HUNTING ANNUAL INSIDE
HUNTING texas A N N UA L 2023
Here it comes again
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Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
August 11, 2023
Volume 19, Issue 24
Quantified wins big at TIFT
Wild Appetite
More than 1,000 anglers and 200 boats participated in the Texas International Fishing Tournament at South Padre Island. Photo from TIFT.
By Tony Vindell
For Lone Star Outdoor News
myself in the kitchen,” Rosser said. Rosser said his background in hunting gave him an edge on other chefs, as he had familiarity in areas other chefs found themselves feeling uncomfortable. “Because I was a hunter, I already had a lot of experience and knowledge about butchering and muscle groups,” Rosser said. “Nowadays, it has become popular to cook a whole
“Fish On” could have been the slogan for this year’s Texas International Fishing Tournament. From the tiniest piggy perch to the 75-plus-pound wahoo or the many billfish caught during the tournament’s 83rd year, anglers reported great fishing — especially offshore. In the bay, one team even managed to catch a 9-pound red drum that shockingly fell within the slot of 20-28 inches. But the tournament glory went to Quantified, which also grabbed the big prize — the 2023 Gulf Champion of the Sport Fishing Championship, a fivetournament series which also includes events in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. The SFC also presented a replica check for $100,000 to the team. Next up is the final tournament in Puerto Rico, where a $1 million pot is up for grabs — a prize the team won in 2022. Even before the boat made it back to the dock at the Port Isabel Marina Saturday, Aug. 5, Tim Smith, the TIFT host and a weatherman at one of the Rio Grande television stations, kept announcing the anticipated arrival of the boat and its crew.
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Wild game chef Ric Rosser puts the finishing touches on meals at a Texas ranch. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Culinary Arts degree from the Art Institute of Houston. After graduating, he spent the first portion of his career working as a chef for different restaurants and entities where he gained a wide range of skills and experience. “Culinary school gave me a great foundation to begin my career, but the knowledge I have acquired over the years truly came from other chefs who challenged me to push
Rivers offer variety
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
At Spread Oaks Ranch, northwest of Bay City, you can often find a chef who strives to push the boundaries of traditional wild game cooking by thinking outside the box. Ric Rosser feels the skillset he has developed over the years as an avid
outdoorsman has helped him perfect his craft in the kitchen throughout his 30-year career as a professional chef. Originally from Bryan, Rosser started shooting a bow at only 4 years old. As soon as he was old enough, he started bowhunting with his dad. His culinary career began while working in fine dining at the age of 19. He decided to enroll in culinary school, moved to Houston and obtained a
By Nate Skinner
Rivers across Texas have been producing a variety of species for those who have been willing to stray from the beaten path. Riverbound anglers and fishing guides have been catching largemouth bass, catfish, alligator gar, stripers and sand bass, among other types of fish. Under the sweltering,
late-summer conditions, the best action has been coming during the first few hours of the day. Diego Medina has been targeting bass in the Elm Creek area of the Frio River above Choke Canyon Reservoir. He said hollow-body top-water frogs have been drawing strikes from solid largemouths during the early-morning hours, noting that most of the fish have
been hanging tight to grass mats and flooded vegetation along the bank in 4 feet of water or less. Later in the morning after the frog bite dies off, Medina has been able to hook up with bass by targeting stumps out off the bank in 8-9 feet of water using chatterbaits and swim jigs. The water has been fairly stained, though, so lures in darker color patterns have been Please turn to page 22
CONTENTS
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For Lone Star Outdoor News
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 19 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 22
INSIDE
Chef hunts to perfect his craft
Diego Medina caught this 6-pound bass on a top-water frog while fishing along the Frio River above Choke Canyon Reservoir. Photo from Diego Medina.
HUNTING
FISHING
Hunting riverbeds (P. 4)
Nighttime fun (P. 8)
Rules change for rifle, bow hunters.
Flounder giggers moving to find fish.
Unique embroidery (P. 5)
White bass on top (P. 8)
Outdoor artist-inspired shirts.
Early morning best for surface action.