January 2011

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2 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC.TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent,

family-owned outdoor publication in America.Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLEEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER MOOREEXECUTIVE EDITOR

C O N T R I B U T O R S

JOE DOGGETT SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORDOUG PIKE SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

TED NUGENT EDITOR AT LARGEBOB HOOD HUNTING EDITOR

MATT WILLIAMS FRESHWATER EDITORCALIXTO GONZALES SALTWATER EDITOR

LENNY RUDOW BOATING EDITORSTEVE LAMASCUS FIREARMS EDITOR

LOU MARULLO BOWHUNTING EDITORKENDAL HEMPHILL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

TOM BEHRENS CONTRIBUTING EDITORGREG BERLOCHER CONTRIBUTING EDITORPAUL BRADSHAW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CAPT. MIKE HOLMES CONTRIBUTING EDITORREAVIS WORTHAM HUMOR EDITOR

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TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish &Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. TexasFish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprint-ed or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes noresponsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries toTexas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mailing addresslabel when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address allsubscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX77032. Email change of address to: [email protected] Email new ordersto: [email protected] Email subscription questions to:[email protected].

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40 LAST MINUTE HUNTSWith so many options available to Texassportsmen from whitetail deer to ducks,geese, dove and quail there is no excuse forletting the clock run out on your huntingseason.

by Bob Hood

JANUARY 2011 Volume XXVI NO. 9

COVER STORY:

THE O.H. IVIE LUNKERPUZZLE

How did a rela-tively small WestTexas lake end updominating the

list of Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment ShareLunker pro-ducers last year?

O.H. Ivies performance in2010 has been compared to thatof the heyday of Lake Fork in the1990s.

So what is behind this dark-horse victory, and what is instore for 2011?

by Shane Belieu

FEATURES

www.FishGame.com

24 THE TF&G BOAT QUIZJust how comprehensive is your nauticalknow-how? We are about to find out. Takethis year s Texas Fish & Game Boating Quizand put your marine mastery to the test.

by Lenny Rudow

28 FIVE FOR TEXASIs Texas and are Texas saltwater anglers ready for a coastwide five-fish limit onspeckled trout?

by Calixto Gonzales

34 CHASED BY HYENAS, STALKEDBY LIONS......is that any way to treat a Lady? Two Texaswomen who have a number of big-gameadventures under their belts certainly thinkso.

by Chester Moore

44 THE GUNS OF TRUE GRIT In this new version of the classic Western,the producers got the guns right, somethingthe original John Wayne movie didnt quiteaccomplish.

by Don Zaidle

STORY:

20


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On the Web


http://www.academy.comhttp://www.academy.comhttp://www.facebook.com/academysportsandoutdoorshttp://www.twitter.com/academy_com


COLUMNS and DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNS

JANUARY 2011 Volume XXVI NO. 9

9 Editors NotesNew Blood,New Horizonsby DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

12 Chesters NotesThe Measure ofan Outdoorsmanby CHESTER MOORE, JR.TF&G Executive Editor

14 Doggett at LargeThe Large &the Smallby JOE DOGGETTTF&G Senior Contributing Editor

16 Pike On the EdgeThe Do-GooderChroniclesby DOUG PIKETF&G Senior Contributing Editor

18 TexasWildCelebrateDeathby TED NUGENTTF&G Editor at Large

19 CommentaryLa RevolucinIs Onby KENDAL HEMPHILLTF&G Political Commentator

32 Texas SaltwaterMooningDrumby CALIXTO GONZALESTF&G Saltwater Editor

33 Texas FreshwaterOld Baitsto Newby MATT WILLIAMSTF&G Freshwater Editor

47 Hunt TexasDeerCampby BOB HOODTF&G Hunting Editor

48 Open SeasonSnowbirds

by REAVIS WORTHAMTF&G Humor Editor

DEPARTMENTS

8 LETTERS

10 TF&G REPORT

10 BIG BAGS &CATCHES

38 TRUE GREEN

www.FishGame.com


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Hunting, Land, &Money

FOR MANY YEARS, I HAVE READ TED NUGENTScolumns and articles and agree with much ofwhat he writes. His column in the Octoberissue of Texas Fish & Game, Antis AmongUs, is of a profound revelation that I havebeen actively trying to warn my family andfriends about for nearly a decade.

The narrow mindedness of common peo-ple endangers everything we as humanbeings stand for in that people will unwit-tingly surrender small amounts of our basicrights in order to pacify the obnoxious into-nations of a still relative minority of the Anti-Second Amendment movement.

Although issues of baiting, the use ofcrossbows, and even the failed attempt toimplement a dove hunting season inMichigan have perhaps had the most baf-fling results, there is one growing problemthat he didnt point outhunting leases.The idea that people can charge outrageoussums of money for a piece of land that isbarely managed for any practical use.

As a boy, I grew up in a small town in theMichigan Thumb where, when I felt likehunting, all I had to do was talk to one of thelocal farmers and they would let me sit on afence row or in a plot of woods and I couldhunt to my hearts content. This past year,due to the fact that I could no longer sustainany sort of a decent living for my family inmy beloved home state, I moved everythingwe owned to my wifes hometown of CorpusChristi, Texas. I have known of the statespractice of hunters purchasing leases fromlandowners, but I have never bothered to doso myself because they are much too expen-sive and, fortunately, there is plenty of feder-al land nearby.

Nevertheless, it struck me funny recentlywhile I was talking to an older gentlemanand we somehow got on the topic of his 20acres of land west of the city. I asked him allthe usual questions pertaining to wildlife onhis property, to which he had almost no

response, stating that he seldom ever wentout there. It seemed like an ideal piece ofSouth Texas backcountry and I was amazedby the fact that he owned such a chunk ofproperty and did nothing with it. I barely gothim on the subject of whether he hunted onit or not, before he started attempting tothrow prices of leasing the land down mythroat, expecting me to bite.

I was absolutely stunned. It neveroccurred to me to ask him to hunt it myself.All I was trying to do was make polite con-versation. I would never expect anyone tosimply open their land to someone, especial-ly a complete stranger, but so manylandowners have this idea that because theyown a piece of property, they should be nick-el and diming everyone who comes near it.

The idea of leasing has gotten so out ofcontrol that even the folks who own smalltracts of land believe they can charge peopleoutrageous prices for a day-hunt or a year-lease; and this gentleman, for some unknownreason, saw dollar signs dancing around mewhen I got on the topic of hunting.

Having grown up in Michigan and hunt-ing many peoples lands, I have always heldfirm to the idea that, in return of that favor,one is owed to the owner himself; be it back-straps, roasts, chopping firewood, or helpingfix their tractors. Whatever the case mightbe, monetary compensation for the use ofGods green Earth is a concept that will for-ever remain foreign to my understanding.Perhaps Ted can shed some light on thismatter in his next column.

Ryon GrantVia email

Brush Pile EthicsI WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT AN ARTICLE

such as Matt Williams Ethical or Not?would make it into a magazine such as TexasFish & Game. I say this only due to the highemotional state that some people get in whenthis is discussed (brush piles).

My tournament partner was recently

banned for life from the Texas FishingForums website for asking the same ques-tions Williams posed in this column. All heasked was what were other anglers opinions.

My partner and I have the LowranceStructure scan systems and do occasionallydiscover brush and other structure. We donot, however, cruise the lake just looking forother peoples piles. If during our normalday of fishing we find a pile, then of coursewe either commit this to memory or mark awaypoint.

I know of three instances where anglerswere verbally abused by a fellow tournamentparticipant (who happens to be a guide onSam Rayburn), and one of them was a non-boater. These types of instances give tourna-ment anglers a bad name with the recreation-al fishermen, and do nothing but create hardfeelings. Someday, someone might get hurtor, as Williams wrote, arrested and fined forinterfering with other anglers.

Potlickers are another story. If you birddog another angler and follow him to wherehe is placing piles, then you are pretty sorryin my book. On the other hand, if you hire aguide and he puts you on fish like he is sup-posed to, and you remember the spot (nohand-held GPS), it is no different than tak-ing somebody you know out one day andthen returning to find him camped out inyour spot.

Thanks again for bringing the subject tolight.

Troy StutesVia email

Send Your Comments to:

Letters to the Editor1745 Greens RoadHouston TX 77032E-mail: [email protected]


P R E S E N T S

Letters to the Editor

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New Blood,NewHorizons

ALICE SLOAN, A REGULAR TEXAS FISH &Game reader, recently sent me the follow-ing note and accompanying photograph:

My son-in-law, Trent Abbott, readsTexas Fish & Game with his 20-month-old

twin sons, Ty and Sloan. When they came tomy house and spotted the same magazines,they pulled them out to look at them. We tookthis picture of them. Sloan is pointing to theduck on the cover and Ty is looking for fish,although the book is upside down. These willbe the future hunters and fishermen followingin their dads and granddads footsteps.

Seeing something like this is always hum-bling. It reminds that what we do at TexasFish & Game is something greater than mereentertainment and dissemination of informa-tion. Everyone here, from office assistants todepartment editors and advertising staff,bears a responsibility to preserve an entireculturethe American outdoors tradition ingeneral, and Texas heritage in particular.

