Outdoors Digest
Calendar
Through Feb. 27 – Texas quail hunting season.
Through March 13 – Texas East Zone Light Goose Conservation Order Season.
Through March 13 – Texas West Zone Light Goose Conservation Order Season.
Through March 30 – Oklahoma Light Goose Conservation Order Season.
Feb. 19 – 23rd annual Youth Trout Derby at Denison's Waterloo Lake Park Pond. For information, visit www.CityofDenison.com/parksrec or call (903) 465-2720. during business hours.
Feb. 19 – Red River Valley Ducks Unlimited Dinner at the Gainesville Civic Center.
Feb. 19-24 – Bass Pro Tour Stage Two tournament in Quitman, Texas at Lake Fork. For information, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com .
Feb. 20 - JC Outdoors Lake Texoma Spring Teams Event out of Alberta Creek Resort at 6:45 p.m.. To register for the derby (which has an entry fee of $120), send a text to (214)773-5451. For more info, visit www.jcoutdoors.com
Feb. 26-27 – 5th annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival at the Mesquite Convention Center. For information, visit https://txflyfishingfestival.org .
Feb. 27 - TPWD trout stocking at Sherman’s Pebblebrook Community Park Pond.
March 1 – Monthly meeting of the Red River Fly Fishers in the Rec Hall at Eisenhower State Park. For information, including the night’s speaker and fly tying schedule info, visit www.rrff.org .
March 4-6 – 52nd Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. For information, visit www.bassmaster.com .
March 9 – TPWD public meeting on proposed gun deer season in Grayson, Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall Counties. The 7 p.m. meeting is in the CWL Auditorium of the Grayson College Center for Workplace Learning at 6101 Grayson Drive in Denison.
March 19-May 1 – Texas South Zone Spring Turkey Season.
March 20 - JC Outdoors Lake Texoma Spring Teams Event out of Alberta Creek Resort at 6:45 p.m.. To register for the derby (which has an entry fee of $120), send a text to (214)773-5451. For more info, visit www.jcoutdoors.com
March 23-24 – TPW Commission Meeting in Austin.
March 23-27 – Bass Pro Tour REDCREST Championship on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake. For info, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com .
April 2-May 15 – Texas North Zone Spring Turkey Season.
April 2 – Bois D’arc Creek Ducks Unlimited Dinner at the Magnolia Grace Ranch in Leonard. For info, visit www.ducks.org .
April 5 – Monthly meeting of the Red River Fly Fishers in the Rec Hall at Eisenhower State Park. For information, including the night’s speaker and fly tying schedule info, visit www.rrff.org .
April 8-10 – Ducks Unlimited Expo at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. For information, visit www.duckexpo.com .
April 9-14 – Bass Pro Tour Heavy Hitters Tournament out of Tyler, Texas at Lake Palestine. For information, visit www.majorleaguefishing.com .
April 16 – Oklahoma spring turkey season.
April 22-May 14 – East Texas spring turkey season (including Grayson, Fannin, and Lamar Counties).
May 3 – Monthly meeting of the Red River Fly Fishers in the Rec Hall at Eisenhower State Park. For information, including the night’s speaker and fly tying schedule info, visit www.rrff.org .
May 19-22 - Simms Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Lake Fork. For information, visit www.bassmaster.com .
Notes
It might only be mid-February, but the outdoors calendar is full of fishing events in coming days. First up, on Saturday, Feb. 19, the City of Denison will host its annual Youth Trout Derby at Waterloo Lake Park Pond from 9-12 noon. The next day, on Sunday, Feb. 20, it’s time for the JC Outdoors Lake Texoma Spring Teams Event out of Alberta Creek Resort. For those who want to fish the derby, send a text to (214)773-5451 before the event's scheduled launch time containing both anglers' names and the dollar amount you will be bringing with you to the weigh-in. For more info, visit www.jcoutdoors.com . Then, next weekend, it’s time for the 5th annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival at the Mesquite Convention Center. The event has an all-star lineup of fly fishing talent and runs from Feb. 26-27. For information, visit https://txflyfishingfestival.org …The professional bass fishing circuits are running fast and furious now that February is firmly in control of the calendar. Last week, John Crews went wire to wire and won his second B.A.S.S. event as he captured the Bassmaster Elite Series derby on Florida’s St. John’s River. Crews won in sterling fashion with a four-day total of 75-pounds, 4-ounces…This week, the Elite Series stays in the Sunshine State and moves to the Harris Chain of Lakes in the central part of Florida for the second Elite Series derby in as many weeks….Last week also marked the Bass Pro Tour’s Stage One event on Caney Creek, Bussey Brake, and Lake D’Arbonne. Bradley Roy won the BPT’s season opening event—and his first—with a five-fish effort weighing 26-02 on the event’s Championship Day. But despite Roy claiming the derby’s $100,000 top paycheck, Alabama pro Randy Howell stole the show despite finishing in 6th place. Howell broke the BPT tour record largemouth mark on Thursday, Feb. 10 when he caught a personal best largemouth weighing 10-pounds, 11-ounces. One day later, Howell—the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ—did