FISHING ANNUAL INSIDE March 22, 2024
Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
Fishing texas AN N UAL 2024
PULLING THE TRIGGER ON THAT NEW BOAT PAGE 4
Advertising Section
Volume 20, Issue 15
Spring breaking with a fishing rod By Meghan Sharber
For Lone Star Outdoor News Some Texans dread spring break because of the crowded tourist destinations and possible chaos, but for fishermen, little interferes with their opportunity to fish. Wildlife artist Rob Morrison went
on a charter fishing trip on Lake Conroe with his friend and former University of Texas football player, Matthew Logan. “What I love about fishing is whether you catch anything or not, you are constantly out there pursuing and trying to get better,” Morrison said. “The target of this trip was the hybrid strip-
ers, and with three kids and Matt’s mother-in-law, G-Ma, in attendance, we got the job done.” Morrison said they were barely shy of their limit, but with the “Bass Master,” G-Ma, they still had a phenomenal turnout. “G-Ma, she was a pro,” Morrison said. “She caught the first fish, Please turn to page 11
A break from school, for some, is the time to get the family and friends out on the water. Photo by Capt. Chris Edwards.
Slow start for South Zone youth weekend By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News A major front pushed across the state the night before the South Zone spring turkey early youth weekend began. The weather system significantly dropped temperatures and produced strong winds throughout most of the two-day stretch. Many youth hunters struggled to get within range of a longbeard, as the birds were tight-lipped and didn’t venture too far from creek bottoms, brush, and other areas with heavy cover.
Averie Link, a 16-year-old from Dickinson, went on her first turkey hunt with her dad in Wilson County. “It was almost 90 degrees on Friday afternoon,” she said. “When we got up to go hunting the next morning the air temperature was in the high 40s and the wind was gusting out of the north at 20 to 30 miles per hour.” Link said she did not hear a single gobble until after the birds flew down later that morning. “We finally started hearing a few gobblers sounding off a couple of hours after sunrise, but the wind made it really hard to tell just how far away they were,” she explained. “They would not gobble in response to a call, and really didn’t talk for very long.” Link said the wind subsided slightly later that afternoon, but the birds never made a sound. With her dad, she spent four hours set up along the edge of a creek bottom where
For young turkey hunters, high winds kept the birds out of hearing range and out of sight for the youth-only weekend in South Texas. Left photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News. Right photo from Joe Link.
Please turn to page 6
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Fish behavior changing daily By Nate Skinner
Caden Camfield caught this flounder during his spring break near the mouth of a marsh drain in Chocolate Bay. Photo by Capt. Ryan Battistoni.
Anglers headed to the coast were met with varying wind directions and velocities, along with changing temperatures. Fishing guides stayed busy as they tried to keep their anglers hooked up. A variety of species were caught, with a lot of small, undersized fish mixed in.
Freshwater Fishing Report . . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 15 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . . Page 16 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22
Galveston Bay guide, Capt. Ryan Battistoni, has been spending most of his time hiding from the wind in Chocolate Bay and its surrounding marshes and tributaries. Making long drifts over scattered shell with live shrimp rigged under a popping cork has been producing solid numbers of specked trout for his anglers. “There have been some really
nice fish measuring up to 24 inches or so, with a lot of trout in the 18- to 22-inch range,” he said. “There’s a lot of smaller, undersized specks out there too, you just have to keep fishing until you come across some larger fish.” The guide’s anglers also have been catching quite a few redfish and flounder on live shrimp rigged under a popping Please turn to page 11
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
HUNTING
FISHING
Fires for quail (P. 4)
Tackle subscription service ending (P. 8)
Prescribed burns for East Texas habitat.
Mystery Tackle Box liquidating.
Texas-made leather goods (P. 7) New trout limits (P. 9) Custom bird, skeet bags.
Changes start March 26.