Author: Guide

Visit our booth at the Houston Boat Show January 7th – 16th at the Reliant Center, Houston Texas.

Red Wing Boat Company
836 South 75th Street
Houston, Texas 77023
713-921-0656
– Lake Mohave

Visit our booth at the Houston Boat Show January 7th – 16th at the Reliant Center, Houston Texas.

Rinker’s Boat World
2500 W Mt Houston
Houston, Texas 77038
800-847-9247
281-847-0064

– Lake Mohave

ATHENS, Texas—Terry Jones of Jewett turns trash into treasure—metal sculptures that look like prehistoric fish despite being made of old saw blades, meat grinders, car parts and anything else that strikes his fancy.

“A piece is only as good as the quality of the junk that’s in it,” Jones said. But instead of the finished pieces looking like the junk they’re made of, they resemble something from a fishy horror movie—gaping jaws, saw-toothed fins and scissor-like tails.

Jones’ whimsical folk art will be featured at an art show and sale Dec. 4-11 at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center here. Jones said most of his customers so far have come from the Austin area.

In contrast to the metal sculptures, the show will also feature botanical art by Bruce Lyndon Cunningham of Nacogdoches and outdoor-themed paintings by several Athens-area artists. Artists will donate a portion of each sale to the building fund for a new education center at TFFC. Jones and other artists will be at TFFC for the opening of the show on Dec. 4.

Jones credits his antique business to an eye for good junk and to friends for supplying him with quality raw materials. “I find a lot of stuff at auctions and estate sales,” he said. “I try to use as many antique tools as possible in my sculptures. Once I get an idea for a piece, I go looking for the parts to make it. One small piece I made recently took four weeks to build because I did not have what I wanted. So I just let it sit until I found the eyes—as soon as I saw them, I knew where they needed to go, and I finished the piece.”

That sculpture, which features gears from an automobile transmission for the eyes and a section of a large sawmill blade as the dorsal fin, will be part of the December show.

Jones’ fishy figures attract a lot of attention at the antique shop and bait store he and wife Carla operate in downtown Jewett. “The look on people’s faces when they see a piece is the real reward,” he said. “They are trying to figure out what all the pieces are and where they came from.”

The sculptures go together in Jones’ head first. Then he welds them together in the parking lot of the store. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with pieces going together in my head,” he said. “The hard part is finding the mouth. That’s the focal point of a fish. You have to start with the mouth and build from there, because the mouth determines how big the rest of the fish will be.” The pieces are sanded clean, welded together and coated with lacquer to make them weatherproof.

Jones, 45, has no formal art training but has always liked to draw. He acquired his welding skills working as an ironworker. He says using one person’s junk to create another person’s treasure requires no special training: “It just boils down to having a good imagination,” he said.

For more information call (903) 676-2277. – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — The limestone walls of the Indian Council Room deep within the bowels of historic Longhorn Cavern near Burnet will ring with the sounds of the holiday season at three special Caroling in the Cave performances. The Longhorn Cavern State Park event is just one of a number of holiday events taking place at Texas state parks and historic sites this season.

This is the third year that the acoustically blessed Longhorn Cavern has hosted the underground Christmas concerts that have proven extremely popular. The Westwood Honors Show Choir from Round Rock will give a performance a cappella from 4:15- 6:15 p.m. Dec. 15. Victoria B & Friends will perform on Dec. 18 (2:15-4:15 p.m.) and Dec. 22 (4:15-6:15 p.m.) Reservations are required and can be made by calling (877) 441-2283.

The holiday season in Texas State Parks kicks off early, Nov. 26-Dec. 20, with a Candlelight Christmas Dinner at the Starr Family Home State Historic Site in Marshall, a town known for its lighting festival. Experience a sumptuous Victorian Christmas dinner from a long ago era in the 1890s Blake Home as accomplished singers serenade you. Call (903) 935-3044 to make dinner reservations.

Throughout December, state parks will host a variety of events, including Christmas on the Border at Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center in Lajitas on the Texas-Mexico border. The festive event will include folklorico dancers, school choirs, Christmas treats and refreshments, and a special visit by Santa. The program will start at 6 p.m. on Dec. 12. For information, call (432) 424-3327.

Holiday events in the parks wrap up on Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. with the 35th annual Tree Lighting at Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site in Stonewall. Join the Johnson family for festivities that include performances by carolers, a living nativity, Santa Claus, and a special nighttime tour of the LBJ Ranch and lamp-lit tour of Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. For more information, call (830) 644-2252.

Other Texas State Parks hosting special holiday tours and other events (most of which charge a fee) this year are as follows:
Big Bend Country

* Fort Leaton State Historic Site Posada del Fortin – Dec. 16. Park staff and Presidio High School student docents will conduct a traditional Texas borderlands Christmas celebration at the old fort. Posada starts at 6 p.m. followed by free refreshments and entertainment by mariachis and folklorico dancers; donations accepted. Located in Presidio County, four miles southeast of Presidio on the River Road to F.M. 170. Call (432) 229-3613.
* Magoffin Home State Historic Site Holiday Victorian Tea – Dec. 5. Begin the Christmas season by joining in an annual holiday tea party. The whole home will be festively decorated with a Christmas tree in each room. There will be two seatings, 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; fee is $12 per person and includes home tour. Advance ticket purchase is required; no tickets sold day of tea. (Note: this popular event sells out quickly, so contact the park as soon as possible.) Located in El Paso County, in the city of El Paso, east on I.H. 10, exit on Cotton Street; turn right on Myrtle Street, left on Octavia Street, left on Magoffin Street, home is on the right. Call (915) 533-5147.
* Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park Santa at the Tramway – Dec. 16-20, 23-24. Santa will be at the top of Ranger Peak waiting for children to deliver their letters in person and to take their pictures with Ol’ Saint Nick. Noon to 5 p.m.; fees $7 adults, $4 children 4-12. Located in El Paso north of Interstate 10 and west of U.S. 54 North. Exit U.S. 54 North on Fred Wilson; take a left on Fred Wilson, which turns into Alabama Street, follow, Alabama to McKinley Avenue and take a right; McKinley ends at the base of the tramway. Call (915) 562-9899.

Gulf Coast

* Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site, Yuletide Texas – Dec. 1-31. Christmas was a special time for the sailors and officers who served aboard Battleship TEXAS, and now you can get a glimpse at that history. See the dreadnought adorned with lights, ornaments and decorations in the spirit of the season to replicate what crewmembers did while serving their country. Hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; fees are $5 adults, $4 senior citizens, $3 children ages 6-18, and children five and younger are free. The site is located 22 miles east of downtown Houston via Texas 225 and Texas 134. Call (281) 479-2431.
* Brazos Bend State Park A Simple Christmas – Dec. 4. Bring the family for an afternoon and evening of Christmas fun, including face-painting, historical interpretation, piñatas, hayrides, storytelling and Santa Claus. It’s from 3 p.m.-8 p.m. and is in Fort Bend County, 20 miles southeast of Richmond on FM 762 or south of Houston on Texas 288 to Rosharon. Call (979) 553-5101.
* Fulton Mansion State Historic Site 21st Annual Candlelight Christmas Carol – Dec. 11. Celebrate the Christmas spirit and sing along with a medley of carols on the front steps. Light refreshments will be served afterwards at this historic home that has been featured on Home and Garden TV’s “Christmas Castles.” Hours are 6:30-8 p.m. and it’s located in Aransas County three miles north of Rockport off State Highway 35. Call (361) 729-0386
* Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site Lone Star Legacy Candlelight Christmas – Dec. 4. Enjoy an open-house featuring free tours of the plantation house adorned in its seasonal finery. Refreshments will be served. It’s from 6-8 p.m., and donations taken for the park’s Lone Star Legacy endowment fund. It’s located two miles north of West Columbia on FM 2852. From Houston, take State Highway 288 south to State Highway 35. Turn south on State Highway 35 and travel 12 miles to West Columbia. Outside West Columbia take FM 2852 to Park Road 51 (1702 N. 13th St.). Call (800) 792-1112.

Panhandle Plains

* Abilene State Park Christmas Lane — Dec. 7-Dec. 24. Abilene State Park joins with Abilene State School to sponsor the event. Local organizations and businesses set up holiday displays for school residents and the general public. The Lane also provides an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to participate in holiday activities. More than 100 business and organizations are scheduled to participate this year. The display
will be at Abilene State School, 2501 Maple St. The event is free. Donations for the state school and Volunteer Services Council will be accepted. Call (325) 795-3370.
* Big Spring State Park Holiday Lights Display – Thanksgiving Weekend and Dec. 15-31. The park features a lights display in conjunction with the Festival of Lights, featuring three large poinsettas (eight feet high and 20 feet wide) covered in lights. There will also be an illuminated 10-foot star as part of the display on the edge of the park’s 200-foot bluff that marks the northern limit of the Edward’s Plateau. It’s located in Howard County within the city limits of Big Spring just off FM 700. Call (432) 263-4931.
* Fort Richardson State Park and State Historic Site Children’s Visit with Victorian Santa – Dec. 11. View the parlor decorated for this festive holiday celebration just as the officers’ children did at the fort in the 1870s. Santa is there from 2-4:30 p.m. and the event is located in Jack County, one mile southeast of Jacksboro on U.S. 281. Call (940) 567-3506.

Pineywoods

* Texas State Railroad State Park Victorian Christmas Train – Dec. 4, 11, and 18. This is an annual event hosted by the state park and Palestine Convention and Visitors Bureau. Vintage steam trains will offer a quieter, simpler celebration. The trip will feature ladies in early 1900s Christmas dresses, as well as wassail and an assortment of fruitcakes and nut breads from world-famous Eilenberger’s Bakery. Strolling carolers will add to the charm. The hours are 4-6 p.m.; fees are $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 5-13 and younger; and reservations are required. The park is located in Anderson County, two miles east of Palestine on U.S. 84 to Park Road 70. Call (800) 659-3484 or (903) 723-3014.

Prairies and Lakes

* Cedar Hill State Park Caroling Through Penn Farm – Dec. 4. See Penn Farm by candlelight on a lantern-lit tour. Then participate in a Christmas carol sing-along and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies around a campfire; 6-7:30 p.m. Please call to confirm. Located 10 miles southwest of Dallas, four miles southeast of Grand Prairie, and three miles west of Cedar Hill and is accessible via FM 1382. From US Highway 67 exit FM 1382, 2.5 miles north on the left. From Interstate 20 exit FM 1382, four miles south on the right (on the Joe Pool Reservoir). The park is skirted by FM 1382 and Mansfield Road. Call (972) 291-5940 and (972) 291-3900.
* Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Trailway Cross Timbers Cowboy Campfire Christmas – Dec. 10-12. Bring the entire family for a weekend of holiday fun. Friday and Saturday nights will feature a Christmas-theme campfire program at the Lone Star Amphitheater with cowboy music, poetry and a sing-along from 6-8 p.m. From dusk to 10 p.m., Friday through Sunday, take a drive through the park to see the light display. The park is located in Park County, four miles east of Mineral Wells on U.S. 180 or 15 miles west of Weatherford on U.S. 180. Call (940) 328-1171.
* Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Site Trail of Lights – Dec. 10-11, 17-18. Enjoy a fantastic quarter-mile trail illuminated with thousands of lights that decorate the park. Walk a trail overlooking the town of La Grange. Experience the more traditionally decorated, 1850’s-era home of H. L. Kreische, bedecked in holiday splendor and reflecting a Texas-German style. Bring your children to tell secrets to Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and enjoy the genuine seasonal hospitality of the Friends of Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery, sponsor of the event. Hours are from 6-8 p.m. and fees are $3 for adults and $1 children ages 3-12. It’s located in Fayette County, a mile south of La Grange off U.S. Highway 77 to spur 92. Call (979) 968-5658.
* Sam Bell House Maxey State Historic Site Old-Fashioned Christmas for Kids – Dec. 11. Children and their families are invited to make old-fashioned Victorian Christmas decorations. Children in grades 2-4 are scheduled at 9:30 a.m.; children in grades 5-7 are scheduled at 1:30 p.m. and reservations are required. It’s located at 812 S. Church St. in the heart of Paris. Call (903) 785-5716.
* Sebastopol House State Historic Site Tour of Homes – Dec. 11-12. Sebastopol House will be showcased on the Seguin Conservation Society’s 2004 Annual Tour of Homes. The tour includes some of Seguin’s oldest and finest homes, decked out in holiday splendor. Tickets are available at Gifts & Gourmet (830) 379-1242. It’s located in Guadalupe County, in the city of Seguin. Turn south at State Highway 46 and go one mile to U.S. Highway 90A (Court Street); turn east and go one mile to the park entrance. Call (830) 379-4833.
* Stephen F. Austin State Park — Pancake Breakfast With Santa – Dec. 11. Have a breakfast of homemade pancakes with homemade syrup, sausage, juice and coffee and let Santa know your dreams and wishes for this Christmas. It’s from 8-10a.m. and the fee is $3 per person. Or go on a caroling hayride Dec. 11 from 6-8 p.m. through the park and enjoy cookies and hot chocolate afterwards. Located in Austin County, three miles east of Sealy off I.H.10, take exit F.M. 1458, go north two miles, turn left on Park Road 38 to entrance. Call (979) 885-3613.
* Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site/Barrington Living History Farm Candlelight Christmas – Dec. 10-11. Come share a traditional Christmas with the Anson Jones Family at their annual gathering of friends and neighbors. Enjoy a festive atmosphere filled with 1850’s music and dancing. Wassail and cookies will be served. It’s from 6-8 p.m. and fees are $6 adults, and $4 for children 12 and younger. It’s located in Washington County, eight miles southwest of Navasota off Texas 105 and FM 1155. Call (936) 878-2213.
* Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site – Old Fashioned Christmas at Ike’s House, Dec. 4 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Come experience an old time Christmas in the park with arts and crafts vendors, entertainment featuring Bell Ringers, Varsity Choir, and Symphonic Band. The Birthplace is decorated in festive 1890’s style. Santa will also be making an appearance! Tours are available and the event is free. The park is off US Hwy 75, exit Morton St (FM 120 E) to US Hwy 69 (Austin Ave) and go right to Main Street. Call (800) 792-1112.

