TRY NIGHT FISHING FOR GREAT FUN

Night fishing for catfish is a relaxing and peaceful pursuit. The whine of the reel as line pays out to a spot in the structure or vegetation. It seems so much louder in the night. It is a beautiful sound as the bait hits the water with a muffled splash. Placing the rod in the rod holder the angler sits down to enjoy the experience.

Y-e-o-o-w!!!, comes a cry across the water. Sitting on fish hook can bring home to one that organization is also important in nighttime angling.

Night fishing becomes important this time of year for two basic reasons: weather and recreational pressure. The heat of the day is often oppressive and the cooler temperatures of evening bring out feeding fish and angles looking for relief. Recreational boating pressure from non-anglers makes the daylight hours less productive for the angler.

During the summer the fish's metabolism is at a high point and he feeds frequently. The weather may be hot but there is a distinct lack of fronts going through to upset his lifestyle. The lush vegetation, provides ambush points for the catfish to lay in wait and allow the hapless minnows come to him. Competition for the food source from other fish is low as the weeds tend to scatter the fish of all species.

The water near the surface is warm and tends to be uncomfortable for the catfish. It is generally inhabited by smaller fish as they try to escape the big guys who are trying to eat them. The larger fish are found deeper in the comfort zone that is best of them.

Sitting on bait is not the only reason for organization in night fishing. Safety is another. It is important that the angler know the body of water well. If not already familiar with it, perhaps one should spend a day or two scouting during the daytime hours.

Learn where navigational dangers are to be found. This can be things like abandoned bridge or dock pilings. It also should include shallow water areas and submerged logs.

Once back at night, it is important that the angler is sure his night vision is in working order. Do not look at bright lights as that will temporarily spoil the night vision for several minutes.

It is important to close tackle boxes and stow unused rods out of the way. The fewer objects around the better for safety. Any tackle or coolers are best located about an arms length from the angler. This lessens the need to get up and walk around. You do not want something that could lead to trips and injuries in your area. It is a good idea to wear a PFD (personal floatation device) in case of an accidental fall into the darkness.

Night fishing is not all that productive right after sunset. One can use those hours to get into position for the nights action. By getting into position one can be sure of finding just the right location for the evening’s activities.

Night fishing is more comfortable from an angler's point of view. But, it also is a time when his senses become more alert and fine-tuned to the environment. Try it you will like it!

Don Gasaway – The Ground Pounder

www.dongasaway.wordpress.com

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John-Boat Building Event

As far back as I can remember it seems as if I was part of a wooden johnboat. I recall sitting in one of my grandfather’s johnboats on the creek behind his house when I was very young, sensing that I belonged there. Grandpa Dablemont had built a number of johnboats, the first of them long before I was born. He had learned to do that when he was just a teenager, using an old johnboat some farmer had left tied up on the Big Piney River. He got lumber from local sawmills and he and his brother kept figuring out ways to improve them.

By the time I came along, my grandfather’s johnboats were known all over the Ozarks. He made them to use as a fisherman, hunter and trapper, but also to sell to others, for as little as ten or fifteen dollars each. I remember being at his cabin on the creek which flowed into the Big Piney when he would have three or four of them in various stages, sitting on sawhorses, and maybe a dozen sassafras paddles being made at the same time, all with old time tools; hand-saws, planes, hammers, draw-knives, and wood rasps. He never once used an electric tool. When he died, his cabin still had no electricity.

Grandpa began to rent his boats, and his sons began to guide fishermen, long before I was born. By the time I was twelve or thirteen, I too was paddling johnboats down the river for fishermen with fiberglass rods and old Shakespeare or Pflueger casting reels with braided nylon fishing line. Dad was making johnboats by that time, and he was improving them even more, with his electric tools and the new concept of plywood bottoms which could be sealed, and therefore not have to be kept ‘soaked up’.

Before the plywood came along in the early 1970’s, Grandpa’s boats were made with pine cross-boards which had to be nailed on with about 1-8th inch cracks between them. When they were soaked in the river or creek, the boards swelled together so tightly that the boat didn’t leak. If you sat them up on a sawhorse in the back yard, you had to keep an inch or so of water in the bottom of them to keep them from drying out and leaking. If built properly and kept wet, those johnboats didn’t leak a drop. My dad and grandfather may have built and sold several hundred of them over the years to be used on those northern flowing rivers, the Big Piney, the Roubidoux and the Gasconade.

