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YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY applies to qualifying purchases of Suzuki outboard motors sold and delivered to the retail purchaser, for pleasure (non-commercial) use only, from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. See Suzuki Limited Warranty for additional details. Suzuki, the “S” logo, and Suzuki model and product names are Suzuki Trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2021 Suzuki Marine USA, LLC. All rights reserved.
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HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
8
16
26
CONTENTS
Coyote Hunting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 by John E. Phillips Selecting The Best Pier Fishing Rod. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 by David Thornton Late Season Hunting or Scouting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 by Josh Honeycutt Best Marine Electronics 2022. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 by David Strickland Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 by John E. Phillips Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 by Frank Sargeant Cold Water Bass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 by Ed Mashburn Building a Cabin - Step 1 Creating a Budget . . . . . . 46 by William Kendy Land Loan Interest Rate Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Great Days Outdoors
In Every Issue
32
4 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
40
Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Hank Shaw New & Cool Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Charles Sykes Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by Ed Mashburn Coastal Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Chris Vecsey Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 by David Thornton Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 by William Kendy A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 by Jim Mize
Spring Creek Timber and Hunting Investment
Divisible Waterfront Patsaliga Creek Timber & Hunting Investment
Sumter County, Alabama, 908+/-Acres
The Spring Creek tract is well-suited as both a timber and hunting/recreational property. The area boasts some of the finest deer and turkey hunting in Alabama! From a timber standpoint, the tracts offers fantastic diversity and a staggered pine plantation age class that offers a regular, consistent future income potential. The gently rolling topography makes this a wet weather logging tract, providing the next owner with the opportunity to maximize their return on their timber investment. Additionally, the property is ready to hunt now and features a robust improved road network and food plots already in place. Spring Creek offers a vital water source for wildlife. It is located only 15 minutes from Livingston, which is a short drive to grocery shopping, restaurants, and more. It is a two hour drive to Birmingham and one hour to Tuscaloosa.
Crenshaw County, Alabama, 276+/-Acres
This waterfront timber and hunting investment near Luverne brings a lot to the table. It has 2.7+/- miles of frontage on Patsaliga Creek, a wide year round creek, 1.7+/- miles of county road frontage, utilities nearby, multiple food plots, several natural duck ponds, and diverse & mature timber that includes 162+/acres of 23-25+/- year old pine plantation and 86+/- acres of mature hardwood. This area is known for fantastic deer, turkey, duck, and dove hunting, and this property has it all and more. Feasible divisions may be considered.
Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Bibb Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler Calhoun Cherokee Cherokee
ACRES 114 110 710 518 113 39 20 1331 5 653 573 395 368 284 211 67 37 36.9 25 2436 92 406 394.47 151.05 1.4 16.33 2
COUNTY Cherokee Chilton Chilton Chilton Chilton Chilton Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Cleburne Coffee Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Covington Covington
0.3 34 16 4.16 2.88 2.55 175 1450 620 176 80 66.42 65 169 117 78 49.8 18.84 18 0.28 119 74 31 1 55 730 360
ACRES
Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw Crenshaw Crenshaw Cullman Dale Dale Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin
0.86 0.84 0.79 276 81.66 75.44 117 115 104 27 740 179 130 94 63 194 163 62 36.44 50 484 344 260 235 142 88 40
Geneva Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Henry Henry Henry Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Jackson Jackson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar
228 37 8 6 350.2 297 150 80 53.2 115 76.3 18 17 15 295 261 160 93 54 80 60 256 202 122 373 202 92
COUNTY
ACRES
Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe
160 102.69 75 55.35 25 60 1.4 1.4 1.4 0.67 783 656 306.6 40 4 483 289 585 451.21 25 81 1800 399 260 200 192 191
COUNTY Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby
250 150 116 91 24 610.57 398.31 270.21 240.75 240 356 260 180 121 80 9.2 585 304 281 128 67 60 133 87 75 74 64
Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Winston Winston Winston
ACRES 2151 1282 908 640 630 250 125 112 93 15 800 600 525 500 393 140.27 115 95.91 1320 640 430 280 213 522 213 81 2.3
FL Panhandle Listings
COUNTY
Calhoun Washington
ACRES 30 133
Over 700 more tracts across 47 states available...
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR FEBRUARY These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
GET OUTFITTED FOR PIER FISHING
I am relatively new in the salt water fishing game. Coming from pretty much a Midwest freshwater fishing background, fishing the Gulf, bays and bayous in the Panhandle was all Greek to me, especially pier fishing. In his article, “Selecting the Best Pier Fishing Rod”, David “Pierpounder” Thortnon shares his experience with advice, especially for pier fishing beginners, as to what you should think about before you invest in a pier fishing rod. One of the things that he advises against doing is buying equipment that is too stout and heavy for the target “THE most common mistake I have observed in over four decades of watching anglers fish these piers (especially for the first time) is they employ tackle (rods) too heavy for the job,” Thornton said. Makes sense. Read the article for more tips.
VOLUME 26 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2022
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 CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
You’ve hunted that elusive whitetail buck of your dreams all season and so far, you have come up empty. You are competing with numerous other hunters and pressured mature whitetails didn’t get mature by being stupid. These have changed their patterns and habits to avoid being hung over the fireplace.
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING Jarod Bosarge
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.
Don’t get all bummed out and throw in the towel. Just remember that good things come to those who wait, especially those who do their scouting and wait in the right places at the right time.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046
Josh Honeycutt, in his article “Late is Great: Late-Season Deer Hunting Hotspots” in this issue identifies what he considers to be the key factors for successful later season deer hunting. His main points are the best food, the best bedding, the best locations (he gets specific) and other considerations.
