Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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For some strange and unknown reason it seems like the older I get the faster things tend to repeat themselves. At times I would swear the pages on the calendar flip by two months at time instead of just one. Recently I began the process of renewing my Coast Guard license for the 5th or 6th time and I started thinking about how much time that represented, especially knowing that its five years between each renewal. As I stood next to the island in my kitchen and opened up my...
In all the major bay systems along the Texas gulf coast die hard big trout hunters are licking their lips in anticipation of finding that one truly big speckled trout of a lifetime. The late fall and winter months are regarded as the best times to pursue real wall hanger size trout, and here on Sabine lake we are no different. In years past we have seen some amazing things come our way to change the way we as anglers looked at fishing. Some or most of these ideas are not for...
In every sport there are different levels of accomplishment, different levels of skill. In baseball you have rookie leagues, minor leagues, and then you have the guys in the majors who are at the top of the food chain so to speak. Far too many times in publications just like this one, writers just like myself take for granted that everyone out there fishes just like we do. Nothing could be farther from the truth if you just get right down to it. I am by no means better or more...
Some of the best days I have ever had as a fisherman happened in the Sabine River so to say I hold a fondness for that place would be an understatement. I have seen all manner of fish caught in those waters from bream to sharks and everything in between. I enjoy seeing other fishermen find success in the deep water and I really like it when it happens in the winter. For years we had such a solid program starting in the summer months and going all the way to January at times,...
The first half of duck season came to an abrupt end for most local Texas Hunters this past weekend and on Sunday it closes for Louisiana hunters as well. Reports from all along the coast were almost mirror images of one another, plenty of water meant plenty of food and areas for birds to get comfortable. The biggest key to success for most hunters was plenty of scouting and being able to adapt to changes in flight patterns that seemed to happen daily. Despite the excess water...
As a youngster growing up fishing every piece of water I could find from canals to stock ponds as well as the occasional trip to the river or lake I can always remember carrying what I thought was the ultimate arsenal of fishing lures. On the top tray of my little orange 2 drawer tackle box was always a couple of spinner baits because they were just "money in the bank" as far as I was concerned. Beetle spins and H-n-H's in all manner of colors still attached to the cardboard...
Ask anyone who hunts or fishes about how they got started in the sport or what was the first thing they caught or killed and I'll bet you they can recite all the details about the experience without hesitation, because that's how important and memorable those times are. I can guarantee you that I shot a coffee can full of pellets into a giant red oak in the back yard of my grandfather's, Olin Mahfouz, house before I killed my first squirrel but I was as proud of that as I...
I would like to go on record as suggesting that we make some sort of holiday out of opening weekend of hunting season, give everyone the following Monday off to enjoy one of the greatest events in Texas. This past weekend kicked off the general hunting season in our great state and to say we could not have asked for better conditions would be an understatement. Absolutely "chamber of commerce" weather greeted hunters all over the state and for many it was the perfect set up...
Anybody from our part of the world who fishes has in some way been influenced by the man everyone referred to as "Dickie", he cut a wide path and will forever be remembered for his exploits both on and off the water. I can honestly say his influence on my life was a big reason for many of the good things that have happened to me personally and professionally. As a young aspiring guide, I clung to his every word, from his weekly column in The Record Newspapers, on the...
One of perhaps the most anticipated hunting days of the year is upon us; Saturday morning starts off the annual youth hunting weekend in Texas. Young hunters and adults alike look forward to this very special weekend for a variety of reasons. For many young hunters this is their opportunity to take center stage and reap the benefits of all the practice and preparation they have been through during the off season. The trips to the range, the work at the hunting lease, or...
For a long time I always equated the best time of the year with the full moon in October, which coincidentally happens this week. For all intents and purposes summer is now in the rear-view window and those nasty 90-degree days should be nothing but a memory. Occasionally we get a reminder from Mother Nature that we are never far from crazy weather but judging from the forecast I'd have to say we may be safe for a few days so get ready to enjoy everything associated with this...
Another opening weekend for Texas bowhunters has come and gone and the again the weather man is at the front of the conversation. Saturday morning started off as good as you could hope for this time of year with slightly cooler temperatures and light winds that made it almost feel like fall. Most years it seems the first good push of cold air always happens a week before the season opens only to give way to the heat for opening day. This was definitely not the case as it was b...
As the days grow shorter and the temperatures becomes slightly more tolerable it is plain to see that fall and hunting season are just around the corner. For local hunters, the first taste of hunting season came in the form of the opening of teal season which was followed shortly by the south zone opener for dove hunters. Wing shooters and water fowlers aside, the most anticipated event here at home as well as all over the state will be the opening of deer season. On October 2...
