Texas Fish & Game Magazine

CURRENT ISSUE

September/October 2025

In This Issue

Hidden Wing Shooting Spots • Surf Basics for Big Reds and Specks • Dodging a Bullet on Public Land Loss • A Stringing Debate: Crossbow or Compound? • Ranking the Scariest Animals in Texas • TF&G Profile: Top Notch Hunting Coverage from Weishuhn and Marullo … plus Columns, Outdoor News, Saltwater Focus Reports, Tides & Prime Times, and more…

Now You Can LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE ISSUE:

ISSUE COVER – September/October 2025

BACK COVER: Suzuki

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INSIDE COVER: Capital Farm Credit

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PAGE ONE: Suzuki Marine

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INSIDE FISH & GAME by Roy and Ardia Neves

Our Lakes & Bays Atlas is Now Interactive LISTEN: (4 min, 9 sec) ONE OF THE BETTER IDEAS we squeezed out of our heads during the past 41 years in the outdoor publishing business was the annual Texas ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I'M JUST AN EVERYDAY public-land hunter here in Central Texas, and I’ve got to say the news about that sneaky attempt to sell off millions of acres of public land hit me hard. We don’t have much public ground in ...

EDITOR’S NOTES by Chester Moore

A.I. in the Outdoors LISTEN: (6 min, 21 sec) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is changing the world, including the outdoors. For anglers, hunters, wildlife photographers, and outdoor media professionals, AI is proving to be a powerful tool. But like any ...

DOGGETT AT LARGE by Joe Doggett

‘Plugging’ with the Master LISTEN: (5 min, 56 sec) RUDY GRIGAR, THE SELF-PROCLAIMED “Plugger,” was an original and true to his light-tackle game. He used long whippy two-handed rods and levelwind reels and chunked lures for speckled trout ...

Feature Article: Surf Basics for Landing Big Reds & Specks

The Fish & Game Saltwater Playbook Feature Article by TF&G Staff LISTEN: (5 min, 24 sec) LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL on the Texas coast is a magical time. As the summer heat begins to retreat and the Gulf’s surf ...

GOING COASTAL by Kelly Groce

SOUTH TEXAS IS A TRUE outdoorsman’s paradise, especially during the late summer and beginning of fall. This is my favorite time of year and favorite few fishing months to chase any and everything, especially big snook and tarpon. Mornings consisting of ...

TEXAS FRESHWATER by Matt Williams

GIVE THEM COVER and bass will come. I thought about the connection pretty often while watching some of the nation’s top pros pick apart the shallows during Bassmaster Live coverage of the Elite Series event held earlier this month on the ...

FEATURE ARTICLE: Dodging a Bullet on Public Land Loss

LAST JUNE, A LITTLE-NOTICED PROVISION buried deep in a federal budget reconciliation package set off alarm bells across the outdoor community. Tucked away in the lengthy legislative text was a proposal to sell or transfer between 2 and 3 million ...

TEXAS WHITETAILS by Larry Weishuhn

“COMING LEFT!” Seven or eight mourning doves within twenty yards, I shouldered my Mossberg 410-gauge swung past the lead bird and pulled the trigger. Down it went! Two dove wing beats later I swung through a second dove, pulled the ...

Feature Article: Hidden Dove & Duck Options

LET'S FACE IT. When it comes to big water fishing holes, there just aren’t many secrets anymore. Much the same can be said for duck and dove hunting sweet spots on public hunting lands. One careless social media post or ...

Feature Article: The Scariest Animals in Texas

TEXAS IS A HUNTING AND FISHING paradise, but it’s also home to some of the most dangerous wildlife hunters are likely to encounter anywhere in North America. While most hunters are tuned in to wind shifts and game movement, it’s ...

Feature Article: Top Notch Hunting

FOR DECADES, LOU MARULLO has guided tens of thousands of Texans through the intricacies of hunting and bowhunting. He’s not only Texas Fish & Game’s Hunting Editor, but also a master bowhunter-education instructor, deeply committed to hunter safety and education... ...

Feature Article: Crossbow or Compound

WHEN I FIRST STEPPED INTO the world of crossbows back in 2009, it completely reshaped my understanding of bowhunting. Over the years, I’ve become passionate about sharing what I’ve learned with both seasoned hunters and newcomers alike. While crossbows bring a ...

SPECIAL: Cast & Blast

THERE'S NO BETTER TIME to be a Texas outdoorsman than when summer starts slipping and the air gets that first nip of fall. That’s when the real season begins and not just for one thing, but for everything: birds in the ...

