Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
March 10, 2023
Volume 19, Issue 14
Springtime bite begins Upper coast trout, reds and more By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Turkey flocks are breaking up and hunters are hoping for a good start to the spring season. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Early start for turkey? Jakes absent this spring By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News South Texas turkey hunters have wondered the past few years whether the earlier opening day of the spring season was a good thing. With a midMarch start, cooperative toms have been hard to come by. This year could be different, according the Jason Hardin, the wild turkey program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “South Texas got rain — not a lot, but rain — and things greened up,” he said. “Then it got hot.” Hardin said turkey flocks are breaking up in time for the opener on March 18. “Gobblers are strutting,” he said. “I expect better early season hunting.” Hardin said hunters shouldn’t expect to see juvenile birds. “We had almost zero nest success last season,” he said. “In all the trapping we did throughout the state, we caught only one juvenile. There are virtually no jakes or jennies out there, but the adult hens are in pretty good shape.” Although the early season could be better than in the past, early April should be the best for hunters, Hardin said. “The gobblers are ready and the hens are just
Victor Solice landed this redfish while fishing with live shrimp under a popping cork in the upper portion of Galveston Bay. Photo by Capt. Billy Penick.
Springtime patterns are gaining momentum from East Matagorda Bay to Sabine Lake and everywhere in between. Speckled trout and redfish are feeding in a variety of areas, both shallow and deep, and black drum and sheepshead are providing rod-bending action. With plenty of options, anglers have been able to decide where they will fish and what species they will target, according to the prevailing weather conditions. East Matagorda Bay angler Chris McKinley has been finding trout and reds while wade -fishing and drift-fishing in a variety of locations. “I’ve been catching a lot of trout in the 20inch range, with a few stretching to 25 inches lately,” McKinley said. “The bigger trout have been feeding along shallow, thigh-deep flats near main bay shorelines in areas where there are a lot of baitfish. Top-water plugs, soft plastics, and slow-sinking twitch baits have all been producing strikes.” McKinley said the best action has occurred during the peak feed times as indicated on solunar charts. “A couple of my best wade-fishing trips have taken place in the middle of the night during a major feed period,” he said. “There have been a ton of sand eels showing up in the shallows during the nighttime hours, and the fish have been gorging themselves on them.” Open water stretches of scattered oyster shell across East Matagorda have also been holding plenty of fish. “There’s a lot of fish in the middle of the bay right now, you just have to have the right weather to be able to target them,” McKinley explained. “Slot redfish have been feeding in just about every place I’ve been finding trout lately.” Capt. Billy Penick has been finding a steady bite for both redfish and trout near Baytown, upstream across the satellite bays off of the San Jacinto River. He’s also been catching good Please turn to page 11
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
White bass run on the fly By Robert Sloan
Some anglers prefer to use their fly rods and wade for running white bass. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News. Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 13 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 19
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News There is no better time to catch white bass on the fly than when they are heading up the rivers to spawn. You can wade for them or stay in the boat. And since the fish tend to move up in big numbers, they can be easy to fool with a fly. Three of the best rivers for spawning white bass are the Sa-
bine, Nueces and Colorado. All three offer boating or wading options. Cody Bell has been wading the Colorado and Sabine rivers for years. “I like to fish for anything that will bite my fly,” he said. “But I especially like to target spawning white bass. They are suckers for streamers. I’ll use a 4 or 6 wt. rod most of the time. The Please turn to page 11
HUNTING
FISHING
Must watch film (P. 4)
Top-water trout (P. 9)
Documentary focuses on native people.
Big fish after mullet.
Nilgai up close (P. 5)
Alan Henry bass (P. 8)
Bull from blind at 30 yards.
Spots over largemouths.