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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 3
HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
8
12
24
CONTENTS Controlled Burning for Turkey & Deer. . . . . . . 8 by David Strickland How to Surf Fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 by David Thornton Preparing for a Bad Day on the Water. . . . . . 18 by Ed Mashburn Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 by Frank Sargeant How to Stock a Pond from Scratch. . . . . . . . 30 by William Kendy How to Pattern a Gobbler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 by Josh Honeycutt Catching Alabama’s April Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 by John E. Phillips Can I Use My IRA to Buy Land?. . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Joe Baya Fishing the Dixey Bar for Redfish. . . . . . . . . . . 52 by William Kendy Land Financing Rates Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by William Kendy
In Every Issue
34
4 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Hank Shaw New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 by Charles Sykes The Gun Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 by Craig Haney Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 by Ed Mashburn Coastal Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 by Chris Vecsey Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 by David Thornton Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 80 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Classifieds & Fishin‘ Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 by William Kendy A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 by Jim Mize
Crooked Creek Development, Timber, and Recreational Tract
Butler Lisman Timber & Hunting Investment
The Crooked Creek Tract, located only five miles from I-59, is ideally suited as a development property, timber investment, and recreational property. The property boasts over 10 miles of improved road network, a substantial amount of marketable timber, some of the best views around and a relatively mild terrain. It is one of the last large contiguous tracts available in the area with such a close proximity to I-59, and the development in the immediate area suggests that this property is suited for a development immediately or in the future. This type of investment potential adds significant value to what is already an outstanding property. Crooked Creek and Dry Creek meander through the property providing a water source for wildlife and offering several neat water features like waterfalls along the way. The view from the highest point of Simmons Mountain is truly special! The hunting potential of the tract is outstanding, and there are high deer and turkey numbers throughout this area.There is power and municipal water located at the road.
This diverse timber and hunting tract between Butler and Lisman offers a lot. Enjoy easy access with frontage on Highway 10 and Sandycut Road, access to utilities, excellent hunting, several scenic home or cabin sites, and well stocked stands of hardwood and pine. Timber types include 2003 pine plantations and 30+/- acres of hardwood. A creek traverses the property, providing water sources for wildlife and multiple potential fishing lake sites. Don’t miss your chance to see this one. Land of this quality is rarely available in this area.
Saint Clair County, Alabama, 1,174+/-Acres
Choctaw County, Alabama, 122.51+/-Acres
FL Panhandle Listings
Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Bibb Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock
ACRES 530 116 114 110 41 1995 926 515 463 240 884 342 278 37 5 653 416 368 284 188 211 81 55 50 9.3 4000 2436
COUNTY Bullock Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler Butler Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Cherokee Chilton Chilton Chilton Chilton Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Coffee
167 99 30 395 166.81 151.05 85.16 337 80 48 938 421 146 114 13.64 122.51 35 620 176 54 9.2 6 856 100 80 56 200
ACRES 17.37 10 22 430 128.5 100 99 78 730 360 140 63.04 22 164 20 63 20 20 20 20 1255 1204.51 782 555 510 338 6
Colbert Colbert Conecuh Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Cullman Cullman Dale Dale Dale Dale Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas DeKalb DeKalb
COUNTY DeKalb DeKalb DeKalb Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Escambia Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale
4.53 3.09 3.06 194 166 163 97 10 1219 654 19 672 640 484 473 344 244 234 10 8 0.5 38 127 120 80 53.2 53
Henry Henry Henry Henry Henry Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Lee Lee Lee Lee Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes
ACRES 200 151 100 26 20 325 155 137 17.5 11 373 202 192 92 90 25.21 1.17 1 4505 171 53 1.59 1.6 1013 783 656 500
Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery
306.6 2370 486 483 232 94.12 6214 3000 1164 558 551 286 88 40 1800 439 308 260 160 129 106 95.36 3314 926 858 788 768
COUNTY
ACRES
Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Russell Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Tallapoosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa
610.58 330 270.21 240.75 240 837 430 121 119.55 57 50 1174 200 111.2 90 80 79 2151 740 530 400 350 115 112 160 500 479
COUNTY Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Winston Winston Winston
341 281 280 220 154 144 132 113 1320 456.8 240 213 200 2365 522 436 370.12 117 160 77 2.3
Calhoun Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Walton Walton Washington
ACRES 9 680 95 454 52 22.5
Over 700 more tracts across 47 states available...
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR APRIL These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
THE CATFISH BITE
Catfish will be starting to spawn in Alabama’s inland waters and they will be migrating into the mouth of the deeper sloughs and creeks, as well as shallower water. Areas that contain stumps, logs and other structure, natural depressions and even some rip-rap may attract spawning catfish. Using medium to medium heavy spinning tackle baited with shad, skipjack, chicken livers, gizzards, stink baits, doughballs or even live crayfish can trigger a whiskerfish bite. According to die-hard cat fishermen, a big glob of juicy worms will also do the trick and catfish have been known to even munch on hot dogs, along with live shad. An egg sinker slip rig is popular as is a slip cork setup that allows you to change the depth of the bait to match the conditions and work the strike zone.
VOLUME 25 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2021
PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya EXECUTIVE EDITOR Butch Thierry MANAGING EDITOR: William Kendy GENERAL MANAGER: Samatha Hester
IT’S TURKEY TIME
April is turkey hunting time in Alabama. We have two articles in this issue, both focusing on two different types of turkey “patterning”. In our monthly “Gun Rack” column Craig Haney discusses the whys and how’s of patterning your turkey gun. Josh Honeycutt, in his article on “How to Pattern a Gobbler”, focuses on five phases for a successful turkey season. It is absolutely key that you remain as still as possible and that means taking the time to make sure you are comfortable so you won’t figitTurkeys can pick up the slightest movement and not stop running until they reach the next county. Alabama’s spring 2021 turkey season runs from March 20 through May 2, depending on the zone and you can shoot one turkey a day, with a five-bird limit for the combined seasons. Check the turkey seasons and bag limits at www.outdooralabama.com for more details.
SPECKLED TROUT SURFING
While cobia, mackerel, pompano and redfish often get top billing in April, don’t forget the spotted seatrout. The water (trough) between the beach and sandbar offers some protection from predators, waves and currents and can hold large schools of specs. Wading the surf zone and throwing topwater lures like the Rapala Skitterwalk, MirrOlure Top or Heddon Spook can result in hot action. These schooled up fish will also bite on soft plastics fished on a weighted ¼ or even 1/8 ounce jig head.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann
Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Subscription rate is $30 for one-year, $54 for two-years, and $72 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile, Ala. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment is received by the 15th. Great Days Outdoors assumes no responsibility for delivery after magazines are mailed. All delivery complaints should be addressed to your local postmaster. CONTACT US: EDITORIAL | JoeBaya@greatdaysoutdoors.com ADVERTISING | SamHester@greatdaysoutdoors.com SUBSCRIPTIONS | greatdaysoutdoors@pcspublink.com Great Days Outdoors Media LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 877. 314. 1237 info@greatdaysoutdoors.com www.greatdaysoutdoors.com All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.
Soft plastics in green ice or baby bass colors are popular as well as albino and white ice under certain light and clarity conditions. Fishbites in the scented fight club series are also effective as are soft plastic twitchbaits like the slick lure.
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Live mullet, pogies, croakers and shrimp are all live bait options.
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Controlled for Turkey Burning and Deer BY DAVID STRICKLAND
Beginnings of a prescribed burn to control weeds and invasive species
8 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING The archives of early Spanish explorers, fur trappers and settlers provide a glimpse into the early North American landscape. Their writings describe a diversity of forests and meadows that bore consistent evidence of impact by fire. Early researchers initially thought these fires resulted exclusively from lightning, but early Anthropologists recorded conversations with Native Americans that documented their intentional use of fire to transform their landscapes. Early settlers observed neighboring Indians using fire to control brush and weeds and copied their actions for several decades. However, by the late 1800s, prescribed burns were discouraged due to the increasing number of wildfires. In the 1920s, noted naturalist Herbert L. Stoddard documented the necessity of prescribed burning to enhance bobwhite quail habitat on plantations in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia. Initial opposition to the idea was intense among public agencies and the forest industry. Stoddard became an outspoken advocate of light winter burning in longleaf pine and other woodland settings. Biologists and leaders in forestry eventually accepted Stoddard’s ideas, but they were reluctant to implement or recommend the use of fire as a tool for managing wildlife habitat. Today, scientists and wildlife managers know that a controlled burn can provide deer, turkeys, quail, and many non-game species with a resurgence of new growth for forage. The openings created by the fire also results in improved nesting sites and travel corridors, among other benefits. Unfortunately, for both the wildlife and landowners, prescribed burning on private lands is underutilized. This is often due to a lack of knowledge or, in some cases, a fear of the practice. Intentionally setting one’s land on fire is not something to be taken lightly or without proper planning. The property’s location will determine if a controlled burn is a good option for the landowner. Sometimes, the proximity of a parcel of land to highways, population centers, or airports eliminates fire as a management tool. In these cases, there are mechanical options to achieve similar results. GOALS I spoke with Brian Sheppard of Brush Clearing Services (BCS). His company offers his expertise and services throughout the South—from Georgia to Texas. I asked him about the role of prescribed burns in managing property for deer and turkey, Sheppard said. “Much of the undesirable undergrowth is eliminated by the fire, and the resulting ash adds nutrients (phosphorus and calcium) to the soil, and new forage quickly emerges. Prescribed burning is probably the most cost-effective way to positively impact a piece of property for wildlife in the shortest amount of time.” Sheppard has nearly two decades of experience with habitat restoration for wildlife ranging from deer and turkeys to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. “I’ve worked closely with some of the top biologists and forestry leaders in the country to develop and implement plans for the restoration of wildlife in a wide variety of environments. I’ve coordinated with numerous Government agencies to restore protected wetlands in Alabama, Arkansas, and the Piney Woods region of Texas,” Sheppard said. “Sometimes, we use a controlled burn in conjunction with targeted tree removal to open the canopy and allow more light to soil contact. If forested areas are too thick, selective cutting before a controlled burn will increase the amount of sunlight, which helps promote the new growth of soft mast species that benefit deer and turkey,” Sheppard added.
“Each property has to be evaluated in light of the owner’s goals and the condition of the property. Most of our prescribed burns are done in the cooler months when weather conditions are more favorable. We use a variety of powerful industrial equipment that can efficiently remove underbrush and create openings through mechanical mulching. Imagine a ninefoot wide stump grinder on tracks,” Sheppard said. “We have a team of licensed and insured forestry mulching technicians that has cleared land throughout the Southeast. Our team also includes experienced arborists who will understand your specific needs and provide solutions that enable you to preserve and enhance your land’s beauty, function, biodiversity, and economic value.” “Frequently, we recommend a four-step process to achieve the desired results for a property. When we evaluate a parcel, we’re looking at tree density, species, amount/types of underbrush, and the number of openings to determine if we need to incorporate other actions before a planned burn,” Sheppard said. A comprehensive plan can include: 1. Selective harvest 2. Use of industrial mulching equipment to create mid-story canopy openings (removing mature, undesirable timber) 3. Prescribed burning 4. Follow up with targeted herbicide applications BENEFITS Prescribed burning can benefit deer, turkey, quail, doves, and a variety of non-game species. Whether done specifically for wildlife management or for timber production, burning will increase the yield and quality of browse and create openings for nesting, feeding, and trails. Studies have also shown that young turkeys benefit from increased insect populations after a fire in burn zones. The resulting ash returns nutrients to the soil and acts as a fertilizer to stimulate the regrowth of various grasses, legumes, and other plants. This new growth is typically more nutritious and palatable and often includes soft-mast species like blackberry and pokeweed. PREPARATION The first step in preparing for a prescribed burn is to consult with a trained professional to create a detailed burn plan. In some states, your state forestry or wildlife agency may be able to offer advice. The written burn plan will contain: • The burn area’s size and boundaries • Current habitat conditions • Fuel load • Any potential safety issues • A map to highlight all safety concerns, firebreaks, and any smoke-sensitive areas • Manpower and equipment requirements • Tools and personal protective equipment WEATHER The plan should include the ideal weather conditions necessary before starting your particular burn. Factors such as temperature, barometric pressure, wind direction/speed, and relative humidity all come into play when planning. “Always coordinate your projects with licensed, registered, and insured burn specialists to ensure the safety, timing, and success of your prescribed burn,” Sheppard cautioned.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 9
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10 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Controlled Burning for Turkey and Deer
Mechanical mulcher in action
Mechanical mulching can quickly clear underbrush and open the canopy
Closeup of charred log and leaf remains after controlled burn in to encourage new growth and eliminate invasive plants
SAFETY Anyone working within the burn area should have leather boots and gloves and wear clothing made of cotton or wool rather than synthetic fiber. Good communication is vital, and the plan will include ways to relay information in real-time effectively. A good plan will also address the number of people and equipment needed for your burn project. It will calculate the personnel required, their placement/ responsibilities and list the necessary tools, equipment, and safety items needed to carry out a safe, effective burn operation. FINAL THOUGHT The early North American Indians learned that fires created by lightning changed their landscape and benefitted both humans and nature. They saw how fire impacted the land and produced new growth and forage. Fast forward, and many wildlife managers have discovered those same benefits as well. Prescribed fire is not right for every situation, but if your primary focus is on wildlife and you’re in an area where it’s safe to burn, then prescribed fire may be the perfect tool for improving your land. If your location is not suitable for prescribed burning then contact Brian Sheppard at Brush Clearing Services. He can answer any questions about wildlife restoration using his expertise and specialized industrial machinery. Important Contact Information Brian Sheppard www.brushclearingservices.com Office 706-663-8076 Direct 706-718-1690
251-626-6061
10670 U.S. Highway 31 Spanish Fort, AL 36527
www.advanced-transmission.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 11
Double drop pompano rig with Fishbites got this trophy black drum.
