatthese are wild animals, and sometimes theydon’t adapt to a controlled environment,” hesaid.

Although the ShareLunker Web site detailshow to handle a trophy bass, the reality is that

conditions are sometimes not ideal. Campbellhas picked up bass in live wells, on stringersand in ice chests hooked to aerators.

One handy angler, though, stands out inCampbell’s mind.

“He was standing in knee-deep water, hold-ing the fish in his hands,” Campbell said. “Hehadn’t even weighed it. He thought it was bigenough, and it was. A lot of people see a 10-pound bass and think it’s 13 pounds. I’m notgood at estimating weight either. Some peopleare.”

Campbell’s first ShareLunker trip was justbefore Thanksgiving in 1986.

Allen Forshage, now director of the TexasFreshwater Fisheries Center, and Steve Knight,outdoors editor for the Tyler Morning Telegraph,accompanied him.

Knight remembers the bass, which weighed17.67 pounds, a state record at the time, wasbeing held in a minnow tank at Lake Fork.

“We laughed and joked the whole waythere,” Knight said. “On the way back, though,it was deathly silent. We kept looking over our

shoulder to make sure the fish wasn’t comingout of the box it was in. We realized there wassomething special in there. I also realized Iwouldn’t want the responsibility for keeping aman’s trophy bass alive.”

Forshage actually ended up monitoring thefish over Thanksgiving, as Campbell had holi-day plans. Maybe that explains his appreciationfor Campbell’s work.

“I’m glad he carries the pager,” Forshage said.“It’s kind of a way of life for him. He’s depend-able and very knowledgeable. His expertise iskeeping fish alive, I’d say. And he still has thesame fire today that he had when the programstarted.”

In case you were wondering, Campbell ismarried.

His wife, Micki, is the office manager at theAthens hatchery and long ago made peacewith the craziness of lunker season.

“It’s just part of his job,” she said. “I do cele-brate, though, on May 1.”—Mark England is associate editor of Lone StarOutdoor News.

LunkersContinued from Page 1

READY TO ROLL: David Campbell has traveled as much as 10,000 miles in two months when the call came an angler had landed a bass weighing more than 13 pounds. Photo by David J. Sams.

JON BABICH - LEWISVILLE LAKE13.63 - FIN-S-SHAD

FRANK BROWN LAKE CONROE14.22 - MINNOW

TOM SUTHERLAND - LAKE AMISTAD15.68 - NORMAN DD-22

JIM LEE - PRIVATE LAKE 13.07 - ZOOM FLUKE

HARRY DURHAM - LAKE CONROE 14.8 - CRANKBAIT

BILLY PFEIL - LAKE FORK 15.5 - 5-INCH SENKO

KURT WADE MELVILLE - MILL CREEK13.1 - YUM ZELLAMANDER

JASON BAIRD - LAKE AMISTAD 13.1- SMALLIE BEAVER

STEVEN HOOVER LAKE FORK14.14 - FLUKE

DAVID UTZ - LAKE RATCLIFF13.65 - JIG AND PIG

DAVID UTZ - LAKE RATCLIFF13.03 - JIG AND PIG

MARK SMITH - LAKE FORK 14.09

TANYA SORTER - TOLEDO BEND14.25 - RATTLIN RAPALA

MIKE TRULOVE - ALAN HENRY14.24 - TIKI-STICK

TIM TRULOVE - ALAN HENRY14.26 - RUBBER BLUEGILL

CURTIS NORROD - ALAN HENRY 13.21 -JUNEBUG JIG

RODNEY HILL - ALAN HENRY 13.22 - BLUE FLAKE WORM

TREY MCCOLLOM - SAN AUGUSTINE CITY LAKE13.13 - BEETLE SPIN

JOHNNY WORLEY - PURTIS CREEK STATE PARK13.31 - WATERDOG

SAM TRINCA - LAKE FORK14.02 - A GRANDE BASS MUTANT

EDWARD REID - LAKE CONROE14.48 - GREEN LIZARD

BILLY GREESON - ALAN HENRY15.0 - BLACK AND BLUE JIG

FRANCISCO VALLEJOS - ALAN HENRY13.05 - WATERDOG

TRAVIS DARLEY - LAKE AMISTAD13.58

GREG HOLLERS - ALAN HENRY14.78 - MINNOW

ROBERT JONES - LAKE FORK13.01 -WATERMELON SEED BRUSH HOG

A.J. SACHTLEBEN - LAKE FORK13.2 - SENKO

PATRICK STARNESCASA BLANCA - 13.06

WAYNE LINDGRENLAKE AMISTAD - 13.18

JAMIE BONNER - ALAN HENRY13.43 - MAD MAN CRAW WORM

DUSTIN GILLIAM - ALAN HENRY13.04 - HAWG HANGER

SHARELUNKER HEROES — 2006

The staff of the Lone Star Outdoor News congratulates the anglers who donated their bass to the ShareLunker program. We applaud you for your conservation efforts. JAY STEVENS — LAKE CASA BLANCA — 13. 2 — JIG (PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE)

The most popular lures atStillhouse are Carolina or Texas-rigged lizards or worms in naturalcolors. Cobb prefers a BerkleyPowerbait Beast or Zoom babybrush hog in colors such as greenpumpkin, watermelon or water-melon candy, Carolina-rigged,fished over the grass.

Thomas Wells of Belton fishesStillhouse at least once per week. Inaddition to Carolina-rigged softbaits, he uses large spinnerbaits andcrankbaits fished along the edge ofthe grass in 18 to 20 feet of water.Wells is also a fan of hydrilla. “Thegrass creates a natural edge for thefish, and gives anglers a chance tocatch the big fish.”

Some anglers try for larger num-bers of smaller fish. “I use a differ-ent approach on Stillhouse,”Salado resident Mike Lott said. “Ifish the treelines with a split-shotrig and go small because the wateris so clear. I use 10-pound Vanishline with a 5-inch Gulp! WackyWorm.”

In summer they all recommendfishing a heavy jig in the grass.“Use 1 1/2 -ounce jigs thrown rightinto the grass,” Cobb said, and usesuper heavy line. I use 65-poundbraided line to hopefully bringthem out of the grass.”

Wells prefers a 1 1/4-ounce jigwith 65-80 Power Pro line. “I’veeven had a few fish break that,” headded. Wells also uses a 7.3-footone-piece Waterloo Scrape Rod thatis “all backbone,” saying “the bigfish along with the grass wouldprobably break most telescopicrods.”

The jumbo spotted bass add evenmore to the lore of StillhouseHollow. “People are regularly

weighing in spots over 4 pounds inthe tournaments,” Cobb adds, “butnever bother to register them. Thenext state-record spot will becaught at Stillhouse.”

Why are the locals now willing toshare information about StillhouseHollow? Probably because the lakehas drawn the attention of Texasprofessional fishermen and tourna-ment officials.

In November, the FLW TexasTournament Trail is holding its2006 championship at StillhouseHollow. The top 50 professionalsand co-anglers from the TTT pointsstandings will launch fromStillhouse Hollow Lake Marina andvie for the Tour ChampionshipNov. 11-12. Locals feel what was leftof their best-kept secret will fadeaway following the attention thelake receives in November.

Craig Nyhus is publisher/editor of theLone Star Outdoor News.

May 12, 2006 � Page 11

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FISHING GUIDES

StillhouseContinued from Page 1

If You Go:Stillhouse Hollow Lake offers four

parks with secure, 4-lane boat ramps.There is a $3 launching fee, althoughan annual pass is available for allCorps of Engineers lakes in the U.S.for $30. On the north side of thelake, Stillhouse Park is located onSimmons Road off of U.S. 190 andFM 2410, and Stillhouse Hollow LakeMarina, located in the park, is open24 hours per day (254-939-5741).Dana Peak Park, on FM 2410, alsooffers campsites with hookups. Onthe south side of the lake, UnionGrove Park, on FM 2484, offerscampsites with hookups, and River’sBend Park is also located off FM2484.

For more information, visit theStillhouse Hollow Official Web site atwww.swf-wc-usace.army.mil/stillhouse,or call the Belton/Stillhouse LakeOffice at 254/939-2461.

CATCHING ATTENTION: Kevin Cobb and Mike Lott cast to the rocky shoreline at Stillhouse Hollow, where the FLW Texas Tournament Trail is holding its 2006 championship in November. Photo by David J. Sams.

Page 12 � May 12, 2006

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Lubricant

through the bulbous “egg sack” onthe “neck” of a straight worminstead of through the “head” as ina “Texas rig.” With nearly neutralbuoyancy, an unweighted wackyworm slowly sinks horizontallywhile quivering and shaking withtempting natural vibrations.

“A wacky worm is a slow, hori-zontal presentation,” James said.“It’s in the bite window for a longtime and looks similar to a sand eel.It’s a very slow presentation thatrequires considerable patience.Flounders look up and see theworm silhouette slowly sinkingtoward them for several seconds.They keep their eyes glued to thesinking worm until it triggers apredator instinct to kill.”

Throw a wacky worm as close tothe reeds as possible and let it sink.After it hits bottom, pop it back upto the surface. Move it a few feetand let it sink again. Keep yo-yoingthe worm out from the shoreline to

the drop-off.“Sometimes, people make the

mistake of sticking close to thebank for too long,” James said.“Flounders constantly look up. Atnight or early in the morning, theygo into clear, shallow water.During bright days, they don’t likelooking at the sun, so they preferwater with a little bit of murk to itto filter out the sun or they moveinto a little deeper water off theedges of the drops. Bigger floun-ders are usually in slightly deeperwater. They drop off to the secondbreak in two to four feet of water,where the sunlight is not asintense.”

When fishing wacky worms,anglers must pay attention to theirlines. Often, fish subtly suck infalling worms. An angler might noteven detect a strike, but only feel aslight tug on the line or a bit ofextra weight — or an angler mightsimply notice the line moving in anodd direction.

John N. Felsher is an outdoor writerbased in Lake Charles, La.

FlounderContinued from Page 9

Humans will still see blaze orange; deer, however, willsee gray.

“The science told us that deer see blaze orange as abright yellow,” Carlile said. “They also see ultravioletlight very well. Of course, humans don’t see it all. Thedoctors, working with a wildlife biologist, wonderedwhat would happen if you combined the two. The UVwas overlaid on the blaze orange. Looking at graphs,they could see where the two crossed. That’s called theneutral point, where the blaze orange goes from whatthe deer perceive as bright yellow to gray.”

“Long story short, they patented that color range,”said Carlile. “Some hunters believe they don’t see it atall. But that’s kind of an urban legend. Science tells usthey do see it.”

Deer alert to two colors, said Greg Hageman, one ofthe Covert Orange inventors. He’s an ophthalmologyprofessor at the University of Iowa.

“Deer and other game animals differ from humans inthat their eyes are sensitive to only two colors, blue andyellow,” he said. “They are therefore called dichromat-ic.”