When we see new blood inherit the mantleof outdoors tradition, it validates our effortsand confirms the belief that our culture is cru-cial to who and what we are as Americansand Texans. It inspires hope for what some-times seems a murky future, and rejuvenatesour resolve to carry the torch proudly andkeep the flame bright.

You and we are outdoorsmen andwomenhunters, trappers, fishermen, con-servationistsand we offer no apology andaccept no compromise. What we do ensuresour own futureor condemns it to oblivion.

New blood opens new horizons; may theynever grow dim.

Editors Notes

by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO COURTESY ALICE SLOAN

E-mail Don Zaidle at [email protected].

Ty an SloanAbbot, avid TF&Greaders.

The Future

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Disease Warning Issued toHog Hunters

THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTHServices (DSHS) is warning Texas hoghunters to take precautions against possibleinfection with tularemia, a potentially lethaldisease usually associated with rabbits androdents.

Processing or handling the raw meatfrom feral swine can potentially expose a per-son to the organism that causes tularemia(Francisella tularensis) based on researchconducted by a Texas Tech team of scientistsfrom The Institute of Environmental andHuman Health.

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease, meaningit is shared by humans and animals.

Dr. Steven Presley's group sampled over100 feral swine from three Texas counties:Coryell, Bell, and Crosby. Blood samplesfrom swine in the two Central Texas counties

averaged 20 percent positive for tularemiawhile 31 percent of the Crosby County hogsexhibited positive test results. These resultsindicate a significant exposure of the feralswine to this disease organism.

Of greater concern is the additional find-ing that when four of the Crosby County ani-mals were tested for the active presence ofthe organism, three were positive. Fundinglimitations have precluded the testing for theorganism in the Central Texas hogs, so theyhave only been determined to have beenexposed to the tularemia bacteria at thispoint, but active infection would not beunexpected.

Several forms of tularemia may occur inhumans, each dependent on the route ofexposure. Skin ulcers and/or swollen lymphnodes can result if the infected fluid from theanimal enters the body through skin cuts orabrasions.

An oral cavity or throat infection candevelop if undercooked meat from an infect-

ed animal is eaten. Inhalation of infecteddroplets of fluid while processing an infectedanimal can result in pneumonia, while aneye infection may develop if the dropletsenter the mucous membranes of the eye.

Even deer flies and ticks are capable oftransmitting the bacteria through their bites,usually resulting in skin ulceration or swollenlymph nodes.

Due to the different potential routes ofexposure, it is important for hunters to prac-tice good personal safety while hunting orprocessing feral swine or handling freshmeat. The use of insect repellent is alwaysrecommended anytime someone is going tobe entering environments containing ticks orother disease vectors.

The use of eye protection and gloves(latex or nitrile) are strongly recommendedfor people who will butcher feral hogs, anddisposable masks can reduce the risk ofinhaling infectious fluid droplets.

In addition to tularemia, feral swine may


Ten-year-old Avery Bruns shot his firstCorsican ram while hunting near CampWood, Texas.

Jake Becker, age 5, of Marble Falls killedthis 8-point buck while hunting with hisdad and brother Kole in Hamlin, Texas. Hewas using a Remington .243.

Roy Oliver of Winnie caught this 32-1/2-inch bull redfish while fishing in EastGalveston Bay. The red was his biggest todate and was released after a good fighton light tackle.

TF G Report&

BIG BAGS CATCHES&

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also be infected with the bacteria that causeanother zoonotic disease, brucellosis. Thesame protective measures for tularemia willhelp prevent infection by the brucellosis bac-teria. Since eating undercooked meat fromferal hogs can also transmit these two dis-eases, thorough cooking is advised.

While feral hogs from only three countieshave been sampled, the magnitude of thepositive portion of that population suggeststhat feral swine from other counties can beexpected to also be potential sources of F.tularensis.

It is estimated that 1.5 to 2 million feralswine occur in 215 of 254 Texas counties,while 32 of the 50 United States havereported their presence. The overall nationalpopulation estimate is approximately 4 mil-lion.

Since feral swine are commonly huntedand harvested for human consumption, par-ticularly during the fall and winter deer hunt-ing season, hunters should be aware of thepotential to become exposed to and infectedwith F. tularensis while handling feral swinecarcasses and tissues--particularly bodily flu-ids.

Editor's Note: Common names fortularemia include deerfly fever, rabbit fever,Pahvant valley plague, Ohara disease, yato-byo (Japan), and lemming fever.

Symptoms include chills, fever,headache, joint stiffness, muscle pains, possi-ble conjunctivitis, red spot on the skin,enlarging to a sore (ulcer), shortness ofbreath, sweating, weight loss.

The disease is treatable with antibiotics.Tularemia is fatal in about 5 precent of

untreated cases, and in less than 1 precent oftreated cases. --Don Zaidle

Evinronmentalists Sue toBan Ammo, Tackle

A GROUP OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS LED BY THECenter for Biological Diversity has filed suitagainst the Environmental ProtectionAgency to force it to ban lead ammunitionand fishing tackle in the US.

The suit was brought by the Center forBiological Diversity (CBD), which earlierthis year petitioned EPA to ban traditionalammunition as well as fishing tackle contain-ing lead. CBD claims wild birds are beingharmed through the ingestion of spentammunition fragments.

In August, after considering the CBDpetition, EPA denied the request, saying itdid not have the legal authority to regulatethe production and distribution of tradition-al ammunition under the Toxic SubstanceControl Act of 1976. Congress expresslyexempted ammunition from being regulatedby this law. Some weeks after the agency'sdecision on traditional ammunition, EPAalso denied the other half of the CBD peti-tion to ban fishing tackle. This one-two

punch no doubt prompted CBD to file itslawsuit.

National Shooting Sports Foundation(NSSF) continues to stress there is no scien-tific evidence that traditional ammunitionhas an adverse impact on wildlife and that aban on traditional ammunition would have anegative impact on wildlife conservation.

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The Measureof anOutdoorsman

IHAVE NEVER KILLED A TROPHY WHITETAIL.

Well, at least not by the standards setby the bulk of todays outdoor media. Ihave killed some beautiful bucks that

were truly representative of the areas I tookthem from, but their antlers look small com-pared to super bucks so commonly baggedon outdoors television.

I am talking about the giant racks plas-tered on the covers of some publications likebuxom blondes on the cover of Playboy.Those bucks have always eluded me.

In the early years of my outdoor writingcareer, someone with a small bit of influencetried to get me canned from writing for anewly founded (and long defunct) archerymagazine because I had not taken a trophywhitetail.

Actually, if memory serves, it was morecorrectly a matter of philosophy. This per-son actually did not deem me qualified as anoutdoorsman worthy of writing aboutarchery because I had not killed a trophybut not killed one with a bow.

Even more ridiculous.Thousands of magazine and newspaper

articles later, I am happy to report, the inci-dent only fueled my resolve to make it in thisbusiness, but it did make me hyper aware ofthe sad and degrading phenomenon of peo-ple measuring themselves and others by thegame and fish they harvest.

In the numerous public appearances Imake annually, I do my best to engage every-one who comes out to hear me talk or do ademonstration. I am always excited to hearabout what they have been doing in the greatoutdoors. Genuinely excited.

Almost every time, I ask someone abouttheir fishing or hunting experiences and get

some sheepish answer along the lines, Well,I have never really caught any really bigtrout or Im not very good at bowhunting.I have taken only a few does.

This saddens me because the amazingexperience of being able to venture onto wildground and pursue fish and game should notbe diminished by superficial social rules.

I often respond to these kinds of state-ments with questions:

Did your heart beatheavy when that doe walkedout?

Did you get a rush of adrenaline whenthat 23-inch trout sucked under your topwa-ter?

The answer is always yes, allowing meto conclude with Celebrate what you haveexperienced and look ahead to even betterexperiences tomorrow.

You see, I am driven by one questionwhat is out there?

I want to see, touch, experience, and eat(duck gumbo anyone?) the hidden things ofthe great outdoors. I spend hours on my deerstand wondering what type of buck or feralhog might come creeping out of the river bot-toms. I marvel at the migration of waterfowl,pondering what beautiful species will graceme with a fly-by over the decoys.

With each cast I make on Sam Rayburn,I wonder if that next strike might be a 12-pounder like I saw Bill Dance catch on tele-vision as a kid. And, of course, each time Icrawl a curl-tailed grub along the bottom ofa bay, I am hoping it is a beautiful, wide-mouthed, spotted flounder.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming

big, but it is pointless to have dissatisfactionwith the outdoors because you do not have asimpressive an outdoors photo album as someguy at your workplace. True happiness as anoutdoorsman comes not from keeping upwith the Joneses, but relating to what madeyou want to fish and hunt to begin with.

Is it carrying on a tradition started byyour father? Is it simply collect some venisonfor the freezer? Maybe it is to shoot a record-book buck or catch a 10-pound bass, andthere is nothing wrong with that. As long aswhat you are doing pleases your spirit andbrings you a sense of joy, peace, and excite-ment, you are on the right track.