South Texas Plains

* Goliad State Park — History in Lights – Nov. 25-Dec. 31. Accentuated by a unique lighting display, the history of Mission Espiritu Santo comes to life to celebrate the holiday season. It’s from 5–10 p.m. daily and there is a Christmas Concert on Dec. 4 from 8-9 p.m. It’s located in Goliad County, 1/4 mile south of Goliad on U.S. Highway 183/77A, to park entrance. Call (361) 645-3405.

Visit the Web (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/) or call (512) 389-8900 for more information about events and campsite or lodging accommodations. – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — You won’t need a fishing license this winter to try your luck at hooking one of the thousands of rainbow trout being stocked in lakes and rivers at more than a dozen Texas state parks.

The Family Fishing Celebration, a special promotion to encourage families to enjoy fishing in Texas state parks, waives the fishing license and stamp requirements for adults at about 70 state parks. And winter trout season is an opportune time to take advantage of this special promotion.

Fifteen Texas state parks will benefit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s trout stocking taking place December through February. Four parks, (Fort Boggy, Fort Richardson, Fort Parker, and Lake Tawakoni), are conducting special trout fishing events as part of the Family Fishing Celebration.

On Dec. 11, Fort Richardson State Park in Jacksboro will hold its annual Kids Fishing Day. From 10 a.m. to noon, children 12 and younger can fish for trout at Quarry Lake, which will be stocked with 1,000 of the 8-12 inch fish. Prizes will be awarded for the first and largest fish caught. The agency’s Inland Fisheries Division will furnish a limited number of rods and reels.

An additional 1,000 rainbows will be stocked at Fort Richardson in preparation for Family Fishing Day on Jan. 15. Anglers of all ages will be able to participate at the Saturday event held at Quarry Lake. Call the park at (940) 567-3506 for more information about the fishing events.

Fort Boggy State Park near Centerville will host Trout Fishing Day from 8 a.m. to noon on Jan. 22. The free fishing event is open to children ages 4-16 and they must be accompanied by an adult. The fee for adults is $2. For additional information, call the park at (903) 344-1116.

Pair-a-Trees Pond at Lake Tawakoni State Park just east of Dallas will be stocked with 500 trout in advance of a Junior Angler Education program and Kids Fishing Day to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Feb. 19. Participants in the TPWD-sponsored education program will have the first shot at fishing the park pond. The pond will be open to anglers of all ages the following day. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided by Wills Point Kiwanis Club. Call (903) 560-1795 for details.

At Fort Parker State Park, the Mexia Bass Club will be sponsoring a trout fishing clinic providing children with an opportunity to come out and fish Lake Springfield, which will be stocked with 1,200 rainbows. The clinic will be held Jan. 29 and 30. For more information, call (254) 562-5751.

The following state parks will offer trout fishing (starting dates noted) this winter:

* Abilene State Park (Jan. 11)
* Blanco State Park (Dec. 9, Jan. 5, Jan. 20, Feb. 17)
* Bob Sandlin State Park (Dec. 27, Jan. 30)
* Buescher State Park (Dec. 16)
* Copper Breaks State Park (Feb. 8)
* Fort Boggy State Park (Jan. 30)
* Fort Parker State Park (Jan. 22)
* Fort Richardson State Park (Dec. 11, Jan. 15)
* Landmark Inn State Historic Site (Jan. 16)
* Meridian State Park (Jan. 9)
* Lake Tawakoni State Park (Feb. 19)
* Palmetto State Park (Jan. 30)
* Rusk State Park (Dec. 16)
* South Llano River State Park (Dec. 18, Feb. 3)
* Tyler State Park (Dec. 3, Jan. 7)

TPWD launched the Family Fishing Celebration on Labor Day Weekend in 2003 and decided its success warranted its continuation for at least an additional year. The promotion has been extended through Aug. 31, 2005. Academy Sports & Outdoors also has come on board as the exclusive sponsor for fiscal year 2005.

TPWD has the authority to grant the license waivers for such events under Texas Parks and Wildlife Code. The waiver will save Texas residents fishing in state parks the $28 cost of a freshwater fishing license package and non-residents $55. Park admission fees, as well as fish catch and size limits, still apply during the yearlong event. Any fish requiring a tag, such as oversize red drum and tarpon, must still be tagged. As of Sept. 1, a special rainbow trout stamp is no longer required in Texas.

During the Family Fishing Celebration, license-free angling will be restricted to bank and pier fishing, and to fishing in bodies of water totally contained within the boundaries of a state park,
such as Lake Raven in Huntsville, according to Bryan Frazier, FFC coordinator for Texas State Parks. If anglers launch boats from state park property to access an adjacent lake or other water body, he said, they will still need a fishing license and requisite stamps because the waiver will not apply outside state park boundaries.

Frazier said that the Family Fishing Celebration’s no-license policy also applies to piers operated by the state, such as Copano Bay Fishing Pier, and to wade-fishing where applicable within the boundaries of a state park. The license waiver does not apply to the state’s 50 Wildlife Management Areas.

To enhance the fishing experience, many state parks have lighted piers, fish-cleaning stations, boat ramps, lakeside campsites and other facilities. If you don’t have a boat, some parks will rent you watercrafts, such as kayaks and canoes.

A complete list of state parks offering fishing opportunities and dates of upcoming special fishing events and seminars is available on the TPWD Web site (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/familyfish/), or by calling (800) 792-1112. – Lake Mohave

ZAPATA, Texas — At and around the Falcon Lake area on the Mexican border, game wardens had a busy November.

“Efforts of game wardens in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies have been very successful in the past few weeks in the Falcon Lake area,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Law Enforcement Director, Col. James Stinebaugh. “We intend to keep the pressure on all of our border areas to enforce game laws and assist other agencies in their missions when called upon to do so.”

Following are some of the November accomplishments of the wardens:

* Wardens observed a Mexico commercial fishing vessel enter into United States waters on the Rio Grande River. When the officers attempted to stop the vessel, the subjects evaded arrest and went to Mexico. During the pursuit, the officers noticed a large number of plastic-covered bundles in the center of the violator boat which they suspected to be drugs. When the officers back-tracked the pursuit route, they discovered one of the plastic bundles floating in the water. The bundle, which was later determined to be marijuana, was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol and weighed 41 pounds. The investigation continues.
* Wardens received a call advising that a vehicle loaded with drugs had just left a border location and was traveling toward Laredo. U.S. Border Patrol initiated the vehicle stop and Game Wardens were backing them up. The suspect vehicle drove off the highway and crashed into some thick brush and the driver fled. The officers were unable to locate the suspect; however, the vehicle was seized along with 348 pounds of marijuana.
* Wardens observed a vessel enter into U.S. waters from Mexico. The wardens followed the vessel to a public boat ramp in Zapata and initiated a water safety inspection. While inspecting the vessel, the game wardens noticed an open compartment that contained what they believed to be a bundle of marijuana. Upon further inspection of the vessel, the wardens located a total of 11 bundles of marijuana which was later weighed and totaled 125 pounds. The case was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
* While working at Falcon Lake, wardens observed a Mexico commercial fishing vessel enter into U.S. waters. When the vessel entered into Arroyo Tigre, game wardens stopped the vessel. The operator of the vessel beached his boat on the bank and he and his passenger fled into some thick brush. The officers searched the area but were unable to locate the two subjects. The officers seized the vessel along with 3,000 feet of gill net.
* Wardens observed a Mexico Commercial fishing vessel enter into U.S. waters around Zapata. The wardens initiated a stop of the vessel and two Mexico commercial fishermen were arrested for possession of illegal fishing devices (gill nets) and transported to the Zapata County Jail. The violators were fined $450 each and their boat, motor and nets (900 feet) were seized by the wardens pending forfeiture proceedings.
* Other general seizures made in November include 3,000 feet of unattended gill nets and one unattended hoop net. – Lake Mohave

When It Rains, It Pours — Texas’ natural resources showed their potential in 2004, thanks to higher than normal rainfall across most of the state. The abundance of water created lush habitat conditions, setting the stage for near-record production among many wildlife species, particularly quail and deer. While hunters were enjoying the rewards of a bountiful season, anglers and park visitors saw newfound opportunities as rivers and streams flowed again and lakes, like Falcon, returned to normal levels.

Rare Species Rebound — Several high-profile species of concern passed milestones in 2004, including record highs for whooping cranes and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. This winter, the world’s last natural wild population of whooping cranes flew past the 200 mark, a landmark event for an endangered bird species that has come back from the brink of extinction during the past six decades. Throughout the summer of 2004, the world’s most endangered sea turtle returned to nest on Texas beaches in record numbers. Forty-one Kemp’s ridley nests were reported. Also encouraging was the change in status of the black-tailed prairie dog, which was removed from the candidate list of species considered for threatened status under the Endangered Species Act.

Producing and Paying for Fish — The process to build and finance a new state fish hatchery got under way in 2004, with Jasper getting the nod as the site for the facility. To help pay for the new hatchery, the Texas Legislature created a Freshwater Fishing Stamp, providing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with an opportunity to reposition its suite of hunting and fishing licenses. The agency eliminated requirements for several specialty stamps and created license packages that better reflect a user-pay, user-benefit philosophy. Also making a big “splash” in a state fish hatchery this year was the donation of a new state record blue catfish to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. The 121-pound behemoth was transported alive to the TFFC where it continues to be on display to the public in the facility’s aquarium.

New State Parks Pass Proves Popular — More than 50,000 state park fans have purchased the new Texas State Parks Pass that went on sale Jan. 1. The new annual pass is similar in appearance to a credit card and is designed to be easier to use. The Texas State Parks Pass costs $60 for one card and $75 for a two card family membership. It replaced the gold Texas Conservation Passport. The new pass provides free entry to all state parks and historic sites for members and their guests, camping discounts and “extra perks.”

