C14 | Friday, September 25, 2020 | ExpressNews.com |San Antonio Express-News CALENDAR FRIDAY Operation Game Thief: Houston Area Clay Stoppers Shootout, a sporting clays shoot to raise money for the game violation program and support families of game wardens killed in the line of duty, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Texas Premier Sporting Arms, 7311 Hwy. 36, Sealy. 100 targets, lunch, raffle, live auction and awards. $300- $1,100. Click on ogttx.com. SATURDAY-SUNDAY Texas Outdoor Family: Hands-on basics of camping for those with little or no experience with tent, gear provided, Inks Lake State Park. $75 for family of up to six. Call 512-389- 8903 or email [email protected]. SATURDAY Fin Addict Angler Foundation: Ninth Annual Kayak Tournament, 6 a.m.-5 p.m., Living Reel Salty Tackle &Bait, 101 U.S. 181, Portland. Click on finaddictangler.org. Texas Parks & Wildlife Depart- ment: Hunters and anglers are en- couraged to invite others to join them in their outdoor adventures to cele- brate National Hunting and Fishing Day. Click on tpwd.texas.gov. Padre Island National Seashore: No entrance fee to commemorate National Public Lands Day at all national parks. Call 361-949-8068 or click on nps.gov. THURSDAY Texas Parks & Wildlife Depart- ment: Online application deadline 11:59 p.m. for E-postcard deer, water- fowl and other species. Go to tpwd.texas.gov, click hunting tab and Staff file photo scroll to “public hunting;” email A fisherman who can look forward to some good eating leaves Lake Conroe with a stringer of 22 crappie, two under the daily limit. [email protected] or call 512- 389-4505. OCT. 3-4 List affirms Lake Conroe as crappie haven Texas Outdoor Family: Hands-on basics of camping for those with little or no experience with tent, gear provided, McKinney Falls State Park. By Matt Wyatt acidic waters of East Texas. The success with crappie. said. $75 for family of up to six. Call 512- STAFF WRITER two species can be difficult to tell Guide Butch Terpesaid the Crappie are an integral part to 389-8903 or email apart, especially in the Houston two best structures for fishing Lake Conroe culture. Locals take [email protected]. The Texas Parks and Wildlife area where black crappie can crappie are submerged brush pride in helping to take care of OCT. 3 Department’s inland fisheries appear silver due to water color- piles and bridge pilings. The what some may consider an Guadalupe River State Park: division compiled a dozen of the ation. improvement of electronics over underrated fishery. Saturday Morning Honey Creek Hikes, state’s prime crappie destina- “The best way to tell the spe- the years has made finding these “In addition to excellent natu- with guide explaining cultural and tions, creating a bucket list for cies of crappie apart is how many structures much easier. ral reproduction and recruit- natural history of the area, 9-11:30 a.m. Also Oct. 10, 17, 24, 31 and Nov. 7. anglers. spines they have in the dorsal fin. TPWD, the Seven Coves Bass ment, crappie in Lake Conroe Meet at the Rust House. $2 donation In Texas, largemouth bass are White crappie will have five to six Club and the San Jacinto River benefit from the passionate crap- requested. Entrance fee applies. Call king. Catfish aren’t far behind. and black crappie will have seven Authority have installed artificial pie-fishing community, many of 830-214-3635 or email hol- But ranking as the third-most or more,” Best said. structural habitat, as well. Best who have donated toward efforts [email protected]. RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/honey-creek- popular freshwater fish is nothing Texas crappie anglers are said that most recently block to buy additional 3-4-inch black nature-hike-900-am-saturday- to scoff at for crappie. Not in this subject to a daily bag limit of 25 reefs have been put out in the crappie for supplemental stock- morning-tickets-110397331390. state, where there is no shortage fish, which can include both spring of 2019 and summer of ing,” Best said. OCT. 8 of places for anglers to enjoy black and white crappie, and a 2018. A map of fishing attractors James Tucker helps organize pursuing the tasty panfish. 