Humans are trichromatic. The cells in their eyes aremost sensitive to red, green or blue light. As a result,humans and deer see the same object differently. That’swhat Covert Orange counts on.

“Because humans have three color-sensitive cells intheir eyes, as opposed to two for deer, the color combi-nation producing this ‘neutral point’ in deer is still per-ceived as a bright orange by human observers,” said Don

Anderson.Anderson, along with Lincoln Johnson, helped

Hageman develop Covert Orange. Both Anderson andJohnson work at the Neuroscience Research Institute atthe University of California-Santa Barbara.

Texas wildlife officials said their only concern is theeyesight of hunters, not deer.

“If it still maintains blaze orange qualities on thehuman side of it, it’s OK,” said Steve Hill, hunter educa-tion coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

That doesn’t mean Hill is sold on the need for suchproducts.

“I’m not aware of any studies that say that hunter suc-cess has diminished because of blaze orange,” Hill said.“As far as deer, I think movement and shine will get youbefore anything else. Color may be a factor, but it’sdown on the list, in my opinion.”

The technology behind Covert Orange was patentedin 1995. Carlile sought permission to license the tech-nology last year.

“I spent about a year developing it,” said Carlile, whoalso hunts. “It was very painstaking, trying to get theright combination onto the material and to make itlegal.”

Covert Orange meets the American NationalStandards Institute’s criteria for blaze orange, Carlilesaid, and was approved for hunters’ use by wildlife offi-cials in Colorado and Missouri.

However, Covert Orange has yet to be field-tested.“We intend to do that,” Carlile said. “We’re going to

set up some feeders with regular blaze, then our blazeand see how many deer congregate. We’re confident.The science and technology behind it is rock solid.”

Two national outdoors chains are currently evaluat-ing the product, according to Carlile.

ColorsContinued from Page 1

HUNTER OF A DIFFERENT COLOR: Three opthalmologists say when a mixture of safety orangeand ultraviolet pigment is applied to a vest and hat, a deer sees the hunter’s attire as gray.

FRAGRANT FOLIAGE: The new Trophy Leafby Wildlife Research Center is ascent dispenser that can behung up or attached todifferent surfaces. Itcomes in a variety ofscents that have beenimpregnated in theplastic “leaf.” The pine, earth and acorndispensers cost about $7 for a pack of four;the elk-fire and whitetail estrus dispensersabout $10. For dealers, visitwww.wildlife.com or call (800) 873-5873.

WATERTIGHT BAG: The Kodiak Deck Bag ismade of urethane-coated nylon andfeatures a roll-down closureto ensure contents stay dry.A translucent window allowslight to penetrate the bag,making it easier to find smallitems inside. Bungee cords andD-rings make attaching the bagto a kayak easy. The 16-ouncebag measures 4 by 12 by 13.5inches. It costs about $50. Forinformation, visitwww.seallinegear.com.

WEIGHT YOUR LURE: Bullet Weights has introduced Screw-in Weights foranglers who like to peg their weights when using a Texas rig for fishing.

On the bottom of the lead bullet-shapedsinkers is a stainless steel corkscrew devicethat threads onto a plastic bait to hold it inplace. The Screw-in Weights come in natural,black, green, red and purple. They are

available in nine sizes ranging from 1/16ounce to 1 ounce and cost about $3 per pack.

For information, visit www.bulletweights.com orcall (308) 382-7436.

BASS BAIT:

FoodSource Lures,the maker of molded fishing

lures made from real food ingredientshas expanded its line. The company’s new4-inch Minnows can be fished like a fluke or jerk bait. Its design allows it to be retrieved like aninjured baitfish. The minnow-shaped lure features a weedless hook slit. It comes in nine colors,each of which is available in five scents. The 100-percent biodegradable lures cost about $4.90per pack of nine. For information on all the company’s new products, visitwww.fslures.com or call (866) 375-8737.

FULLY LOADED SUV: The SUVSportsmen's Utility vests from

Hunter's Specialties have thefeatures hunters want. Thevests, constructed of brushedpolyester, have plenty of

pockets, a zippered gamepouch and a compartment forstoring an orange safety flag. A

bonus is the attachableGun Stock Buddy, whichholds the butt of the gunwhile the hunter is

seated, freeing up bothhands for calling. Thevest comes in twomodels: the Standardhas an attachedpadded triangle camoseat cushion and thedeluxe boasts theBunsaver DeluxeGround Seat. Theysell for about $70to $90. For dealers,visit

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STURDY TRAP: Do-All Outdoorshas introduced its AerialAssault Auto Trap for targetshooters. The fully-loaded trapboasts heavy-duty, powder-coated steel construction and apivot adapter that allows theshooter to adjust the height ofthe target. Powered by a 12-voltmarine battery, the trap will runfor up to 24 hours. It offers a 50-targetauto feeder that delivers the targets tothe throwing arm, which flings them 80to 100 yards. The 84-pound trapcomes with an instructional DVD; itsells for about $682. For dealers,visit www.do-alltraps.com orcall (800) 252-9247.

May 12, 2006 � Page 13

COMPACT SHOOTER: LeicaCamera touts its D-Lux 2 as thecompact digitalfor megapictures. The 8.4mega-pixeldigital camerafeatures 4xoptical zoomlens, anoptical imagestabilizer toensure sharppictures, threepicture formatsand 14 scenemodes. It also offersthe option of manuallysetting the aperture and theshutter speed for those days when your creative side cries out. Plus, its DigitalAdapter 2 makes the camera ready for digiscoping. It sells for about $750.

ROOMY TENT: The Promontory by Paha QueWilderness Inc. will comfortablyaccommodate up to fourcampers. It boasts a peakheight of 7 feet plus two10- by 6-foot rooms. Itsmain door plus a dooron either end offerquickaccess to bothrooms. Two 36- by36-inch windowsprovide ventilation;an awning pro-tectsagainst stormyweather.Outdoorsmen willappreciate theadjustable/removablemesh gear loftand gearhammocksunder eachwindow where they can stowtheir stuff. The tent sells for about$480. For information, visit www.pahaque.com or call (888)700-8368.

HIGH-TECHHOOCHIE: Mustadhas made itsHoochie moreattractive to fishby embedding in itan EChip thatemits an electricalimpulse thatduplicates thenerve discharge ofa wounded baitfish.The 4 3/4-inchHoochie lure comesrigged with 30-poundMustad Ultra Line and adouble hook. Availablein 20 colors, it costsabout $7. For dealers,emailwww.custserve@mustad-usa.com.

PRODUCT PICKS

Page 14 � May 12, 2006

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Every issue, we’ll bring you some of the state’s best outdoor photographyand stories. You’ll read about big game hunting, waterfowling, upland birdhunting, freshwater fishing across the state and saltwater fishing all up anddown the glorious Texas Coast. Plus, you’ll get national news… conservationupdates… weather report… wild game and fish recipes… and the latest break-ing news from state and federal wildlife agencies.

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JASON MELTON, from Jourdanton, shows off two bass he caught ontopwater, pencil poppers at Amistad.

PAUL HUDSPETH, a resident of Mico, holds a couple of bass he caughtwhile fishing at Amistad.

BETTY BOHNERT show a 9.11-pound bass she caught at LakeFalcon.

MATTHEW BERKMAN,13, from Houston, caught thislargemouth bass while fishing at the Lakes of Danbury. Thebass weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces.

LARRY SMITH of Odessa shows a reddrum he caught.

JAMES PRINCE, a Redhead pro staffer, shot this tom near Vanderbilt. The bird, with a 10 3/4-inch beard,came in hot and slapped the Pretty Boy decoy with his wing. Prince shot him at 18 yards.

May 12, 2006 � Page 15

WEATHER

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Houston Dallas San Antonio Amarillo

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FullMay 13

LastMay 20

FirstJune 3

NewMay 27

Sabine Pass5/10 3:09 a.m. 9:27 a.m. 1:01 p.m. 8:53 p.m.5/11 4:00 a.m. 10:21 a.m. 12:55 p.m. 9:16 p.m.5/12 4:46 a.m. 9:44 p.m. —- —-5/13 5:30 a.m. 10:16 p.m. —- —-5/14 6:17 a.m. 10:54 p.m. —- —-5/15 7:10 a.m. 11:37 p.m. —- —-5/16 8:10 a.m. —- —- —-5/17 9:18 a.m. 12:26 a.m. —- —-5/18 10:21 a.m. 1:21 a.m. —- —-5/19 11:00 a.m. 2:22 a.m. —- —-5/20 11:23 a.m. 3:30 a.m. 8:55 p.m. 7:08 p.m.5/21 11:38 a.m. 4:47 a.m. 11:40 p.m. 6:50 p.m.5/22 11:50 a.m. 6:13 a.m. —- 7:16 p.m.5/23 1:27 a.m. 7:42 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 7:50 p.m.5/24 2:48 a.m. 9:09 a.m. 12:08 p.m. 8:27 p.m.5/25 3:53 a.m. 10:35 a.m. 12:10 p.m. 9:05 p.m.5/26 4:50 a.m. 9:45 p.m. —- —-5/27 5:42 a.m. 10:26 p.m. —- —-5/28 6:33 a.m. 11:09 p.m. —- —-5/29 7:27 a.m. 11:53 p.m. —- —-5/30 8:25 a.m. —- —- —-Port Bolivar5/10 5:24 a.m. 10:14 a.m. 3:16 p.m. 9:40 p.m.5/11 6:15 a.m. 11:08 a.m. 3:10 p.m. 10:03 p.m.5/12 7:01 a.m. 10:31 p.m. —- —-5/13 7:45 a.m. 11:03 p.m. —- —-5/14 8:32 a.m. 11:41 p.m. —- —-5/15 9:25 a.m. —- —- —-5/16 10:25 a.m. 12:24 a.m. —- —-5/17 11:33 a.m. 1:13 a.m. —- —-5/18 12:36 p.m. 2:08 a.m. —- —-5/19 1:15 p.m. 3:09 a.m. —- —-5/20 1:38 p.m. 4:17 a.m. 11:10 p.m. 7:55 p.m.5/21 1:53 p.m. 5:34 a.m. —- 7:37 p.m.5/22 1:55 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 2:05 p.m. 8:03 p.m.5/23 3:42 a.m. 8:29 a.m. 2:15 p.m. 8:37 p.m.5/24 5:03 a.m. 9:56 a.m. 2:23 p.m. 9:14 p.m.5/25 6:08 a.m. 11:22 a.m. 2:25 p.m. 9:52 p.m.5/26 7:05 a.m. 10:32 p.m. —- —-5/27 7:57 a.m. 11:13 p.m. —- —-5/28 8:48 a.m. 11:56 p.m. —- —-5/29 9:42 a.m. —- —- —-5/30 10:40 a.m. 12:40 a.m. —- —-San Luis Pass5/10 4:18 a.m. 9:56 a.m. 2:10 p.m. 9:22 p.m.5/11 5:09 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 2:04 p.m. 9:45 p.m.5/12 5:55 a.m. 10:13 p.m. —- —-5/13 6:39 a.m. 10:45 p.m. —- —-5/14 7:26 a.m. 11:23 p.m. —- —-5/15 8:19 a.m. —- —- —-5/16 9:19 a.m. 12:06 a.m. —- —-5/17 10:27 a.m. 12:55 a.m. —- —-5/18 11:30 a.m. 1:50 a.m. —- —-5/19 12:09 p.m. 2:51 a.m. —- —-5/20 12:32 p.m. 3:59 a.m. 10:04 p.m. 7:37 p.m.5/21 12:47 p.m. 5:16 a.m. —- 7:19 p.m.5/22 12:49 a.m. 6:42 a.m. 12:59 p.m. 7:45 p.m.5/23 2:36 a.m. 8:11 a.m. 1:09 p.m. 8:19 p.m.5/24 3:57 a.m. 9:38 a.m. 1:17 p.m. 8:56 p.m.5/25 5:02 a.m. 11:04 a.m. 1:19 p.m. 9:34 p.m.5/26 5:59 a.m. 10:14 p.m. —- —-5/27 6:51 a.m. 10:55 p.m. —- —-5/28 7:42 a.m. 11:38 p.m. —- —-5/29 8:36 a.m. —- —- —-5/30 9:34 a.m. 12:22 a.m. —- —-