Birds Take Center Stage — The long-awaited debut in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of the $7 million World Birding Center drew dignitaries from state and local governmental entities and interested ‚birders‛ to the Oct. 23-24 grand opening. The WBC headquarters in Mission becomes the second of eight sites to open along the Texas-Mexico border from Roma to South Padre Island. Another first in the Texas birding community also came along in 2004 with the inclusion of a blind and visually-impaired birding category in the 8th annual Great Texas Birding Classic’s team competition, which was held in April along the central
and upper Texas coast. The groups identify birds by sound instead of sight. The España Tweetybirds beat out two other teams in the category by identifying 40 species. A Texas birding team and a team of young birders from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and New York tied for first, identifying 359 bird species. A total of 56 teams competed. Winning teams were awarded a total of $51,000 that they then donated to fund Texas coastal conservation habitat projects to benefit birds and birders.

Golden Alga Spreads — A naturally-occurring toxin that has become deadly to fish in North and Central Texas expanded its range in 2004, hitting Lake Texoma, one of the states’ biggest lakes, and spreading into Oklahoma. Resource conservation agencies from Texas and Oklahoma are now combining efforts to research and monitor golden alga there. Since 2001, golden alga fish kills have occurred at two dozen reservoirs in Texas.

Bighorn Sheep Hunt Giveaway Signals Species Comeback — Coincidentally, a pair of firefighters from different parts of the state were selected in a drawing of all licensed hunters in Texas to receive a complimentary desert bighorn sheep hunt. TPWD sheep census surveys in 2004 indicated record-high populations of desert bighorns and, in a gesture of appreciation to hunters whose license dollars have helped restore this majestic big game animal, the agency decided to give two hunts away.

Justice Served for Nature — A decades old legal dispute was finally resolved bya mitigation settlement. The case stemmed from mercury discharge into Lavaca Bay by Alcoa and a sister company. Alcoa has already spent $40 million and will spend another $11 million for remaining cleanup. The company will also compensate the public for lost ecological and recreational resources, including adding land to a national wildlife refuge, restoring marshes, creating a new oyster reef and funding a series of fishing piers and boat docks around the bay. Earlier in the year, four individuals who wounded and killed several state-protected trumpeter swans were brought to justice after an extensive and exhausting investigation by state game wardens. Three of the five swans, which are a protected migratory non-game species, died and the other two are being cared for at an Iowa rehabilitation facility. The poachers involved pled guilty to 20 various game law violations and were assessed more than $17,000 in fines and related costs.

San Jacinto Battleground Artifacts Uncovered — An unprecedented archeological project under way at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site near LaPorte led to the discovery of dozens of battle artifacts such as musket balls, belt buckles and Mexican coins. A display of some of the discoveries, which already are shedding new light on the decisive 1836 battle that led to Texas’ independence from Mexico, highlighted the annual San Jacinto Symposium held at the University of Houston April 23. The archeological project is the precursor to the implementation of the first part of a $47 million master plan for the park, which calls for restoring the battleground to its 1836 appearance, a new Visitor’s Center and Museum, among other improvements. – Lake Mohave

AUSTIN, Texas — TengoInternet and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are starting a pilot program to offer wireless Internet service at five Texas state parks — Choke Canyon State Park (Calliham) near Three Rivers, Blanco State Park near Blanco, Balmorhea State Park near Toyahvale, Goose Island State Park near Rockport, and Ray Roberts Lake State Park (Isle du Bois) near Pilot Point.

The pilot program is designed to determine visitor interest for Wi-Fi within the state parks system. Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, allows computer users to share a high-speed Internet connection without the *****bersome wires or delays caused by dial-up access. The wireless service will allow park guests to access the Internet to gain park information, send e-mail or pictures, or just surf the Web, without having to plug cables into a network.

The TengoInternet service will be available for park visitors in the pilot parks beginning Jan. 1. Park visitors will be able to use the service for free during a promotional period and then pay for usage later in the spring.

“The State Parks Division is excited to provide wireless Internet to our visitors at some of our state parks in Texas,” said Pam Carleton, TPWD’s state parks concession manager. “Though we realize many folks want to escape technology while at parks, this is an option for those who want to plan their next camping stop, check weather and get other information online.”

“This is a great opportunity for TengoInternet to help TPWD assess interest for Wi-Fi in its parks and to demonstrate our excellent service,” said Eric Stumberg, president and CEO of TengoInternet.

TengoInternet is the oldest and largest wireless Internet service provider for the campground industry, enabling campground operators to keep their customers connected. TengoInternet currently provides broadband wireless access service for campgrounds, hotels and apartment complexes throughout the United States.

For more information about TengoInternet’s wireless service, please call (512) 750-4979. For overnight camping reservations at a Texas state park, please call (512) 389-8900. For general state park information, call (800) 792-1112. – Lake Mohave

Most of our East Texas lakes have undergone massive changes in the last year, and none have been so severely affected as Sam Rayburn. The temperature is hot, the fishing is not; and, grass was hardly anywhere to be seen! With only one day to prefish before our last Anglers Choice Couples tournament before the championship, it was panic time – Rayburn caught us off guard, so we decided to get a guide and concentrate efforts. Thank goodness for the Internet, I did a quick search and came up with the name of David Scarborough who guides out of Jackson Hill Marina, just north of the 147 bridge. We emailed back and fourth several times and made our final arrangements to meet that Saturday. David agreed to go in our Skeeter so we could mark the areas he showed us on our GPS.

David Scarborough was very knowledgeable of Rayburn (“Big Sam” as locals affectionately call the lake), and he was most helpful in describing the why’s and how to’s of exactly what he was doing to catch his fish. He is a full-time guide and fishes exclusively Sam Rayburn. He is on the lake a minimum of 5 days a week; and, whether he has a guide trip or not, he feels it’s important to stay up with the fish movements and stay in touch with what’s going on. He took us to three of his key areas on the north end of the lake that he had found to be holding fish. Although the fishing was slow, we did catch several good bass (see photo) in the Black Forest area, some in the mouth of Julie Creek and a couple off the 147 bridge area. Since most of the grass is gone, the key was structure and cover on the structure. In all the areas we fished, there was very little grass, but there was some, which was extremely important. The grass is usually highly visible this time of the year and matted on the surface, but this year was different. We were lucky to find an area that had grass 2/3-feet deep. We left the lake feeling confident in our upcoming tournament and very thankful for David’s help and assistance.

The following Saturday morning found us on the lake before daylight. Norman headed off in his Skeeter 202, and I took the other Boots Follmar Marine Pro Staff Skeeter 210 (and the GPS), and headed the opposite direction to check on some of my old haunts. Because we have two boats, were able to cover twice the water in half the time.

I made sure I could find the areas we
had been the previous weekend with David plus did some exploration on my own and found an area in the Black Forest that looked to be quite promising. The area I found was surrounded by deep water and had a creek bend running through a little finger (underwater point) on the edge of the forest. Not only was there deep water nearby, but the water depth varied anywhere from 8-22 feet. The next day at weigh-in, a friend of ours said they had seen us on the lake and the spot we were fishing was one that a superteam tournament had been won on several years before. That made my day!

On our practice day, due to the heat (100+ degrees), we were on the lake only until 12:30. By coming off the lake early, we accomplished two major tasks, one allowed us to get back to the camp and get our gear ready for tournament day, and the second was to get a good night’s rest so we could be fresh for the tournament.

Tournament day was unusual in that a cold front had come through, the wind was blowing 30-40 mph (the wind had been calm for months prior to tournament day) and our primary areas were all mainlake spots. Thank goodness for the Yamaha 225, it got us to where we were going with no problems; however, due to the high winds these mainlake areas were shut down and nothing was biting except the wind. Tournament fishing is feast or famine with us and this one was a near disaster. We had to anchor on our spots to hold and had waves coming in over the bow. Norman was sick that day, but did manage to boat one keeper. We went into the tournament in 6th place and finished out the year in 9th place overall and qualified for the championship, which was our primary objective. Even though we didn’t load the boat with fish that day, we were winners in my book because we were versatile enough to make a change and make it work for us.

In spite of the dangerous conditions, the Skeeter/Yamaha was strong enough to get us there and back and made the ride in comfort. Many boaters simply just don’t know how to trim a boat in rough conditions and Norman is absolutely the best that I’ve ever ridden with. Not only does he trim the jack plate and the trim all the way down, he has a knack and instinct on how to handle each wave to get the smoothest ride and least amount of resistance. We’ve all seen boats going across the water pounding the waves, bow up in the air, bouncing across the water . . . that is simply just not necessary, and over the years, an anglers spine is going to pay the price for all that pounding. When it comes to buying boats, you can buy price or you can buy quality, and in the end, as the old saying goes, “. . . you get what you pay for!”
The following weekend we had a club tournament on Rayburn and Norman and his best friend, Bill Ritzell, fished together for the first time all year and won our local tournament with some 28 pounds between them. Bill is also sponsored by Boots Follmar Marine and is one of the best, and most naturally gifted anglers I’ve ever met (aside from Norman). Even though the heat was in excess of 100 degrees, Bill, found most of their fish in less than 2-feet of water and caught them on topwaters and Zoom Trick worms.

Bill also fishes the couples circuit with us; and he and his partner, Robin Johnston, finished 6th in the tournament the week before. They caught all their fish from the same location. They caught them on topwater baits, with high blue-bird skies, temperature soaring well over 100 degrees and the winds a howling, and they fished that shallow water all day long. Bill and Robin also qualified for the championship to be held on the Red River in October.

It just goes to show you that no matter how hot it is, or how rough it is, there are always some fish to be caught in shallow water! Most everyone I know was out looking for the fish in the deeper cooler waters using Carolina rigs, but not Bill, he found him a “sweet spot,” stuck with it and it paid off two weeks in a row! Never second guess as to what the fish are doing. You can always formulate a game plan, but if you can’t make it work, try something radically different and unexpected, the results may surprise you!

Our guide, David Scarborough, showed us some excellent areas on Rayburn, and we have since returned to those areas under conditions other than north winds, and caught lots of fish there! The Black Forest area has always been temperamental in a north wind, but if you can catch the wind and fishing conditions just right, it’s always a place to give serious consideration and attention; as some mighty big giants have traditionally come from these waters. David was an excellent guide. His knowledge of the lake is very good and he is willing to help you any way he can. If any of you would like to talk to him about a guide trip on Rayburn, his email address is: dgs@lcc.net or you can phone him at (409) 897-3140.
– Lake Mohave

Texas is abundantly blessed with many wonderful fishing lakes and recreational facilities. Lake Livingston is the last major lake on the Trinity River before it runs into the Gulf of Mexico. It is a great place to go for a family weekend or summer vacation getaway. Lake Livingston is located only an hour’s drive north of Houston. The area is rich in Indian history and it’s common to find arrowheads along the shoreline, around the swimming beaches, islands, etc. For those camping enthusiasts, there is a State Park located on the south end with campsites overlooking the lake. The one thing that separates Lake Livingston from all other Texas’ lakes is that the hotter the weather, the better the fishing!

The Black Bass and even White Bass fishing is really quite good during the summer. Black bass are fairly predictable, in that you will rarely find them deeper than about 5-6 feet, which narrows down the water you have to search. The lake can basically be divided into three fishing areas: The upper end, which is basically river fishing; the mid-lake area, which has an abundance of feeder creeks, timber and flats to fish; and the south end, which has lots of boat docks, bulkheads, flats and sloughs to explore.

When fishing the upper reaches of the Trinity River, the channel is well marked by buoys and is easily followed upriver to some of the premier fishing spots. There are three major creeks on the upper end of the lake and they are Carolina, Bethey and Harmon creeks. It is very common to find black bass buried up in the log jams up and down the Trinity River banks. The log jams may only be in 1-2 feet of water, but they will be right off the main river channel and the bass will be hidden in the cooler, shaded water of the log jams and can be caught by flipping a Texas rigged worm or craw worm with a heavy weight into the thickest of the timber.

