Photos shot for the April 2018 issue
The Year of Epic Texas Challenges
Texas' vast and diverse landscapes and array of outdoor pursuits offer thrills for participants and spectators alike. Each issue of 2018 will feature an event to challenge even the most extreme athletes and sportsmen. We hope you'll enjoy reading it from the comfort of your armchair or perhaps be inspired to try a new pursuit.
Anglers vs. Fish
The Texas State Bass Tournament keeps the spirit of competition alive.
In 1955, Earl Golding, outdoors editor for the Waco Tribune-Herald, invited fellow writers and various characters and cohorts to what turned out to be a well-attended bass fishing challenge. It was likely the very first Texas bass tournament of this type and magnitude.
Word spread quickly. So many people contacted Golding wanting to join in that he changed the format to an open bass fishing tournament. Could this epic event be the longest continuously held bass tournament in Texas? Likely.
What makes an event “epic” worthy? Perhaps it’s a combination of elements such as a storied history, unpredictable weather, venue vagaries and a high level of fierce competition.
The Texas State Bass Tournament embodies all of that and more. Part competition, part family gathering and part angler fellowship, the Texas State Bass Tournament has kept the man vs. fish vs. man challenge alive for 63 years.
Undiscovered Palo Duro
Exploring the park's hidden corners reveals wild slot canyons and hoodoos.
At sunrise on a cold December day, we set off on a quest to find one of the little-known treasures of Palo Duro Canyon — a series of narrow slot canyons — somewhere deep in the backcountry of the state park.
After stepping out of our cars, our guide Bary Nusz leads us straight up the side of a 600-foot mesa covered in loose rocks. We struggle to gain our footing — suffering from an inefficient two-steps-forward-one-step-back method of ascent.
In little time, we’re scared, scraped up and gasping for breath. Bary calmly waits for us to catch up. Why isn’t he breathing hard?
As we’ll come to find out, he’s full of surprises, and so are the canyons and mesas we’ve come to explore. Thankfully, Bary and Palo Duro Canyon are willing to share their secrets.
For the Love of Texas
What can $100 million mean to Texas land and water conservation?
It’s a misty morning on the lower Colorado River near Austin. Fly-fishing guide Alvin Dedeaux makes a striking figure against the gray backdrop, fly rod in hand, dreadlocks streaming from the back of his red baseball cap.
“I’ve been fly-fishing since I was a kid,” says Dedeaux, who grew up around the Houston bayous. “After moving to Austin in the mid-’80s, I got a canoe, which opened up a whole new world … miles and miles of water you could never get to otherwise.”
A former musician who spent time in nature to counter the stress of concert tours, Dedeaux began exploring the sparkling rivers of the Hill Country. His passion led him to become a professional fly-fishing guide.
Keep Texas Wild
It's not just for kids. If you like nature-related topics in an easy-to-read format, you can find three years of our popular Keep Texas Wild issues and the teacher resources to go along with them.