My mentor, the late outdoor writer EdHolder, once told me someone asked himwho was the greatest fisherman he knew.They were expecting him to answer one ofthe top bass pros or guides he knew.

His answer?Someone who enjoys fishing.I frequently borrow that saying and apply

it to all outdoors pursuits. Because, in theend, it is all about enjoyment.

The measure of an outdoorsman lies notin inches of antler collected, number of ducksshot, or lunker bass or sow specks caught.Those things are nice, but are not at the coreof the joyful outdoors spirit.

The measure of a true outdoorsman ishow in touch you are with what inspired youto go beyond the pavement, and the legacyyou leave for the next generation and theresources they will cherish


Chesters Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor

E-mail Chester Moore at [email protected].

The measure of an outdoorsman

lies not in inches ofantler collected...

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The Large &the Small

THE SMALLMOUTH BASS IS AN OVERLOOKEDand unappreciated fish--at least in Texas.This is due to the overwhelming popular-ity of the largemouth and the relative

scarcity of the smallmouth in local lakes andrivers.

In my experience, the bass with the small-er mouth has the larger heart. It fights hard-er, with more flash, making repeated runsand demonstrating remarkable stamina. Thelargemouth is a strong and powerful fish, noquestion, but it is short-winded.

Both bass will strike on the surface, andboth are capable of impressive leaps, but thehooked smallmouth uses water more like acold-water trout does. It actually lives morelike a trout than a bass--especially in themoving water of rivers and streams.

I first became aware of the trout-like char-acteristics of the smallmouth when, as a kid,I spent several summers at Ozark BoysCamp (now the co-ed Camp Ozark) on theOuachita River in northern Arkansas.Large- and smallmouth bass are native to thesmall Ouachita, and both succumb to spin-ning or fly tackle during the same wading orfloat-fishing session.

At least they could 50 years ago; Iassume the beautiful little stream still fishesreasonably well.

Early on, I learned that the largemouthpreferred the slower, deeper pools and back-waters, while the bronze and gold "brown-ies" favored the currents of the main channel.They held behind boulders and logs, orcruised the gravel bars searching for min-nows and crawfish. Or maybe they rose tosnatch the odd "terrestrial" floating down-stream.

Once hooked, a decent brownie woulddash across the current before twisting intothe air. The line would stretch this way and

that across the open water--a big thrill for akid in tennis shoes standing in the knee-deepflow.

Conversely, the largemouth from the stalepools sort of grumped and splashed around,nowhere near as dramatic. Both species inthe Ouachita averaged 1-2 pounds, so thecomparison was valid.

Not coincidentally, over in the nearbytown of Mount Ida, the river guides withwooden johnboats and tattered straw hatsand battered casting rods rated a wild 3- or4-pound brownie as the top prize of theOzarks. I suspect it still is.

Texas has viable pockets of smallmouthbass fishing. That's a big plus that doesn'tget enough recognition. They are not nativeto the Lone Star State. The brownies werestocked by the Texas Parks & WildlifeDepartment from other regions, but no mat-ter. We've got 'em now, and they are thrivingin select drainages.

The common denominator for small-mouth survival "down south" is cool and rel-atively clear water. Smallmouth are not asdemanding as, say, rainbow trout, but mostof the shallow ponds, tanks, and sloughsscattered across Texas are too warm andstagnant during the hot-weather months.

Several Hill Country rivers and lakeshost smallmouth, and the Blanco River is astandout.

The West Texas Devils River is thefinest smallmouth fishery in state. The shal-low, rocky stream flows through desert ranchcountry and feeds Lake Amistad. Fishingthe remote Devil's River is tough, both phys-ically and legally, with public access restrict-ed to several put-in sites for float trips.

The tumbling currents are green andcool, fed by aquifers and oxygenated by rif-fles and rapids. Years ago, TPWD releasedsmallmouth in Amistad, calculating that thedeep, clear reservoir would provide suitablehabitat.

I suppose it does--but the brownies pre-ferred the river and scooted upstream. Howthey got above the steep drop of Dolan Fallsis something I cannot answer (maybe amajor flood or perhaps a follow-up stock-

ing), but they are there in great numbers.At least they were 8 or 10 years ago,

when I made several float-fishing expeditionsto the Devil's River. The smallmouth fisherywas excellent due to the combination offavorable habitat and minimal pressure. Aspecial memory was catching and releasing abig one on a light spinning outfit rigged withan old Heddon Baby Torpedo topwaterplug saved over the decades from the fledg-ling Ozark Camp forays.

The deep, thick smallmouth was boldlycolored from the clear water, with red eyesand burnished flanks accented by black tigerstripes. If it took a deep breath, it wouldhave weighed 5 pounds--trophy class for anyregion. They don't make a more gorgeousfish; it's not possible.

I was reminded of that beautiful bass dur-ing a trip last summer to the Lake of theWoods region of southern Ontario. A friendand I portaged a canoe into a small pondnear his summer home and he graciouslypaddled while I fished.

Using a fly rod and a small surface bug,I caught and released at least 30 smallmouthfrom the dark, clear shoreline of reeds, lilies,and logs. Many were in the 2- to 3-poundclass. The biggest was just shy of 4 pounds;it fought in a complete circle around thesmall boat, jumping several times, repeated-ly diving and running. It took several spurtsof line from the reel.

In short, that bass did everything a top-ranked game fish is supposed to do and, likethe Devil's River fish, was absolutely stun-ning.

I'm not bad-mouthing the bigmouth. It isa prolific and remarkably adaptable fish,capable of thriving in most any freshwaterthis side of a bathtub or a birdbath. But,backed by the huge angling industry, it isgrossly over-promoted while the smallmouthis woefully underrated.

The brownie, wherever or whenever youencounter it, is a special fish.


Doggett At Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

E-mail Joe Doggett at [email protected]

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The Do-GooderChronicles

ONE PLUS ONE DOES NOT EQUAL THREE,square pegs dont fit round holes, andthe world is filled with people whobelieve otherwise.

Theyre called do-gooders, and mostnever actually do much good. Regular fail-ures among these folks are not for lack ofeffort so much as for their programs perpet-ual absence of common sense.

Examples abound, and Ive used thesestories of the ridiculous and absurd to enter-tain my radio audience for more than 11years now.

Such foolishness and ignorance exists inall walks of life, of course, but I draw prima-rily on stories linked somehow to the out-doors. To date, when Ive gone looking, Ivenever failed to find a fresh one.

Most of the simpletons who captain thesetime-wasting intrusions into the lives of smartpeople live and work outside Texas. Not thattheres anything wrong with typical residentsin the other 49 states, or that there are nofools drooling on their pillows as they sleepbeneath the Lone Star. There is not, andthere are, respectively. My experience, how-ever, is that Texans show more commonsense when it comes to solving simple prob-lems.

In New Jersey years ago, for example, asuburban community (envision Hill Countrywith an accent) had issue with its whitetailpopulation. Seems the residents of that city-meets-country Mayberry took an early likingto the deer and encouraged their presencewith flowers and supplemental feed.

Then one day, they looked out theirkitchen windows over bare flowerbeds anddriveways full of raisins and realized they

were awash in whitetails.What to do, oh, what to do? Uh,

bowhunt, anyone? Surely, someone recom-mended recreational hunting, the single mosteffective wildlife management tool known towildlife managers. Instead, surely to a cho-rus of giggles from professional managers(and maybe even the deer), the brain trustcharged with reducing that population cameup with this: Retrofit two ambulances so thatwithin them, veterinary surgeons could per-form tubal ligations on does.

Tens of thousands of dollars were invest-ed in the project, whereas a special huntingseason actually would have generated rev-enueand solved the problem.

The ambulance plan did not. Its difficultunder ideal circumstances to trap and sedatewhitetails successfully.Waste of time.Waste of money.

Call mecrazy, but ifthe best planyou cancome up withis sterilization,wouldnt it bemore success-ful to clip theb u c k s ?When the firstbuck staggeredbow-legged through those swinging doors,every other buck that saw it would turn tailand run for the county line. Problem solved.

To reiterate: Recreational hunting is ahighly successful management tool. Itsunpleasant for some folks, but in the interestof a herds long-term health, personal feel-ings should be set aside. So should ambu-lance-conversion schemes.

So-called zero-tolerance weapons poli-cies in schools make my list, as well.

In California a year ago, a young manwho duck-hunted early didnt want to be latefor school, so he went there straight from theblind.

He knew better than to carry his shotgunonto the campus, so he parked a block away,

on a public street. His shotgun was stowedand unloaded, and its ammo was in a sepa-rate bag. Another student called attention tothe shotgun in the kids pickup, off cam-pus and the young man was promptlysuspended.

That decision, after much media atten-tion and acknowledgement that the districtwas about to get its legal pants yanked to itsankles, was just as promptly reversed.

Up Northeast somewhere, I think againin New Jersey, an elementary-school childwas hauled to the principals office for bring-ing a weapon a rifle to school. Theknee-jerk discipline heaped on that confusedchild also was halted and cleared from hisrecord because the rifle was about ahalf-inch long and cradled in the arms of a2-inch, prone, plastic soldier glued to the

brim of the boys ballcap.