Fishing mid-lake north of Hwy. 190 bridge up to the Caney and White Rock Creek areas can also be very productive. Due to the lake being stained to off-colored most of the year, the choice of crankbait colors usually centers around some version of firetiger. Usually shallow to medium running baits such as Bombers, Bill Normans’, Excalibur, Fat Free Shad or Bandit crankbaits will work the best for the water depth you should be fishing. If you can’t find them on crankbaits, don’t hesitate to throw a white and chartreuse spinnerbait, a Carolina rig with a light 1/2 oz. weight or a Texas rigged worm. Besides the two creeks mentioned above, other creeks that you should try in the mid-lake area would be Brushy, Palmetto, Poole’s, Brown’s and Hart’s. The mid-lake area is full of timber and laydowns and you’ll find rocky areas holding fish as well. When running the lake, stay within the red and green channel buoys and don’t run out of the channel on plane, unless you know where your going and even then, be careful, the lake is known for its many sandbars and flats.

The south end of the lake is always much clearer, and some of the major creeks and sloughs to fish are Kickapoo, Sandy, Penwaugh,
Alligator, Wolfe, and Indian. There are lots of boat docks with brush piles planted out in front that will keep you busy as well as standing timber, laydowns and flats.

When Norman and I practice on Lake Livingston, we usually take both Boots Follmar Marine Skeeter Pro Staff boats. The reason for this is that we can cover more water in a shorter time frame. Each of us fishes differently; and in separate boats, we can really get a good feel for what’s happening on the lake. Norman likes the Skeeter 202 powered by the 200 Yamaha because it’s a faster and more responsive boat and he can run way up river or down south and leave me putting around the mid-lake area and we both still have plenty of water to fish. I like the 210 with the 225 Yamaha because we have more options on the 210 along with the Lowrance Global 2000, and I also like the extra room. Because we really skip from one spot to another all over the lake, neither one of us could do without our MotorGuide PowerGator which really makes for a nice pleasant day of fishing without a lot of work on our part. We have switches on the console to raise and lower the trol motor and also have switches on the bow for the same purpose. There is no bending down 15-25 times a day, pulling a cord and lifting up the trolling motor. The older we get the more we’re into conveniences and comfort; and, the PowerGator is one item we just won’t leave home without!

Norman and I used to dread fishing Lake Livingston because we just didn’t do very well there, but I have to give a large amount of credit to the guides we’ve fished with over the years on that lake. Professional guides not only know the lake, but they know where and how the fish are and what baits will work for what type of water conditions. The information we gained from fishing with Slade and Randy Dearman has helped us over many years. Dad and son do not fish the same way either, but you could not ask for any more knowledge about that lake than what those two can provide.

Many of you will remember Randy’s B.A.S.S. win on Sam Rayburn a few years back and know that he has been a professional fisherman and B.A.S.S. touring pro for more than 20 years. Randy is sponsored by Stratos Boats, OMC, Strike King, Browning and Flowmaster. His son, Slade grew up fishing Livingston and now competes against his dad on the various circuits and has turned into quite a professional angler all on his own. They live in Onalaska and fish the lake whenever their schedules allow. Without a doubt, they are the best there is on the lake!

Learning some of the key areas to fish and baits to use will do nothing but improve your trip to Livingston. By hiring a good guide, your success and information gained will go with you and you can return another day to duplicate what you did with the guide. Why spend your vacation or tournament day being frustrated because you can’t locate or catch the fish? When you don’t have time to spend hours on hours, days, weeks and years learning a lake, why not invest in the knowledge gained by someone who has already done the homework and is a master of the lake?

Randy doesn’t have time to guide much anymore, but from time to time, you might be able to twist his arm, and if he and Slade aren’t pursuing the professional tournament tours, you might get one of them to take you out. If you would like to book a trip with one of these proficient and expert guides, call (409) 967-0460 or (409) 646-5207. – Lake Mohave

It’s summer, the winds have died, the days are unbearably hot, the fishing gets R E E L slow (pardon the pun), and you just have to adjust, so what do the diehards do? You can get an earlier start and take advantage of great topwater action (buzzbaits, spooks, Rogue’s, Pop R’s, Chug Bugs, etc.) until the sun gets up; then, its time to take drastic measures. In lakes with vegetation, you basically have four options: Plunge the grass, drift the mainlake flats and ridges along the edges of creek channels, fish the points or go to the house and get in the air-conditioning until about 8 p.m.!

Some lakes don’t have an abundance of vegetation, and in those situations, look for the fish to be suspended over deep water ledges, humps, deep water pond dams or along creek channel edges. The fish will be holding in these areas on cover such as rocks or timber near the deep water. You can also locate the fish under the deeper boat docks; or, possibly find them in the mouths of cuts, guts, drains and old sloughs upriver. Regardless of where you find them, the fishing is going to be slow and methodical and the catching is always iffy at best!

If you ask any “grass fishermen”, what’s the key answer — without a doubt, it will be PLUNGE THE GRASS. This means, get out your flipping rod, have heavy line on (17-20# test), take a 1 to 1 1/4 oz. bullet weight with a 4-5/0 wide gap flipping hook and rig a Gene Larew Hawg Craw Texas style. Find yourself a grass bed (this time of year these beds are visible on the surface) and look for some unusual features such as cuts, drains or small creeks running through the massive grass beds, points jutting out from the edges, pockets, etc. Position the boat near the area you want to fish, drop the line over the side and vertically fish or flip to the edges or pockets of the grass and work the bait back to the boat. Let the bait hit the bottom, bump it up one or two times and reel it back in and repeat. You may not get many bites, but they are usually good ones!

Last summer, plunging the grass was not nearly as productive as using spinning gear, light line and “wacky worm” fishing these same areas. The reason this method seemed to produce more bass was because of lake drawdowns, drought conditions and the disappearance of the normally dense vegetation we were used to fishing. There simply was not as much grass to fish.

One of our favorite methods to fish in the summer is to “drift fish”. Experience has taught us that in different parts of the country this means different things. Don’t ever ask an Okie if they want to drift fish, it doesn’t even come close to meaning the same thing! Here in Texas, Norman and I point the nose of our Boots Follmar Marine Prostaff Skeeter 210 or 202 into the wind, turn the Yamaha motor towards the wind (if any) and position the boat to drift the mainlake flats and ridges along the edges of the flats and near deep water. The reason for turning the motor towards the wind is to keep the boat drifting parallel to the area your trying to fish with the least amount of effort and trolling motor usage. We usually fish these areas with either a Texas rig, Carolina rig, or “Wacky Worm.”

For fishing mainlake points, this time of year we look for long sloping points that extend a great distance out into the deeper water. Look for the dropoffs where the concentrated grass ends and the scattered grass begins. We fish these
areas with our same basic arsenal, Texas, Carolina or Wacky rigs. Any or all three of these methods will work even in the hottest part of the day!

When fishing lakes without a lot of vegetation, concentrate on finding long underwater points extending way out into the lake but have some sort of breaking cover, i.e., stumps, rocks, fence lines, etc. Use the same rigs as mentioned above and concentrate your efforts on the cover that will be holding the fish. Don’t overlook mainlake humps, deep water pond dams and along the edges of the creeks, creek junctions (where two creeks come together), as they are also good producers this time of year.

Get your flipping stick out and use in and around the boat docks with deep water close by. Also look for docks that are older, have X cross members underneath and are set on pilings (not floating docks.) Also avoid docks in the backs of the creeks/coves or in the shallow waters, they usually don’t produce this time of year. Other good indicators are to look for docks that have some evidence of regular fishing use, such as rod holders or fishing rods dangling off the ends. If you can find these docks in areas near deep water, it might be a wise decision to turn on your electronics and look for brush piles off the ends. And if all else fails, get out your Carolina rig or crankbait and you will soon discover the brushy areas. Fish this type of brushy cover very thoroughly as well as under the docks as these are areas that are sure to be holding fish.

One other method to try in areas of little vegetation is to go upriver until the lake narrows down into a defined channel and look for cuts, guts, drains and sloughs (“funnel points”, as our friend John Hope would say). Try the mouths of these areas and look for logjams, stumps, rocks, etc. These are very good areas to fish and are easy to fish.

As the day progresses and the heat really sets in, keep a towel in the cooler and ring it out over your head to get your body temperature down, or dip a towel in the lake. It’s not a pretty sight, but it is effective. Drink lots of fluids and pay particular attention to what your body is telling you. If you start feeling dizzy, sick at your stomach, or light headed, get your body heat down quickly, anyway you can. You can always take a quick dip over the side and climb back in and fish awhile longer. Sun stroke or heat exhaustion is no laughing matter and can make for many uncomfortable days after the fishing is over. If the heat gets to be too much, or you just can’t make the fish cooperate, it’s time to go to the house, put your feet up and sit in the a/c and watch fishing shows on TV! Don’t let the dog days get the best of you, learn to take advantage of the many opportunities available and try to stay C O O L! – Lake Mohave

“Woo, Woo, Woo …” is all you could hear from the crowd as seasoned veteran pro angler, Woo Daves, from Burrowsville, Virginia, entered Soldier Field stadium in Chicago on the final day of competition to take the World Championship BASS Masters Classic title with 27 lbs. 13 oz.
“I primarily targeted exclusively smallmouth, using 6 lb. line and a Zoom tubejig around an abandoned seawall in front of Chicago’s Sears Tower. On a tournament like this, you’ve got to battle the winds and the odds with no sleep, and there are just so many things…fishing is such a mental thing, and that’s what so great about Rick Clunn, he’s a mental man. I fished my first BASS Classic in 1975…back then, we didn’t see the Timmy Horton’s, Kevin VanDam, Aaron Martens or Michael Iaconelli’s. What I’m talking about is all these young fishermen out there today….BASS has done an outstanding job over the years of promoting the sport through television and with BASS MASTERS Magazine, and it’s because of BASS that we’re seeing so many young anglers. What a great sport it is when you can tell these young fishermen that you can make a living doing this….Kids want to know what they can do to become a professional bass fisherman, that’s the number one question we get asked. The first thing we always tell them is, get a college education first, then if it is still your desire, get into professional fishing. Timmy Horton really had a tough tournament this week…but I told him he had nothing to be ashamed of, taking the Angler of the Year title in the 1999-2000 season is a major accomplishment, and something in which he could be very proud.”

