Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
September 23, 2022
Catfish and largemouth bass have been stocked in Bois d’Arc Lake. The lake is still 19 feet low and not ready to open. Photo by TPWD.
Volume 19, Issue 3
Waiting for Texas’ first new lake in decades By Craig Nyhus
right into the ground,” said Inland Fisheries Denison District Supervisor Dan Bennett. “It only came up a few inches.” According to the North Texas Municipal Water District, Bois d’Arc Lake is still 19 feet low and
Lone Star Outdoor News Bois d’Arc Lake, located in Fannin County, didn’t catch much water despite recent heavy rains. “I think most of the rain soaked
too low to open. TPWD biologists were on the water and confirmed all of the large brush pile coordinates NTMWD built for the future fishermen (available on the TPWD fish habitat web page soon). Please turn to page 11
Dove patterns lacking South Zone opener inconsistent By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News It was a different type of opener for South Zone dove hunters, particularly in areas known for producing barn-burner shoots. The birds were changing their flight patterns daily, bouncing back and forth in between fields with irrigated crops and those with native, seed-bearing plants that have been rapidly maturing as a result of late summer rains. Wingshooters willing to put in the time in the field were rewarded. Clayton Roth manages the hunting operations outfitter Dilley Dove. He said he received more calls from surrounding hunting outfits and guides in the Dilley and Pearsall areas asking where the birds were during
opening weekend than he ever has. “I always get a few calls from other outfitters who are looking for fields with birds to put hunters on during opening weekend, but I’ve never had this many before,” Roth said. “There were a lot of folks that had inconsistent dove numbers to start the season.” Roth said there were still quite a few birds around South Texas, but their patterns were spotty. “We still had hunters do pretty well,” he said. “Those willing to put in the time in the field and make adjustments based on where they were seeing birds fly were able to harvest limits. It just wasn’t the normal, lights out, sitin-one-spot on any given field kind of opening weekend that some folks are used to here in South Texas.” Late summer rains delayed the harvest of certain crops, and also
South Texas hunters found the mourning dove changing their patterns daily and many had to move around to get in areas with shot opportunities. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
germinated seeds and grain in fields where the birds would have otherwise been feeding. “We also had a lot croton mature and begin to drop seeds as a result of the moisture we received at the tail end of the summer,” he elaborated. “This further added to the inconsistency of the birds, as they started switching back and forth between croton fields and
irrigated crops as more and more seed began to hit the ground. Some folks may have been disappointed by what they experienced to start the season, but overall, these conditions will likely make for excellent dove hunting later into the year.” Austin James hunted on his grandfather’s property outside of Uvalde just south of Highway
90 during the evening on opening weekend, where he and some buddies shot limits of dove. “We saw mostly mourning dove,” he said. “The action was pretty steady over native vegetation near a stock tank that was surrounded by mesquite trees.” Jacob Bielefeldt had good hunts with his dad and friends two days in a row during opening weekend Please turn to page 6
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
A new kind of cast and blast By Robert Sloan
Cast and blast hunting and fishing trips in Texas are popular, but one particular group took it to another level. They mixed dove hunting with fishing for red snapper and fly-fished for reds. “It’s a really easy thing to do,” said Greg Gamble. “We loaded up the trucks with shotguns and offshore fishing tackle and headed down to Port Mansfield from Houston. We planned on hunting for whitewings and had chartered a boat to take us into state waters to catch red snapper.”
In a unique twist, a group mixed dove hunting with fishing for red snapper and fly-fishing for redfish. Photos by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Please turn to page 11 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 21 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 22
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
HUNTING
FISHING
Teal buzzing (P. 4)
Schooling reds (P. 8)
Inland ponds producing.
Big groups on the prowl.
Finding lost birds (P. 4)
Lake Fork on the rise (P. 8)
Making a reasonable effort to find.
Bass bite responding.