You know it’s about spring when the red birds start singing their song.
March is big fish month on Texoma — Big fat pre-spawn fish will move up out of the deep water to feed before making their annual run up the river. February fishing is ok but I love the springtime so I spend some of my time in February for boat maintenance and preparation for the upcoming season. I can’t believe it’s Valentine’s day already.
Spring dates are booking up fast and before you know it I will be out on Texoma chasing big striper every day. My bait of choice in the spring time is a 5″ swim bait on a 1oz jighead. I will fish with any color as long as it is glow or chartreuse. On days when I have experienced anglers we will cast them but when my crew is lacking casting skills we troll them on spreader rigs.
Most days you need to concentrate on shallow structure in 10 – 25 foot of water. I describe structure as any difference in water depth like points and humps or a difference in bottom composition from the normal like gravel, rock, timber and man made structures. While fishing structure always keep your eye open for working birds as that can happen anywhere at anytime in the spring. It’s about to get serious up here on Texoma and I’m ready.
Park visitors can now buy a “Save the Day” pass, book specific campsites, cabins and shelters and buy a Texas State Park Pass online
“We are excited to introduce these helpful features to park visitors and provide a new way to efficiently schedule a trip, either for the day or overnight, to any Texas State Park,” says Rodney Franklin, Director of Texas State Parks. “These options give park goers the ability to plan their perfect state park vacation, no matter where and when they want travel.”
The system includes online features that are mobile-friendly and easy to use.
Visitors
now have the option to purchase day use passes up to one month in advance,
guaranteeing access to parks even during busy times like weekends and holidays.
The new “Save the Day” pass helps address the growing issue of visitors not
being able to get into a popular state parks due to overcrowding.
Day
passes for some of the more popular parks have specific arrival time slots.
Visitors to parks such as Balmorhea State Park, Brazos Bend State Park,
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Garner and Government Canyon State Natural
Area can select an arrival time and have the peace of mind knowing they can get
in to the park.
Anyone
planning overnight trips at a Texas State Park can now choose a specific site
when making reservations up to five months in advance. Photos and details of
campsites, shelters and cabins are available online, so campers can pick their
site before arriving at the park. Visitors can search for sites by specific
parks and site types, see photos of the site before making their decision and
see details for each site including utilities, parking pad length and width,
and amount of shade.
Larger
families and groups can also select and reserve neighboring sites, so they can
enjoy the outdoors together.
Parkgoers
can also renew or purchase a Texas State Parks Pass online. With a
Texas State Parks Pass, an entire vehicle of guests gets unlimited visits to
more than 90 Texas State Parks with no entry fee for 12 months.
Texas
State Parks are making every effort to make the reservation system upgrades as
smooth as possible. All existing park reservations have been moved into
the new system and are secure. Any customers experiencing issues may
contact the Customer Service Center at (512) 389-8900. However, in
the early days of the improved system, Customer Service Center wait times are
expected to be longer than normal due to increased demand.
As the oldest trail run in Texas, Cross Timbers Trail Run 2019 will be the 38th annual running of this event! Enjoy the rugged trails on the shoreline of Lake Texoma on the Texas side with the comfortable temperatures that come with being in Texas in February. We have distances to create an enjoyable day or a hard-fought challenge for anyone!
Lake Texoma is situated right on the border of Texas and Oklahoma. This lake is very popular, attracting 6 million visitors a year. Over 400 runners and walkers gather together every February to run the Cross Timbers Trail out-and-back along the lake’s shore. It’s a challenging wooded course with lots of roots, rocks, and hills to keep you challenged and engaged!
This is the 3rd and final race in The Active Joe Trail Race Series. Run any timed distance at all 3 of our trail races and earn an extra medal.
The race takes place at Juniper Point West Campground on the Texas side of Lake Texoma. With rolling hills, the trails offer up some pretty views of the wooded areas on the shore of the lake and also of the lake itself.
50 Mile | Marathon | Half Marathon | 5 Mile
The course
is two-way traffic. The 50 Mile course
is 2 times out-and-back on the full trail.
The Marathon is 1 time out-and-back on the full trail. The Half Marathon is 1 time out-and-back on a
portion of the trail. The 5 Mile course
is 1 time out-and-back on a smaller portion of the trail.
Saturday,
February 17, 2018 –
Packet pickup available before each race
6:00 am – Packet Pickup
6:30 am – 50 miler and Marathon race start
7:15 am – Packet pickup ends
7:30 am – Half Marathon race start
7:45 am – 5 Mile race start
1:30
pm – 1st loop must be completed (at Juniper Point).
4:45 pm – must leave Paw Paw Point aid station (approx. 36.5 miles) by this
time.
5:45 pm – must leave Rock Creek Resort aid station (approx. 40 miles) by this
time
7:45 pm – must leave Cedar Bayou aid station (approx. 47 miles) by this time.
How to get to Cross Timber Trail
For GPS, use the address 32843 U.S. 377, Gordonville, TX 76245 to map to get to the parking area.
From Whitesboro, TX travel 13 miles north on Highway 377. The campground is on the left side of the highway just before you get to the Willis Bridge that crosses into Oklahoma.
Please follow instructions of any parking volunteers and adhere to any instructions on signs.
Juniper Point Campground
The Juniper Point (west) campground will be completely closed for this year’s race as they are replacing the water lines out there. With no water access, no tent camping will be allowed at the start/finish area this year.
38 sites are available in the C section of Buncombe Campground just 3 miles away from the start/finish. They will all be first-come, first-served, and will be $12 per night. No attendant will be on duty to take money, so use the honor vault station at the entry kiosk to pay for your spot.
Be aware that if you have an existing reservation during the lapse of the Federal Government funding period, and the location is not fully staffed, your reservation may not be honored. If you do make a reservation for the near future and the lapse in funding is not resolved by your arrival date, your reservation may not be honored or others may have occupied your site. Please consider this when making new reservations.