In prior BASS classics, Woo has had a 2nd and a 3rd place finish on his home waters in Virginia, but the 1st place victory kept slipping past by mere ounces, but not this year. He goes home with $100,000 as first place prize money; and, with additional endorsements, his victory in 2000 could easily amass to over $1,000,000. Not bad for a 25-year BASS veteran who already had two national championships and 15 classics under his belt. This hard work and dedication proved his strength and abilities are only getting better every year. Woo’s sponsors going into this event
were: Tracker Marine, Mercury, Zebco, Quantum, MotorGuide, Hendrick Motor Sports, Flowmaster, Diehard Batteries, Zoom Bait Co., Stren, Strike Zone Lures, Gator Grip Measuring Boards, Plano, Jack’s Juice and Striker Jigs. Woo’s final weight of 27 lbs. 13 oz. eased out 2nd place pro angler, Mark Rizk, from Antelope, California, who finished with 26 lbs. 11 oz.
At 37, Mark Rizk has only fished the BASS Western Invitationals for three years and has qualified for the Classic twice. Mark said his usual style of fishing is a very aggressive “assault pattern” but, due to conditions, he had to switch over to the new “drop-shot” finesse fishing pattern in order to find his fish. Amazingly, he had only used the drop-shot rig in one other prior tournament. He had the heaviest five-fish limit the last day of 10.1 lbs. which propelled him from third place to a second place finish.
Mark learned to fish from his dad when he was only 8. He gave up being a marine technician to follow his dream along the tournament trail and finished 7th in his first Classic. In the ‘99-2000 season, he finished in the top 25 and placed in the money in each of the BASS events he fished. His sponsors are: ProCraft Boats, Mercury, Snag Proof Lures, Worldwaters.com, Revolver Rods, VPR-Pro Team Magic, Wacko Tackle, Assault Lures, Phil’s Props and Value Plumbing.
Shaw Grigsby, who was in second before the final round of competition on Saturday, was bumped down into third place, with a total weight of 24 lbs. 7 oz. Shaw, being another seasoned veteran and truly the showman, struggled the last day to come in with just four bass, dropping him into third place. He caught both largemouth and smallmouth bass on a Luck ‘E’ Strike G4 tubejig. Shaw, at 44, has won over $1,000,000 on the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail and has his own TV Show, One More Cast With Shaw Grigsby. He is no stranger to the limelight and the promotional end of the business and his sponsors include: Triton Boats, Mercury, Zebco/Quantum, MotorGuide, Stren, Strike King, Lowrance, Luck “E” Strike Lures, Ocean Waves, Flowmaster, Hawker Energy, Ford and Team Joe Smith.
Tied for fourth place was Rick Clunn and Kotaro Kiriyama with 23 lbs. 14 oz. each. Rick was also fishing on Lake Calumet in shallow water with broken rocks. He primarily used a Bill Norman Tiny N and a Balsa BII crankbait. Being the true sportsman that he is, he admitted to two mistakes during the tournament. The first was not using enough light line and the second was not spending enough time on the main lake, obviously, he was disappointed. Rick Clunn is one of the best anglers to ever compete in BASS tournaments. He has won over $2,000,000 on the tournament trails, and at age 53 is still going strong. He has won 12 BASSMASTER tournaments and four BASS Masters Classics. He has finished in the money 71% of the 250 tournaments he has fished with BASS. His sponsors include Tracker Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Stanley Jigs, Lunker Lure, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Luck “E” Strike Lures, and Rick Clunn Signature Rods and Reels.
Kotaro Kiriyama is a native of Japan but spends half of his time in California competing in the Western Invitationals. He has only fished the BASS circuit for two years. He has earned a paycheck in six of the nine events he has fished and at 29, he is moving up in the ranks at an amazingly fast pace. Kotaro also used light 6 lb. line with zipper worms in either watermellon or chartreuse colors and he used a popper by Lake Police and jerkbaits in the main lake. He also used the drop-shot rig on a 6-inch leader. Kotaro’s sponsors are: Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outbords, Restaffine Custom Rods, Zipper Worms, Shimano, Zappu, Varivas Line and Nogales Hooks.
“Winning the Classic is the dream of every bass fisherman in the world…and my dream came true today,” commented Woo Daves. And during the opening comments following the Classic, Woo went on to say,
“I have a son who is involved in fishing…He is a super fisherman and I’m really proud of him. Probably one of the most exciting days of my career, aside from winning this Classic, was when my son made the Classic. Now, with the help of all this money, I’ll be able to back my son and get him up here fishing with me. These young anglers come along and it takes four or five years of hard work on the tournament trail to make it, and it’s really hard to get sponsors. For some reason, a lot of company’s in this industry won’t take a chance on young anglers; and, these young fishermen really have to struggle for years to compete. These young fishermen look up to us as being old pros, but I look up to them to come out here and compete against the old pros and do the job that they do.

In my first Classic, in 1975, there was a high-school band and maybe three people who met us when we got off the airplane. There probably wasn’t 180 people at weigh-in and 150 of them were kin to me. BASS has come a long way since those days and taken the Classic to new levels. Back then, I was one of the youngest competitors, now I’m almost the oldest. It [the Classic] means a lot more to me now, because I’m no spring chicken, I’m 54 years old. One thing about it, an old guy can still catch fish!” – Lake Mohave

Many inner city children don’t have opportunities to explore nature and the water outside of city sidewalks and rain filled ditches, but thanks to corporate sponsor, Baker Botts, L.L.P. and their staff volunteers, along with event sponsors: Zebco/MotorGuide, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Motors, Boots Follmar Marine, Pradco, Riverside Bait Company, Academy, Honor Trophies, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the “Get Hooked on Fishing – Not Drugs” Future Fisherman Foundation Program, the children at E. J. Scott Elementary in Houston experienced first hand a day of fun and the pure excitement of fishing.

You don’t have to have special athletic skills or abilities to fish, nor do you have to have prior experience, just the desire and a little help from friends like Ms. Jordan, from E. J. Scott Elementary School, and Baker & Botts volunteers. Kids, water and fishing just naturally go together, but a little experienced help and preplanning assure positive introductions to this fun-filled sport. Each volunteer to the Scott School fishing derby contributed their time and effort to help the children not only with fishing, but the overall experience strengthened the children’s sense of self awareness, self esteem, self reliance, and confidence.

A classic example is Victor Bedolla, who not only caught a fish, but he caught the most fish and landed first place and a trophy on his very first time to go fishing! Jose Vasquez, not to be outdone by Victor, caught the biggest fish, a 2 1/2 pound catfish and received a trophy. Jesse Nava tried as hard as any child that day to catch a big fish, and he earned the Good Sport trophy for the one that got away! We had a four way tie for second place with Jaime Hernandez, Glen Simpson, Alma Ventura and Roxanne Soreque, all landing five fish apiece. All the winners above received Zebco 33 combos for their efforts.

In addition to breakfast, lunch, sodas and water, provided by Baker & Botts, the kids received “First Fish” Awards from The Future Fisherman Foundation, caps from Skeeter Boats and Zebco, tackle provided by Riverside Bait Company, Quick-Hit catfish and panfish bait provided from Pradco, and CastAway decals and patches and other stickers were all given away as door prizes. Every child left with plenty of goodies as reminders of their fun-filled day.

It’s the tug on the end of the line that matters and the memories and bonds that are created between the children and adults. Fishing is a nondiscriminating sport. It knows no boundaries of age, sex or nationality. It’s feeling that telltale signal of a fish at the end of the line that gets both young and old anglers excited.

Our fishing event was held at Sheldon Lake State Park in the Sheldon Lake Environmental Education Center, located 13 miles east of downtown Houston. The facilities were perfect for our outing. There were two stocked one acre ponds with lots of shade trees, picnic benches and tables, restrooms, and plenty of parking. Thomas Olson, the Education Director, and Susan Webb, a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Game Warden, were instrumental in helping with the children. It wasn’t too hot or windy and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. Even if some of these kids didn’t get their fish to the bank, they experienced the thrill and they were all successful in trying. The volunteers left feeling they had done a good job in helping the children. We all spent some real quality time with kids that might not
otherwise have been able to go on such an adventure. Even though the kids don’t realize it, that day helped set a precedent for the rest of their lives!

Through programs such as Zebco’s All-American Fishing Derbies, Hooked on Fishing Not Drugs, Bassmaster’s CastingKids contests, Kid Fish, and National Fishing Week, all children should have the opportunity to learn about fishing and be exposed to these wonderful programs!

Zebco is so dedicated to kids and fishing that they spend more than $250,000 annually in support of these programs. To celebrate Zebco’s 50th Anniversary, they created a “Best Fishing Photo and Story” contest. Entry forms can be obtained by purchasing one of the new special series Zebco commemorative 202’s, 33’s or 50CLS. After purchasing any of these Zebco products, all you need to do is complete the entry form, submit a photo and an essay in 50 words or less describing the outing, and the grand prize winner will receive a Chrysler Jeep Cherokee! Other prizes include MotorGuide trolling motors, digital cameras, Limited Edition reels, etc. Winners will be notified by mail in October of this year.

Even kids from single parent homes can experience the joy of fishing by writing to Zebco Single Parent Offer, P.O. Box 270, Tulsa, OK 74101. Zebco will send them a complimentary brochure on fishing and lend them a video to show them how easy it is and how much fun kids and fishing can have when joined together.

One need not have a large organized group to plan an outing for youngsters. A small group can get together to accomplish the same purpose, that is, introducing children to the fun and sport of fishing. Perhaps one of your neighbors would like to go with you and help teach several of the children in the neighborhood how to fish, or your own kids, no matter how many, the essential factor is sharing in the love of the outdoors and of fishing.

There are some basic guidelines that should be considered when planning an outing for kids: First and foremost, make it fun for the children, don’t make them go out there and spend a whole day dredging up the bottom of the lake or pond. Second, build the activity around their attention span, not yours! The younger the child, the shorter the time-frame should be. Third, make sure you have plenty of beverages, ice, snacks, sunscreen, caps and a life jacket for each child if your taking them on a boat. Fourth, children don’t care if they catch small panfish, bass, catfish or any other kind of fish, just so long as it swims and has fins!

If you need help putting together a fishing activity for a group of children in your area, please call me at (281) 441-7266 and I’ll be happy to assist you with more information.
– Lake Mohave

Sounds like a furniture store advertisement, but if you were to ask Charles Latham from Orange, Texas or Tim Palculict of Beaumont, Texas, they would both tell you it was true, Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Motors makes you money! This Texas duo teamed up to win the first Bass-N-Bucks 2000 East Texas Team Tournament with a 5 bass limit weighing 23.61 pounds, including 2 kicker bass weighing over 7# each. The tournament was held at Lake Sam Rayburn on Sunday, December 5th. with 290 teams entered in the first of seven tournaments. They competed in some of the worst conditions Texas has to offer, double cold fronts and winds in excess of 25-35 mph. The tournament payout was guaranteed at $40,000, but, because of the high turnout, over $52,000 in cash and prizes were actually paid out to the top 40 places. The new Bass-N- Bucks format with help from Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Motors, Houston’s Boots Follmar Marine and Dawson Marine from Beaumont, kicked in additional
bonus money of up to $3,500 for each event. The lucky team of Latham and Palculict won a Skeeter/Yamaha SX 186 valued at $20,000 and an additional $250 for the 3rd biggest bass of the event, which was a beautiful 7.78 pounder. On top of that, they won additional bonus money because they a) fished in a Skeeter Boat powered by a Yamaha engine and it was purchased within the last three years, b) the boat was purchased from either Boots Follmar Marine in Houston, or Dawson Marine; and, c) they met all requirements for the Skeeter Tour bonus money which entitled them to an additional cash award of $3,500! And, to top that off, their win entitles them to fish as a competitor in the “Skeeter Tour Championship” next fall which will be offering over $85,000 in cash and prizes and includes two fully rigged Skeeter ZX202s with Yamaha 225 horsepower engines.

The winning patterns were reported to be Carolina rigs off main and secondary brushy points with grass nearby. The first place team had an 18 pound limit within the first 15 minutes of fishing. The second place pattern was fishing willows on the north end of the lake with spinnerbiats and small crankbaits and the third place winning pattern was working Rat-L-Traps and medium diving crankbaits on the grass edges. The winning teams earned there prizes and competed against some of the best anglers in the State. Those newcomers to the tournament got to witness some of the best bass fishing that Big Sam has to offer and you can bet with the payback system set up as it is, they will be back for the second tournament.

Skeeter Boats was officially announced as the major sponsor of the Bass-N-Bucks Tournament Trail on November 30, 1999, and since then, David Concienne’s phone has not quit ringing. He puts on a classy event and is a well respected promoter. Much thought, planning and effort went into the new format and the objective was certainly fulfilled when 290 teams entered the first tournament. This was a major undertaking on Skeeter’s and Bass-N-Bucks part to blend the old and new tournament competitors into a united effort making David Concienne’s Bass-N-Bucks tournament trail the richest payout team tournament trail in Texas. What was really neat, was the blending of the old and new. There were anglers competing that haven’t been to a bass tournament in years, some of them haven’t been seen since the days of the old U.S. Bass or Lonestar Bass trails. Then, lots of new folks were also there that had never fished a tournament before. They were welcomed and had just as much of a chance as any one else did to take home the bounty! People are coming out of the woodwork to be a part of this tournament organization and the rewards to the fishermen/women have never been this high on the state level. Every tournament on the circuit is a guaranteed purse of over $40,000 in cash and prizes.

Even though the fishing conditions were less than ideal, the event was first class all the way. There were lots of fish caught and released after the weigh-in. The crowd was estimated to be near 2,000 spectators and competitors which banded together in spite of the cold and wind to witness the first and largest payback in the history of Bass-N-Bucks tournaments! Generally, the only tournaments that draw that kind of a crowd are the B.A.S.S. tournaments held on Sam Rayburn during the spring. A total of 540 bass were weighed in at whopping 1,163 pounds, which were all live released by the Bass-N-Bucks recovery crew. The fact these kinds of weights came to the scales was spectacular in itself. There were two 20-pound+ limits weighed, 24 teams weighed in over 15+ pound limits; and, amazingly 95 teams with catches of over 10-pounds.