12 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
How to
FISHING
Surf Fish Understanding Surf Fishing Fundamentals
BY DAVID THORNTON
One of the most rewarding experiences over my past eight years of beach guide fishing has been introducing hundreds of new saltwater anglers to the wonders of surf fishing. No matter which beach we fish or time of year we fish, I like to believe there are always possibilities of catching fish. Many times, it is the small details that help these folks understand the nuances of gulf beach fishing and become more successful anglers. Many folks are so eager to “jump right in”’ to catch these sea monsters that they come equipped only with long rods and too heavy of tackle that excludes the vast majority of fish that live in the surfzone. Not that there isn’t anything wrong with learning the basics of surf fishing using trophy classed spinning tackle in the 20 pound plus range, but they are going to spend a LOT more time looking for seashells between bites. It seems most newcomers are content to “tackle down” to better target the 95% of fish near the beach which generally weigh one to three pounds. Depending on the time of year and conditions, the number of species available to catch in this size range may be a handful to a couple of dozen, but,the general size of the fish accessible from the shore is about the same year-round. Fortunately, it seems most beginner anglers prefer seeking quantity “I just want to catch something”, rather than quality “I want to catch a big ...” Even many experienced Emerald Coast surf anglers are more intent on catching species they can target for the table as much, or more than for sport. The good news is there is enough variety and volume of fish to please just about everyone all the time. Pompano are by far the most sought-after species by surf anglers along the Emerald Coast. And rightfully so. They are available all year and are both great gamefish and great table fare, even though they do not commonly exceed three pounds in weight. In the early spring they are arguably the most plentiful gamefish in the surfzone east of Mobile Bay. While west of Mobile Bay, spotted seatrout seem to fill that niche. Though methods to target
either are quite different, there is a good bit of overlap in their range and what they might eat, and the tackle they can be caught with. Though many are caught on live shrimp and croakers, speckled trout are best caught by plugging medium-class tackle along the shoreline. In fact, wade fishing and throwing lures (plugs, spoons and jigs) into the surf seems to be the preferred method to target ‘specks’ along most of the Alabama coast and places westward. Pompano, on the other hand, are most often targeted in the surf with baited set rigs on rods 7 to 12 feet long. These are weighted double dropper rigs, often adorned with brightly colored plastic beads or pieces of styrofoam floats. The “ready rigs” are available by brand name online, or at the big box stores like Walmarts and Bass Pro Shops. There are also a plethora of regionally produced “Pompano Rigs” available online and in bait & tackle shops along the coast for just a couple of dollars more. These can be more effective at times just because of the attention to detail when they are hand-tied. All are most often baited with shrimp or other natural baits, and perhaps enhanced with a scented synthetic bait like Fishbites. Fishbites is manufactured in St. Augustine, Florida and has been around for over 20 years. Though more widespread used along the north central Gulf Coast, usage has been ramping up over the past 10 years along the Florida Panhandle to Baldwin County Alabama. The odd thing is its lack of popularity west of Mobile Bay. This despite it being just as effective for Southern king croakers (locally called ground mullet), as it is for the Northern and Gulf kingfish (whiting) to the east. It is a real “game changer” as far as getting a durable bait out to hard-to-reach pompano, white trout, croakers, redfish or black drum. And it comes in such a variety of styles, colors and flavors that it has a great appeal to many fish species. In fact, the by-catch at times never ceases to amaze even experienced anglers. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 13
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14 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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How to Surf Fish – Understanding Surf Fishing Fundamentals
Matthew Isbell, renowned coastal surf guide and successful video blogger is better known as the Bama Beach Bum. In a recent interview he stated that Fishbites is essential for beginning as well as experienced surf cast anglers. “I highly recommend it to my customers.” he said. “I mean, I just don’t see how surf fishermen can be successful, or were as successful without it. What did everyone do before it was invented?” When asked about preference of styles and flavor of Fishbites, Isbell did not hesitate. “Easy Flea Is the best all-around for us.” he said emphatically. “Usually, we put a small piece on the hook with a small piece of fresh dead shrimp. But there are times, mostly in the late summer to early fall when we use JUST Fishbites on the hook. Man, how convincing is that?” Putting his “money where his mouth is”, a couple of years ago Isbell filmed a series of videos in which he caught fish for five days straight using JUST Fishbites. That says a lot in an area notorious for calm, clear water and finicky fish. Sometimes it seems amazing we ever catch much of anything while surf fishing. Especially in winter time when the water is relatively cold and the fish may be lethargic. Sure, finding a good area that holds fish is imperative to being successful while surf fishing. As a student of geography in college, I learned about the difference between “site” and “situation”.. Relating that to fishing, site would refer to a specific location on the earth, a “spot” as fishermen often refer to it. Along with the location, weather and tide, grouped with other situational factors, play equally important roles in determining the specific location where the fish will be grouped and feeding along miles of beach. And just as important is when they will be feeding there and on what at any given time. Then we still have to put the right bait on the proper terminal tackle into that spot, at the right time (tide phase) to get a bite that bends the rod. Of course, you still have to get the hook into the fish and keep it there while you reel it in. So, tackle is extremely important as well. By the way, that fish might just as easily be a 10 inch “whiting” or a 25-pound black drum. So, we have to come prepared, or the whole process can go awry. Most spinning rigs suitable for bass or even crappie (6-to-12-pound class) can (at times) be successfully utilized for this near-shore saltwater fishing. With just a little extra care and preparation, your tackle investment can be protected from salt water exposure. Especially for a short term. Mostly, just keep the reel out of the sand and saltwater. The old adage of 10% of the water holding 90% of the fish holds true in the surf zone too. Especially in mid-winter when colder water temperatures slow the metabolism of our native fish. That’s when it may behoove the angler to fish lighter tackle in order to trick these more lethargic and wary fish into biting your offering. By slowing down and downsizing your presentation, you often increase the likelihood of getting less active fish to bite. Besides, it is so much more fun and challenging to fight these smaller gamefish on lighter tackle. Even larger fish, like red and black drum can be caught on relatively light tackle in the surf. Specifically, because there are usually no obstructions to break the line. All the angler needs is a bit of patience and drag control to wear the fish down. And what a memorable fight a large drum or redfish can make. And there is your trophy fish!
Many pompano are caught on double drop rigs with shrimp and Fishbites.
Fishbites rigged with a piece of fresh shrimp is an easy but effective combo.
Slot-sized redfish fall for a soft plastic minnow on a weighted jighead. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 15
How to Surf Fish - Understanding Surf Fishing Fundamentals
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Florida pompano with a Meyer Lemon – Grapefruit Sauce Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 20 mins • Total: 30 mins Ingredients • 12-14 ounces pompano fillets • 1 ruby red grapefruit 1/2 peeled & separated 1/2 juiced • zest of one Meyer lemon • 2 tablespoons salted pistachios- toasted • 2 tablespoons butter • 2 tablespoons white wine • 1 tablespoon olive oil • sea salt and black pepper to taste
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Instructions 1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6. 7.
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Place pompano fillets in baking dish, lightly coating each fillet with olive oil and adding a sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper Add a little water to the pan and roast pompano in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes In a sauté pan over medium high heat add 1 tsp butter and allow to melt, when the pan is hot add in pistachios. Toss and keep over the heat for about a minute then add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to burn off (30 seconds or so) Add in grapefruit juice and Meyer lemon zest, turn heat to low and reduce slightly. Take remaining butter and roll it in flour, add this to the sauce (this is called a beurre manie) it will thicken your sauce. Remove from heat and hold until pompano is finished cooking. Reheat sauce being very careful not to overheat sauce. If the sauce looks a little oily or too thick add a teaspoon of water to the sauce, this will help restore it. Serve sauce over pompano and enjoy!
16 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 17
Here’s the goal - heading off to have some fun on the water. Insurance can help make sure it stays fun.
Preparing for a Bad Day on the Water, Don’t let a Bad Day Become a Terrible Day BY ED MASHBURN
18 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
LIFESTYLE Nobody boards a boat and launches from the landing expecting a bad day. We go on the water for good days. But if the truth is told, sometimes things don’t go right, and sometimes bad things happen when we’re on the water. There are things that boat owners can do and should do to make sure that when bad things happen on the water, those bad things don’t cause great big problems for the boat owner. One of the best things a boat owner can do to make sure that when bad things that happen, and they will happen if we go on the water often enough, is to have boat insurance. While boat insurance won’t keep bad things from happening sometimes, that insurance policy can go a long way toward recovering from an accident. Uninsured boaters don’t stand just the risk of losing their boat in case of an accident. If other people are involved either as passengers or in other boats, a lot of very bad things can occur.
Is insurance Legally Required and is it Really Necessary? There’s a lot of bad information about insurance in general and boat insurance specifically circulating these days. We talked with Ron Davis, agent for Geico Insurance in Mobile, Alabama (251-445-0053) to find out the real deal when it comes to insuring watercraft. Davis says, “Marine insurance can vary greatly from boater to boater…” “Marine insurance can vary greatly from boater to boater. Some states require your watercraft to be insured in order to register them in that particular state,” Davis said. “Also, most lienholders require both liability as well as physical damage coverage on any watercraft financed with their institution. While a boater may not be required to carry marine insurance for their watercraft, having an uninsured accident can be catastrophic for the boater and their family. Marine insurance provides boaters with peace of mind that they have not only protected their investment, but also their family and their assets in the event of a liability claim.” OK, so what Kind of Insurance Boater’s insurance, like many things in life, comes in many forms. It can be hard to know just how much insurance is needed and what kind. This is where a knowledgeable insurance agent can really help a boat owner out.
According to Davis, every boater who plans on putting their boat in the water wants to make sure they cover their boat for at least liability losses. “Some boaters choose to self-insure for their boat if they own their boat free and clear. However, causing damage to other boats, property, or bodily harm to others can be financially detrimental to a boat owner,” Davis said. “If a boat is financed, you want to make sure that you have physical damage coverage on the boat for at least your loan amount. If a boat is financed and you do not have the proper coverage you could find yourself continuing to pay for a boat that you no longer have in the event of a total loss. Even if a boater keeps their watercraft in storage throughout the year, physical damage coverage provides coverage for losses due to weather and even theft while the boat is being stored. We are in the business of ‘better safe than sorry’ and have seen first-hand just how important boat insurance has been to our customers when losses have occurred.”
What should my Insurance CoverJust the Boat? Much confusion exists about watercraft insurance coverage. It can be hard to know what is covered and in what conditions the insurance will pay for losses. “Typically boat insurance offers coverage for both liability and physical damage coverage on the boat. There are other optional coverages that are commonly selected such as medical payments for you and your covered passengers, personal effects, coverage for things like fishing gear and equipment and even coverage for fuel spillage,” Davis pointed out. “When it comes to boat protection, I personally don’t think there is such a thing as ‘too much coverage’. For boaters who live in coastal areas like the Gulf, coverage for storms such as hurricanes have become one of the most important aspects of a policy.” And a very important part of boat trouble preparedness is towing services. Davis says that Geico policy holders can choose to have a towing endorsement on their insurance and that Geico policies include towing service through Tow Boat US within the Tow Boat service area. If they are outside of the Tow Boat area, they have up to $3,000 of coverage per incident. Most other companies do not have this included in their policies.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 19
20 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Preparing for a Bad Day on the Water, Don’t let a Bad Day Become a Terrible Day
Required Safety Equipment Part of being safe on the water is having the required safety equipment and gear on the boat. The specific requirements for each individual boat varies by size of boat, type of propulsion, and other factors. A chart which shows the needed and required gear is the best way to quickly see what each particular boat needs in the line of safety gear.
USCG Minimum Equipment Requirements for Recreational Vessels – 2012 Edition Boat Length in Feet
Personal Flotation Devices
Fire Extinguishers No fixed system
Less than 16', canoes, kayaks
16' to 26' (8m)
One Type I, II, III, or V per person. PFD's must be CG Approved, wearable by the intended user and readily accessible
One Type I, II, II, or V per person plus one Type IV throw able device. PFD's must be CG Approved, wearable by the intended user and readily accessible. The Type IV throw able device must be located such that it is immediately available.
One B-I any type. Fire extinguishers required on any boat with enclosed fuel or engine spaces, enclosed living spaces, or permanent (not movable by one person) fuel tanks.
With fixed system
No portables required
Visual Distress Signals on Coastal Waters
Night signals required when operating between sunset and sunrise.
26' to 39.4' (12m)
One B-II or two B-I
40' to 65'
One B-II and one B-1 or three B-1
Two B-I or one B-II
One B-I
65' to 165' (50m)
One to eight B-II (Depends on weight) Plus additional requirements in machinery space - for detail specifics see 46CFR25-30.20
Minimum of three day-use and three night-use or three day/night combination pyrotechnic devices. Non-pyrotechnic substitutes: 1 orange flag (day-use) and 1 electric S-O-S signal light (night-use)
Bell no longer required by Federal Regulations
One bell not less than 300mm for boats larger than 20m and one whistle or horn required to signal intentions or position.
Sound Producing Devices
Horn or whistle recommended to signal intentions or position. Under Rule 33 of the Navigation Rules, boats under 20m MUST have aboard a means of making an efficient sound.
Backfire Flame Arrestors
One CG-Approved device on each carburetor of all gasoline-powered engines built after April 1940, except outboards. Arrestor should be kept clean to prevent contamination from propagating a flame.
Ventilation
CG-standard powered system required on gasoline-powered vessels with enclosed engine spaces built after 1 August 1980. Boats built earlier must have either natural or powered ventilation in the fuel tank compartment.
Navigation Lights Under power Under sail Rowing At Anchor Visibility range
Sidelights, stern light, masthead light. Boats 16' or longer must also have an 360° all-around white anchor light capable of being lit independently from the red/green/white running lights. Sailboats under power are considered powerboats and must follow "under power" rules. Sidelights and stern light. Boats under sail under 20m (65.6 feet) can substitute a tri-color light for separate sidelights and stern lights. Sailboats under power are considered powerboats and must follow "under power" rules. Sailboats and powerboats under 7m and under 7 knots can substitute a white lantern in place of the required lights. All around white light visible for 2nm at night unless in a chart-designated anchorage. 5nm masthead, 2nm 1 nm side lights, 2 nm all others 3nm masthead, 2 nm all others all others 5" X 8" Oil Discharge placard and 4" X 9" MARPOL Trash placards. Vessels over 39.4' with a galley must have a Waste Management Plan.
Pollution Regulations
"Honor system", no plaques required.
Marine Sanitation Devices
Vessels with installed head facilities must have an operable CG-Certified Type I, II, or III Marine Sanitation Device (MSD). Any "Y" value for discharge overboard must be located in such a manner or affixed to prevent accidental discharge of untreated waste into water.
Navigation Rules
Familiarity with the rules is recommended but not required. Boaters should be familiar with the "Rules of the Road" for crossing and overtaking situations, as well as meeting other vessels head on.
Type II or III MSD only.
Vessels 12m (39.4') or over are required to have a current copy of the USDOT USCG International - Inland Navigation Rules aboard.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 21
Preparing for a Bad Day on the Water, Don’t let a Bad Day Become a Terrible Day
Have a Float Plan As a final bit of action to ensure safe boating, a float plan is a very good idea. In the event of an accident or mechanical breakdown, a float plan left with a responsible person who can contact the coast guard or other authorities in case of a boater being late for return is a very good idea. A detailed float plan can provide the coast guard and other authorities a much better start in the event of a serious accident or a boat not returning on time. This plan should be left with a person who
22 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
knows the boater and who knows when the planned trip is supposed to end.
Important Contact Information Agent Ron Davis 3766C Airport Blvd Mobile, Alabama 36608 251-445-0053 geico.com/mobile-al
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 23
24 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips
BY FRANK SARGEANT
The biggest problem in offshore fishing trips most days is, as a salty old skipper once told me, “there’s an awful lot of places where they ain’t.” Finding that elusive needle in the haystack would look easy compared to finding a blue marlin on some trips. The oceans are huge and the fish are scarce, even where they’re in relative abundance. HOW DO YOU FIND THEM? Thomas Hilton, founder of Hilton’s Realtime-Navigator in Arcola, TX is now providing a digital pathway that’s being followed by an increasing number of top skippers. Hilton, who’s been at it for over 17 years, takes advantage of a wide variety of satellite feeds to map conditions on coastal seas and provide offshore skippers with the clues they need to find billfish, tuna, wahoo and mahi consistently. His system makes use of the layering capability of satellite photos to record various parameters offshore. “We can show the angler the most recent up-wellings and down-wellings, water temperatures, chlorophyll levels, water clarity, currents and wind direction, salinity levels, bottom structure, oil and gas rigs and the actual daily movement of drill ships and other more-or-less permanent structures out there,” Hilton said. “The baitfish locations relate to all these conditions, and where the bait is,
the gamefish will usually be.” Upwellings, water flowing upward from the depths, bring nutrients and food from the lowest levels to the surface and attract gamefish—paradoxically, they are LOWER than mean sea level, as indicated on Hilton’s readouts. Downwellings, where surface water sinks toward bottom, have little nutrients or bait and are poor fishing areas. These upwellings and downwellings can vary from mean sea level by as much as 16 inches at times, Hilton noted.. Chlorophyll, the base of the food chain, is also critical, he says. “You can be in beautiful cobalt-blue water with plenty of current and everything looks just right and yet there’s not fish or bait anywhere because there’s no nutrient to start that food chain,” Hilton pointed out. “Our system can put you in areas where the food chain is strong, and that’s where the gamefish will be most of the time, often right where that green water, loaded with chlorophyll and food, meets deep blue.” He also noted that while knowing the sea surface parameters often give anglers a tremendous advantage, knowing the daily position of moveable structures like drillships can ace even that knowledge. “We invest a lot of money in getting the daily position of all these movable
Relating catches to chlorophyll charts is one way to reverse engineer an offshore fishing trip from past successes.
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Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips
10 Blue Marlin in one trip for the Born2Run. Wouldn‘t you like to know how all of the conditions lined up on this set of days?!
structures and plug it into our system with exact lat/long data. On many days, even when parameters are not the best, there will be lots of bait and plenty of fish right on those structures. You can catch some big billfish in green water where you wouldn’t expect to see them if there’s lots of bait.” He said that bottom structure can also play heavily in where action will be best. In fact, wahoo and big kings particularly relate to bottom structure in 100 to 200 feet. “Find an area where you’ve got a seamount or a ridge and several of the other parameters are right, maybe a current flow bumping up against that obstruction or a current seam running along it and you’re likely to have a hotspot as long as those conditions last,” Hilton said. According to Hilton, not only does the system improve catches, it often allows skippers to greatly reduce their running time searching for spots where the bite is happening. This can reduce fuel use dramatically and make the best use of the available time, critical in high-dollar offshore tournaments. “Our service costs between $200 and $1500 a year depending on how many features you want, and the angler can save more than that in fuel savings in just one trip with a big twin-engine sportfisher,” Hilton said.. “To say nothing of the advantage it gives you in competition.” And now, he has come up with a new angle that allows anglers to project where fish will be today or tomorrow depending on where they were last week, last month or last year. It’s called the H.E.L.P. system, Hilton’s Electronic Logbook Program. It’s a sort of reverse engineering to figure out where the fish 26 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips
The best and most consistent anglers track all of the conditions where they make there catches. Referring back to these scenarios is helpful when they present themselves again in the future.
