Outdoors

I have not abandoned writing about freshwater fishing. Normally by mid-summer, the saltwater action has taken precedence. That doesn’t mean that the sweetwater action has ceased. According to Rayburn professional guide Will Kirkpatrick, the topwater action is really good. The secret is to be on the water when first light appears in the east.

As we open the month of July, keep in mind that the booklets for lottery hunts are about due. I contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin and was told the Special Drawing and Regular Permit Hunting Opportunities booklets would be in Austin either the last week of June or the first week of July. If you entered the drawings last year, a book will be sent to you. Otherwise they should be available at the local TPWD on Eastex Freeway in Beaumont.

There has been much concern about the drought and our fish and wildlife. Sure we will get some showers and even possibly some heavy rains, but it will take several days of that to break the dry spell. Since there were so many folks concerned, I went to the most knowledgeable resource of information that I’m familiar with.

In our society, there is a strong belief that most pretty things are good, and vice-versa. That’s portrayed in the movies, on television, and also on the fishing scene. There are exceptions, however, and one of them is the toothy gar. There are several different species of gar and all of them have survived prehistoric times. According to some of the more learned folks they have changed little from those times until now. What has changed is many people’s attitude toward their place within at least some of the fishing community.