Different types of johnboats were built on the larger southerly flowing Current and White River systems. They were longer, and made with three boards running lengthwise on the bottom, rather than the crosswise boards we used on shorter boats. There were dozens of johnboat builders, but some were much better known because they built more boats. Charlie Barnes and his brothers began before 1920 down at Galena, Missouri, building johnboats for the James and White Rivers, and when entrepreneur Jim Owens came to Branson in the 1930’s and made float-fishing famous across the nation because of his publicity capabilities, he made Charlie his top boat builder and guide. The boats Charlie built had boards running lengthwise on the bottom, specially cut at Ozark sawmills out of yellow pine. They fit together with a kind of tongue and groove carpentry that must have taken some doing, and often sealed with tar and rags. Some leaked a little, but not much, and a little bailing solved that problem. In that time, with Jim Owens running three- or four-day trips down the White from Branson, and transporting the boat back by railroad flatcars, they needed lots of boats, most of them 18 to 20 feet long, but some even longer. Men who worked for him recalled commissary boats, boats used to transport camping and food supplies ahead of the floaters, being 24 feet long.

My grandfather’s northern Ozark johnboats needed no ribs, as most were only 14- to 16-feet in length, but Charlie Barnes built his with metal ribs spaced about two feet apart, running across the bottom of the boat and partway up the sides. Current, Jacks-Fork and Eleven Point johnboats were usually made with wooden ribs. Barnes liked to find old wagon-wheel rims that he could use for ribs.

I don’t know how many johnboats I paddled down various rivers over the years before metal johnboats and canoes came along, but I can tell you, it seemed as if a sassafras canoe and johnboat were an extension of my body back then. Eventually, working as a naturalist on the Buffalo River, I built a few wooden johnboats as part of interpretive programs.

In the late seventies I wrote a book for a New York City Book Publisher entitled, “The Authentic American Johnboat” It sold about 100,000 copies and years after it was out of print, I noticed that copies were starting to sell over e-bay and Amazon for 80 to 100 dollars. So I rewrote that book, included a great deal more material in the new version, and entitled it “Rivers to Run, Swift Water, Sycamores, and Smallmouth Bass”. In that book there’s an entire chapter on how to build a wooden johnboat, including original plans on building a White River Johnboat, put together by Charlie Barnes himself.

On Saturday, July 9, Myron Nixon and I are going to build a 20-foot replica of Charlie Barnes' White River boats, and a 15-foot version of my grandfather’s Big Piney johnboat. We will do this at the Bull Shoals State Park Pavilion just a few hundred yards east of Bull Shoals Dam, just off the highway in a spacious, shaded stand of big oak trees, not far from where hundreds of wooden johnboats once floated down the White. We can do this because of the interest, and the help of Arkansas State Parks Interpretive Division, and the Bull Shoals Park Interpretive Specialist Julie Lovett.

We are still planning all this, but we hope to have other johnboat builders there with finished johnboats, and items from the early 1900’s like sassafras boat paddles, old gigs, fishing lures, antique items like rods and reels, trotline spools, fish nets etc. If you have those things and want to display them, please plan to be with us. We will display hundreds of old photos and hope to have old-time river guides come and join us so visitors can meet them and hear their stories. We also will have a catered dinner for those who are hungry, and will schedule an hour in the afternoon to go down to the river and give visitors rides in an authentic wooden river johnboat, and teach would-be river floaters how to paddle a boat or canoe from one side.

There isn’t room here to get into all of what we hope to do on that day, but if you want to be a part of it, or if you wish to display or sell artifacts from river life in that day between 1900 and 1950, contact me so we can reserve a space for you. If the State Park System okays it we will set up spaces where vendors can sell wooden paddles or carvings, old hand-made fishing lures, etc. At any rate, the plans are being made, and I will give more information on this free event in future columns. At that time, I will be able to give the names of some of the people who will be there for you to meet, and a schedule of talks and events. There will be a lot of interesting people involved in the celebration of the old boats and the old days on the rivers of the Ozarks. The place will be the State Park just east of Bull Shoals dam near Lakeview, Arkansas. The date will be Saturday, July 9, all day long.

Contact me by writing Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613, or e-mailing lightninridge@windstream.net. Get more information from www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com

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Devil's Kitchen Shellcrackers

Watching the gold line slide out from the submerged tree branches is a thrill. Knowing that a sunfish was on the other end of the line means that we feast tonight. Shell Crackers (redear sunfish to northern anglers) are a staple in the clear waters of Devil’s Kitchen Lake in Williamson County. Further south the shell cracker feeds on snails. Snail habitat has little live vegetation. The feeding on snails gives rise to the name shell cracker.

Light tackle aficionados find great action for Shell Crackers in Devil's Kitchen Lake. Located 12 miles southwest of Marion, in Williamson County, Devil's Kitchen Lake is an 810 acre, clear water reservoir. At it deepest points, the lake is over 90 feet deep. The average depth is 36 feet.

The 24 miles of shoreline contains no development other than three boat ramps. Most of the shoreline is composed of steep, sloping cliffs that are wooded down to the water line.

The vegetation, in addition to the standing trees beneath the water, is composed of coontail and some pondweed. Water clarity is excellent with anglers reporting being able to see weed growth down to a level of 10 or 12 feet. The clear water sometimes presents a problem for the angler. Fluorocarbon lines in recent years have solved the problem of line visibility.