Freeport5/10 3:10 a.m. 8:57 a.m. 1:02 p.m. 8:23 p.m.5/11 4:01 a.m. 9:51 a.m. 12:56 p.m. 8:46 p.m.5/12 4:47 a.m. 9:14 p.m. —- —-5/13 5:31 a.m. 9:46 p.m. —- —-5/14 6:18 a.m. 10:24 p.m. —- —-5/15 7:11 a.m. 11:07 p.m. —- —-5/16 8:11 a.m. 11:56 p.m. —- —-5/17 9:19 a.m. —- —- —-5/18 10:22 a.m. 12:51 a.m. —- —-5/19 11:01 a.m. 1:52 a.m. —- —-5/20 11:24 a.m. 3:00 a.m. 8:56 p.m. 6:38 p.m.5/21 11:39 a.m. 4:17 a.m. 11:41 p.m. 6:20 p.m.5/22 11:51 a.m. 5:43 a.m. —- 6:46 p.m.5/23 1:28 a.m. 7:12 a.m. 12:01 p.m. 7:20 p.m.5/24 2:49 a.m. 8:39 a.m. 12:09 p.m. 7:57 p.m.5/25 3:54 a.m. 10:05 a.m. 12:11 p.m. 8:35 p.m.5/26 4:51 a.m. 9:15 p.m. —- —-5/27 5:43 a.m. 9:56 p.m. —- —-5/28 6:34 a.m. 10:39 p.m. —- —-5/29 7:28 a.m. 11:23 p.m. —- —-5/30 8:26 a.m. —- —- —-Pass Cavallo5/10 4:27 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 2:19 p.m. 8:11 p.m.5/11 5:18 a.m. 9:39 a.m. 2:13 p.m. 8:34 p.m.5/12 6:04 a.m. 9:02 p.m. —- —-5/13 6:48 a.m. 9:34 p.m. —- —-5/14 7:35 a.m. 10:12 p.m. —- —-5/15 8:28 a.m. 10:55 p.m. —- —-5/16 9:28 a.m. 11:44 p.m. —- —-5/17 10:36 a.m. —- —- —-5/18 11:39 a.m. 12:39 a.m. —- —-5/19 12:18 p.m. 1:40 a.m. —- —-5/20 12:41 p.m. 2:48 a.m. 10:13 p.m. 6:26 p.m.5/21 12:56 p.m. 4:05 a.m. —- 6:08 p.m.5/22 12:58 a.m. 5:31 a.m. 1:08 p.m. 6:34 p.m.5/23 2:45 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 1:18 p.m. 7:08 p.m.5/24 4:06 a.m. 8:27 a.m. 1:26 p.m. 7:45 p.m.5/25 5:11 a.m. 9:53 a.m. 1:28 p.m. 8:23 p.m.5/26 6:08 a.m. 9:03 p.m. —- —-5/27 7:00 a.m. 9:44 p.m. —- —-5/28 7:51 a.m. 10:27 p.m. —- —-5/29 8:45 a.m. 11:11 p.m. —- —-5/30 9:43 a.m. 11:57 p.m. —- —-Port O’Connor5/10 7:41 a.m. 11:12 p.m. —- —-5/11 8:57 a.m. 11:38 p.m. —- —-5/12 10:07 a.m. —- —- —-5/13 11:21 a.m. 12:09 a.m. —- —-5/14 12:40 p.m. 12:45 a.m. —- —-5/15 1:59 p.m. 1:27 a.m. —- —-5/16 3:10 p.m. 2:14 a.m. —- —-5/17 4:12 p.m. 3:05 a.m. —- —-5/18 5:05 p.m. 3:58 a.m. —- —-5/19 5:48 p.m. 4:51 a.m. —- —-5/20 6:03 p.m. 5:42 a.m. —- —-5/21 4:21 p.m. 6:29 a.m. —- —-5/22 2:06 p.m. 7:00 a.m. —- 9:50 p.m.5/23 12:17 p.m. 10:11 p.m. —- —-5/24 10:28 a.m. 10:48 p.m. —- —-5/25 10:43 a.m. 11:30 p.m. —- —-5/26 11:26 a.m. —- —- —-5/27 12:18 p.m. 12:14 a.m. —- —-5/28 1:16 p.m. 1:00 a.m. —- —-5/29 2:15 p.m. 1:48 a.m. —- —-5/30 3:11 p.m. 2:37 a.m. —- —-

Corpus Christi5/10 3:18 a.m. 8:35 a.m. 1:10 p.m. 8:01 p.m.5/11 4:09 a.m. 9:29 a.m. 1:04 p.m. 8:24 p.m.5/12 4:55 a.m. 8:52 p.m. —- —-5/13 5:39 a.m. 9:24 p.m. —- —-5/14 6:26 a.m. 10:02 p.m. —- —-5/15 7:19 a.m. 10:45 p.m. —- —-5/16 8:19 a.m. 11:34 p.m. —- —-5/17 9:27 a.m. —- —- —-5/18 10:30 a.m. 12:29 a.m. —- —-5/19 11:09 a.m. 1:30 a.m. —- —-5/20 11:32 a.m. 2:59 a.m. 8:43 p.m. 6:16 p.m.5/21 11:47 a.m. 3:55 a.m. 11:49 p.m. 5:58 p.m.5/22 11:59 a.m. 5:21 a.m. —- 6:24 p.m.5/23 1:36 a.m. 6:50 a.m. 12:09 p.m. 6:58 p.m.5/24 2:57 a.m. 8:17 a.m. 12:17 p.m. 7:35 p.m.5/25 4:02 a.m. 9:43 a.m. 12:19 p.m. 8:13 p.m.5/26 4:59 a.m. 8:53 p.m. —- —-5/27 5:51 a.m. 9:34 p.m. —- —-5/28 6:42 a.m. 10:17 p.m. —- —-5/29 7:36 a.m. 11:01 p.m. —- —-5/30 8:34 a.m. 11:47 p.m. —- —-South Padre Island5/10 3:32 a.m. 7:58 p.m. —- —-5/11 4:29 a.m. 8:22 p.m. —- —-5/12 5:21 a.m. 8:50 p.m. —- —-5/13 6:13 a.m. 9:24 p.m. —- —-5/14 7:11 a.m. 10:04 p.m. —- —-5/15 8:14 a.m. 10:50 p.m. —- —-5/16 9:21 a.m. 11:41 p.m. —- —-5/17 10:23 a.m. —- —- —-5/18 11:11 a.m. 12:37 a.m. —- —-5/19 11:39 a.m. 1:37 a.m. —- —-5/20 11:50 a.m. 2:41 a.m. —- —-5/21 11:45 a.m. 3:52 a.m. 11:21 p.m. 6:20 p.m.5/22 11:29 a.m. 5:14 a.m. —- 6:27 p.m.5/23 1:46 a.m. 6:57 a.m. 10:59 a.m. 6:55 p.m.5/24 3:24 a.m. 7:31 p.m. —- —-5/25 4:41 a.m. 8:11 p.m. —- —-5/26 5:47 a.m. 8:55 p.m. —- —-5/27 6:49 a.m. 9:41 p.m. —- —-5/28 7:52 a.m. 10:28 p.m. —- —-5/29 8:54 a.m. 11:17 p.m. —- —-5/30 9:53 a.m. —- —- —-Port Isabel5/10 4:17 a.m. 9:06 a.m. 2:09 p.m. 8:32 p.m.5/11 5:08 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 2:03 p.m. 8:55 p.m.5/12 5:54 a.m. 9:23 p.m. —- —-5/13 6:38 a.m. 9:55 p.m. —- —-5/14 7:25 a.m. 10:33 p.m. —- —-5/15 8:18 a.m. 11:16 p.m. —- —-5/16 9:18 a.m. —- —- —-5/17 10:26 a.m. 12:05 a.m. —- —-5/18 11:29 a.m. 1:00 a.m. —- —-5/19 12:08 p.m. 2:01 a.m. —- —-5/20 12:31 p.m. 3:09 a.m. 10:03 p.m. 6:47 p.m.5/21 12:46 p.m. 4:26 a.m. —- 6:29 p.m.5/22 12:48 a.m. 5:52 a.m. 12:58 p.m. 6:55 p.m.5/23 2:35 a.m. 7:21 a.m. 1:08 p.m. 7:29 p.m.5/24 3:56 a.m. 8:48 a.m. 1:16 p.m. 8:06 p.m.5/25 5:01 a.m. 10:14 a.m. 1:18 p.m. 8:44 p.m.5/26 5:58 a.m. 9:24 p.m. —- —-5/27 6:50 a.m. 10:05 p.m. —- —-5/28 7:41 a.m. 10:48 p.m. —- —-5/29 8:35 a.m. 11:32 p.m. —- —-5/30 9:33 a.m. —- —- —-

