May 2011

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2 | M A 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 COMMENTATORREAVIS WORTHAM HUMOR EDITOR

TOM BEHRENS CONTRIBUTING EDITORGREG BERLOCHER CONTRIBUTING EDITORPAUL BRADSHAW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CAPT. MIKE HOLMES CONTRIBUTING EDITORLISA MOORE CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITORJOHN GISEL WEBSITE CONTENT MANAGER

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

NICOLE BECKA MARKETING REPRESENTATIVEVIGA HALL MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032PHONE 281/227-3001 FAX 281/227-3002

SUBSCRIPTION/PRODUCT MKTG.

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032

PHONE 800/725-1134

ACTION SUBSCRIPTION FULFILLMENT

DUANE HRUZEKPRESIDENT

HEIDI GERKE SUBSCRIBER SERVICES MGR.KIM YOUNG DATA INTEGRITY MGR.

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A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

DENNISE CHAVEZADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

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].

Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at addition-

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MEMBER AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS

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MAY 2011 Volume XXVII NO. 1

FEATURES

34 THE ALPHABET PLUGSFrom the Long A, to the Z-plug,the so-called Alphabet Plugsrepresented a great leap forwardin fishing lure design in the mid-1900s.

by Reavis Wortham

44 BLINDING LIGHTFew hunters admit it, but they areprobably not as safe when in thefield as they think they are, espe-cially where vision is concerned. Agood pair of shooting glasses notonly protects eyesight, but aids inhunting shooting as well.

by Bob Hood

48 THE TF&G CATFISH QUIZWe leaned on a lot of catfishexperts to lend a hand in assem-bling this catfishing quiz to testyour knowledge of ol whiskers.

by Matt Williams

52 BAIT-PROOF BASS?Studies have shown not only thatlargemouth bass are fast learners,as in adapting to fishing pressure,but also that there may be genetictraits in some bass that give them anatural resistance to getting caughteven once.

by Chester Moore

PH

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ON THE COVERS:

BROKE-BACK MOTIONThe broken-backplug was a staplein Coastal anglertackleboxes for

decades. After losing ground tonewer concept baits, jointedlures are making a comeback.

by Calixto Gonzales

STREAMING BASSGo with the flow,and you can findbass fishing trea-sures on many of

Texas rivers and streams...some of the most under-apprea-ciated fisheries in the state.

by John Felsher

STORY:

24

www.FishGame.com

STORY:

28

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COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNS

MAY 2011 Volume XXVII NO. 1

10 Editors NotesGrowUpby DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

14 Chesters NotesAn AnglingJourneyby CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

16 Doggett at LargeThe FinalFrontierby JOE DOGGETTTF&G Senior Contributing Editor

18 Pike On the EdgeThe LostGenerationby DOUG PIKETF&G Senior Contributing Editor

20 TexasWildBear Under theMidnight Sunby TED NUGENTTF&G Editor At Large

21 CommentaryReading, Writing& Reloadingby KENDAL HEMPHILLTF&G Politcal Commentator

32 Texas SaltwaterPregnant CompanyExcusedby CALIXTO GONZALESTF&G Saltwater Editor

42 Texas FreshwaterFish &Chipsby MATT WILLIAMSTF&G Freshwater Editor

47 Hunt TexasDont Be aSlobby BOB HOODTF&G Hunting Editor

56 Open SeasonDinner AmongFriendsby REAVIS WORTHAMTF&G Humor Editor

DEPARTMENTS

8 LETTERS

12 TF&G REPORT

12 BIG BAGS &CATCHES

22 NEW! TEXASDEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

38 TRUE GREEN

www.FishGame.com


Mac Gables The OldWays Still Work

WHAT A HEART WARMING ARTICLE[Hotspots Focus: Rockport, March 2011]with real feeling. This is one of the best-written articles in your publication. This

should give individuals in similar situationsinspiration to live life to the fullest andenjoy every moment.

I can relate to the circumstances in thisfine article. We have had a number of closefriends in similar situations and have knownsome of them to just give up. The spirit ofnot giving up works wonders.

You have one of the best publi-cations out there. Your editors andcontributing writers do a great jobin every issue of your magazine.Keep the stories and informationcoming.

Again, what a great article.

Durwood CochrumSouthlake, Texas

Seminar SaluteI JUST WANTED TO DROP YOU A LINE IN

appreciation of the seminar Chester Mooregave at the Houston Fishing Show. I goevery year and mostly for the seminars. Itwas a real treat to hear someone speakabout the mechanics of fishing and not try-ing to sell a rod, reel, wade belt, boots, etc.But I understand that's part of it; I'm notcomplaining.

It was refreshing, and hope you do itagain next year.

Dave Durham,Via E-mail

Letters to the Editor

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Laughing GullsYOU THINK LAUGHING GULLS [Editors

Notes, March 2011 issue] are expensive?Ha! After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, seaotters (a plentiful species) cost $250,000each to save, if I remember right.

I also remember reading that the aver-age price for 2-year-old thoroughbred racehorses at the famed Keeneland sale thatyear was $215,000.

We do know that no sea otter has everwon a Kentucky Derby, but many of thecheaper 2-year-old race horses that havepassed through Keeneland have.

Jay ButeEl Lago, Texas

Lessons inConservation

THANKS SO MUCH FOR EXPOSING THE

environmentalist plot to fool us simple out-door folk [Editors Notes, February 2011],as I always suspected anyway. One of themain reasons I keep subscribing to yourmagazine is for the fine investigative jour-nalism like that article, exposing the mis-guided ideas and plots of the left nuts.Don't listen to the whinny liberals whocomplain that your magazine is too slantedand pro-conservativetelling it like it iskeeps us all informed and protects our her-itage as the true stewards of Earth.

Best, BrianVia Email

Quote of the YearI LOVED THE LAST LINE OF DOUG PIKES

Pike on the Edge column [March 2011issue]: Never let money allocated for fish-ing back into the family's general fund.Same as tax dollars once its taken away,youll never get it back. I wonder if Dougmade that one up or if he borrowed it? Tell

him to put it on a T-shirt; he might make abuck or two.

It's a good thing my wife and girls fishand know the meaning of fishing money,otherwise I wouldnt be writing this. Oh,yeah, regulations. Enough already!

Dave AyesVia E-mail

Send Your Comments and Letters to:

EditorTexas Fish & Game1745 Greens RDHouston, Texas 77032

Email us at

[email protected]

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Grow Up

MY MOTHER AND I WERE IN THE OLDLeonard Brothers department store indowntown Fort Worth, she shoppingfor some needed item unavailable at the

Goodwill store, I lusting after myriad stock items inthe toy department.

One item caught my interest like noothera plastic, battery-powered frogmanthat actually swam. The potential for under-water demolition missions in the creek or stocktank irresistibly trilled a siren song. I simplymust have that frogman.

I put on my best pleading face and rangreedily to my mother, proffering the packagedfrogman. Her eye immediately went to the

price tag$11, an outrageous sum in 1963.No, we cant afford that, stung like a

bullnettle.Why? I whined.We just cant...I dont have enough

money, Mother replied with a hint of sad-ness.

Times were tough. The latest round of lay-offs at Convair had caught my father. Mymothers job at a grocery store checkout count-er barely kept the lights on and the cupboardsstocked. Extra money for whims and indul-gences did not exist.

I was too ignorant to know thatand tooimmature to care.

I pitched a fit right there in LeonardBrothers, crying, pleading, jumping up anddownacting like the child I was.

Mother abandoned her shopping and led

me by the hand out of the store, still protestingand acting the brat. She ushered me into theback seat of our old 1955 Chevy, where shewore out the seat of my britches.

In retrospect, I was behaving like a brat,selfish and clueless. That $11 represented autility bill payment or a week of groceries formy familybut even had I known, I probablywould not have cared.

Immaturity is the stepchild of ignorance,and selfishness the offshoot of immaturity.Nothing is more ignorantor selfishthan anewborn of any species, including Homo sapi-ens. The driving motivation is limited to satis-fying needs and, a bit later, wants. As theyoung learn, egoism gives way to altruism (car-ing for young or herd among mammals, truealtruism among people).

If learning and maturation get short-

Editors Notes

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

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stopped, egoism remains dominant. Thatswhy small childrenand immature adultsthrow tantrums, whine, and pout.

A slack economy and consequent govern-ment budget shortfalls have summoned theimmature to actionwhining, pouting, com-plaining, and tantrum throwing.

A press release from Environment Texas,the Sierra Club, and Texas Travel IndustryAssociation bearing the headline, ParksAdvocates Decry Parks and Wildlife BudgetCuts declares:

On the eve of the vote on the state budget inthe Texas House, parks advocates will gatheron the south steps of the Capitol today, March31 at 2:30 PM, to speak out against a 25%budget cut to the Texas Parks and WildlifeDepartment. The groups said the cuts in HB 1could force the closure of at least seven stateparks, eliminate grants for local parks and play-grounds, end leases for almost one million acresof public hunting land, and hurt wildlife man-agement efforts.