Fluorocarbon line does not absorb water and maintain 100 percent of its knot and line strength. This new line is abrasion-resistant which helps in the many tree limbs of Devil’s Kitchen Lake.

Small baits on light fishing line are the norm with panfish. The bite is sometimes very finicky and must be visualized to be detected. But with the new line, the gold line color stands out to the angler and the fish are not spooked. This helps the angler detect strikes sooner.

The angler can usually count on finding shell crackers in the ½ to 3/4 pound range. However, fish up to a pound and a half have been taken recently.

Like their cousin the bluegill, shell crackers spawn during the first full moon of May. The three or four days on either side of the full moon are the best days for fishing. The bluegill, not a bottom feeder, will feed on baits and lures presented at their level or above.

The Shell Crackers (redear sunfish) are a bottom feeder. You can watch then around the docks and shore as they turn their tails upward to feed below themselves. Out on the lake in the boat lanes fish for the sunfish by using pieces of night crawler, about 1 inch in length.

The four pound line with a light wire hook works well. Because of the heavy timber in this lake, the wire hooks work best You can reel down until the rod is pointed right at the hook and then pull straight back. The hook will straighten and come loose. Then check to make sure the point is not damaged. If the point is OK then the hook can be bent back into shape and used again.

Use a small split shot to help get his line quickly down to the feeding level of the shell crackers. Place the split shot on the line about 15 inches above the hook.

Because of the structure of this lake, the weeds can be found down as far as 12 to 18 feet below the surface. The unusual water clarity allows for this deep weed growth. Fishermen work the water between the shoreline and the trees. Shell crackers prefer a hard bottom with some weeds nearby.

By casting the night crawler piece and allowing it to fall to the bottom, ground pounders are able to fish it like a plastic worm fished for bass. Slowly jig it across the bottom and wood structure as you retrieve the bait.


Don Gasaway - The Ground Pounder
http://www.dongasaway.wordpress.com/

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HANDS FREE PRODUCTS FOR GROUND POUNDERS

Sitting on a sand bar night fishing during the summer is one of the most relaxing times I can think of except for the bugs. I HATE MOSQUITOES!

The main drawback to night fishing is the bugs. You have to turn on a light to bait up or to unhook a fish. The little night marauders zero in on my tender flesh and devour my blood. I have tried a number of insect repellents but they have to be reapplied and I seem to always forget until I am half eaten up before it dawns on me that it is time to spray.

The appliance has no smell in addition to being 98% effective. I do not think any spray can make that claim.

The times they are a changing. I have acquired two products from the ThermaCELL Company thanks to the recent Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers spring Cast & Blast event. During the opening evening dinner, members of the corporate outdoor community presented those in attendance a number of their products to test.

Tom Hamlin, of ThermaCELL, showed me the newest version of their mosquito repelling device. He also had a new product to their line, and all purpose Swivel Light. It clips to the hat bill, to the ThermaCELL Appliance, or on your belt. The 8 LED bulbs produce either a white or green light. You can switch from one color to the other.

Between these two products I think I will have a good time night fishing this year. As I see it, I can turn on the ThermaCELL Appliance and have protection in 2 minutes and full 15 X 15 foot protection in about 10 minutes. Couple that with placing the Swivel Light on the bill of my hat and turning on the white light, and I can bait up and cast out before sitting back to relax.

With a fish-on, I can land it, unhook the fish and re-bait and cast out again with no bugs.

At the end of the evening’s activity, I can pack up and head back to the car. The appliance goes in a pocket size holster so it will provide protection to the car and/or the fishing cleaning station. The light illuminates the way and can also be kept on to provide light for cleaning fish. NEAT.

This is a ground pounder’s delight.

Don Gasaway – The Ground Pounder

www.dongasaway.wordpress.com

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The Coyote’s Gobbler

The one the coyote pup chased to me.

It is late in the spring for white bass to be spawning in waters I normally fish, but my friend Rich Abdoler and I found them this past weekend, spawning at the same time that crappie were spawning. That doesn’t happen often.

We caught a stringer-full of fat crappie on light tackle, casting small white and yellow jigs up against the banks. But catching crappie when you know there are white bass to be caught on topwater lures is like settling for oatmeal cookies when you know there’s strawberry shortcake to be had. It’s like listening to opera music when you know Hank Williams can be heard just around the corner. Like eating a baloney sandwich with your wife when you know you could have had a steak dinner with Dolly Parton. Yeah, now you are getting the idea!