5/10 6:32a/8:04p 6:33a/8:16p 6:45a/8:16p 6:47a/8:40p5/11 6:31a/8:05p 6:32a/8:17p 6:44a/8:17p 6:46a/8:41p5/12 6:30a/8:06p 6:31a/8:18p 6:43a/8:17p 6:45a/8:41p5/13 6:29a/8:06p 6:31a/8:19p 6:43a/8:18p 6:44a/8:42p5/14 6:29a/8:07p 6:30a/8:19p 6:42a/8:19p 6:44a/8:43p5/15 6:28a/8:08p 6:29a/8:20p 6:42a/8:19p 6:43a/8:44p5/16 6:28a/8:08p 6:28a/8:21p 6:41a/8:20p 6:42a/8:45p5/17 6:27a/8:09p 6:28a/8:22p 6:40a/8:20p 6:41a/8:45p5/18 6:26a/8:09p 6:27a/8:22p 6:40a/8:21p 6:41a/8:46p5/19 6:26a/8:10p 6:27a/8:23p 6:39a/8:22p 6:40a/8:47p5/20 6:25a/8:11p 6:26a/8:24p 6:39a/8:22p 6:39a/8:48p5/21 6:25a/8:11p 6:25a/8:24p 6:38a/8:23p 6:39a/8:48p5/22 6:24a/8:12p 6:25a/8:25p 6:38a/8:24p 6:38a/8:49p5/23 6:24a/8:13p 6:24a/8:26p 6:37a/8:24p 6:38a/8:50p5/24 6:23a/8:13p 6:24a/8:26p 6:37a/8:25p 6:37a/8:51p5/25 6:23a/8:14p 6:23a/8:27p 6:37a/8:25p 6:36a/8:51p5/26 6:23a/8:14p 6:23a/8:28p 6:36a/8:26p 6:36a/8:52p5/27 6:22a/8:15p 6:22a/8:28p 6:36a/8:26p 6:35a/8:53p5/28 6:22a/8:16p 6:22a/8:29p 6:35a/8:27p 6:35a/8:53p5/29 6:22a/8:16p 6:22a/8:30p 6:35a/8:28p 6:35a/8:54p5/30 6:21a/8:17p 6:21a/8:30p 6:35a/8:28p 6:34a/8:55p

5/10 5:56p/4:50a 6:06p/4:55a 6:08p/5:03a 6:28p/5:12a5/11 6:53p/5:18a 7:05p/5:21a 7:06p/5:32a 7:29p/5:37a5/12 7:54p/5:50a 8:08p/5:51a 8:06p/6:04a 8:33p/6:06a5/13 8:58p/6:27a 9:13p/6:26a 9:09p/6:41a 9:40p/6:39a5/14 10:02p/7:10a 10:18p/7:08a 10:14p/7:24a 10:46p/7:20a5/15 11:04p/8:02a 11:21p/7:59a 11:15p/8:16a 11:48p/8:10a5/16 none/9:01a none/8:58a none/9:15a none/9:09a5/17 12:01a/10:06a 12:17a/10:04a 12:12a/10:20a 12:44a/10:16a5/18 12:51a/11:14a 1:06a/11:14a 1:02a/11:28a 1:32a/11:27a5/19 1:34a/12:22p 1:47a/12:24p 1:46a/12:36p 2:11a/12:38p5/20 2:11a/1:29p 2:22a/1:32p 2:23a/1:43p 2:45a/1:49p5/21 2:45a/2:34p 2:54a/2:40p 2:57a/2:48p 3:15a/2:58p5/22 3:16a/3:39p 3:24a/3:47p 3:29a/3:52p 3:43a/4:07p5/23 3:48a/4:44p 3:53a/4:54p 4:01a/4:57p 4:11a/5:16p5/24 4:20a/5:51p 4:24a/6:03p 4:34a/6:03p 4:40a/6:26p5/25 4:56a/6:59p 4:58a/7:13p 5:10a/7:11p 5:12a/7:38p5/26 5:37a/8:08p 5:36a/8:23p 5:51a/8:19p 5:49a/8:50p5/27 6:23a/9:14p 6:21a/9:30p 6:37a/9:26p 6:33a/9:58p5/28 7:16a/10:15p 7:13a/10:31p 7:30a/10:26p 7:25a/10:59p5/29 1:34a/12:22p 1:47a/12:24p 1:46a/12:36p 2:11a/12:38p5/30 9:14a/11:54p 9:13a/none 9:29a/none 9:24a/none

5/10 9:55a/3:45a 7:05p/12:52p 10:01a/3:51a 7:11p/12:58p5/11 10:16p/4:06p 7:28a/1:16a 10:22p/4:12p 7:34a/1:22a5/12 10:34a/4:23a 7:52p/1:40p 10:40a/4:29a 7:58p/1:46p5/13 10:56p/4:45p 8:12a/2:00a 11:02p/4:51p 8:18a/2:06a5/14 11:17a/5:05a 8:36p/2:24p 11:23a/5:11a 8:42p/2:30p5/15 11:41p/5:29p 8:55a/2:42a 11:47p/5:35p 9:01a/2:48a5/16 12:06p/5:53a 9:19p/3:07p 12:12p/5:59a 9:25p/3:13p5/17 ——/6:19p 9:38a/3:25a ——/6:25p 9:44a/3:31a5/18 12:33a/6:47a 10:03p/3:50p 12:39a/6:53a 10:09p/3:56p5/19 1:01p/7:15p 10:24a/4:11a 1:07p/7:21p —-/4:17a5/20 1:33a/7:47a 10:51p/4:37p 1:39a/7:53a 1:33a/4:43p5/21 2:02p/8:16p 11:15a/5:01a 2:08p/8:22p 2:02p/5:07a5/22 2:36a/8:51a 11:43p/5:29p 2:42a/8:57a 2:36a/5:35p5/23 3:06p/9:20p 12:12p/5:57a 3:12p/9:26p 3:06p/6:03a5/24 3:41a/9:56a ——/6:26p 3:47a/10:02a 3:41a/6:32p5/25 4:10p/10:25p 12:42a/6:57a 4:16p/10:31p 4:10p/7:03a5/26 4:45a/10:59a 1:11p/7:26p 4:51a/11:05a 4:45a/7:32p5/27 5:13p/11:27p 1:44a/7:58a 5:19p/11:33p 5:13p/8:04a5/28 5:45a/11:58a 2:12p/8:26p 5:51a/12:04p 5:45a/8:32p5/29 6:12p/—— 2:46a/8:59a 6:18p/—— 6:12p/9:05a5/30 6:39a/12:28a 3:12p/9:26p 6:45a/12:34a 6:39a/9:32p

MOON PHASES

Houston Dallas San Antonio Amarillo

Houston Dallas San Antonio AmarilloMoonrise/set

For up-to-the-minute weather forecasts, please visit www.accuweather.com

TEXAS TIDBITSWILD IN THE KITCHEN

ACROSS1. A trout coloration5. A catch of the icefishermen9. Bowhunter’s quarry in Florida

10. The fur seeker’s gear11. Term applies to icefishing13. Term for a trophy size game fish14. A quick-to-erect tent15. A wingshooter’s quarry16. Act of dropping antlers18. Another name for a largemouth20. A grouping of pheasants22. An animal hideaway23. Term for the wild boar24. To swim off with the bait25. A wild hog27. A gobbler’s collection of hens28. Term for a hookless lure30. Common name for the brook trout34. A good wood used for arrow shafts36. A Northern saltwater flat fish37. Muley appendage that is large38. A good bluegill bait39. The main fin on a fish

DOWN1. A pool of fish in one spot2. A field habitat the quail favors3. An animal’s resting place4. A shedded antler6. Anything that attracts game,

fish, fowl7. Small rodent classed as a predator8. A lake bird

10. These reveal age of some animals11. The trapper’s interest

12. A breed of retriever16. The Irish is a good bird dog17. An in-hole fireplace18. A boat propeller19. The fish, game. fowl law man21. The _____ Walton League22. A finder important to the angler26. Used to keep snow, stones

out of shoes29. Term for the hunting area30. A female elk31. Bait placed in water to lure fish32. Used on a fishline33. An exciting outdoor adventure35. A bear’s young

For crossword puzzle solution, see Page 17

OUTDOOR PUZZLERTurkey BurgerWant to create a

burger that is lowerin cholesterol andfat, especially whenprepared over theopen flame of acharcoal grill? Trythis turkey burgerrecipe served piledhigh with tomato,red onion and pick-les on a Kaiser bundressed with home-made honey mus-tard and a side offries at your nextcookout.

• 3⁄4 cup heavycream

• 4 eggs• 1⁄2 bunch parsley, chopped• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh thyme• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh chives• 2 pounds mushrooms, de-

stemmed, sliced• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic• 1 small onion, diced• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil• 5 pounds ground turkey• Salt to taste• Pepper to taste• 1 1⁄4 cups fine breadcrumbs

Mix cream, eggs, parsley,

thyme and chives. Cover andrefrigerate. Sauté mushroom,garlic and onion in oil until ten-der; add to cream mixture.

Transfer to mixer; add turkey,salt and pepper, and mix well.Slowly add breadcrumbs; don'tover-mix. Divide into 7-ouncepatties. Grill or pan fry untildesired degree of doneness.

Yield: 15 servings

Recipe courtesy of National WildTurkey Federation. For more wildturkey recipes visit www.nwtf.org.

Outdoor Puzzler, Wilbur "Wib" Lundeen

HUMAN SKULL FOUND •Presidio County Game WardenTony Todd and Jeff Davis CountyGame Warden Jim Porter assistedTexas Rangers in the search for andrecovery of human remains after ahuman skull was found in a remotelocation of the Sierra ViejaMountains in Presidio County inlate April. The search resulted in thefinding of numerous human bonesand pieces of clothing. Skull andbones have been submitted forexamination and possible identityof the remains.

JUST A LITTLE BIT ILLEGAL•Bosque County Warden MikeSibila and Hill County WardenMark Hammonds checked twomen and a woman wading andcatching a lot of white bass at LakeAquilla. Upon contact, the war-dens noticed several undersize fishscattered on the shore near thefishermen. The fishermenexplained that those fish had beenhooked too deep to live, so theywere just throwing them ashore.The wardens located several othersmall fish that had made their wayinto their bucket and ice chest.Undersize and fishing license casespending.

CATFISH CHEATER CAUGHT•Tarrant County Game WardenChelle Mount was called toChisolm Park in Hurst on a reportof fishermen keeping more thantheir limit of newly stocked catfish.After arriving at the park, Mountchecked all the people fishing.While completing the routinecheck, several people told her onefisherman was catching his limit of

five catfish and then taking themto his vehicle. Mount left andreturned shortly to a new area ofthe parking lot to watch the sus-pected catfish thief. While Mountwas watching, the suspect caughtfive more catfish, placed them in acooler, and carried them to hisvehicle. Mount approached him ashe neared the vehicle to check thecatch. She asked to look at the fishthat he had in the truck. Heremoved the extra fish from hisvehicle. He had 15 more fish in thecooler in the truck. Charges werefiled for possession of over the limitof channel catfish.