Texans help support our parks in a numberof ways, including conservation license plates,

park entrances fees and sales taxes on sportinggoods like bicycles, fishing tackle and campinggear. The sporting goods sales tax brings inabout $120 million every year, yet HB 1 raids73% of those funds and diverts them to otherpurposes. Thousands of Texans pay an extra$30 for conservation license plates to helpfund conservation efforts right here in Texas,yet 50% of those funds are also diverted.

The people of Texas have spoken loud andclear that parks and wildlife are important tothem, said Ken Kramer, Director of the LoneStar Chapter of the Sierra Club. But the truthis that legislators are using most of the licenseplate money and the majority of the sportinggoods tax revenue to try to balance the budget.The Legislature needs to keep the faith with thepublic and use the money raised for parks andwildlife to maintain our parks and protect ourwildlife.

To these and other ox-gored advocates,my message is simple: Grow up. Stop beingselfish, egocentric brats. Money is tight rightnow, and the states fundswhich it acquiresfrom you and meis needed for far more

pressing necessities than building outhouses instate parks or leasing dove fields.

When families and individuals fall on hardeconomic times, luxuries and indulgences arefirst to the chopping block. The kids mightwhine, complain, and maybe pitch a fit, butthat does not change the economic situation.Brown bag work and school lunches, storebrand sneakers, and TV in lieu of a trip to themovies never hurt anyone. Nor has diggingand re-covering a latrine hole for want of statepark facilities.

I have long advocated TPWD divestingitself of state parks that cannot sustain them-selves financially, and it has been doing justthat over the past year or so, so I will shed nota tear if it closes a few more. Further, I hopeit uses this opportunity to look in the mirror,realize it is a bloated albatross, and then per-manently trim away the fat that makes it aninefficient, bureaucratic boondoggle insteadof the lean, fit, model of efficiency it oncewas.

E-mail Don Zaidle at [email protected].

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Plea Deal Struckin WildlifeTrafficking Case

BIG BUCKS, KINGSIZE RACKS, HEALTHYpaydays, and a blatant disregard for federaland state game laws put two East Texasbrothers on a rocky path that could takethem straight to the slammer and cost themthousands of dollars in fines and civil restitu-tion fees.

The Department of Justice and U.S.Attorney's Office for the District of Kansasrecently announced that James BobbyButler, Jr. and Marlin Jackson Butler, bothof Martinsville, pled guilty in federal court inWichita, Kan., to felony conspiracy andwildlife trafficking charges.

The charges came after a lengthy investi-gation tied the brothers to illegal hunting

activity in southern Kansas during 2005-2008.

Agents with the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, game wardens with the KansasDepartment of Wildlife and Parks, and theTexas Parks & Wildlife Department con-ducted the investigation.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney'sOffice said the case was the largest case of itskind ever prosecuted in Kansas.

On March 16, James B. Butler, 42,pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy toviolate the Lacey Act, one substantive LaceyAct count and one count of obstruction ofjustice. Marlin J. Butler, 36, pleaded guiltyto one count of conspiracy to violate theLacey Act and one Lacey Act count.

The Lacey Act is the nation's oldestnational wildlife protection statute. Someonewho knowingly transports or sells in inter-state commerce any wildlife taken or pos-sessed in violation of state law or regulation

is in violation of the Lacey Act.Maximum penalty for a felony violation

of the Lacey Act includes up to five years inprison and a $250,000 fine. The maximumpenalty for an obstruction of just charge is20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The plea hearing was held two weeksbefore the Butler's were scheduled to go tojury trial on the aforementioned charges,along with numerous other felony chargesoutlined by a 23-count indictment returnedby a federal grand jury in May 2010.

The indictment charged James Butlerwith 18 violations of the Lacey Act andthree counts of obstruction of justice; MarlinButler with 12 Lacey Act violations.

The indictment stated the Butlersworked together in operating a guiding serv-ice and hunting camp called Camp LoneStar in Comanche County, Kansas. There,prosecutors said the brothers sold guidedhunts to non-resident hunters for the purpose


Nine-year-old Dylan Brown killed this 10-point buck while hunting in ConchoCounty.

Megan Ewers, age 9 of Kingsville, Texasposes with little brother Tanner with her1st big game animal. This impala wastaken in Namibia with a TC youth model.243 while hunting with her father Michaeland mother Stacie.

Nicholas Reece, age 5, caught this 28-inch speckled trout on while fishing in SanLeon, near Eagle Point Fishing Camp.

The TF G Report&

BIG BAGS CATCHES&

San Leon

SpeckledTrout

Concho Couny

WhitetailBuck

Nambia

Impala

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of illegally hunting and killing white-taileddeer and mule deer.

The government says the guided huntssold for $2,500-$5,500. Prosecutors claimthat hunters guided by the Butlers killeddeer in excess of annual bag limits, hunteddeer without permits, or used permits for thewrong deer management unit, killed deerusing illegal equipment and hunted by illegalmeans or methods.

As part of the plea agreement, the broth-ers acknowledged guiding hunters to 25buck deer cited in the indictment, whichearned them $77,500 in guide fees and tips.They also admitted arranging for transportof antlers and capes from Kansas to Texasand Louisiana.

In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecu-tors agreed to drop the remaining charges inthe indictment. They also recommended thefollowing sentences based on federal sen-tencing guidelines:

James B. Butler, Jr., 41 months in prison;three years of supervised release, duringwhich time the defendant may not hunt, fishor trap any wildlife, nor accompany othersengaged in such activity, nor provide guid-ing, outfitting or other hunting-, fishing- ortrapping- related services; pay a $25,000fine; pay $25,000 in civil restitution to theKDWP; pay a $100 special assessment foreach count of conviction.

Marlin J. Butler, 27 months in prison;three years of supervised release, duringwhich time the defendant may not hunt, fishor trap any wildlife, nor accompany othersengaged in such activity, nor provide guid-ing, outfitting or other hunting-, fishing- ortrapping- related services; pay a $10,000fine; pay $10,000 in civil restitution to theKDWP; pay a $100 special assessment foreach count of conviction.

Prosecutors also agreed not to opposeany application by either defendant forrelease on bond pending any appeal of thesentence imposed in the case.

Sentencing for the brothers is scheduledfor June 2 by U.S. District Judge WesleyBrown of Wichita, Kan. Brown, who at 103is the oldest federal judge still hearing cases,is not bound by the sentencing recommenda-tions in the plea agreement, according to JimCross, public affairs officer for the U.S.Attorney in the District of Kansas.

"Whenever somebody goes to sentencingwith a federal judge, it is up to the judge to

sentence that case, regardless of what theprosecution or anybody else says," Crosssaid. "The judge has the authority to go upor down. Prosecutors generally go into itassuming the judge will decide whatever hethinks is right."

James Butler's attorney, Kurt Kerns ofWichita, in a recent story published by theAssociated Press, referred to the 41-monthprison term recommended for his client as"ridiculous." Kerns also told the AP he

plans to object to the prison term.Roger Falk, Marlin Butler's attorney,

said he believes the resolution reached withthe government is appropriate in the case.

by Matt Williams

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An AnglingJourney

AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING, I HAVE 116blog entries at fishgame.com. In just over15 months since the new websitelaunched, I have worked hard to do at

least a couple of entries a week covering every-thing from waterfowl nesting ground conditions tomy personal outdoors adventures.

But the blog is changing.It will still feature commentary on news

and important issues, but the focus now willcenter on helping you catch more fish.

A couple of years ago I asked the Lord

to grant me knowledge on how to help peo-ple catch more fish and realize their anglingdreams. Within a very short time, incredibleopportunities came my way that began tochange my approach to fishing andenhanced my understanding of species, ecol-ogy, and angling skills.

I am on a journey that has already seenme in the last two years catch more big floun-der, bass, crappie, and speckled trout than Ihad in the previous decade. And that is thetruth.

I invite you to come with me by checkingout my blog on a regular basis and joiningme on the quest to better equip our neigh-bors and ourselves as we enjoy Texas' incred-ible fishing opportunities.

Being blessed to have worked exclusivelyin the writing field out of my home for the

last 19 years, I have been able to spend a lotof time in the field. I am currently fishing 4-5 days as week, and with each trip, I amspecifically setting goals to learn new tech-niques and gain insight into the fish we pur-sue.

Since I bring my little girl to school fivedays a week, sometimes I can go for only anhour or two, but even that time has provenincredibly valuable because the focus is oneducation, not necessarily accomplishment.

Take for example a series of floundertrips my father and I took last fall.

We fished the yacht basin on PleasureIsland at Sabine Lake. I could see vaguedetails of the bottom in 8 feet of water. Infact, I watched a flounder follow my lure upfrom about 6 feet deep and strike it a coupleof inches under the surface.

Chesters Notes

by Chester Moore | TF&G Executive Editor


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T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | M A Y 2 0 1 1 | 15

Flounder are not fans of clear water andrequire serious changes in gear.

Two months later, I watched a plume ofsuper clear water come in from the Gulfdown into the channel, and the flounder biteturned off immediately. To test a theory, wemoved north just ahead of the clear waterand got bit.

As the clear water hit, the bite shut off.When we moved down farther, we got bites.

We were rigged up with Moss GreenSpiderwire and pink Twister Tails tippedwith shrimp.