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Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips
are going to be for the next trip. Hilton calls it “fishing with the rear-view mirror.” “We can tell where to go tomorrow based on last week in many situations,” he said. “We found that a lot of the top skippers keep a very careful paper logbook of where and when they catch fish so that they can look back and see clues of where the action might be on their next trip. So we now offer that digitally, for those who keep a record of their catches on our system, so that they can bring up the locations of past catches and the exact conditions at that spot at that time. They can look for areas that have the same conditions as those that produced the catch. That area may be 30 or 50 miles away, but at the same time of year, it’s a pretty good bet it’s going to be productive again if it has the same set of conditions,” Hilton explained The program also keeps track of where movable structure was placed in the past, as well as currently. That means anglers can quickly note if a drill-ship, semi-submersible or other structure was located on spots that produced in the past, thus tipping the scales over natural conditions. Last but not least, it provides major/minor feeding times for that lat/long position on that day. “Things are always changing offshore and it’s a dynamic system,” Hilton said. “But if you keep an eye on conditions through our system and project where all the conditions are going to be right on the day of your trip, it puts you in the right zip code with the fish much more often than otherwise.” Hilton admitted that all this data can appear to be a bit overwhelming for new users, but most skippers quickly become adept.
“Once you’ve got the basics, you just download your information to your cell phone or iPad in the morning and go fishing,you don’t have to stay in cell phone range to use your plan for a one-day trip because the conditions are usually going to be stable for some time unless you get a big weather system coming in,” Hilton said. Captain Patrick Ivie of the Breathe Easy, a 68-foot Viking owned by Matt McDonald in Orange Beach, AL was the winning captain in the 2016 Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship and many other competitions since. He said he likes the fact that anytime he has questions about Hilton’s programs or what he’s seeing on the screen he can pick up the phone and give Thomas a call, day or night. “The information is updated so often that it really helps us out,” Ivie said. “I like that the overlays can be put down individually, so you can see exactly what you want. You match your fuel burn and speed to make your day most efficient. Things change fast out there, just overnight, the current can be very different andI get that right away in the morning real-time so I’m ready to get it done.” And, Ivie said, the whole system is relatively easy to master. “There is a learning curve to best utilize the site, but it is not rocket science once you understand the basics, it’s like riding a bike.” Captain Myles Colley of Born2Run, a 72 Viking running out of Pensacola, FL is another major tournament-winning captain who said he uses Hilton’s almost exclusively to keep tabs on offshore conditions, even when he’s not fishing, to stay aware of trends and developing patterns he can use when on the water.
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28 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Reverse Engineering Offshore Fishing Trips
Sorting out productive open water is made much easier with Hilton‘s H.E.L.P.
“I like that even if there are clouds out there over the water so there are no good images the day before my trip, I can put together the preceding 3 or 7 days and see what’s happening and project what to expect today,” Colley said.
Colley said that before big tournaments he and other skippers used to hire a private plane to fly over the fishing area and look for weedlines, slicks and fish, but now, that’s no longer necessary.
“I also like the weather tab, which shows wind direction and waves on the area we like, so we know exactly what to expect when we get out there. In winter we look for the warm water, and in summer we look for all the other elements Hilton provides—and 90 percent of the time we look for those conditions close to one of the offshore structures, which the system also gives us.”
“Hilton’s is the most valuable tool we have other than quality bait,” Colley said. “It’s essential to the way we fish now.” To learn more about Hilton’s Realtime Navigator, visit https://realtime-navigator.com.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 29
Whether starting with a brand new pond or revitalizing an existing body of water, there is a right way to stock a pond from scratch.
30 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
How to Stock a Pond from
Scratch
BY WILLIAM KENDY
Here are the scenarios. #1 - You have an existing farm pond. You’ve worked to enhance the pond but, for whatever reason, it isn’t meeting your expectations. That may mean too many little and medium size bass but no “lunkers”, which means there are too many bass and not enough food. In other words, the pond is “predator crowded” which means there is not enough food for the bass population to eat and grow big. There may be unwanted vegetation growth or the water quality isn’t up to snuff. It could be that somehow unwelcome or even invasive species are suddenly present. Time for a fresh start. #2 – You have a piece of property and want a pond but you are not sure about the process or even how to start. It’s more than just digging a big hole and waiting for it to fill from rain. Norman Latona is president of Southeastern Pond Management, which offers services that cover the waterfront of pond development and management. SEPond provides ecosystem analysis, management programs, liming, fertilizing, fish inventory assessment, removal processes, stocking of forage and game fish and more. “As far as fish stocking goes, if the pond is in the Southeastern footprint, be it Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, the Florida panhandle and parts of the Carolinas and even east Texas, we cover it,” Latona said. Latona said that when you are starting from “scratch”, regardless of whether it is a newly constructed pond being stocked for the first time or an existing body of water that was reworked and needs a fresh lease on life, there are some steps that need to be considered. THE POND HAS TO BE FREE OF FISH Latona said that whether the pond is going to be managed for trophy largemouth bass, trophy bluegill or to be a balanced fishing lake with no emphasis on growing exceptionally large fish, it absolutely has to be fish free. “When you are restocking or stocking fish for the first time it is critical that the water we are stocking is free of fish,” Latona said. “We need to prep it properly and make sure that there is nothing that will compete with what we are going to introduce and interfere with that dynamic.”
To that end SEPond will come in and use a fish toxicant that will eradicate the existing fish population and in a short period of time will dissipate and leave a pond that is ready to stock. The last thing a pond owner wants is to introduce fingerling fish stock that will be easy prey for undesirable species. “There is nothing worse than to stock a lake or pond full of genetically improved high quality fingerling fish, whatever the species is, to have them undermined by what is already there, particularly adult predators who are just gobbling them up,” Latona said. Latona pointed out that for existing ponds that are being drained or have streams flowing into them, the eradication process sometimes can be challenging. There may be potholes that fish get trapped in or they go up the feeding stream or creek. “It can be a little labor intensive when you have to go in and kill the fish that remain and sometimes even have to go up the creek to the property line,” Latona said. “We want to eliminate as much competition as possible before stocking forage fish.’ Latona said that once the desired forage species composition is established and the predator fish (bass) are introduced, the presence of a few “wild” fish really isn’t an issue. “Once we get those adult predators established and up to a size where they can out-compete the smaller creek fish that may sneak in, we aren’t worried and frankly, the bass stay on top of it and those creek fish may end up being additional food,” Latona said. “Still, it is important to wipe the canvas clean before you start.” In terms of building a new pond/lake, Latona said that the most important thing is to have an adequate water supply. “It doesn’t do a lot of good to build a lake where you have an inadequate watershed. The pond takes forever to fill up and it doesn’t stay full because there’s just not enough water, replenishing what exits the lake with evaporation and seepage,” Latona said. “On the other hand, if the watershed is too heavy, then you may get a flushing effect that turns the water over so rapidly that it becomes difficult to be effective with your management efforts, as in liming, fertilizing or both and sometimes even vegetation control.” 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 31
How to Stock a Pond from Scratch
When you are stocking a pond from scratch it is key that it be as fish free as possible.
Latona said that his rule of thumb when it comes to the size of watersheds to the surface area of a pond, the ratio is 15-30 to one, depending on the typography of the property. “That means you may have 15, 20 or even up to 30 acres of watershed for every one acre of impoundment,” Latona explained. Once the pond has a guaranteed adequate water supply and is fish free it is time to turn to stocking. Latona said that a popular misconception of pond owners is that the pond has to be fully full before stocking efforts start. “We stock a lot of ponds that are a quarter or a third of the way full and that is typically plenty,” Latona said. “At that point, there are a lot of decisions to be made.” The goal of the pond owner may be to produce largemouth bass. The goal may be to just catch lots of bass, not necessarily big ones. The stocking program for each one is different and SEPond can tweak each approach to meet the objectives. While the management plan for each pond is different, the one big constant in stocking from scratch is that the forage fish always go in first and need time to establish themselves and start reproducing.
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“The more abundant the food source, the faster the bass are going to grow. When I say forage fish, I’m talking about everything from bluegill to shellcrackers, fathead minnows, golden shines and even threadfin shad and typically the bluegill are in the one-to-two-inch size range,” Latona said. “The ideal forage stocking timeline is from early fall all the way to late winter.” “We just let those fish kind of stew in there and grow, spawn and expand and by the time we start stocking bass in late May or early June, the bluegill and forage fish that we stocked are of a size and ready to spawn,” According to Latona it is critical that bluegill and other forage species go through at least one spawning cycle before the predator fish are introduced. “When bluegill reach 3 to 5 inches in length, they are sexually mature. They are also too large at this point for the newly introduced bass fingerlings to consume. Newly stocked bass, typically 2 to 3 inches in length, depend on reproduction of bluegill and other forage species present. Fathead minnows, for example, frequently spawn in February and early March. Having an abundance of suitable size food for the largemouth bass fingerlings is obviously critical to their survival and growth.” “Once the bass go in it becomes much more measurably difficult to get
Managing Wild Turkeys Through Teamwork
a forage species established simply because you’ve got adult predators in there gobbling them up as fast as you can put them in,” Latona noted. “Whereas before the bass go in there’s really nothing much that’s in there that is eating them.” “When you can create these conditions, that is when you see bass that are two to three inches long stocked and by the end of the summer, they are eight to ten inches long and look like little footballs,” Latona added. Depending on your pond management objectives, how many forage fish and largemouth bass should you stock? According to Latona the time-honored standard is approximately 10 forage fish to one predator per acre, which is a 10 to one ratio. SE Pond frequently manipulates this ratio to tailor a program to the specific goals of the lake owner. If the goal is to produce trophy bass, the ratio of forage to predator may be increased; likewise, the predator to prey ratio may be shifted the other way, in cases where “quality” and “trophy” bass production is not a stated objective. The important point is, pond management has evolved to the point where we better understand predator/prey dynamics and the role that initial stocking ratios play. “For example, if the goal is to manage a pond for trophy bass, we want to create a surplus of food so that the bass that are stocked eat nonstop and not have to put much effort into finding something to eat,” Latona concluded. “We’ve seen well managed ponds show bass growth in the three plus pounds per year range.”
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How to Stock a Pond from Scratch
the money spent on turkey permits, which is part of the licensing requirement to hunt turkeys in Florida, goes into that fund. “Many hunters and NWTF members are heavily involved in raising funds for the wild turkey and its habitat by participating in NWTF hunting heritage banquets, whereby a portion of those funds raised goes into the cost-share program,” Nicholson said. “Hunters’ purchases of hunting equipment also helps support wildlife conservation through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, which brings federal grant funding to state wildlife management agencies such as the FWC.” Through this combined effort from the NWTF, FWC, FFS and Florida turkey hunters, the wild turkey population is healthy and flourishing in Florida. And, if you’re a turkey hunter, then you must be getting excited because spring turkey season and the youth turkey hunt weekends are just around the corner.
Contact Information Wild Turkey Cost-Share Program Florida State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Sometimes it Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) makes more Florida Forest Service (FFS) sense to just Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) wipe the slate Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnershipclean and start Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programfrom scratch
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How to Pattern a
Gobbler Tips on how to pattern a gobbler for turkey season BY JOSH HONEYCUTT
Hunting success hinges on preparedness and your shotgun isn’t the only thing to pattern before spring turkey season kicks off. You should also be patterning that wily longbeard you’ve been hearing jabber on the roost. There are few things that are more important than learning everything you can about specific gobblers. Here is what you should know. PHASE 1: LEARN YOUR HUNTING AREA Become as familiar as possible with the land you hunt. This is almost as important as understanding how turkeys use it. After all, how are you supposed to make a move when you don’t even know what’s beyond that hill, around that corner or down in that hollow? It’s like playing a board game without seeing the board. Sounds unfair, right? Roost sites are influenced by terrain and habitat. Turkeys like to sleep along ridge tops, next to benches, over water and other places that give them advantages. Proper protection from predators is important. Good roost trees offer straight, sturdy limbs. You don’t like sleeping on a lumpy mattress. A gobbler doesn’t want to perch on a crooked limb. Adequate landing zones around roost trees are also important. Turkeys generally fly up from the same location they fly back down to. Knowing where these locations are is extremely valuable information. Food sources range widely, but agricultural fields are big throughout the South. Areas with broken ground and exposed soil are magnets, as well as grassy fields (such as CRP) that are full of bugs. Those who plant chufa also see exceptional activity. Of course, there are plenty of other food sources as well. Water is another important land feature. Turkeys get much of their H2O intake from bugs, dew, and vegetation. Still, they drink from water sources. Find those that are closest to food sources and roost sites. Cover is important. Birds need escape routes (cover) as well as nesting habitat (cover). Without it, they’d have little hope avoiding predators and populations would decline 34 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Knowing what a gobbler does, and when he does it, can make the difference in filling a tag, or not. (Josh Honeycutt photo)
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How to Pattern a Gobbler
quickly. Strut zones are also well-used by gobblers that are “posting up” for promiscuous hens. These always look different, but are best described as an area where a turkey can see and be seen. This might be a field corner, wooded bench, creek bottom, or another terrain type. Likewise, dust bowls are commonly used, too. Male and female turkeys alike use these to cover themselves in dust, which helps with mites and overall self-care. Identify these as depressions in the ground with plenty of exposed soil. Finally, travel routes between key locations are another surefire land feature to look for. These include benches, logging roads, and more.
really late in the game, most hens should still have a longbeard in tow. So, patterning the hens is synonymous with patterning the toms. Turkeys have social tendencies. Many of these are universal from bird to bird, but others are unique to individuals. Understand the habits of specific birds, too. These turkeys are their own beings. Some are fighters, others aren’t. Some gobblers are predictable, and some are the opposite. Knowing how a given turkey is likely to behave can pay off. After reading the terrain, and watching what specific turkeys do, you’ll begin to notice common lines of movement throughout the property. Along these lines are your ambush points. After all, it’s easier to call a bird to where he wants to go, than to somewhere he doesn’t.
All of these things and more are necessities for wild turkeys, and it’s likely that the lands you hunt offer the best of each in given locations. Pinpointing those prior to turkey season is the first step in the patterning process.
PHASE 3: PULL ALL THE STOPS So, you’ve glided through phases one and two. It’s time for phase three. If you have a solid grasp on what the turkeys are doing, use this to confirm. If still second guessing, use it to finally drill down on those gobblers.
PHASE 2: DETERMINE BEHAVIORS AND HABITS After walking the property and learning the layout, the next phase requires one to observe behavior and habits. This includes understanding general turkey biology, behavior, as well as characteristics and traits unique to specific turkeys.
Since glassing from afar hasn’t yielded many sightings of birds, it’s time to move in and look for sign. This can be in the form of droppings, feathers, tracks, strut marks and more. While in the field, post trail cameras overlooking areas where sign is present. Position them about one to two feet off the ground.
Timing the phase of the breeding cycle is one aspect of this. Turkeys’ moods and actions change as the season progresses. Matching your calling, decoying and other tactical approaches to the current state of the breeding cycle is important.
If you still want to glass from afar, try doing so at different times of day. This might produce better results, especially if birds are on a pattern and passing through when you aren’t there.
Observing the hens is just as important as patterning toms. Unless it’s
All said, listening to birds on the roost is the best way to gauge the number of gobblers, and where they begin and end the day. Still remember
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How to Pattern a Gobbler
Half of the battle is setting up between where the gobbler is, and where he wants to be. (Josh Honeycutt photo)
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How to Pattern a Gobbler
that regardless of the scouting tactic, don’t pressure turkeys. You can do more harm than good. PHASE 4: MAKE A GAME PLAN Once as much info as possible is gathered, put it all together and analyze it. Study it and determine where the best chances for success are located. Determine what the right plays are, and understand what you should avoid doing, too. Create backup strategies in case things don’t go according to plan. Most of the time, the original one won’t work out anyway. Think of this like a game of chess. Always be thinking five moves out, if you can. And complete this task for as many unique birds as possible. PHASE 5: CAPITALIZE ON THE HARD WORK It’s time to hunt, and time to put the plan into action. You’ve done all of this work for a reason, so trust in the process. That said, if you see a need to call an audible, do so. Sticking to a plan when it’s doomed to fail is futile. Be prepared, but also be observant, analytical, and smart. These bird brains are small, but they aren’t pushovers.