10-inch minimum size limit. can be found on TPWD’s website. an annual stocking of black crap- Mitchell Lake Audubon Center: Birding for Beginners webinar, 6-7:30 “We wanted to try to highlight Fishing effort for crappie in For the novice eager to con- pie by Stow-A-Way Marina. He p.m. Register at them and let people know that Lake Conroe reflects the state- quer Lake Conroe’s learning said the marina usually stocks mitchelllake.audubon.org. not only is bass fishing great in wide trend. According to the curve, a guide like Terpe, who around 6,000 fingerlings around OCT. 13 Texas, but so is crappie fishing,” most recent creel survey in 2016- has 32 years of experience, can November. The stockings are Mitchell Lake Audubon Center: said Brian Van Zee, a regional 17, crappie accounted for 8.4 make all the difference. funded by individual donations Webinar on how to prevent birds director for TPWD’s inland fisher- percent of total fishing effort on Terpe books day trips to pur- and a collection jar. from flying into buildings and homes ies division. the lake. Largemouth bass and sue any and all species in the lake because of light pollution and glass “I think a lot of times they can catfish were 36 and 31 percent, year-round but will target crappie Sought by big spenders reflections, 6:30-8 p.m. Register at get overlooked.” respectively. outside of June through Septem- Tucker considers crappie mitchelllake.audubon.org. Tucked into a collection of 12 Although the fish represent a ber. anglers to be the heart and soul OCT. 15 crappie hot spots is Lake Conroe, small portion of angling effort, an “The best action is from late of Lake Conroe. He also believes Texas Parks & Wildlife Depart- a20,000-plus-acre reservoir estimated 22,088 hours were March through May, whenever crappie anglers usually make ment: Online application deadline north of Houston and the list’s spent chasing crappie. they get through spawning and more substantial economic con- 11:59 p.m. for E-postcard feral hog, turkey, waterfowl and pheasant plus shortest drive from the city. It is not a catch-and-release they’ll start moving out on to tributions than those targeting guided bighorn sheep hunt package, The crappie fishery at Lake fishery, either. Best said 93 per- deeper stuff,” said Terpe, adding other species. oryx, gemsbock and more. Go to Conroe has greatly improved cent of crappie are kept by an- that crappie will be aggressive “Crappie fishermen, they come tpwd.texas.gov, click hunting tab and since the drought of the early glers, taken home to be cooked and hungry post-spawn. in and buy minnows, hooks, scroll to “public hunting;” email [email protected] or call 512- 2010s. A low water level allowed up as a delicious dish. Crappie fishing also can be a weights, it just goes on and on,” 389-4505. vegetation to grow on banks and Lake Conroe provides great great activity for the nocturnal said Tucker, who encourages in dried-out coves. Those areas angler success, too, with an aver- among us. anglers to be responsible and OCT. 17-18 became flooded habitat when the age of 2.7 fish caught per hour. The person to call for that is conservation-minded on the lake. Texas Outdoor Family: Hands-on water rose again, providing excel- “That’s actually one of the Bill “Hooker” Harwell, who keeps Tucker said he guides trips, basics of camping for those with little or no experience with tent, gear lent cover for spawning and fry better catch rates in the state of crappie at the top of his hit list. too, and is another member of provided, Pedernales Falls State Park. survival. Texas,” Best said. “One of my keys to success is I the Lake Conroe fishing commu- $75 for family of up to six. Call 512- Today, the crappie fishery at Despite the high catch rate, fish at night. A lot. I get away nity who cares about crappie and 389-8903 or email Lake Conroe is in pretty good Lake Conroe can be a difficult from everybody else,” said Har- can help mentor anglers wanting [email protected]. shape. lake to fish. Historically, it is a well, whose nighttime activities to fish for them. NOV. 1 “Even though the crappie boater’s destination and has not have made him a bit of a rare Sam Rayburn, one of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Depart- fishery is very popular at Lake been as friendly for bank anglers. breed on Lake Conroe since he state’s most renowned fisheries, ment: Deadline for nominations to Conroe, Conroe is a productive However, Best, who is an avid started guiding in 2009. and Coleto Creek Reservoir in the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame for individuals and organiza- lake that easily sustains the levels crappie angler herself, said op- Crappie anatomy, namely Victoria are two other destina- tions that have made significant of harvest we see with a large portunities do exist for bank bulging eyeballs that are much tions on TPWD’s list that are contributions to freshwater fishing in forage base for crappie,” said anglers around bridges and rock larger than other similar-sized relatively close to Houston.