...from the perspective of someone whois out there actually doing it in the realworld.

The next day, we knew the water wasgoing to be clear since the tides were runninghigh and there was no run-off, so weswitched to using Stren Fluorocast (fluoro-carbon) line and Salt and Pepper Arkie jigs;we caught flounder in the exact spot wherethey wouldn't hit in the clear water the daybefore.

These are the kinds of conditions anglersface all the time, but because most can fish

only on the weekends, there is little opportu-nity for experimentation. This is fishing inthe real world. In fact, I have started anentirely new blog separate from my regularChester Moore blog called TF&GReal-World Angling.

I cannot guarantee I will blog things thatwill make you catch your longest trout or fat-test bass, but I do promise--win, lose, ordraw--my experimentation on the water willbe posted so you will have the opportunity tolearn from my successes and failures.

A gigantic chunk of my blogging willnow be dedicated to experimenting with fish-ing techniques and equipment, and studyingfish behavior related to tides, wind, waterclarity, and barometric pressure. As I experi-ence it, I will blog it--literally come off thewater and post it at fishgame.com. And itwill all be done from the perspective of some-one who is out there actually doing it in thereal world.

We want the website to be the premieresource of real-time outdoors information,and I am dedicating my blog to using myblessing to help you enjoy your fishing time.

I truly believe the time we spend in thegreat outdoors is sacred, and most of us getfewer and fewer days to pursue our fishing(and hunting) interests due to the insanelybusy state of our world. We at Texas Fish &Game want you to enjoy your outdoors time,and know that we are out in the field all thetime testing the waters (and woods) for you.

It is a journey I am looking forward toand I look forward to reading your feedback.Feel free to send in questions and your ideasfor tackle and technique testing.

Together, we can do great things.Check it out at:

www.forum.fishgame.com/blog.php?u=807.

To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him [email protected]. You can hear him

on Moore Outdoors Fridays from 6-7p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online

at www.klvi.com.

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The FinalFrontier

ALASKA IS THE ULTIMATE LIGHT-TACKINGangling destination. This is assuming youlust for wild places and wild fishneitherof which is a gimme in our increasingly

compromised world.I base this statement on approximately 30

fishing trips to the Great Land. Or, if youprefer, the Final Frontier.

My first expedition to Alaska was duringJuly of 1975; the most recent was lastSeptember. I feel reasonably qualified to talkabout the enormity of the angling opportuni-ties afforded by Sewards Folly.

(In case your American history is a bitfuzzy, Secretary of State William H. Sewardpushed against strenuous opposition in 1867for the purchase of Alaska from Russia for$7.2 million, or approximately 2.5 cents peracre for the most fabulous wilderness in NorthAmerica.)

Alaska became the 49th state in 1959,bringing with it the richest Pacific salmon runsand largest native rainbow trout populations inthe world. Not to mention gold, oil and otherassets of marginal interest.

But I digress. Well, sort of. The fact thatthe monstrous wilderness is a state is a hugeplus for the travelling angler. Immigration has-sles are a non-event for the U.S. citizen. So,also, are revolutions and anti-American senti-ments. You dont need a passport and youdont need inoculations.

By happy coincidence, the money is exact-ly the same as it is in Texas. And the odds arepretty good that in Anchorage, en routebetween the Ted Stevens International Airportand the Captain Cook Hotel, you wont getcaught up in an exchange of automatic weaponfire between rival drug cartels.

Comprende, senor?You simply step off the jet and claim your

duffle bags and rod tubesand face the great-est wild fishery for cold-water game fish in the

world. This especially is true if you fly fish.Perhaps best of all, much of this fishing is

done while wading with a light rod and a float-ing line. Sight casting is a frequent occurrence.And, many days, you are alone with yourfriends in the company of bears and eagleswith snow-capped vistas as far as you can see.

Wild rainbows in the 5- to 8-pound classare common, and a good day might face sever-al dozen fish per rod. A super fish mightweigh 10 or 15 pounds and tape 32 or 33inches in length.

Alaska is a huge venue and it is easy tomake a wrong turn and have a mediocre trip.You must do your homework regarding loca-tions, facilities, and seasonal runs. An experi-enced booking agent with hands-on experienceis strongly advised. Winging it as a first-timercan be a major mistake.

Basically, trout follow the spawning salmoninto feeder streams, there to gorge on eggs,and a week or two might make a significantdifference in a given area or on a specificstream.

In my experience, the huge Bristol Bayregion southeast of Anchorage and accessibleonly by plane is the mother lode for thesalmon/trout cycle. Several dozen camps andlodges are in the area and most operate on aweekly basis. Frankly, given the time and effortrequired to reach wilds of Alaska from Texas,a shorter trip scarcely is worth the hassle.

With proper timing, the fishing usually isphenomenal. Thats the upside. The down-side is that the fishing is expensive. Keep inmind the season is short, approximately earlyJune through the end of September. Andlogistics for supplying the camps and lodgesare difficult and costly. Operators must profitduring that four-month window.

Three basic options are available: daily fly-out lodges, fixed lodges, and tent or float-tripcamps. Ive done them all.

The full-service fly-out lodges are the mostexpensive, running $6,000 to $8,000 perweek. The fixed camps and floats might runhalf that tab. While those prices might soundoutrageous, remember the short season andhigh operating costs.

All can provide a world-class adventure

but the fly-out lodge is the ultimate experience.The cliche, trip of a lifetime, never has beentruer than when you and your friends step withprofessional guides into a float plane and soarlike an eagle to a wilderness stream. Typically,you strike a different location each day and itis possible to fly for an hour without seeing thefirst significant sign of civilization. The magni-tude and majesty of wild Alaska must be expe-rienced to be believed.

A tip on selecting a fly-out lodge: Makecertain it has easy boat access to qualityhome water. If you are fogged in and cannotfly, you dont want to spend $1,000 a day sit-ting in camp and playing cards.

Newhalen Lodge, owned by Bill Sims andlocated near Lake Clark/Lake Iliamna(newhalenlodge.com), is an excellent exampleof a top fly-out operation. The camp handlesonly 14 anglers per week, but commands afleet of three de Havilland Beavers on floatsplus a Cessna 206 on wheels. Thats seriousfire power backed by the commitment to putguests on the best possible fishing spots.

Ive made 16 consecutive trips toNewhalen Lodge (paying my share to covercosts, incidentally) and can count on one handthe days the Newhalen guides were beaten tothe water they really wanted. That dedicationcan make the difference between a so-so dayand the memory of leaping salmon and troutthat will beckon for as long as you stare at thehorizon.

Alaska waits over that horizon. Sadly, theBristol Bay region is threatened by efforts toopen the Pebble Mine, the largest open-pitmining operation in the world, and one thatsits over the major arteries of the sockeyesalmon runs. One bad screw-up could devas-tate the regions fishery.

But, for now, Bristol Bay is safe. And, iffate allows me only one final fishing trip any-where in the world, I would take a seat inone of those bush planes.

E-mail Joe Doggett at [email protected]

Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor


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The LostGeneration

IF I DIDNT SINCERELY BELIEVE OTHERWISE,Id swear that an entire generation hasmissed out, tragically, on the joy of outdoorrecreation. We you and I are going to

right that miserable wrong.Not all of them, perhaps, but enough to

turn my graying head. Almost nothing but atotal collapse of the generational passage ofoutdoors skills, after all, could have left somany people in this nation wholly ignoranton the subjects.

Through more than a quarter century of

doing what I do, there hasnt passed anoth-er two-year stretch during which I got somany calls and e-mails from men and womenwho confesses utter cluelessness to pastimesand passions you and I consider buildingblocks for a good and wholesome life.

They cant bait hooks. They cant loador shoot guns. They cant pitch tents. Theywouldnt know a mud puddle from a pasturepatty, and worse, theyre embarrassed toadmit the shortcomings.

Heres my theory on what triggered thisonslaught of confessions and questions.Sometime during the past 30-50 years(because thats the average age of so manysouls lost in the outdoors), there apparentlywere thousands of marriages of Hippies tocity slickers, most likely in states other thanTexas. Well, almost certainly outside Texas.

The offspring of those relationships werechildren who, by no fault of their own, didnot receive at any time in youth a properintroduction to the outdoors. Instead, theirparents (and by default, they) followed alter-native paths into lifestyles perhaps of highfinance or high technologyor maybe justhigh. However their weekdays unfolded,weekends didnt start with putting the city inthe rearview mirror.

At least not in time to make a difference.If you havent launched yourself into a lakeoff a rope swing or fired a BB gun or caughta perch on a cane pole by the time youre 9or 10, you may never learn.

Instead, you know which subway train orbus line gets uptown quickest at rush hour orthat tall really means small in some coffeeshops or the secret code to help you win a

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

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favorite video game. But you wouldnt knowa squirrel from a hippo if either one scam-pered down a tree limb and snatched anacorn off your window sill.

Theyre out there. And they contact meand everyone else in this industry regularly.And you know why? Because they realize,consciously or otherwise, that somethingvital is missing either from their own lives orfrom the lives of their children.

Letters are missing from their spiritualand emotional alphabets, and they cantseem to spell contentment or inner peace oramazement.

