FISHING TEXAS ANNUAL INSIDE Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
March 24, 2023
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Volume 19, Issue 15
Cold turkey Toms active between rains during chilly opener By Reis Ladd
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Grant Langmore landed this 7-pound bass on Lady Bird Lake near downtown Austin on a glide bait. Photo from Grant Langmore.
Hill Country bass in spring mode By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News It’s one of the most popular times of the year to chase big bass on Hill Country lakes. Anglers are finding a mixture of smaller, “buck” bass and larger females up shallow over beds. They are also catching some bigger fish out a little deeper, as new waves of largemouths are staging in preparation to move to the shallows to spawn. On Canyon Lake, guide Tyler Stanley said he and his anglers have been focusing on the edges of grass. “We are catching fish in the 5-pound class pretty regularly in about 10 to 14 feet of water along the edges of the grass,” Stanley said. “Smaller bass are pushed up a little shallower, but the larger bass are definitely staging along dropoffs adjacent to flats and points.” Any flat or point that is holding grass is a good place to start.
Cold rain, high hopes and mixed emotions met South Texas turkey hunters out for the spring season opener. A warm early March paired with timely rains resulted in gobbling activity earlier than in years past and just in time for the season. However, Mother Nature called an audible and a cold and rainy weather front shut much of the activity down. Despite less than desirable conditions, Walker Alexander found himself in the field on opening day near Jourdanton. “I didn’t hunt in the morning but made it out for the afternoon,” he said. “It was one of the few weekends I could hunt this year so I was going.” As the afternoon progressed, rainfall caused Alexander to begin his retreat back to the truck. On his way, he noticed a lone tom scratching in a plowed field. “I was able to duck behind a tank dam and decided to crawl to the top and set out my jake decoy,” he said. “There wasn’t much cover so I crawled back down the dam where I came from and set up real close to use the rise as cover.” Alexander began his calling sequence and the one tom turned into three — all in a dead run to his decoy
In between breaks in the misting rain, toms became active in the South Zone for the opening weekend. Photo by Chase Phillips.
setup not 10 yards from his location. “Those toms made that tank dam in a hurry and I ended up killing one at 4 yards,” he said. “It happened fast for sure.” As promising as opening weekend was for good turkey hunting, the lack of last year’s nesting success across much of the state was on the mind of many hunters, including Chase Phillips of Pleasanton.
“I manage the property pretty heavily for turkeys and this year we have zero poults,” he said. “I have not seen a single jake all year.” Phillips confirmed there was a lot of gobbling activity in the area, but made the personal choice to refrain from picking up the shotgun. “Since our numbers were hurting, I decided to kill them with the camera this year,” he said. “The birds were gobbling a ton and I got
some great video.” Doug Jones hunted near Cotulla and was greeted with hail the day before the opener, followed by a cold opening morning. “It was surprising to hear the gobblers active once they hit the ground, but once the misting rain started, I never heard or saw a bird the rest of the day,” he said. “Sunday morning was the same until 11 a.m. when the rain let up and I heard some activity.
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Surprise tripletail from the rocks By Nate Skinner
While targeting sheepshead and jackfish along the Port Aransas north jetty with some buddies, James Baker spotted an odd-looking fish swimming just under the surface of the water near the edge of the rocks.
Another angler identified the fish as a tripletail, and a few moments later, Baker was able to successfully cast to and land the 23-inch fish that is rarely seen from that stretch of granite. “Catching a tripletail has always been a bucket list feat for me, but I never expected to do it along
the jetties in Port A,” Baker said. “That’s just not something you hear about often along the Coastal Bend, compared to farther up the coast.” Baker said he and his buddy were wrapping up their fishing trip for the day when the tripletail caught his eye. “I was using live shrimp Please turn to page 13
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 15 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 19
INSIDE
CONTENTS
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For Lone Star Outdoor News
At the north jetty in Port Aransas, James Baker noticed and cast to a tripletail, an unusual sight for the location. Photo from James Baker.
HUNTING
FISHING
Getting tusks (P. 4)
Custom corks (P. 8)
After years, permits being processed.
Hobby becomes business.
Quail at the market (P. 4)
Lunker in tourney (P. 9)
What species are they?
Winning team lands 13.34-pounder.