As for the big bass, there were 16 bass weighed in over 5# with the biggest being weighed in by the team of Mike Wheatley of Keachie, Louisiana, and James Hewitt of Devers, Texas, weighing in at 8.26 pounds and earning them an addition $1,000 in big bass money, plus they took second place honors overall with total weight of 21.31 pounds earning them another $4,800, for total winnings of $5,800. The second place big bass was caught by the team of David Boudreaux and David Lacy and earned them an extra $500.

Third place went to the team of Brandon Breaux and Jesse Johnson who weighed in a limit of 19.83 pounds including a 6.11-pound kicker fish for a take home check in the amount of $2,000. Fourth place team honors went to Tommy and Connie Ward who weighed in their limit at 19.53, with a 5.87 pound kicker and they made $1,600. Fifth place was taken by the team of Russ Carter and Mike Cannon with 18.33 pounds for a purse of $1,400. Prize money was paid all the way down to 40 places.

The fishermen/women are definitely getting their monies worth out of the new Bass-N-Bucks East Texas Team Circuit and the fun is just beginning. There are six more events left before the championship, and as the saying goes, “On any given day, anyone can win!”
Date Lake Ramp
2-06-00 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend Park
3-19-00 Richland Chambers Oak Cove Marina
4-02-00 Sam Rayburn Twin Dikes Marina
5-07-99 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend Park
6-04-99 Lake Livingston Waterwood Marina
7-16-99 Toledo Bend Cypress Bend Park
The team entry fee is $250 per tournament and membership is an annual fee of $10.00 per angler. There is a two day optional practice of Friday and Saturday and the tournaments are set for Sunday. Also, the next time the opportunity arises, would you please give a word of praise to the sponsors of David Concienne’s Bass-N-Bucks E. Texas Team Circuit, and they are: Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Boots Follmar Marine, Dawson Marine, Latch Oil, Inc., Shimano, Exide/Nautilus, MotorGuide, Zercom Marine, Dual Pro Charger, Bumper Stumper Lures, Triple Fish line, Philpott Ford, Pro-Fishin’ Report, Check-It-Stik, McFerrin Insurance, Piney Point Plaza, Holiday Inn Express and the Ramada Inn of Jasper. These sponsors have made it possible for this circuit to be the best Texas has to offer the fishermen/women and the payback is certainly worth the effort.

If you would like more information on this circuit or would like to fish one or all of the upcoming events, please give David Concienne a call at (409) 727-8941, or look up his website at: www.fishingworld.com/bassnbucks. You can also e-mail him at BassNBucks@fishingworld.com.

Since Norman and I are both proud owners of Skeeter/Yamaha rigs, and are sponsored by Boots Follmar Marine in Houston, we will not only be fishing all of the upcoming tournaments, but if you have any questions regarding these rigs or their performance, or would like to make arrangements for a demo ride in one of these fine boats after one of the tournaments is over, please call us at (281) 441-7266, or e-mail us at Bbass98@aol.com. We would like to see you get in a Skeeter boat powered by a Yamaha outboard and take advantage of some of this extra bonus money that will be circulated at the next six tournaments. We know that the folks at Boots Follmar Marine in Houston are dedicated to you the fishermen and women; and, are willing to help you get your new boat financed, ordered and delivered in the shortest amount of time. If you want to talk direct to the dealership, please call (713) 910-1081 in Houston, “you will be glad you did!” Both Boots Follmar and Dawson dealerships are both committed to this tournament trail and are wanting to get you into a new Skeeter Boat. Norman and I will personally make you a promise that we will do everything we can to prove to you the performance features of these boats. Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards can make you money, won’t you give us a try! – Lake Mohave

We fished Sam Rayburn last weekend during the Anglers Choice East Texas Amateur Team Tournament on Saturday, January 30, and it was some pretty tough fishing. It rained and stormed Friday night with 8+ inches giving cause to Rayburn’s turbulent waters rising one foot overnight! We started out the tournament with drawing boat number two; and, because we were warned another band of rain was expected around 8:00 a.m., we headed our Skeeter 210 north and went directly to our fishing spot up near the Hwy. 147 bridge. The winds were howling and the Yamaha 225 was handling the 2-6′ swells with no problem. We reached our destination and followed our game plan of fishing secondary points with scattered grass using Carolina rigs the rest of the day.

The fish were not very active to say the least, and we were only catching a keeper fish about every 45 minutes and the primary bite was between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m., which made for a very slow day. We ended up catching 30 or more bass all day with only six keepers. We were able to cull one of the keepers to give us a final weight of 9.64. The bite was very soft and it was hard to detect the hits. Norman and I both connected with at least two big fish but never got them to the boat. It was hard to stick with our Carolina rig pattern but that seemed to be what the fish wanted and we just kept chunking and moving. Unfortunately our time ran out before we could get a lunker in the boat and we ended up in 14th place out of 96 teams.

We stuck with our secondary points all day and kept moving between four locations that were all very close together. We were only able to get two to three fish per point, but at least we were able to catch a small limit and we were quite proud of that accomplishment. Fishing under adverse conditions is never easy and that judgment call on when to go and when to stay is always very tricky. With perseverance and determination, we stuck it out and landed a small check for our efforts, but we have to share the credit.

We were fishing with CastAway Honey Carolina rods with Team Daiwa reels spooled with 12# Trilene Big Game line and using lizards and centipedes. There is no doubt in my mind that had that storm not blown in, we would have done much better. To tell you how tough it really was, there were only 20 teams out of 96 that caught limits of fish. Heavy stringer was just over 15.39 pounds for a five-fish limit. Big bass was just over 6 pounds which is really small for this time of year.

It seems the massive fish kill on Rayburn has really affected the fish and the fishing. This same time last year, it was taking 25-30 pounds to win a tournament and it’s really hard to find a big string of fish anymore. Most all the anglers who got checks contributed their success to Carolina rigs, crank baits, and Rat-L-Traps. There were a lot of one and two fish stringers weighed and more than two thirds of the field of 192 anglers that caught three fish or less.

Norman and I were very fortunate to do as good as we did. We have to pass along much of the credit to a good friend of ours, Steven Johnson. Steven is a full-time guide on Toledo Bend and Rayburn and is sponsored by the same marine dealer, Boots Follmar Marine out of Houston, Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Outboards. Since neither Norman or I had been on Rayburn for three months prior to this tournament, we thought it would be of great help if Steven took Norman out the weekend before the tournament and showed him some new areas. Believe me, it did make a big difference.
No matter who you are how good an angler you are, there are times when it would help if you would consider using the resources available to the guides. A professional guide is on the lake 350+ days a year. They stay in touch with what the fish are doing, the patterns that are working and the migration routes the fish travel. I’ve always said, you can never know it all and you can always learn something new every time you go out. With adverse conditions, rising and muddy waters, inactive fish, etc., you need all the help you can muster when fishing one of these tournaments. When you invest in a good guide, you increase your chances of being able to have a successful day, and if you are familiar with the lake, of being able to go back to the areas and catch fish on your own. That’s where the investment in a guide pays off. Without Steven’s help, Norman and I would have been able to produce some fish, but I’m convinced it would not have been as good a day had we not had help. Utilizing the services of a guide is an investment in future productivity. One must weigh the relevance of the help received and offset the cost in order to
justify the expense. But, when you consider you will be returning to those areas over the course of your lifetime, how much really did that guide trip cost? If your wanting to book a trip with Steven Johnson, you can reach him at (409) 579-4213.
– Lake Mohave

No matter how experienced you are as an angler, you can always learn something new with every partner. In October, bass find topwaters, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, finesse baits, worms and jigs irresistible. You throw it and bass bite it, especially in October. The lakes are scarcely populated due to many anglers being off into deer season and the kids have retired the jetskis for the summer, so it’s really quiet and peaceful. Cool days, active fish, grass to the surface, and beautiful foliage . . . it can’t get any better than fishing in the fall.

Most of the time, Norman and I take both Boots Follmar Marine Pro Staff Skeeters, however, my Ford Excursion was in the shop being painted so we pre-fished in Norman’s 202. First, we went to Five Fingers, then moved back out to Farmers flats. We had the Yamaha idling around, zig zagging back and fourth looking for grass until we found an 8-10 foot ridge with isolated grass clumps surrounded by water depths of 12-21 feet. Once we killed the engine, Norman looked up, and just across from us was one of his friends from back in his car racing days, Marvin Konecny. Marvin also fishes many of the same tournament trails as we do and it’s not uncommon to share the same waters. Marvin put two, back to back bass in the boat, and then Norman hung a good one. We had fun talking and fishing and trading information until the sun got up and the fish turned off. As it turned out, Marvin had a tournament the next weekend just like we did.

Our local Houston bass club, Port City, had a draw tournament scheduled for Rayburn for the next weekend. Quite a few of our members don’t like draw tournaments, but both Norman and I do. It gives the new members an opportunity to fish with some of the better anglers in the club. They learn new waters and have a chance to observe the skills and presentations of the more experienced anglers. A lot of people think all you have to do is get a bass boat, get on the water and catch fish, forgetting there is a learning curve! Many new boaters try to learn how to fish and run the boat at the same time, which proves to be overwhelming and frustrating. It’s always good to fish in someone else’s boat and learn new techniques. This gets the new bass angler excited and helps develop the skills they need to be more successful. For this reason, draw tournaments can be lots of fun and mutually beneficial to all anglers. And, in my case, the reason I joined Port City bass club was to learn from the men. Every time I fish it’s a learning experience and I seem to always be taking lessons!

At first light on Saturday, Gary Miettinen and I headed my Skeeter 210 to Five Fingers to fish a grassy point. Within a very short time, I had one take off with my Zoom Watermelon Red Trick Worm. Unfortunately, she jumped at the boat and spit the bait back at me. My partner was fishing a Carolina-rigged Trick Worm and he boated many more fish than I did, before I switched over to the Carolina rig. We only caught one keeper in Five Fingers, so we moved out to Farmers Flats where we continued to work our Trick Worms and Carolina rigs in 8-11 foot water along scattered grass lines of a mid-lake flat. On this day, Gary proceeded to have a field day, whatever he threw, he connected with, and could do no wrong. When the fishing slowed down, we went back to Five Fingers and in the middle of the day, with 95 degree heat, we decided to look for them in the shallows under the matted grass. Gary caught his biggest bass of the day there! Eventually, I did catch a keeper and saved face by at least having something to weigh-in Saturday.

The second day of the tournament started off exactly the same, only this time Gary lost the first fish… Directly, I stuck one and couldn’t get her head turned. She buried up in the grass and broke me off… Gary continued
to give me fishing lessons and I tried very hard to duplicate his techniques. Sunday’s fishing was much slower and the bite was even lighter. Norman continued to fish Farmers the entire day and Gary and I alternated back and forth between Farmers and Five Fingers. At the end of day two, Gary and I were leading (although I only contributed one small keeper to our team total each day). Norman had to fish by himself due to an odd number of members fishing. Our club fishes a team format and according to club bylaws, the odd member gets to draw a name at the conclusion of the tournament and add that member’s weight to their’s in order to come up with a team weight. As it turned out, Norman ending up drawing the second place team member, Rusty Traylor, and when their weights were combined they ended up taking over the lead of the tournament, collecting all the side-pot money and Gary and I were bumped to second place … oh well, that’s fishing and the luck of the draw! I was glad for Norman, because this win allowed him to take over the lead in our Club for Angler of the Year and with only two tournaments left, he will most likely remain in the lead!

In hindsight, there are several things Gary and I did that cost us the tournament. The first was going back and fourth between two areas. Even though I’m inclined to hit 6-8 spots in a day, we limited the running and gunning to just two spots. I knew there was a big concentration of fish out on the main lake, and opted to go somewhere else in addition to that spot and it cost us! The second and probably the most important thing we could have done, was to fish the whole area of Farmers instead of just one small portion of the flat. All we needed to have kept the lead was a half of a pound! In bass fishing, one never has all the answers or holds all the cards. It’s always a learning experience, which is what makes the sport so challenging! – Lake Mohave

Childhood memories are very special and none are as emotionally stirring as those first memories of fishing with dad. There is something very magical about those innocent times. In a little person’s world dad knew everything and there was so much to learn about life that one could barely sit still long enough to take any of it in. It’s a wonder any of us survived and especially dad, who had the patience of a saint.