GUNMAN CAPTURED•Grayson County Game WardenDale Moses assisted local GraysonCounty law enforcement in thecapture of a convicted felon want-ed for parole violation. The suspecthad led local authorities on a high-speed chase at speeds in excess of90 mph. The man stole a vehicleand was confronted by the vehi-cle’s owner. The suspect thenpulled a gun and fled. Passengers inthe getaway car, arrested after thevehicle blew a tire and lost a wheel,said the suspect had been tellingpeople he would not go back to

prison and wanted to kill a cop.The man was captured after a four-hour manhunt without incident. Aloaded 9mm Glock pistol was alsoconfiscated. The suspect is inGrayson County Jail on numerouscharges.

NO VENISON TONIGHT•Shelby County Game WardenMike Hanson received a call about adeer lying under a shed at a resi-dence in Center. Upon arrival,Hanson met the local animal con-trol officer who had the deer in histruck. It appeared that the deer hadbeen tied up, and a rope around itsneck likely contributed to its death.Although a language barrier exist-ed, Hanson talked to the shedowner. The owner said the deer wastied up so it would not escape (onefront leg was tied to the ropearound the neck). The owner saidthey were going to eat the deer.Case pending.

THE YOUNG AND THE FOOLISH•Briscoe County Game WardenClint Hunt, Lake Mackenzie LakePatrol Emmett Tomlin, and a DPStrooper charged a fraternity groupof 17 minors with drinking alco-hol. The minors had about 400

combined cans and bottles of beer,several bottles of wine, whiskeyand vodka. Two of the fraternitymembers were wanted, one for anoutstanding DWI and the other forpossession of marijuana. These twosuspects were arrested. Cases pend-ing.

MASON MAN CONFESSES•Easter Sunday saw the culmina-tion of four months of work andinvestigations with the confessionof one suspect to hunting deer atnight and without landowner con-sent. Game Wardens Buster Nixonand Jerry Gordon finally got to theend of the investigation and wereable to obtain a written confessionand seize two sets of antlers from alocal Mason man. Charges arepending.

WAIT ’TIL MOM AND DAD FIND OUT•Hunt County Game Warden DaleWaters responded to a call ofyoung children in a small boatwithout life jackets. While stand-ing at the bank, Waters noticed alocal fisherman had gone to helpthe children, but his boat died andwould not start. Another fisher-man approached Waters and saidthe children had stolen the boat

from a nearby pier. Once the fish-erman had gotten his boat started,he tied up the boat with the chil-dren in it and loaded the childreninto his boat; he took them toshore. Waters went to the locationof the children, but found that assoon as they had gotten out of theboat they took off running. Onechild was hiding in a storage roomabout half a mile away and gavethe names of the other two chil-dren involved. The child wasturned over the local sheriff’sdepartment.

KIDS LEARN LESSON•Hays County Warden JamesMichael received a call from theHays County Sheriff’s Office aboutpeople trespassing to hunt in theLas Lomas subdivision. With helpfrom the sheriff’s office, theyapprehended two youths who hadhunted a white-tailed doe with abow and arrow. One of the youthswas a minor, but the shooter was18. The landowners did not wantto press felony charges on the localyouths but wanted them to becharged with something, so thewarden charged them with tres-passing and added the charge ofhunting in closed season againstthe shooter. Cases pending.

OPEN AND SHUT CASE•Game Wardens Jason Bussey, BenFriebele, Raul “Pinky” Gonzales,Danny Kelso, Scott McLeod, andBrandi Reeder conducted a crabtrap operation on San AntonioBay. Twenty-six cases were filedagainst three commercial crab fish-ermen for using traps that had theescape vents completely shut.

Page 16 � May 12, 2006

GAME WARDEN BLOTTERJUST COULDN’T LET IT GO

•Hill County Game Warden Mark Hammondsand Bosque County Warden Preston Spiller madecontact with a couple operating a boat at LakeAquilla. The wardens saw the couple fishing.Upon contact, the woman denied fishing.Hammonds made her aware that the fishing pole

lying next to her in the boat was getting a bite.She quickly grabbed it and set the hook. Shemissed the fish but admitted to fishing. The war-dens found 14 of 29 crappie boated were under-sized, and several items of safety equipment weremissing from the boat. Cases pending.

MADE IN TEXAS

By Mary Helen Aguirre

Todd and Nancy Steele are theowners of Katy-based Todd SteelePhotoArt, which specializes in cus-tom works of art converted fromtreasured photos.

The business serves as a showcasefor Todd Steele’s skills as a photogra-pher, his artistry with a computerand his love for hunting and fishing.It also taps into Nancy Steele’s easewith the business of logistics, market-ing and customer service.

The busy Steeles — they are theparents of Hunter, 7, and Forrest, 5;plus, he works in the oil industry andshe is a caterer — credit an illness forthe birth of their new business.

“Todd is pretty much known forhaving a camera and taking lots ofpictures,” says Nancy Steele of herhusband, whose interest in photogra-phy started as a youngster inPennsylvania.

When Todd Steele, who also is anunderwater photographer, sufferedan illness about three years ago, heused his recovery time to experimentwith his brand new digital cameraand the different effects that could beachieved with the format.

When hunting season rolledaround, he was unable to shoot hisheavy shotgun so he picked up hisdigital camera instead. And, he start-ed producing enhanced photos formembers of the ThunderbirdHunting Club.

The Steeles quickly recognized abusiness opportunity and last sum-mer launched their new company atthe Rockport Art Festival.

Although they also offer limitededition nature photo artwork, it is thecustom pieces that are the most pop-ular.

To create them, artist Todd Steele

starts with a photograph and con-verts it into a digital format. Then, heuses a variety of programs to manipu-late the image — perhaps sharpeningthe photo or enhancing the lightingor stripping the color. Depending on

what the customer has ordered, hemight make the photo look like awatercolor painting, a hand-tintedblack-and-white photo or an ink-brushed portrait. On the company’sWeb site (www.toddsteelephotoart.

com) are examples of eight differenteffects that can achieved.

“The computer mouse is my paint-brush,” says Todd Steele.

A custom conversion of up to 16 by20 inches costs $300. For an addition-

al fee, customers can also schedule anurban photo shoot (a 2- to 4-hour ses-sion) or a safari photo shoot (a one-day session). But, usually, Steele worksfrom a print, negative or digitalimage the customer has taken of atreasured moment.

Steele has worked with sportsimages, family portraits, pictures ofpets and more. But, his favorites arehunting and fishing photos because itis something he can relate to, he says.

“There are only a few peoplearound who are doing this. But, I’mprobably one of a handful who spe-cializes in the outdoor theme,” saysTodd Steele.

The couple also has an archivedlibrary of about 10,000 nature imagesthat can be integrated into the cus-tom pieces. For example, Steelemight use an image of birds in flightand place them above a waterfowlhunter.

The Steeles’ “photoart” caught theeye of Mike Falick during the HoustonFishing Show in March. He ordered acustom conversion of a photographhe had taken of his son, Stephen, dur-ing a fishing trip to the Bahamas.

The resulting piece, says Falick ofHouston, looks like a watercolorpainting of the 8-year-old holdingtwo 39-inch barracudas.

“I’m happy enough that we’regoing to do one of my daughter,Avery, for her birthday,” says Falick,who plans to use a photo of the 11-year-old competitive rider astride herhorse.

The Steeles plan to be at the TexasTrophy Hunters Extravaganza beingheld Aug. 4-6 in Houston. For moreinformation about their business,call (281) 398-7100.Mary Helen Aguirre is a native Texanwith almost 15 years of experienceediting and writing for newspapers.

‘PhotoArt’ a unique focus on the outdoors

Todd and Nancy Steele are making an art of Todd’s photo-enhancing skills. He specializes in outdoor themes.

May 17-20: FLW’s Stren Series visitsSam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper. Theevent will be held at the UmphreyFamily Pavilion, with registration May16 at 4-7 p.m. at Jasper MiddleSchool Gym, (409) 384-3585. Formore information, visitwww.flwoutdoors.com.

May 18: Huntsville State Park’s 50thAnniversary Celebration will includefishing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing,beginner bird watching, nature hikes,alligator programs, bicycling and muchmore. Texas Parks and Wildlife staff,City of Huntsville Parks & RecreationDepartment Staff, Walker CountyChamber of Commerce staff andvolunteers from the local communitywill be providing this day of family funfrom 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. Day use entry feewill be waived. Call (936) 295-5644for more information.

May 18-20: Women’s Bassmaster Tourat Lake Lewisville. Event will be heldfrom Park Ramp. Registration will be

held at Sneaky Pete’s 2 Eagle PointDrive, Lewisville. Call (972) 434-2500or visit www.sneakypetesonline.co formore information. Final weigh-in onMay 20 at Will Rogers Coliseum inFort Worth at 3:30 p.m.

May 18: DU Addison Metrocrestdinner at the Addison ConventionCenter. The event will feature a steakdinner from Outback Steak House,plus live and silent auctions. Ticketsare $65 for singles, $85 per couple,or a table for 10 for $500. All ticketsinclude a year membership to DucksUnlimited. Contact Rob Gokey at(972) 234-3933 or (972) 994-0783evenings.

May 18-21: Bassmaster MemorialMajors tournament at Eagle MountainLake, Fort Worth. Launch Thursdayand Friday at 7:30 a.m. at West BayMarina & RV Park at Eagle MountainLake. Launch Saturday and Sunday at7:30 a.m. at Lake Worth Boating &Ski Club at Lake Worth. Weigh-in will

be held 3:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday atWill Rogers Coliseum. The Majors Expowill be held 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Saturday& Sunday at the Amon G. Carter, Jr.Exhibits Hall. A “Fan Experience” isscheduled from 4-6 p.m. at Billy Bob’sin Fort Worth.

May 19: National Wild TurkeyFederation Blackland Prairie Chapterbanquet at old Greenville Post Officein Greenville. Contact James Handleyat (903) 862-3332 for moreinformation.

May 19-20: Fishin’ For Freedom IIbass and catfish tournament. BeltonLake Outdoor Recreation Area. Boatowners will be paired with soldiers.$50 registration fee, free to soldiers.Concerts, carnival rides andconcessions. Donation tickets are $5.Registration and concert tickets can bepurchased at Texas Boat World inHarker Heights, (254) 699-9151.

May 20: 6th Annual Swinging intoSummer Youth Fishing Derby. BramblePark, Texarkana, Ark. Registration at 9a.m. Call Tendra Jones at (870) 779-4918.

May 20: NWTF River City Chapterbanquet at Knights of Columbus Hallin New Braunfels. Contact MichaelSchraeder at (830) 214-6550 for more

information.