The author tagged this bird after patterning its general routine. (Josh Honeycutt photo)
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How to Pattern a Gobbler
HOG RUSH “THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
BY ELIZABETH
Recipe and Image courtesy of allrecipes.com
Turkey Thighs in Brown Sauce Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 40 mins • Total: 1 hour
Ingredients • 2 turkey thighs • Salt and pepper to taste • ½ cup all-purpose flour • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 small onion, sliced • 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 1 cup chicken broth • ½ (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup • 2 tablespoons dry sherry • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano • 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
THERMAL NIGHT
HUNTS
IN ALABAMA
Instructions 1.
Rinse and pat the turkey thighs dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour with poultry seasoning until well combined. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat; dredge the turkey thighs all over with the seasoned flour, shake off excess flour, then cook the turkey thighs in the hot oil until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes per side. 3. Stir the onion, mushrooms, and garlic into the pan. Stir until the mushrooms have begun to give up their juice and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and sherry together in a bowl, and stir in the oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. Pour the mixture over the turkey thighs. Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the turkey meat is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Slice the turkey thighs, and serve with sauce. 40 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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GAME CHECK IS MANDATORY FOR EVERY DEER & TURKEY HUNTER
All hunters are required to report their deer & turkey harvest using Game Check. Doing so helps the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources effectively manage wildlife for future generations. Game Check your harvest in seconds at OutdoorAlabama.com/GameCheck or by using the official ADCNR mobile app Outdoor AL
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In deep, clear lakes, Kevin VanDam may fish a wacky worm around bluegill beds – often in 15-20 feet of water - to catch post spawn bass.
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FISHING
Kevin VanDam and Roger Stegall on
Catching Alabama’s
April Bass BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
As Kevin VanDam explains, “Mother Nature doesn’t let all the bass in any lake spawn at the same time, so how you fish for April bass will be different in various lakes, even within the same state or region.” Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has won four Bassmaster Classics and three Major League Fishing Cups and is one of the fastest anglers to find and catch bass in every tournament. Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, has fished the Tennessee River for 45 years, kept records of Pickwick Lake’s bass spawn for 40 years and guided there for 34 years. With more than 65+ years of combined bass fishing on the highest levels as a pro and a guide, Stegall and VanDam have to produce bass every day they’re on the water. One of the advantages of April bassing in Alabama is that you can catch pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn bass at Pickwick Lake in north Alabama or fish for post-spawn bass in south Alabama. Here’s a look at what these two top anglers have learned about Alabama’s April bassing. KEVIN VANDAM ON HOW HE DISSECTS LAKES FOR APRIL BASSING VanDam is a very-detailed angler and a keen observer of everything around him when he’s on the water. He doesn’t overlook sights and signals that most bass fishermen may not see and that’s part of his success on the water, particularly on post-spawn lakes in April, like those found in south Alabama. KNOW A LAKE’S WATER TEMPERATURE AND GEOGRAPHIC REGION “Before I fish an April lake, I’ll make some basic decisions about what should be happening there,” VanDam said. “The water temperature of the lake and the geographic region where the lake is are my first considerations. The water temperature usually tells me in what condition most of the bass in the lake should be. If the water temperature in April is below 60 degrees, that’s when I assume that most of the bass in the lake will be in the pre-spawn phase of their annual migration. If the water temperature is in the mid-60s to the upper-70s, I believe that most of the bass will be
spawning or heading to the spawning grounds. In April with a 74 degree or more water temperature, you’ll locate some post-spawn bass in the Deep South in lakes on the lower portion of the Gulf Coast region in Alabama and Florida.” DETERMINE THE TYPE OF THE LAKE VanDam realizes that the lake’s terrain dictates plenty about where and when the bass will spawn. “I need to know whether the lake is a highland or a lowland reservoir, a natural lake, a river or a tidal body of water,” VanDam explained. “This information helps me learn where bass should be on their spawning migration. Some female bass will spawn early, other bass will spawn only under optimal spawning conditions and some will spawn late after all the other bass have left the spawning flats.” VanDam said that to be successful on post-spawn bass in South Alabama and the Florida Panhandle you must: SEARCH FOR BLUEGILL BEDS, SHAD AND BIRDS VanDam emphasized that after the bass spawn the bluegills and the shad start spawning a depth-finder can be invaluable. “I’ll be looking for bluegill beds with my Humminbird Mega 360 depth finder, VanDam said. “On the depth finder, a bluegill bed often looks like a waffle on the bottom. Or, I’ll search in shallow water, if the water’s clear enough, and try and spot the bluegill beds. I know the post-spawn bass are looking for bluegills to eat. Birds also will tell me where the post-spawn bass are. The shad spawn usually takes place at night, but early in the morning, right at first light, you’ll often see large flocks of birds around a marina dock, riprap, a bridge or a clay bank - diving on shad.” Since the shad spawn usually takes place in about 70-degree water, Van877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 43
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Kevin VanDam and Roger Stegall on Catching Alabama’s April Bass
One of the reasons that Kevin VanDam is such a threat to win any bass tournament he enters is due to his extensive research on where to find and catch postspawn bass.
Dam understands the post-spawn bass will be moving to those waters. “The shad are free spawners and a bunch of them will get together and put their eggs on structures like a floating dock, a piece of wood or rocks coming off a bank,” VanDam said. “I want to use a lure that looks like a shad and is the color of a shad that I can fish around the cover on which the shad are spawning. I often prefer a white swim jig, a white spinner bait, a bone or a white-colored top-water lure or a buzzbait. I can take a swim jig and skip it around rocks or floating docks and be very efficient with it. However, I may be more efficient throwing a spinner bait close to a marina dock.” CATCH POST-SPAWN BASS AROUND BLUEGILL BEDS If the water’s clear, and VanDam can see the bluegill beds, he’ll cast a popping bait or a stick bait like the Strike King Sexy Dawg. Big post spawn bass love to eat bluegills because they’re big baits. “But if these bass don’t want a top-water lure, I’ll fish a wacky-rigged worm and/or a dropshot worm and both are especially effective when I can’t see the bluegill beds but have pinpointed them on my depth finder,” VanDam reported. “A jig is a productive lure also to fish around bluegill beds that you can’t see.” The wacky worm in VanDam’s favorite green-pumpkin color and he dips its tail in chartreuse dye. He’ll fish a green-pumpkin jig and dip the tail of its skirt in chartreuse dye. With a green-pumpkin soft-plastic craw, he’ll fish a 1/8-ounce wacky jig when the bluegills aren’t very deep.
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Kevin VanDam and Roger Stegall on Catching Alabama’s April Bass
Depending on when you fish Pickwick in April, you’ll more than likely catch both smallmouths and largemouths.
“I like a five inch Fat Baby finesse worm made by Strike King which is also productive around bluegill beds,” VanDam said. “Although generally bluegill beds are in shallow water, in a deep, clear lake, I’ve found bluegill beds as deep as 15-20 feet. Then I’ll use a heavier jig head to get my worm down to the bass.” RECORD BASSING INFORMATION ON YOUR DEPTH FINDER VanDam recommends that you record on your depth finder any information you learn in April on where you locate bass, in what conditions you find the bass, and where they go during April. Then you often can return to those same areas at the same time of the year, the next year, under the same water and weather conditions and pinpoint the bass where you’ve found them previously. “To be successful bass fishing in April, always check the long-range weather forecast because it will tell you whether the bass are coming into the spawning flats or moving away,” VanDam explained. “Make sure too that you’re in constant contact with the water temperature where you’re fishing. One or two degrees warmer or cooler often can make the difference in where the bass will be holding. “I love to fish for bass in April and plan to be on a lake somewhere then. These guidelines and places will help me make the decision on how and where I’ll fish on each April day, while I’m on the water. If the conditions change while I’m fishing that day, I’ll make the changes I need to make where the bass will come to and be holding,” Van Dam noted. ROGER STEGALL ON FISHING FOR NORTH ALABAMA’S APRIL BASS In April, Pickwick Lake will home pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn bass. “During April, everything that happens is weather-dependent. Generally, the bass will start spawning here around the end of March and the first two weeks of April. I’ve always found that when the dogwoods are blooming at Pickwick in April, all the fish there seem to be spawning,” Stegall pointed out. According to Stegall’s records, in most Aprils the biggest smallmouths have already
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Kevin VanDam and Roger Stegall on Catching Alabama’s April Bass
spawned, but the largemouths will be spawning heavily in the first two weeks in April. UNDERSTAND THE MOST PRODUCTIVE APRIL LURES Stegall explained that Berkley’s Frittside crankbait casted up and reeled down a bank will catch plenty of April bass. “If the water’s dingy, a chartreuse black-back squarebill or a red squarebill crankbait will be the most productive.” Stegall said. “If the water’s clear, use a shad-color square-bill crankbait to catch smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass.” Stegall also uses a Berkley Hit Worm or a Berkley tube bait fished slowly on a shaky head jig. However, he names his favorite April bass lure as a 3/8-ounce jig in a crawfish color. “I’ll fish every log and each stump close to the bank,” Stegall explained. “Toward the end of April, although the spawn will have mostly ended, Pickwick still will home spawning bass during the first two weeks of May. Remember at Pickwick that March, April and May will have bass in all three stages of spawning. I like to compare that to not all the cows in a pasture having their calves on the same day.” Stegall mentioned that April bass are active, feeding heavily before, during and after the spawn. That’s why he can say with confidence that you can catch bass with almost any kind of lure during April, since Pickwick’s bass are in one of three bass-spawning cycles. Also in April, bass will be concentrating close to the bank in shallow water and on underwater ridges, humps and grass beds too.
than later in April. The last two weeks of April, I’ll fish faster then and rely more on buzzbaits, other top-water lures and spinner baits,” Stegall concluded.
Sources Kevin VanDam’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/ kevinvandamfishing/. Roger Stegall and his guiding at Pickwick Lake http://www. fishpickwick.com/ Humminbird Mega 360 Depth Finder, (https://www.humminbird. com/learn/imaging/MEGA-360-imaging Berkley PowerBait Hawg (a creature bait) (https://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/powerbait-power-hawg-1454425 Strike King Sexy Dawg (https://www.strikeking.com/products/kvdsexy-dawg). Frittside crankbait (https://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/ frittside-1509829) Black PowerBait Power Hawg(https://www.berkley-fishing.com/ collections/powerbait/color-south-african-special-1454425 STX Abu Garcia Veracity medium-heavy action rod (https://www. abugarcia.com/products/veracity-casting-rod-1509827)
“A few years ago in April, I got some really-good bites of bass and even caught spawning bass in 8-1/2 – 9 feet of water,” Stegall reported. “When I brought these bass to the boat, they had eggs coming out of them and red tails from fanning their beds. I caught those deep-water spawners on a 3/4-ounce green-pumpkin football head jig with a green-pumpkin trailer with the tips dyed chartreuse. If the bass are spawning in shallow water, I’ll fish the square bill crankbait, a chatterbait, a spinner bait or a buzzbait.” Another favorite Stegall April lure for Pickwick is a Berkley PowerBait Hawg (a creature bait) particularly in the four-inch length in the green-pumpkin or the watermelon-red colors. “I also enjoy fishing a South African special - a black PowerBait Power Hawg with glitter in it,” Stegall reported. “I use a Berkley Fusion19 Finesse wide-gap hook and a 3/16-ounce tungsten weight to fish the bait slowly around brush, stumps and logs. I’ll fish the PowerBait Hawg on 12-pound test Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. My rod is a 6’10” STX Abu Garcia Veracity medium-heavy action with a STX Abu Garcia casting reel. With this tackle, you may catch a few spotted bass, however, generally the Pickwick spots spawn much earlier than either the largemouths or the smallmouths. “Due to the abundance of grass in Pickwick, the largemouth bass have a much-bigger spawn than the smallmouths do, and you may catch as few as 15 to19 bass. On a good day of fishing, you may catch 25-40 bass, with some 4–5 pounders. On any April day, you may catch a seven-toeight-pound largemouth bass and a smallmouth weighing from four to six pounds,” he noted. “Generally, during the first two weeks of April, the water will be colder
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Can I Use My IRA to Buy Land? BY JOE BAYA
If you‘re looking for your own piece of land, using an IRA to buy it might be the right strategy for you.
48 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
LIFESTYLE As a real estate professional, I field a lot of questions about how to finance hunting, recreational and even “homestead” parcels. One question that comes up consistently is whether people can fund those properties through their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA). The simple answer is “Yes” …but there are conditions.
McEwen explained that the way the process works is that you find your deal, you bring it to IRA Innovations, who then provides education on a separate IRA, facilitates the transaction and provides account administration. She stressed that they don’t recommend or promote other businesses, types of investments and they don’t sell assets or provide legal, tax or investment advice. They encourage customers to speak to their tax, accounting and legal sources.
A “self-directed” IRA allows the account owner a significantly broader range of investments than a normal IRA. That includes the opportunity to invest in real estate, private mortgages, precious metals and other instruments and investment opportunities not restricted by the IRS. Unlike “Roth” IRAs which are funded with money already taxed, self-directed IRAs are funded with pre-tax dollars. They aren’t taxed until the owner decides to “cash them in” at which time the revenue needs to be claimed as an addition to income.
What kind of land can you use an IRA to buy? “Basically, with a self-directed IRA you can invest in anything with a deed but you cannot use your IRA as collateral on the loan,” McEwen said. “It’s possible for your IRA to receive a loan to supplement your investment, but the loan needs to be a ‘Non-Recourse” loan, which means you cannot personally guarantee the loan.”
To expand on that scenario, on a recent Great Days Outdoors Huntin’ Land podcast I interviewed Carla McEwen from IRA Innovations to get her expert advice on how to go about utilizing IRAs. IRA Innovations provides administrative services and education that can help clients select and direct their retirement investments and assist them in the decisions to build wealth. They have two offices in Alabama and one in Nashville, TN. “As an administrator, we provide self-directed IRA custodial services where we give investors the opportunity to invest in the full breadth of assets allowed by the IRS,” McEwen said. “We allow investors to take control of their retirement funds and invest in the types of assets that they are familiar with and make their own decisions.”
What can an IRA owner do if they find a piece of property that they want to buy but the price is higher than what they have in their IRA? “The good news that it is possible that you can partner with other funding sources,” McEwen pointed out. “So, you could partner with your own personal money outside of the IRA which is kind of using a co-ownership structure. You could use two IRA’s. If you had a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, you could purchase the land and split it between both of them. Or you could partner with another person’s IRA or other investors, non-IRA money, so your IRA can partner with other funding sources to do the deal.” Are there any “Disqualified” persons you can’t do business with? “There are certain people your IRA cannot do business with. You can’t purchase from a disqualified person. You cannot sell your
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land to a disqualified person,” McEwen said. “Disqualified persons are you, your spouse and any lineal ascendants and their spouses, which means parents, grandparent and spouses, children and grandchildren.” “That also includes any company that you may own directly or indirectly, at least 50% or any person that may have undue influence over the affairs of the company,” she added. “Outside of that, your siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins are all ok.” The bottom line is that if you buy a piece of property within your IRA, it is an investment and, as a disqualified person, you can’t use it, do any work on it, improve it or provide any services to the property yourself. “As a disqualified person you cannot gain any personal benefit or any use of the land that is owned by the IRA. You can’t do any work on the land. You can oversee the work and hire it out but you and any other disqualified persons can’t use that property for hunting, fishing or for any personal benefit,” McEwen said. “As long as the IRA owns a portion of that property, you would still be considered a disqualified person to the land.” What about income and then expenses to maintain that property? “Everything flows in and out of the IRA. All expenses must come out of the IRA. All revenue income must come back to the IRA,” McEwen said. “You could move funds from another retirement account that you may have. If you are eligible to make contributions, you can make that to your IRA.” If your IRA owns a property, who can you sell it to? McEwen says that as long as the buyers are not “disqualified persons” you can sell it to anyone. Once you sell a property you can purchase a new one and let it sit and appreciate until you repeat the process and you are slowly building equity. With an IRA you are not under any time constraints so you can let your funds just sit until you find exactly what you want without fear of having to re-invest or pay penalties. Gratification Time When the time is right (as in retirement), you can “distribute” the property to yourself and be able to do whatever you want, including hunting, fishing, property improvement, whatever you choose. “You hold on to that and when you are ready to take that property out of the IRA because you want to be able to hunt or fish on it, you can take it out as a distribution over the course or one year or
stretch it out over several years,” McEwen clarified. “Once you pull out the final amount as a distribution from the IRA, then you will be able to use the property personally.” Purchasing property through an IRA is a strategy for those who see themselves as owning a piece of property that they can enjoy once they decide to retire or are in a financial situation where they can start reaping the benefits of their labors. They can receive tax deferral advantages in their high-income producing years and then take a distribution when their income is less, qualifying for a lower tax bracket. It increases purchasing power and is just good financial planning. A benefit of a self-directed IRA is that you can start out with property, switch to different investment and asset classes and then go back to property if you choose. “In your IRA you could hold land and any kind of real estate, you can invest in private equity, public, private companies, you can lend money with promissory notes, so you can have all different types of investments within your self-directed IRA, McEwen said. The rub is that you can’t enjoy the property or have the ability to use it since you are a “disqualified” person until you decide to “pull the trigger” and start distributions. According to the IRS, once you reach the age of 72 you HAVE to start withdrawing from your IRAs. It is called a “Required Minimum Distribution” (rmd) and the amount of the assets that you liquidate is taxable in the year that you took them out. The positive bottom line is that self-directed IRAs give you the opportunity to invest your pre-tax dollars and allow your assets to appreciate before you liquidate them down the road when you are most likely going to be in a significantly lesser tax bracket. That means your assets are working for you basically tax-free until you claim them as earned income. On the negative side, because of the “self-dealing” and “disqualified” IRS restrictions regarding IRAs you may have to postpone enjoying and developing that property until you decide to start taking distributions. The key is to work with professionals who can tailor and customize a program and follow the IRS rules and regulations but also gives you some flexibility in taking advantage of your IRA investment… and making your hunting land dream a reality.