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.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A MILLION BUCKS?...FISHING
Who doesn’t want to win a million dollars? Probably the first thing that comes to mind is winning the lottery but in this case two young men won a million dollars plus each one also received a free 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup truck and a Nitro fishing boat…all for fishing. Logan Parks of Birmingham and Tucker Smith from Auburn won the 2021 Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Fishing Championship at Table Rock Lake on Missouri’s White River split a cool million dollars. They weighed in a limit of five bass that totaled 16.44 pounds to capture first place. For all of the details read “Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing” by John Phillips.
6 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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.
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Southeastern Pond is a proud sponsor of
Logan Parks
“Growing up in southeast Alabama, I was blessed with parents who appreciated the outdoors, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to spend most of my childhood outside in mother nature. I developed a passion for fishing at a young age, spending time with my grandad on the pond at his farm learning new lure techniques and valuable life lessons. With the opportunity to now do what I love for a living, looking back on a successful high school and college fishing career, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it weren’t for my grandad and his farm pond. I owe it all to them.”
888.830.7663 INFO@SEPOND.COM SEPOND.COM
Congratulations!
888.830.7663 INFO@SEPOND.COM Million-dollar fish, million-dollar smiles, as Auburn University students SEPOND.COM Logan Parks and Tucker Smith snag the biggest payout in bass fishing history and celebrate the US Open Championship.
From left to right: John Paul Morris, Logan Parks, Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, Tucker Smith and Bob Carter, Executive VP of Sales, Toyota North America. (Bass Pro Shops photo)
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 7
Coyotes not only destroy and eat turkey eggs, they also kill and eat poults and hens sitting on their nests. 8 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Coyote Hunting Manage Predators Now
BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
Bridge the end of deer season and the start of turkey season by having fun hunting predators. You can have more turkeys to hunt by removing predators now. For many years, Alabama has enjoyed long turkey seasons and liberal bag limits. However, recent research has indicated that one of the main reasons for the declining turkey population in Alabama and many other southern states is that about 70% of the gobblers are harvested during the first week of turkey season. This fact results in fewer gobblers to breed the remaining hens and to replace the number of gobblers taken each season. Alabama’s 2022 turkey hunting season reflects these findings to enable more hens to be bred before hunters start harvesting gobblers. Hunters at Alabama’s WMAs and National Forests only can take one gobbler per hunter the first 10 days of turkey season. Alabama’s dates for turkey season in Zone 1, which covers most of the state, and in Zone 3, is March 25 – May 8, a season that starts later but continues into May. The starting turkey season dates for Zone 2 in northwest Alabama as well as some National Forests and WMAs will start on April 1 and be open through May 8, with morning hunting only. Some WMAs and the Bankhead National Forest will have a morning-only season that runs from April 8 – May 8. Although no one likes change, these regulations will positively impact Alabama’s turkeys with more hens bred, eggs laid and more poults produced that survive each year. Another key ingredient in the fight for more Bama turkeys is enacting some type of predator control measures. The fewer predators present on Alabama’s lands destroying turkeys’ nests, eating turkey eggs and killing young poults and hens on their nests, the quicker the turkey population will rebound on the lands we hunt. “I believe that harvesting nest predators greatly can increase the number of turkeys that Alabama turkey hunters have to hunt each season,” said Chris Westen, an avid turkey hunter from Gadsden. “On our hunting club, we intensively harvest turkey predators and nest predators each year before turkey season starts. We’ve witnessed no decline in our turkey population, since we’ve been doing that.” Managing properties for turkeys is much like managing land for deer with
two types of management – statewide management and private-land management. Alabama hunters already have determined that if they can improve the habitat, increase the amount of available food and not harvest young bucks, their lands will produce more and bigger bucks each season. When considering turkey management, habitat improvement also will increase the number of wild turkeys on a property. However, predator removal greatly will impact the number of turkeys a parcel of land can support, and the number of turkey poults that survive to maturity. “To have more turkeys, we need to get rid of predators,” emphasized Chuck Sykes, the director of the Wildlife Division of Alabama’s Department of Conservation. “When we talk about predators, especially on turkeys, we think about coons, possums, skunks, foxes and bobcats. However, don’t overlook feral hogs that eat ground-nesting birds’ eggs, destroy nests and kill turkey poults.” “Predator removal is much like cutting grass. You must do it every year to have a positive impact on other wildlife. If I were a private landowner, I’d trap raccoons and possums just before March to reduce their predator numbers before turkeys start going to their nests. To increase my deer herd, I’d trap coyotes and bobcats in August when fawns are being born,” he said. Sykes mentioned that he’ll be glad for anyone interested in trapping on state WMAs before turkey season to contact him. Two methods will help take predators effectively – calling and shooting and trapping. You can enjoy this hunting bridge from the end of deer season each year to the beginning of turkey season by calling predators. Check out https://www.outdooralabama.com/seasons-and-bag-limits/bobcat-coyoteferal-swine-and-fox-seasons to learn more about regulations and hunting these animals at night. Possums https://www.outdooralabama.com/seasonsand-bag-limits/opossum-season and raccoons https://www.outdooralabama. com/seasons-and-bag-limits/raccoon-season have no closed season statewide on private lands and may be hunted on public lands too. Be sure to check with the national forests about their rules. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 9
Coyote Hunting - Need and the Methoding Other Predators
Possums are a major threat to turkeys because they hunt and eat turkey eggs, destroying the next year’s crop of gobblers and hens.