May 21: Greater Houston GreenwingDay at Dewberry Farms-Brookshire. Thefree family event will feature a fishingtournament, Department of PublicSafety helicopter, bird bandingdemonstration, archery and air rifledemonstrations, retrieverdemonstration, wood duck nest boxbuilding, fingerprinting, gun safetyinformation, clay target shooting, rockclimbing wall, duck calling demo andwaterfowl identification, raffles anddoor prizes, and much more. If youplan to compete in the parent andchild 5-Stand Sporting Clay TargetShoot, please bring your favorite gunand ammunition. The fee forcompeting is $25 for adults andgreenwing or $20 for individuals. Hotdogs will be available for a small feeand the event will start at 1 p.m.Organizers are asking that each childattending bring a canned good todonate to needy families. For moreinformation, please contact SherrieEmory at (713) 501-5584 orsemory@oceaneering.com.

May 23: DU Corpus Christi Sponsordinner at the Corpus Christi YachtClub. Contact John Warren at (351)883-8567.

May 25: Boater’s World in Dallas will

hold a free seminar on GPS operationfrom 6-7 p.m. For more information,contact Mike Wray at (214) 704-2920.

June 3: Rocky Mountain ElkFoundation Houston Chapter Big Gamebanquet at Marriott West Chase. Fortickets, contact Kirk Waldron, (281)219-4600.

June 3: Texas Freshwater FisheriesCenter National Fishing Day. Celebratewith a fun filled day of fishing,contests, games and prizes. Free hotdogs and drinks. Children 12 andunder admitted free. Event will beheld 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Call (903) 676-BASS for more information.

June 3: Coastal ConservationAssociation/Central Power and LightMarine Development Center SFH willhost a National Fishing Day Kidfish.Bring the family and take a tour of thevisitor center, hatchery brood rooms,incubation room and fingerling grow-out ponds. Children 17 and under canparticipate in catch-and-release fishingin ponds. A limited number of fishingpoles available, but bring your ownbait. Fishing will be from 8 a.m.-noon,tours at 10 a.m. and noon;reservations required, (361) 939-7784. Call (361) 939-7784 for moreinformation.

South Texas — Brooks, Duval, JimHogg County Ranches. Call: DavidA. Lohse Real Estate, Inc. (956)761-6699.

For Sale — 960 Ac., Fisher Co.,mule/WT deer, blue/bob quail,hogs, nice home, barn, pens, bor-dering the Double Mountain Fork ofthe Brazos River, income-produc-ing ranch. $785.00 Ac. www. fick-esdorety.com, (817) 925-0483.

For Sale — Kansas hunting tracts.Brown Realty Co. 318-728-9544.www.brownrealtyco.comSouth Padre Island Waterfront prop-erties on the Laguna Madre and Gulfof Mexico. Call: David A. Lohse RealEstate, Inc. (956) 761-6699.

Port O’Connor bayfront rental — 4/3,sleeps 8. Great views. Fish out front.$300 per night weekly. Availablenow.www.kanepochome.com or (361) 655-7695.

OUTFITTERS

May 12, 2006 � Page 17

$10 A MONTH FOR 3LINES!

37 characters per line includingspaces. Each additional line is $6.You can add a photo for an extra

$20. Classified ads must be prepaidby check or credit card.

Call (866) 361-2276 or e-mail:

classifieds@lonestaroutdoornews.com

OUTDOOR DATEBOOK

OUTFITTERS, HUNTING GUIDES AND FISHING GUIDES: Want to profile your business? It’s easy to advertise on this page — just send us your business card, and let us know how many weeks you want your ad to run. Purchase 12issues of advertising and your business will be profiled with a photo in this section. Lone Star Outdoor News Hunting and Fishing Guide Business Card Listings: $20 each issue. Please include either a check or credit card billing informa-tion with your order. Mail to: Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243.

HAVE AN EVENT TO PUBLICIZE?E-mail it to

editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com

Offshore and Bay fishing30' Stamas21' Shallowsport

South TexasDeer and TurkeyHunting10,000 Acres

Duck, Goose andDove Hunting

40,000 Acres

Capt. Scott Hickman3218 Coral Ridge Ct.

League City, TX 77573(281) 535-1930

Fax: (281) 535-1935www.circleh.org

CLASSIFIEDS

PROPERTIES FISHING

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

SOLUTIONFROM

PAGE 15

Fish Texas956-642-7357956-642-7357

terry_r_neal@msn.com

2004 Larson 190 LXIRunabout, Merc IO alpha 1motor w/Clarion stereo Syriussatellite $22,500 (713)202-1476, (713) 384-3268.

2004 Larson 210 LXIRunabout, Merc IO alpha 1motor $25,400 (713) 202-1476, (713) 384-3268.

2004 Boston Whaler 180Ventura, 150HP MercOptimax, $33,900.(713) 202-1476, (713)384-3268.

2004 Boston Whaler 255Conquest, twin Merc 150Optimax, windlass, $72,900.(713) 202-1476, (713)384-3268.

2006 Boston Whaler 270OR, twin Merc 225HPVerado 4-stroke, triple axlew/disc brakes, loaded,$104,995. (713) 202-1476,

Private 16-acre lake — Awesomefishing, Florida cross largemouthbass, redear, catfish, B&B and boatfor rent, call (512) 237-4792.Great fly-fishing.Classifieds sell!

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Call 214-361-2276 or FAX 214-368-0344

��E

FISHING REPORTPage 18 � May 12, 2006

CENTRAL

BASTROP: Water murky. Black bass are fair onchrome/blue and chrome/black spinnerbaits andcrankbaits. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfishare good on cutbait, shrimp, and stinkbait. Yellow cat-fish are slow.

BELTON: Water murky; 72 degrees; 1.68’ low. Blackbass are good on green and blue soft plastics andcrankbaits. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Whitebass are good on minnows and slabs. Crappie are goodon minnows and jigs. Channel and blue catfish are goodon stinkbait and frozen shad. Yellow catfish are slow.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 71 degrees; 1.90’ low.Black bass to 6 pounds are excellent on watermelon/redGrande Bass Baits 4” Cannibals, Texas Perchcrankbaits, and Red Bug 4” Squirm Worms. Hybridstriper to 3 pounds are fair on crankbaits under lights atnight. White bass to 2 pounds are excellent on slabsand spoons. Crappie to 1.5 pounds are excellent on Li’lFishies and minnows in 5 – 10 feet. Channel and yel-low catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

BUCHANAN: Water murky to clear; 68 degrees; 9.20’low. Black bass to 5.5 pounds are good on whiteTerminator “double buzz” buzzbaits, JDC Skip-N-Poptopwaters, and smoke Super Tubes on jigheads earlyand all day under cloud cover in 5 - 15 feet. Stripedbass are fair drifting live bait, 3” Spoiler Shads, andRed Fins in surface activity over humps in 30 feet.White bass are slow to fair vertically jigging Tiny Trapsand ?oz. silver Pirk minnows along main lake points.Crappie are fair over brushpiles in 8 - 15 feet. Channelcatfish are good. Yellow and blue catfish are good.

CANYON LAKE: Water murky to clear: 69 degrees;2.87’ low. Black bass are good on pumpkin JDC Skip-N-Pop topwaters, smoke 5” Scoundrel Worms and whitecrankbaits along main lake and secondary points at firstlight in 5 - 20 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bassare fair at the fishing pier at night. Smallmouth bassare good on smoke/red Super Tubes, 4” root beer JDCcurl tail grubs, and Smokin’ Green Devil’s Tongues ondrop shots in 8 - 20 feet. Crappie are good on live min-nows at the fishing pier. Channel catfish are fair to goodon trotlines. Yellow and blue catfish are fair on juglines.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 70 degrees; 2.15’ low. Blackbass are good on Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits. Hybridstriper are fair trolling striper jigs. Crappie are slow.Channel and blue catfish are good on nightcrawlers,and on trotlines baited with liver. Yellow catfish aregood on trotlines baited with live perch.

COLORADO RIVER: (At Colorado Bend State Park)Water murky. Black bass are slow. Striped bass areslow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish arefair on trotlines and juglines baited with perch.

DUNLAP/MCQUEENY: Water stained; 76 degrees. Blackbass are good on 10” Texas rigged Berkley PowerWorms and 1?oz. firetiger Revenge spinnerbaits in theriver channel on points and bends. White bass are slow.Crappie are good on small live minnows and char-treuse/white crappie jigs near the ski jump, and upriverunder trees. Channel catfish are excellent on shad,chicken livers, shrimp, and nightcrawlers in swift waterupriver near the powerhouse, and near the ski lodge.Blue catfish are fair on shad, shrimp, and nightcrawlersin swift water upriver near the powerhouse, and nearthe ski lodge. Yellow catfish are slow.

FAYETTE: Water stained; 81 degrees. Black bass aregood on shad patterned crankbaits and Carolina rigsnear banks in 2 – 5 feet. Channel and blue catfish aregood on shrimp, stinkbait, and cut shad on humps andalong outside edges of grass in 5 – 6 feet.

GRANBURY: Water murky; 0.43’ low. Black bass areslow. Striped bass are fair on silver striper jigs. Whitebass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish aregood on stinkbait, shrimp, and live bait.

GRANGER: Water clear; 74 degrees; 1.97’ high. Blackbass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on1/32oz. jigs in 1 - 15 feet. Blue catfish are very goodalong newly flooded shorelines in 2 - 3 feet. Yellow cat-fish to 75 pounds are very good on trotlines baited withlive perch.

LBJ: Water murky to clear, 68 degrees; 0.30’ low.Black bass are good on Rat-L-Traps along 5 - 8 footbreak lines and over coon-tail early and late, blue flakeWhacky Sticks, and green pumpkin Snap Back Tubesin brushpiles. Striped bass are fair on 2” SpoilerShads and free lining live bait at night. White bass aregood on 1.5” Li’l Fishies at night. Crappie are good onwhite crappie jigs and live minnows. Channel catfishare good. Yellow and blue catfish are good.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water fairly clear; 4.34’ low. Blackbass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappieare good on minnows and jigs. Channel and blue cat-fish are slow. Yellow catfish to 65 pounds are fair ontrotlines baited with live bait.

PROCTOR: Water murky; 72 degrees; 2.31’ low. Blackbass are very good on chartreuse, yellow, white, andpink spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics, and Rat-L-Traps. Striped bass are good on striper jigs, slabs,spoons, and live bait. White bass are good on min-nows, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rat-L-Traps.Crappie are good on minnows and tube jigs. Channeland blue catfish are very good on frozen shrimp, shad,liver, nightcrawlers, and minnows. Yellow catfish arefair on live bait.

SOMERVILLE: Water clear; 1.98’ low. Black bass areslow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are good onRat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits. Crappie are good onminnows. Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimpand nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.

STILLHOUSE: Water clear; 81 degrees; 2.50’ high.Black bass are good on minnows, and on watermelonand tequila sunrise soft plastics. White bass are goodon minnows at night. Smallmouth bass are slow.Crappie are good on minnows at night. Channel andblue catfish are good on nightcrawlers, liver, shrimp,stinkbait, and cutbait. Yellow catfish are slow.