Earliest memories of fishing with my dad, John Barnes, was on vacation at a little lake in Idaho and going off with dad, just him and me. We caught a bucket full of little pan fish, took them back to the campsite and had mom cook them for supper. Then there was the time we were in Arkansas, fishing for Rainbow Trout. Dad had my sister and I sitting on the bank watching him show us how we were supposed to accomplish our mission. Then, we each had a turn at fishing, and poor old dad ended up having to pay for our trout by the inch!

Growing up, there were lots of fishing trips, some successful and some were not, but each and every trip was special. On one trip, dad and I were fishing Lake Fork, we had a slow day and the fish just weren’t cooperating. About the time dad was getting very disgusted and saying worm fishing just wasn’t for him, a 6-# bass hit his worm. His rod bent over double and he cranked and he cranked and he worked hard trying to get that big bass in and when he did, the look on his face was priceless and the grin was from ear to ear! We both ended up catching fish about the same size and released them. We had a wonderful time and had the photo to prove it!

After dad retired, he and mom moved to S.Texas on property that had been in the family since the 1840’s. On the back property line is the Blanco Creek and it is as beautiful as any I’ve seen. It has big white sand bars on either side and normally it’s only knee deep with spots being 10-12′ deep. Depending on the time of year, the water can be either crystal clear or stained. Every time I go home, dad and I always find time to go down to the creek or over to the neighbor’s pond and work in a few hours of fishing together.

It’s a great thing to pass the love of the sport from generation to generation. If my dad had not shared his love of the outdoors and fishing, I’d probably be off shopping at the mall right now! Instead, I’m fishing about 45 weekends a year and all my vacation time. My dad spent time fishing with all his children; and now, the kids (all grown) are teaching their own children and grandchildren how to fish. Statistics show that if you don’t get a child started fishing by age 11, chances are they never will take up the sport.

If you talked to a hundred avid anglers and asked them how they got started, you would hear 100 different stories, but most of them would involve fishing with dad! Every story teller would start out having a distant look that transfixes and transforms the angler. By the end of the story, you would see a gleam and a brightness in their eyes that wasn’t there before! Those early experiences set a precedent for the rest of our lives and formed memories that we will cherish forever.

All of our lives are complex these days. Everyone’s off in different directions and seldom do we manage to get together for those cherished fishing trips. However, last weekend, I asked my dad to be my partner in Port City Bass Club’s monthly tournament held on Coleto Creek. Dad and I haven’t been together in a boat for quite a few years and this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate his 75th birthday.

I had never been to Coleto Creek and it was a tough weekend, we had high bluebird skies, strong north west winds of 15-20 mph and the fishing was not under the best cir*****stances. There were six other clubs fishing the lake at the same time and boat traffic was intense. We started fishing on an outside point and worked our way around
and into a small cove. Right away, dad caught the first two fish, small ones, but nonetheless, the first two that came to the boat were dad’s. As we worked our way out of the cove, we found bigger fish on the points, holding in the shallow brush in 2-5′ depths. I was using a Surface Action CastAway graphite rod spooled with 12# Big Game and caught the next two keepers on a 3/8 oz. Mr. Blitz spinnerbait. Why is it that just when you think you’ve got it figured out things fall apart? By 9:00 a.m. we could have quit fishing as we didn’t catch but one more fish the rest of the day and it was a non-keeper.

Sunday started off the same, instead of wind, we had fog. Dad and I figured we had better catch our fish early before the sun came up and the fish quit biting. We went back to the same area and immediately I caught one keeper and two non-keepers. Again, we thought we were off to a good start but when the sun popped up through the fog at 8:15 a.m., the wind picked-up and the bite was over (at least for us), and we were off again in search of keeper fish.

I made a comment to dad about how much improved his casting had become over the past few years, and he replied, “After fishing on the creek and pond, I had to get better or else own stock in Wallmart!” We both chuckled and kept on chunking. Later on, the wind was blowing pretty strong and I looked back at dad in time to see a big tree limb coming up and before I could warn him, he was wedged between the limb and the windshield, we laughed some more and kept on fishing. In spite of the conditions we had a great time, shared some moments together, and made a few more memories for the log book. Fishing is timeless and ageless, and it’s a family tradition that should be passed on for future generations to enjoy! – Lake Mohave

If you were to look in a professional angler’s boat during practice before a big tournament, chances are you would see topwaters, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits. They would either be on the deck or within easy reach in most every rod box. The main reason for having these baits tied on at all times is that these are fish finding and fish catching baits that always work.

TOPWATER action is by far the most exciting way to catch bass, especially in the early hours before the sun gets up, late evenings or during low light (cloudy) conditions. Watching a bass come up to the surface and inhale a bait is breathtaking. It seems like time stops for that particular moment when the explosion occurs and the bait disappears from the surface. There is a moment when you think, have I got her, did I miss her, is she on; and then in an instant, you feel that pulsating pull against the line, and you know the battle is on!

Topwaters are really at their peak when there is a light ripple or small chop on the water. If there is no ripple or chop, the fish will be easily spooked and wary of topwaters and it’s probably best to go to a subsurface bait like a spinnerbait. When fishing in shallow water, topwater fishing may be the most exciting way to catch bass, but it is also the first pattern to go under frontal conditions. Because adverse weather affects shallow water patterns, the pros have learned over years of experience to never depend exclusively on a topwater pattern to hold out for an entire tournament. Topwaters fall into five basic categories based on size and type of bait which are: cigar, stick, slush, popper and buzz baits. With hundreds of topwater baits to choose from, how do you know which ones are going to produce? The all time favorite has got to be Heddon’s Zara Spook using a “walk the dog” type of cadence to produce really big bass. The term, “walking the dog” means, cast your bait out past the target and work it back with your rod tip pointed towards the water and leaving the line slack (not tight). Pop the bait with a short jerk or twitch and then pop the bait again which will make it move from side to side in a stop/go pause continuing cadence. If the bait does not move from side to side, chances are you have too much slack line out. Reel some of it up but not all as this method works best on slack line. The “walk the dog” action resembles a wounded bait fish fluttering on the surface and is an easy prey for the bass. They will inhale the bait by flaring their gills and sucking it down. You don’t want to set the hook when you see the fish explode on top of the bait. You want to wait until you feel the fish pulling the bait down, then set the hook. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn with topwaters. It’s totally unnerving and almost impossible to do, but if you set the hook too soon, the fish won’t be there because you have pulled the bait away before the fish connected; and, if you wait too long, the bass may spit the bait out. There is a very fine line there and only experience will tell you when to set the hook.

When Zell Roland of the Skeeter/Yamaha Pro Team presents a seminar, he talks about the Spook and discusses various ways of modifying the bait to give the pros that extra advantage. The older spooks with three sets of treble hooks are the best. Also, when fishing topwater cigar baits, the Zara Puppy is very effective on school bass.

When you get into slush baits (baits with propellers on either the front, rear or both), Cordell’s Bow Howdy and the Crazy Shad, along with Smithwick’s Devil’s Horse, and Heddon’s Tiny Torpedo are classic baits. Slush baits are fished with short, erratic twitches and semi slack line. For additional action, instead of tying the knot directly to the snap ring, many of the pros tie their topwater baits with a “Loop” knot which imparts more lifelike action to the
bait. Slush baits are best when used from post spawn on through the summer’s school fish and continue to work through early fall. Stick baits such as the traditional Smithwick Rogue, Cordell Red Fin, Pencil Popper and Bomber Long A’s, are hard plastic jerkbaits fished with long sweeps or short jerks. Slush baits are designed to not only resemble and have the action of a wounded minnow, but also to make distinctive noises of a shad thrashing on the surface which adds an extra enticement to attract bass that may be passing by.

One of the favorite poppers of all times has got to be the famous Rebel Pop R. This bait has been around for at least twenty years. It was discontinued for awhile in the `80’s and with increased demand from the pros, especially Zell Roland, the “Pop R King,” it was brought back into production and has danced and popped it’s way into the money. Zell has propelled himself, the Pop R and his Boots Follmar Marine Skeeter/Yamaha into the history books with his mastery of this one bait; and, it’s deadly presentation on the water. He uses feathers of many colors, whittles, repaints, refinishes, weights, scrapes and does a major overhaul on this very famous Pradco bait, and when it gets down to the battle, you can bet he’ll come out with just the right Pop R combination to clinch the day! When bass are chasing shad, especially in the fall, this bait can be popped, gurgled and teased back to the boat or it can be steadily worked in the “walking the dog” method.

Storm’s Rattling Chug Bug is another excellent popper bait that is fished in the same manner, but it has rattles to further entice the bass. Excalibur’s Spit’n Image is a minnow like bait (bottom weighted) that is also retrieved in the side to side motion and it’s sputtering action has been very effective on school fish. As always, the pro anglers have found ways to modify these baits and their secret changes will most likely go to their graves with them.

A bait that every angler should have several of is a buzzbait. My husband, Norman, caught one of his biggest bass ever on Richland Chambers (see photo) on the 3/8 oz. Lunker Lure. It also comes in a 1/4 oz. size. These baits are highly effective when fished over vegetation and can even be used in the dead of winter over open water to catch giant bass. This is one of the easiest baits of all to use, just throw it out and reel it very fast until the bait stays up on the surface of the water and reel it like that all the way back to the boat. John Hope, of the infamous Tracking Texas Trophies segment, told me long ago that when you listen to this bait as it is reeled straight up off the bottom, it sounds like a ball of shad coming to the surface. There are many manufacturers of this bait including Lunker Lure, Excalibur, Stanley, Mr. Blitz, Strike King, Blue Fox, Harts and many more. Primary colors are white and white/chartreuse. Blade colors would be picked the same as in spinnerbaits and determined by water clarity.

LIPLESS CRANKBAITS are great tools to locate bass. I can’t tell you how many big tournaments have been won on this particular kind of bait, but it has been a lot, especially in lakes with vegetation. These baits can be cranked down to the top of the grass, ticked across and then ripped through the grass, and if a bass is anywhere near, trigger a strike. Although there are many manufacturers, the two major producers are Cordell’s Hot Spot and Bill Lewis’ Rat-L-Trap. Both baits are shad shaped, come in almost any size range, and are hollow baits with rattle chambers added for sound and weight. I call these baits fish magnets because they will draw the fish out when nothing else seems to work! The original Rat-L-Trap comes in over 50 colors to choose from, but again, if your just starting out, stick to the primary colors. This bait works year-round, using the smaller sizes in early spring and as the water warms going to the larger sizes in the fall. If you examined every boat on a given body of water, most all of them would have these baits not only on board, but tied on to at least one rod!
The setup you use (rods, reels and line), is just as important as the baits you throw and the balance is critical to your overall success. Norman and I use CastAway Surface Bait Casting, Jerk & Twitch, Soft Touches and Launcher rods for most of these baits, but any quality medium action fast tip rod would be suitable. We also use Daiwa Millionaire, Procaster Z and Team Daiwa series 5:1 ratio reels for our topwater baits, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits, spooled with Berkley Big Game Green line in 12-15 pound test. There are other quality rods and reels on the market, but our personal preference is for Daiwa reels and CastAway graphite rods.

LAST, BUT NOT EVER DISCOUNTED ARE SPINNERBAITS. There are very few things that professional anglers agree on, but the bait of choice and in most all arsenals, will be a spinnerbait. The reason is strictly in the numbers. More money has been made on the tournament trails using a spinnerbait than any other bait! Spinnerbaits are easy to use, versatile and can cover lots of water and all depths of water in a short period of time.

