Local sportsmen are currently in a state of limbo. It’s an annual affair that occurs between hunting season and the time when the fishing action really heats up. It’s a time of confusion and uncertainty, as local sportsmen endure the crossover. It helps to be flexible and go with the flow, but some are resistant.
Capt. Kevin Broussard, Spence and Shane Lesikar, and Will Mader with their redfish haul
Duck and goose season were memorable for most — for all the wrong reasons. Slow days with limited numbers of birds were the norm, as most blinds struggled for consistency. The birds arrived in numbers only to vacate the premises suddenly. If you experienced good numbers for any length of time, consider yourself beaucoup lucky.
The deer-hunting contingent scored a few lifetime Boone and Crockett bucks, but they had to work for them. Overall, the deer harvest was off, especially locally. But still, there were some awesome bucks taken last season, scoring in the high 160 inches of horn.
We’ve experienced a real winter this year, with snow and periods of freezing weather. At least it felt like hunting season — even if the critters didn’t always cooperate.
Old Man Winter isn’t done, with freezing weather forecasts in our near future. When it begins to warm, hunters become fishermen, and they should be in for a great spring.
The hard freezes we endured serve the purpose of halting the growth of thick vegetation and opening new areas to fish. It’s the natural cycle that begins with a freezing cold winter coupled with adequate rainfall. We’ve experienced both this winter, so it may be time to spool your reels with new line.
Dena Watson and her handsome 10-point Sonora, Texas buck
Guide Kevin Broussard has some hardcore fishermen clients who don’t have a problem with doing their thing in the cold. The speckled trout bite is slow, as expected, now. But big numbers of redfish are picking up the slack. The reds vary in size from small to the giant bull reds that will test your equipment. They aren’t very finicky, and they’re ready to attack a variety of live baits and plastics!
On a recent trip with sports enthusiasts from Texas, Kevin estimated he and his friends caught and released more than 100 redfish on one outing. There’s nothing better than reds on the half-shell cooked on the grill. This is second only to catching these fighting machines that will peel your drag.
And there’s also nothing better than harvesting a nice buck in the latter part of the season. Taking a mature buck anytime is awesome, but it’s especially rewarding when you’ve been after him all season.
Mac Watson and wife Dena hunt on the buddy system and make quite a team. Mac is designated spotter, and Dena is the trigger. Mac spotted an incoming buck, and Dena went to autopilot. She was braced and flipped the safety on fire. She squeezed off and made a sweet shot on a handsome 10-point Sonora, Texas, buck that had Mac grinning.
Mike Perry headed west to Llano, Texas, for his late-season buck. He scored a nice 10-point with long brow tines that made his day.
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