PREDATOR CALLING FOR FOXES, RACCOONS AND BOBCATS+ In recent years, predator hunting has become much more effective in taking predators thanks to the electronic callers that give hunters more options. With a remote-controlled device, the hunter can activate calls, change calls, increase or decrease the calls’ volume and give the calls at any time. When you’re calling foxes, Gerald Stewart, of Waco, Texas, the owner of Johnny Stewart Game Calls, says, “The two main species of foxes are the red fox and the gray fox. The red fox is very cautious and shy and generally will circle the hunter one to three times before coming anywhere near him. Red foxes use their noses faster and more effectively than gray foxes do. The nature of a gray fox is to approach quickly and come straight into a spot. If he doesn’t find what he thinks he will, then the animal will circle downwind of you. This info enables you to know what to expect, how to set-up on each and how aggressively to call to a particular species.
One of the major predators on turkey nests is raccoons, and Alabama homes plenty of them.
“Raccoons are much like gray foxes. They’ll come to a spot, and then circle around you many times. A good rule of thumb is to remember the approximate length of time calling a predator takes – 10 minutes for a fox or a raccoon, 15 to 20 minutes for a coyote and 30 minutes for a bobcat. Bobcats will want to know what’s happening by determining that with their noses before they see what’s going on with their eyes,” Steward said. CONFESSIONS OF A CRITTER GETTER Michael Johnson of Plainfield, Georgia, hunts and traps predators on his land and the properties of his family and friends – 4,500- 5,000 acres. “Coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bobcats and possums were keeping turkey numbers down on our properties about 12 years ago, and we didn’t have many turkeys to hunt. We realized that these animals were all nest predators,” Johnson said. “I considered the raccoons and possums much more damaging to turkeys, since they might even kill turkeys on their nests. If a possum or a coon found a hen turkey holding tight on her nest no matter what, they’d kill and eat her too as well as her eggs and poults. So we made a strong effort to greatly reduce the numbers of their furbearers, and it’s worked.” Johnson and his family have been so successful in removing predators on their lands that turkey and deer numbers have rebounded quickly and Johnson and his family have been able to harvest more deer and turkeys each season. As neighbors have watched Johnson’s success, they’ve asked him to help remove predators off their properties each year. Like Johnson, these neighbors have seen increases in their turkey populations. That’s how Johnson got the name of “Critter Getter”. He harvests each year a large number of predators that
10 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Coyote Hunting - Need and the Methoding Other Predators
One turkey nest predator that many Alabamians have learned to hunt is the feral hog that are abundant throughout the state but especially in the southern half of the state and along all the major waterways.
previously have killed turkey poults, destroyed turkey nests and killed fawns by hunting and trapping predators before deer season and then again before turkey season. Johnson also has learned he can pattern critters like he patterns deer and turkeys. The classic example is where he located a spot to catch bobcats. According to Johnson, “In one year, we caught five bobcats out of the same trap placed in the same hole. The following year, we caught four more bobcats in that same trap. Year after year predators will return to some of the same places where you’ve hunted them successfully before or have caught them in traps. Predators are much like cockroaches and wild hogs – you can beat their numbers back, but you’ll never be completely rid of them.” CALLING TIPS * Al Morris of Springville, Utah, hunts all across the U.S. ”The coyote’s mating cycle usually takes place between mid-January through mid-March. The coyotes at this time of year are very territorial, and you can use the dominant male coyote call and the female ready-to-breed coyote call with great success,” Morris said. “Too, I enjoy using an electronic call in February, because I can put the electronic caller further away from me, and the predator won’t shy away by spotting me. February’s cold weather often makes using a mouth caller tough.” * Gerald Stewart of Waco, Texas, is the owner of Johnny Stewart Game Calls “I use a combination of different sounds from predators to call them in, instead of relying just on one sound. I like to use a coyote and a gray fox alternately. I’ll make a rabbit squeal and a coyote howl. I’m trying to create believable scenarios of a predator attacking its prey in the coyote’s mind. Using different sounds adds another element of believability to your calling,”
Stewart explained.. I’ll use a dying-rabbit call followed by a crow call and even put crow decoys up in a tree where I’m hunting predators for a visual clue. Often when you start calling predators, crows will begin responding too and come in where you are hunting.” “When a fox, a coyote or a fox hears a rabbit squeal or any type of animalin-distress call, that predator has more reason to believe that once it reaches the spot where it hears the animal in distress, it will see the animal. One of the mistakes many predator hunters make is they call too much and too loudly. The fewer calls a coyote hears, the more likely it is to come to the call,” he added. * Steven Reinhold of Polk, Ohio, is an avid predator hunter and alternates using Jackrabbit-in-distress and/or cottontail-in-distress calls. But he also chooses unusual calls for the predators he hunts. “I like to blow a blackbird-in-distress call and a pup-in-distress call, since predators love to eat birds and puppies. One of my favorite decoys is a small, round dowel rod that I tie a piece of string onto and a turkey feather on the other end. When the wind blows, the turkey feather moves and gives a coyote something to look at instead of me. I also will use a life-size coyote decoy, since coyotes are very territorial,” he said. ALABAMA REGULATIONS Gun hunters and archers can hunt wild pigs year-round on private lands and at night (July 1-Nov 1) on private lands. The state also has no bag limit for bobcats, coyotes, possums, raccoons and foxes. Check WMA rules for public-land hunting. Don’t sit at home anxiously awaiting turkey season after deer season ends. Enjoy hunting these predators in February that need to be taken off lands to increase the turkey numbers where you hunt.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 11
Light rods are great tools for shallow water pier fishing. Photo by Bob “FinChaser” Miller
12 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Selecting the Best
Pier Fishing Rod BY DAVID ‘PIERPOUNDER’ THORNTON
