Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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All along the Texas gulf coast the pattern is the same, cool fronts signal the much anticipated frenzy that is fall fishing. Anglers of every description ready themselves with the latest technology and gear in hopes of finding flocks of gulls working over schools of hungry speckled trout and redfish. Shiny fiberglass cruisers masquerading as bay boats are stocked up with an array of tackle that would make most anglers drool with envy. It is the same scenario in each bay...
Texas white tail deer hunters will get their first opportunity to chase that buck they have been dreaming of since last season ended as the 2023-24 season gets underway this Saturday. The archery only season should be a good bench mark as to how much the state-wide drought has affected the deer herd. Hunters in east Texas as well as the panhandle, west, and south Texas have been extremely dry for most of the year, especially during the critical months when young deer as well a...
Saturday morning’s early teal season opener began with plenty of odds stacked against most hunters in our area but that fact did not dampen the enthusiasm associated with the opportunity to shoot ducks. Some local hunters along the coast actually began to camp out at some of the local public hunting areas on Thursday in hopes of ensuring a prized location for Saturday morning. I must admit, even though I love to hunt teal that I am not mad enough at them to sleep on the r...
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 2023-24 waterfowl hunting season officially gets underway this Saturday as early teal season opens. 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 less...
The easy north wind has already begun to work magic on local hunters as they eagerly await the September 1 opener of dove season here in Texas. North Zone hunters as well as Central Zone hunters will enjoy a few weeks of hunting before those of us south of IH-10 get into the mix of things on the 14th. So far the days leading up to the opener have been filled with some goofy weather that always seems to make an appearance before the season starts. For the past several seasons...
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...
For some strange reason I feel like I’m stuck keep repeating the same week over and over. We continue to have extreme heat, no rain, plenty of southwest wind and more of the same nonsense from those engaged in the witch hunt of our former president. It’s just more of the same stuff we can’t control but unfortunately have to live with but good things are on the horizon. It doesn’t make any difference if you’re a hunter or a fisherman because this time of the year has something...
The Biden administration announced recently that schools who teach programs like Hunters Education, archery, or any sort of competitive shooting will have their federal funds from the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) blocked by using a loophole in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, moved to block funding citing such programs violate the BSCA by providing training in the use of “dangerous weapons”. Several Senators, inc...
Hands down, without a doubt, one of the top 3 most asked questions I get from local and out of town anglers alike is “how do you read the tide chart for this area?”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 dic...
The big center console finally drifts to a stop in the early morning darkness as the anchor rope comes tight. Solitary figures equipped with the latest gear that would make a NAVY Seal jealous slide over the gunnels into the warm still water and begin casting in all directions, probing the shallow flat for the fish of their dreams. These anglers have achieved their goal of being at that special place when the fish begin to feed, the scene is picture perfect and the plan has...
The mercury in the thermometer shows temperatures creeping towards triple digits and everybody you look at appears to have just emerged from a swimming pool. The heat waves along the road and the hood of my truck cannot dampen my enthusiasm as I raise my binoculars to get a better look at a few mottled ducks along a secluded marsh pond. The very sight of ducks right now coupled with the fact that we just flipped another calendar page is enough to put a smile on my face. A few...
In many ways our freshwater counterparts have it made; no tides to worry about, no fish stealing sharks, and you couldn't step on a sting ray if you tried. The saltwater folks on the other hand have plenty of positives as well like how many hard pulling species of fish one can encounter on a single trip, or the simple fact that you have the potential to hook a creature that may indeed be bigger than your boat. Both sides have great arguments that back up their claims to being...
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...
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...
For most of us who have spent time around the Cajun French way of life or culture the word "lagniappe" usually brings a smile to your face because it means "a little something extra". I could not think of a better word to describe how things are going in my little part of the world at the moment, it finally feels like a corner has been turned and the destination, even though it may be farther than we think, is actually beginning to come into view. After more days than I care...
The highly anticipated return of the Bass Master Elite Series on the Sabine River kicks off on Thursday morning and you can bet just like in years past it will be a show like no other. Our little part of the world here in Orange Texas routinely breaks attendance records for Bassmaster events and I would not be shocked if that happens again this weekend. The Elite Series anglers always manage to figure out a pattern anywhere they go, and Sabine is no exception. In fact, if you...
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. The potential for all these fish to be in the same body of water makes each strike that much more e...
Lawrence Sanchez and Lawrence Sanchez Sr took home the win in the 3rd leg of the SALT Pro Redfish tournament series this past weekend. The Sanchez team posted an impressive winning weight of 26.98 pounds anchored by an absolute brute of a slot redfish weighing in at 10.48 pounds. The big redfish broke the old record of 10.01 pounds in the process. Michael Fesco took home 2nd place with 24.19 pounds while the team of Daniel Duong and Roland Brown posted a solid 21.87 pounds...
In all honesty this has to be one of my absolute most favorite times of the year, that transition from spring into summer when the weather starts to cooperate and the fishing goes nuts. Late April and May generally signify the summer patterns are here or at least really close anyway and we have nothing to look forward to except some out of this world conditions in which to fish. For me personally I will be thankful that those unbelievable winds of March and Early April will be...
The second event in the SALT Pro Redfish series took place this past weekend under less than ideal conditions. While most local fishermen stayed at the house cutting grass or taking care of other chores 28 teams decided to brave the high winds and take a shot at cashing a check from the 7000.00 prize pot. High water and winds hampered many teams but there were still some very solid stringers weighed. 23 of the 28 teams weighed in at least one fish and all of those fish were...
The famous line from the movie “The wizard of Oz” where Dorothy tells her dog Toto “we’re not in Kansas anymore” came to mind as my small skiff settled out over a bright white endless Caribbean flat covered with air clear water. The whole sight was far and away different from my normal upper coast water where clarity is measured in inches rather than feet. From the poling platform I could see a school bonefish milling about in the shallow water in search of small crabs and shr...
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...
A pair of 10 pound redfish slid down the shoreline of a grassy bank with their backs and tails exposed for all to see, shrimp and little baitfish showered across the surface hoping not to be the last one in line or the first one on the menu. As I stood on the poling platform and watched these fish going about the business of finding something to eat it was easy to tell they were almost oblivious to anything else but their next meal. My fishing partner for the day, Ray...
Fishing too fast is a common problem that many anglers have, especially when the fish tend to gather up and school in big bunches. Saltwater anglers who chase schooling fish along with freshwater fishermen who also key in on flocks of birds over hungry groups of stripers, hybrids, and whites are perhaps the worst. The frenzied activity puts everyone on the boat in high gear often leaving the majority of the water column untouched. It’s a proven fact that smaller more a...
For many years local anglers have long been loyal the S.A.L.T. Club and the fantastic traditions they are a part of. The club annually hosts one of the most prestigious events for local anglers and the new PRO Series is just another exciting addition to their great lineup. The new PRO Series event is a redfish tourney with 3 separate events along with a Team of The Year award. The SALT Pro helps to benefit the SALT Club which in turn uses the funds to purchase lifetime fishing...