They want to do the simple things wetake for granted, to learn as adults the skillswe learned as children. But they often aretoo embarrassed to ask the questions.

Theres no shame in not knowing howsomething if you never did it. The shame isin someone letting pride deny them thechance to experience something entirely new.

This is where you and I enter the scene.These folks need and want our help,although they sometimes dont come rightout and ask for it. Disinterest becomescuriosity, which becomes interest. At thatstage, we can provide the bridge betweenindoors and outdoors, between nothing andeverything.

Most of them have no preconceivednotions about out sports, but a few actuallycome from the other side. They see us hav-ing fun, they realize were not jerks, and theywant to join us.

A man called my radio show in Januaryand confessed a prior opinion that hunterswere whiskey-guzzling buffoons who passedout around campfires by night and shot upthe woods by day.

Then he started listening, openly, to co-workers who are avid deer hunters. And helearned that they rarely actually shoot deer,but that they instead are managing the ani-

mals on their lease so that each member hasthe chance if he or she chooses in a subse-quent season to take a trophy buck. Or amature buck of lesser trophy potential or anexcess doe for the freezer. Or a hog.(Goodness knows Texas wont run out offeral pigs any year soon.)

He learned about antler restrictions andconservative wildlife management, and helearned that those co-workers are strictlyobedient of game laws. He learned that they,

like he, despised poachers and scofflaws.This man hasnt hunted yet, but hes

interested, same as are so many people whohavent yet fished or camped or seen a sun-rise except on television. Find one of them,at work or soccer practice or in the coffeeshop theyre everywhere - and invite thatperson to join you outdoors.

E-mail Doug Pike at [email protected]

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Bear Underthe MidnightSun

COULD IT BE?

Was I actually touching downon the sacred hunting grounds of theLast Frontier? Young Ted in

Alaska! Oh Hallelujah and pass the ammo!September 1977, and here I was, long

last, bowhunting every bowhunters dream.With a blitzkrieg rock-n-roll touring schedulethat would obliterate a sane soul, I wiselymade the pivotal quality of life decision tosimply do it as I approached my 29thbirthday, and doing it I was.

As ace bush pilot Hank Rust skillfullylanded his little Super Cub on a tiny patchof semi-flat earth in these forbidden wilder-ness lands smack dab in the middle of the49th state, I felt powerful sensations that Ihad never felt before. Having the incrediblegood fortune to discuss Alaska bowhuntingwith my hero Fred Bear over the years, Ifinally knew exactly what he was talkingabout when he exclaimed the healing powersof the Alaska bush. My goose bumps hadgoose bumps, again. Goose bump manage-ment was clearly Job 1 on this bow andarrow safari, and I certainly had my work cutout for me. Calm down, young man, calmdown!

Professional hunter and guide GeorgeFaerber would be my guru in these mysticallands of the midnight sun, and I could tellright away that he was the real McCoy. Anexperienced trapper, lifelong outdoorsman,dedicated bowhunter, expert rifleman, andrecord-book handgun hunter, it was reassur-ing to be in such good hands on my firstAlaskan adventure.

The land was simply breathtaking, andbe sure to write down that an Alaskanadventure should be at the top of everysporters bucket list. This magnificent land

will indeed cleanse the soul.George had a cool little wilderness camp

set up on a bench above a gurgling stream,eye candy magnificence all around.Snowcapped mountains ringed the undulat-ing fiery tapestry of fall colors, and our littletwo-man pup tent under a blue tarp wouldbe home for two weeks. I was way beyondpumped.

This would be my very first bowhuntwith a compound bow, and I was shooting2117 aluminum arrows from my JenningsSuper T at 60 pounds pretty well. I also hadmy trusty Smith & Wesson model 29, .44Magnum revolver in a shoulder rig, loadedwith Remington 240-grain soft points just incase. With tags for caribou, moose, grizzlyand black bear in my pocket, my expecta-

tions ran rather high for thisyoung Michigan bowhunter. I

was so ready to rock!My first kill was a spectacular trophy

barren ground caribou with incredibleantlers that I bagged at long range with my.44. After missing two monster bull moosethat George said were over 70 inches wide,I finally settled down and arrowed a hand-some 49-inch Alaska/Yukon behemoth that Iwas exceedingly proud of.

The game plan was to sit between the gutpiles of the moose and caribou in hopes ofluring a black bear or a griz into bow range.

George and I sat shoulder to shoulder onthe up-slope from the river amongst the scat-tered spruce trees in a steady rain. My bowwas across my lap with my Smith under myrain jacket. We were both considering callingit a day with the visions of a warm, dry tentgetting more attractive every minute, when

we both looked at each other following a sub-tle guttural sound nearby.

I swung my head to the rear to see a hugeblack bear, only a few yards away, standingon its hind legs intently sniffing the cold, wetAlaskan fall air. Without missing a beat, Ipulled down the zipper on my parka, yankedthe S&W from its holster, and within a sec-ond or two at the most, double-tapped thetoo-close-for-comfort blackie, center mass.

George leapt to his feet in an instant, butit was all over. The two hard-hitting slugsblasted the big bear clean through the chestfor an instant kill, and George didnt evenrack a round into the chamber of his .375H&H. It was beautiful.

My very first black bear was a dandy.With a rich, luxurious, almost blue wintercoat and weighing well over 300 pounds,this old boar was better than average for thearea we were hunting, and both George andI were absolutely thrilled.

My .44 magnum was a constant compan-ion and I practiced and trained with it all thetime. It was this dedicated training, both tac-tical and marksmanship-wise, that allowedme to get it into action so quickly and maketwo good shots so fast. George thought itwas cool and I was on cloud nine.

I have made it a point to return to thewilds of Alaska often since that first joyousadventure. Much has transpired in thisworld since then, but I am pleased to reportthat hunting in Alaska remains fantastic andevery hunter should get there as soon as pos-sible. Black and grizzly bears are thrivingdue to gung-ho dedicated professionalwildlife managers, and the Last Frontier isstill a hunters dream. Stop dreaming, andget hunting.

E-mail Ted Nugent at [email protected].

On the Web

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


Teds TexasWild

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor at Large

My first kill was aspectacular trophy bar-

ren ground caribou...

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Reading,Writing, &Reloading

JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK IN 1976when I was a 16-year-old sophomore atMason High School, my speech class pre-sented a Christmas play. I was cast as a toy

soldier and part of my costume, by necessity, wasa rifle. I didnt have a toy rifle, so I told myteacher I would bring my .22 that day. She saidthat would be fine.

When I left the house that morning forschool, my mother asked me why I was tak-ing the rifle. I told her about the play, andshe said, Well, be careful. She always toldme to be careful. Shes a mom. Its herjob.

At school, I carried the rifle inside andput it in my locker. When kids or teacherssaw it and asked me about it I told themabout the play. No one complained or madea big deal about my bringing a gun to school.No one called the police or asked if the gunwas loaded. No one seemed concerned inthe least that I might try to shoot someone.

When it came time for the play, I took therifle from my locker to the auditorium, usedit in the play, and put it back in my locker.After school, I took it back to my pickup andwent home. It was never in a case or hiddenin any way the whole time. And no onecared.

Last week, after hearing 5-1/2 hours oftestimony, the Texas House Committee onHomeland Security & Public Safety voted5-3 to advance House Bill 750 to the HouseCalendars Committee. HB 750, authoredby state representative Joe Driver (R-Garland), would allow students 21 andolder who possess concealed handgun per-mits to legally carry guns on Texas institu-tion of higher education campuses (col-leges). But first, of course, it has to get by

the House Calendars Committee.The Senate Criminal Justice Committee

considered Senate Bill 354, the companionbill to HB 750, on Tuesday, March 22. Atthis writing, prior to March 22, I dont knowwhether SB 354 will pass, but I expect itwill. There seems to be an awakening latelyin America, and especially the southwesternstates, to the fact that gun control is theenemy of civilization.

This seems to be a difficult concept forsome to grasp, but it is nevertheless true.Without guns in the hands of free citizens,there would be no civilization as we know it.Certainly, it would not be possible to createand maintain a republic, which is the type ofgovernment our country is supposed to have.

Guns in schools arent the problem...Where there is no rule is called anarchy.

A monarchy is a government where one per-son reigns. An oligarchy is when a select fewboss everyone else. Majority rule, which iswhat many seem to think America is sup-posed to be, is democracy. A republic isdefined as rule of law, and is the only formof government where everyone can possiblybe treated the same.

When Benjamin Franklin stepped out ofIndependence Hall after the ConstitutionalConvention created our government in1787, a Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia askedhim, Well, Doctor, what have we got, arepublic or a monarchy?

Franklin replied, A republic, maam, ifyou can keep it.

Keeping a government can be harderthan creating it. Any of the other forms ofgovernment, excluding anarchy, can bemaintained indefinitely as long as the peoplecan be controlled. A republic is made up offree people, not being controlled, but gov-erning themselves.

Controlling others is simple on a person-al basis. It becomes more difficult as num-bers increase, but the principle is the same.If I want you to do something, I have twooptions: coercion and force. In a civilizedsociety, force is unacceptable.