Pier anglers, or any angler for that matter, unfamiliar with the size and capabilities of their quarry, should gain some idea of what to expect from those fish. They would also do well to research the decision as to which rod would be best for the job they are intending. Along with a description or observations of the tackle most often used (or recommended) for their capture some species insight should give even an inexperienced pier angler a fairly good idea of what fish they may target based on the tackle they already have. All rods, like fishermen, are not built alike, nor are all pier fish. This is why many pier fishermen carry a variety of rods on their cart. Each rod has a specific purpose, or target fish in mind as it is added to their quiver. SIZING THINGS UP (OR DOWN) On any gulf beach pier on any given day and time, a majority of the fish likely to be encountered will not exceed five pounds in weight. Of those, most weigh less than three pounds, with the average fish landed on the pier often weighing a pound or less. THE most common mistake I have observed in over four decades of watching anglers fish these piers (especially for the first time) is they employ tackle (rods) too heavy for the job. In fact it would seem easier for even modestly experienced and equipped anglers to land larger fish than expected than the reverse, even from a pier. While it is not uncommon for pier fishers using light tackle (targeting one species) to inadvertently hook (and land) a larger fish of another species, this is a statistical exception to the rule. Quite often, even in such a situation, a patient angler with basic skills, proper equipment, and a little help can land a much larger fish than originally intended. Only rarely does the reverse scenario work to the advantage of the angler. Fish smaller than the targeted size have little opportunity
to properly account for themselves. And are often viewed only as nuisance by-catch to the angler. One size rod certainly does not fit all, nor do all anglers fit one size rod for all situations. Store-bought rods will have printed documentation to reference length, action, line class, and lure weights as recommendations for their range of use or description of capabilities. Just as it is unfeasible to use an ultralight bream combo to subdue a 100 pound tarpon, it is an exercise of “overkill” to employ a heavy tarpon combo to catch whiting or other small fish. In fact, using too heavy of tackle is often detrimental to getting the more numerous, smaller fish to bite, or feeling that bite and and it most certainly overpowers any sense of “a fair fight” with the unintended fish. Balancing tackle to the angler and quarry is essential to angling success and enjoyment, especially when fishing from a pier. Too many anglers are preoccupied with the concept any decent sized fish will try to break their line on a piling. When in fact, most fish are primarily concerned with just getting away from the pull toward the pier. Pier fish tend to come in four basic size ranges, as should the rods to specialize for them. Targeting common baitfish or panfish, weighing up to two or three pounds with rods six to seven feet long, rated “Light” or “Medium Light” (4 to 12 pound line) is an ideal match. “Medium” rated rods (8 to 17 pound line) work great for the widest variety of pier applications and species. Most of these fall in the seven to eight foot length, and are versatile enough for fishing set rigs (for pompano and whiting), small live or natural baits for spanish mackerel, “bonita” and other such fish up
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 13
Selecting the Best Pier Fishing Rod
An example of king rods built for pier fishing. Photo by Bob “FinChaser” Miller
to 10 pounds or so. Also, for throwing small baits or smaller jigs and plugs (½ to 2 ounce) for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, etcetera. “Medium Heavy” rods seven to nine feet long and rated for 15 to 30 pound line) are best suited for mid-sized gamefish like king mackerel, jack crevalle and “bull” redfish that fall into that line classification. “Heavy” rated rods eight or nine feet long in the 30+ pound classes are usually intended for targeting “big game” fish like cobia or tarpon. They are quite capable of casting jigs and large plugs a good distance from the pier, and have plenty of “backbone” for keeping these big fish away from pilings to seal the deal. The tradeoff is they weigh a good bit more than other rods. NARROWING YOUR CHOICES It is imperative for anglers to work within their reasonable budget 14 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
or other constraints such as travel necessities (two-piece or telescopic rods). Consequently, you will see quite a variety of tackle employed on the pier for the same purpose or intended species. Just because a rod (or reel) is more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it will catch more fish. Of course we tend to get what we pay for, so investing in quality, balanced equipment that will get the job done, and last a while is more important than saving a few dollars. The last thing you want is for a rod to fail to live up to your expectations of performance and success. Just choose your tackle wisely by considering the intended task (species). Determining a target species on any given day begins with the general availability of that species combined with the present conditions of water and weather in tune with the angler’s personal desire and tackle choices. An angler on the pier may choose to fish
Selecting the Best Pier Fishing Rod
for king mackerel in mid-January, but likelihood for success is nil because the conditions present preclude them being present. The flip-side of that might be an angler hoping to catch a king mackerel in mid-June, but fishing with a light spinning combo, or even with dead shrimp on the bottom. It most likely won’t work that way. The methods and tackle fishermen employ for presentation should be specific for the fish they are intent on catching in their time frame. Besides knowing the overall size of the species they will most likely encounter, it would serve a novice angler well to research the swimming style and endurance of their quarry and use that as a measuring stick to assess their rod as being capable or not. Again, seeking opinions and observations from more experienced anglers should help any angler “up his game” while shortening the learning curve. Another good thing about pier fishing is that most anglers will gladly share such knowledge. Usually the relative size and shape of the tail of a fish gives a good idea of how fast and far it swims. Basically, fish with a square or “truncate” tail are slower swimmers but can accelerate or turn quickly and often have endurance while the more forked the tail of a fish is, the faster and farther it generally swims. Your choice of which rod combo you want to fish with is a personal one whether that rod is bought off the rack, or custom made for the job. That point came up several times in my conversation with Obie Hill, a long time pal and well respected Panhandle fisherman/rod builder who lives in Pensacola Florida. Hill has fished the Panhandle piers and built over a thousand custom rods since the mid 1970s.