My favorite mis-guided managementidea to date hasnthad time yet to fail,but it will. This pastfall, politicians andpolicy makers in

Cook County, Illinois, decid-ed to address an overpopula-

tion of rats around the ChicagoLoop, an outer-band traffic

artery.The only explanation for the countys

rodent-reduction plan, initiated inNovember 2010, is that its crafters eitherwerent interested in or had never heard ofpoisons or traps or even feral cats.

Instead, they installed GPS tracking col-lars on a handful of coyotes and turned thoseincredibly smart, potentially dangerouscanine predators loose. Those coyotes willget the rats. Then what?

Maybe we should put GPS tracking col-lars on do-gooders and politicians.

16 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E ILLUSTRATION: BRETT LAMB, ISTOCK

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

E-mail Doug Pike at [email protected]

Pike.qxd:Layout 1 12/9/10 2:45 PM Page 16

http://www.alumacraft.com

CelebrateDeath

IKNOW, I KNOW, UPON READING MYinescapably obvious title, the socially chal-lenged amongst us are spitting coffee orother some such beverage and assorted

abused brown lippy substances all over theirTexas Fish & Game magazine. In a world goneberserk with the scourge of politically correctdenial, I expect nothing less.

The good news is that within this finecoterie of rugged outdoorsmen and womenin whose hands this fine publication rests,the vast majority of hunters, fishers, trappersand just good ol all American grill mastersknow exactly what I am talking about, and infact grin with the certainty that though total-ly unnecessary to state in the world of honestconsumers, in America 2010 it is time tostate the truth as often as possible, comfort-able or otherwise.

Though I have heard it stated over andover again (and again, and again, ad nause-um, ad infinitum), I dismiss out of hand thelame claim that the kill is anticlimactic to thehunt itself. Yeah, right. I see it all the timewhere sporters get way more excited andjubilant when they do not bring home fishand game than when they do. No one cher-ishes and celebrates the entire hunt andhunting lifestyle more than I do, but give mea break. When the beast is dead at our feetdue to the incredible dedication, diligence,patience, sacrifice, and old-fashioned goodluck, the fun factor explodes exponentiallywhen we kill, and we all know it.

The claim otherwise comes from someelitist, out-of-touch outdoor industry so-called leaders, and certain cowardly out-door writers that are afraid of their ownshadows and recoil in abject trembling fearat the assumption that all people outside oursport hate us, hate dead deer, and pretendthat their store-bought dinner was never

alive. Not even close.Of course, known by those

of us who actually pay attention tolife and hang out with attentive, intelli-

gent, sophisticated folk, we are well awarethat our very lives carry on due to the cele-bration of death. Numerous times each daythroughout humankinds history, it is theflesh of dead creatures that provide Manwith life itself.

For those of us that hunt, fish, and trap,the term closer to the earth was not at allnecessary to remind us where our proteinand nutrition comes from. As we like to say,you cant grill it til you kill it. Perfection per-sonified.

As we approach our fallen prize, as weturn the straps on the grill, as we take a goodhearty snort of aromas at the table, and as wejoin hands in reverent thanks to the Creatorfor the miracle of sustainable yield, all theway through the mmm-mmm goods, yums,guttural noises, burps, and assorted othersounds of questionable table etiquette, theyall reflect appreciation and joy at the genuine

celebration of dead stuff everywhere.I have also heard of the feelings of

remorse some consumers claim at the deathof an animal. Im not buying it. If ever therewas a perfect act and a perfect moment, it iswhen we balance the herd and bring foodhome to our loved ones. Remorse? I thinknot. So, to quote the great Fred Bear, we allsurely know that everyday afield does indeedcleanse the soul, but of much more impor-tance, done with a sense of excellence anddedication to be the best that we can be, theresults will fill our bellies, too.

I share a lot of very special meals with myfellow Man in my travels around the world,and I have yet to witness anything other thancelebration at the table or campfire. Let it beknown that the creatures feed, clothe, shelter,and medicate us. Always have, always will.That is the prime cause of celebration in life,of life, via death. The beast is dead; long livethe beast!

18 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: TED NUGENT

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

E-mail Ted Nugent at [email protected].

Ted NugentsTexasWild

On the Web

For more Ted Nugent writings,visit www.tednugent.com

I dismiss the lameclaim that the kill is

anticlimactic to the huntitself.


La RevolucinIs On

ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, MY YOUNGEST SONand I went turkey hunting at the RioGrande Rancho in Mexico, south ofPiedras Negras. While we were there, a

local rancher was found murdered, with his sev-ered right index finger in his mouth.

In March 2010, we crossed the border atBrownsville twice during a mission trip toCiudad Victoria. Two days after we cameback into the U.S., drug cartel gunmenattacked federales at that crossing, and sev-eral were killed. A few months later, on aMexican ranch near Brownsville, membersof the Zeta drug cartel murdered 72 migrantworkers.

Since that time, incidents have occurredon both sides of the border that have greatlycurtailed tourism travel, including travel forhunting and fishing into Mexico and even toSouth Texas. One man was shot and killedon Lake Falcon, which straddles the interna-tional border, and others have been detainedand robbed.

The official stance concerning these inci-dents is that they are drug related, and nodoubt many of them are. The core problem,however, goes much deeper than that.Mexico is in the midst of a civil war, withrival factions of rebels attempting to over-throw the Mexican government. The drugactivity, human smuggling, and kidnappingsare, by and large, just a way to finance thewar effort for these rebels.

Richard Maybury has a website calledthe U.S. & World Early Warning Report,in which he writes about economics andgeopolitics. In October 2010, Mayburypainted a vivid picture of what is causing thecurrent violence in Mexico. The scenario is

nothing new, as it has beengoing on all over the world for

centuries, but the current war to oursouth is likely to have direct effects on

us, so it would be wise for us to understandit.

Mexico, like most countries in the world,is artificial. The conquering Spaniards madeit during their era of expansion by groupingall the different Indian tribes together andsaying, Okay, you are no longer Mayas, orAztecs, or Incas, or whatever. Now youreall Mexicans. Which was convenient for theSpanish, but not so much for the natives.They didnt like it then, and they dont likeit now.

The problem is that these smaller groupsor tribes are the natural individual govern-mental units. They all have their own cus-toms, histories, and languages (about 60 inMexico) and they all believe they have aright to govern themselves. The same thingis happening in the Middle East. The differ-ence is that Texans seldom spend a day fish-ing on the Tigris River.

This is pretty much what happened dur-ing the Mexican Revolution in the early partof the Twentieth Century. Then as now, theU.S. government sided with the Mexicangovernment because thats what govern-ments do. Our problem is that this makes theU.S. government the enemy of the rebelguerillas fighting for independence. Thismeans that, by extension, you and I havebecome enemies of these guerillas.

Civil war is probably the ultimate oxy-moron. There is nothing civil about it, and ittends to slop over onto whoever happens tobe close byin this case, the southwestern

United States. A rancher in Arizona hasalready been murdered on his own property,and there is no reason to expect the violenceto stay south of the Rio Grande.

The U.S. and Mexican governmentsportray the situation as nothing but a drugwar. There are specific reasons for this. Oneis to keep Americans living in the borderstates from panicking. Random criminal vio-lence is one thing, but an actual war a fewmiles away is something else. People mighttake drastic measuressuch as prepare todefend themselves.

The main reason for the deception is thatgovernments are made up of politicians, andpoliticians have agendas. As long as the vio-lence is seen as a drug war, it is not justMexicos problem; the U.S. has to shouldersome of the blame for creating a market fordrug dealers. This serves two basic purpos-es: It allows the Mexican government toclaim it isnt the target of the rebel groupsfighting for their independence from a cor-rupt government (which is a redundancy initself). It also allows the U.S. government toblame guns for the violence, which gives theanti-Second Amendment crowd more ammoin their war against the freedoms of U.S. cit-izens.

A similar situation occurred in theUSSR at the end of the Cold War. Whenthe wall fell in 1989, many of the smallernations that had been forced together underthe iron fist of the United Soviet SocialistRepublic became autonomous again. Whenthat happens in Mexico, the violence willsubside, and probably not before.

In the meantime, it probably isnt a goodidea to plan any hunting or fishing tripssouth of the border, or even near it.Independence is a wonderful thing, but asJefferson said, it has to be watered from timeto time

Civil war is probably theultimate oxymoron.

There is nothing civilabout it.


Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

E-mail Kendal Hemphill at [email protected].

Commentary.qxd:Layout 1 12/8/10 2:37 PM Page 19

20 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CUBE, IORBOAZ, DREAMSTIME; FISH, TPWD

Fea3.qxd:Layout 1 12/8/10 2:40 PM Page 20


WHEN THE PHONE RINGS notifying the Texas Parks & Wildlife Departmenta largemouth bass weighing at least 13 pounds has been caught within the stateswaters, ShareLunker program manager David Campbell takes that call, travels to thesite, and certifies the fish. If O.H. Ivie reservoir in West Texas continues the pace setin 2010 for producing 13-pound or bigger fish, Campbell might want to rent a housein nearby Ballinger.