In what has become a highly anticipated yearly ritual, wingshooters from all over Texas will make there way to the fields and marshes as the 2021-2022 waterfowl hunting season officially gets underway Saturday. The teal season opener has become a real gathering of sorts, almost a social get together if you will. Hunters eagerly awaiting each new hunting season head to the fields for their first taste of what is in store and this one looks promising thanks to some recent...
The sleek silhouette coasted over the tree line with that familiar darting flight pattern, the volley of shots only confirmed the obvious and the dove continued on its way toward the stock tank to get a much needed drink. This scene is played out thousands of times in the state of Texas as hunters take to the field suffering the effects of a long off season without much, if any, practice. Shooting these fast flying birds is enough of a challenge without any other interference,...
It doesn't make any difference if you're a hunter or a fisherman because this time of the year has something for everyone and it's all good. The brief cool down from near triple digit heat has both hunters and fishermen alike thinking of what's in store for the coming weeks. The very first hint of hunting season starts with teal and dove season in September and if you look at the calendar that's not too far off. Hunters of all shapes and sizes flock to the field to take...
I know it's tough to even imagine it, especially when the mercury is threatening to burst out the top of the thermometer, but hunting season is right around the corner. August is the month that gets everything kicked off, hunters and fishermen alike can see the light at the end of the summer tunnel. For the fishermen it's just now getting right on Sabine lake and especially over on Calcasieu where the trout and redfish are doing their typical summer shuffle in the middle of...
No matter how hard lure manufacturers try they will never be able to create a lure that works better than real thing, period. The typical profile of the weekend angler is not that of the high end trophy trout hunter who chunks artificial lures for hours on end looking for one big fish, it’s the fisherman who takes a quart of live shrimp or a bucket of mud minnows and looks for anything that will bite. Much has been made of the big trout phenomenon and all the hoopla that s...
As I ease the truck forward out of the launch I can already see the blur of motion in the rear view mirror, a cat squirrel with Costa Del Mar sunglasses disguised as a fisherman has begun to clean and straighten up what little mess that has been made in the 5 whole minutes he has been on board. I patiently wait at the dock until the deck of his ultra cool Hell's Bay Waterman is exactly as he likes it and ready for my arrival. My partner for the day and the one responsible for...
It’s a familiar scene that is played out all along the gulf coast from Texas to Florida, anglers armed with light tackle weapons probe the shallow shorelines for the bullies of the marsh. The whole encounter is a sensory overload from the get go, it is always visually stimulating to see cruising redfish roam the banks and wreak havoc like only they can. Your ears are often treated to the sounds of vicious strikes as these heavyweights flex their muscles on mullet or crabs w...
The slick surface of the lake was disrupted by skipping shrimp and the familiar sound of trout crashing the helpless crustaceans. Each cast with a soft plastic was met the familiar thump of an aggressive fish that thought they were much larger than they really were. One small trout after another continued to hammer the jigs and also continued to be too small. The next logical thought for catching bigger fish was to go to a topwater plug, which usually works well under these...
Easily one of the most alluring features of Sabine Lake area is the fact that you can catch so many different species of fish in a relatively small area. The brackish water holds both fresh and saltwater fish in good numbers as well as quality. It’s never uncommon to see a stringer of fish include flounder, redfish, speckled trout, and an occasional really nice largemouth bass. If you play your cards right you may even throw in a striped bass just for good measure. The p...
One of the biggest and most intriguing factors that keep fishermen coming back day after day is the process of discovery, figuring out the puzzle so to speak. The task of sifting through all the variables and making sense out of all the factors in order to establish a pattern is what drives many anglers. Unknowingly we all go through the same process every time we fish but without the fanfare. Most of us don’t realize we are even doing it, establishing a pattern, but just a...
In yet another blow to the gun control advocates the state of Texas officially passed the “Constitutional Carry” law this past week and it will go into effect on September 1st. House Bill 1927, aka Constitutional Carry, will allow Texas residents to carry handguns without getting a license as long as they meet certain requirements. Not just any Texan can carry around a handgun without a license. The constitutional carry bill directly states that “persons who are curre...
Any tackle geek knows they are the next great weapon in the angling arsenal, saltwater spinnerbaits have come to the coast and the redfish have a new enemy. They come in array of different colors and each one does a little something different that sets it apart from the competition. Truth be told there are 2 basic styles and they both do a great job catching fish. The most common style is the "safety pin" style, famous in bass fishing circles and the one most known by Texas an...
