It’s as if Rand McNally Fished

WE HAVE BEEN PUBLISHING our annual fishing atlas, aptly titled TEXAS lakes & bays, since 1988. In its earliest editions, TL&B modestly presented maps and profiles of all the major bay systems down the Texas coast, plus a selection of freshwater lakes across the state.

The first couple of annual issues, just like our monthly flagship TF&G back in the early days, were printed on newsprint. As Fish & Game matured into a glossy full color magazine, Lakes & Bays grew with it. The first year we went “slick” with TL&B—the 1991 edition—we also released it on newsstands across Texas. It sold like snow cones outside a sweat lodge.

The old Lakes & Bays offered a lot of good information, and the maps—drawn by Nancy Spivey, the wife of TF&G’s founding editor Marvin Spivey—provided reference points to facilities and general locations for the best fishing. Each location was profiled in an article by one of our contributing writers who was knowledgable about the lake or bay and its unique characteristics. Basic, solid info for the travelling fisherman. An atlas for anglers. 

As Lakes & Bays evolved, we tinkered with its content. We added a year-long tide forecast. We added pages, which enabled us to feature more and more lakes.

Then, in 2003, we took a significant turn. That year, we re-formatted the book. We enlarged its physical size—the “trim”—from the standard 8- x 11-inch magazine size to a larger 9 x 11. This let us enlarge all the maps. Using NOAA charts and USGS topographic maps, we built digital versions on which we could then overlay our own information. 

We also added a twist that was a game changer. We recruited experienced fishing guides from each area and asked them to submit specific “hot spots” with detailed information including the species, best time of year (since this was an annual book) and the best baits and techniques for fishing each spot. The kicker was that they also gave us the GPS coordinates for each spot. 

Every year, we would add new fishing spots, in addition to adding new lakes (we already had every bay). The book grew fatter and more packed with fishing holes for anglers who liked to hit the road and try lakes or bays they might not be familiar with.

In 2011, we made another significant shift—and totally overhauled the maps again. We partnered with Navionics, which enabled us to include depth contours for all the water bodies.

We have continued to hone and fine tune the content of Texas Lakes & Bays in the succeeding editions. This year, due to economic and Covid related factors, the new edition is being released a bit later than normal. As you read this, the 2021 edition is now available. You can find it at Academy Sports + Outdoors, Walmart, HEB, and most places that still have newsstands. It’s even sold at Tractor Supply stores. Or, you can go online and order it directly from us at fishgame.com/fishgamegear.

This year’s edition, again due to the stresses and realities of the day, has been streamlined to a svelte 224 pages. It may be smaller in page count, but it actually has fourteen lakes that were not included last year—and still has all of the Texas bays. We just had to do another complete map overhaul to make all the information fit… and happily ended up with a more functional presentation.

This edition of Texas Lakes & Bays has five dozen freshwater and saltwater maps, loaded with a wealth of fishing information. If you were to purchase a fishing map separately for all these locations—if they were even available for all of them—you would have to spend $600 to $800.

We have it all wrapped up for you in one easy to use package… all for a nickle under ten bucks.

E-mail Roy at rneves@fishgame.com and Ardia at aneves@fishgame.com

 

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