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CURRENT DIGITAL ISSUE

Texas Fish & Game September 2019

December 22, 2011

Want pond bass? Go light pt. 4

Here’s another quick tip before we take off for Christmas. Whacky worms are not something many anglers fish in ponds and when they are not often seen they can be killer even for big fish. My […]
December 20, 2011

Want pond bass? Go light pt. 3

Just a quick tip today. On highly pressured ponds fish plastics weightless and use things they have probably never seen. I have very little success on standard worms on pressured ponds but creature baits and lizards […]
December 14, 2011

Want pond bass? Go light pt. 2

Another seldom discussed aspect of pond fishing is to pay strict attention to casting. Instead of making heavy over-handed casts, throw sidearm, flip or pitch to make your casts. Kevin VanDam once told me the biggest […]
December 8, 2011

Want pond bass? Go light! Pt. 1

I do a lot of pond fishing and during the winter it is one of my primary outdoors pursuits. There are big fish to be caught during this period and I have developed a system for […]
December 1, 2011

Crab imitations and redfish

Have you ever caught redfish on crab imitation lures? Crabs are the primary prey species of redfish and there are several quality redfish-based crab lures on the market but they don’t seem very popular. I have […]
December 1, 2011

December 2011

November 29, 2011

Change your fishing perspective

I firmly believe anglers who want to go to the next level should purposely change their perspectives. What this means is getting out of the comfort zone and looking at fish in a different light. If […]
November 27, 2011

Armless angler amazes, inspires (video)

Sometimes things happen in the real world that make you question everything. A couple of years ago I had the honor of fishing with a man who experienced that to the extreme. His name is Ronnie […]
November 24, 2011

Conversation with Rick Clunn pt. 3 (video)

Over the last couple of years I have had several occasions to interview 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion and incredibly gifted angler Rick Clunn. This is part 3 of a series I did with him last year. […]
November 22, 2011

Conversation with Rick Clunn Pt. 2 (video)

Over the last couple of years I have had several occasions to interview 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion and incredibly gifted angler Rick Clunn. This is part 2 of a series I did with him last year. […]
November 21, 2011

Conversation with Rick Clunn Pt. 1 (Video)

Over the last couple of years I have had several occasions to interview 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion and incredibly gifted angler Rick Clunn. This is part 1 of a series I did with him last year. […]
November 15, 2011

Truckwriters name 2012 trucks of Texas

It’s an event that every sport truck enthusiast would love to attend, but can’t — unless they are an accredited member of the TexasAuto Writer’s Association. Every October, vehicle manufacturers bring their very best and most interesting […]
November 13, 2011

Welcome to Texas Fish & Game’s new truck blog

My name is Linda Water Nelson and I write truck reviews and articles for Texas Fish & Game. I may not look like your typical autowriter, but I have been doing this for more than 25 […]
November 7, 2011

Real wind/wave code finally cracked!

Have you ever noticed the weather forecaster call for 5-10 mile per hour winds and when you hit your favorite fishing hole found it to be much higher? What about those times you head offshore expecting […]
November 1, 2011

November 2011

October 31, 2011

(Video): Double Super Spook for reds?

Mark Davis of Penn’s Big Water Adventures shows an unusual innovation he is using to catch big redfish on topwaters. You have to see this to believe it. Chester Moore
October 29, 2011

MONSTER reds on plastics (tip)

Greetings! I just returned from Southwest Louisiana fishing with my buddy Mark Davis of the Penn’s Big Water Adventures. A stiff north wind made things challenging in the bay so we took the advice from our […]
October 26, 2011

Video: Judy Wong talks catching big bass

In the real world of fishing, there is only so much most of us can do equipment-wise. Gear can be extremely expensive and that leads some to believe their hopes of catching big bass and other […]
October 24, 2011

Big trout are down low

It is easy to catch speckled trout during the fall when the fish are gorging themselves on shrimps under flocks of gulls. Catching big trout in the fall be a challenge. If you can discipline yourself […]
October 18, 2011

Follow the shad (photo)

Whether you are freshwater or saltwater fishing shad (or their cousins the menhaden) are a crucial part of the successful pursuit of game fish. Everything from largemouth bass to flounder eat them so you need to […]
October 16, 2011

Video: GIGANTIC redfish school!

I was looking through some video clips of redfish feeding frenzies and came across some stunning underwater footage. If this does not make you excited, nothing will.
October 13, 2011

Angler’s biggest mistake (according to Rick Clunn)

Rick Clunn has attained a level of fishing knowledge that blows me away. The 4-Time Bassmaster Classic Champion is not only a master of competitive fishing but also a genuine student of fish and fishing. I […]
October 10, 2011

How slowly does a Corky sink? (video)

The Corky is known as the top slow-sinking soft plastic for speckled trout on the Texas coast. Yes, it imitates a mullet but the magic of the Corky is its slow sink which pushes the bite […]
October 9, 2011

Wind blown trout (cool tip)

How many time has it been too windy to fish the main body of your favorite bay? Probably far too many times to count. I experience this Saturday as it was calm enough to fish Sabine […]
October 4, 2011

Want to fish with Jimmy Houston?