Contact Information Joe Baya National Land Realty www.NationalLandReality.com/GDO 855-NLRLAND (855-657-5263) Carla McEwen Cell: 205-855-8131 Carla@Irainnovations.com www.IRAinnovations.com
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Fishing the Dixey Bar for
Redfish
BY WILLIAM KENDY
Fishing in April on the Alabama Gulf Coast is almost unfair. There is so much going on and just not enough time to enjoy it all before the game changes. From an inshore perspective, pompano, Spanish and king mackerel, redfish, speckled trout, whiting, and even some cobia are all there for the catching (or trying to). One of the main acts is the opportunity to catch redfish and some “bull redfish” and Alabama has one of the premier locations in the country to cash in on that bite. That worst kept secret is the legendary Dixey Bar. No, it isn’t the same type of watering hole as is the also legendary Flora-Bama. It is a shallow sand bar located just off Fort Morgan and east of the Mobile Bay ship channel. The bar gets its name from the Robert H. Dixey, a clipper ship that broke loose from its moorings, ran aground on the bar and was then destroyed by a hurricane in 1860. That event cost 18 sailors their lives. The Dixey Bar is approximately three miles long and varies in width, with the widest portion being about two miles then decreasing. It sits in water 52 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
depths between five to ten feet of water. To the west of the bar is the ship channel and on the south and east is the Gulf of Mexico. To get the inside scoop on the Dixey Bar and how to fish it, we went to veteran guide Captain Richard Rutland from Cold Blooded Fishing out of Mobile. Rutland pointed out that the Dixey Bar basically starts at the point of Fort Morgan and, on the east side, runs parallel to the Mobile Ship channel. It is a long bar that extends out past the lighthouse and he estimates that it provides at least 30 miles of productive fishable water. Once an angler gets down to the last two thirds of the bar, which is close to the channel, the water is about three to four feet deep. “It’s an actual sandbar out there and there are several ‘systems’ of bars and troughs that go back towards the east which is usually what I’m trying to drift over,” Rutland said. “You get on top of the bar and just drift over a trough where it goes from three or four feet down to nine or ten and then back up to five or six feet before it drops off again.” “Sometimes the fish are laying in those troughs, on top of the bar or
FISHING even on the outside of the most eastern sandbar and the water is crystal clear with 10 to 12 feet of visibility,” Rutland added. “I’ll start up shallow and just let the boat drift and just kind of idle down the eastern part of the sandbar. I’m not really picky about the tide but I do like the water movement period.” Rutland makes a long drift of 200-300 yards or so and if he doesn’t get a bite he will look at his GPS track and then “shuffle” down another 200300 yards and make another drift and do the same thing over and over again until he starts to get takers. “A number of times when we’ve been down to the Dixey Bar just off Fort Morgan Point, you can see the schools of reds and it’s not one of those things where you have to set up this big monster drift and fancast or pull live baits,” Rutland said. “I just ease down the bar and look for ‘fishy’ activity, like birds working in areas or slicks popping up. If you really look, sometimes you see a school where the water almost turns an orange or copper color. It’s all sight casting which is awesome.” “I used to drag live croakers and now I’ve gotten to where I have a lot of confidence bouncing a grub, especially something with some scent and I normally add a touch of Pro-Cure Inshore Gel,” Rutland said. “Redfish are such scent-oriented feeding fish that I think having some type of scent is very important.” Rutland had been successful with grubs such as Gulp and LiL Slick lures on a 3/8-ounce jig head “You just cast the jig head in there and most of the time, as soon as it hits the water, you flip the bail over and get the reel in gear and it’s pretty much immediate really hot action,” Rutland said. “When they get feeding like that, I don’t really pay much attention to color and really think I
could thread a piece of beef jerky on and they would probably crush it.” Rutland has his favorite “go to” color for his Lil Slicks “I kind of use the colors that I don’t use a lot but have a whole lot of confidence in, like a butter oil color, a pink, chartreuse and a Cajun pepper color that is clear, with red and black flakes in it,” Rutland said. Ok, so you are in the right general location, at the right time, with the right gear and lures/bait, so how to find fish? “I look for baitfish activity and that also means keeping an eye out for birds working. Of course, when the reds are out there real heavily, they’ll create a slick so you just have to see and work it,” Rutland said. Rutland explained that, instead of chewing, when fish are feeding, they literally inhale the entire bait directly down to their stomach. When they do that, they also inhale a lot of water. In a bit they have to regurgitate some of that water out. In doing so, some of the stomach acid and other matter expelled is what creates a slick. Rutland points out that a true fish slick has some identifiers. First off, it will have an aroma, which some people say is like a watermelon smell. Secondly, it will be round or oval and have almost a little bit of a different shimmer on the water. The bottom line is that if you find a slick you will find fish. Effectively fishing a slick is dependent on the conditions, as in current, wind, size of the slick and is really about where the fish may be.
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Land Loan Interest Rate Update BY WILLIAM KENDY
First South Farm Credit (FSFC) has been financing rural land since 1916. Since it was founded over 100 years ago, FSFC now has grown to over 40 branches with 9,000 members and serves the “Deep South” in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
develop his property or its habitat or the amount of wildlife there. If you’re playing in the dirt, we want to be in there with you, as long as you’re improving the value of the dirt, which is the collateral of the loan,” Hart said.
As an affiliate of the national Farm Credit System, a network of borrower-owned lending institutions, First South Farm Credit specializes in providing credit for farming operations that include crops, livestock, land, and timber. FSFC is also chartered to help with financing lifestyle farms, rural home sites or rural land tracts for enjoyment or investment purposes.
But wait, it gets better.
As a rural lender, First South Farm Credit basically lends money to people for pretty much anything that they want to do “in the dirt”. That could be row cropping, growing timber, raising livestock or farming for wildlife. It doesn’t stop there. FSFC can assist a property holder in enhancing the value of the land. That includes things such as improving timber stands, clear-cutting, clearing roads, planting green fields, building ponds and planting trees and shrubs to improve green areas and cover for deer and turkey. It even encompasses lending money for controlled burns and planting of grasses and grain crops for things such as quail development and assisting in constructing access roads. “First South Farm Credit can make construction loans and, if needed, can turn those loans into long-term loans. Some landowners are building secondary homes, hunting cabins or lodges, and others want to put their primary residences on 20 to 30 acres” says Taylor Hart, the branch manager of First South Farm Credit in Opelika, AL. “Perhaps that person wants to sit on his or her back porch and look at a pond and we make loans for pond construction as well.” “First South can make loans for anything a landowner wants to do to 54 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
In addition to its extensive experience in agricultural and land financing, one thing that sets First South Farm Credit apart from other lenders is that they are a cooperative. When you borrow money from FSFC, you become a member and that means you own part of the business. That ownership entitles you to share in the profits through their Patronage Refund Payment Program. In other words, First South Farm Credit gives its customers, who are actually owners, money back. While it can’t guarantee payments back to you or the exact rate of return, as long as it remains profitable and well capitalized, FSFC is committed to sharing its profits and has made patronage payments for the past 26 consecutive years. As of March 16, 2021, rates for Land loans at First South Farm Credit were in the 4% to 5% range. Stated rates are dependent on an individual’s credit rating, terms of the loan, collateral value, and other deciding factors. First South Farm Credit has sixteen (16) locations in Alabama. You can call 1-800-955-1722 or visit their website at FirstSouthLand. com to find the location nearest you – and to start the conversation about financing your land.
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BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
Pheasant Cacciatore Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 2 hours • Total: 2 hours 20 mins Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
2 pheasants, cut into serving pieces 1/4-pound pancetta or 4 strips bacon 3 tablespoons olive oil (or pheasant or chicken fat)[/ ingredient] 1 chopped celery stalk 1 chopped carrot 5 cloves chopped garlic 1 onion, sliced into half-moons 1-quart crushed tomatoes 2 cups white wine 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon crushed juniper berries (optional) 4 bay leaves 1/2-ounce dried mushrooms (about a handful) 1/2-pound fresh mushrooms, any kind Salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons minced parsley
Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. If using, cut the pancetta into little batons about 1/4 inch thick. In a large braising pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or pheasant or chicken fat over medium heat and cook the pancetta or bacon. Remove and reserve. 2. Add the pheasant pieces and brown them well. Take your time and do it in batches. Remove the pheasant pieces as they brown. Add the carrot, celery, onions and the fresh mushrooms and turn the heat up to high. Sauté them until the onions are wilted and are beginning to brown. Add more oil if needed. When they begin to brown, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Add the herbs and the dried mushrooms and the white wine and turn up the heat to maximum. Stir well. Let the wine cook down by half. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Add some salt if needed. Add the bacon and the pheasant pieces, skin side up. Do not submerge the pheasant, just nestle the pieces into the sauce so the skin stays out of the liquid. 4. Cover and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Check to see if the meat is thinking about falling off the bone. Sometimes with a young pheasant all it takes is 45 minutes. An hour or more is typical. When the meat is as tender as you want, remove the cover from the pot and cook until the skin crisps, about 30-45 more minutes. 5. Move the pheasant pieces to a plate. Add the parsley to the pot and mix to combine. 6. To serve, ladle some of the sauce out, top with a pheasant piece and serve with either polenta or a good crusty bread. I like a dry rose or a light red like a Sangiovese for this dish. 56 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
Grilled Redfish on the ‘Half Shell’ Redfish on the half shell is a classic Gulf Coast dish, and it is easily translatable to many other kinds of fish. You fillet the fish, but leave the skin and scales on. You do this with redfish because the scales on a drum of any color, red or black, are big and tough. Why leave the scales on? Because that armor shields the meat, allowing you to set the fish, ideally coated in Cajun seasoning, on a smoky grill and allow it to cook to perfection without destroying the fish. When it’s ready, you slide a spatula under the meat but above the skin, and the meat will slip off, leaving the charred skin and scales. And, since the scales are basically made of the same stuff as your fingernails, they won’t stick to your grill, so you can take the whole thing off if you want. It’s a genius preparation for big fillets. Try it with any large, bass-like fish: largemouth bass, snapper, grouper, big black seabass or sheepshead, and of course black and red drum.
• •
Cajun Seasoning • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon celery seed • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika • 1 tablespoon garlic powder • 1 tablespoon dried thyme • 1 tablespoon dried oregano Instructions
1. Mix the salt and water until the salt dissolves, then add the ice. 2.
Prep: 1 hour 30 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 2 hours Ingredients
• • • • •
1/4 cup kosher salt 4 cups water 2 cups crushed ice 2 to 3 pounds large fish fillets with the skin and scales still on 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3.
Brine the fish for 1 hour. Remove, pat dry with paper towels and put on a rack in a cool, breezy place for 30 minutes. While you are doing this, get your grill nice and hot. When your grill is ready, coat the fish with the vegetable oil, then sprinkle the meat side of the fish with the Cajun seasoning. Lay the fish on the grill with the fat side of the fillet over the hottest part of the fire, and the tail sections out toward the edge where the fire is a bit cooler. Let the fish grill undisturbed until the meat is fully cooked; it will just begin to flake when that happens. This can be done in an uncovered grill if it’s a) not too windy, and b) the fillet is less than 2 inches thick. If you are worried about timing, cover the grill, or tent the fish with some heavy-duty foil. When the fish is done, gently remove it with a large spatula, or two spatulas if you need to. Move it to a platter and dot the top of it with the butter. Serve when the butter melts alongside rice, potato salad, maque choux, etc.