The only way to remove force from theequation is to equalize the capabilities of theparties involved. Otherwise, the strong con-trol the weak, the honest are cheated by thedishonest, and bad rules over good. Removeforce, and the 250-pound biker cannot over-power the frail grandmother.

If honest people are denied the use ofarms, force is guaranteed to the dishonest.This is true in any group of two or more par-ticipants. Armed people cannot be forced tocomply with demands, and must then becoerced.

Our colleges, by banning arms, create asituation where force is no longer removedfrom the mix and people intent on causingharm are free to do so. Those willing to com-mit crimes disregard laws already, so the bandoes not apply to them.

Our colleges will be safer if HB 750 andSB 354 are passed. If they arent, campusshootings will continue to be bloodbaths.These laws wont stop campus shootings,but they will enable students to end them farquicker and with less loss of life.

Guns are civilization. We owe our collegestudents the most basic right, the right toprotect themselves from those who would dothem harm. Guns in schools arent the prob-lem; the problem is defenseless students.

You Can HelpContact your representatives to voice your opinion on HB 750 and SB 354.

Contact information for the Texas House Calendars Committee can be found at:

www.house.state.tx.us/committees/committee/?committee=050


E-mail Kendal Hemphill at [email protected].

Commentary

by Kendal Hempill | TF&G Political Commentator

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The DefenseShotgun

MOST OF THE FOLKS I HAVE SPOKEN TOabout self-defense weapons in the last 10years focused on handguns. Some wanted todiscuss shoulder weapons like the AR-15,but almost none wanted to talk about a shot-gun for self-defense. That is a huge mistake.The shotgun is the best up-close-and-person-al firearm ever invented for protecting yourlife.

The reason every police cruiser isequipped with a 12-gauge shotgun isbecause most gunfights happen within about30 feet, and at that range and a little more,nothing beats a shotgun for self-defense.

Ill let you in on a secret: Teeth, finger-nails, and BB-guns notwithstanding, ahandgun is probably the worst possiblechoice for a self-defense weapon. Cops carryhandguns because it is too awkward to carrya shotgun or rifle 24-hours a day.

A handgun is for immediate defenseagainst lethal attack. Another school ofthought posits that you use a handgun to

fight your way back to your real gun.A handgun is just that--handy. It is light-

weight, easy to carry in a belt holster or con-cealed, and readily at hand at all times. Itcan be sufficiently powerful to save your life,but requires considerable time and dedica-tion to learn to use well. Except in the handsof a very few inordinately skilled users, ahandgun is a very short-range weapon.

A shotgun, too, is a short-range weapon.The maximum range for near 100-percentdependability to end a gunfight with oneshot with standard buckshot loads is about25 yards. Farther than that, it starts to getiffy.

If you anticipate dealing with a long-range problem, take a rifle. But for short-range action, especially inside your home,nothing ever invented beats a shotgun loadedwith No. 4 or No. 1 buckshot. I do not like00-buckshot, although it is devastating atvery close range. The best load, however, isthe heaviest load of No. 1 buckshot you canbuy.

Since popular wisdom holds bigger isbetter regarding bullets and projectiles, it iscounter-intuitive that smaller .30-caliber No.1 buck pellets would out-perform the larger.33-caliber 00 buck. Interestingly, when youdo the math, the smaller pellets are actually

bigger.A standard 2-3/4-inch, 12-gauge shot-

shell contains 16 pellets of No. 1 buck. Thecombined cross-sectional area of the 16 pel-lets is 1.13 square inches, whereas the ninepellets in a standard No. 00 (double-aught) buck load is 0.77 square inches,yielding 30 percent more total area and thusgreater potentially effective wound trauma.

In all shotshell loads, No. 1 buck pro-duces more potentially effective wound trau-ma than 00 or 000 buck. Additionally, No.1 buck is less likely to over-penetrate and exitan attacker's body.

For home defense applications, a stan-dard velocity 2-3/4-inch No. 1 buck shot-shell (16-pellet payload) from Federal,Remington, or Winchester is your bestchoice.

Now, what about a house gun? Again, ahandgun is handy (I keep one on the night-stand by my bed), but my go-to gun is aMossberg Model 590 Special Purpose, withcylinder-bore choke and a magazine thatholds 7 rounds of Federal 3-inch magnumcopper-plated No. 4 buckshot at a muzzlevelocity of 1210 feet per second. With 41pellets in each shell, that is 287 .24-caliberballs, which is a whole lot of rump-stompingpower in a small, handy package.

Forty Percent will Apply for CHL in 2011

TexasDepartmentof Defense

| Self Defense |

| Concealed Carry |

| Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus

NEARLY THREE OUT OF EVERY FOUR recre-ational shooters and hunters in Americaowns at least one handgun according to arecent survey conducted byHunterSurvey.com. Of particular signifi-cance, however, is the finding that thehandgun owners who dont already possessa concealed-carry permit, about 40 percentsaid they intend to apply for one within thenext 12 months. This strong interest in

obtaining concealed-carry weapon (CCW)permits could mean a real demand fortraining and CCW-related accessories andfirearms in the coming year.

I see a real growth opportunity forqualified firearms instructors and shootingfacilities in providing the training that manystates require in order to secure a CCWpermit, said Rob Southwick, president ofSouthwick Associates, which designs and

conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.comand AnglerSurvey.com. Interest in CCWcould also generate quite a market opportu-nity for companies that not only makehandguns suitable for concealed carry, butalso for manufacturers of accessories thatserve that same market, such as holster andammunition makers.

Don Zaidle


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This gun is loaded and kept in what isgenerally termed hot standby. That meansthe magazine is loaded, the safety is off, and

the hammer is down, so that the slide is notlocked. All I have to do to shoot the gun ispump the action and pull the trigger. I keepit loaded with buckshot if my wife and I arehome alone, but when we have companystaying in one of the spare bedrooms, I swapthe big buckshot loads for BB shot to limitpenetration through walls. At handshakingdistance, even birdshot will deflate a bad guyinstantaneously. If I lived in an apartmentbuilding, I would opt for standard No. 6 oreven No. 7-1/2 shot to further reduce thepossibility of injuring someone in the apart-ment next door. I understand that some ofthe S.W.A.T. teams are now using birdshotfor clearing buildings in crowded areas.

If you want the ultimate in home protec-tion, don't go buy a handgun. Buy a short-barreled 12-gauge (or 20-gauge if you oryour spouse are recoil sensitive) with a butt-stock--not a pistol grip. Pistol grip guns aremuch harder to shoot well and quickly.

The action type is not important, butmultiple shots are preferable to a single-shot.The best choice is a standard pump action.Mossberg is good, as is Remington and sev-

eral other brands. I like the Mossbergbecause it has a tang-mounted safety that isvery easy to see and use, and the magazineon the model mentioned above holds eightrounds of standard 2-3/4-inch, 12-gauge,nine with one up the pipe (one less with 3-inch magnums loads). The time-honoredside-by-side double barrel is also a goodchoice. It worked for Wells Fargo and WyattEarp, and it will still work for you.

The difference between a handgun and ashotgun for close-range combat is like thedifference between night and day. A hand-gun is difficult to shoot well and quickly,requires a lot of practice to use properly, andis only barely adequate in stopping power. Ashotgun is easy to point and hit with, packsa punch second only to the impact of by aspeeding truck, and a person can be profi-cient with a shotgun in a tenth of the time ittakes to master a handgun. If you doubt it,take your favorite handgun to a remote skeetrange and see how many you can break.

Email Steve LaMascus [email protected]

Vintage LaMascus on BorderPatrol duty with his primaryweapon slung over his shoulder.

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24 | M A Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: DON ZAIDLE

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The Jointed LureRenaissance

By Calixto Gonzales



We pulled up to the shore and disem-barked. I used a silver Kastmaster, which Ifigured would be as successful with trout asit was with bass on Falcon Lake the weekbefore. Tio threw his secret weapon ared headed/white bodied Cotton CordellJointed Redfin.

My uncle would wade into waist-deepwater and rocket-cast that funky looking plugas far as he could, then let it sit for about halfa minute. Then he made a long sideways

sweep with his rod, reel in the slack, let theplug sit for another 30 seconds, and repeatthe process.

Over the next hour, the plug made it backto the rod tip a handful of times. The rest ofthe time, it got nailed by a big trout orSpanish mackerel. I caught three trout andone mackerel during the same time. As TioBob grunted and draggeddraggedhisstringer back to the truck later that day, I wassold. When we got back to his tackle shop on

Leopard and Japonica, I bought as many ofthose broken-backs as I could afford (withthe nephew discount, of course).

Broken DreamsThe broken-back plug was a staple in the

Texas Coastal anglers tacklebox fordecades, whether the Jointed CottonCordell, Jointed Rapala, MirrOlure SnakeDancer, or Bomber Jointed Long A. Thereis a video still circulating on YouTube of a

I CREDIT MY FIRST REAL FORAY into using artificials in saltwater to myUncle Bob Renaud. I was 13 years old, and it was the first time I had ever fishedCorpus Christis famed North Beach. Tio Bob looked at me as he drove across theHarbor Bridge and asked, Mijo, do you want to try something a little differenttoday?

Like what? I asked.Lets skip the bait and throw lures, he said. I think youll get a kick out of it.Okay, I said with a trusting shrug.