O.H. Ivie had a spectacular season in 2010 for producing behemoth bassa pacenot seen since the heyday of Lake Fork in the mid-1990s. Consider the followingnumbers from the 2009-2010 Toyota ShareLunker Program, which runs fromOctober 1 through April 30 each season:

How Did a Relatively Small WestTexas Lake Dominate Last Years

ShareLunker List?BY SHANE BELIEU


- Of the 33 ShareLunker entries for theseason, O.H. Ivie accounted for 11, or 1/3of all entries in the state.

- The 11 ShareLunkers from O.H. Iviein 2010 was the highest contribution fromany Texas reservoir since Lake Fork in 1996(21 entries).

- A new O.H. Ivie record for largemouthbass of 16.08 pounds was caught on April30, 2010.

- April 30, 2010, also saw a secondShareLunker entry of 13.24 pounds fromWesley Pullig, of Eden, Texas, who wentfishing after TPWD employees released hisprevious entry of 13.09 pounds back intothe water earlier the same day.

These statistics do not include the numer-ous other trophies caught during 2010 thatfell outside of the ShareLunker dates or justmissed the 13-pound threshold.

Thats extraordinary for any lake, butparticularly from a relatively small WestTexas impoundment, said TPWD fisheriesbiologist Mukhtar Farooqi. The numbersof trophy bass from Lake Ivie in 2010 wouldbe more in line with what wed expect fromlarger bodies of water such as Lake Fork or

Amistad.Indeed, O.H. Ivie has a surface area of

just over 19,000 acres at full pool, but thatvolume has rarely been seen since the lakesinitial impoundment in 1990. As a watersupply reservoir for many surrounding WestTexas municipalities, the lake rarely gets asufficient influx of water in such an aridregion to replenish the water loss. In fact, atthe time of this writing, the Colorado RiverMunicipal Water District listed the waterlevel at around 25 feet below pool, or rough-ly 36 percent full.

Farooqi said the number of 13-pound fishfor 2010 was a pleasant surprise, thoughthere were indicators the boom was coming.

We had an idea that some big basswould be caught in 2010 because we startedseeing a trend the previous year. We sawsome big fish showing up from varioussources such as tournament data, particular-ly the 2009 Permian Basin Oilmans BassInvitational, where we noticed increasedweight averages per bass. Additionally, indi-vidual angler catches were also revealinglarger bass, as a 13-pound bass was caughtoutside the boundary dates of theShareLunker program in 2009. Finally, our

own sampling saw average bass weightstrending up.

Farooqi said he hoped Lake Ivie wouldbe able to produce 3-4 entries in theShareLunker program for 2010, but was asawed as the rest of the public when thatnumber tripled expectations.

O.H. Ivie has a solid history of produc-ing lunker bass, but nothing approaching the2010 explosion of fish weighing 13 poundsor more. The natural questions on everyanglers mind are why here, why now, and,more anxiously, will the trend continue in2011?

Farooqi wakes up thinking of these factorsevery day and has a grasp on the contribut-ing factors, though he doesnt believe he canpoint to one single event that triggered thetorrent of big bass.

Good Genetics: It is well establishedthat the Florida strain largemouth bass hasthe genetic package to reach trophy statusmore quickly and more often than nativenorthern strain fish. Good genetics is a testa-ment to the stocking efforts of TPWD thatcertainly created a strong foundation for atrophy bass explosion to occur at O.H. Ivie.

TPWD stocked Ivie with Florida large-


http://www.andemonofilament.com

mouth bass and fry during the initial fill in1989, as well as successive years in 1990through 1992. After a seven-year hiatus,TPWD again stocked with Florida finger-lings and adults in 1999 and 2001, therebyraising the trophy potential. Interestingly,TPWDs study of the trophy bass caught in2010 revealed they were all roughly 10 yearsold, which would mean we are likely reapingthe rewards from the 1999 and 2001 stock-ings.

Length and Bag Limit Changes:Farooqi believes a change in the length andbag limits made in 2001 paid dividends in2010.

In 2001, we went from a five-fish baglimit and 18-inch minimum length to a five-fish bag limit, of which two fish could beunder 18 inches. The intent was to encour-age some harvest of smaller bass from thelake, thereby reducing competition for foragespecies, which appears to be working.

Farooqi said studies show the foragemainly consists of gizzard shad and sunfish-es, which are protein bars for trophy bass.Populations of both species groups fluctuate,but are currently strong.

Tommy Hagler is a professional guide onIvie as well as maker of the popular HagsTornado soft plastics. He echoed the beliefthat abundant forage is a major factor inIvies recent fame.

Fishing for all species was really excel-lent in 2010. In addition to the bass fishing,catfish and crappie fishing was also especial-ly good throughout the year, which indicatesto me the predators have an abundance ofavailable food.

Water Levels: Perhaps fluctuatingwater level is the wildcard in trying tounderstand Ivies 2010 big bass magic. Aspreviously referenced, a major challenge fac-ing Lake Ivie, as well as other West Texaswater supply reservoirs, is maintaining waterlevels in such an arid region. Hagler believesthe falling water during the past several sea-sons simply made the lake smaller, therebyincreasing the odds of placing a lure in frontof a bass nose.

During the spring of 2010, we saw thebass really concentrated out on open waterpoints and humps near the spawning flats, soanglers could really have some big days byfishing the submerged vegetation withCarolina rigs and crankbaits. There are sim-ply not as many places for the bass to live aswhen the water is high, and deep into theshoreline brush.

Conversely, during periods of increasedwater levels such in 2005 and 2007, the ris-ing water causes a natural influx of nutrientsby flooding terrestrial vegetation. The resultis an increased food source for foragespecies, and ultimately the bass.

Finally, taking TPWDs age estimates of10 years for most of Ivies ShareLunkers in2010, a study of lake levels shows a periodof stability or slight increase in water levelsduring the years 2000 and 2001. Thoughinconclusive, Farooqi said this period couldhave further contributed to strong spawningclasses during that time.

Good management by TPWD combinedwith fluctuating water levels lead to the bestseason in Ivies big bass history. The desireto replicate those factors in other Texas reser-voirs is understandable, but unlikely to hap-pen, according to Farooqi.

We can and do replicate certain ele-ments of O.H. Ivies success in other reser-voirs by providing Florida strain geneticsand varying length and bag limits per reser-voir, but the water levels are totally out of ourcontrol. Therefore, we cant re-create thisexact model as a template to take else-where.

The 2011 Season: Farooqi andHagler agreed that 2011 has the potential tobe as good as 2010. Farooqi said all 11ShareLunker from 201 were released backinto the reservoir in good health.

I cant tell you if the big bass catcheshave peaked yet. My guess is that 2011 willcontinue to produce numerous trophy bass,due to the fact that fish from other year class-es should be emerging for the 2011 season.

Hagler also was hopeful for 2011 andbeyond.

The lake level will likely continue to fall,so this will concentrate the fish even more.Of course, Ivies record in 2010 is no secretto anyone in Texas, so the fishing pressurewill be very heavy. With more and moreanglers on the water on any given day, thisincreases the chances someone is going tointercept some of these big females through-out the season. I wouldnt be a bit surprisedif we see another lake record and severalmore ShareLunker entries.

As a new year dawns on Lake O.H. Ivie,the eyes of Texas remain on the small WestTexas reservoir to see if she can live up to herlegendary big bass dream season from 2010.

http://www.lowrance.com/tfg

24 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTOS: BACKGROUND, MATTHEW JONES, DREAMSTIME;BOATS COURTESY MANUFACTURERS



BY TF&G BOATING EDITOR

Lenny Rudow



1. You are running your bass boatfrom Hotspot A to Hotspot B on LakeFork at 60 mph in the final minutes of abig-money tournament. You are 1 ounceaway from winning and if you can get tothe next hotspot in time, you are a lock forfirst place. You spot a series of wakesahead, created by another bass boat. Youdon't want to slow down but you don't wantto pound yourself and your partner tosmithereens, so you:

A. Trim your outboard up slightly.B. Trim your outboard down slightly.C. Twitch the wheel from right to left,

right as you hit the wakes.D. What are you, a wimp? The tourna-

ment is on the line, so you need to hold on,shut up, and take the pounding.

2. A freak front suddenly pushesthrough and a 25-knot wind creates 3- to 4-foot waves. You are heading with the seas,but it's rough enough that you have nooption but to slow down and:

A. Trim your outboard up slightly.B. Trim your outboard down slightly.C. Twitch the wheel from right to left,

right as you hit the wakes.D. What are you, a wimp? The tourna-

ment is on the line, so you need to hold on,shut up, and take the pounding.

3. Dang it. You arrive at the weigh-intwo minutes late. You decide you need toget a few more mph out of your bass boat,and will do so by replacing your three-bladealuminum prop (which you know is the cor-rect pitch and diameter), with:

A. A four-blade aluminum prop.B. A four-blade stainless-steel prop.C. A three-blade composite prop.D. The above options will not increase

speed.