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NEW & COOL GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY
Under Armour Iso-Chill Shorebreak Long Sleeve Shirt The new Iso-Chill Shorebreak long sleeve shirt from Under Armour utilizes Iso-Chill fabric to keep you cool and dry, at the same time, protected from the sun with a UPF 50+ rating. It does that by dispersing body heat, wicking away sweat and drying quickly. It features articulated sleeves that ensure that your movement are unrestricted and is made for both men and women. Suggested Retail Price: $40.00 www.underarmour.com
Denali Rods Provide Quality and Value
Combining exceptional quality and craftsmanship with a reasonable price Denali Ryker series casting rods feature a light and durable IMg blank which delivers sensitivity yet high strength. It incorporates Duraloc guides, Maxx Blanc contact reel seats that deliver maximum feel and control and a comfortable soft touch EVA grip to reduce angler fatigue. It is available in 6’6” and 7-foot lengths in different actions. Suggested Retail Price: $59.00 www.denalirods.com
New Hurricane Broadhead from Ozcut Broadheads
The Hurricane delivers accurate broadheads in flight and produces a large wound channel resulting in bigger blood trails. It incorporates a bone splitting tanto tip, no vents for silent flight and a single bevel with an offset blade which results in a reliable and tough fixed blade broadhead with field point accuracy. Available in either 100, 125 and 150 grain weights in a set of three. Suggested Retail Price: $49.99 www.ozcutbroadheads.com
Astral V-Eight Fisher PFD
This minimalist yet high performance V-Eight personal flotation device incorporates Astral patented Airescape™ technology which allows anglers to be cool and safe when the fishing is hot. This low profile and breathable pdf is designed for kayak fisherman to accommodate high back fishing seats. It features a large pocket for phone and other essentials, an external folding knife pocket and clipping points for line nips and retractors and more. Suggested Retail Price: $130.00 www.astraldesigns.com
Irish Setter® Mudpaw Slip-on Waterproof Shoes
Incorporating TempSens technology, IS Mudpaw waterproof slip-on shoes regulate the temperature within the shoe to maintain foot comfort. Moisture is hyperwicked away from the foot facilitating evaporative cooling. In colder weather, it pulls moisture from the skin but traps it to create a thermal barrier to create a comfortable interior temperature. ScentBan™ antimicrobial scent control helps eliminate odors within the shoe. Suggested Retail Price: $89.99-$99.99 www.irishsetterboots.com 58 APRIL 2021 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
NEW AND COOL GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
JEBS Precision Headhunter Turkey Choke
The Headhunter Turkey Choke delivers an extreme tight pattern at further distances to effectively shot pattern your turkeys kill zone. Developed with JEBS patented “multi-staged” interior bore designs, this choke tube allows for better “shot & wad cup” separation, resulting in more precise and dense fatal patterns. It is available in 10,12 and 20 gauges and .410 in a matte grey or black nitride composition. Suggested Retail Price: $100.00 www.jebchokes.com
Go Easy Boat and Equipment Hauler
The GO EASY is the most versatile boat and gear hauler on the market. It is insanely lightweight yet featuring some serious cargo capacity. It offers a low profile making it easier to load and unload heavy boats. It features watertight wiring harness and lights, weighs in at only 280 pounds but has a 525 pound carrying capacity and is available in three package options. Suggested Retail Price: starting at $1,995 www.sylvansport.com
German Precision Optics RANGETRACKER™ 1800 Rangefinder
This compact and lightweight one-handed RANGETRACKER™ 1800 Rangefinder is now available in black. Designed for both long range rifle hunting and close-up archery usage, the 1800 features GPObright™ lens coatings, both line of sight and/or True-range™ adjusted angle distance readings, a Hyperscan™ feature that provides three readings per second, and Targetseeker™ technology that offers “best” and “last” laser hits. The HLDC system usable in very low-light situations. Suggested Retail Price: $349.99 www.gpo-usa.com
Raptic Titan XL 500 Portable Power Station
The Raptic Titan XL sports a 12V car port, a USB-C port, three USB-A ports and an AC wall outlet. Weighing only 14 pounds, it can charge smartphones up to 40 times, laptops 10 times, tablets 12 times and more. Running on a lithium ion battery, it is safe to operate in any enclosed space and is rechargeable via the included wall adapter, USB-C or Titan solar panel. Suggested Retail Price: $499.99 www.rapticstrong.com
Rough Rider Bird Head Revolvers
Rough Rider Bird Head single action revolvers from Heritage Mfg. offer maximum concealability in a standard light weight frame. The grip not only conceals more easily but many small-handed shooters find it provides enhanced leverage when cocking the hammer. Available in .22 LR or in 22 LR/.22 WMR combo packages (2 cylinders) in different grip options and barrel lengths. It has It has a black standard finish and fixed sights. Suggested Retail Price: starting at $187.00 www.heritagemfg.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 59
April’s Many Outdoor Adventures Make it Hard to Choose The month of April always presents a quandary about what great outdoors adventures I should pursue. Should I head to Alabama’s abundant forests in pursuit of the wily wild turkey? Or should I head to one of our state’s great reservoirs and lakes to participate in the last few weeks of the annual crappie spawn? Or do I head to Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast to take advantage of the speckled trout spring feeding frenzy? Although I’m a relative newcomer to turkey hunting, the allure of hearing a full-throated gobble at dawn is hard to resist. BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
However, as many of you know, I grew up on the Alabama Gulf Coast and fishing has always been a passion of mine. The problem with April is whether to choose freshwater or saltwater. Alabama is blessed with so many top-quality lakes and reservoirs that offer some of the best fishing in the world, which includes the abundant panfish called crappie. If you’re from most parts of our great state, you pronounce that fish like “croppie.” If you’re near the Georgia line, the pronunciation sounds like you don’t care for it at all. And, if you’re near the
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Mississippi line, you’ll likely hear the tasty fish called white perch. Whatever name you prefer, April is a great time to head out onto the water while some of the crappie are still in spawning mode. For most anglers, springtime is the only time to catch crappie. That’s when the fish head to the shallows, and they are voracious eaters. They’ll hit small jigs, minnows or small jigs tipped with minnows. Crappie love to hang out near some type of cover. If they are in the middle of the spawn, the fish may be in water less than two feet deep. If the water has been high and muddy in these lakes and impoundments, the fish may spawn a little deeper so use your bottom machine to locate structure and drop your bait near a stump, laydown log or other structure. Take plenty of tackle because you’re going to lose jigs, hooks, lead and, if you’re not tightlining, corks. One of the great things about catching crappie is the liberal limit in Alabama. Anglers can keep 30 crappie each per day with a minimum size of nine inches total length. A couple of exemptions exist, so go to www. outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater-
FROM THE COMMISSIONER fishing-creel-and-size-limits for details. There’s nothing better than a big fish fry after you’ve filled your ice chest with some nice “slab” crappie. Drop those dusted fillets into 350-degree oil and enjoy some of the best-eating fish available anywhere. Of course, I can’t let April end without a visit to Alabama’s Gulf Coast and the abundant opportunities to catch a variety of saltwater species. One of my favorite targets in April, when the weather has settled down from the blustery days of March, is speckled trout, spotted seatrout if you’re a marine biologist. While the crappie spawn usually ends by late April, the speckled trout spawn is just getting started. When water temperature rises above 70 degrees, specks start a protracted spawning season that will last into September. When the fish are spawning, they’re eating to ensure quality egg production. Alabama has so many great areas to fish for speckled trout. You can start at Perdido Pass on the east side and go all the way past Fort Morgan, Dauphin Island and Mississippi Sound. Don’t forget about heading into Mobile Bay for some great fishing as well.
and hardhead catfish more than hooking the targeted species. In April, those less-than-desired species are not as active, so you’re more likely to attract speckled trout or redfish with live shrimp. Depending on water clarity, I may toss out a live shrimp with just a small split shot and let it drift in the current. A lot of times you can anticipate a strike by the reaction of the shrimp when it sees its demise is imminent. If the water is a little murky, I’ll try a live shrimp under a popping cork. A quick snap of the fishing rod causes the concave lip of the popping cork to make a gurgling sound that mimics the sound of a fish feeding on the surface. That sound attracts fish in the area to your bait, and you usually will catch more than one fish when you locate a school. April is also the time to use artificial lures if you prefer not to use live bait. Speckled trout will bite plastic minnow imitations and shrimp imitations as well as MirrOlures. Concentrate on areas with some type of structure on the bottom, like oyster beds, or look for points where the specks ambush their prey.
The Alabama Marine Resources Division continues to build and maintain inshore artificial reefs to improve the fish habitat and the fishing. Visit www.outdooralabama.com/artificial-reefs/inshore-reef-zones for an interactive reef map to give you a better view of the inshore opportun ities.
Alabama has great trout fishing, but fishing pressure has increased exponentially in the past decade. For a variety of reasons, Alabama anglers shifted from offshore to inshore fishing. Because of that, we reduced the daily bag limit of speckled trout to six fish per day per angler with a slot limit with a minimum total length of 15 inches and a maximum length of 22 inches. One oversized fish is allowed per day, but we encourage anglers to release those female fish to continue spawning and make our trout fishing as great as possible.
Another aspect of fishing for specks in April is the use of live shrimp for bait. Just about every fish that lives in saltwater will eat a live shrimp. If you use live shrimp in the summertime, you’ll likely be feeding the pinfish
Whatever your preference, head to the woods, freshwater lakes and reservoirs or the Alabama Gulf Coast this April and enjoy our state’s abundant natural resources.
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Success Is a Result of Patience and Perseverance The deer season of 2020-21 was proof that withstanding the hardships is the key to success. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my father say, “Nothing worthwhile comes easy.” However, so many times we want to give up when circumstances get tough and things don’t go our way. It is much easier to cut and run rather than stick it out and power through the hard times.
BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)
As most of you are aware, I was raised in Choctaw County and still hunt there as much as I can. The past several years have been anything but pleasant or successful when it comes to hunting. Historic flooding events have basically rendered a hunting paradise virtually useless during the last few years. Last deer season, I accessed the property as much from a johnboat as I did with a truck. Last year many of our newly installed hunting houses were flooded before we were ever
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able to sit in them. Patch clear-cuts that were created four years ago to provide quality feeding and bedding cover in a mature hardwood forest were inundated for so long that the growth on the native vegetation was years behind where it should have been. Dozens of trail cameras and supplemental feeders were lost to the floodwaters. However, each summer, as soon as the water would recede, we were hard at work making improvements to the road system, repairing hunting houses and stands, and trying to create better habitat. Each year, we would drive 2.5 hours most Friday afternoons to spend countless hours working all weekend for months at a time preparing for the upcoming hunting season. I don’t mind the hard work. In fact, I get more enjoyment out of property management than
FROM THE DIRECTOR I do actually hunting. But it became extremely disheartening to work all summer and fall only to be flooded out when it was time to reap the benefits of the work. So, basically, the last two deer seasons you could consider total busts. We would have great expectations of future harvests watching bucks on trail cameras all fall. Then, when we had time to hunt in the winter or had guests to entertain, the floodwaters would ruin everything. It would have been much easier to throw our hands up and just quit. But we chose not to. We kept spending time and money preparing the property to be the best it could be, hoping that eventually it would pay off. On this property we choose not to harvest bucks until they are 5.5 years old. We understand that some will be harvested by neighboring landowners, some will be lost to post-rut mortality, and still others may not return after the floodwaters force them to leave. Historically, a really good 5.5-year-old buck will weigh 180-190 pounds and may score in the low to mid 120s. Early last fall, I began seeing the benefits of years of hard work. Our lack of being able to hunt the property allowed many of the bucks that we were targeting to reach an older age class, and the 4.5-year-olds we decided to pass up last year made it through and trail cameras were revealing more target bucks than we’d ever seen. In addition, a bumper acorn crop combined with the habitat work we had completed over the past several years finally provided a muchneeded nutritional boost, resulting in higher-quality bucks in both body and antler size. This deer season was shaping up to be a great one, if only the water would stay away. I tried to curb my enthusiasm and not let my expectations get too high even though the weather forecasters were projecting a “dry” winter. The last two seasons had been such huge disappointments that I didn’t think I could take another.
Archery season was hot and dry for the most part. I hunted a few times and carried a few guests, but the older bucks chose to eat acorns at night instead of during daylight hours. Even though we only harvested a couple of does during archery season, the bucks were still on the property and were definitely bulking up on the incredible mast crop. One 4.5-year-old buck that we decided to pass on multiple occasions last year was a 170-pound 115-inch 8 point. A very respectable buck for our area and one that was hard to pass up. Luckily for us, he made it through the gauntlet and exploded this year. We were able to harvest him on the opening day of firearms season. He tipped the scales at 230 pounds and scored in the mid 130’s making him the largest deer ever taken on this property. Fast-forward two weeks and I was able to harvest a 6.5-year-old buck that I’ve hunted as hard as I could for the past two seasons. We began seeing him and getting trail camera photos of him as a 3.5-year-old. When he was 5.5, we never laid eyes on him. Trail cameras provided evidence that he was still on the property, and we even had a great photo of him coming back “home” after a flooding event. He weighed 200 pounds and scored in the mid 140’s. By far, he was the highestscoring buck to be taken on the property. As I write this article on February 4, 2021, we have not been prohibited from hunting the property one single day this year. And, it shows. We’ve taken four bucks this year, three 5.5-year olds and one a 6.5-year-old. Three of the four bucks were larger than any buck taken in the history of the property. Finally, we had the season we’d been dreaming about. All of the money spent and the blood, sweat, and tears shed on the property were well worth it. I’m so grateful that I was taught at an early age to never give up and that there is no substitute for hard work. As a property manager, this was my dream season. It couldn’t get any better.
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PATTERN FIRST!
Make sure you are ready for turkey season. Once you have patterned your hunting load on a turkey target at different ranges, your odds are much better for bagging your bird.
Several years ago, I was hanging out and visiting with a salesman in the shotgun section of a favorite gun shop when a customer came in and started singing the blues about the opening morning of turkey season and how he had probably wounded a nice gobbler. After listening to him tell us several times how dumb he was, he finally explained what happened.
BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney
Three days before the season opened, someone bought his 12-gauge he had been trying to sell for a couple of months and then he went to the gun shop to buy a new turkey gun. That didn’t take long as he already knew which gun he was craving and he headed home dreaming of opening day. The dumb
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cloud was evidently hanging over his head when he didn’t buy several types of ammo to pattern in his new gun before opening morning. He thought the ammo he had been successful with a long time in his former gun would be fine in the new shotgun. Rarely, does that happen except in your dreams. Asking for advice from the salesman, he bought three different types of ammo to pattern before hunting turkeys the next weekend. As he paid for his ammo, he said with a sheepish grin, “That was really stupid, I know better now and I’ve learned my lesson.” The salesman grinned and said “Good.”
THE GUN RACK DON’T BE DUMB, CHEAP OR LAZY. Sometimes turkey hunters, based on a friends’ recommendation buy an ammo brand they haven’t patterned in their gun previously and assume it will pattern pretty close to the loads they have been using for years. Or the hunter may buy a different brand choke tube in the same constriction of their old tube and assume it will pattern like the old tube. They may buy a new shotgun and assume because it is choked the same as their former gun, it will pattern the same. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. No matter the reason too many hunters don’t take the time to pattern a new turkey load and haven’t a clue whether their shotgun will place 6 pellets in the kill zone at 40 yards. BE READY FOR THE RANGE. Before leaving for the range make sure you know the different brands and types of loads you plan to test. Check your range bag also for your hearing protection and shooting or safety glasses. Be sure to double check that you have your staple gun and extra staples, or push pins or tape to affix the target to the stand. You will need life size targets of the turkey’s neck and head and if, at the last moment, you realize you are out you can download them free from www.winchester.com. I also make sure I have a Sharpie or Magic Marker to accentuate the aim point on the target.
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RANGE TIME. First I set up the target at 40 yards. Then I put on my hearing protection and shooting glasses. I like to shoot from the bench rather than the shoulder to maximize the accuracy needed for an accurate shot. Select one round of the ammo you are testing and chamber it. Take your safety off, aim at the middle of the turkey’s neck and fire. Check the target to see if the point-of-impact is centered, then look to see if the center of your pellet spread is left or right, above or below the aiming spot. Write on the target that you aimed dead center at the aiming point then take the target down and attach a new one. Hopefully, your pattern was dead on. If not adjust the aiming point in the direction it needs to go. Shoot at this target and notate your aiming point on the target. If you are “dead-on” now, you are ready to hunt. If not, repeat the process as needed to get the best pattern. Be sure to remember the aiming adjustments you made to get the best pattern. Once your shotgun is patterned, count the number of pellet hits in the aiming point or “kill zone” of your target. Six pellets minimum in the kill zone should provide you with the desired result. Fire additional rounds of that ammo at 20 or 25 yards and 45 or 50 yards to see how your shotgun patterns at those distances. Now that you have tested the first of the new turkey loads, repeat the process with each of the other loads you brought to test for the maximum results. Once you have completed this process and determined what shoots best in your shotgun, you will become a more successful turkey hunter.
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Selecting the Best
Offshore Fishing Kayak Offshore kayak anglers can get into some big game fish like this mahi mahi.
Perhaps the most intense and rewarding kind of kayak fishing is open water offshore angling for big, strong fish. There’s nothing in the fishing world quite like hooking a big fish and being towed around.. It’s a feeling that is hard to describe to anyone who has never experienced it. Kayaks fished offshore can also provide some great fish for the table. Here on the Gulf Coast, kayak anglers can launch from the beach in certain areas, make their way a few miles offshore and still be in sight of the white sand, and then drop down to reefs to catch some big, delicious red snapper and other reef fish. Although just about any kayak will work on offshore waters when conditions are perfect, it’s a whole different ball game when the water gets rough, surf gets high and the wind starts to blow. Offshore angling can get dangerous very quickly if an angler is out on the big blue water in the wrong kayak. It’s not going too far to say that safe and secure offshore kayak fishing requires a boat made to handle rough conditions. BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
WHAT A GOOD OFFSHORE KAYAK NEEDS
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Offshore kayaks need to be stable in rough water. This is not so much for the conditions once the kayaker has moved offshore, and in fact, the offshore conditions are often quite pleasant and easy to deal with even in windy, rough surf conditions. The roughest parts of any offshore kayak fishing trip come at the beginning and end of the trip which is getting through the surf. Offshore kayaks need to be long enough to deal with breaking surf and this means the boat needs to be ten feet or longer. This longer length makes handling the kayak in breakers easier and the boat is able to be kept in line facing into the breakers when leaving the beach and riding straight in with the breakers when coming in. A kayak which gets sideways in the breakers is a rolled kayak. An offshore kayak needs a good “turn of speed”. Fishing nearshore reefs requires kayak anglers to paddle or pedal up to five miles offshore and this can take a long time in a slow boat. Sometimes fish feeding on the surfacecan be seen a considerable distance away, and a fast kayak can put the angler into the feeding fish. A slow, hard to move kayak is just not much fun in big water. Another very important element of any good offshore kayak is the seat. Anglers cannot just get out and walk about to stretch so the seats of an offshore kayak need to be comfortable and elevated. A higher seat is drier and it allows better seeing for when the fish are chasing bait on the surface.
PADDLE FISHING The Sportsman Big Water 132 allows easy launch and landing from the beach.
HELPFUL FEATURES An offshore kayak needs rod holders and they need to be good solid rod holders which won’t be removed by the strike of a big and strong fish. Good rod holders keep rods out of the way yet allow quick reach and access when the angler needs one.. Storage for drinks and snacks is helpful. Most offshore kayak fishing trips are extended trips, so having plenty of water and something to eat to keep energy up is good. Rod and gear storage and secure tie-down points are crucial. Lots of expensive fishing gear has been lost when offshore kayaks got sideways in the surf and rolled over when returning. If the rods and other stuff are secured to the kayak, there’s a good chance they can be recovered and saved. Dry storage for cameras, cell phones and other gear is important.