Well, if you have ever seen a two-pound white bass female take a surface lure in some flowing current, you still may not fully understand what I am talking about. We found them in a creek, somewhat filled by all the spring rains, but with clear green-colored water hiding a swarm of white bass. And the rods were bent for an hour or so like no crappie can bend them. I guess I am like everyone else, when I can eat crappie, I am glad I fished for them, but when I am catching white bass that get up close to three pounds and sometimes exceed that, it is hard to stop fishing for them. It is a late spawning season, but the later it comes, the more successful it will be, as a rule. You have to enjoy it while it is there, because it doesn’t last long enough. Like Hank Williams and strawberry shortcake, you just can’t get enough of spring.

I didn’t intend to write anything more about the turkey season. It was a tough season on hunters because of all the rain, and a very late nesting response. Never have I seen flocks of turkeys together so late in the spring as they were this year. Hens stopped mating, it seemed, and gobblers were together in groups of three or four instead of getting off by themselves. I would be calling a gobbler which had hens around him, and another gobbler or two right there. It doesn’t work very well.

When I did call in toms, they came in threes and fours, and there are too many eyes to make it easy to get one of them real close, get the gun barrel on him and shoot him. Having said that, sometimes you get lucky, and I have to tell this story, even though it is going to be very hard to believe. I promise, this happened, just as I am about to describe it.

It was the middle of the last week of the season, and I was in the woods at mid-morning when a gobbler got really vociferous in a field bordering the woodlands. I snuck to the edge and spied him out in the green grass, about 100 yards away, strutting and answering my call with a passion. He was alone! Hallelujah!

So I set up in a great spot, figuring that he was going to stay right there and answer me and not move. He did just that, and I watched him strutting and gobbling for about an hour and a half. Towards noon, a hen ambled down the hill and fed around him, not on a nest, as she should have been, and not interested in mating. He got interested in her, so now he is 150 yards away. Of course my calling is so good I have aroused the interest in a second gobbler, and down the hill he comes, strutting and gobbling and in the mood to fight. They charge each other, and 200 yards away, they have one big brawl, jumping and purring and wrapping their necks around each other like turkeys do, trying to spur each other with those little daggers on their legs. I don’t know which one it was, but one of them got tired of the fight and started up the hill with all the strutting gone, while the other followed, strutting and blowing and trying to get the other tom to spar with him some more. They are now 250 yards away, and I have known for awhile it is all over, I am not going to call in either of them.

But then out of the woods not far away, come a charging young coyote filled with vitamin water and vinegar, and hoping to have himself a gobbler for dinner. They were distracted enough with themselves not to see him right away, and he got close. This isn’t some old wily veteran coyote, it is a youngster, not even a year old, and not much bigger than a red fox. Ten yards from the gobblers, he notices they are bigger than he is, and slows his charge, wondering just how he is going to turn a 25 pound tom turkey which might just outweigh him, into a two- or three-day feast.

Slowing up to think about it cost him. One of the gobblers runs a ways and takes to flight, and is headed exactly away from me, gone and free from worry. The young coyote turns his attention to the whipped gobbler, and makes a run at him, hoping, I think, that the old tom will die of a heart attack, so that he can get his young jaws on his neck without getting flogged. That second gobbler makes the mistake of flying the other way, being no buddy of the first one, and perhaps remembering that down along the timber a seductive hen had been calling for quite some time!

He flies right at me, and I am so stunned I can’t find my shotgun as I watch him. Just in time I find it, leaning against the tree beside me, and I am looking at a huge gobbler coming at me with wings working, not gliding at all. When they want to, those big heavy toms can fly, and gain altitude. He’s bent on landing in a sycamore tree right before me, and I remember all the times I have bragged that you would never see me shoot a wild gobbler off a limb. That was then, when I was young and couldn’t foresee such a difficult season and some gobbler landing in a tree at noon.

The shotgun roared, and the big gobbler, which had just started feeling safe on that limb, plummeted 25 feet to the ground. Ah, it is a wonderful feeling to have called in a turkey and killed it, so I sit there relishing the moment, and I notice that 100 yards out, that young coyote is charging toward my turkey thinking he is the luckiest coyote in the world.

I almost didn’t get there first, but I made it a stand-off, warning him that if he grabbed that dead gobbler I would fill him with number six shot. He looked at me, and for just a moment I felt sorry for the little guy. He was skinny, with little pointed ears and an expression on his face that I have seen on mine after missing a turkey, or losing a big fish. He needed something more substantial than meadow mice and prairie voles. But to the larger predator goes the spoils. He is out there somewhere, my little helper, still hungry. And I have had some fried turkey, from the oddest turkey hunt I have ever been on. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, and when it comes to hunting and fishing, I am seldom very good if I’m not lucky.

See this weeks photos on my website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail me at lightninridge@windstream.net.

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Perseverance is Key for Mossy Oak Turkey Pro

Mossy Oak turkey hunting pro Darrin Campbell of West Virginia displays the mature gobbler he harvested during his 2011 spring hunt in western Kentucky.