4. Still unsatisfied, you decide tobuy a new boat. You will be shopping forone that has a notched transom becausethis:

A. Allows the outboard to be mountedhigher while maintaining a clean flow ofwater to the prop, reducing draft andincreasing top-end speed.

B. Allows the outboard to be mountedlower, giving the prop more bite and speed-ing the hole-shot.

C. Allows the use of an outboard with ashorter shaft.

D. You don't want a notched transom;these are dated designs, and jack plates ren-der them obsolete.

5. You are running your new bassboat for the first time when it begins tochine-walk. To counter-steer a chine walk,you should always begin by turning to star-board.

TrueFalse

6. Tomorrow is a new day and youdecide to spend it hunting redfish andspeckled trout in your bay boat. You haven'trun this boat for a while, so as soon as youclear the ramp, you turn on your VHFradio and try a radio check. This should beperformed on channel:

A. 16B. 9C. Either of the above.D. Neither of the above.

7. As you putt toward a good cast-ing spot, you run aground. It's easy to getback off of the bottom, but you notice thatthe engine's tell-tail is not spitting water.Emergency procedure No. 1 is:

A. Shut down the motor and re-start it.B. Run a piece of mono fishing line into

the tell-tail to break the clog loose.C. Rev the engine a few times.D. Ignore since it doesn't really matter if

water is coming through the tell-tail.

8. As if running aground wasn'tbad enough, now your GPS has died. Youwill have to navigate from here back to thedock with your compass. Luckily, you knowthat you have been running for five miles ona course of 220 degrees. To go home, youwill need to run on a course of:

A. 10 degreesB. 40 degreesC. 120 degreesD. 360 degrees

9. You are almost back at theramp, but your timing was a bit off and it isalready growing dark. You can see a squarechannel marker up ahead, but you can'tmake out its color. Luckily, you know thatsquare markers are always:

A. Green; keep that marker on yourport side.

B. Red; keep that marker to starboard.C. Green/red; square markers denote

the middle of the channel and you can passthem on either side.

D. Marker shape and color are not relat-ed.

10. When you are running inreduced visibility and you see another boat'sred running light and white masthead light,you have the right of way.

TrueFalse

11. Lucky for you, there is also a22-foot center console parked in your drive-

JUST HOW COMPREHENSIVE is your nautical know-how? Are you a compe-tent captain whether you are ripping across a reservoir in a bass boat, meanderingthrough the marsh in a bay boat, cruising the coast in a center console, or driving tothe deep on an offshore sportfisher?

We are about to find out. Take this year's Texas Fish & Game Boating Quiz, andput your marine mastery to the test.


way. While the bay boat is in the shop, youdecide to go cruising along the coast insearch of cobia. While running at a 4500rpm cruising speed of 30 knots, you glanceat the gauges and note that you are burning17 gallons per hour. The number of statutemiles per gallon is:

A. 1.5B. 2.0C. 2.2D. 1.8

12. Yikes! You must be cursed. Amassive surprise front approaches youagain. The waves build quickly, and everyso often, a freakishly large one appears:

A. About once every 10 minutes.B. About once every 20 minutes.C. About once every half hour.D. About once every hour.

13. Being a well-versed mariner,you know that these waves exist for onlyabout:

A. One hour.B. A half-hour.C. 15 minutesD. One minute.

14. Now you have a new problem.You are relatively low on fuel, and youknow that traveling through rough seas canreduce your miles per gallon by about:

A. 5 percentB. 10 percentC. 25 percentD. 50 percent

15. Outboard-powered boats likeyour center console are the most popularfishing craft in the US, accounting forabout half of all boats on the water.

TrueFalse

16. You decide you are sick andtired of getting slammed by the seas, andwhen you get back to the dock, you godirectly to the local dealer and start shop-ping for big offshore sportfishers. The firstone you look at has a hull to deck jointthat's merely screwed shut, so you pass itby, knowing that the best hull to deck joints

are:

A. Screwed together, then sealed withan adhesive.

B. Through-bolted shut.C. Fiberglassed shut all the way around

the boat.D. It's irrelevant; the hull to deck joint is

not a high-stress area.

17. A 36-foot express with a pairof 600-hp inboard diesels catches your eye.There is just one problem: You know that aboat with 1200 diesel horses below deckswill burn a lot of fuel. At a normal cruiseof 2100 RPM, it should suck down about_______ gallons of diesel per hour.

A. 10-20B. 20-30C. 30-40D. 41 or more

18. You decide to take the boat fora sea trial. The dealer sets a course on theGPS, but consistently runs 1 degree off.One degree doesn't seem like much, but ifhe were to run for 20 miles, that 1-degreeerror would put him a good ways from theexact destination by:

A. 1840 feet, or about a third of a mile.B. Exactly one mile.C. 2520 feet, or about a half of a mile.D. It is impossible to say with the infor-

mation provided.

19. As you head back for the dock,you hear the words "pan-pan" repeatedthree times over the VHF radio. You turnup the volume to listen to the broadcast,because you know these words repeatedthree times precede:

A. A "mayday" emergency distress call.B. An announcement of an emergency

that is not immediately life threatening, butwithout assistance, could become life threat-ening.

C. An announcement regarding nationalsecurity.

D. An announcement of an impendingweather situation that could be dangerous.

20. Just as you enter a tight chan-nel, you see a sailboat coming at you fromthe port side. He doesn't seem to want tochange course, and you think a collision

might occur if he doesn't turn. Since hissails are down and he is clearly runningunder power, you know you have the rightof way. You stubbornly hold your courseuntil the boats smash into each other. Theowner of the sailboat sues you and wins.

TrueFalse

BONUS QUESTION: You decide tosay to heck with the big boats and buy akayak. You paddle through the channel,then over a shallow flat. As you do so, younotice that it becomes harder to paddle asthe water becomes shallower. This is due toaccelerated water velocity around thekayak's hull, caused by the water depth,which increases hull drag. This is known as"shallow water effect" and the loss of speedas it relates to water depth can be deter-mined using the ____________ method.

A. Bertollini.B. Schlicter.C. Schlichting.D. Phonecian.


See Page 47for the Answers

to theTF&G Boat Quiz

(Not so fast... finishthe Quiz first!)


28 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: TEXAS FISH & GAME



No issue since the Redfish Wars of the1980s or the on-going croaker wars hascaused as much debate, spawned the sort ofrancor, created the sort of internecine squab-bling among anglers the way the movementtoward a five-fish limit for Lower LagunaMadre speckled trout has. From the birth of

the Just Keep Five movement, through thescoping meetings in 2007, and the finalCommission approval and entry into theState Registry, the reduction of the 10-fishbag to half of that was a major issue from PortMansfield to South Padre Island.

The five-fish bag and possession limits

have been the law on Lower Laguna Madrefor almost three years, and remain a hot-but-ton issue. Some celebrate the Texas Parks &Wildlife Department decision, and othersbemoan it. No one will deny, however, thatthe reduced bag limit has changed the fishinglandscape.

Addition bySubtraction

The logic would seem to dictate thatreducing the bag limit for speckled troutwould translate into a reduced harvest ofLLM speckled trout, but preliminary datafrom TPWD creel surveys show the opposite.

Weve seen that more speckled trout arebeing harvested, said Mark Fisher, ScienceDirector for the Coastal Fisheries Division.Anglers see the five-fish limit as an attainablegoal, so they are fishing longer to reach it.

Fisher said creel surveys show more LLManglers are finding their trips more satisfying,which could translate to more repeat trips bythe same anglers, thus leading to more troutharvested. (A happy coincidence to the latteris an increase in the recruiting of new anglers.Increased success on an initial trip wouldmean that new fishermen would want to go

again and again).The size of trout retained has

also increased.With the 10- fish limit, the

average size of trout retained was15 inches, Fisher said. Withthe five-trout limit, a larger per-

centage of trout are 16 inches.

A FIVE SPECKLED TROUT LIMIT? Thats the worst thing that could everhappen to fishing on Lower Laguna Madre. Why would anyone want to come all theway down here to catch five trout when they can go to Upper Laguna, Corpus or far-ther north and catch 10 trout? No ones going to go down to Port Mansfield, PortIsabel, or Padre. A lot of people are gonna get hurt if they cut the limit to five.

A five speckled trout limit? Thats the best thing that could ever happen to fishingon Lower Laguna Madre. People will come down here because the fishing is justgoing to get better with a five-trout limit. More fish will make Lower Laguna the envyof the coast; and hotels, restaurants, and tackle and bait shops will benefit. A lot ofpeople are gonna be happy when they cut the limit to five.

PHOTO: TEXAS FISH & GAME

A five-troutstringer has beenthe law on theLower Laguna fornearly 3 years.

Just Keep 5


The extra inch means female trout thatreach sexual maturity at 12 inches have theopportunity to spawn that the time to growthat extra inch affords. A small leap to con-clude added spawning means more eggs, andthus more recruitment into the biomass.

Fisher also noted the surveys point to ashift in who is fishing for trout. More trout arecaught by private anglers rather than by guid-ed trips. The reverse was true with the 10-trout limit.

The Big Picture

So, has the five speckled trout limit beengood for Lower Laguna Madre?