TRAVIS: Water murky; 74 degrees; 15.50’ low. Blackbass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass areslow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are fair

on stinkbait, liver, and live bait. Yellow catfish are slow.

WALTER E. LONG: Water clear. Black bass are fair onminnows, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Hybrid striperare good on Rat-L-Traps, silver spoons, and live min-nows. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on min-nows. Channel and blue catfish are good on punchbait,frozen shad, and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are goodon juglines baited with live perch.

WHITNEY: Water murky; 3.01’ low. Black bass are goodon chartreuse and pumpkinseed spinnerbaits andcrankbaits, and on red/white soft plastics. Striped bassare fair on silver striper jigs. White bass are fair on min-nows and chrome slabs and spoons. Crappie are fair onminnows. Catfish are slow.

NORTHEAST

ATHENS: Water clear, 68-74 degrees; 1.25’ low. Blackbass are fair to good on white/chartreuse tail trickworms, spinnerbaits and Carolina rigged green lizards.Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse RoadRunners. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 69-74 degrees; 4.9’ low.Black bass are good on Senkos, spinnerbaits andblack/blue lizards in 2 – 6. Crappie are fair on minnowsand blue tube jigs. Catfish are fair on stinkbait andnightcrawlers.

CADDO: Water fairly clear; 78-83 degrees; 0.21’ high.Black bass are excellent on watermelon flukes andSenkos fished around cypress trees, and on frogs andbuzzbaits in the pads and grass. Crappie are fair onshiners in the shallows around cypress trees. Catfish aregood on limblines with cutbait. Redear bream are excel-lent on crickets in shallow cypress breaks.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 71 degrees; 1.73’ low.Black bass are fair on topwaters early, later switching toCarolina rigs. White bass are excellent on Humbugs overshallow water early and slabs fished deeper around mid-day. Hybrid striper are good on Sassy Shad. Crappie areexcellent on tube jigs around shallow banks and docks.Catfish are good on cut bait drifted over humps.

COOPER: Water stained; 68-73 degrees; 8.23’ low. Noreport available. Due to the low level of the lake,boaters are advised to use extreme caution.

FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 75 (main lake) - 82 (outlet)degrees; 3.5’ low. Black bass are excellent on whiteBass Assassins or flukes and Pop-R’s above the grass onsecondary points and main lake flats. Hybrid striper arefair on white/chartreuse slabs and live shad on mainlake points. Redfish are slow on live shad in the inletcove and around the dam. Bow fishing for tilapia isgood in the back of coves. Catfish are good on preparedbaits and live shad on main lake flats.

FORK: Water clear; 66-72 degrees; 2.37’ low. Blackbass are good on Carolina rigged watermelon seed friesand watermelon candy 5’ lizards along the main lakegrass and pockets - the topwater bite has started onYellow Magics in 5-8 feet close to spawning areas.Crappie are fair on small jigs in 14-20 feet under themain lake bridges and around brush piles. Catfish aregood in 10 feet on prepared baits.

GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 69-74 degrees;5.54’ low. Black bass are fair to good on Rat-L-Traps,crankbaits and Texas rigged soft plastics in 4 – 8 feet.Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs overbrushpiles. White bass are fair on slabs andHumdingers. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers.

JOE POOL: Water fairly clear; 68-75 degrees; 0.2’ high.Black bass are fair on pumpkinseed lizards, black/redshad craws and spinnerbaits in 2 - 6 feet in creeks andshallow pockets. Crappie are fair to good on minnowsand jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and RoadRunners. Catfish are fair on cut and prepared baits.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 69-73 degrees;1.65’ low. Black bass are fair on chartreuse/whitebuzzbaits, spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged blue fleckPower Worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs incoves and around structure. Catfish are good on night-crawlers and prepared baits.

LAVON: Water stained; 68-76 degrees; 8.13’ low. Blackbass are fair on white/chartreuse spinnerbaits, Texas-rigged Gene Larew black/blue tube jigs and 5”black/blue or green pumpkin lizards in 4 - 8 feet.Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfishare fair on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.

LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 69-75 degrees; 6.55’ low.Black bass are good on flukes, lizards and spinnerbaits.Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair togood on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 3.16’ low. Black bass arefair to good on white buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, andoff main lake points on Carolina-rigged blue fleckfrench fries and Arkansas Shiner flukes. Crappie aregood on minnows and jigs over submerged brushpiles.Catfish are good on trotlines with cut bait. Bream aregood on red wigglers in 4 feet.

PALESTINE: Water fairly clear; 68-72 degrees; 1.76’low. Black bass are good on green pumpkin/red shadcraws, spinnerbaits and black/blue lizards. Crappie arefair on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are fair on liveshad and slabs. White bass are good on slabs and tor-pedoes. Catfish are fair to good in the shallows.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 67-71 degrees;0.11’ low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Senkosand buzzbaits in 2-6 feet. Crappie are fair to good onminnows and jigs in the marinas and around bridgecolumns. White bass are good on slabs andHumdingers. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear main lake, muddy in thecreeks; 67-78 degrees; 3.69’ low. Black bass are goodon split shot rigged green Houdini shad and ChatterBaits fished around milfoil. White bass are excellent onchartreuse Bomber slabs - surface schooling starting onthe main lake. Crappie are excellent on minnows andjigs around Corps of Engineers brush piles.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water fairly clear; 68-74degrees; 4.95’ low. Black bass are fair to good on Texas

rigged watermelon lizards, black/blue jigs and spinner-baits. White bass and hybrid striper are fair to good onwhite/chartreuse or chartreuse slabs on main lakehumps and secondary points. Crappie are good on min-nows in the mouth of the creeks around brush. Catfishare good on juglines with live shad set off the maincreek channels and flats.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 69-73 degrees; 5.53’ low.Black bass are good on worms, lizards, Senkos and jigsin 1-3 feet. Crappie are fair on live minnows and jigs.White bass are excellent on chartreuse, gold or chromeslabs. Striped bass and hybrid striper are fair on char-treuse or white Sassy Shad, 1 1/4 oz. slabs and Rat-L-Traps. Catfish are good on cut bait, shrimp and night-crawlers.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 69-74 degrees; 1.3’ high. Blackbass are fair on weightless flukes, spinnerbaits and bluefleck lizards. Striped bass are fair to good on live shadand chartreuse slabs, with a sporadic topwater bite earlyand late. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers andcut shad.

WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 73 degrees; 6.64’ low.Black bass are good on crankbaits and soft plas-tics. Crappie are excellent in the fishing barge andmarina cove on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good onnightcrawlers, liver and shrimp. Schooling white bassare good on Little George’s and Road Runners. Breamare good on worms. The boat ramp is open.

SOUTH

AMISTAD: Water clear; 72 degrees. Black bass are goodon watermelon red and watermelon seed jerkbaits,crankbaits, soft plastics, jigs, and topwaters. Stripedbass are good on red fins and topwaters early and late.White bass are fair on shallow running crankbaits.Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good oncheesebait, shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfishare good on trotlines baited with live perch.

BRAUNIG: Water stained; 92 degrees. Black bass to 5pounds are good on dark soft plastic worms and somecrankbaits near the jetty and in reed beds. Striped bassto 5 pounds are very good on perch, shad, and chickenlivers early. Redfish to 20 pounds are good on tilapia,crawfish, and perch on the bottom. Channel and bluecatfish to 4 pounds are good on liver, shrimp, and shad.Yellow catfish are slow.

CALAVERAS: Water stained; 93 degrees. Black bass areslow. Striped bass to 4 pounds are very good on liverand silver spoons early. Redfish to 21 pounds are verygood on crawfish, perch, and Rat-L-Traps early and late.Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are good on liver,shrimp, and nightcrawlers. Blue catfish are fair to goodon liver and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 76 degrees; 4.29’low. Black bass are very good on white 1?oz. Revengespinnerbaits and rainbow trout Reaction InnovationsVixen on main lake points early in 2 - 8 feet, and lateron banana cream Norman DD-22’s and spring crawLucky Craft CB-D20’s tight to timber in 10 - 15 feetand good on weightless watermelon seed 6” YUMDingers and smoke red pepper YUM Houdini Shad.White bass are fair on live minnows and vertically jig-ging C.C. spoons or KT spoons along main lake points.Crappie are good on live minnows and chartreusesparkle Berkley Power Worms over brushpiles andstanding timber in 4 - 12 feet. Channel and blue cat-fish are very good on Lewis King punchbait, perch,and shad gizzards in 8 - 15 feet. Yellow catfish aregood on trotlines and juglines baited with hybridbluegills and jumbo minnows in 15 - 25 feet.

COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 83 degrees (93 degreesat hot water discharge); 3.68’ low. Black bass to 4pounds are fair on soft plastics and Rat-L-Traps in weedbeds in 6 – 8 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bassare slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish to2 pounds are fair on perch, liver, and nightcrawlers in12 – 15 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.

FALCON: Water stained; 79 degrees. Black bass aregood on crankbaits, topwaters, brush hogs, and softplastics along outside points. Striped bass are slow.Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are verygood on shad, cutbait, and frozen shrimp. Yellow catfishare slow. Mexican fishing licenses and boat permits arerequired to fish in Mexican waters. Everyone in the boatmust have a Mexico Fishing License whether fishing ornot.

MEDINA: Water stained; 75 degrees; 17.03’ low. Blackbass to 4 pounds are good on shad 3/8oz. Revengespinnerbaits and clear Yo-Zuri poppers across mainlake points and coves early in 2 - 15 feet, and later onmotor oil neon 2.5” YUM Craw Papi’s and June bugcandy Berkley Beasts in 10 - 20 feet. Striped bass arefair vertically jigging chrome/blue Fle-Fly slabs in 15 -30 feet. White bass are fair vertically jigging KTspoons and chrome/blue Pirk Minnows along main lakepoints. Crappie are good on live minnows and char-treuse sparkle Berkley Power Worms around brushpilesand standing timber at night under lights in 10 - 25feet. Channel and blue catfish to 6 pounds are verygood on Lewis King punchbait, hybrid bluegills, andcut shad. Yellow catfish to 20 pounds are good on jug-lines baited with perch and goldfish.

SOUTHEAST

CONROE: Water stained; 3.37’ low. Black bass aregood on chartreuse and pumpkinseed/orange spinner-baits and medium running crankbaits, and on water-melon seed and watermelon red soft plastic wormsand lizards. Striped bass are fair on chrome striperjigs and silver spoons and slabs. Crappie are fair onminnows. Catfish are fair on stinkbait, nightcrawlers,and shrimp.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water stained. Black bass are fair onchartreuse green and chartreuse blue crankbaits andRat-L-Traps, and on red/white soft plastics. Crappie arefair on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfish are good onstinkbait, frozen shrimp, nightcrawlers, liver, and liveperch.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.69’high. Black bass are good on cherry seed worms on theeast end of the lake. White bass are good on silverspoons near the marina. Crappie are good on live min-nows in coves on the north end of the lake over struc-ture in 15 feet. Bream are good on live worms off

piers. Catfish are good on stinkbait and chicken liversoff piers.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 69 degrees; 3.06’low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and soft plas-tics. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good onslabs, pet spoons, and hellbenders. Crappie are goodon minnows over brushtops. Blue catfish are excellenton shad. Yellow catfish are slow.