PROVIDENCE, Ky - Mention western Kentucky to most outdoor folks and their thoughts automatically turn to the terrific fishing found in the famous Barkley and Kentucky lakes.
   Bring up this same topic to Mossy Oak hunting expert Darrin Campbell of West Virginia and his thoughts begin to focus on the world-class turkey hunting found in this area.
   And, this is not without reason. Unlike Illinois where turkey numbers have struggled in recent years, Kentucky's turkey population is thriving.
   "We have a high percentage of adult birds in our flocks and they are coming into breeding season in excellent condition because of last fall's big mast (nut) crop," said Steven Dobey, wild turkey biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "The big harvest of two-year-old birds last season may have buffered (lessened) the number of three-to-four year-olds taken."
   As is typical in Kentucky, the 2011 spring wild turkey season opened April 23 anc continued through May 8. According to Dobey, hunters were looking at prospects of another excellent spring season.
   "I think we'll see some carryover from that reproductive boom in 2008," he said. "It was such a massive hatch."
   It was this exciting turkey outlook that lured Campbell and the 20-or-so other hunting celebrities and outdoor media to western Kentucky's lovely Winghaven Hunting Lodge. Not only was the Kentucky turkey population thriving, the lodge was situated in Crittenden County - one of the state's finest turkey hunting locations.
   "I'm sure we'll see good hunting tomorrow," Campbell said the night before the hunt. "We traveled some of the back roads today and spotted birds all over the place. This is going to be some world-class hunting."
   Of course, the sun was shining at that time and temperatures were hovering near the 80-degree mark. No one really anticipated the torrential rains and pounding hail that were to arrive later that night.
   The storms that came were unlike those many of the hunters had ever witnessed before. Along with the occasional bouts of heavy hail, rain poured from the sky most of the night. In fact, the water came so quickly that it flooded a large portion of the beautiful Winghaven Lodge.
   The hunters began to rise the next morning just as lodge personnel were wiping the final remnants of water interior of the building. The previous night's powerful storms had now passed out of the area and most of the hunters were wondering what challenges the unusual overnight weather would present.
   In it's wake, the storm left strong northerly winds, cloudy skies and temperatures nearly 40-degrees lower than the previous day.
   In most turkey hunting situations, the hunters would have merely climbed back into bed and await better weather. In Kentucky's Crittenden County, however, everyone was still looking forward to their time in the woods. No one wanted to waste a moment of hunting time in this turkey-rich area.
   Campbell and his hunting partner Outdoor Guide Magazine editor Bob Whitehead of St. Louis were assigned a somewhat isolated location some 15 miles from the lodge. Others were heading to hunting spots located within a few miles of the lodge.
   Though the previous night's weather delivered hunting conditions that were far from ideal, each hunter anticipated an exciting day in the turkey woods. Campbell said perseverance, even during less than ideal hunting weather, is often the key to succcess.
   "Unlike hunters, wild turkeys do not have the luxury of crawling back into bed and waiting for nicer weather," he explained. "No matter what kind of weather we have, each day in the wild turkey's life focuses around the effort for survival."
   Despite the conditions, success came rather quickly for Campbell and Whitehead. Locating a gobbling bird before daylight, Campbell concentrated on calling it into shooting range. By 6:30 a.m., his daily turkey tag was already filled.
   Success for Whitehead was only slightly slower in coming. His first opportunity to fill a tag came when two young male turkeys (known as Jakes) stepped into shooting range. Whitehead, however, opted to continue hunting in search of an adult gobbler.
   That opportunity came about 10:30 a.m. when a 24-pound longbeard walked into shooting range.
   Campbell and Whitehead's success proved to be a true lesson in turkey hunting. Rain or shine, hunters who really want to harvest a bird should dedicate every available hour to the turkey woods.
   "The best tip I can provide hunters is to spend as much time in the woods as possible" Campbell said. "It's a fact that you can't harvest a bird if you're not in the woods."
   He said that turkeys are in the woods every day and that is where the hunters need to be if they intend to fill their tag.
   Anyone seeking more information about the excellent turkey hunting opportunities found in western Kentucky should contact Russell Edwards at Winghaven Lodge at (270)836-7988. Additional information is also available on the website http://www.winghavenlodge.com.

New Products for the Turkey Hunter

   A Call for All Occasions – Is there really one turkey call that works in every hunting scenario?

   No, but HS Strut’s Starfire Crystal call comes really close to accomplishing this feat. Part of a new line of  “Ring Zone” friction calls, the Starfire Crystal brings turkey calling to a new level.

   This line of calls is designed using the latest in modern technology and scientific research to create a call that matches the pitch and frequency of a live hen turkey as tested by an oscilloscope.

   The outer ring on the call keeps the hunter’s fingers off the calling surface to eliminate dampening the sound. The Starfire Crystal's resonating surface is doubled compared to most pan calls.

   For more details, see the website http://www.hunterspec.com.

   No Tree Required – Quickly finding a good tree after locating a hot gobbler can be a nearly impossible task.

