‘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
DOGGETT AT LARGE by Joe Doggett Read More »
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
Surf Basics for Landing Big Reds & Specks Read More »
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 yellow-finned snook inhaling topwaters and silver gilded tarpon flying out of the water to afternoons hunting white winged dove over vast fields of sunflowers are hard to beat…
GOING COASTAL by Kelly Groce Read More »
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 Sabine River in Orange. Nothing was off limits as the anglers plied the cover-rich river system for some of the tiniest bass anyone saw brought to the scales in a big league fishing tournament all season long…
TEXAS FRESHWATER by Matt Williams Read More »
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 acres of public land currently overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Had the measure passed, it would have represented one of the largest reductions in federally managed land access in decades…
Dodging a Bullet on Public Land Loss Read More »
“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 trigger on the bottom barrel. “Gracious! Didn’t think you even knew what a shotgun was, nor how to shoot one!” I smiled and pretended like it happened every time I pulled a shotgun’s trigger…
TEXAS WHITETAILS by Larry Weishuhn Read More »
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 slip of the tongue amongst big ears these days is all it takes to call in the troops and ruin a great hunting spot that may have taken years to locate…
Hidden Dove & Duck Options Read More »
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 easy to forget that the outdoors has teeth, venom, and disease waiting in the shadows. From the pine forests to coastal marshes, these five threats deserve more attention from anyone heading into the field…
The Scariest Animals in Texas Read More »
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… If Marullo is the voice of education and gear-tested enthusiasm, Larry Weishuhn is the heart of whitetail management. Known widely as “Mr. Whitetail,” Weishuhn brings a lifetime of hands‑on wildlife biology and ethical deer hunting to Texas Fish & Game’s Texas Whitetails column…
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 lot of advantages, there are a few key essentials every crossbow owner should have in their kit. Don’t worry. These aren’t fancy or expensive add-ons, but practical tools that can make all the difference in the field…
Crossbow or Compound Read More »
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 air, fish in the water, deer in the brush. You can chase it all if you’ve got the time and the gas money…
SPECIAL: Cast & Blast Read More »
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 oyster licenses in the state… PLUS, WITH THE ADDITION of three new properties, Texas’ 2025-26 hunting season will offer more public hunting opportunities through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Public Hunting Program.
THE FISH & GAME REPORT Read More »
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, autumn conditions that are right around the corner…
UPPER COAST FOCUS—Sabine September/October 2025 Read More »
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 of the fish we chase! The redfish are schooling up for their annual spawning season in the nearshore waters…
UPPER COAST FOCUS—Galveston: September/October 2025 Read More »
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 in September shrimp start their migration to the gulf waters…
UPPER COAST FOCUS—Matagorda: September/October 2025 Read More »
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 bait to get it done. With the right lures, timing, and a bit of grit, summer redfish are more than ready to crush artificials…
MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Port O’Connor: September/October 2025 Read More »
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—Upper Laguna Madre: September/October 2025 Read More »
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 make dove poppers out of her little birds…
MIDDLE COAST FOCUS—Rockport: September/October 2025 Read More »
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—Baffin Bay: September/October 2025 Read More »
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 inlet, big tarpon are hanging out, little tarpon are around, schools of bull reds are plentiful around the jetties and deeper areas of the flats…
LOWER COST FOCUS—Lower Laguna Madre: September/October 2025 Read More »