“Things with pier fishing sure have changed through the years,” Hill said. “The most common mistake I see pier anglers make is not choosing a ‘firm’ rod. I mean, sure everyone wants a rod with a sensitive tip for casting cigar minnows or LYs. But it has to have enough backbone to pull that fish away from a piling or shark, and lead it to the gaff.” We were speaking primarily about rods for king mackerel fishing (April through November), but this holds true for all levels of pier fishing line classes. Pier fishing has evolved a long way since the moderate action fiberglass rods of the 1970s. Most rods nowadays are graphite, and fast tapered. Many popular brands of rods and rod components have supply and shipping issues. So it may not be as easy to get exactly what you want, or need. Hill added, “The fish and the fishermen have evolved too. Fish migration patterns and availability have changed, as have the attitudes of a lot of anglers. For a while now, I have witnessed many young and new anglers over stress their rods (and reels) with too heavy of line,” he said. The angler’s thinking is they can just grab the spool and “lunk” a fish up to the pier without regard to the limitations of the reel drag pull, or rod line rating. Then they experience some type of failure, often a compression fracture of the rod. In conclusion, I would echo Obie Hill’s recommendation to interested pier fishermen to build their own rods as they get more into pier fishing and want to diversify their tackle. With all the internet resources and videos available online, it is really easy for pier anglers to get into rod wrapping so they may have even more pride in their equipment, and do the best they can do with it.
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Daylight deer movement drops off drastically during the late season, but it’s still possible to see them out in the open. (Honeycutt Creative photo)
16 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Late Season Hunting or Scouting Your game plan for scouting and hunting a big late-season buck. BY JOSH HONEYCUTT Late-season deer hunting is my second favorite time of year to hunt, just behind the early season. It’s a time when deer are beginning to congregate in areas where they still have access to the resources they need, such as quality bedding cover, food and water sources. This makes them more patternable, and with some effective scouting, finding, and targeting a late-season deer is certainly achievable. THE KEYS TO LATE-SEASON SUCCESS Certain things make the late season better or worse. To experience the former, deer hunters should focus on the most important factors that influence the quality of late-season deer hunting. The foremost factor is food. Finding the best, most palatable food sources remaining on the landscape is important. Wherever the food is, there the deer will also be. Next is bedding. Deer need quality bedding cover to evade hunters and other predators. Finding such areas is important, as deer will spend the bulk of daylight hours in and around these places. If such spots aren’t located on the properties you hunt, odds of seeing deer during legal shooting hours drop dramatically. Third, consider hunting pressure, and where deer have already been hunted hard. Unless great bedding or food sources abound here, they’ll likely abandon such places, or only visit them under cover of darkness. Of course, quality bedding areas and food sources look different from one to the next. Keep a look out for the following, and more. THE BEST FOOD Locating the best food sources around is the first step in scouting and hunting late-season deer. If good grub isn’t there, deer will certainly move to other areas, even if that means traveling great distances to relocate. Browse: Deer are what some refer to as browsers, but they’re best described as concentrate selectors. This means they eat the very best of the plant and not the entire thing. Of course, during the late season, there isn’t much lush growth to feed on. Therefore, they’re forced to consume woody browse, which makes up the bulk of their diet during the colder months. This can come in the form of many things, including tree buds, leaves, twigs, shrubs, grasses, tree bark, etc. While most of these aren’t packed with nutrients, it’s enough to keep them alive. Forbs: Deer gravitate to forbs (a herbaceous flowering plant) especially in the winter. These green plants remain so, even in winter, and deer gobble them up when other options are depleted. Ferns and other similar plant species are popular sources. Crops: While crops aren’t widely available in the South, where they exist, these are excellent late-season food sources. That said, don’t assume an ag field has
much to offer just because it’s there. Modern harvest equipment is very efficient, and less waste grain hits the ground each year. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check cut corn, soybean, sorghum, and other harvested fields. If you have access to standing crops, such as corn or beans, deer are certainly hitting it. Food plots: Those who planned and planted late-season food plots likely have solid food sources in these areas. Clover, oats, beets, turnips, radishes, and other fall and winter food plots offer much-needed nutrients to whitetails. That said, brassicas need cold weather to trigger the high glucose (sugar) levels within the plants. If you don’t receive sub-freezing temperatures, don’t plant these species. Bait: While it isn’t legal everywhere, baiting is another option where hunting regulations allow it. That said, it isn’t recommended to suddenly start feeding corn and other bait-related feeds if you haven’t already been doing so. A sudden change in a deer’s wintertime diet can negatively impact the digestive enzymes in their stomach compartments, which can be deadly. A sudden influx of corn and other baits can lead to the inability to digest the grub they intake, and deer can starve to death even with bellies full of food. THE BEST BEDDING Finding the best available bedding cover is the next step in a successful late season scouting and hunting mission. While food is the most important factor, you need good bedding cover nearby to see deer on their feet during daylight. Fortunately, deer can find good shelter in numerous places. These offer reprieve from the elements, and provide security advantages for detecting hunters and predators, too. Clear-Cuts: Deer prefer clear cuts and other timbered areas for two reasons. First, when trees are dropped after leaf fall, downed treetops with tree buds provide quality browse for deer to eat. Secondly, all the debris, and regeneration of young growth on the forest floor, both offer good bedding cover. CRP and CREP: Deer really like to bed in grassy habitat. CRP, CREP, and other similar habitat types are solid bedding, especially if dense and tall enough to provide the cover they need. Isolated Pockets: Isolated pockets of cover can be great late-season bedding, especially if overlooked by the bulk of hunters. These spots oftentimes aren’t heavily hunted, and deer pile into these small patches of shelter. Heavy Cover: Anything that’s too dense for humans to walk through is likely to harbor a good population of deer. This is increasingly true as it gets later in the season. Benches: Those who hunt in hill country will see just how hard it can be to traverse the terrain. While these deer certainly travel these areas, they prefer 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 17
