Outdoors Digest
Calendar
Through May 1 – Texas South Zone Spring Turkey Season.
Through May 15 – Texas North Zone Spring Turkey Season.
April 7-9 – Major League Fishing Toyota Series on Lake Texoma out of Catfish Bay Marina. For information, visit https://majorleaguefishing.com/events/2022-04-07-lake-texoma .
April 8-10 – Ducks Unlimited Expo (DUX) 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-May 16 – Oklahoma spring turkey season.
April 22-May 14 – East Texas spring turkey season (including Grayson, Fannin, and Lamar Counties).
April 23 - Texas Team Trail Tournament out of Catfish Bay Marina. Pre-registration closes at 5 p.m. on April 21. For information, visit www.texasteamtrail.com
April 30 - Madill High School Fishing Team Fundraiser Tournament. For information, call (918) 688-0453.
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 14 - Future Bass Trails Team Tournament out of Alberta Creek. For information,
call Joe Copeland at (580) 504-7320 or visit the website at www.futurebasstrails.com.
May 19-22 - Simms Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Lake Fork. For information, visit www.bassmaster.com .
June 7 -- 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 .
June 25 - Future Bass Trails Team Tournament out of Alberta Creek. For information,
call Joe Copeland at (580) 504-7320 or visit the website at www.futurebasstrails.com.
Notes
Australian born bass pro and Frisco, Texas resident Carl Jocumsen took the Day 1 lead at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Thursday. While fishing on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake, Jocumsen’s five bass on the day tipped the scales to 24-pounds, 12-ounces… According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Sam Rayburn Reservoir and O.H. Ivie Lake closed out another incredible Toyota ShareLunker collection season last week with two final additions to the 2022 program. TPWD says that the latest Legacy Class ShareLunkers bring the season total to 24, the most during a January through March timeframe since 1995 (27)…TPWD reminds anglers that even though the Jan. 1-March 31 Legacy Class donation season has concluded for the year, the year-round Toyota ShareLunker program continues and offers three additional levels of participation the remainder of the year. Those include the Lunker Class (8lb+), Elite Class (10lb+), and Legend Class (13lb+)…TPWD says that once a lunker is reeled in, anglers need to enter the catch data on the Toyota ShareLunker mobile app – available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play – or on the Toyota ShareLunker online app at TexasSharelunker.com…Also, in addition to providing basic catch information, TPWD advises that anglers can also provide a DNA scale sample from their lunker bass to TPWD researchers for genetic analysis…TPWD’s news release indicates that the Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Toyota. Toyota is a longtime supporter of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and TPWD, providing major funding for a wide variety of fisheries, state parks and wildlife projects…Interested in participating? TPWD says that ShareLunker program prize donors include Bass Pro Shops, Lake Fork Taxidermy, American Fishing Tackle Co. and Stanley Jigs. 6th Sense Lures also provides additional support for this program…For updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program throughout the rest of 2022, please visit TPWD’s ShareLunker Facebook page or visit the website at TexasSharelunker.com…TPWD also notes that to see photos of the Legacy Class ShareLunker’s caught during the 2022 season, anglers can visit the TPWD Flickr album… The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has announced that a wild duck in Payne County is the first wild bird in the Sooner State to be confirmed to be infected with the Eurasian H5 type of highly pathogenic avian influenza. In an ODWC news release, Dr. Rod Hall, state veterinarian for Oklahoma, notes that: “While Oklahoma has not seen HPAI in a backyard or commercial poultry flock this year, the finding of this single duck adds Oklahoma to a long list of states with confirmed cases of HPAI. I encourage poultry owners of all kinds to continue to remain vigilant, practice good biosecurity and report sick or dying birds immediately.”…ODWC says that symptoms of HPAI in poultry include: a decrease in water consumption; lack of energy and appetite; decreased egg production or soft-shelled, misshapen eggs; nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea…ODWC says that HPAI can also cause sudden death in birds even if they aren’t showing any other symptoms. HPAI can survive for weeks in contaminated environments…The agency does note that this type of HPAI virus is considered low risk to people but can be very dangerous to poultry species which is an important part of Oklahoma’s agricultural industry….“We’re asking that anyone involved with poultry or egg production, from large farms all the way down to backyard flock, review and implement their biosecurity practices to ensure the health and well-being of their flocks,” said Hall in the ODWC news release…There have been no known cases of HPAI in domestic birds in Oklahoma according to ODWC, but the disease is continuing to infect domestic flocks throughout the northern and eastern United States. Since January 2022, there have been 77 confirmed cases of HPAI in domestic flocks in the U.S. according to the Oklahoma City based agency…ODWC advises outdoors enthusiasts and residents of the state to please report sick wild birds in Oklahoma to USDA Wildlife Services at (405) 521-4039. Death or illness in domestic poultry species should be reported to the ODAFF Animal Industry Division at (405) 522-6141…