12-pound-plus Baffin Bay speckled troutfalling for a jointed Redfin in pinkback/silver sides/yellow belly--the famousTexas Chicken pattern.

Anglers trolled for rolling tarpon in allthe major passes up and down the coast withthe magnum-sized Long As, and flinging aSnake Dancer into the mangroves alongLower Laguna Madres South Bay for lurk-ing redfish and bonus snook was an annualrite of summer.

As other lures such as the B&L Corkyand various topwaters gained popularity overthe last decade, the space reserved for bro-ken-back lures in tackle boxes grew smallerand smaller. The effectiveness of the broken-back plug didnt fade, just the popularity.

The quality of the product was alwaysthe same, just people stopped buying them,said Peter Sepulveda, a long-time tackledealer in Brownsville, Texas. There was atime when [jointed] Redfins were the mostpopular lure we sold outside of the red andwhite Cocahoe minnow. Slowly, over theyears, other baits replaced them. The topwa-ter craze killed their market, which is funnybecause they fish on top, too.

Sepulveda said he keeps a few JointedLong As in stock at his shop because theold guys still swear by them, especially snookfishermen.

In the early 2000s, broken-back or joint-ed baits began a popularity resurgence, withlures such as Strike Kings King Shad, theSebile Magic Swimmer, and the ReactionStrike Revolution Shad.

Bass fishermen first rediscovered theattractiveness of the slinky dance of a jointedbait for big largemouths. Over time, saltwa-ter fishermen took notice that big predatorssuch as trout, redfish, snook, kingfish, andeven flounder were willing to eat the samelures and began restocking their tackleboxes.

Whats Not to Love?Anglers discovered that fish gravitate to

segmented lures because they appear veryrealistic, said Kris Reibel of ReactionStrike. The deeper profile that modern ver-sions have simulates an image that predatorsrecognize as a baitfish. This match thehatch quality makes them effective in justabout every environment theyre fished in.

Along with the natural profile is the less-mechanical, more erratic action of multi-seg-mented design. The action, Reibel pointedout, is more erratic but still natural.

One of the most common criticisms of theold broken-back designs was they could notbe fished over shallow grass. The diving lipwould force the bait to dig into the grass andruin the action or, worse, snag. Modern seg-mented baits, Reibel said, dont have thatissue.

Weve worked our Revolution Shad asfast as we could retrieve, he said. It stilltracked shallow and didnt roll over.

When these segmented lures are fished atfaster speeds, their wiggle tightens and thebait continues to run straight. This featureallows the larger versions to be trolled for bigbeasts such as tarpon, kingfish, and Spanishmackerel.

Old Strategies, NewWeapons

The innovative design of modern jointedlures does not necessarily mean anglers haveto re-invent their fishing style to succeed. Infact, the simplest retrieves can be the mosteffective.

The innate action of jointed baits meansthat a straightforward, no frills retrieve iseffective. The twitch-pause cadence popularwith jerkbaits and soft plastics can be lethalwith modern multi-segmented plugs, as isthe long sweep-pause technique Tio Bobshowed me all those years ago.

The most unique experiences I have hadwith one of the new-fangled jointed baits waswith a little trick called the Houma Hustleor Big Wiggle. I was fishing South Baywith a friend when we spotted a nice troutresting near some mangroves. My first castwith my jointed plug fell well short of themark. Rather than reel in and try again, I letthe bait rest for a bit, dropped my rod tip,and began shaking it quickly. The vibrationstelegraphed down the line and to the plug,which began to quiver wildly--a trademark ofthe Hustle. Instead of the typical back andforth quiver, however, the four segments ofthe bait began to tremble in different direc-tions at the same time.

The big trout turned and lazily cruisedover to investigate, watched the baits twitch-ing fit, and then blasted it in a violent splash.

Something old, something new. Not bad.



28 | M A Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: JOHN FELSHER; INSET, TEXAS FISH & GAME

By John N. Felsher

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FindHidden

Treasureson the

OverlookedBass Fisheries

of TexasRivers and

Streams



Many Texas streams originate in the HillCountry and flow toward the Gulf ofMexico, often through major reservoirs.Rivers descending from highlands orthrough dams can generate significant cur-rent in places. Many bass anglers avoid cur-rent, but that flow dictates where fish go.Typically, bass stay in eddies behindobstructions, but the most aggressive fishface upstream, waiting to ambush anythingflowing toward them.

Current tends to concentrate fish andput them into more predictable areas, saidAlton Jones, a former Bassmaster Classicchampion from Waco. Once anglers under-stand where fish want to be, current becomestheir friend. A bass likes to sit just out of thecurrent, but keep its nose right against it.When Im fishing current, I have to figureout exactly where to present the bait so thatit flows right in front of the fish.

Good river fishermen learn to read ariver by watching how water reacts toobstructions so they can target honey holes.A vee shaped wake indicates a snag orother obstruction. Choppy whitish watercould identify a shallow riffle or shoal.Deeper water generally turns darker. Longstretches of shoreline may hold nothing,while a sweet spot with the right combinationof current relief, plentiful oxygen, and foodcould harbor several fish.

A rule of thumb, the more current flow-ing in a river, the more shallow bass get,explained Zell Rowland, an Austin basspro. Not all river shorelines are alike.Many factors determine why certain bankshold more fish than others. It could be thestructure along that shoreline, the way cur-rents wash in certain directions or a millionother reasons.

Snags protruding from the surface make

obvious eddies, but submerged objects maycreate unseen pockets. While bass usuallyhide behind current breaks, eddies can formupstream. Water smashing against an objectmushrooms like a bullet hitting steel. Thatbackwash may create an opposite current.Rarely fished, some upstream sweet spotshold lunkers that seldom see lures. Probe allaround obstructions with jigs or Texas-rigged plastics.

If I could only bring one bait to fishrivers, it would be a half-ounce jig, but aTexas-rigged tube is another good choice,

Jones explained. Current hits the upstreamside of an obstruction and goes straightdown. Underwater, it switches directions. Afish near the bottom may face upstream, butbe looking toward the stump or rock.

Vertically drop jigs, Texas-rigged worms,

creature baits, or tubes tight to snags. Someriver fishermen say, Put the bait betweenthe bark and the tree. Fish completelyaround cover. Not wanting to move far fromtheir slack lair, bass may slurp an easyenticement, but not chase a bait. Dont justdrop a bait; pay attention to the line as itfalls to detect subtle bites.

The swifter the current, the heavier thebait I use, Rowland advised. I tend tothrow downstream and pull it back againstthe current to give me more control of thebait. At times, fish prefer it moving in the

same direction as the current. If I catch abass out of a laydown going downstream athalf-a-mile an hour, I turn around and fishevery little branch in that tree.

Like putting a thumb over a water hose,current breaks constricting flow can also

NOT LONG AGO, LONE STAR bass anglers could fish only rivers or small pondsin a state with just one natural lake, Caddo, on the Texas-Louisiana line. Then, thereservoir building boom hit following World War II. When the state stocked reservoirswith Florida largemouths, anglers largely forgot about fishing rivers. These overlookedstreams still provide outstanding bass numbers.

All the Hill Country streams hold largemouths, but usually nothing bigger than 3or 4 pounds, said Steve Magnelia, a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologistin San Marcos.

PHOTOS: JOHN FELSHER

Slack water behindobstructions is a basshaven.

River Hideouts


scour holes. Fish drop into these holes aswater washes over their heads. They look upto snatch whatever flows over them.Moreover, water moves faster around an out-side bend, often digging deep holes. Logsand other debris may fall into these holes,creating more bass-attracting cover. Fishthese holes with jigs, Texas-rigged worms, orCarolina rigs.

With little water in West Texas, the bestLone Star bass rivers run through central oreastern Texas. Two top bass rivers includethe Trinity and Guadalupe. Other good bassrivers include the Colorado, Brazos,Neches, and Sabine.

Most people dont realize how good theTrinity River is for bass, said Mark Webb,a TPWD biologist in Bryant. It can pro-duce some 8- to 10-pound bass.

The Trinity River flows 710 miles fromnorthern Texas to Trinity Bay, an arm ofGalveston Bay east of Houston. TheGuadalupe River originates in Kerr Countyand flows 230 miles before entering the Gulfnear Victoria. More known for producingtrout in the Canyon Lake tailrace, theGuadalupe River also produces smallmouthand Guadalupe bass.

The Guadalupe River is pretty good forlargemouth bass, Magnelia said. The SanMarcos River occasionally produces double-digit bass. The Llano River has Guadalupebass. The Blanco River produces goodsmallmouth action and an occasional biglargemouth.

The longest river flowing through Texas,the Brazos, runs 1280 miles from CurryCounty, New Mexico, to the Gulf nearFreeport. The longest river entirely within

Texas, the Colorado, flows862 miles from DawsonCounty to Matagorda Bay.

The Colorado Riverroutinely produces 8- to 9-pound bass with some bigger

ones, Magnelia said. I know of at leastone 11-pounder caught in 2010. TheBrazos has a good largemouth and spottedbass population from Possum KingdomReservoir downstream.

