Sunday, May 31, 2009
Callan Weaver may be only 6 years old, but he’s already caught a fish bigger than most people five times his age have.
Weaver, a kindergartener from Lorena, recently set out on a fishing trip with his 9-year-old brother Cooper, their dad Robert and guide Clay Yadon in search of some Lake Whitney striped bass.
Callan’s big fish of the day tipped the scales at just over 12 pounds, and Cooper’s wasn’t far behind, a respectable 7-pounder.
Yadon (817-219-3707) reports that quick limits and big fish are highlighting the past few weeks. Big gizzard shad fished along channel edges and humps in 25 feet of water is the way to go.
“Shad are coming off the spawn and moving out into deeper water,” Yadon said, “and the stripers are sitting and waiting for them to venture out deep. Then the slaughter begins,” Yadon said.
Dropping big shad down the edges is paying big dividends, with “Chinese fire drill” action and fish weighing in the upper teens resulting.
Limits are coming easy and early most days. Yadon said that on several trips last week, he couldn’t even get all 6 rods in the holders before the baits were slammed. On two days, limits came within 30 minutes of the first bait hitting the water.
Park pass hassle
I enjoy driving around Lake Waco, but I prefer that it be on my own terms.
A couple of weeks back, I decided to renew my annual Corps of Engineers park pass, and ended up spending more time and gas money than I had planned.
The first gate booth I visited had plenty of hang tags, but was out of May stickers. The gatekeeper apologized and told me he had been out of stickers for a while. He added that he couldn’t place a direct phone call to ask other gatekeepers to check their supplies because communication between gate booths has to be routed through the Corps office.
Several of the gate attendants at Lake Waco’s parks told me they have had trouble getting re-supplied with tags and stickers when they’ve run out. One reported that he had become so fed up with the lack of response from his calls to the Corps office that he told them he was going to start issuing the August stickers to anybody who came to his booth to buy an annual pass.
He got a new supply the next morning.
Despite the logistical and bureaucratic troubles, the fact is that if you’re going to spend any amount of time at the lake this summer, the smart money is on the $30 annual pass, which is good for any Corps park entrance nationwide.
High-tech hunting gear
During hunting season, outdoorsmen use a lot of technology to improve their odds of success. Included in the high-tech arsenal are game cameras, which detect movement and snap images of whatever creatures happen to be in range.
These photos give hunters an idea of the types of animals in the area, along with the times and dates they were there. Analyzing this data can provide valuable information on animal behavior and movement patterns, and help pinpoint the best times and places to hunt.
During the offseasons, an increasing number of hunters are letting their cameras continue snapping their shutters. Some leave their gear at the hunting grounds, while others move their cameras to backyard feeders. And a lot of good pictures are being taken.
Dr. Jim McGregor of Waco recently contacted me about putting together a game cam photo contest, and even offered $200 for a professional print of the winning entry.
Since then, Academy Sports & Outdoors has jumped aboard with a gift card, and several other businesses are currently processing contribution requests.
To submit an entry, attach your picture to an email and send it to mail@centexoutdoors.com with “game cam contest” in the subject line. Include your full name, address and telephone number, along with the time, date and location the picture was taken.
Waco Tribune-Herald chief photographer Rod Aydelotte will be among the contest judges.
Deadline for entries is June 26.
Congrats to 12-year-old
Congratulations to Matt McNew, age 12, who caught a 10-pound largemouth bass at Lake Waco on Saturday morning during a camping trip with his family in Airport Park. Look for more on this story in next Sunday’s Tribune-Herald outdoors column.
Also keep an eye out for the story of Josh Sears and the record-setting grass carp he caught while bow-fishing.
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