Texas Fish & Game Magazine

CURRENT ISSUE

September/October 2024

In This Issue

Time to Target Jetty Jumpers • Where to Hunt Ducks in the Piney Woods • Bait-Free Tactics for Feeder Shy Bucks • Safety Tips for Teal Season • Tasty Treats for Dove Season • War on Predator Hunting • Gear Up for a Fall Cast & Blast • Plus… In “Freshwater,” A Shocking Lightning Tale • In “Coastal,” Cobia: Fish with Many Aliases… and more…

Now You Can LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE ISSUE:

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK-Tides & Prime Times – January 2025

BACK COVER: Suzuki Marine

INSIDE COVER: Humminbird

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK-Tides & Prime Times – January 2025

The following tables contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel.

INSIDE FISH & GAME by Roy and Ardia Neves

FROM TIME TO TIME, we use this space to report on changes, updates and challenges related to our “adventures” in cyberspace. As many readers know, Texas Fish & Game has had a presence on what old-timers call The World Wide Web ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: In our previous edition (July/August 2024), Doug Pike’s column “There is No ‘I’ In Speckled Trout” struck a serious nerve.

EDITOR’S NOTES by Chester Moore

IT FELT LIKE PARADISE. The little boy who grew up seeing pictures of men fly fishing in Montana streams in Sports Afield, Field & Stream and Outdoor Life was doing it as a man. Rainbow trout were biting and hitting ...

DOGGETT AT LARGE by Joe Doggett

MANY WINGSHOOTERS agree that the mourning dove is our most “missable” bird. The mourner is the smallest of our significant game species, weighing a smidgin over four ounces (an ounce or so less than the chunky whitewing). And it flies fast...

COVER STORY: Time to Target Jetty Jumpers

"WHAT IS THAT? my fishing partner (and now former Texas Fish & Game colleague) Nicole Becka asked me and our boat captain Robert Scherer. As she pointed toward the tip of the Port Aransas Jetties, several long black fins stood ...

GOING COASTAL by Kelly Groce

COBIA (also referred to as ling, crabeater, or lemonfish) are a welcomed sight for any angler on the Texas coast this time of year. Known for their drag smoking battles and tasty table fare, cobia are a fun fish to go ...

FEATURE: East Texas Ducks

WE'RE ON THE CUSP of another duck season in Texas and Clay Shipes is anxious to see how things shake out on lakes and rivers across the Pineywoods. Shipes knows a thing or two about ducks and duck hunting. He ...

TEXAS FRESHWATER by Matt Williams

IF YOU FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE you read here, remember this. It could save your life: Where there is thunder, there is always lightning. And a lightning bolt knows no boundaries.

FEATURE: Hunting without Corn

TEXAS DEER HUNTERS ARE SPOILED. Let’s admit it. Most deer hunting is done by putting out a feeder, driving an ATV to a stand and sitting and waiting. Oh, there’s plenty of effort involved and sometimes a whole lot of ...

TEXAS WHITETAILS by Larry Weishuhn

I HAD BEEN PUTTING OUT Vineyard Max every chance I had. The near seven-hour drive was one I did not relish making until I could start seriously hunting in October. Thankfully a friend agreed to put out the aromatic and nutritional ...

FEATURE: The War on Predator Hunting

How Anti-Hunting Groups are Making it Harder to Hunt Predators… Even in Texas Feature Story by PAUL FUZINSKI LISTEN: (7 minutes, 32 seconds) AS A HUNTER AND CONSERVATIONIST, the importance of preserving our outdoor heritage for future generations is ...

FEATURE: Teal Season Safety Tips

THE EARLY TEAL SEASON in Texas is an exciting time for waterfowl hunters. It’s offers the first crack at ducks and gives dog owners a time to get some real in-the-field training as well. With that said, early teal season ...

FEATURE: Dove Delights

DOVE HUNTING IS A cherished tradition in Texas, where the start of the dove season is eagerly anticipated as the official kick-off of the hunting season.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cast & Blast

A "CAST AND BLAST" adventure in Texas offers a fun mix of fishing and hunting that can happen on the same day or on the same trip. Most of this is done in the context of private hunting lodges and ...

THE TF&G REPORT September/October 2024

BIOLOGISTS FROM the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have completed an innovative study that tracked the movement and behaviors of largemouth bass at Toledo Bend Reservoir and Lake Fork...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Sabine September/October 2024

IT'S A GREAT DAY to be an outdoorsman. These next two months are special and should rank very close to the top of most hunter’s and angler’s list of favorites.

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Galveston

SCHOOL HAS BEEN BACK in session for a few weeks with summer coming to an end after a few very hot months. This is also the time of year that redfish start to school up as well to feed on migrating ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Matagorda

I HOPE EVERYONE enjoyed their summer vacation and were able to spend some time on the water. Maybe one of you won a prize in the STAR Tournament? It’s been another hot one...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Port O’Connor

AS WE MOVE THROUGH the dog days of summer, our attention turns towards fall with cooler temperatures and hungry fish. If you like fishing during summer, you will absolutely love it in the fall and winter.

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS — Upper Laguna Madre

THE SUN HAD BARELY crested the horizon, casting a soft, golden glow over the shoreline. There, amidst the symphony of morning birds, was the sound of trout gulping on their top water delights of shad and shrimp. This scene sets the ...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Rockport

SEPTEMBER, THE FINAL STAND of summer, with high temperatures and low winds, can turn any favorite shoreline into a dud...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Baffin Bay

HOT WITH AN OCCASIONAL cool down tends to be the trend this time of year around Baffin Bay, the Laguna Madre and Land Cut. The recent bay activity, as of the writing of this article, has proven to be fairly satisfactory...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Lower Laguna Madre

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER are great times to fish the Lower Laguna Madre for big fish. The best thing about these months is we usually get very calm weather...

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – September/October 2024

Saltwater Hotspots for September and October 2024, with GPS coordinates, best baits and tips for fishing specific species.

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots – September/October 2024

Freshwater Hotspots for September and October 2024, with GPS coordinates, best baits and tips for fishing specific species.

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK-Tides & Prime Times – September 2024

The following tables contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel.

SPORTSMAN’S DAYBOOK-Tides & Prime Times – October 2024

The following table contains TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for Galveston Channel (N 29.3166°, W 94.88°). TIDE PREDICTIONS are located in the WHITE SPACE above the TIDE GRAPHS on the Calendars. Use the Correction Table in the RIGHT TAB BELOW, which ...

Fish & Game Photos—September/October 2024

Action shots from Fish & Game hunters and freshwater and saltwater anglers.

APTITUDE OUTDOORS by Paul Fuzinski

WE ALL HAVE OUR PASSIONS in the outdoors. For some, it’s hunting big game; for others, it’s hooking into huge largemouth bass, and some enjoy scanning the flats for redfish...

ISSUE COVER – September/October 2024

IN THIS ISSUE: Time to Target Jetty Jumpers • Where to Hunt Ducks in the Piney Woods • Bait-Free Tactics for Feeder Shy Bucks • Safety Tips for Teal Season • Tasty Treats for Dove Season • War on Predator ...