Ann Thomasson-Wilson’s East Texas bait shop is a must-stop before anglers of all ages head out to the nearby Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
They’ve overrun nearly the entire state, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage annually in spite of widespread attempts at eradication—including traps, contraceptives, and a heavily armed Ted Nugent.
They’re changing the state’s male-dominated fly fishing scene.
Three good spots around the state to fly-fish for Cyprinus carpio.
The first rule of catching a carp: don’t expect to catch a carp.
Wildlife biologist Larry Weishuhn explains the changes he’s seen in his lifetime of Texas woodsmanship.
Even when interest rates are high, people want a place where they can hunt actual bucks.
Years ago, Kenneth Henneke helped develop a feisty catfish, and now he stocks a variety of species for anglers across the state.
The affable musician turned guide is the rare fly-fisherman to reach star status within the angling world.
Inspired by an ancient Japanese tradition, it’s all about catching as many minuscule species as possible.
With Texas’s annual Free Fishing Day, you can cast your line without all the red tape. No license required!
I’d long hoped to snag the elusive state fish of Texas. A nineteen-year-old expert guide helped me do it.
Decades of conservation have helped save the native fish, now iconic to Central Texas anglers.
Move over, speckled trout and redfish. The misunderstood, toothy sheepshead is a tasty—and sustainable—catch.
These wild-game influencers spotted a gap in the market—refined recipes and honest reflections on what it means to eat what you kill.
Lucrative tournaments built around these river monsters are booming.
As an impressive quantity of hot, steaming blood poured over my bare hands, I wondered how I, a vegetarian for most of my life, had ended up here.
Ready to commit murder most fowl?
Federal agencies have long struggled to stop illegal fishing and drug smuggling in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, it’s only gotten worse.
The ancient art of falconry is alive and well.
The Hill Country offers fast-flowing streams and some nice bass. But for solitude and diversity of species, the creeks and bayous east of I-45 can’t be beat.
Ranch CEO Jason Molitor always loved hunting. Now he runs an 18,000-acre operation with more than 60 species on offer.
Exotic species brought to Texas from Africa and Asia fared poorly in freezing temperatures.
With its distinctive, raucous call, the chachalaca is often heard in South Texas—but good luck spotting one.
From the Big Bend to East Texas, the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas ranches have been transformed in recent decades by the proliferation of exotic game animals, many of them rare and endangered in their native habitats. With the rise of “Texotics” has come an army of
Sprawling ranches. Rare animals. Rich folks with guns. Welcome to the state’s booming business of stalking wildlife from around the globe.
An Oregon transplant is hoping he can find a few places to cast a line in his adopted state.
These Lone Star lures catch the eye as much as they catch fish.
The Redfish Wars changed Texas fishing. A fight over flounder could be next.
Texas offers some of the most-diverse fishing in the country—from stalking monster sharks on Padre Island to fly-fishing from a kayak on the remote Pecos River. And for three months, I got to try it all.
Here are four essential items to get off dry land and into a kayak.
The state has spent more than a century building up a world-class fishery, with some unintended consequences.
Tips from Texans who trap, kill, and study wild pigs.
Deer season is almost upon us, but don’t fret if you don’t have a lease. Here are four public places that welcome hunters.
The fish stories out of this East Texas reservoir are mostly true, which is why fishermen come with their gear and beer in search of some of the state's biggest monster bass.
In addition to Lake Fork, here are some other places where trophy lunkers lurk.
There are some bright spots and signs of hope as the area recovers and rebuilds. The fish and birds are waiting for you.
Sixteen-year-old Kyle Naegeli has perfected the art of sewer fishing.
Most recipes for game birds amount to long, slow overkill. Only quick, hot cooking ensures that red-meat birds retain their rich flavor.
A bird in the pan is worth two in the bush, especially when it’s quail.
Texas has a serious problem with feral hogs, which cause more than $400 million in damage every year. But it can be solved—one delicious bite at a time.
Who needs Colorado when the Guadalupe River is so closeand so full of rainbow trout.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department aims to please hunters and birders alike. So why is everyone gunning for it?
After nearly fifty years of working Matagorda Bay, Vernon Bates could soon watch his business shut down for good—and so could the thousands of other shrimpers who make their living on the Gulf Coast.
In 1990 the state banned the use of dogs to hunt deer. Ever since, a rogue group of East Texas hunters has exacted a fiery revenge.
Welcome to Puerto Escondido, where you can ride magnificent waves, hook a sailfish, or do absolutely nothing.
Deepwater Gulf shrimp get all the press, but the sweetest, most succulent shrimp in Texas come from the bays.
Staring down a Mississippi monopoly, one Brazoria County company hopes to become a bigger fish in a big pond.
A state breeding program aims to fatten up the trim, pugnacious bass.
The son’s ultimate selfishness is to see his father only as his father—not as a man. But on our first fishing trip in 25 years, I began to see my father—and myself—as the grown men we’d become.