The Neches River flows 416 miles

through East Texas before entering theSabine River, which forms parts of theTexas-Louisiana line. After flowing 555miles, the Sabine enters Sabine Lake. Bothrivers produce many 2- to 5-pound bass withsome larger ones.

Any of these rivers and others can pro-vide good bass action in a scenic environ-ment. On most Texas rivers, anglers findthemselves alone with good fish and no otherfishermen.

Like their impoundedcounterparts, river basslike crankbaits, too.

Cranks A Lot


PregnantCompanyExcused

Its been quite some time since I wrote aMothers Day piece, even though it happensevery May. Well, those of you who know meor have read my columns over the years knowthat family is paramount in m world. Familyis what reinforces my faith, it edifies me whenmy knees are weak, and it potentiates any joyIm experiencing. I dedicate the next littlestory to our mothers. We shouldnt need anannual day to celebrate who you are, but itsnice to have a reminder.

IHAD A LONG, ROUGH WEEK AT SCHOOL.Workweeks pushing 80 hours had becomethe norm ever since Sandie had smiledat me and told me, I'm pregnant.

My weekly teaching duties were toughenough, but teaching GED classesthree nights a week and coachingspeech on the weekends left me acomplete washout every Friday.This one was not different, except Ihad a weekend off from a speechand drama tournament. I camehome, grabbed a cold drink, kissedmy eight-month pregnant wife, whohad beaten me home and was sit-ting in her pillow nest on the couch,and plopped down in my La-z-Boy.

There was a feature on the 5oclock news about the excellentfishing at Pirates Landing fishingpier, and how it was expected to peakthat night with the full moon. Big catch-es of trout and drum were expected, espe-cially after the stretch of warm weather.

I suddenly felt it--feeling every man getswhen two laser beams fire from the glaringeyes of his wife straight into his ear. Likeevery other man, I tried to ignore it. My ear

started to burn. I watched the weather. Itsgoing to be a gorgeous weekend, ladies andgentlemen, so go out there and enjoy it! Myear started to sizzle. I kept looking straightahead, and noticed the slight whiff of baconfrying.

Before the entire side of my head burstinto flames, I turned and looked myImmortal Beloved straight into her beautifulblue emitters.

What?She didnt say a word for a full minute (I

guess you could call it a pregnant pause,but she will read this, and I dont want to gethit). Finally, she told me how I had screwedup again.

You havent taken me fishing inmonths, she said.

I lookedat her,and

waited for the punch line. It never came.Well, Love, youve been...you

know...indisposed, I lamely said.Well, in another month, Im going to be

really indisposed, and then I wont get tofish for a real long time.

She had me there.Im sorry, I said. Do you want to go

fishing?I want to go fishing.Okay, I said. Ill take you to the jet-

ties in the morning and see if there are anysheepshead around.

Again with the look.They just said on television that the fish-

ing is going to be really good tonight becauseof the full moon.

Now, I had the look.You want to go fish-

ing tonightShe nod-ded.

32 | M A Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: RAYCAN, DREAMSTIME

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

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Well, why not. She should get her way;shes having my baby.

It was 5:30. By the time I got changed,the tackle organized, and helped Sandie intothe truck cab, it was past six. After stoppingfor two cheeseburgers (one with extra pick-les--imagine that), it was almost 6:30. Wepulled into Port Isabel right at eight oclock.

I stopped at a bait stand and bought apint of live shrimp before we got to the pier.

For the third time, I got the look.Didnt you once tell me that the big

trout like to eat fish like mullet and pinfish,she said.

They prefer finfish, yes.But you only bought shrimp.Well, the bait shop didnt have any live

mullet or piggy perch. Its not the right timeof year for croaker, either, I said.

Did you bring your cast net? she per-sisted.

I always bring it.Well, lets go get some bait, she said in

that tone that silently ends with you idiot.Without saying another word, I drove

over to the Long Island swing bridge, which

was always good for a few baitfish. I parkednext to one side of the bridge, grabbed mynet and bucket, crossed the street to wheresome shrimp boats were docked, and startedthrowing for bait.

After a few minutes, I heard my wifeshouting and calling my name.

Get over here! Get over here now!A knot rose in my throat. I dropped my

net and sprinted across the street. There wasSandie, eight months pregnant, rod in handand bent to the butt, struggling with some-thing that was trying to pull the rod out ofher hand and under the bridge.

Suddenly, the rod snapped just above thesecond guide from the top.

Get over here! she yelled at me.I rushed to her side, looked down into the

water, and saw the cause of all the trouble--ahuge speckled trout.

I rushed to the truck, got the long-han-dled pier landing net, and ran back toSandie. Somehow, with only 3/4 of a fishingrod, she managed to guide the big trout tothe net. I flipped the net up onto the con-crete, reached in, grabbed the trout by the

gills, and lifted it for us both to admire.The fish measured 29 inches on the stick.What an awesome fish, I thought to

myself as I dropped it into the cooler. Thiswas a great idea. Were going to have a goodnight of fishing.

I want to go home.I looked over at my wife. What?My rod broke, and I want to go home.I knew the tone in her voice. No amount

of persuading, cajoling, or begging wouldchange her mind. She was going home, andI was driving her there.

Without a word, I dumped the piggyperch Id caught, emptied the pint of shrimpbehind them, loaded the truck, helpedSandie aboard, and turned toward home.Total driving time: 140 minutes. Total fish-ing time (for her): 15 minutes.

I got even, though. Three weeks later, mywife gave birth to our son.

Hes just like me.

E-mail Calixto Gonzales at [email protected].

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34 | M A Y 2 0 1 1 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CAROLINA KSMITH, MD

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The Chinese were the first to make fish-ing line spun from fine silk, but there wereno Wal-Marts at that time to sell their newlydeveloped fishing line, so the product stalledfor centuries.

Somewhere in there, a budding craftsmanwith an even higher forehead had an idea tocarve an artificial fish out of soft wood. Itwas then fitted with a hook, perhaps made ofbronze. He gave it a fling, a fish struck, andthe lure was born.

For a few more centuries, anglers commu-nicated with more clarity as the handmadelures either caught a few fish, or were utterfailures. That is, until the early 1900s whenthe modern fishing lure was commerciallyproduced by the firm of Heddon andPflueger, and an industry was born.

Fishermen chugged along for years,throwing a wide variety of plugs that caughtfish. Commercial plugs were originally madeof wood, until the advent of plastics foreverchanged the face of lure production.

But humans are never satisfied.Craftsmen again examined their lures andwondered at a fishs inclination to hit oneplug while distaining others. Somewherealong the line, angler Fred Young realizedthat fish particularly liked to eat erraticallyfleeing or wounded baitfishes. With that inmind, he undertook the chore of carving thePerfect Lure.

While recuperating from surgery in1967, the bedridden angler infuriated hiswife (Im sure) by insisting on carving luresfrom a variety of woods in an effort to find

just the right density and design for whatwould soon become one of the most popularplugs in history.

After his wife brushed the chips and saw-dust from his bed, and shooed Fred out ofthe house, he found that one of his newly-carved lures had more possibilities than theothers.

Lawrence Taylor, Director of PublicRelations for PRADCO, authenticated astory that has been told for decades:[Youngs] brother, Otis, would take Fredsnew lures to the water to test then every day[while Fred lay in bed and carved] andreport back to him which styles ran true andsuch. Fred honored his brother by namingthe new crankbait after him, thus, the BigO.

Big Otis, a burly man standing more than6 feet, 6 inches, became the first fishermanto truly test the balsawood lure Fred repro-duced by hand until the spring of 1973.Almost overnight, it became the hottestcrankbait at a B.A.S.S. tournament onBeaver Lake, in Arkansas, and set theangling world on fire.

The response to this golf ball with a lipand hooks was incredible. Anglers whocouldnt find the laboriously produced andnumbered hand-made lures resorted to leav-ing a substantial deposit and renting themfor $25 per day--nearly twice the purchaseprice. It is rumored some pro anglers paidup to $200 in 1970s money to own a BigO.

After more than 3700 hand carved lures

won tournament after tournament, the fish-catching Big O soon caught the attention ofCotton Cordell, who purchased the patentfrom Fred in 1973 or 74, depending onyour source.

After selling the lure to Cordell, Younghelped the company develop the first mold toensure the lure retained that magic fish-catching characteristic some lures seem topossess, Taylor said.

Soon, more than 1.3 million plugsmigrated to tackle boxes during the firsttwelve months alone.

Not to be outdone, other companies real-ized the value of this odd-looking bulbouslure that was ideal in submerged structure.Marketing experts quickly realized the valueof name recognition that followed the Big O.They came up with their own versions of thefat alphabet plugs.

With that, alphabet lures quickly attainedcult status for their ability to catch fish. BillNormans Big N and the AC Plug,designed by Alan Cole, quickly becamepopular for trophy bass. Greg Silks devel-oped the Z-Plug to catch stripers. TheShakespeare Big S and the Bomber LureFat A are time-tested variants of Youngsoriginal.

