September 12, 2025
Texas’ Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
Volume 22, Issue 2
Scattered flatties Flounder staging along shorelines, ship channels By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Coastal anglers are starting to turn their attention toward flounder; however, most confirm that the flatfish are still scattered, as their fall patterns slowly gain momentum. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News
With the onset of fall, many coastal anglers are turning their attention to flounder. The flatfish seem to be scat-
tered across our bays and marshes. They are not stacked up or concentrated in large numbers in specific areas. The majority being caught have been just over the 15inch minimum, keeper-size length. Many folks are eager to take advantage of the fall bite before the flounder fishery closes later in the year on November 1.
Sabine Lake area angler Logan Mitchell said flounder are starting to stage along stretches of the ship channel and main lake shorelines near the mouths of bayous. The larger fish have been caught in the channel, while the flounder in the lake have been on the small side recently. “The largest flounder I’ve heard of being landed recent-
ly have been in the 2.5- to 3-pound range,” Mitchell said. “They have been scattered along the edges of the channel in areas that are holding concentrations of finger mullet and clean water, and most have been in the 15- to 16-inch range.” Mitchell said soft plastics rigged on a 1/4-ounce jig head have been drawing the most Please turn to page 12
Outfitter anxiety Weather scatters birds for opener By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Dove season is back. And like clockwork, rain played a part in the opener. Many outfitters in the North and Central zones were left stressed and frantically scrambling to shuffle hunters around to different fields the evening before the opener. Storms the day before made many properties loaded with birds before the rains arrived unhuntable. The Haskell area received around two inches of rain the day before the season opened; however, the storms did not seem to negatively impact the hunting. The rain did
create extremely humid conditions for opening morning, and some hunters reported their glasses were fogging up at legal shooting time. Mac Elliott of Dallas hunted with a group of buddies just south of Aspermont in a standing sunflower field. The sunflowers were 5- to
Dove season across Texas has begun, with hunters, like Don Weempe, left, reporting good numbers of brids. Left photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News. Top photo by James Richards, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Please turn to page 21
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Moving for success Hybrid stripers on the move around Texas lakes By Cory Byrnes
The dog days of summer are slowly coming to an end, and hybrid fishing, while tough, is picking back up across the state. On Lake Conroe, Collin Edwards with Lake Conroe Fishing Adventures said: “It’s been pretty good. The bite has definitely slowed down with the water temperature rising.”
The temps are dropping and good hybrid striper fishing is picking up. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News Freshwater Fishing Report . . Page 10 Grip & Grin . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 19 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . . Page 20 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Public Notice . . . . . . . . . . Page 26
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Edwards and his clients are still seeing good numbers, occasionally running into cruising schools of 60 to 100 hybrids. “It’s been a weird bite right now. There’s plenty of fish, but any of them that you do catch, there’s nothing in their stomachs,” he said. Right now, the best bite has been shallow. “Those fish that are up shallow anywhere from 4- to 18-foot range seem to sit still a little better than the deeper fish,” Edwards said. He and his clients have found the bigger schools in 18- to 25-feet of Please turn to page 12
HUNTING
FISHING
Good times ahead (P. 4)
Texas tarpon (P. 8)
Range conditions for deer best in years.
Silver kings along the Texas coast.
Ready for teal? (P. 4)
Head deep (P. 8)
Shortened season, but plenty of birds.
South Texas bass holding away from shore.