The Sportsman Big Water 132 is a paddle powered kayak that is a bit over thirteen feet long that offers stand-up stability and this is important to allow anglers to stand and stretch while on the water after a long session of fishing. The Element seat is fast drying, very adjustable, and comfortable for a long day in the saddle. This kayak offers two rear-facing rod holders and one front facing rod holder which is great for slow-trolling live bait. This big kayak has a 425 pound capacity and plenty of dry storage. This is a fine offshore fishing kayak.
PADDLE OR PEDAL OR POWER? Both paddle kayaks and pedal kayaks are suitable for offshore fishing. However, for reaching reefs and other structure some miles offshore, pedal powered “yaks” are better for most people. With the advent of lighter weight battery systems, kayaks with electric motors are becoming ever more popular for offshore application Working hard with a paddle for extended periods can wear down most kayak anglers, and moving far and fast often happens when fishing offshore. Paddle kayaks can be used for offshore fishing, but they tend to limit range and distance for anglers. If offshore fishing is a big part of an angler’s time on the water, a pedal kayak just might be the best choice. These pedal boats allow anglers to use their largest and strongest muscles, as in leg muscles, to move their kayaks. This also frees up the angler’s hands and arms to troll and then work hooked fish while keeping control of the boat with leg power and pedal thrust. Pedal kayaks are also much better for slow-trolling live bait, a very common offshore fishing technique. The angler can pedal and move the kayak slowly while holding the rod in hand and making quick steering adjustments to keep the kayak moving in the right direction.
Old Town Sportsman Big Water PDL gives the angler pedal power to go far and fast.
The Old Town Sportsman Big Water PDL 132 is basically the same kayak as the previously described boat, but it offers pedal power. The Old town PDL Drive works very well, is quite low maintenance, and crucially important, the easy-docking system of this drive allows easy launch and landing, which is a crucial point for any angler who plans to fish offshore waters when launching from the beach. This pedal drive also carries a five-year warranty. The ultimate offshore fishing kayak? The Old town AutoPilot 136 puts power at the hands of kayak anglers.
Pedal kayaks cost more and they can be more complicated to launch and land than traditional paddle kayaks, but when actually on the water and fishing in big offshore water situations, there’s little doubt that pedal power are a very good idea. Electric motor-powered kayaks present more complication possibilities and they are more expensive. Having said that, how nice it is to get on the big water, rig up for fishing, and then let the motor move the kayak around. These powered kayaks are quite a bit faster than pedal or paddle, and they make offshore range much farther. OLD TOWN OFFSHORE KAYAKS There are a number of kayaks built by a wide range of companies that are usable for offshore fishing. However, Old Town Canoe Company makes some excellent offshore kayaks that are affordable and very high quality. Old Town kayaks come in a wide range of lengths and styles, but some of their offerings are perfect for offshore use.
Now, for those kayak anglers who are serious about offshore fishing, Old Town offers the AutoPilot 136. This kayak has a saltwater ready 45 lb. thrust Minn Kota motor with Spot Lock technology. This beast of a kayak has foot brace steering and a premium seat. The load capacity of this big offshore fishing kayak is 660 pounds total. This motor can run for a long time on either lead acid or lithium batteries. And this kayak won the big ICAST sporting goods show Best of Show award for 2020.
Important Contact Information Oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 67
Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
“Another happy group aboard Miss Brianna. April is a prime month for hauling in nearshore groceries on the northern gulf” Photo courtesy Captain Bobby Kelly
Spring is truly here and it’s time to get out and cover water!! From Mississippi to far eastern reaches of the panhandle, the open flats and bays will be teaming with schools of trout, reds, drum and various other species and the warmer waters signal it’s time to move. Many fish will be holding to typical structures like shellbanks, grass edges and pier edges. In areas of open water with little structure, focus on drops and other natural funnels like channel edges. Live baits, both suspended under floats or freelined will be tops for finding fish in scenarios like this. Live shrimp will be a top pick and usually available, but finfish like croakers, mullet and small pinfish will often find better quality bites.
BY CHRIS VECSEY
time to break out the topwater’s, jerkbaits and plastic swimbaits. Covering water is more effective this way and warmer water means more aggressive gamefish. Using slightly faster cadences through spring will often lead to better reaction strikes. Color choices should be a good mix of naturals along with brighter hues like chartreuse and electric chicken. Sheepshead will begin to slow as their spring spawn comes to a conclusion, usually towards the beginning of the month. They will still be a consistent catch through the month on most significant structures. Fiddler crabs and live shrimp will be top baits. Just off the beaches, the “big three” will be cobia, pompano and spanish mackerel. All three will be consistent targets this month.
These baits can also be bottom fished around deeper structures or on current swept points. A Carolina rig with a short leader around 18” keeps close contact with the bait and signals activity better.
For pompano, fishing small, brightly colored jigs along the passes and beachside troughs will produce along with traditional “bait-n-wait” rigs set with shrimp, sand fleas and Fishbites. Incoming tides are generally best and the bite should peak around the full moon at the end of the month as these fish prepare to spawn.
For anglers who prefer artificials, April is a prime
Cobia will be taken by various means but the biggest
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FISHING OUTLOOK excitement comes through sight casting migrating fish along the surface just off the sugar-sand beaches. Live eels are tops, but small catfish, pinfish, crabs and various other baits will work. Large, brightly-colored jigs and plastic eels will take their fair share as well. Spanish Mackerel will be running from inside the passes to a few miles out. Locating these schooling predators usually begins by searching for birds and feeding fish on the surface, but when the obvious signs aren’t there, covering water with spoons, dusters and swimming plugs while scanning your depth finder for fish and bait will produce success. Once spanish are located, repetitive trolling will keep rods bent, but the real fun is in throwing lighter tackle with spoons and gotcha plugs. The offshore season is beginning, but with red snapper, gag grouper and greater amberjack out of season, most anglers have to adjust a bit to take advantage of the available species. Captain Bobby Kelly, who operates Miss Brianna Fishing Charters out of Zeke’s Marina in Orange Beach, Al, takes advantage of the closer opportunities to put his clients on the fish. “Looking into April and the species we’ll be targeting on our half day bottom fishing trips, the first thing that comes to mind is vermillion snapper and triggerfish, with triggerfish being one of the more popular fish. We fish mostly public reefs in at least 80’ with small wire circle hooks and small cut pieces of squid.” Kelly said. Kelly primarily targets these areas on their six-hour trips.
over 180 feet, looking for natural bottom piles and ledges for Scamp, bigger Vermilion Snapper and other bottom species.” These 8-10hr trips usually see far greater variety and the hopes for larger species,” On shorter trips, Kelly stays in close and targets shallow structures inside state waters for Spanish and king mackerel. “We will troll spreads of mackerel trees and spoon/planer combos just outside the pass on the incoming tide. Covering water is key and we always have a pair of spinning rods ready to throw to cruising cobia.” Kelly said. Further offshore around oil platforms and gas rigs, yellowfin tuna and wahoo will be top targets for those that can make the weather breaks. Finding key water conditions with a satellite imagery provider like Hilton’s Realtime Navigator pays off big time on these longer runs. Expect the bluewater bite to improve as the month ends. Spring migrations are on their way. Don’t wait for the reports, get out and make your own!!
Important Contact Information Miss Brianna Fishing Charters Captain Bobby Kelly 251-747-3126 Hilton’s Realtime-Navigator Fish Finding Service Hiltonsoffshore.com
“If you’re into more of a full day kinda trip, we’ll be loading the live well with as many live cigar minnows as we can and heading offshore to depths
CCA AL Events Banquet Fundraisers will return Spring 2021 Until then, check our website for our online silent auctions and giveaways this month!
Show Your Support for Alabama’s Coastal Fishing & Marine Resources. All proceeds from your TAX DEDUCTIBLE purchase are used for marine conservation in Coastal Alabama.
For more info on the events or CCA Alabama www.ccaalabama.org 251-478-3474 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 69
Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
Steve Kronshagen from Wisconsin and his first pompano from the surf in April.
“Most anglers fishing between the beach and longshore sandbar will be targeting pompano this month.” HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL Shore-bound anglers eagerly await the myriad of fishing options that April offers. As coastal water temperatures rise into the 70s this month, a host of fish species from baitfish, to pan fish, and even trophy class fish invade the surfzone and near-shore zone. These include resident whiting, pompano, along with the other non-migratory species. We can also expect growing numbers of pelagic (migratory) species like spanish mackerel, up to trophy sized king mackerel and cobia.
BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
With all those possibilities, it is often difficult for anglers to remain focused on a single target species. Another reason many dedicated from-shore fishermen carry several rods rigged different ways in their cart. Groups of folks with similar pursuits stretch along the white sandy beaches as well as the coastal piers along the Emerald Coast. Fortunately, with such an abundance of fish and venues, there is usually plenty of room
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for everyone to spread out and find the fish of their dreams. PANHANDLE PIER POUNDING This pursuit is especially evident on the Florida Panhandle piers from Panama City Beach to Pensacola this month as cobia fishermen line the east facing rails with hopes of landing cobia (ling). They wait and watch the clear green water for any glimpse of these large brown migrating gamefish that may top 100 pounds. Cobia often follow the longshore sandbar along this stretch of coastline in the spring, and afford even boatless anglers the chance to catch one. Or at least cast to one with 9 or 10 foot medium heavy to heavy class spinning tackle and brightly colored 3 ounce jigs. These are a dead giveaway of the intended target species. Anglers throwing cigar minnows or other natural baitfish from the south end of the piers, mix in with those casting large diving
FISHING OUTLOOK plugs in hopes a fast striking king mackerel will grab their offering. Spinning tackle in the 15 to 20 pound class on seven to nine foot rods can be as simple or specialized as the angler wishes, and can afford. Other folks, fishing around the longshore sandbar typically target spanish mackerel with medium class spinning tackle in the 10 to 15 pound range on seven or eight foot rods. Their needs are often dictated by what they throw to tempt the passing mackerel schools. Spanish mackerel will attack most any fast moving lure that looks like a fleeing three to four inch long bait fish or squid. For this reason, small diving plugs, shiny spoons and ½ to ¾ ounce jigs seem to work quite well this month. The popular Bubble rigs will gain more favor later in the season as the water warms a bit more, and baitfish run nearer to the surface more often. Most anglers fishing between the beach and longshore sandbar will be targeting pompano this month. April is prime time for this favorite inshore species, as they gather in the longshore trough into large prespawn schools. Pompano average about 1 ½ pounds, but three pounders are not uncommon, and they may occasionally reach twice that weight. That may be why many anglers use medium class spinning tackle in the 8 to 15 pound range. Some even use surf type gear with longer rods and double drop rigs in order to reach farther from the pier. Set rigs (double drop rigs) with brightly colored floats or beads are most effective when the surf is rough and the water is a bit dingy, but a large number of pier anglers like to jig for pompano, especially when the water is clear and they can sight-cast them. Many throw a pink or yellow ½ or ¾ ounce leadhead jig and “bounce” it off the bottom. Others like the brightly colored weighted banana jigs partnered with a small fly on a loop knot, commonly called a Goofy jig, or Silly Willy. These can be quite effective when the pompano get a bit skittish or line shy, especially when the jig is tipped with a sandflea, or small piece of shrimp and dragged along the bottom. It sure is a great way to cover more sea bottom too. The down side may be that mackerel and bluefish also like jigs, and their sharp teeth can make short work of light leader line. Jacks love that jig action too. Blue runners (hardtails) and ladyfish (skipjacks) usually invade the surfzone in late April when the water temperature is sustained above 75 degrees. Though a lot of fun on light or even medium class tackle, they are not usually the intended target for anglers more intent on pompano. And they can wreck a lot of terminal rigs in the meantime. Both species are quite edible though, and are gaining popularity as table fare in sync with their fighting ability and world-wide appeal. GO WEST, YOUNG MAN Farther west, the Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores Alabama historically offers gulf anglers a unique blend of inshore and near shore fishing options. Though with the southern 475 feet or so of the pier out of commission, Bama pier fishers are pretty much restricted to the inshore options for now. Still, the addition of catching speckled trout will keep many anglers otherwise occupied. Also, plenty of pompano are caught from this pier. Many of those will be incidental catches for anglers using live shrimp to target trout. SURF INTO SPRING Surf fishing anglers along the eastern side of the Emerald Coast primarily target pompano with long rods and set rigs from the beach. Sandfleas (mole crabs) should become more active and abundant in the swash zone as temperatures rise, and they make great natural bait. But anglers using pieces of fresh dead shrimp to mimic them often do as well, or even better with pompano along with a growing host of bycatch species. Especially when the offering is made in conjunction with a piece of orange Fishbites. That combination looks so much like a
sandflea with a clutch of eggs that fish just can’t resist munching it! Also, as waters warm, wading options open up for anglers intent on jigging for their pompano. Seven to nine foot medium action spinning gear in the four to eight pound class is ideal for this type of fishing when the surf is running less than three feet. This method certainly allows anglers to explore more area and pinpoint locations that attract and hold pompano. Other fish certainly bite the jigs as well, at times outnumbering the intended species. West of Mobile Bay, most wade fishermen have their mind set on plugging for speckled trout in the surf. When the surf is fairly calm and the water fairly clear, speckled trout roaming the surfzone can be caught on a variety of lures. Topwater plugs work some days, but many anglers prefer to use subsurface hard lures that mimic finger mullet and small sardines (LYs) or menhaden. MirrOlure’s MirrOdine is a popular example of them. Bycatch with this method includes redfish, bluefish and ladyfish (late in the month). And of course a jack crevelle could show up at any time to inhale the offering. Still, most anglers are content to try wade fishing with medium class spinning tackle in the 8 to 12 pound class on seven to seven and a half foot rods. Even jetty and pier fishermen can get in on the trout action by using live shrimp, freelined or pinned under a float. With so many viable options for from-shore fishermen to choose from this month, it leaves little doubt that there is something for everyone this month. Just watch the weather forecast, and plan your fishing time around the occasional front that may slip into the area. Otherwise we can expect smooth sailing into spring, as we enjoy our great days outdoors!
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REGIONAL FRESHWATER Fishing Outlook BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
A pretty girl and a big bassperfect photo subjects.
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FISHING OUTLOOK
FLORIDA WATERS
WAKULLA/ WACISSA RIVERS Long time area angler Bill Goodroe of Wilderness Way in Shadeville, Florida advised anglers that both of these lovely spring-fed rivers will be very good for post spawn bass fishing in April.
“The bass are off the beds now, but they will be feeding,” he said. For anglers who go after truly big bass, the Wacissa River down toward Goose Pasture is home to some very big-ten pound plus bass. Last year, a fifteen-pound bass was taken in April from the Wacissa. Both the Wakulla and the Wacissa hold good populations of feisty Suwanee bass, the Florida equivalent of smallmouth bass, and these little battlers are a lot of fun to catch. Bass anglers will want to throw frogs and speed worms for the big bass, and early and late in the day Zara Spooks are very good for the topwater bite. Panfish will be on fire in April. Bream of all kinds will rise to dry flies, poppers, and foam body bugs. Live bait will always work. Goodroe said that they’re all over the place in April. Anglers are reminded that Wilderness Way runs chartered guided fishing trips, and these trips are the best way to learn the better fishing spots on the rivers, and how to fish the spring-fed streams. LAKE TALQUIN “The bass will still be spawning in places and the post-spawn pattern will be good. There will be shad spawning by then in the shallows,” says Jeff DuBree of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin. “Jerk baits matched to the small size of the shad fished around shallows will be very good in early mornings. Any of the lake’s shallows can hold great bass in April,” Bream will be very good in April. Bluegill will be spawning heavily and anglers using crickets and worms can fill an ice chest. DuBree recommends anglers try small Beetle Spins in black with gold spinners for great bream action. Some big redears will be caught in April in deeper water, 8-10 feet around sandy humps in the main lake. Catfish will be quite good in April for anglers who use stinkbaits.