Late Season Hunting or Scouting
Pressured, late-season deer often use water to their advantage, making marshes, oxbows, and swamps relatively safe bedding locations for deer. (Honeycutt Creative photo)
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18 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Late Season Hunting or Scouting
not to bed along steep slopes. Instead, they find flatter areas to bed down, and these oftentimes come in the form of benches. These can be found at low, mid, and high elevations along ridge lines. Leeward Ridges: Best described as the downwind side of a ridge, leeward ridges are great bedding locations. Pressured deer especially like these because the prevailing wind comes over the top from the back side of the ridge, thermals bring air drafts up from below, and so deer can smell danger from both directions. Ridge Endings: Deer like these for two primary reasons. First, it allows deer to detect danger from above and below. Only threats that come around the sides laterally are a threat. Secondly, deer have excellent escape routes if they do detect a threat. Outcroppings: In severe weather, some deer learn that having something over your head helps shield the elements. Overhangs and outcroppings with flat areas beneath them offer this. Deer primarily look for security from predators in a bedding location and having a rock wall to your back limits escape route options. Don’t immediately expect deer to always be here, but don’t overlook it, either. Some will use it. Oxbows: Deer enjoy the benefits of water, especially for safety. An oxbow, which is where a creek, stream, river, or lake makes a “U” shape, ultimately produces a peninsula of land. Deer like to bed at the tips of these with the water at their back looking inland. Rarely do predators come from the three water sides, but if they do, deer scoot out the mouth of the peninsula. If they come from land, deer dive off into the water and escape to the other side. Marshy Areas: Sticking with the water theme, deer bed down on dry spots within marshy areas. This sea of soupy water prevents a lot of hunters from accessing such areas. Deer know that and live there during daylight hours.
Swamp Islands: Once again, deer use water to their advantage. Swamps often have high ground. Whitetails will bed along these areas to find daytime security. Solar Bedding: Solar bedding is a bedding area that offers the most direct sunlight. Generally, in winter, these are the locations that receive the first sunlight of the day, and the most, too. That’s South- and Southeast-facing slopes. Thermal Bedding: Thermal bedding is an area with densely packed conifers, such as cedars, spruce, or pine. These trees shield deer from precipitation and wind, and even hold heat closer to the ground, oftentimes increasing the temperature by a degree or two. OTHER LATE-SEASON HOTSPOTS While the majority of late season scouting and hunting is driven by bedding cover and food sources, other factors play a role. Knowing what these areas can offer, and the advantages they provide to deer, are important things to remember. First, always follow the freshest sign. Deer don’t read the scripts we write for them, and sometimes they do things differently from what we expect. Being able to look for fresh sign and interpret it is a must-have skill. If you’re having trouble finding late-season deer, focus on the locations mentioned above, as well as any edge habitat you come across. These are areas where different habitat types meet, effectively creating an edge, or location where the landscape changes. Don’t forget about topographical features, either. Inside field corners along food sources can be great. So can funnels, pinch points, saddles, and other terrain types that pinch down the deer movement.
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Late Season Hunting or Scouting
Find the freshest deer sign, and you’ll likely find the deer. (Honeycutt Creative photo)
Staging areas are good to keep in mind, too. Generally located close to food sources, these are any place located between bedding and food that deer stop and hold up in until dark. Then, once they feel safe entering the open, they exit the staging area and begin feeding. These are excellent areas to see deer during daylight, especially if you don’t want to push any closer to bedding areas. Lastly, don’t forget about secluded water holes. Deer need water in winter, just like the other three seasons. That said, wintertime produces frozen water sources, which limits options. Plus, deer prefer not to walk out into the open to visit other sources. This leads to deer targeting small, secluded watering holes that remain open, even in sub-freezing temperatures. COMPOUND FACTORS Any of the locations mentioned above can be good hunting spots and when you find several of these within a small area, it’s likely even better, and deer are more likely to be there. Having at least one or two of the bedding areas mentioned and multiple food source options only improves the likelihood of deer living on the property. These compounding factors increase the odds of finding and killing a deer. Hunters should also know that certain things tend to spark additional daylight movement. Low hunting pressure, temperature swings (up or down, but especially large drops), light rain events, snowfall, optimal barometric pressures (30 and above), and moon position (overhead and underfoot, not moon phase), all seem to have a potential impact on movement, however great or small. All things considered, it’s hard work finding and killing late-season whitetails. But once you locate them, they’re generally very predictable. Patterning them becomes easier, making it possible to devise a high-odds plan of attack. Then, all that’s left is the easy part — pulling the trigger.
