When the water starts to cool in Texas (about October), bass often get really active in shallow water.  Probably my favorite way to fish this time of year is to throw top water. Two of my go-to baits are a Strike King 3/8 oz. Buzz Bait and a Sexy Dawg.  I have caught a lot of great fall bass on these baits.  Another technique I often go to in the fall is working toward the backs of creeks.  Shad usually migrate toward the backs of those creeks this time of year, and I like to look for creek channels with depth from 7-20 feet. Bass will often school this time of year and chase bait on the shallow flats around these creek channels.  Crankbaits like a KVD 1.5 or a Strike King Series 3 crankbait can also bring in some great catches.  So when fall is in the air be sure to take time to hit the lakes for some great bass fishing!

When the water starts to cool in Texas (about October), bass often get really active in shallow water.  Probably my favorite way to fish this time of year is to throw top water. Two of my go-to baits are a Strike King 3/8 oz. Buzz Bait and a Sexy Dawg.  I have caught a lot of great fall bass on these baits.  Another technique I often go to in the fall is working toward the backs of creeks.  Shad usually migrate toward the backs of those creeks this time of year, and I like to look for creek channels with depth from 7-20 feet. Bass will often school this time of year and chase bait on the shallow flats around these creek channels.  Crankbaits like a KVD 1.5 or a Strike King Series 3 crankbait can also bring in some great catches.  So when fall is in the air be sure to take time to hit the lakes for some great bass fishing!

For the first time in a long time, Patti and I recently had the opportunity to go on a vacation.  Many of our friends take tropical vacations and tell us we should go, but we never could make the time.  We still don’t have the time, but we just decided we were going to make it work this year.  So in September we took a vacation to the Bahamas, and it lived up to all the hype.  It was a truly great experience – with just the right mix of relaxation and adventure.  I always want a vacation to have some kind of activity.  I can’t just sit on a beach.  And we ended up getting plenty of activity (with enough relaxing for Patti).  We were able to Kayak, snorkel and fish right outside our back door. I caught a lot of grouper and a few snapper.  We also had a chance to explore and observe the local culture, eat fresh conch salad (from conch we caught) and spear spiny lobster in the Atlantic. In fact, between the lobster and the fish we caught (and some we bought from fishermen on the docks), we ate fresh seafood all but one night.  Anywhere I’ve ever been, I always like to try to eat what we catch or kill.  But this was an all time high.  And the lobster spearing was as fun an activity as I have ever done.  We went out with Fishbone Tours on Eleuthera Island.  Our guide, Julius, found the lobster and taught me how to maneuver the snorkel gear and use the Hawaiin sling.  And before I came up on that first reef in the Atlantic, I had speared my first lobster. For someone who likes to hunt and fish, this was the ultimate thrill, and the lobster were gigantic.  The tail weighed between one and a half and two pounds.  The highlight of the trip though was getting to spend the week with my beautiful wife away from it all.  Now that’s a vacation!

I have been fishing many places in my life – all over the country.  When it comes to sheer greatness, I would probably pick Venice Louisiana as my number one pick.  It is just so vast.  You can fish for trout, flounder, tuna, jackfish, shark, snapper, bass, ling, and of course redfish.  Venice calls itself the capital of red fishing, and I would have to agree.  You can catch bull reds until literally, you cannot lift the rod.  And then go fish near shoreline cover and catch a bunch of keepers for dinner.  We stay at Venice Fishing Lodge, and if you’ve never been there, you have to try it – great atmosphere, great food and great guides.  All in all, if you have three days to fish anywhere in the country Venice would be a good place to try!

For me dove hunting marks the start of hunting season, which is one of the things I spend a lot of time planning for, thinking about, obsessing over, preparing for and just flat enjoy.  Deer hunting is probably my favorite kind of hunting and what I spend the most time on, but dove hunting is a time you can get together with family and friends and spend time in the outdoors.  You really don’t even have to have that much gear – a good shotgun, some shells, some camo and a bird vest, and you’re ready.  You can even borrow a shotgun if you need to.  And it is hands down the best way to get kids excited about hunting.  You don’t have to be really quiet.  Movement can be important, but it won’t mess up an entire hunt, and there is usually some really good action.  Shooting at and killing dove are two very different things.  Dove like to dart and fly fast, and can be really challenging.  My advice is to take as many shells as you can and shoot a lot.   Patti and I had the opportunity to hunt with Angel and Wade Middleton on opening morning. It was a great time and a we all got our limits.  If you’ve never tried it, dove is delicious (and Angel has some great recipes!). What a great sport and family activity.  I hope you all get a chance to get out in the field in the next few weeks!

The rains have finally come to Texas! Over the past four or five years, Texas has experienced an historic drought, and I have heard many people say that the lakes in Texas would never fill up again.  I was always pretty hopeful as I’ve seen this cycle before.  In my life I have seen Lake Travis go up and down many times, and the fluctuating lake level and resulting vegetation growth is actually what keeps the lake good for bass fishing. This picture was taken before the rains, and you can see how low it was but can also see some of the vegetation behind me.  In fact, the extremely low lake levels in Central Texas have resulted in extensive vegetation growth.  Now that the lakes are up, that vegetation will be excellent habitat and cover for bass, and in the next year to three years the lakes that were really low will flourish.  I love to fish shallow cover, and in Texas over the next year, that is going to be a norm. It does have its challenges, but you just never know what you may catch!  I had the opportunity to go down to Coletto Creek in South Texas earlier this year and fish some flooded conditions. I had forgotten how much fun that really is, and I’m looking forward to many more fishing trips in Texas where I get to fish shallow cover.