Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
May 12, 2023
Volume 19, Issue 18
Big speck while wading flats By Robert Sloan
For Lone Star Outdoor News Kerri Chatham, a Port O’Connor fishing guide, made a run to Port Mansfield with her husband and father-inlaw, and the trip paid off with a nice speckled trout. Chatham’s specialty is wading the flats just about anywhere she can find clean water, grass and baitfish. “We had a really good time,” she said. “We waded the whole time we were there. The water on that area of the Laguna Madre can be anything from sandy green to gin clear. Drift fishing is popular there — it’s a way to cover a lot of water. Since the wind blows there more often than not, driftfishing is a good option. But wading is my specialty and the clear water flats out of Mansfield are perfect for wading.” Some of the best wading can be done on the flats off the Intracoastal Waterway. That’s where you’ll find lots of grass and lots of sand pockets. “One of the best combinations you can have while wading is to be in clear water where you have scattered grass with sand pockets,” Chatham said. On this trip, the group caught a good number of trout over 21 inches, along with a few reds, but the trip was highlighted by a 28-inch trout caught by the guide, her personal best. “The weather was good,” says Chatham. “We found some good flats to wade and they were holding lots of small minnows, along with mullet. When I hooked up with that big trout we were fishing a north wind under a sunny sky.” One of her favorite lures is the original Down South paddle tail in a
Kerri Chatham landed her personal best speckled trout on an outing with her husband and father-in-law. Photo by Joe Chatham.
Josh Smith took this mature gobbler in Wheeler County near Shamrock while hunting with outfitter Kevin Whiteley. Photo by Kevin Whiteley.
Toms active as season ends By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Turkey hunters chasing gobblers in the North Zone have been hard at it for nearly two weeks since South Zone hunters had to call it quits. As their spring season quickly comes to a halt, many have observed varying behaviors from the birds. Cody Johnston dedicated some time in the field on a ranch that he leases in Schleicher County, near Eldorado. He was rewarded by a close encounter with a mature longbeard, which resulted in him harvesting his first spring tom. “The gobblers were pretty vocal during my two-day trip,” he said. “They gobbled a lot throughout the day, but most were not will-
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ing to close the distance after responding to a call.” Johnston was hunting with a friend, and said they had to put in several miles on foot before finding a tom in an aggressive mood. “After making an early afternoon sit in an area that was holding quite a few birds, we decided to make a move in the direction of a gobbler sounding off in the distance,” he said. “We were able to sneak in fairly close to where we thought he was. After we sat down and waited a few minutes, both me and my buddy made one call each. The gobbler answered immediately, and a few moments later I could see him charging in in a hurry.” The hunters didn’t have any decoys out, but the gobbler did not seem to care. Please turn to page 6
By Nate Skinner
Miller Polly and Theo Koulianos were bass fishing together out of a 14-foot jon boat they call “The Daisy,” rigged with a trolling motor on Lady Bird Lake, when Polly hooked into a fish that was clearly much larger than the largemouth bass they were pursuing. The jum-
bo bite turned out to be a 41.5inch, 31.5-pound striped bass that began an on-the-water rodeo before it was finally landed. “I was chunking a swimbait around structure along the bank, and we had already caught a few largemouths that evening, before we moved into some deeper, open water,” said Polly. “As we drifted over the deeper basin before us, I Please turn to page 11
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 15 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 18 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Monster striper on Lady Bird
Miller Polly caught and released this 41.5 inch, 31.5 pound striped bass while pursuing largemouth bass on Lady Bird Lake in Austin. Photo by Theo Koulianos.
HUNTING
FISHING
Nilgai rescue (P. 4)
Crappie changing depths (P. 8)
Boaters rope, bring in young bull from bay.
Found shallow, over deep structure.
Rollins, Berlanga honored (P. 7)
Offshore wind farms (P. 11)
Harvey Weil annual dinner celebrates conservationists.
Huge field proposed out from Galveston.