The data from creel surveys is preliminary.It will take some time to get an accurate pic-ture of the efficacy of the five-trout limit.

We figured on a three-year window todetermine if the new limit is working, saidFisher. We are just finishing year three.

It will take time to gather, collate, study,and interpret all the data.

It is also important to note that somechanges might be due to other factors. The

increase in the success rate of private anglersas opposed to guided anglers, for example,might be as much (or perhaps more) to dowith the economic downturn leading togreater austerity among anglers. More fisher-men might be eschewing hiring captains andinstead splitting trip costs with friends.

There is no disputing that the reduced lim-its have made a difference. The questionremains as to whether the difference is posi-tive.

The big question is whether there will be astatewide five-fish limit.

Taking it to thePeople

If the brawl during the LLM scopingmeetings prior to five fish becoming the law ofthe land is any indication, any move to astatewide limit could lead to a rumble thatwould make the World WrestlingEntertainment empire proud. Some anglersare happy with the 10-fish limit, while othersthink five fish would be a boon to coastal fish-eries from Baffin to Sabine.

I dont have a problem with a reducedlimit, said Douglas Moore, a San Antonioangler having breakfast at a Three Riversdiner before completing his trek to Baffin oneOctober morning. I mean, its not going tostop my brother and me from going down tofish.

If anything, it means that well have to gofishing more often, Moores brother, Cliff,said with a wink.

Ill tell you what: If its good for the fish-ing, then Im all for it, Douglas added.

Fisher stated TPWD would hold scopingmeetings all along the Texas Coast duringJanuary to gauge public opinion aboutexpanding the five trout bag to other parts ofthe Texas Coast.

Were going to gauge the response towhether we should apply the limit on aregional basis, or if we should implement itstatewide, Fisher said. We are still in thepreliminary stages of the process.

The preliminaries, though, could lead to arousing main event.

http://www.power-pole.com

MooningDrum

MY FAVORITE TIME TO FISH HAS ALWAYSbeen on the full moon. It always seemsthat nature goes absolutely nuts whenthe moon is at its full splendor. Tides

pull fresh- saltwater in and out of the LowerLaguna Madre system, and along with it all sortsof prey. Even in the teeth of winter, the strengthof a good tidal flow from a full moon can pull oth-erwise lethargic fish into a more active mood.

The caveat to full-moon fishing is realiz-ing that the more popular species such asspeckled trout and redfish are still quitemoody in winter. If there has been a series offronts that push water temperatures belowthe two species comfort levels, nothing shortof dynamite will get fish in the boat, fullmoon or not. In that event, an angler has tomarch to the beat of a different drum. Blackdrum, that is, which really ramp up their for-aging during the full moon.

Schools of these finny, thick-bodied bull-dozers spread out in bays and along shore-lines looking for anything they can suckdown and smash into porridge in theircrushers. The north wind can blow, it candrizzle, fog can roll in, and the weather canjust be generally snotty, but the drum will beout there, thumping away with their signa-ture thoom, thoom. Hardy fishermen up anddown the coast take this opportunity to lineshorelines along passes and channels, oranchor near deep flats and holes to take shotat hooking a big ugly.

They key to night fishing for black drumis to locate areas with good water flow andaccess to the deep water that drum prefer ashighways to move around. Lighted fishingpiers such as the ones that dot areas such asthe Humble Channel in Corpus Christieliminate a lot of the guesswork on findingthe noisy bruisers. Drum will be around thelights pretty much from the time the lights

come on at dusk until thedawn. You need to get to oneof these piers pretty early becausethey can be popular during the drumrun, and these spots can get crowded. Pierlimits on the number of rods each angler canuse mitigates the space issue some, but it canstill get a little hairy when a school of biguglies are in casting range.

An underrated but productive night fish-ing area is within the shadows of causewaysand lighted bridges. Much like with a pier,the lights from the bridge washover the waters around thepilings and out acrossthe flats that flankthe bridge. Drumprowl around theflats and in theeddies betweenpilings, espe-cially near thedeepest part ofthe channel suck-ing in crab, shrimp,mantis shrimp (sealice) and other morsels.Anchor up-current and slightlyadjacent to the channel and cast your baitback into the eddy. Use a fish finder rig witha pyramid or flat sinker that will hold in thecurrent. If you have a reel with a clicker, putthe rod in a holder and set the alarm.

If you are not keen on fishing on a crowd-ed pier, and are uncomfortable with runninga boat at night, you can find some excellentnight fishing spots that offer a little moreelbow room and the security of staying onshore. If you prefer fishing deeper water with

your own fish attracting lights, try fishingalong the afore-mentioned shorelines ofchannels and passes. Old timers have longknown that the parts of channels that allowpublic access are great drum fishing spots.

The jetty systems from Texas City toBrazos Santiago are similarly effective. Thebiggest difference is that the currents havescoured deeper holes around certain nooksand groins that are apt to hold more fish,and pieces of the jettys structure have fallenaway and created some hidden structure.These deep holes and rocks are also drummagnets, and a patient angler equipped withplenty of tackle can have a banner evening.

For anglers who would rather spend acold January night in a nice, soft, warm bed,dont despair: not all full moon fishing takesplace in the dark. I had some excellent catch-es of drum, trout, and redfish at midday andlate afternoon. If the tide is moving-the fullmoon means stronger rising and falling tides-I have had tremendous success for smaller,slot-sized drum fishing the edge where a flat

drains into a channel. I anchor offthe edge, toss my bait (usually a

free-lined shrimp) up onto theflat, and let the drainingwater push my offering intothe drop-off. It doesnttake very long after that.

Black drum are not theprettiest of fish. They do

not have the following ofthe speckled trout or the

mystique of the redfish. Theflounder is actually uglier, but

have a better public relations man inChester Moore. Still, they can offer someexcellent sport, especially if the alternative isto stay at home and watch the Food Networkor work on the Honey Do list. In fact, whenfaced with fixing the toilet kit in the guestbedroom, a big ugly might be downrightpretty!

32 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: THOMAS LAMMEYER, DREAMSTIME

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

E-mail Calixto Gonzales at [email protected].

Not all full moonfishing takes place

in the dark.

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Old Baits to New

ICANT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHEN I MADE THEdiscovery, but it was not a pretty sight.

A pair of Rat-L-Traps, a Fat FreeShad, a spinnerbait, a Chug Bug, and

two jerkbaits lay wrapped in a colorful ballof plastic held together by twisted maze ofrusty treble hooks. The baits had somehowgotten tossed into a dusty corner in my tack-le room in the midst of a 2001 spring clean-ing project, and they appeared to be showingsome serious signs of neglect.

Most guys would havetrashed the lures without thinkingtwice about it. Not me. I saw $40worth of perfectly good tools hiding beneathall that dirt and grime, just waiting for afresh start.

Roughly 90 minutes later, the task wascomplete. Polished clean and armed withnew treble hooks, split rings, and skirts, thebaits were again ready for war. Several haveseen battle multiple times since.

Cleaning and maintaining fishing lures isa chore many anglers choose not to tackle.Most will contend it much easier to replacea weathered bait with a new one than it is toperform an overhaul.

That might be true. But it also is moreexpensive, particularly if the lure in questionis a premium hard body. Topwaters, jerk-

baits and crankbaits in that class can easilyfetch $15 or more on the retail market.

Nothing puts me in the mood for pullingsome maintenance on tackle like a cold anddreary winter day. If you live in Texas,chances are the month of January will bringwith it plenty of good opportunities to takecare of business.

Here are some worthwhile tackle mainte-nance tips to keep in mind:

Hard Body Lures(Crankbaits, Jerkbaits & Topwaters)

The first step is to remove all the splitrings and treble hooks. Toss the bait in a sinkor tub partially filled with water that is luke-warm or hot.

Sprinkle the lure with Comet or Ajaxand rub it lightly with your fingertips or alightweight brush. The abrasive cleanershould remove any dirt or grime build-up onthe paint. Plus, it will dull the finish some-what to give the lure more of a realistic look.Rinse thoroughly and towel dry

This also is a good time to check billedplugs for looseness. Bills that appear to bedeveloping some wiggle can be easilyrepaired using a two-part epoxy glue.

Inspect all hooks and split rings for rustbefore reassembly. Light surface rust canusually be removed using an abrasive clean-er and wire brush.

Badly rusted hooks and split rings shouldbe replaced using parts that duplicate theoriginal size. Using hooks or O-rings thatare too large could impair the action of thelure, or cause it to run untrue.

Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits, and Jigs

Like all metal, the blades on spinner- andbuzzbaits are prone to tarnish or oxidize overtime. Fortunately, it only takes a few minutesto resurrect the out-of-the package sheen.

The first step is to remove the skirt.Follow up by cleaning the head and blades

with Comet, then buff the surface to a bril-liant shine using a quality metal polish.

One of the best cleaners I have found isproduct called Flitz. A 7.6-ounce bottle ofthe metal polish retails for around $15, butit will last for several years. The polish alsois safe for use on painted surfaces, fiberglass,and plastic. It is advertised not to harm gel-cote and clear finishes. A less expensiveoption is Blue Magic Metal Polish. You canpick it up at most auto parts stores for under$10.