Hunting Reports
Spring turkey season opened up on March 19 in Texas’ South Rio Grande Zone and runs through May 1…Spring turkey season also opened up last weekend in North Texas on Saturday, April 2….So far, the weather—warm and windy one day, stormy the next, and chilly and windy the day after that—has led to only fair early season success…As mentioned, the North Texas Rio Grande Zone season is now open, running from April 2 through May 15… Local longbeard hunting enthusiasts are chomping at the bit, but there’s still some time to go, however, before the Eastern Turkey season in Texas—which includes Grayson, Fannin, and Lamar counties—opens up. When it does, it will run from April 22 through May 14… In Oklahoma, hunters are anxiously waiting too after several changes to the Sooner State’s spring turkey regulations package. The biggest change from ODWC this year will have the season moved back a few days to allow for more breeding opportunity and nesting success. This year, the Sooner State’s youth season will run this weekend from April 9-10 while the statewide season shifts to a later date on the calendar, scheduled to run from April 16 through May 16…
Fishing Reports
At Lake Texoma, John Blasingame of Adventure Texoma Outdoors says that the fishing is good with water lightly stained, water temp of 55 degrees, and the lake being 1.40-feet below normal. He says that striped bass are fair on Alabama-rigs and swimbaits on the west and north end of the lake on humps, drop-offs, points, and ledges. The longtime Texoma guide says that the peak of the striper spawn is at hand, and those that have spawned are aggressive and ready to bite. The birds are starting to work too, so Blasingame says to keep an eye out. Sand bass are mixed in with the stripers too… At Lake Ray Roberts, TPWD says that the water is lightly stained; water temp is 57 degrees; and the lake is 0.75 feet low. The agency says that blue and channel catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around submerged structure. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, soft plastic craws and swimbaits. White bass are fair on slabs…At Lake Fork, water is stained; water temps are 61-68 degrees; and the lake is 6.36 feet low due to repair work on the dam…According to crappie guide Jacky Wiggins, Lake Fork just hosted two giant crappie tournaments on back to back weekends and the East Texas reservoir really showed out for big slab-sized fish. “There has not been huge numbers being caught the past week, but big fish are being caught daily. Our spring pattern has finally arrived and we are catching fish in the trees on the north ends of the lake in 5-15 feet of water. Fish are moving north in 15-25 feet of water on trees along creek channels and the mouths of coves and creeks, with the best bite in 10-11 feet at the base of trees,” said Wiggins. The guide says that he is catching good numbers of crappie on lay downs under 10 feet of water on slip bobbers set at 3-5 feet depths, all with minnows. He also says that there are many reports of crappie in 1-2 feet of water in the last few hours of daylight. Jigs are working well on fish at this time of year, but minnows will still load the boat for you according to Wiggins…Meanwhile, Fork bass guides Marc Mitchell and Jason Hoffman report that largemouth bass are spawning in flooded timber in 1-4 feet of water. The bite is good on Texas-rigs and weightless Senkos…In Oklahoma, the Blue River near Tishomingo has stained water, a water temp of 45 degrees, and continues to run below normal. ODWC says that as the rainbow trout season winds down, trout fishing is good on midges and nymphs for fly anglers and on PowerBait and spoons for conventional tackle anglers. To find trout on the Blue River, focus your efforts along stream braids and channels, and also near rocks… At Lake Murray near Ardmore, ODWC says that the lake elevation is below normal, water temp is 56 degrees, and the water is clear. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are good on crankbaits, soft plastic baits, and spinnerbaits thrown around brushy structure, coves, main lake points, and secondary points…On McGee Creek, bass fishing is generally rated as pretty good right now by ODWC. Guide Chuck Justice confirms that, having landed a 10.14-pound largemouth bass a few days ago. That double-digit lunker is the 200th 10-pound or greater largemouth that Justice has landed in his storied career…On the Texas Gulf Coast, down at Rockport, Damian Hubbs of Mathis Bait Co. says that redfish are good in 2-6 feet of water on Gulp baits, spoons, topwaters, and paddle tail swimbaits. Meanwhile, speckled trout are fair in 2-6 feet of water on topwaters and Bass Assassins. Black drum are also good in 2-6 feet of water on dead shrimp. And sheepshead are good in five-feet of water on live shrimp fished near structure…
Tip of the Week
Looking for something to do this weekend? Then head to Texas Motor Speedway and support the ducks this weekend! That’s because TMS will be hosting the 2022 Ducks Unlimited Expo (DUX) at Texas Motor Speedway today (Friday, April 8) through Sunday, April 10. For times, ticket information, seminar schedules, exhibitors, and event scheduling, please visit www.duckexpo.com .
This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: April 8 Outdoors Digest Calendar Fishing Hunting reports tip