it again, landing a personal best and BPT record (that broke his own one-day old record) weighing 12-pounds, 14-ounces. What’s more, Howell accomplished the feat on different water bodies with his Wednesday record coming on Caney Creek and his Thursday record coming on Bussey Brake…This week, the BPT keeps going as it moves west into East Texas with the Feb. 19-24 Stage 2 derby slated for Lake Fork. Based out of Quitman, expect some big pre-spawn catches from the famed lunker factory…Speaking of lunkers, the TPWD ShareLunker season is heating up again as two ShareLunkers were caught at Possum Kingdom Reservoir last Saturday, Feb. 12. More on that next week…Even though spring isn’t far off, the season of DU fundraising dinners is off and running this weekend with the Red River Valley DU banquet taking place tomorrow evening at the Gainesville Civic Center. After that, the Texoma DU Couple’s spring fundraiser event will return to the Mayor Arena at Loy Lake Park on Friday, March 25, beginning at 6 p.m. While a Cajun dinner theme has been tried a number of years, this year, the local quacker backer group will opt for Texas barbecue catered by Deiter Brothers in Lindsay. Tickets to Texoma Couples event (which are $75 for couples and $60 for individuals) can be purchased at the DU events page on the organization’s website at https://ducksunlimited.myeventscenter.com/event/Texoma-Spring-Event-55625. Tickets and more information can also be obtained by calling Paul Terrell at (903) 267-4108 or Newt Wright at (918) 557-2622…In a news item that we’ll have more information on in the coming weeks, Texas fishing favorite Gary Klein will be inducted into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. Klein, who once lived in Weatherford and now lives in Mingus, has been a professional angler for more than four decades after moving to the state as a young pro from his home waters on the California Delta. The two time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and the co-founder of Major League Fishing, Klein never won a Bassmaster Classic but came agonizingly close at Lake Texoma in 1979. Additionally, Klein is a kind and generous man who regularly gives back to the fishing community in the Lone Star State through his volunteer work with kids and military veterans. Congratulations Gary!....
Hunting Reports
Fall and winter hunting seasons are down to the last several days of the 2021-22 Texas quail season. There have been reports of some good hunting in South Texas, and that’s where the best options will be between now and Feb. 27…The Light Goose Conservation Order Seasons are underway on both sides of the Red River. The spring snow goose campaign runs through March 13 in both the Texas East Zone and the Texas West Zone for goose hunters. On the Oklahoma side of the border, the spring snow goose season runs through March 30…Interested in what the spring snow goose hunting season looks like this fall? Then check out the 2022 season forecast at Wildfowl Magazine’s website at https://www.wildfowlmag.com/editorial/2022-spring-snow-goose-hunting-season-forecast/456979...
Fishing Reports
As the one year anniversary of last February’s deadly “Snowmageddon” siege continues, area water temperatures have fallen into the lower and mid-40s over the past week. And with the prospects of another strong arctic front and possible winter storm looming next week (according to weather models and weather forums), it could be a while before we see anything in the area resembling spring fishing conditions…At Lake Texoma, water is lightly stained; water temps are 43-46 degrees; and the lake is 1.29 feet low. Texoma guide John Blasingame of Adventure Texoma Outdoors tells TPWD that striped bass continue to be excellent with several 10-12 pound catches being reported in the past week. He says to fish off ledges in 18-25 feet of water using Alabama-rigs, or dead-sticking with Flukes to bring those larger stripers to the boat. Blasingame also notes that he’s starting to see some white bass (sand bass) mixed in with the stripers as the sandies’ spring spawning run prepares to take place across the state of Texas…Meanwhile, on the Oklahoma side of the two-state reservoir, ODWC game warden Garrett Beam indicates that striper fishing has been good in recent days with success coming on Alabama-rigs, Flukes, Sassy Shad, and live shad fished along creek channels, points, and the river channels. The Bryan County game warden says that stripers are being caught in between the Railroad Bridge and the Highway 70 Bridge right now. The best current striper success on the Sooner State side of Texoma seems to be coming on Flukes and dead-sticking. …Meanwhile, Beam notes that the catfish action is fair right now for blues, channels and flatheads. In fact, in the ODWC fishing reports press release this week, they proved that right now is a good time to chase big whiskerfish at Texoma with a photo of Bradley Jobe hoisting up a big blue catfish caught recently at Texoma. To get in on the wintertime whiskerfish action, Beam says to use chicken liver, cut bait, dough bait, live bait, punch bait, stinkbait and sunfish along the dam, in creek channels, near docks, over points, and in the river channels. He also says that blue cats are being caught near the oil wells and flat areas near the river and creek channels