Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
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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 thinking that the fishing won't be worth the effort, big mistake. F...
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 only few find on a consistent basis. Those few fishermen who routinely find these brief periods where fish g...
A steady stream of boats, hunters, and dogs crowded the local launches Saturday morning as the Louisiana duck season officially opened just one week after Texas got started. Adams bayou, the Vinton Drain ditch, CowBayou, and Hiway 82 towards Holly Beach looked like a parade route as local hunters descended on the marshes in anticipation of legal shooting light and the first flight of ducks. As expected it was a very hit and miss proposition to say the least. The current state...
There are very few things that are as satisfying as a well thought out plan coming together and for many local hunters that’s exactly what this past weekends opener provided. Nice temps and light winds greeted local hunters as they took off into the woods and marshes as the 2023-24 Texas general hunting season opened up on Saturday. Deer hunters and waterfowlers converged on their favorite spots as months of anticipation, planning and waiting turned into great expectations a...
“You remember when….” is a question that I am hearing all too often these days, especially when I am talking to water fowlers. Less than a decade ago our area marshes were a haven for all types of migratory birds, world class wing shooting at its best. The skies were filled with ducks and geese and the local hospitality and great Cajun cuisine made this part of the world a magnet for hunters from all around the globe. Well the food and hospitality are still here but the birds...
Perhaps the only thing better than shooting a big deer or filling a strap with a limit of ducks is watching a kid accomplish the same feat. Young hunters in this day and age face a wide variety of obstacles in everyday life and those obstacles also spill over into the sport of hunting. Anti hunting groups spread half truths designed to keep kids away from the sport, land is tougher to access, and people just don’t have as much time anymore it seems. Well the Texas Parks and W...
For a long time I always equated the best time of the year with the full moon in October, which coincidentally happens next week on the 28th. 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 a...
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...