   However, Cabela's Tactical Tat'r Kickstand Turkey Vest has eliminated this problem.

   The built-in kickstand feature allows comfortable sitting anywhere while the innovative “Speed Seat” technology features a rapid stow and deploy seat that quietly flips up and down in without fumbling.

   A three-inch memory tech seat offers comfortable seating and is supported via a cushion back that utilizes raised, closed-cell, foam-padded mesh panels on pressure points to support your back.

   The Tat'r features multiple pockets for calls, ammo, water, and everything else you'd stow away in your vest. An enlarged attached, lined bloodproof game bag with adjustable capacity is large enough to carry decoys and bearded trophies. The game bag has two quick-release buckles at the top for easy access.

   For more details see the website http://www.cabelas.com

   Put an End to Mosquito Woes - Few turkey hunters will argue the fact that their number one problem is mosquitoes. Let's face facts, it is difficult to remain motionless with dozens of hungry mosquitoes hovering around one's head.   To celebrate ten years in the outdoor industry, ThermaCELL has introduced a newly designed hand-held appliance with many upgrades for the outdoor enthusiast. Taking into consideration customer feedback, ThermaCELL has redesigned the appliance to be more user-friendly.
   An ergonomically designed casing and matte finish ensure outdoorsmen will be able to hold the unit in comfort and stay concealed. The smoother functioning and quieter on/off button will also be desirable to hunters who want to remain unnoticed in the field.
   The ThermaCELL system creates a 15 by 15 feet zone of protection that is up to 98 percent effective against mosquitoes and other biting insects. The unit operates on a single butane cartridge that heats a mat releasing allethrin, a synthetic copy of a naturally occurring insect repellent found in chrysanthemum flowers. Each mat contains enough repellent for four hours of protection and each butane cartridge will operate the unit for 12 hours.
   For more information on ThermaCELL's complete line of products or for retail locations, please visit their website at www.thermacell.com.

   Lost No More - Few dedicated turkey hunters can deny becoming at least a bit disorientated in the woods. I can personally state that getting temporarily lost is something that occurs quite regularly.
   The fine folks from Bushnell have solved that problem with their Backtrack Point 5 navigation device. It's the perfect tool for spring turkey hunting when you are covering a great deal of unfamiliar territory. Simply mark the the location of your vehicle and it will lead you back.
   Hunters roosting birds in the evening can also find their way back to the exact location the next morning.
   Retailing for less than $100, the Backtrack Point 5 is an ideal tool for hunting, fishing or hiking. In fact, it will also guide back to your parked vehicle at the mall. For more details, see the website http://bushnellbacktrack.com.

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FISHING BOAT DOCKS WITH A PRO

Fishing boat docks is a good early spring technique that also works in the summer. It is basically a post-spawn pattern. Joe Thomas, professional angler is an expert with this pattern. I asked him about it while sitting on a dock at Lake Fork in Texas.

The Ohio based Thomas offered this advice to those wanting to fish manmade structures.

“There are two primary dock structures: floating docks for lakes and rivers where water fluctuates and the permanent platform docks that have permanent piers,” explains Thomas. “Both are productive but that they require different fishing methods to catch fish.”

Beginning with floating docks, Joe sees two thing happening. In deep cool lakes, especially those with spotted bass, a lot of the fish will hold on the structures under the dock. These are cables and weights that actually secure the dock in place. In that situation his favorite technique is to take a small jig or shaking worm (a glass bead and a little finesse worm) and shake it up under the dock. He throws it up under the dock along the side of the floating dock. When it comes across the cables and through in a way that the spotted bass are usually positioned to attack it.

His other pattern for catching fish on floating docks is when the fish are in that spawn to post-spawn mode. They will suspend, largemouth especially, right under the floats of the dock. Joe then takes a bait that dives 12 to 18 inches and works the perimeter of the floats. The bass will position themselves in the shade and come out to attack the bait. In this case his favorite bait is a jerk bait. Joe recommends using a minnow imitating color and jerk the bait along the perimeter of the dock trying to get the bass to come out.

If the fish are not active, Thomas recommends trying a wacky worm, or floating worm. He works that around the perimeters of the docks. “A lot of times they will follow the bait out from under the dock,” says Joe. He is quick to point out that they will not eat it, but if it is stopped and allowed to fall, the fish will go down and get it.

When it comes to stationary platforms, Thomas likes to stay more with a flipping method. He prefers to use a jig, Texas-rigged plastic worm or crawfish bait. He tries to get up to the actual structures of the pier. Explains Thomas, “Most of them have concrete on the bottom and they can vary in depth from 10 to 15 feet in depth.” To Joe the key is to find the depth where the fish are located. Once you locate that depth, you can then locate all the docks that are in that depth ranger and fish them all.