ALABAMA WATERS
MILLER’S FERRY “It’s all going to be wide open. Everything will be in full-blown spring patterns,” says Joe Dunn of Dunn’s Sports in Thomasville. For bass anglers that means they’ll want to work the banks at Miller’s Ferry using spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and chatterbaits. Anglers can’t go wrong if they use white and chartreuse, white and blue, and Dunn’s favorite spinnerbait color combination, white and gold. Bass anglers can also find good bass by flipping jigs in the growing grass mats. Crappie anglers will also want to be looking at shallow water. Crappie will be on the spawning grounds in the shallows, and anglers can work the banks with live minnows under floats. Dunn says that vertical jigging around the stumps will produce lots of slabs in April- look in four to six feet of water. Catfish will be hot too. All of the shallow flats will have catfish in April and
jugs with one to foot long lines will work well. For best catfish catching, fresh cut shad will be the best bait. For best fishing regardless of the target, anglers will want to concentrate on the sloughs such as Gold Mine, Marina Slough, and Hog Pen Slough where the water will warm faster than the rest of the lake. LAKE WILSON/PICKWICK “We’ll have a potentially wider range of water temperatures this month. Water temperatures will begin in the low to mid 50’s and by month’s end should reach the 70-degree mark. Catfish will start migrating into the mouth of the deeper sloughs early this month.” says Tennessee River fishing guide Captain Brian Barton. Mouths of major creeks like Shoal, McKernan, Six Mile, and Big Nance will all hold staging fish this month. In the main lake fish should concentrate along the base of bluff lines relating vertically to blow downs and chunk rock where present. Some fish will always be on or near the bottom, but look for fish to start suspending in the water column as the water warms throughout the month. A good way to catch these cats is to use a 2/0 or 3/0 Mister Twister weighted worm hook to medium heavy action spinning tackle and bait with shad, skipjack, or chicken livers and cast toward bluff and allow to slowly fall to the bottom. If live crayfish can be found they are deadly for big blue cats fished this way. Tops and just off the river ledges will be good spots to target. The mouths of Indian, Second, and Bear Creeks will hold plenty of catfish this month. Look for these fish in anywhere from 15 to 35 feet of water. On the upper end of Pickwick, near the dam look for concentrations of cats behind wing walls and rock piles that run horizontally along the lake. The barge canal below the dam is an excellent place to fish late in the month. “Last year during the last weekend of April, we took 47 cats on jugs in less than 5 hours,” Barton said. “For those who like to jug fish, set jugs 8 to 12 feet deep and bait with shrimp, shad gut, or cut bait. The gravel bar at Pond Creek will load up with spawning channel catfish this month. To target these fish, anchor upstream and along the edge of the gravel bar.” LAKE EUFAULA Captain Sam Williams from Hawks Guide Service predicted that the bass will be found near brush piles on the river edges, and anglers will need to look for grass growing rapidly. Soft plastics rigged Carolina style and lipless crank baits will pull these bass in. Bass will be found in good groups near the mouths of creeks, and the hydrilla should be growing and creating thick mats of vegetation which will hold better bass. Anglers should look for the fresh green color, and if this new grass is near other structure, such as blowdowns or old lily pad stems, it deserves some time and attention. The catfish bite will be getting very good in April when the whisker fish will be going to the spawning beds. Live bait or big chunks of cut bait will work either on rod and reel or jug fishing. “They’ll be up in creeks and look for them in weeds and pads,” he said. “A little caution is in order when pulling on jug lines which seem to have big catfish on them.” For some white bass and hybrid action, anglers can use lipless crank baits and spinner baits in silver or white colors near creek and river channels where the fish will either be heading upstream to spawn or downstream back to the main lake body after they’ve completed spawning. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // APRIL 2021 73
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
April will also see bream of all kinds starting their annual move to shallow water for bedding. Try live bait fished on the bottom around shoreline cover for April bream action. LAKE WEISS “Locating the new growth water vegetation is a matter of high priority for anglers looking for the best bass fishing. If you can find some fresh green- a mix of old and new grass- find the grass with the yellow-tipped flowers- the bass like that better,” advised veteran Lake Weiss Captain Lee Pitts, of Lee Pitts Outdoors. Spinner baits, jigs in 3/8 oz. weights or soft plastic lizards will all work well in the springtime grass. For the spinner baits, go with white or white/chartreuse colors, and just slow roll it across the bottom. Another good April technique is to let the spinner bait sink, and then slowly hop it back. When the spinner bait reaches the end of the grass, just let it “die” and sink. Often the bass will take it as it falls toward the bottom. Jig colors which work well on Weiss bass are black and blue, and green pumpkin colors. The Zoom Super-Chunk is a very good addition to the jig. Pitts emphasized that Location is important in April. The better fish will be way in the backs of pockets,” he said. Weiss is famous for its crappie fishing, and April is a great month to get in on the crappie bite. Crappie will be shallow around brush piles, piers, and stump rows. They will be spawning the whole month, so the fishing and catching will be hot if the fish can be located and the angler puts the right bait before them. Lots of two to two and half pound crappie will be located and caught in April.
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“We like to throw a cork with a jig under it. A Southern Pro jig in 1/32 oz weight in dark colors such as black/chartreuse and grape and chartreuse are great on cloudy days,” Pitts said. “On brighter days we’ll go with black and red, blue/sour grape, and white/chartreuse colors.” Fishing the cork and jig combination for big slabs is pretty easy if you don’t like to work too hard and too fast. “Throw the jig with a three-foot leader. Ease it eight to ten inches and stop. Let it swing and try to shake it under the jig. Work this rig near cover,” PItts advised. “Most all flats on Weiss have stumps, holes, something that’s holding the fish. Find the structure and you’ll find the fish so keep working these spots.”. MOBILE DELTA Over at Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service Captain Wayne Miller advises anglers going on the massive Mobile Delta keep track of conditions and take notes. ““In the Delta, pay attention to the water level. Keep a log book of some kind to note water levels and fishing results. Then you can come back in a later year and have a good idea of how to start. It’s critical to pay attention to the river stages. The Mobile radio station gives river stage information every week,” Miller said. Miller tells us that on most years, the Delta sees waves of spawning fish, so in April, there will still be some fish spawning and other fish post-spawn. A lot of bass will be up in shallow water in April, and they’ll stay there for quite a while after the spawn is done. According to Miller, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, swim jigs, chatterbaits all work well, but blade baits are the most common lure thrown in April. Anglers are advised to match the size of the spinnerbait to the baitfish present- and this means the spinner may need to be quite small. If the water is still high and stained, a larger, noisier spinner may work better. A little hint- a spinnerbait with a red blade can work very well in April. “In April, it’s a matter of trial and error. You may need to change color and size of the lure to find what the bass want. Size can be very important,” Miller added. LAKE GUNTERSVILLE “Fish the sloughs off the main river and the shallow flats off the main rivers. The Goose Pond Marina area and the Mud Creek areas are both very good for April bass,” predicted Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service
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Bass in Guntersville will often make a bed under the grass mats as protection and cover. This can help anglers locate bedding fish. Any green grass needs to be worked, lizards, worms, chunks, creature baits - all will work when they are dropped into or below the green grass. Try the soft plastics as trailers for jigs in 3/8 to ½ oz weights. Black/blue and peanut butter and jelly (purple with brownish streaks) are good colors for the bedding bass. Rattle-L-Traps in red colors if murky water and Texas Shad patterns if clear will work well. Crappie anglers looking for good slab action will find crappie on the beds on flats, and they will often be in the same general area as the spawning bass.
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” I’ll find flats with crappie spawning, and the bass will be eating the crappie,” Davis said.
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
Important Contact Information Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL
April is when the bream fishing on fly rod gets very good.
It’s totally possible for anglers to fish the crappie for a good mess of fine-eating slabs, and then fish big silver crank baits or spinner baits on the edges of the crappie beds to catch some big bass which have been dining on the crappie. To catch the crappie, try live minnows or small plastic-body jigs worked very slowly across the bedding areas. Bream anglers should start to find bluegills and redears moving into shallower water, and don’t be surprised if bream start to show up while anglers are working crappie beds. Bream will take small crappie jigs, but crickets and red worms fished on light tackle will work best. SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop on the Sipsey Fork tells us that April should begin some of the best fly fishing of the entire year. “Good caddis fly hatch usually, but it’s all dependent on the weather. Anglers need to watch the weather and look for days that are not too humid and are calm and cloudy- these are the best dry fly fishing days,” Jackson said. Last year, the Sipsey Fork had some great fly hatches all summer from April to August. When the bugs are not hatching off, anglers can use subsurface nymphs like the classic Hare’s Ear in sizes 14 to 16 for good results. For those anglers who have not mastered a fly rod yet, lots of Sipsey Fork rainbows can be caught on ultra-light spinning gear. Four-pound test line on the ultra-light rig is needed, and fluorocarbon line works best. ”Use a tiny swivel with a light leader and a fly. Put a tiny lead above the swivel and a float above that. The fly moves through the water naturally,” Jackson said. Skipjacks may very well be up the river near the dam in April, and they are a blast on light tackle. Anything tiny, shiny lure or fly will work for the jumping skipjacks. Anglers can expect to find nine-inch rainbows quite often, and there are some fine twenty-inch hold over rainbow trout downstream.
Captain Sam Williams Hawks Guide Service 334-687-0400 Brandon Jackson/ Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 Riversideflyshop.com Captain Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.leepittsoutdoors.com Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0960 brianbartonoutdoors.com Captain Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 msbassguide@comcast.net Jeff DuBree Whipperwill Sportsman’s Lodge Lake Talquin 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 Millewa2000@yahoo.com Bill Goodroe Wilderness Way 850-877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, FLA 32327
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MOON & FEED TIMES
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FLORIDA TIDE CHARTS
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MISSISSIPPI TIDE CHARTS
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Pensacola Motorsports
TROPHY
Cristy Brantley and her jack that was “lit up”.
You didn’t see it coming. Neither did the fish.
ROOM
Brian Taunton brought this beautiful example of a speckled Hind up from the deep.
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©2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. Carefully read the operator’s guide and safety instructions. Observe applicable laws and regulations. Always wear appropriate protective clothing, including a personal flotation device and wetsuit bottoms. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. See your authorized BRP dealer for details.
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Photo of the Month! Simply share your great day outdoors with us!
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PHOTO of the MONTH Congrats to Craig Brantley on a beautiful Whitetail.
Emma Kate Golson posing with her Dad, Michael Golson’s turkey that he harvested in 2020.
This King Mackerel proved to be almost as tall as Lamar Landreth.
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KID'S CORNER
TROPHY ROOM 1
ST
Bass
Ryan Walker Long’s first bass ever. 7 lbs 11 oz caught in Conecuh County, Al.
Clayton Kilpatrick, 14, shot this 9 pt with a 6.5 Creedmoor in December, 2020 on private property in Walker Co, AL.
Raelynn Bosarge with her 27” speck caught in Mobile Cayton Garmon shot this 7pt when he was 11
1
ST
Deer
Wyatt Lee when he was 7, shot his first deer with a crossbow at 33 yards
Brady Conner 8 and Carson Conner 10 with their redfish at Dauphin Island Lighthouse.
Give us your best shot!
Send your submission to info@greatdaysoutdoors.com. Submitting a photo does not guarantee that it will be published. We cannot give any guarantees on when a photo will be published. Please include: child's full name, age, mailing address, and any details. We need to know when, where, size (weight, points, etc.), shot or caught with what and any other meaningful information, like first time, etc.. CONTRIBUTIONS WITHOUT THIS INFO WON’T BE PUBLISHED.
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April Fishing Tips
FISHING TIP
BY WILLIAM KENDY
Ghost shrimp can be “sucked” out of the sand are a top pompano bait.
If your goal is to catch pompano in the surf, far and away the more favored bait is the Emerita, the mole crab and more commonly called a sand flea. This prehistoric decapod crustacean is an expert at burrowing tail first in the sand in a matter of seconds and hangs out in the “swash” portion of the surf where an incoming wave has broken up. They have feathery antennaes which they use to filter plankton from the wave. They normally are between ½ to one inch long and form colonies in the swash zone. They remain slightly buried under the wet sand and every few minutes as a wave recedes, they stick out their antennas to collect debris. When they do that, as the water empties back their antennas creates a “V” shape which pinpoints the location of a colony. It takes a little practice to distinguish a sand flea “V” from the “V” of a shell or stone. You can catch them by hand or even with a colander, strainer or long handled net. Most people used a rake which can be had at Walmart’s or bait shops for about $20.00.
Once you spot a colony just stand in the dry sand above it and wait for the next wave and once it starts draining back just run your scoop through the colony. You have to be quick because if they feel or sense you, they will burrow deeper. Obviously, live sand fleas are more effective than dead ones and you can keep them alive for a couple of days by changing the sand and water. They can be blanched and frozen for use down the road. While sand fleas are the most popular, a possibly even more attractive natural live bait is the Ghost Shrimp. For more info on targeting the highly productive Ghost shrimp, see David Thornton’s article on the Great Days Outdoors website at https://greatdaysoutdoors.com/ghost-shrimp-pump/. Happy Sand Flea and Ghost Shrimp Hunting.
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A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
Overcoming the Opening Day Jitters for you.
BY JIM MIZE
Start with your shotgun. Begin by taking it apart, cleaning the inside of the barrel and all the internal working parts to an oily sheen. Then, cover the outside with camo tape. As a finishing touch, try to figure out why you want the inside to look like a million bucks while you cover the outside with two dollars worth of tape.
Christmas morning always arrived after my brother and I spent the night whispering until we fell asleep just before dawn. The opening day of turkey season comes much the same way except now my brother usually breaks it up by saying, “Why are you calling me at three in the morning?”
Next, check your shells. Don’t just count them, but select a few at random, open them up for a quality control check, and count the pellets, too. This has absolutely no practical purpose except that it is as soothing as counting sheep and assures you that you’re not shooting blanks.
The truth is, in addition to the excitement, I always feel like I’m forgetting something. If I go to bed early, I stare at the ceiling, picturing the morning routine, at least where it begins right after my brother hangs up.
Now it’s time to hone your camo skills. Practice by grease painting the dog. This alone can take most of the evening if he is large or doesn’t want to look like Sylvester Stallone groomed him for a Mighty Dog commercial. This step has extra benefits in case you let him out and his barking wakes the neighbors. I figure if they can’t see him, how do they know he’s yours?
So instead, I stay up a little longer finding ways to relax and reassure myself that I’m ready. For years I tried making a list, only to discover frantically just before dawn that I’d lost it. I even attempted to put the list somewhere I’d be sure to find it in the morning. This approach really backfired. That happened when I decided to pin the list to my hunting clothes, something I’d not leave home without. I didn’t find it until I walked out of the men’s room at the truck stop with a piece of paper stuck to the seat of my pants. Very few responses seemed suitable to the questions yelled my way, topped off when a saucy waitress asked, “You have to read directions?” So I’ve since come up with a series of steps to unwind and overcome the opening day jitters. By the time I’m done, I’m as relaxed as a yard chicken on a vegetarian’s farm. Maybe some of these ideas will work
Next, arrange your clothes by the door in the exact order you plan to put them on. Practice dressing and time yourself so you know how early to get up. You can also stuff them and set them on the couch to look like you’re sitting there with a shotgun across your lap. If it’s really late when you do this, check the bathroom mirror to be sure the right dummy’s going to bed. If you do stuff a dummy and have a burglar alarm, don’t worry about turning it on. Any cat burglar who sneaks into a house with a dummy holding a shotgun will go straighter than a Nevada desert highway. To be ready for the morning, go ahead and load the coffee pot. Measure the grounds and fill the pot with water. Just don’t drink any during the evening or you’ll be wired up like the White House Christmas tree.
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Also, if it’s late, you may as well put bread in the toaster and set the butter and jelly at the front shelf in the fridge. In case you forget to eat, leave your spouse a note that you made her breakfast. That way, she’ll think you were considerate rather than senile. Remember to check the date on your hunting license to be sure it’s not expired. Then put it back in your wallet and put the wallet in the hunting pants the dummy’s wearing. Just don’t leave him with any extra cash. By now, you should be winding down. To refresh your memory in case it’s been a while since you actually heard a turkey, get on YouTube and listen to turkey call videos. Just for kicks, set up a turkey decoy and sweet talk it, preferably with a call. Otherwise your spouse may wake up and get the wrong idea. Now that all your gear’s ready, give your transportation one final check. There’s nothing worse than getting up and finding your battery’s dead. If you have a gauge you can take a quick read, or if not, you can test it by confirming your accessories work. If you do this with the horn after midnight, you and the dog both had better be in full camo. Finally, with all these loose ends tied up like a ball of yarn in a kitten box, synchronize every clock in your house with special attention to your alarm clock. As you lie in bed trying to nod off, help yourself along by trying to calculate what time Hawaiian turkey hunters will be getting up. Actually, I did this and concluded it would be the same time as you unless they’re hunting in Hawaii. JIM MIZE is still trying to get the grease paint off his dog. You can find his award-winning books of outdoor humor at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.
Ron Davis
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