Texas Fish & Game Magazine

CURRENT ISSUE

May/June 2025

In This Issue

Redfish Basics: Targeting Tips for Seagrass Reds • Stream Stress: River and Creek Access Challenges • Offshore Strategies for STAR • Going After Goliath Grouper • Doggett’s Charmed Life with Snakes • Give Mom & Dad The Outdoors • Matt Williams: Keeping it Fresh … plus Columns, Coastal Focus Reports, Fishing Hotspots, Outdoor News, Tide and SoLunar Forecasts and more…

Now You Can LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE ISSUE:

Feature Article: Stream Stress

Feature Article: Offshore STAR Strategies

Feature Article: Charmed by Snakes

ISSUE COVER – May/June 2025

Redfish Basics: Targeting Tips for Seagrass Reds • Stream Stress: River and Creek Access Challenges • Offshore Strategies for STAR • Going After Goliath Grouper • Doggett's Charmed Life with Snakes • Give Mom & Dad The Outdoors • Matt ...

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INSIDE FISH & GAME by Roy and Ardia Neves

A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE recently took out his frustrations with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department by introducing a bill to abolish the department. Perhaps inspired by the rapid-fire budget slashing and wholesale agency shutdowns that the new ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Teen Poaching Coverage I JUST READ THE ARTICLE on the teen poaching crisis (Jan/Feb 2025 Issue), and it really opened my eyes. I knew poaching was an issue, but I had no idea it was this bad among young hunters. ...

EDITOR’S NOTES by Chester Moore

THE WATER WAS COLD, stained and rough. Stormy seas had stirred up the sediments, creating brown-tinged visibility that only allowed me to see out 15 feet at best. And with subsurface temperatures in the lower 50s, the environment inside the ...

DOGGETT AT LARGE by Joe Doggett

MY BAHAMIAN GUIDE, Charles Whose-Last-Name-I-Can’t-Remember, had a calm demeanor and osprey eyes. Both are excellent attributes on a bonefish flat. “A single at 10 o’clock, moving left to right at 40 feet,” he said, planting the push pole and stopping the ...

Feature Article: Stream Stress

ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES inland anglers face in Texas, especially in the western 2/3 of the state where large, navigable rivers are scarce, is access. Texas is 97 percent private land and that means most of the land around streams ...

Feature Article: Offshore STAR Strategies

THE THRILL OF HOOKING INTO a sleek and powerful kingfish, battling a stubborn ling, landing a monster red snapper, or chasing dorado along weedlines makes for an unforgettable experience and can lead to big STAR wins...

Feature Article: Charmed by Snakes

A WATER SNAKE WAS BETTER than a ribbon snake, and a hog-nosed snake was better than a water snake, and a rat snake was twice as good as the whole passel in a sack. That was our standard of measure ...

TEXAS WHITETAILS by Larry Weishuhn

FAWNS ARE HITTING THE GROUND and we’re starting to see them up and around with the does! From what I’ve seen so far, looks like we’re going to have a pretty good fawn crop this year. And, we should have pretty ...

Feature Article: Keeping it Fresh

MATT WILLIAMS IS a distinguished outdoor writer whose extensive contributions to Texas Fish & Game Magazine have solidified his reputation as a leading authority on freshwater fishing through his Texas Freshwater column. Matt has been closely assosiated with Texas Fish & ...

TEXAS FRESHWATER by Matt Williams

WE'RE AT FULL STRIDE of another season in big league bass fishing and on the heels of another Bassmaster Classic, this one held back in March at Lake Ray Roberts near Denton. Thoughts of the late Bryan Kerchal always come to ...

Feature Article: Back to Basics for Reds

THERE ARE FEW saltwater fishing experiences more exciting than pursuing redfish across the vast, shallow seagrass flats on the Texas Coast. These shallow-water battlegrounds, from the Lower Laguna Madre to Christmas Bay, are where anglers test their patience, skill, and perseverance ...

GOING COASTAL by Kelly Groce

WHEN SPEAKING OF GAG GROUPER, most people’s minds are painted with images of offshore boats and deep dropping near oil rigs, but along the Texas coast, gag grouper can be found inshore amongst the jetty rocks, pilings, and other sunken structures. ...