Joe explains that many people just fish docks and they do not think about the depth that those poles are in and where the fish were found. He believes that if you find the fish are in 3 foot of water you can run the wake and work that pattern in 3 foot of water. The key is to find where the fish are positioned and then use a subtle presentation. He recommends pitching or flipping and heavy enough tackle so that when a fish is hooked and he tries to get out the back side of the pier you can haul it out.

Concrete docks are a little more unique according to Thomas. The vertical concrete is usually in reservoirs and consists of such structures as pump houses, docks and bridge pilings. They are not as good at harboring bass but at certain times of the year they are worth exploring. When the shad hang around the bass will follow them to the concrete structures. Thomas believes that it is a good winter time structure because it is vertical.

In winter when a lot of lakes are drawn down, the fish will gravitate to vertical structure because they can move straight up and down with the bait and they do not have to travel great distances. That is when concrete is effective. Thomas catches bass with a jerk bait or spoon at this time. His key is to find the depth of the bait fish and then to key on it.

Every dock is different and has its own personality according to Thomas. Joe tries to develop a pattern within a pattern on docks. His theory is that if you realize that the majority of fish are coming on the first two to three docks in a cove, that is something you should register. But, within that pattern you want to know are they under the catwalks, inside poles or outside poles? Is the dock and isolated dock? Or are there groups of docks? More often than not Joe gravitates toward isolated docks because he has less to fish. The fish in that area are going to gravitate toward that one dock. He has found that day in and day out the isolated docks are going to be more productive.

Joe likes wooden ladders that go down into the water. The bass will hold on them and you can step a jig down the steps just like you would ledges. He has also found that people throw brush off of catwalks and it attracts fish. On the docks them selves, he looks for rod holders and lights indicating that people fish there. It is important to not only fish docks but also the structure that property holders place in the water along side of them.

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STRIPERS AT KENTUCKY DAM

It is no secret to ground pounders that tailwaters fishing is excellent fishing opportunity. I while back I had the chance to fish in Kentucky as part the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers annual Spring Cast & Blast event. We were guests of: The Lake Barkley Tourist Commission, City of Marion Tourism Commission, Eddy Creek Marina Resort, and Winghaven Lodge.

Prior to the event I enter the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area with the intention of fishing several of the small lakes inside. It is a bluebird day which we all know is not conducive to good fishing. After touring the area, I decide to give up on the fishing and head north to my accommodations in Eddy Creek Marina Resort.

On the way, I saw a sign for a visitor center at Kentucky Lake Dam. Deciding to learn a little about the dam I headed that way. Unfortunately the center was closed. Fortunately, I noticed some fishermen along the rip rap below the dam and decided to join them. The sun has disappeared behind cloud cover promising better fishing conditions.

The dam is 206 feet high with half of that below the surface of the water. The lake behind the dam stands 50 feet higher than the original surface of the Tennessee River to the south. Down river the Tennessee eventually flows into the Ohio River to the north of the dam near Paducah, KY.

Using a white fluke rigged Texas-style; I am successful in catching a couple of skipjack herring. Then I get serious about the stripers. I use the skipjack as cut bait and proceed to catch a couple of stripers about 10 pounds in size. Others around me catch more and also catch them on the white flukes.

Some of the gates of the dam are open and they contributed to the current flow. Most of the fish are caught along the edge of the current flow about 50 yards down stream. About 6 skipjack were caught for every striper bite. I am told that the stripers are in this water in search of the skipjack as forage. Many of the stripers are not landed. I lose several in the heavy current and large rip rap rocks.

The locals fishing along side of me claim that the skipjack are not good eating and they only keep enough for bait. The stripers on the other hand are prized locally for their eating.

Parking at the dam was ample in the lot and there are concrete stairs leading down to the shore. However the shore walking is difficult. Large rocks along the rip rap shoreline are extremely difficult to transverse. Walk slowly lest you sprain an ankle or worse.

All too soon it is time for me to leave and continue on my travels across the western Kentucky countryside to the Eddy Creek Resort on Lake Barkley five miles south of the town of Eddy Creek.

Don Gasaway - The Ground Pounder
http://www.dongasaway.wordpress.com/

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Rain and Rotten Luck

Sometimes referred to as a spreading adder or hog-nosed
viper, you can see why some folks are afraid of this harmless little snake.
It mimics a cobra...

 

 The flooding has kept me off the river, and I have not been able to check on the old Canada goose which laid her eggs in a hollow tree twenty feet above the river. I think she might be the same goose who lost her ground nest to flooding last year, and it shows that wild creatures are capable of shrewd thinking. She found a spot way above the floodwaters to bring off a brood of goslings. But that’s where her shrewd thinking ended, because she is less than a quarter mile down the river from an eagle’s nest, and I am fairly sure those eagles will not miss the opportunity to feed some or all of her young goslings to their eaglets. Eagles are tough on young geese and ducks.

