Texas Safari: The Fishing Guide to Texas By Gayne C. Young Copyright 2011 Gayne C. Young Smashwords Edition www.gaynecyoung.com Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Texas Waters and Fishing Chapter 1: Notes on Means and Methods Sidebar: Fishing with Carrots Sidebar: It’s Stupid and Illegal Notes on Boats Chapter 2: Fresh Water Major Rivers Brazos Canadian Colorado Guadalupe Sidebar: Texas Water Safari Neches Nueces Sidebar: Mosquitoes Suck Pecos Sidebar: Hire a Guide Red Sidebar: The Caddo Lake Pearl Rush of 1909 Rio Grande Sabine San Antonio Sidebar: Woman Hollering Creek San Jacinto Trinity Sidebar: Remember Kids, Don’t Make Deals with Catfish Major Lakes Sidebar: Amistad, Then and Now Sidebar: Concho Pearl Sidebar: The Creature from Lake Worth Chapter 3: Freshwater Species Black Bass Largemouth Sidebar: Budweiser ShareLunker Program Smallmouth Spotted Sidebar: Calling all Fish Guadalupe True Bass White Yellow Striped Sidebar: Yeah, But it was a Mean Snake Hybrid Catfish & Bullheads Blue Sidebar: The Life and Times of Splash the Catfish Channel Flathead Sidebar: Freshwater Man-Eaters Black bullhead Yellow bullhead Crappie Black White Sidebar: Watching Fish with Nuclear Physicist Sunfishes Bluegill Green Sunfish Sidebar: Bringing Home the Shell Longear Sunfish Redbreast Sunfish Redear Warmouth Sidebar: The Asia Turtle Trade in Texas Carp & Suckers Common Carp Mirrrror Carp Leather Carp Bigmouth Buffalo Smallmouth Buffalo Sidebar: Progress and Caviar Gar Alligator Longnose Sidebar: Taxidermy Shortnose Spotted Other Fish Bowfin Sidebar: Exotic Fish Chain Pickerel Freshwater Drum Freshwater Red Drum Rainbow Trout Sidebar: Gig ‘em (frogs not Aggies) Rio Grande cichlid (perch) Tilapia Blue Red Mozambique Walleye Chapter 4: Saltwater Bays and Gulf Sabine Lake Sidebar: Gray Moby Galveston Bay Sidebar: Ghost Aquarium Matagorda Bay Sidebar: From Here to There San Antonio Bay Sidebar: Texas Seals Aransas Bay Corpus Christi Bay Sidebar: Forgotten Leviathans Laguna Madre Baffin Bay Gulf of Mexico Chapter 5: Saltwater Species Coastal Bay and close to shore Atlantic Cutlassfish Atlantic Spadefish Sidebar: Fish Stink Atlantic Stingray Sidebar: Wallets from the Sea Bermuda Chub Bonefish Bluefish Catfish Gafftopsail Hardhead Cownose Ray Sidebar: Burn, Baby Burn Croaker Atlantic Spot Sidebar: The Eyes Have It Drum Red Black Florida Pompano Jacks Blue Runner Crevalle Horse-eye Ladyfish Lesser Electric Ray Pigfish Pinfish Seatrout Sand Silver Spotted Sheepshead Snook Southern Flounder Striped Bass Tarpon Whiting Southern King Gulf King Open Water Barracuda Bonito Atlantic Little Tunny Sidebar: Whales and Dolphins of Texas Cobia Dolphin or Mahi-Mahi, Dorado Grouper Gag Jewfish Nassau Rock Hind Scamp Warsaw Sidebar: Only a Phone Call Away Mackerel Cero King Spanish Sidebar: Green in the Gills Marlin Blue White Rainbow Runner Sailfish Shark Atlantic Sharpnose Blacktip Bonnethead Bull Sidebar: Shark Attack Great Hammerhead Lemon Shortfin Mako Tiger Snapper Dog Gray Lane Mutton Red Vermilion Yellowtail Swordfish Trippletail Tuna Blackfin Bluefin YellowFin Wahoo Chapter 6: Clothing and Equipment Clothing Footwear Scales and Measures Nets and Gaffs Pliers and Dehookers Knives Waterproof Cases & Dry Bags Binoculars Angler’s List Chapter 7: Private Lakes and Resorts Chapter 8: Organizations Chapter 9: Manufacturers Acknowledgements This is the page no author looks forward to writing. For it is the page where the author thanks many people without trying to offend the few an almost impossible task. Also, it’s not a very exciting page to write. In an attempt to make this as painless as possible, I have decided to simply shoot out my acknowledgements bullet style with short and to the point affirmations. That said, here we go: My biggest thanks goes to Karen, my wife. Thank you for everything. I love you. Thanks to John M. Hardy, Karen Boudreaux, Roy Hamric and Chris Ruggia for putting this labor of love together. Thanks to Mike Schoby at Gander Mountain for his continued guidance and support. Thanks to Chuck Wechsler at Sporting Classics and Under Wild Skies for his unwavering mentorship and patience. Thanks to Doug Howlett at Southern Sporting Journal. Thanks to John Tarranto and Brian Lynn at Outdoor Life. Thanks to Richard Sanders at Russell Moccasins and Walden Bork; Jessica Dant at J.L. Powell; Thomas Bouthillier at Strong Case; Jin Laxmidas at TAG Safari; Eddie Stevensen at Remington; Richard Gilligan at Meopta; Reed Berry at TZ Case; Jeff Wemmer at Texas Hunt Co.; Dick Williams at Surefire; Jim Markel at Red Oxx; and Chris Cashbaugh at SOG Knives for your generous support. Thanks to Neal Coldwell and Jerry Hammack of Neal Coldwell Taxidermy. Thanks to Garry Wright of Garry Wright Safaris. Thanks to Maria Ramos and