THE FISH & GAME REPORT

OF 545 AVAILABLE OYSTER LICENSES, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received 115 commercial oyster boat license offers in round nine of its Oyster License Buyback Program, which, if all applicants participate, would represent a reduction by 21 percent of total ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Sabine September/October 2025

WHAT AN EXCITING TIME for outdoorsman in the great state of Texas! Over the next two months we should experience more of the same hot, muggy conditions that we’ve grown so accustomed to, as well as a glimpse of the cool, ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Galveston: September/October 2025

HEADING INTO THE EARLY FALL MONTHS is like a restart for a lot of us as far as routines go. The kids are headed back to school, and we are starting to fall back into a routine, just like many ...

UPPER COAST FOCUS—Matagorda: September/October 2025

MATAGORDA HAS BEEN BLESSED with an abundance of rain this summer. An influx of fresh water usually means a good fall shrimp crop. That in return will make some great fall fishing. When the first cool front rolls through South Texas ...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Port O’Connor: September/October 2025

WHEN THE TEXAS HEAT SETTLES IN and the tides turn lazy, redfish along the middle coast kick into full gear. Late summer is prime time for sight-casting these bronze bruisers in skinny water, and the best part? You don’t need live ...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Upper Laguna Madre: September/October 2025

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER are special here—a time of shifting winds, cooling water, and renewed movement among the fish we spend all year thinking about. However, with that said, the trout bite has been on absolute fire on the entire Gulf Coast...

MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Rockport: September/October 2025

MOTHER NATURE HAS BEEN HAPPY to throw plenty of rain our way this year in the Rockport area and I’m sure she will be throwing more at us for the start of dove season. I don’t think she likes that we ...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Baffin Bay: September/October 2025

BAFFIN BAY Reported by CAPT. GERAD MERRITT In the Heat of Autumn LISTEN: (2 min, 27 sec) WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT September and October other than it’s hot outside and the fishing is even hotter. I do not ...

LOWER COST FOCUS—Lower Laguna Madre: September/October 2025

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER ARE truly two of my favorite months to fish. Our fishery shows off its versatility this time of year and you can almost target any species that our fishery has to offer. The kingfish are in at the ...

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Upper Coast – September-October 2025

Upper Texas Coast HotSPOTLight: Sabine Pass • • • LOCATION: Christmas/Bastrop Bay HOTSPOT: Christmas Bay North Shore GPS: N 29 4.009, W 95 11.625 (29.06681667, -95.19375) Christmas/Bastrop Bay: Christmas Bay North Shore SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics TIPS: ...

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Middle Coast – September-October 2025

Middle Texas Coast HotSPOTlight: Port Bay • • • LOCATION: Aransas Bay HOTSPOT: Halfmoon Reef GPS: N 28 4.5259, W 96 59.062 (28.0754, -96.9844) Aransas Bay: Halfmoon Reef SPECIES: Speckled Trout BEST BAITS: Soft plastics TIPS: Trout should be in ...

FORECAST CENTER: Saltwater Hotspots – Lower Coast – September-October 2025

Lower Texas Coast HotSPOTLight: Arroyo Colorado • • • LOCATION: Arroyo Colorado HOTSPOT: White Sand East of Green Island GPS: N 26 23.226, W 97 19.173 (26.3871 -97.3196) Arroyo Colorado: White Sand East of Green Island SPECIES: Redfish Best Baits: ...

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots – East Texas – September-October 2025

Reported by TF&G STAFF More Hotspots Available in the 2024 Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas www.FishGame.com/fishgamegear CURRENT WATER LEVELS • • • East Texas HotSPOTLight: Bois D’Arc Lake • • • LOCATION: Lake Bob Sandlin HOTSPOT: Old Roadbed/Sunken ...

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots – Central Texas – September-October 2025

Reported by TF&G STAFF More Hotspots Available in the 2024 Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas www.FishGame.com/fishgamegear CURRENT WATER LEVELS • • • Central Texas HotSPOTLight: Lake Calaveras • • • LOCATION: Lake Aquilla HOTSPOT: Deep Humps GPS: N ...

FORECAST CENTER: Freshwater Hotspots – West Texas – September-October 2025

Reported by TF&G STAFF More Hotspots Available in the 2024 Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas www.FishGame.com/fishgamegear CURRENT WATER LEVELS • • • West Texas HotSPOTLight: Lake OH Ivie • • • REPORTED BY: TJ Ranft Online: www.RanftGuideService.com Email: ...

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

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

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

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

Fish & Game Photos: September/October 2025

Largemouth Bass | Brady Eleven-year-old Aiden Matey caught his personal best largemouth while fishing near Brady. Freshwater Drum | Lake Livingston John Harrison and his son Walker show off their favorite table fare, freshwater drum, caught on Lake Livingston. Redfish ...

APTITUDE OUTDOORS by Paul Fuzinski

FALL BASS FISHING is a season of transition, challenge, and reward. As temperatures drop and the ecosystem shifts, bass behavior becomes less predictable, requiring anglers to adapt in real time. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Success hinges on reading the water, ...