But it is a remarkable thing to see this, because I have never known of geese nesting high in a hollow tree before. I have not talked to any other outdoorsmen who have seen it happen either. It is like she watched wood ducks nesting and decided to imitate them. If it weren’t for the eagles, it would have been a heck of a good idea. Anyhow, the photos of the old goose in her nest are on my website now, so if you would like to see this very unusual situation, go check them out. There are also some photos of an Ozark cobra!!

Well, it looks like a cobra. I happened across a hog-nosed viper, or spreading adder, one of the most harmless of all snakes, but the meanest-acting, most dangerous-looking of all Ozark reptiles. The one I found looked to be about 20 inches long, and they don’t get much longer than that. They spread their head and neck just like a cobra, and hiss and spit out foul-smelling venomous-looking stuff, and then eventually, they bite themselves, writhe in agony in a fake death, then roll over on their back and play dead. You can’t get the snake to bite you, but they look like they would.

In the back of their mouths are short fangs, which contain actual venom. That venom is weak, used only to stun and kill toads, which is their main food source. The way the fangs are situated, they couldn’t be use to strike mammals the way a copperhead or rattlesnake can. Their dangerous looks and actions get many hog-nosed snakes killed, but those who know about their phony act let them live. Trouble is, they do indeed look like a cobra, and they will raise their bodies, with flattened head, several inches above the ground when first confronted. I also photographed a big oak which was clobbered last week by a bolt of lightning, not far from Lightnin’ Ridge. You can see all those photos on my website… www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com

I photographed a lot of things while turkey hunting last week, in between the rain and thunderstorms. I didn’t photograph any dead turkeys, and it hurts to say this, but just so all you grizzled old outdoorsmen will know that I don’t always succeed at what I do, (even though I seldom write about anything but the successes)--- I missed two big gobblers in two days.

In the past forty years of hunting wild gobblers, I have never missed two in one season, and have never had a spring that I haven’t killed at least a couple of gobblers, since I use to hunt in both Arkansas and Missouri, and occasionally another state or two before spring ended. But there are six days left in the season as I write this, and I have yet to measure a set of spurs, or drag one back to my pickup. And my confidence is very shaky, because I have garden work to do, and fishing to do, and my boots are almost worn out.

What happened was, I struggled to find a gobbler without hens. As a matter of fact, I never saw a season this late with so many wild turkeys still in flocks, as they have been this spring. I finally got three gobblers going in the deep woods one day just before noon. When gobblers are together, you have to fool three sets of eyes and with their eyes, that isn’t easy. But they came in under the brow of a hill, three toms, all gobbling, and I knew they were only fifty or sixty yards below me. For some reason, one of them, or another one from somewhere else, came around me, running at a good clip. If he had been to my left, I might have killed him, but he was behind me to my right, and as a right-handed shooter, you can’t have a much worse situation than trying to turn that way and shoot a gobbler which is going to put his head down and take off like a racehorse.

He got to within 15 steps or less, and I knew I might just let him go and possibly still get one of the gobblers in front of me to come on up. But it is hard to look out the corner of your eye at a long beard and a bright red head and maintain your composure. I knew better, but I just couldn’t contain myself. I struggled to get my shotgun barrel around and blast him as he reacted, but he was much faster than me. I squeezed off a shot at his head and neck just as he put a 12-inch cedar tree trunk between us.

The cedar tree may die, but the gobbler left untouched, and the toms down below me decide to head for distant woodlands. I kicked rocks and stumps and cussed my luck and asked God how he could let something like that happened to someone who used to go to church on a regular basis. I heard thunder off in the distance and that calmed me down considerably, so I apologized! I know God has more important things to do than help me shoot better, and I told Him that.

It didn’t help. I missed another one the next day, and may eventually tell that story too, but right now it hurts too much to recall it. If I am to learn humility at this stage in my life, I reckon I can handle it, but it ain’t easy.

Because it is the dark of the moon, and May, I will start doing some night fishing below submerged lights, for crappie and walleye, on both Stockton and Bull Shoals over the next two weeks. Nothing can compare to it when it is right. Over the years some of the biggest crappie and walleye and white bass I have ever caught have come from all-night excursions on my pontoon boat, especially on Bull Shoals, where threadfin shad are attracted to the lights, and huge fish congregate beneath those bait-fish schools. When the moon begins to come back, night fishing for bass with big spinner baits will be in its prime. And if the rivers ever get back to normal, float fishing for smallmouth should be great. This coming week may be the best time to catch spawning crappie too, as that kind of fishing is also late. You might begin to see why being an outdoor writer this time of year is a difficult way to make a living. Especially when you have the rotten luck I have! If my fishing goes the way of my turkey hunting, I might not catch a fish until the tomatoes are ripe.

E-mail me with your sympathies if you would like, at lightninridge@windstream.net, or write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613. And better luck to all of you, whether you deserve it or not!

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