Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 160 - 184 of 201
It's no secret that Texas fishermen worship the speckled trout, anglers will go from one end of Texas to the other looking for that one magic 30" fish could define their angling career. The amount of print that is dedicated to the trout every year in magazines and newspapers is easily greater than that allotted to the redfish and I have no clue why that is, of all the people I have had the privilege to fish with I have never had an angler get mad because they caught a...
Anywhere you go along the gulf coast there is an unwritten standard by which all fish are judged, the magic mark that each angler strives to attain. For inshore fishermen the glory fish that causes anglers to stop and take a second look has got to be a trophy speckled trout. A bona fide 30” class or 10 pound trout is the fish of a lifetime for the coastal plugger. Fish in this class take on almost a mythical existence, just ask any serious trout angler about a fish of this m...
For some unknown reason society has always been interested in and amused by the misfortunes of others. Television has had countless shows dedicated to "bloopers" and other gaffes made by everyday people doing everyday things and the masses tune in weekly to get another dose of these antics. I'd be willing to bet you most fishermen you know are at least familiar with the Bill Dance blooper videos, a compilation of outtakes and blunders that fishermen can certainly relate to...
For the majority of our area students school is almost over for the year and the much anticipated free days of summer are now upon us. This time of the year that is tailor made for taking a youngster fishing. During the school year everyone is confined to schedules that only allow free time on the weekends, which coincidentally is when everyone else is free. The crowds are much larger on the weekends and who knows if the fish have figured out what Saturday and Sunday mean. It...
With my little skiff in tow I eased down the road and got a feel for the water level as I crossed one of the many bayous that run through town. The water was a little lower than normal and that would certainly help out my shallow water program by concentrating the redfish in smaller areas. Things were definitely shaping up and the odds would appear to be in our favor. The final piece to the puzzle were my angling friends for the day, two very accomplished fishermen who I enjoy...
In a little less than 3 months the average every day citizen has been overwhelmed by an avalanche of executive orders from the new president Joe Biden. Many of those orders like cancelling the Keystone Pipeline and the disastrous new border policy have been chronicled at length by media outlets so I won't even go in that direction even though they should be pointed out at every opportunity. Instead I'll just share some news that came from another one the dozens of executive or...
Most any fisherman who spends time on our local waters has a theory about how the tides work and where they need to be to catch fish during those tides. Surprisingly enough there are plenty of people who don't understand how important the tides really are, or for that matter what a tide is. According to Webster's dictionary, tide is the periodic variation in the surface level of the oceans, bays, gulfs, inlets, and estuaries caused by gravitational attraction of the moon and s...
If you are a regular reader of this column or most any outdoor publication its not a far stretch to say you should be concerned with new gun law proposals generated by the current president. Throughout his campaign he had made it clear that he would go after gun owner's rights and "take on the National Rifle Association and win". Sportsmen everywhere need to be informed about the legislation and its far reaching effects because some of the items hidden in the bill are, let's...
True trophy trout, like this one Carlin Leavelle caught, pushing 10 pounds and 30 inches long are what saltwater fisherman dream about. You ever wonder what a 64 pack of Crayola crayons, 31 flavors of ice cream at Baskin Robbins, or bags of assorted candy have in common? The answer is they offer something for everyone because we all don't have the same taste. If everyone did things exactly like everyone else then life would be ridiculously boring and mundane. It's choices and...
You ever wonder what a 64 pack of Crayola crayons, 31 flavors of ice cream at Baskin Robbins, or bags of assorted candy have in common? The answer is they offer something for everyone because we all don’t have the same taste. If everyone did things exactly like everyone else then life would be ridiculously boring and mundane. It’s choices and options that give each individual the opportunity to succeed and sometimes those options and choices are a little different than wha...
As far as I am concerned February and March have to be some of the best times on the calendar for a wide variety of reasons. Spring is closing in and everything starts to heat up, especially the fishing. Anglers all over the state look forward to this month with great anticipation every year because in just about any body of water you fish, fresh or salt; you stand an excellent chance of doing battle with a career fish. Freshwater anglers have long known the magic that can...
Big trout in the winter are not caught by accident, take advantage of the conditions when they get right. How many times have you had it happen to you? After hours of fishing, struggling, changing baits, and changing tactics it finally happens, the fish finally decide to cooperate and all is right with the world again. That brief period of euphoria wipes away all the memories of cold boring hours spent probing empty acres of water; it's the opportunity we all search for yet...
