It’s early August and the clock is ticking down toward another Sept. 1 dove season opener. Dove season in most of Texas gets underway on a Tuesday this year. It’s not the best timing for working folks, so some may have to sit out opening day. Fields will probably be busier the following week…

Safety and social distancing protocols associated with the COVID-19 pandemic helped take a big bite out of Texas Parks & Wildlife’s overall freshwater hatchery production numbers this spring, but the setbacks didn’t stop one Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Lunker from making a slew of little ones.

ATHENS — Water level is 2 inches high and clear. Water temp in the upper 80s.

ATHENS — Water level is 3 inches high and clear. Water temp in the upper 80s.

It is no secret among crappie fishing buffs that sinking brush piles far from shore are a great way to forge some really good fishing holes while enhancing the habitat at the same time. Unfortunately, the practice has been known to stir up an occasional feud between fishermen, particularly o…

Jake Norman and Todd Driscoll are Texas Parks & Wildlife Department fisheries biologists by profession and diehard bass junkies at heart. It’s in their DNA to always ask why, then turn to sound science to look for reliable explanations.

Branden Rannekleiv, of Reeves, Louisiana, weighed in a 12.41-pound bass on Day 2 of the Sealy Outdoors Big Bass Splash held July 10-12 on Toledo Bend to take first place in the 34th annual event.

One of America’s favorite food fish that also ranks high on the hit list with freshwater fishermen all across the south is at the center stage of ongoing discussions between Texas Parks & Wildlife Department fisheries biologists and the state’s tightly woven catfish angling fraternity.

ATHENS — Water level is nearly 3 inches low and clear. Water temp in the mid-80s.

Fishermen are among the world’s greatest storytellers. I have known very few who are not prone to stretch the truth every now and then.

Each summer, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department staff place leg bands on thousands of mourning and white-winged doves to monitor the factors that influence populations. Information from hunter-reported bands, or “recoveries,” provide estimates of harvest and survival rates, which are used…

ATHENS — Water level is an inch low and clear. Water temp in the upper 80s.

Fall hunting seasons are still a few months away, but the time is just about ripe to ante up for shots at a slew of public lands hunting permits up for grabs this year through the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s lottery-style drawn hunt program.

Veteran bass pro Tommy Martin, of Hemphill, has seen some strange things happen on the water during a decorated career dating back to the early 1970s. He is still scratching his head after what went down in his Nitro bass boat earlier this month.

‘PINES — Water level is 6 inches high and stained up north, clearer down south. Water temp in the upper 80s.

Translocation is nothing new to the toolbox of strategies used in wildlife management. Experts have relied on the technique for years to help restore native wildlife populations of different kinds, cultivate new ones or to supplement those that already exist. It’s a laborious task that has w…

Texas lakes, bays and rivers have seen a significant uptick in fishing traffic since early March, but not just because spring is a season that meets with some of the year’s best fishing prospects. With thousands of people off work during the coronavirus scare, many folks who don’t normally f…

The three-week spring turkey season in 13 East Texas counties with a legal season rolled to a close May 14. It wasn’t exactly a banner year for harvest across the board, but it was significantly better than 2019, said Jason Hardin, wild turkey program leader with the Texas Parks and Wildlife…

ATHENS — Water level about 2 inches high and clear. Water temp in the mid-80s.

Bass fishing junkies and fishing industry giants around the globe will have their eyes trained on Texas next March as one of professional bass fishing’s premier tournament organizations brings what many consider to be the sport’s biggest show to Fort Worth.

ATHENS — Water level is 3 inches high and fairly clear. Water temp in the low 80s.

Texas hunters, along with fresh and saltwater anglers, should make note of several regulation changes made final by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission during its first-ever virtual meeting held on May 21.

Alabama-based BASS recently announced the 2021 Bassmaster Classic is coming to Texas. The March 19-21 tournament will be held on Lake Ray Roberts, a 25,600-acre reservoir near Denton.

It’s domino time for whitetail deer across Texas. Does that were successfully bred last fall and winter usually give birth to their little ones in late spring or early summer unless something bad happens to spoil the pregnancy.

Fishing is supposed to be enjoyable, not an endurance contest or a lesson in exercising patience. In my book, nothing rings the bell any louder in the fun-fishing arena than bluegillin’ does.

Anyone who has spent much time around me knows I’m a bass junkie at heart and a topwater nut from way back. I like to catch bass any way they’ll bite, but I would rather fool them with a surface lure than any other way.

There is never a lack of work to do when you live in the country. I often tell my big city buds with tiny yards that I could tackle a different chore each day and never get everything done that needs doing around our place in western Nacogdoches County.

NACOGDOCHES — Water level about full pool and stained to muddy. Water temp in the low-to-mid-70s.

Wally Marshall of Westminster is arguably one of the most well-known crappie fishermen in North America. He goes by the nickname “Mr. Crappie,” a fitting moniker he trademarked back in 1996. Marshall has since helped thousands of anglers learn to catch more of the tasty panfish on lakes arou…

Everybody with a mailbox or email address receives their share of junk mail. Appearances can sometimes be deceiving. Just because a document may look like junk doesn’t mean it is.

The repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis are far reaching, and new bumps in the road continue to surface each day. Add ICAST 2020 to the budding list of unfortunate victims claimed by the costly, worldwide pandemic.

ATHENS — Water level is 6 inches high and slightly stained to clear. Water temp is in the mid-60s.

It’s springtime in Texas. In a normal year, Texas Parks & Wildlife’s fresh and saltwater hatchery crews would be running full bore with sights set on lofty production goals aimed at raising close to 40 million baby sport fish for future stocking in public reservoirs, rivers and coastal bays.

Lots of folks are off work and sheltering in place these days. Many are passing the idle time doing odd jobs around their homes, yards and outbuildings. It’s a grand opportunity to give trophy mounts a good spring cleaning, too.

PRADCO Outdoor Brands and Simms Fishing Products have joined the budding list of companies around the country that have shifted production schedules and operations to produce supplies in support of doctors, nurses and other health care workers battling from the front lines in the war against…