The shortest month of the year can many times be confusing as to whether it has more winter weather characteristic or more spring-like conditions. It seems February 2026 could well continue that contradiction.
Regardless, on Texas’ coast there will be some excellent fishing for a variety of gamefish. Pick the right day and it could mean specks and redfish will congregate over shallow flats to bask in the rapidly warming waters in shallow back lakes, marshes and on flats.
This month’s cover art entitled “Working on a Full House” by Texas artist George Boutwell depicts a coastal angler wading such a shallow backwater flat and sightcasting a coastal fly to observed speckled trout and redfish. It’s obvious the angler has done well and is just one redfish shy of his limit.
Boutwell was born in East Hartford, Connecticut, in 1943. After his Mother’s untimely death in 1945, he and his father traveled around the country. By the time he started the First Grade in San Antonio, Texas, they had lived in Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, California and Texas. George spent most of his life in Austin and moved to Bosque County in 1987 where he and his wife Martha live on a ranch near Clifton.
From a prolific catalog of scenes he has painted, it is obvious his Texas-roots flourished and run deep. Coastal scenes, historic landmarks and landscapes colorfully filled with spring bluebonnets are just a sample of images painted. Boutwell is representative of Texans and the old saying about us — “some Texans are native born while others got here as quickly as they could.”
For more information on “Working on a Full House,” or original watercolors, limited edition prints, other fine works of art and a variety of products by George Boutwell, visit gboutwell.com, or call (800) 243-4316. — Bill L. Olson

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