When I was a kid, just getting interested in the outdoors, there were two main shows I watched on TV. The first one was Bassmaster. I’ll never forget those pros catching fish and Bob Cobb narrating. They would only show one or two Pros, but you got to know them and know them well. The other show was Fishing and Hunting Texas. It was a look into all different kinds of fishing and hunting situations across the state of Texas. What I loved was the variety and the different ways in which the hosts pursued game.

Now that I myself have fished bass tournaments all across the country, I can conclude without a doubt that Texas has the finest fishing of any state in the country, which is why I’m so excited about being the host of Fishing and Hunting Texas. I can’t wait to share with viewers the riches of Texas fisheries!

My true passion is spending time in the outdoors, whether it is with a rod on the water or a firearm on land. Our plan at Fishing and Hunting Texas is to bring the viewers unique looks at all kinds of hunting and fishing in the state of Texas. I know how to bass fish extremely well and deer hunting and wing shooting have always been my strong suit, but there are many kinds of hunting and fishing that I look forward to learning about here in our great state. This year we will fish all around the state and as far as hunting goes, there are whitetail, axis deer, hogs, quail, dove and turkey. I promise you will learn something and enjoy seeing the variety Texas has to offer. I truly count it as a privilege to be able to host Fishing and Hunting Texas.

After a long hard winter there are many of us who are dreaming about and eagerly anticipating spring and the first bass tournament of the year whether it is a club, high school, college, regional or tour level event, there’s just something that can’t replace that first event of the year – scheming, practicing, looking at maps, getting tackle ready, all in anticipation of the first bite of the day.

Luckily, the FLW tour starts in Florida every year allowing me to get away from the cold, at least for a bit, and potentially catch some shallow spawning bass. Hopefully, my first tournament bag of the year from these warmer waters will be filled with five Florida giants. One thing is for sure, the adrenaline rush that accompanies that first tournament will never change. It’s always a great feeling getting back on the water and back into competition. I can’t wait!

My whole life I’ve heard my mother, my wife and now my daughters talk about going shopping – how they like to wander from shop to shop – lingering, dreaming about the different items on the shelves, trying stuff on and more often than not – buying! I could not have imagined a more horrible pastime!

However, it has been brought to my attention recently that it’s possible that I too might have somewhat of a shopping obsession. And I guess I do. The difference is that my kind of shopping is completely worthwhile and even necessary. It is not at a quaint downtown square or a big mall. No. You guessed it. It’s at Cabela’s! Now there is a store worth lingering in, worth dreaming about the items on the shelves, worth trying things on in, and most importantly, worth buying something from! It is the one store on earth that has everything you need – fishing gear, hunting necessities, guns, bows, camping gear, marine applications and the list goes. I have to admit that more often than not, I’m the one talking about shopping now – worthwhile shopping!

Hog hunting. You know, pigs get a bad rap in the state of Texas. People can’t stand them. They bother feeders, they are always in the way, the scare deer, they tear up the land. But I hate to say it, they’re here to stay. So we might as well enjoy hunting them!

For the last six months, I have hunted pigs, and they are really fun to hunt, especially with a bow. My Cabela’s regulator has taken 6 pigs this hunting season, the most recent a big sow I captured on film, shooting at about 30 yards. Double lung kill, I can’t wait to show you the footage!

And for those of you who think wild pigs are no good to eat, think again. I just cleaned my sixth one of the year and the meat is as pretty as any meat I have ever seen. I’ve used it for sausage, made pork chops, done pork tenderloin, cooked ham’s shoulders and cooked ribs. I really can’t say enough about the meat. It’s pretty awesome.

The other thing about it is it prepares you for when that trophy buck steps out next fall. There’s nothing better than actually drawing and shooting an arrow through something to prepare you for deer hunting. So if you’re still yearning to be in the deer blind hunting something, think about shooting some pigs.