the rest of the staff at the Fredericksburg Public Library. Thanks to Joel O’Shoney of PakMail Taylor Thanks to Avery Crowe and the rest of her family. Thanks to Champe Carter at Champe Jenning’s Jewelry. Thanks to my fellow members of the Alter Stoltz Society. A very special thanks to Roger Willoughby at Abercrombie & Fitch for showing me that this could be done. And thanks to many, many people I’ve failed to list here. Gayne C. Young Fredericksburg, Texas, 2008 Introduction Despite the dry, desert images many outsiders often associate with Texas, the state actually has a wealth of water. By the numbers, Texas has: •Almost 2 million acres of impounded water¬¬––more than any other state. •More than 80,000 miles of flowing water. •More than 3,300 miles of shoreline (including barrier islands). •2.1 million acres of bay fishing. •More private lakes and ponds than any other state. Within this immense watery environment are a host of freshwater and saltwater species unmatched by any other state. Both native and introduced species lure anglers, flyfishers, bowfishers and spearfishers throughout the year in search of food, sport and relaxation. In fact, so many people take to the waters that Texas ranks among the Top 10 in numbers of anglers from outside the state. According to an American Sportfishing Association report, nearly 3 million people fished Texas waters for more than 41 million total fishing days in 2006 (the latest year for available data). The economic impact is staggering. More than $3 billion in retail sales was generated by people fishing in Texas in 2006. This number is doubled to more than $6 billion when factoring in the ripple effect of gas, lodging, etc. Fishing is so popular because it’s fun, relatively inexpensive, relaxing and can put food on the table and in the freezer. Another reason for its popularity has to do with access. The state’s abundance of water ensures that good fishing is close to almost everyone, regardless of where they live. Information on these waters can be found in Chapter 2, which deals with freshwater rivers and lakes, and Chapter 4, which covers saltwater. Profiles of the species that inhabit the state’s waters can be found in Chapters 3 and 5. Other chapters include information on clothing and equipment, private lakes and resorts and organizations formed to promote and protect fishing. Scattered throughout the book are sidebars on history, products, myths and legends. In short, this book is for anyone interested in fishing in Texas, whether a pro or a beginner. The information was compiled from a variety of sources including archives, print and electronic media, interviews with fishing guides, lodge and marina owners, other writers, scientists, naturalists, and state and federal employees. The compilation of facts and opinions provides readers with an overview of fishing in Texas—past and present. This book is by no means the final word on fishing in Texas, nor should it be construed as such. It has always been and remains up to the individual to check with the correct governing bodies for changes in the law regarding fishing and boating. Fish on. Chapter 1 Notes on Means and Methods There are four basic methods of obtaining fish in Texas: traditional rod and reel, fly fishing, bowfishing and spearfishing. Of these, fishing with some type of rod, be it traditional or fly, is by far the most popular. However, bow fishing and spear fishing continue to grow in popularity. Regardless of the method, all rely on the same basic principal for success; fish must be found before they can be caught or killed. This statement may seem elementary, but as anyone who’s ever fished can explain, this is often easier said than done. A number of factors contribute to where fish live, how they act and how they feed. Some of the more important of these include water clarity, abundance of food and cover, diet, water temperature, barometric pressure and the phase of the moon. Other influencing factors include time of year and the time of spawn. Information on most of these factors can be found in the chapters on freshwater and saltwater fish. In terms of barometric pressure, most fish are active when there are severe dips and rises in pressure such as before and after a storm. The moon influences fishing in that its gravitational pull effects tides and to a lesser degree, barometric pressure. The most successful fishermen are the ones who keep track of all of these factors. The easiest way to do so is with a fishing journal or fishing log. Logs can be as detailed as you like but the following basics should be covered: •Name of the body of water. •Time of year and date. •Weather conditions including temperature, wind direction, sky description (cloudy, clear, etc.) and barometer reading.