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www.advanced-transmission.com 20 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Late Season Hunting or Scouting
SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY & ECOLOGY
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Recipe by Kirstie Pike, founder and CEO of the clothing manufacturer Prios for Woman (www.proishunting.com) Image and recipe courtesy of Mossberg (www.mossberg.com)
Venison Stroganoff Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • •
1 lb. venison (or other wild game) cut into small cubes 1 large red onion, chopped 2 cups sliced mushrooms 1-2 tbsp minced garlic (determined by your own preference…I love a TON of garlic) 16 oz sour cream (light or regular both work fine) ½ cup red wine 1 pkg wide egg noodles 1 green onion, chopped Olive oil and butter Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste Red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat oil in a skillet. Lightly brown onions and mushrooms. Set aside when done.
2. Melt butter in a separate skillet. Brown meat to your We are located near Fort Morgan AL, in an untouched wild stretch of beach that will be immune from development. The site has witnessed centuries of history including the Battle of Mobile Bay as Admiral Farragut charged into the Bay with the iconic line “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”. That motto comes in handy on cold rainy mornings and when the winds get high!
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preference. Add garlic to the pan when nearly done to brown it as well. While the meat is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil. Add egg noodles and cook until tender. Remove and drain water from the noodles. Set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to meat and stir over medium heat. Add sour cream. Stir constantly until warm and slightly thickened. Add wine and continue stirring. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes to your personal preference. Serve stroganoff over a bed of egg noodles. Sprinkle chopped green onion over top. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 21
BEST MARINE ELECTRONICS 2022 BY DAVID STRICKLAND
A large console display, like this Garmin, makes navigation and finding fish an easier task
22 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
LIFESTYLE Have you thought about upgrading or adding to your boat’s electronics lately? Depending on what additions you decide to make, it can be quite an investment. Whether you fish fresh or saltwater from a kayak or a cabin cruiser, there are numerous choices concerning the brand, screen size, processing speed, and functionality. Recent innovations in displays have led to better performing, easier to use units, with an incredible amount of information at your fingertips. If you haven’t upgraded your sonar or radar in recent years, you’ll be genuinely astonished by this fantastic technology that costs a fraction of what it once did a few years ago.
auto-pilot, anchors, power poles, live wells, communications, onboard cameras, and even monitor the engines and adjust your stereo. The benefit of multiple displays is that you have access to all this information at each console. Most premium models even offer cloud storage, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity that allows monitoring and adjustments from your phone. So, how big of a screen do you need? Consider a 12” monitor for your console and no less than a 9” screen for the front display. Bigger is better when it comes to viewing small details on the screen.
Whether you’re outfitting a new boat with the latest gadgets or simply adding a sonar unit to your existing system, it’s a good idea to make sure that it’s compatible with your current setup and that your wiring is in good shape.
WHICH BRAND Garmin, Lowrance, Hummingbird, Raymarine, and Simrad are among the most well-known marine electronics manufacturers.
Your nearby West Marine might be a good place to gather information and see the latest products and trends in the marine industry. They have nearly 250 stores across the US so finding one shouldn’t be a chore.
Each company has decades of experience creating innovative products to keep boaters safer and put more fish in their live wells. In addition, each has incorporated newer technology once reserved for deep-sea vessels and the military.
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY The winter months are a great time to do a little research and figure out the best electronics upgrades for your boat, no matter your budget. Smartphones have influenced every facet of the electronics industry. Intuitive touchscreens and connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have made controlling the electrical gadgets in our house, car, and now our boats as easy as touching the screens on our phones. In the same way, the processing power and wireless connectivity of modern sonar displays show crisp 2D & 3D images of everything under and within a 360-degree radius of our boats. A great benefit of this integrated connectivity is that installation has become much more manageable. In addition, with wireless communication between onboard units, less wiring is needed, and often an upgrade is merely a software update or a new transducer. These newer products can make your time on the water safer and more productive by providing accurate information about what lies under and around your boat. In addition, this seamless integration can allow you to share your adventures with your loved ones in real-time or with a vast audience. MANY EXCELLENT CHOICES The latest lineup of marine electronics includes highly sophisticated machines capable of functions that few of us could have imagined just a few years ago. In addition, these innovations make it easier to locate fish while providing vital information that allows boaters to avoid obstacles and be safer on the water. GARMIN SURROUND-VIEW Garmin recently announced a new six-camera system that maximizes visibility around any vessel for unprecedented situational awareness and convenience in tight maneuvering situations. It’s considered a breakthrough in video guidance for recreational boating and yachting. Utilizing six through-hull mounted cameras that act like multiple sets of eyes, Surround View provides a live 360-degree bird’s-eye view around the vessel to help captains quickly view their vessel’s perimeter during low-speed maneuvers, such as docking, from the helm. The technology uses six 1080p cameras located around the boat. MULTI-FUNCTION DISPLAYS Today’s new Multi-Functional Displays (MFD) can control the sonar, radar,
COMPRESSED HIGH INTENSITY RADIATED PULSE (CHIRP) FREQUENCIES - HOW TO CHOOSE • High CHIRP (150–240 kHz) Great for inland and fresh water and a good choice for lure tracking. It can identify game fish and baitfish targets in open water and near bottom structures—best for depths less than 600 feet. • Medium CHIRP (80–160kHz) This can scan large areas more quickly, showing more prominent fish arches but less detail for smaller objects than high CHIRP. It’s also best for depths less than 600 feet. • Low CHIRP (below 80 kHz) This frequency is best for water over 600 feet and offers outstanding depth performance up to 10,000 feet. This wavelength will display targets at all depths in the water column. As with many product lines, you can choose between the good, better, and best fish finders. Better quality CHIRP fish finders can switch between multiple CHIRP frequencies on the screen. So you could use a broad cone with the medium frequency band and then switch to the tighter-focused high CHIRP setting when you find something that looks good to see more detail. FORWARD-LOOKING SONAR(FLS) EchoPilot patented the world’s first real-time Forward-Looking Sonar (FLS) in 1992. Then in 2012, they invented and patented a 3D Forward Looking Sonar. FLS was developed as a collision avoidance device for ocean-going vessels. Although it can pick up whales, coral reefs, and underwater obstructions, it was not originally designed to be a fish finder. However, it wasn’t long before several companies took advantage of this new sonar by refining the technology and producing sonars that allowed fishermen to see a detailed 3D view out to 200 feet in front of their boat. Garmin introduced this new game-changing technology to the fishing world about five years ago when they developed Panoptix. It was a real-time, forward-facing sonar and displayed a detailed map from the surface to the bottom out in front of the boat. The transducer attaches to the trolling motor shaft. As the trolling motor turns, the sonar provides a real-time image in the direction the motor is facing. Garmin has introduced a newer version called Livescope. It’s more powerful and covers a larger area. In addition, it provides detailed images that often 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 23
Best Marine Electronics-2022
The NSSevo3S by SIMRAD allows users to experience unprecedented levels of built-in functionality under all conditions using charts, radar, sonar, and more.