Few things came out of the Flaky 1970swith the ability to stand up to time. Platformshoes and disco thankfully disappeared, butthe alphabet plugs remained. Along cameLittle N, Balsa B, and Long A. All caughtfish because the short, squared lip keeps thelure at a consistent depth while deflecting off

IN THE BEGINNING, fishing probably had no name, other than some utterancelost in the dim recesses of time, because the originator lived in a Language-Free soci-ety. Todays fishing utterances should also be lost to time, because they are usuallyunfit to print, but thats another story.

At one time, humans fished for sustenance, until one day an experimental individ-ual, possibly with a hairline slightly higher than his eyebrows, liked feeling a fish on abone hook at the end of twisted vegetable-fiber fishing line.

Through the centuries, bait such as meat, fat, maggots, and small fishes gave wayto bread or eventually cheese. In order to attract fish, chum or ground bait was castupon the waters. Fishermen caught fish, but their inferior line had little or no tensilestrength.


rocks and other submerged structure withouthanging up...as much.

The continuing success of these plugs stilldelights anglers across the world. The origi-nal larger versions plowed through the waterwith violent displacement, causing fish to feelthe lures presence. Like a radar signal, the

fish felt the water displacement as the lurewobbled from side to side, simulating anaddled baitfish. The big lures caught--andstill catch--big fish.

The pros decided bigger is not alwaysbetter. A few years ago, other companiessuch as Shakespeare revisited the original

lure and, through successful experimenta-tion, created new, smaller varieties of the fatplug such as the Midi S and Little S.

Thirty years after Fred worried the firstBig O fishing lure from a block of balsa, wenow have newer, retroversions of the originalfat plug, even down to the letter. BagleyBalsa B, Wordens TimberTiger DC-2, andthe Bass Pro XPS Extreme are catchingfish. In keeping with tradition, and adding abit of techno-speak, we now have the RapalaDTF07, which sounds like an online ordernumber, or a descendent of Star WarsR2D2 robot.

I prefer the sound of the Bomber ModelB Balsa, which sort of sounds like the nameof an antique car, or maybe one of thosebalsa wood models Baby Boomers built askids.

It looks like old is new again, with someminor improvements. And as we followthe modern angler into the sunset, mutteringunprintables about fish and fishing, we knowthat, like chum and cut bait, the alphabetlure is here to stay.

The lure alphabet startedwith "O" and grew toinclude "B" et al

Lure ABCs

PH

OT

O:

DO

N Z

AID

LE

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When it comes to feral hogs in Texas,separating fact from fiction is becoming alittle easier as research reveals more aboutthe pesky porcines, said Dr. Billy Higgin-botham, AgriLife Extension wildlife spe-cialist. There remains much we dontknow about this exotic that has inhabitedour state for the past 450 years.

Highest ranking among the myths areestimates of the actual number of feral hogsin Texas, Higginbotham said. A commonnumber that has been bantered about foryears is 1 to 4 million. But there was justno data to support this estimate.

That is, there wasnt until Dr. RoelLopez, associate director of the TexasA&M University Institute for RenewableNatural Resources, recently used geograph-ic information system procedures to turnthe guesstimates into reliable estimates, saidHigginbotham, who collaborated with

Lopez on the study.The term geographic informa-

tion systems, usually simply calledGIS, refers to a procedure thatinvolves diverse data gatheringmeans, from on-the-ground GPSreferenced data to satellite to his-torical records,and organizes itgeographically.

A simpler way toput it is that its just anelectronic map, Lopezsaid.

Using GIS tech-niques, Lopez was ableto quantify first the extentof the feral hog habitat inTexas. He estimates thatapproximately 134 million acres, or 79percent of the states 170 million acres,

represents feral hog habitat, said Higgin-botham.

By knowing the range of feral hog habi-tat and the species population density invarious types of Texas environments, Lopezalso came up with a population estimatethat has some meat to it, Higginbothamsaid. Lopez estimates that the actual num-ber could range from a low of 1.9 millionto a high of 3.4 million.

Exaggerated claims of feral hog popula-tion-growth rates are a related myth. Manyof the population guesstimates are based ona purely arbitrary number of hogs in Texasbeing set at 1 million in the 1970s. Thisnumber, which also had no research basis,is then often extrapolated on using anotherbit of misinformation: That because of feralhogs high birth rate, their population isdoubling every year.

So what are the facts?A 2011 consolidation of past studies

done by his graduate student, Janell Mell-ish, the average litter size in Texas and theSoutheast is 5.6 pigs, Lopez said.

It is also known, that on average, a sowis about 13 months old when she has herfirst litter, and that on average, mature sowshave 1.5 litters per year. This means thereis a significant population growth rate, buta far cry from the doubling-yearly myth,Lopez said.

We estimated the population growth offeral hogs in Texas averages between18 percent and 20 percent annually,Lopez said. This means that itwould take almost five years for a

population to double in size if leftunchecked.

The study,which wasconduct-ed byLopezandMell-ish,

used threemethods to esti-

mate feral pig popu-lation growth in Texas:the statewide number ofaerial permits issued

Feral Hogs Abound inTexas; So Do MythsUNTIL RECENTLY, IF ANYONE TRIED TO TELL YOU HOW MANY FERAL HOGS THERE ARE IN

TEXAS, THEY WERE JUST BLOWING SMOKE, ACCORDING TO A TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION

SERVICE WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST.

GREEN


Continued on page 40

MAP: TEXAS A&M INSTITUED FOR RENEWABLE NAT. RESOURCES

Feral hog habitatcovers 79% of thestate.

Feral Habitat

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Gulf SeafoodPasses Gov.TestsNOAA CONTINUES TO RE-TEST SEAFOOD

FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO TO DEMON-

STRATE TO AMERICAN AND WORLDWIDE

CONSUMERS THAT IT IS SAFE TO EAT,

AND ANNOUNCED TODAY IT WILL CON-

TINUE THIS RE-TESTING INTO THE SUM-

MER.

Before waters were opened tofishing, NOAA and FDA extensivelytested seafood from those waters,and NOAA has now completed twoadditional rounds of sampling andtesting from each of those reopenedareas. Thousands of test results, allpublicly available, prove Gulfseafood is safe from oil and disper-sant contamination.

Gulf seafood is consistentlypassing FDAs safety tests by a widemargin, said Eric Schwaab, assis-tant NOAA administrator in chargeof NOAAs Fisheries Service. Weare continuing to test, and we aremaking the data available to thepublic, so they can make fullyinformed purchasing decisions.

The system set up to keep taint-ed seafood out of circulation hasworked, said Don Kraemer, actingdeputy director for FDAs Centerfor Food Safety and Applied Nutri-tion. Consumers should know thatGulf seafood is extensively testedand is safe to eat. The nearly 500samples in the two rounds of post-

Continued on page 41

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Stan Harpole, assistant professor ofecology, evolution and organismal biologyat Iowa State University, is founding orga-nizer of a team of more than 70 researchersworking at 65 sites worldwide that testedthat assumption.

They wanted to know if it is true that

problematic invasive species often spreadwidely in their new habitats because theydon't encounter predators or diseases thathelp keep them in check in their homeranges.

"There is this assumption that whenplants invade a new area that they become

much more abundant in the new area thanthey were in the native areas," said Har-pole. "It turns out that, on average, theyaren't any more abundant away from homethan they are at home."

Harpole says there is a "rule of 10s"that can apply to invasive species.

"Of, say, 100 plants that arrive in anew area, only about 10 percent of thosewill survive without being in a greenhouseor some other controlled area," said Har-pole. "Of those 10 that can survive, onlyabout 10 percent of those really causeproblems.

"When you think about all the specieswe've brought over from other areas, rela-

GREEN

Invasive Plants DontAlways Overrun New HomeINVASIVE PLANT SPECIES HAVE LONG HAD A REPUTATION AS BEING BAD FOR A NEW

ECOSYSTEM WHEN THEY ARE INTRODUCED.

aerial permits issued for shootingferal hogs; the number of pigsprocessed in commercial processingfacilities; and feral hog control datamade available from U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture-Wildlife Ser-vices.

A common myth is that its possi-ble to identify the breed of a givenferal hog by its color and markings.Hogwash, said a Texas AgriLifeExtension Service wildlife specialist.

Another common myth is thatrecreational hunting alone can con-trol feral hog populations, Higgin-botham said.

Of the dozen studies conductedacross the nation, hunting removesbetween 8 percent and 50 percent ofa population, with an average of 24percent across all studies, he said.In order to hold a population stablewith no growth, 60 to 70 percent ofa feral hog population would have tobe removed annually.

Another myth is that its possible

to identify the breed of a given feralhog by its color markings.

Todays feral hogs are descendedfrom domestic breeds, Eurasian wildboars and, of course, hybrids of thetwo, Higginbotham said. Butdespite claims to the contrary, sim-ply observing the color patterns, haircharacteristics, and size cannot letyou definitively identify which of thethree types a hog falls into.

One thing about feral hogs is defi-nitely not a myth the hugeamount of damage they do to crops,wildlife habitat and landscapes, Hig-ginbotham said. And from all indica-tions, the damage they do is expand-ing in scope and range.

Feral hogs were once largely arural or agricultural issue in Texas,inflicting over $52 million in damageannually, he said. But the porkershave literally moved to town and arenow causing significant damage inur

May 2011

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