in the northern part of the lake…How about Texoma’s wintertime crappie? The Bryan County game warden notes that crappie are fair on grubs, hair jigs, plastic jigs, minnows, fly fishing nymphs, and small lures fished along brushy structure, in coves, around points, and in standing timber. Crappie are biting best on jigs fished around docks and brush piles…At Lake Ray Roberts, water is lightly stained; water temp is 49 degrees; and the lake is 1.07 feet low. There is no report on largemouth bass action at Ray Roberts right now. TPWD reports that white bass continue to be fair on silver spoons as the sand bass move into creek channels for their coming spring spawn. Meanwhile, Ray Bob crappie are slow on minnows and jigs…At Lake Fork, site of the Feb. 19-24 Bass Pro Tour Stage Two event out of Quitman, the lake continues to be low due to work on the reservoir’s dam. At Fork, the water is stained; water temps are 46-47 degrees; and the lake is 6.22 feet low. Fprk guides Marc Mitchell and Jason Hoffman tell TPWD that the largemouth bass bite has been slow most days, but is picking up as the BPT pros come to town this weekend and next week. Viper XP jigs are still working reasonably well around big wood in 3-6 feet of water (Editor’s Note: A lot of that timber that has been submerged for years is now exposed due to the low lake levels). The two guides also note that Z-Man Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits are good around ditches and creeks in 2-5 feet of water, again around big timber. Finally, the two Fork guides noted that water surface temperatures have dropped to the mid 40’s for the first time this winter, although they have warmed a bit in the last few days. With more cold weather supposedly coming, who knows when spring conditions will arrive?...Staying at Fork, but switching to the lake’s big crappie, guide Jacky Wiggins of Jacky Wiggins Guide Service tells TPWD that the crappie bite has been a little slower after the recent cold front, but is getting better by the day as some big slabs of about two pounds have been caught. Wiggins says he is still catching lots of fish out deep in 54-56 feet of water, a sign that wintertime fishing persists, but he has also started seeing some attempts by Fork’s big crappie to start migrating to spawning areas in 20-35 feet of water. The guide says that the best bite right now is for those using minnows, although the jig bite should pick up as water temperatures rise. Finally, Wiggins notes that he seems to be catching more black crappie out deep and more white crappie in shallower areas…At the Blue River near Tishomingo, ODWC's Ethan Lovelace indicates that the river elevation is below normal, water temp is 40 degrees, and the river is running low and clear. He says that rainbow trout are excellent on in-line spinnerbaits, PowerBait, and small spoons fished along the river channel braids and near rocks. For those who enjoy chasing trout with the fly rod, Lovelace says that small midges and nymphs are the key flies at the moment. Whether you are a conventional tackle enthusiast or a fly angler, get your lures, bait, and flies down deep and use lighter line and/or tippets in this low and clear water that has trout a bit on the spooky side…At McGee Creek, the lake level at the Oklahoma big bass producer is below normal, the water temp is 44 degrees, and the water clarity is unknown. ODWC indicates that argemouth bass and spotted bass are fair on Alabama-rigs, crankbaits, jigs and swimbaits fished along coves, flats, points, and over rocks…Down on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast, Capt. David Dillman of Galveston Bay Charter Fishing tells TPWD that black drum and sheepshead are fair on the reefs for anglers using live shrimp. Wade fishermen are doing the best right now in the area as they target speckled trout and redfish...On the Middle Coast at Port Aransas, Capt. Doug Stanford of Bay Fishing Charters indicates to TPWD that the speckled trout are biting great on live free lined shrimp around the Fina Docks. The Port A jetties are producing easy limits of sheephead on live shrimp right now. And a few bull reds are mixed in with the trout, which are also biting on live shrimp. Also, Sailboat Channel in Aransas Bay has lots of redfish on incoming tides as anglers use shrimp…And finally, on the Lower Texas Coast at Baffin Bay, site of the state's best big "gator" trout fishing during the late winter weeks, Gilbert Barrera of Baffin Bay Hunting and Fishing tells TPWD that the early morning bite is slow, but picks up as the sun comes out. Trout are good right now with nice sized catches coming in the boat or for those wade fishing with soft plastics…
Tip of the Week
As TPWD continues the push for a rifle season in Grayson County, make plans to attend the March 9, 2021 public meeting at Grayson College. The meeting will deal with the proposed gun deer season here in Grayson, as well as in Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall Counties which have similar archery only regulations in place. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in the CWL Auditorium of the Grayson College Center for Workplace Learning, which is located at 6101 Grayson Drive in Denison.
This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: February 18 Outdoors Digest Calendar Fishing Hunting reports tip
