Five Fish/Hunt Combinations to Amp Up Your Fall

“CAST AND BLAST’ is a phrase often used to sell duck and coastal fishing combo hunts, which are among the most exciting things a Texas outdoor lover can do.

Taking a limit of teal, gadwall and widgeon in the morning and chasing specks and reds in the evening is super fun. The cast and blast concept is all about maximizing outdoor opportunities, which Texas has plenty of, especially during the fall and early winter. The following is a look at some unorthodox cast and blast combos that might just have you trying a new one out every season.

Nilgai and Snook:

The Lower Coast not only has the most diverse fishery in the state, but also highly biodiverse wildlife. From ocelots to javelinas, this area has critters many other parts of the state do not. That includes the free-ranging population of nilgai antelope.

Public draw hunts are an option on Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, but most nilgai hunts are with outfitters on the Kendy and King Ranches. These big India imports have some of the finest tasting meat in the animal kingdom. Although they took a hit in some areas from last year’s freeze, hunting options are still available in 2021.

Take your cast and blast to the next level by snook fishing in Lower Laguna Madre and the Brownsville Ship Channel. The snook here can be plentiful and they grow big.

Imagine catching a 30-inch snook on a topwater in the evening and bagging a big nilgai bull in the morning. Does it get better than that?

Wood Ducks and Crappie:

The wood duck action in the Piney Woods is hot and heavy virtually every winter. Water will not be an issue this year so bottoms will be full and offer plenty of places to score on fast-flying, beautiful wood ducks.

Targeting woodies on acorn flats early in the morning is a great option. Calling them as they start migrating back toward roosts from feeding grounds in the evening can also be fun. That gives you plenty of time to score on the superb crappie fishing action in the Chicken Coop area of Toledo Bend, at various deep holes in Lake Livingston, and along the bridge and deep brush piles of Lake Conroe.

Late Doves and Largemouth:

Doves get little love in the late season in East Texas, but some properties have plenty of birds and little pressure. This year’s late season kicks off December 17 in the central and north zones. This coincides with overlooked bass action. Taking doves in the morning and fishing the sunny midday and afternoon period, can equal exciting times in the woods and on the water.

Pick your lake for fun action but O.H. Ivie could still be hot coming up. There is always action around Sam Rayburn, Lake O’ The Pines, Ray Roberts and Fork.

Sandhill Cranes and Walleye or Smallmouth:

Yes, this is real, and it’s in Texas. The Panhandle region offers some killer opportunities at hunting sandhill cranes. These giant birds are often called the “ribeye of the sky” for their delicious breast meat. They are abundant in the region, and Lake Meredith, 45 miles northeast of Amarillo offers surprisingly good walleye fishing that’s comparable to many lakes in the native range of walleyes.

According to officials with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. “The walleye population in the reservoir is maintained through natural reproduction with high quality fishing available in the spring. Meredith Reservoir also has an excellent smallmouth bass population.”

The peak walleye fishing is April through June, but fish can be caught there year-round. Smallmouth action is solid on warm winter days as well.

Blue Cats and Boars:

Some of the best blue catfish action in Texas is during the winter, with the lakes in the eastern third of the state all holding impressive fish. Whether you’re rod and reel fishing or pursuing on trotlines, catching 30- to 40-pound blues is not uncommon.

The smaller ones are better to eat and are plentiful on lakes such as Tawakoni, Ray Hubbard, Buchanan, Travis and Livingston.

The surrounding woodlands around any of these lakes are loaded with feral hogs. Outfitters and day leases offer solid options, although reaching out to friends with deer leases in the late season might get you a better chance at bagging a boar.

The cool thing about this cast and blast is you can fish all day if you like and hunt hogs at night. For those new to Texas—Yes that’s legal!

Hunting and fishing is all about fun. If you can’t enjoy yourself talking up these cast and blast challenges, something’s wrong. You’ll just need to spend more time in the great outdoors to get it fixed.

 

—TF&G STAFF REPORT

 

 

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