Ball bearing swivels on spinnerbaits alsodeserve some attention to keep them turningfreely. A good quality penetrating oil such asWD-40 works well for this purpose.

If the rubber skirt on a spinnerbait or jigseems frail or appears to be faded, replace it.Spinnerbait and jig skirts are relatively inex-pensive. I recently found high quality Z-Man silicone skirts for around $3.50 perfive-pack on the internet at jannsnet-craft.com. The price decreases on bulk pur-chases.

Ceramic Eyes and RodGuides

It is wise to perform regular checks on theceramic eyes on your rods line guides.Normal wear and tear can cause ceramiceyes to crack or chip, thus causing an abra-sive or sharp edge that can fray or cut fishingline.

A good way to check for rough spots is torub inside the ceramic eyes with a dry cottonball. If the cotton snags, the eye should berepaired before another cast is made.

While maintenance on fishing tackle isno fun in comparison to actually using it, themore love you show your gear the better itwill love you back. It can save you somemoney over the long haul, too.

Most guys would havetrashed the lures withoutthinking twice about it.

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams| TF&G Freshwater Editor

E-mail Matt Williams at [email protected].


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34 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: SHEILA NELSON



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Heavily armed rebels, roving groups ofbandits, and carjackers are just some of thethreats travelers face here.

Then, there is the wildlife.On top of dozens of species of antelope

and other hoofed game, the countrys lushhabitat supports many man-killing creaturesthat have drawn hunters from around theworld.

Sheila Nelson, who serves as Field &Stream marketing for Academy Sports &Outdoors, is one of those hunters. While onan extended safari a few years ago, she andher husband, Shaun, took separate paths atone point to pursue different game. He hadbig game aspirations of his own and shewanted to take a leopard.

I took a little plane, flew down to meetmy outfitter, and when I landed, we literallytook off to the field to go hunting.

As rarely happens on a leopard hunt, shetook a big, beautiful cat the very first night.With days left on her schedule, she and theoutfitter went the next night to check baitthat had been set for another hunter.

We left in the middle of the night andwere walking toward the jeep when I startedhearing brush cracking and this reallystrange, spooky noise.

Few words were spoken, but she couldtell the outfitter was concerned as his pacequickened and the sounds kept getting clos-er and closer.

Finally, I asked what was coming at usand he said, A bunch of hyenas--and theyare not happy with us.

They finally reached the safety of theirjeep, which did not start at first (horrormovie scenario, anyone?) and the outfitterasked Nelson if she wanted to shoot a hyena.

Of course I did.They pulled out into an open field and

turned on a predator call.You could hear them coming in and he

told me when he turns on the light, shoot oneand keep shooting.

She did, and ended up bagging a mon-ster hyena she had mounted along with her

leopard in a unique display. Hyenas are anunderrated danger in Africa, as attacks onhumans increase every year with little play inthe media despite their brutal nature.

Hyenas will not just kill but also eat you,including the bones as their powerful jawscrush through them; hyenas leave nothingbut blood at a kill site.

Its something I will never forget,Nelson said.

Carol ODay, who owns MG Arms inSpring along with her husband, Kerry, willnever forget her handgun hunt for Africanlion.

You could tell the trackers thought I wascrazy for wanting to take a lion with a hand-gun (.50 caliber), but I was determined andhad quite the encounter, ODay said.

Stalking through the South African bush,they came upon a lioness, and stealthilyapproached to within 35 yards.

We had to set up right there and kind ofwait her out. She was twitching and moving,and my guide told me if we got any closershe would attack.

The big female never attacked and fell toaccurate shot placement by ODay.

Daring to hunt lion is one of the mostdangerous things a sportsman can do.

The amazing thing about a lion is younever want to look one in the eye, even froma far distance, because they lock in on you.You are their sole target whether you are thehunter or not, or the guide, or a tracker; theywill come after you if you make eye contact.The hunter becomes the hunted, she said.

And that is exactly what happened withthe mountain lion she took with an MGArms .45 long Colt Dragonslayer.

At one point, my guide and I were sep-arate and he said, Just follow my tracks inthe snow. I started following his tracks, andI got down in the bottom of this little canyon.I was actually on my hands and knees at onepoint because it was so thick. I got to lookingand put my hand in his track--and in histrack was the mountain lion track.

I thought, Who is being stalked now? Is

it the mountain lion or me? So, I made itback to the rim of the canyon and they foundme. The chase was still on and I ended upgetting the cat.

ODay said this hunt, like many others,pushed her both physically and mentally.

With the mountain lion, we were allover a bunch of canyons and at an elevationI am not used to, being from Texas. Thereare lots of things going into a hunt like that,or my African lion hunt, or Cape buffalo, orany variety of dangerous game, that make itinteresting; and I think thats what keepscalling me back to do it again and again.

You might notice I never mentioned thesewere lady hunters or female hunters inthis story until now. I figured you wouldnotice that without my mentioning it, andmore importantly, I have never looked atladies in the field as some sort of novelty butjust equal companions in a quest to followthe call of the wild.

Years ago, they might not have beenaccepted and there might still be a few chau-vinists around the campfire, but as these twohunters and statistics show, women are nownot only hunting more but are leaders in thehunting industry.

Some of them just happen to be gutsyenough to stalk African lions and prowlthrough the bush at night in pursuit of leop-ards and hyenas.

How cool is that?

FEW PLACES ARE MORE TREACHEROUS than the wilds of Zimbabwe,Africa. Marred by political instability, corruption, and crime, traveling in the countrycomes with many warnings from the U.S. State Department.

The political, social, economic, and security situations in Zimbabwe are unpre-dictable and could deteriorate quickly without warning.

On the Web

Watch interviews in whichSheila Nelson and CarolODay talk with ChesterMoore about their big gameadventures:

www.FishGame.com/video


Deer Camp

THE CLOSE OF DEER HUNTING SEASON IS ONEof my saddest times of the year. Gone untilnext fall are the laughter of hunters arounda smoky campfire; the smell of bacon

grease atop a hot camp stove; the sound ofsqueaky deer blind doors; and the sight of dresseddeer hanging from shaded poles.

Suits and work clothes replace camou-flage coveralls and caps as the dress of theperiod; bloodstains have been removed fromthe beds of pickups; and four-wheelers areback in the garage. No more corn ker-nels down the collars of huntershitting the Test buttonon feeders, or loudsnores from deercamp compan-ions.

T h e s ethings andother thingsmust lie dor-mant untilnext autumnbrings idle deercamps back to life.

January is a goodtime for veteran hunters tolook back at deer camps they haveknown, and perhaps for novice hunters togain even more appreciation for their firstdeer camp.

As I look back at the many deer camps Ihave been a part of over several decades, Irecall some that had electricity, and othersthat didnt; some had outhouses, others hadshovels.

The main accommodations were a vari-ety of tents, old dilapidated houses, traveltrailers, motor homes, pickup truck beds,and, occasionally, just the ground. Ive slepton or in them all, and thats why I once told

a fellow hunter I could go to sleep lyingdown, leaning, or propped up.

Deer camp food is equally diverse andchallenging. Many of todays hunters go theeasy route with everything from pre-cookedheat-and-eat meals to boiled wieners for hot-dogs, block chili, S.O.S. (sausage, gravy,and biscuits), and canned goods. My prefer-ence always has been something grilled,smoked, fried, or sauted such as steaks, faji-tas, baby back ribs, and similar fare. Theonly meat I ever have liked boiled is deer orelk heart, but I dont have a problem goingwith the flow.

I remember a deer camp near Junctionwhen a friend and I were the only ones there.He told me ahead of time his wife hadcooked up a batch of stew and frozen it in a

large butter container, and he said he wouldbring it for our evening meal.

As darkness crept in, he said the contain-er of stew was in his ice chest and asked meto retrieve it. I did, and as I walked back tomy friend, I opened the lid to check out thecontents. I just shook my head as I handed itto him. I hope you like butter, I said. Fordinner that night, we fried the eggs I hadbrought for breakfast and used the butter ontoast.

Deer camp is a great place to improviseand invent new recipes. One of my favoriteconcoctions is smoked nachos I came upwith while alone in deer camp. I had a verysmall grill with a lid. Since nachos are nomore than melted cheese on a tostado withwhatever other toppings you add, it was aneasy chore.

I lit eight chunks of charcoal and placeda few broken pieces of mesquite on top ofthem. I placed the tostados, cheese, andjalapeno nachos on a sheet of foil and closedthe lid. The smoked cheese gave the nachosa distinct flavor over oven-cooked nachos.

Deer camps all are about memories,whether hunting with friends or alone. Aseach season ends, its time to re-organize fornext fall; remove old flashlight batteries, oilrifles, wax bow strings, and check hunting

clothes and boots for wear and tear.Years ago, my wife at that time

decided the pair of boots Ihad been wearing for 10

or 12 years were soworn I needed to

get a new pair. Iargued that theywere the mostc o m f o r t a b l eboots I ever had

and I wasntabout to get rid of

them.When I came home

from the grocery store thenext day, I found her sitting on

the

January 2011

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