Feature Article: Group On!

I RECENTLY EMBARKED on an adventure that was nothing short of epic. My journey took me off the Atlantic Coast of Florida, where I joined TF&G Hot Spots Focus writer and Spot Stalker Guide Service owner Captain Derek York along with ...

SPECIAL SECTION: Give the Outdoors

WHEN IT COMES TO celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Texas Fish & Game readers know that the best gifts aren’t wrapped in bows. Instead, they are found in the great outdoors. And while everyone knows about bass fishing, white-tailed ...

THE FISH & GAME REPORT

A RECENT INVESTIGATION by Texas Game Wardens resulted in approximately 1,200 pending charges and 22 suspects from across the state involved in the deer breeding industry and black-market wildlife trade...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Sabine

WE ARE RIGHT SMACK in the middle of the late spring and early summer months on Texas’ upper coast. Just like that, we are now blessed with vast amounts of pretty, warm water and an endless array of fishing patterns, techniques, ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Galveston

WARM WEATHER, lots of people out on the water and great fishing means it’s almost summertime here on Galveston Bay. I am ready for summer to get here, and May and June are always busy months for me getting people out ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Matagorda

IT'S A COMMON SIGHT nowadays to see a family sitting at a restaurant with everyone glued to their phones instead of enjoying each other’s company. I’m guilty myself sometimes. Kids nowadays are entrenched in the technology world...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Port O’Connor

THE SUN HAD BARELY touched the horizon when the first blowup came. At first, it was a subtle slurp with the occasional fleeing bait, almost teasing with scattered showings. But then, the topwater assaults became more numerous and ultimately concentrated. Before ...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Upper Laguna Madre

WHAT DOES BAFFIN BAY mean to you? What about those incredible memories made there? Why is it so important to us here at R&K? Before we answer, do you actually know the history of Baffin? ...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Rockport

IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE to get out and wet a line until now, I don’t know your pain, but help is on the way. It’s late spring / early summer and it feels just like hanging out with an old ...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Baffin Bay

LONGER DAYS, warmer weather and croaker season make this my favorite time of year! With the summertime season in full swing, we no longer have to battle and base fishing patterns off of unpredictable cold fronts that drastically shift temperatures and ...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Lower Laguna Madre

MAY BRINGS CONSISTENT warmer water temperatures and transitioning fish patterns. Some fish will still be working in their cold weather patterns, and some fish will be working in their hot weather patterns, so it can be hard to target them consistently ...

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Upper Coast May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for Sabine Lake & Pass to West Matagorda Bay, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Middle Coast May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for Port O'Connor down to the Upper Laguna Madre, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Lower Coast May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for Baffin Bay and the Lower Laguna Madre and South Padre Island, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots – East Texas – May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for the most popular East Texas Lakes, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots Central Texas- May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for the most popular Central Texas Lakes, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots West Texas- May/June 2025

FISHING HOTSPOT REPORTS for the most popular West Texas Lakes, including GPS coordinates, best times and tactics, by species. With links showing the exact spots on Google Maps.

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

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

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

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

FISH & GAME HUNTING CENTER

IN THE WILD, where courage meets skill, one woman stands out: Michelle Rathkamp—a force of nature whose prowess in hunting doesn’t just earn respect, it commands it. As an avid angler who’s spent time in the woods with a few, ...

APTITUDE OUTDOORS by Paul Fuzinski

TEXAS IS KNOWN for its vast landscapes and diverse wildlife, but maintaining this natural heritage requires continuous conservation efforts. Kyle Hand, the statewide game bird specialist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, shared his expertise on wild turkey conservation in a ...

Fish & Game Photos May/June 2025

LARGEMOUTH BASS | Lovelady: Eight-year-old Alana Ray with her first bass—a 6.5 pounder (check the scale!). LARGEMOUTH BASS | Spring: Young Adam Sana caught this nice bass in the Woodson Reserve neighborhood pond near Spring. REDFISH | Port O’Connor: Eleven-year-old ...