SAM RAYBURN: Water clear; 71 degrees; 1.12’ low.Black bass are fair on chartreuse/white spinnerbaits,crankbaits, and Rat-L-Traps, and on pumpkinseed jerk-baits over grass. Crappie are good on minnows andblue tube jigs.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 3.29’ low. Very littlefishing activity due to low water level. Navigation isdangerous due to numerous stumps and stickups.Tournaments have been moved to Lake Sam Rayburn.

PANHANDLE

BAYLOR: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees. Black bassare slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on live bait.

GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees;25.22’ low. Black bass are good on topwater lures atdawn, and shad-colored spinnerbaits with willowblades and white twin-tail trailers and crankbaits neargrass lines and timber throughout day. Crappie aregood on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on livebait and jigs tipped with minnows. Smallmouth bassare fair on crankbaits along channels. Walleye to 4pounds are good on live bait and crankbaits. Catfish to10 pounds are good on live bait and chicken liver.

MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees;67.75’ low. Black bass are good on live bait and shad-colored spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on minnowsand jigs. White bass and striped bass are good on jigstipped with minnows. Smallmouth bass are fair onsmall crankbaits. Walleye are good on minnows andcrankbaits. Catfish to 8 pounds are good on live baits.

MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 29.25’low. Black bass are fair on live bait, white spinnerbaitsand shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are fair on min-nows and jigs suspended 12 feet. White bass are goodon minnows and jigs near humps. Smallmouth bassare good on crankbaits. Walleye are fair on live baitand chrome jerkbaits near northern points and riprap.Channel catfish are good on minnows. Note: FritchFortress ramp is closed for upgrades.

PALO DURO: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees; 48.25’low. Black bass are good on live bait, black/blue jigsand white spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs andminnows. Smallmouth bass are fair on smallcrankbaits and live bait. Walleye are fair on crankbaitsand live bait. Channel catfish are good on minnowsand chicken liver.

WEST

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 1.3’low. Black bass exceeding 10 pounds are good on livebait, black/blue jigs or watermelon soft plastics in tim-ber, and deep diving chartreuse crankbaits in stainedwaters in river along timberlines. Crappie are good onminnows and jigs.

ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 2.3’low. Black bass are fair and improving on crankbaitsand soft plastics off points and in flooded brush.Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs at State Park,and Henrietta, Deer Creek and Post Oak bridges andwading near 1-2 feet flooded vegetation. White bassare good on shad-imitation baits on shallow points andschooling on flats. Blue catfish are good on shad,punch bait and juglines in upper part and west side oflake.

COLORADO CITY: Water clear; 74 degrees; 2.55’ low.Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows andjigs. White bass are fair on live bait and jerkbaits.Catfish are fair on live and cut baits.

FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 71 degrees; 6.74’low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnowsand jigs. White bass are fair on live bait. Catfish arefair on live bait.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 73 degrees;10.5’ low. Black bass are fair on live bait and pump-kin/chartreuse soft plastics near timber and reeds.Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass andhybrid striper are good on live baits. Catfish are goodon minnows and juglines.

NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees. Blackbass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair on minnowsand jigs. Redfish are fair. White bass and striped bassare good on minnows and inline spinners. Catfish arefair on prepared baits and minnows.

OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 69 degrees; 19.2’low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair onminnows and jigs. Catfish are good on minnows. Noboat ramps open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on dirt roadnear the dam.

OH. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 17.3’ low.Black bass are good on live bait, white spinnerbaits,white soft jerkbaits near timber and humps. Crappieare good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair oninline spinners and minnows. Smallmouth bass aregood on chartreuse/black crankbaits. Channel catfishare good on live baits.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 73 degrees; 2’ low.Black bass are fair on Senkos, spinnerbaits andcrankbaits in the shallows lake wide. White bass aregood around river and off points near Willow Beach.Striped bass are fair at night near lighted piers. Blueand channel catfish are fair on setlines baited withshad in the upper part of reservoir.

SPENCE: Water lightly stained; 71 degrees; 50.25’ low.Black bass are fair on live baits and spinnerbaits.Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass arefair on minnows and jigs. Striped bass and hybridstriper are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shadand live baits.

STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; Blackbass are fair on live bait and white spinnerbaits.Crappie are fair on red/white jigs and minnows. Whiteand striped bass are good on live baits. Catfish are fairon minnows and prepared baits.

SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 73 degrees;31.72’ low. Black bass are fair on live bait andblack/blue jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.White bass are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on min-nows and cut shad.

WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 22.9’low. Black bass are fair on live bait and junebug softplastics along grass lines and timber. Crappie are fair onjigs and minnows. Walleye are fair on live bait andwhite/black crankbaits. Channel catfish are good on livebaits.

WICHITA: Water lightly stained; 71 degrees; 4” low.Crappie are good on 1/8 oz. chartreuse jigs or smallminnows along dam riprap and near old pavilion pierpoles American Legion point and old yacht club areas.White bass and hybrid striped bass are fair on minnows,white twister-tails and trolling along riprap. Channel cat-fish are fair on bait shrimp, punchbait or trotlines bait-ed with shad. The north side (yacht club) and east sideboat ramps are open and serviceable.

COASTAL

NORTH SABINE: Flounder are fair to good in the gutsand bayous on mud minnows and jigs tipped withshrimp. Trout and redfish are fair to good on live shadin the river.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Reef andJohnson’s Bayou on live shrimp under a popping cork.Flounder are fair to good on the shorelines and in theguts on live bait. Redfish are fair to good at the jetty onfinger mullet and crabs.

BOLIVAR: Trout are fair near Big Pasture Bayou onchartreuse and pearl Corkies and Top Dogs. Trout andredfish are fair while drifting deep shell on live shrimpunder a popping cork and glow/chartreuse and red shadBass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels.

TRINITY BAY: Redfish are fair to good on the shell andin the grass on live shrimp under a popping cork.Croaker, whiting and sand trout are good at the Spillwayon shrimp. Trout are fair to good on the east shorelineon topwaters and live shrimp.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair at Dollar Point onlive shrimp and croaker. Redfish are fair to good in theback lakes on live shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Redfish and black drum arefair around the railroad and causeway bridge on liveshrimp under a popping cork. Flounder are fair to goodin the same areas.

TEXAS CITY: Trout and redfish are fair at night off thepiers on live shrimp under a popping cork. Croakers,sand trout, gafftop, whiting and sheepshead are fair onfresh dead shrimp.

FREEPORT: Trout and redfish are fair at Cold Pass onlive shrimp under a popping cork. Trout, flounder andredfish are fair in Christmas Bay on live shrimp under apopping cork.

EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair along the shorelineson gold spoons and topwaters. Redfish are fair to goodin the grass on pumpkinseed Trout Killers, Hogie’s andSand Eels. Tides are above normal.

MATAGORDA: Trout are fair on the south shoreline ontopwaters and red shad, morning glory and pumpkin-seed/chartreuse Bass Assassins and Norton Sand Eels.Redfish are fair to good on live shrimp under a poppingcork around Shell Island and in Oyster Lake.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout are good on live shrimp undera popping cork on the grass flats. Redfish, sharks andblack drum are good on live bait at the jetty. Trout arefair to good in the back lakes on live shrimp under apopping cork and topwaters.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good around Traylor andMud Island on live shrimp and croakers. Redfish arefair to good on the Estes Flats and around Hog Islandon live shrimp and finger mullet. Trout are fair on top-waters on the St. Joe shoreline.

PORT ARANSAS: Trout and redfish are fair in ShamrockCove on bone Super Spooks and pumpkinseed/char-treuse Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Norton SandEels. Trout are fair at the jetty on live shrimp and finermullet.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout and redfish are fair around thecauseway and on the reefs in Nueces Bay on liveshrimp. Trout are fair to good on topwaters aroundPelican Island.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout, redfish and black drum are fair togood at the Land Cut on live shrimp under a poppingcork. Redfish are fair on shrimp in Emmords Hole. Troutand redfish are fair to good around the rocks on liveshrimp and croakers.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on the grassbeds adjacent to the Intracoastal on live shrimp andbone Trout Killers, Sand Eels and Bass Assassins. Trout,redfish and black drum are fair to good on live mulletand shrimp around the Land Cut.

SOUTH PADRE: Trout, redfish and black drum are fairto good on gold spoons around Airport Cove. Trout andredfish are fair to good on topwaters at Holly Beach.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good inCullen Bay on topwaters, pumpkinseed/chartreuse andplum/white Trout Killers, Sand Eels and Bass Assassins.Black drum and redfish are fair to good on the Gas-WellFlats on live shrimp under a popping cork.

May 12, 2006 � Page 19

Calling all tomsurkey hunting has been tough.The birds have been henned-upall year and the season is near-ing the end. Guides on theKrooked River Ranch near

Haskell were working hard to get theirhunters birds.

At 4:45 a.m. Roy Wilson, owner of TexasBest Outfitters, pointed to a painting of twostrutting toms in a field of wildflowers thathangs on the wall of the dining hall. “ Thatis what you are looking for,” he told DerekRambo.

All the other guides laughed, but Rambotook it in stride, as he was the new guide atthe camp. The new guide gets the worst ofit, forced to travel the farthest and work thehardest. But that is what he loves the most— hard work.

Rambo has entered and won many call-ing contests, but this morning he sat qui-etly in the dark listening to the yelps andgobbles that were all around him.

He was sitting with his hunter in a spotwhere he felt the turkeys would moveafter fly down. He made two soft yelpswhile the birds were still up and two morewhen they were on the ground.

After thirty minutes, two toms and twohens came into view. The birds workedslowly in his direction, the toms in fullstrut. Both hens and toms were moving inand out of the brush. Gobbles were fewbut a couple of birds slipped in on the leftside and gave a few territorial gobbles, noteven bothering the locked-up toms.

One of the hens started runningaround doing the kee kee call, a call heardmostly in the fall. The big toms came outafter her but there was an extra bird, prob-ably one of the birds from the left.

Now there were three toms strutting.“Take the one in the middle when I yelpand he looks up,” he said.

Feathers flew and a nice tom was kick-ing on the ground. “I guess we saw thepainting that Roy showed me come to lifethis morning,” Rambo said.

When he walked back into the camphouse, the other guides could see the suc-cess on his face. He pointed to the paint-ing. “We saw that and we brought onehome.”

The other guides were skunked.You can reach Texas Best Outfitters at

www.krro.net or at (325) 773-2457.

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