Greetings real world anglers. Check out this video for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one of you to fish with the one and only Jimmy Houston and myself and to be on the cover of Texas Fish […]
October 1, 2011

October 2011

September 25, 2011

Video: Safely release deep hooked crappie

Crappie fishing typically involves catching numerous undersized fish to bring home enough for the frying pan. Hooking the fish deep in the throat can be a problem so fishing guide Roger Bacon reveals a technique for […]
September 22, 2011

Shades and fishing (video)

TF&G Exec. Editor Chester Moore and guide Roger Bacon talk about the importance of using polarized shades while fishing and duck hunting on a hot, windy September day.
September 20, 2011

Weird Catch: Puffer fish (photo)

We’ve all caught something during our fishing careers that was a little odd. I once caught an albino channel catfish and have several times caught redfish that looked as if they had been cut up by […]
September 15, 2011

Thump and wait and wait and wait crappie (video)

I just got back from a great crappie fishing trip on Sam Rayburn reservoir with my good friend and guide Roger Bacon. We experienced some interesting conditions today and although the fish bit, we had to […]
September 12, 2011

Fishing new water/catch BIG catfish (photo)

Recently I fished a pond I have not fished in a long time. This pond was covered with water from the Sabine River drainage during Hurricane Ike and some of its largemouth bass population was scattered […]
September 6, 2011

Carolina rigs great for shrimp imitations (video)

A soft plastic shrimp imitation looks great on a Carolina (fish finder) rig and although they are not utilized frequently in this fashion they can help you catch lots of fish. I first learned of the […]
September 1, 2011

Spoonbill catfish? (video)

Ever heard of a “spoonbill” catfish? Well, if you haven’t that is probably because there really is no such variety of catfish. However, there is another fish that is often called a spoonbill catfish: the paddlefish. […]
September 1, 2011

September 2011

August 30, 2011

The 1/3 rule of jetties

This is the time of year lots of anglers along the Texas coast are fishing the jetty systems. The bull redfish run is about to begin and there are still lots of sharks, a few tarpon […]
August 26, 2011

Sharks on topwaters! (video)

Catching any fish on topwaters is fun, but catching sharks on the surface? It’s freakin’ awesome! This short clip shows a huge school of small blacktip sharks behind our boat at the Sabine Jetties. I’ve seen […]
August 23, 2011

Wear shades, catch more fish (video)

Polarized shades are an underutilized tool in the quest for quality. Chester Moore talks why they are so important and what got him to make them a mandatory part of his repetoire.
August 19, 2011

How “smart” are bream?

We think of bream as being super easy to catch because they congregate in such large numbers but are their “smart” bream? The bigger breeders with the best genetics of all fish in my opinion are […]
August 12, 2011

Never ignore roseau cane

Along the Gulf Coast, anglers frequently miss out on some of the most consistent action by ignoring roseau cane. It is the type of cane that is most common south of the Interstate 10 corridor and […]
August 6, 2011

Golden croaker on steroids!? Cool! (Video)

Bull redfish are the most easily accessible powerhouse fish for saltwater anglers. And while many overlook or consider them to be “gold croaker on steroids” I absolutely adore them. I caught the big fish in this […]
August 2, 2011

Don’t buy the ribbonfish lie!

It has happened on numerous occasions this year. Gulls are diving as shad leap from the water in terror. There is no question a predator is under them and due to the location the highest likelihood […]
August 1, 2011

August 2011

July 10, 2011

Catfish really bite on rainy days

We haven’t had much here where I live in Southeast Texas lately but a couple of weeks ago we had two days of solid rain. Once I saw the ditch across the street filling up I […]
July 5, 2011

Deadly gear for BIG trout (photos)

A few years ago, my friend Mark Davis (host of Big Water Adventures on the Outdoors Channel) introduced me to a deadly technique for catching big trout. It works any time but it works incredibly well […]
July 1, 2011

July 2011

June 20, 2011

Bull Reds and Dolphins

Savvy offshore anglers know when dolphins (and sharks) are thick around rigs and wrecks the snapper hold tight to the structure and will not bite. I have found the opposite to be true around jetty systems […]
June 20, 2011

Topwater/plastic combo for MONSTER trout

Witnessing the blowup of a big sow speck can be the most impressive or underwhelming thing an angler can witness. Sometimes they strike with such vigor they force the lure into the air causing the heart […]
June 20, 2011

Do Crappie Actually Have Intelligence?

Are crappie the smartest fish we deal with in Texas on a regular basis? In my opinion the answer is “no” but they are certainly near the top of the list. In fact, the researchers at […]
June 20, 2011

Want big mackerel? Try the fluttering spoon

While conducting tests for my F.L.E.X. Fishing (TM) system, last summer I came across a method that is killer for catching BIG Spanish mackerel. It’s called the “fluttering spoon”. When using spoons around jetties and rigs, […]
June 20, 2011

Topwaters: The best blowups aren’t

Many of the largest specimens of speckled trout, largemouth bass and recently redfish caught on topwaters exhibit no blowup. They just suck the lure right under. I have caught really nice specks using plugs like the […]