Local waterfowl hunters finish off their main season this weekend and for many it will be welcome sight. Ducks and geese locally been beyond sparse and just down right non existent in many areas. A few hunters are still grinding away at some smaller concentrations of birds and having a few good hunts but those are few and far between. The biggest majority of the birds still hanging around locally are mostly green winged and blue winged teal without h a few gadwall thrown in...
With just a precious few days left in the 2020-21 hunting season most outdoors folks are scurrying around trying to finish up on a high note. Whitetail season is done except for a few special seasons or permitted hunts and waterfowl season is not far behind. Texas hunters have until the end of the month while those who hunt across the river will finish up this coming weekend. Most folks agree that if you haven't made it happen yet that more than likely you won't before the...
From my perch on the poling platform I often have plenty of time to think while I push my little boat around the marsh. The standard stuff that goes through every fisherman's mind usually dominates my thoughts. "Where are the fish?" "Should I change locations?" "Is this the right bait?" Nothing out of the ordinary, just everyday fishing thoughts that happen to come to mind. Plenty of those moments routinely get interrupted by my fishing partner for that day and I snap back to...
If I asked you to name a good old fashioned rivalry it probably wouldn't take you very long to name off a few contenders. Family rivalries like the Hatfield's and McCoy's jump to the forefront at the mere mention of a rivalry. These families had epic grudges and hatred towards one another like few have ever seen. Sports rivalries such as The University of Texas and Texas A&M are historic and tradition rich. The great outdoors has plenty of contenders for great rivalries as...
Here in Texas there are a few things that are common from Sabine to Baffin at this time of the year and everyone who calls the coast or saltwater home has an idea what those things are. Probably the biggest and most common factor is the wind, you just can't escape those big gusts that seem to come around every weekend. The wind is a constant factor and most anglers eventually figure out how to deal with the uncomfortable conditions, some seek shelter in protected waters while...
Winter fishing heats up when you locate productive structure. It's a common known fact that we have some of the craziest weather in the world here in Texas, especially on the coast. December, January and February have historically been some of our worst weather months, the conditions at this time of the year coupled with low water temps can make it down right miserable. During these periods the average fisherman may defer from the outdoors to a warmer climate by the fire...
Winter time fishing can be worth the effort when everything comes together. To the casual observer or holiday traveler the sight of a fishing boat during winter is a cry for help, somebody has lost their mind and needs psychiatric evaluation. The raw elements associated with this time of year are no place to place enjoy a sport meant for warm weather. To the hard core fishermen pulling that boat all the traffic on the roads means less on the bay and that brings a smile to...
For months the faithful waited in anticipation for opening day and in what seems to be the blink of an eye the 2020-21 duck season is just about gone. With a few weeks to go before the end many water fowl hunters have resorted to road trips to get that last little fix in before the party ends. For many hunters the coast has been the destination, especially the Rockport and Port O' Conner areas since they have been covered up with ducks for most of the season. The stories about...
With the Texas duck season closed for the split season the only game in town is for folks chasing ducks is hunting in Louisiana. This weekend will be the final weekend of the first half of Louisiana's duck season. The second half will re-open on December the 19th one week after Texas re-opens their duck season once again on December 12th. So far the overall report has been very good from both sides of the Sabine River as local hunters have cashed in on a solid population of...
The first half of duck season for most Texas hunters in our area will end on Sunday and will not re-open until December 5th for the North zone and December 12th for the South zone. Reports from all along the coast were almost mirror images of one another, "either you got ducks or you don't". The birds that still remained in the area after the opening week or so got educated real fast and headed for areas with little or no hunting pressure. A few really dedicated souls who had...
Louisiana duck season opens as Texas hunters continue red hot start. The glow from L.E.D. lights lit up all the local boat ramps as trucks and mud boats got cranked up for an early morning run to the marsh. Local hunters who cross the Sabine River to hunt in Louisiana finally got to begin their season a week later after Texas kicked theirs off last weekend. As expected it was a very hit and miss proposition to say the least. The current state of the marsh is very different...
Every 4 years during the elections I have always given a perspective on the candidates from the standpoint of those of us who enjoy outdoor pursuits such as hunters and fishermen. Each person has certain things that they deem more important than others and its those things that help shape the way they vote on certain issues and or candidates. Obviously for me the stance of a candidate regarding things such as the second amendment, public lands and usage as well as...
It happens every year at this time, they come in huge numbers with that panicked look of “I am way behind schedule” etched all over their faces. They scurry to the shooting table with a rifle that has not seen daylight since last hunting season or a cleaning kit since who knows when? As they line up and start blasting away at the down range targets each one hopes that they can just put together a group that will kill a deer. Invariably these groups are sloppy and unp...