Where many anglers get confused about spinnerbaits is trying to figure out which configuration of spinnerbait to use on a particular body of water, under a certain set of conditions, taking into account such factors as: water clarity, light penetration, time of year and depth fishing. Additional factors are blade configuration, spinnerbait weight/size and skirt color. A spinnerbait is an easy bait to use because you basically cast it out and reel it back, pretty simple, right? Ah, but learning the right configuration and components of the bait is what separates the fish catching from the fish wishin’ anglers. Sometimes it appears as though there are thousands of combinations and variables to confuse the ordinary angler.
So how do you narrow down the options to select the appropriate bait for the cir*****stances at hand? Break the spinnerbait down into the four basic components: composition, blade, weight and color. To keep it really simple, take color first because it is the easiest. For clear water, neutral, translucent and white colored skirts work the best. For dingy or stained water, use chart./white, blue or punkinseed or a combination thereof; and in muddy water use, black, orange or chartreuse.

Second, consider the composition. There are three kinds of spinnerbaits, in-line, short arm and long arm. In-line spinnerbait means that the spinners (blades) are in direct line with the hook, such as the Snagless Sally or Mepps Rooster tails. They are primarily used in northern waters. In-lines can also be fished around brush and timber and can be buzzed just under the surface.

Both short arm and long arm spinnerbaits are safety pin baits. The long arm baits are easier to get through grass and are more weedless due to the arm of the bait being directly over the hook. Short arms are used as a drop bait as the blade is directly over the head of the lure which lets it spiral down (helicopter) to the bottom. There are many manufacturers of these types of spinnerbaits. The cost range can be as economical as an H&H for less than a buck, to the higher profile and more expensive type, such as the Terminator with a titanium wire base arm that claims to never have to be adjusted. Excalibur, Strike King and Stanley are major manufacturers of high quality spinnerbaits which are mass produced. There are also smaller, regionally defined manufacturers that are equally, if not better than some of the well known baits. Mr. Blitz spinnerbaits are made in Hemphill, Texas, and have been around Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn for years, but as touring national pros use and promote this local bait, it is gaining in popularity and becoming more widely known. The reason for its success is due to the quality control that goes into every hand built bait.
No discussion of spinnerbaits can be complete without addressing the various blade configurations and blade color(s) used in the assembly process. There are basically three primary blade types: Colorado, Indiana or willowleaf and numerous combinations such as the thumper, tortoise shell and pear shaped blades. In order to choose the appropriate blade, first determine the water clarity which will tell you whether the fish are feeding by sight or sound. Colorado blades are used primarily in stained to muddy water or low light conditions where the fish are feeding by sound and bait vibration is the key factor. Also, under these conditions for maximum throb and vibration, the Indiana or Thumper blades would be used. Tandem willowleaf blades will work the best under clear water conditions with vegetation because the blades have a tighter rotation and will tangle less in the grass. Willowleaf blades have the least vibration, most flash and come through grass the best. Use chrome or nickel blades when fishing clear water because these fish are feeding by sight. In stained to muddy water, use copper, gold or painted blades. When your not sure what blade configuration to go with, start out with double blades, one silver and one copper. Let the fish tell you what they want.

A single Colorado blade works best when you want more vibration in dingy to stained water conditions. This also holds true for night fishing and fishing in the summertime. Use double Colorado blades when you want to v-wake the bait just under the surface, especially in the fall. The thumper blades are great to slow roll or drop. The larger the blades the more lift the lure will have. A single blade bait has more vibration than a tandem willowleaf bait, and finally, Colorado blades have more vibration than the willowleaf but not as much vibration
as the Indiana blades.

It is fairly easy to determine the spinnerbait weight. You want to be able to feel the bait vibrate as the blades are pulled through the water. If you cannot feel the vibration, change weight size. Basically, four sizes will get you through most situations. ¼ oz, 3/8 oz., ½ oz. or 3/4 oz. Water temperature is a key factor to determining the weight of the spinnerbait because different times of the year require different weight sizes. Again fall back on whether or not you can feel the blades turning and vibrating as they come through the water. Experiment and practice is the best answer to which bait will work best for you. Spinnerbaits can be fished from the surface to the bottom and anywhere in between. During the winter, I like to use a 3/4 oz. bait and slow roll it over the vegetation or let it drop to the bottom and work it back much like a worm. During the spring and fall, depending on the water clarity and temperature, I like to use a ¼ oz. up shallow and a 3/8 to ½ oz. in the deeper waters. When fishing in the heat of the summer, you can’t beat a 3/8 oz. tandem willowleaf in and around the vegetation, or a single Colorado blade which provides a lot of vibration.

Why it is that bass fishermen/women can never have enough tackle? Starting out, it’s best to keep colors to a minimum of chrome, shad, crawfish, chartreuse and firetiger, which are all basic colors in the food chain. We constantly go to the tackle store and stand gawking and mystified at the variety of sizes, shapes and colors of baits. None of us has the will power to leave the store with just one bait! Tackle stores are designed to catch anglers, then bass, and no matter how many baits we have, more is always better because they are Efficient, Always Successful, Year-round Baits! – Lake Mohave

Richland Chambers is located about 100 miles SE of Dallas, on I-45 between Corscicana and Fairfield, Texas. We usually have two-three tournaments a year on this impoundment and this year has been yielding some pretty big fish. Our Saturday day of practice game plan was to throw spinnerbaits and buzzbaits at first light, followed by some finesse fishing and maybe a little Carolina rigging in the deeper creek channels. My husband, Norman, cut the hooks off a buzzbait and spinnerbait so that we would not accidentally hook any fish in practice because we might need to catch those fish in Sunday’s tournament.

First light on Saturday morning found us cruising the shallows and throwing the de-hooked baits. Immediately, Norman had several blowups on his buzzbait and I had one on the spinnerbait. We continued down the bank and switched over to “Wacky” style of fishing on spinning gear and Bagley Silver Thread 12-pound line. It wasn’t even 7:30 before Norman connected with what proved to be his biggest bass yet. There were quite a few boats in the area to witness the event and our red and white Boots Follmar Marine Pro Staff 21-foot Skeeter 210 with a 225 Yamaha EFI stands out like a flashing neon sign, and particularly with Norman’s and my rather large size, we can’t hide anyway. The bass was a gorgeous 8.44 pound largemouth that was caught right next to the bank. We got really excited, and naturally, I had to take pictures. As soon as the last photo was shot, she was very gently released back into the still waters to go about her annual ritual. It was time to leave the area as we had already shown our hand.

We went on to the next spot and continued with our game plan. We hadn’t been in the cove more than 15 minutes, when I cast out my little “Wacky” worm rig and backlashed the spinning real something fierce. While picking out the birds nest, I noticed some pressure on my line, and, as we didn’t want to stick any more fish in practice, I just continued to work out my problem. When I finished getting all the kinks out, I reeled in the slack, and darned if that fish still wasn’t on my line. I reeled her in and she was well over three and a half pounds and it wasn’t even 8:30 a.m. Once again, it was time to move. We were fishing on the Richland arm and continued our way up the lake. We made three more stops with no success, lots of looking and very little fishing and decided to go back down the lake. About 2:30, it was decided that we should go check on our main spot.

The area was still packed with boats, several of which were there when Norman caught his big fish earlier, so we went into another cove and Norman immediately caught a seven pound bass on our “Wacky” rig setup. Then we moved back to the area where his biggest fish had been caught. Norman eased over to talk to one of the boats that had been there earlier to see if they had done any good after we left. Robert Branch was fishing with his eleven year old son, Miles, who had earlier landed an 8.99 beauty. They were fishing in the Halliburton Employees Bass Club tournament (a HONEY HOLE Affiliated Bass Club) and young Miles was socking it to dear old dad! Miles caught his fish on a Chartreuse Super Fluke on spinning gear, and of course, it was his biggest fish ever! According to dad, Miles was very adept at running the trolling motor, backing the trailer, catching good quality fish on his own, and had made a really good partner. Young Miles is an accomplished angler and practices catch and release with his dad on a regular basis. Unfortunately, his big fish did not survive, which was quite upsetting to Miles. That did it, we were excited, pumped and ready for our tournament day!

As the luck of the draw would have it, we drew a high boat number, which meant we were one of the last ten boats out Sunday morning. By the time we got to our primary spot, it was covered with tournament boats. There were two couple’s tournaments going on, besides ours, there was the 2 of Us Couples tournament, sponsored by Skeeter Boats. Most all of the boats in the cove were tournament boats. Norman was quite disgusted and decided we would fish down from them and then work our way into the area holding bigger fish. Norman is quite accomplished at sight fishing and most of the fish we saw were on beds, although it did not appear as if any had actually spawned yet. It’s a good thing he really excels this time of year, because he caught all fourteen+ pounds of fish. Although we were not able to work our primary area, through his skill alone, Norman pulled it out of the fire and managed to get our team in 11th place for the tournament. All I could do was net his fish! All in all, we were quite pleased with our tournament results,
Norman’s biggest bass ever (even if it was on Saturday), and to see 11-year-old Miles Branch with a huge Richland Chambers bass was certainly exciting!
– Lake Mohave

Perhaps there is no finer time in the year to witness the explosion of spring than when a largemouth bass sucks in a “Wacky” worm on light line in shallow water and the fight is on! There is nothing quite like trying to wrench a bass out of tight cover on spinning gear with light line, as the excitement and pure adrenaline will get you every time! For springtime bucketmouths this action has been known to be heart-stopping. When the fishing gets tough, not just in spring, but anytime of the year, get out the spinning gear and try your hand at this easy to master technique.

“Wacky” worming can be versatile and productive in a multitude of ways. The versatility of this style of finesse fishing is only limited by the number of ways you can think of to rig it. “Wacky” worming can also be done on baitcasting gear and can be almost as effective as when used on spinning gear. The reason I believe spinning gear is more productive, is that you can use lighter line on spinning gear. When most people think of “Wacky” worming, the thought comes to mind of a worm hooked through the egg sack with the hook exposed; and yes, this is the traditional method of “Wacky” worming. However, there are many other ways to make this particular style of fishing work to your advantage.

For this type of finesse fishing, we typically use CastAway medium and medium-heavy action graphite spinning rods, but any spinning rod may be used as long as it is not a light action rod. The light action rods are just not stout enough to horse bass out of the brush and weeds because the tip is too soft to give a good solid hookset. The particular reels that we personally use with this style of fishing are Shimano Spirex SR 1000FB and SR2000FB series reels. We use 10-12# Trilene Big Game line on our spinning reels.

The rigging of these rods in very versatile, as we have perfected and use six different variations on this rig:
1. Use a 1/0 Gamakatsu wide gap worm hook tied direct to the line and rig Texas style.
2. Same as number one above, but add a 1/32 oz. or 1/16 oz. bullet weight above the hook.
3. Use a small barrel swivel with a 12-14″ leader and a 2/0 Gamakatsu Super Flipping hook, rigged either Texas or traditional “Wacky” style.
4. Same as number three above, but crimp a small split shot 1/2″ above the swivel.
5. Same as number three above, but crimp a small split shot 1/2″ directly above the hook.
6. Use a small barrel swivel and a 12-14″ leader with a Mustad “Finacky” 1/0 weighted hook and rig either Texas or “Wacky”
As to what baits to use, primarily we use either Riverside lizards, Floating Air Frys, Sling Shots or Big Claw crawfish imitations. We also use Zoom Trick Worms and centipedes for this type of fishing. These baits can all be fished either traditional, Texas rigged or “Wacky” (hooked in the middle with the hook exposed).

On any given day, any one of the above mentioned rigging methods may work better than the others. You just have to experiment and let the fish tell you which method they prefer. Fish these rigs in anywhere from 2-12′ depths in and around buckbrush, docks, creek bends, points, backs of coves and pockets, inside, and also outside grasslines. In the heat of the summer, this type of fishing can be deadly fished in the heavy grass and on the edges of the grass. Simply cast it out, let it sink, and reel it back in just like you do in traditional worm fishing. This rig will also out perform most all other styles of fishing and is exceptionally deadly when used in frontal conditions. It takes some getting used to, but once you have mastered the spinning reel and using these techniques, your success ratio of catching bass during difficult times will dramatically improve. Remember, you are only limited by your imagination on ways and variations to use this simple technique and the results are explosive! This style of fishing can be a money producer and used as your ace in the hole, if you’ll just learn to use it! – Lake Mohave