allow an angler to distinguish the head of a fish and see tail movement. Hummingbird introduced their MEGA Imaging technology with the introduction of MEGA Live Imaging. This new sonar technology delivers clarity and detail by allowing anglers to see fish and structure in real-time. In addition, they can now see fish on-screen as they move in to bite an angler’s lure. Lowrance-Their ActiveTarget Live Sonar views show high-resolution images of fish movements in real-time in greater detail. Anglers can now watch and adjust their lure presentation to trigger a strike and see if more fish are active in an area. ActiveTarget has three viewing options with forward, down, or scout mode. Forward and down views allow anglers to track fish in front of or below the live sonar transducer. Scout-mode delivers an ultra-wide, overhead view of structure and fish activity in front of the transducer – for finding bait balls and schools of fish. Simrad Available in 9-, 12- and 16-inch models, the newest SIMRAD NSSevo3S allows users to experience unprecedented levels of built-in functionality under all conditions using charts, radar, sonar, and more.
Whether you fish shallow or deep, salt or freshwater, what you do and what fish you target will determine which electronics will give you the biggest bang for your buck. While forward-facing sonar would be an excellent upgrade for catching big-water smallmouths, it would be the wrong investment if your local lakes are shallow and weed-filled. Instead, Hummingbird’s MEGA 360 Imaging would be your better choice. It reveals the bigger picture, including holes in and edges of the grass in every direction around your boat. If you spend a great deal of your time fishing deep open water and you’re searching for individual targets, then forward-facing sonar would be a good choice. An excellent option would be Lowrance, with its ActiveTarget live sonar. Lowrance units excel at managing large numbers of waypoints and can run C-MAP or Navionics mapping. FINAL THOUGHTS These latest products have made an enormous impact on the competitive fishing circuits, and they can also make a big difference for the recreational angler. The good news is that the latest technology is available in various price ranges. Contact Information
The NSSevo3S system supports a variety of power-boating and sport fishing activities. The built-in GPS receiver and high-performance sonar, support for HALO dome and open array radars, as well as integration with a range of Simrad autopilot systems, make all of your boating activities more enjoyable.
Hummingbird www.humminbird.com/
WHAT DO YOU NEED? Fortunately, sometimes an upgrade can be as simple as a new transducer or a software update you can upload via Wi-Fi.
Lowrance www.lowrance.com
24 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Garmin www.garmin.com
Simrad simrad.factoryoutletstore.com
Managing Wild Turkeys Through Teamwork
Take Flight in A
the money spent on turkey permits, which is part of the licensing requirement to hunt turkeys in Florida, goes into that fund. Powered by “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.
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4500 Hwy. 77 • Southside, AL 35907 1-800-IMREADY • www.bucksisland.com
42 APRIL 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 25
Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing
BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
26 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Age doesn’t determine who the best bass fishermen are. Besides winning $ 500,000 each in cash, the team of Logan Parks (left) and Tucker Smith (right) each won 2022 Toyota trucks and Nitro boats. The man in the red cap on the right is Johnny Morris, the owner of Bass Pro Shops.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 27
Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing
Between Parks and Smith and their fish and their two trophies is one of the nation’s top professional bass angler, Kevin VanDam, who was on-hand for the trophy presentation.
The chance that college students Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., and Logan Parks of Auburn could win the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championship at Table Rock Lake on Missouri’s White River with its $1 million cash payout to the winners, plus two, 2022 Toyota Tundra trucks and two Nitro boats, motors and trailers seemed impossible on November 21, 2021. But on the final tournament day at Table Rock Lake on Missouri’s White River, Smith and Parks weighed in a limit of five bass, weighing in at 16.44 pounds and won. Smith, a graduate of Birmingham’s Briarwood High School, had won several Bassmaster High School National Championships in his high-school bass-fishing career previously. Parks was a senior at Auburn University and president of its Bass Fishing Club. On this last 50-boat competition day, Smith and Parks had only caught one bass by 10:00 am. The tournament would end at 2:30 pm. They drove their boat around the middle of the lake, searching for nomadic schools of bait, since the bass were relating to open-water bait balls.
“Logan and I weren’t worrying about winning $1 million and new boats and trucks,” Smith said. “We wanted an opportunity to compete for three days in a big tournament,”
“Logan and I weren’t worrying about winning $1 million and new boats and trucks,” Smith said. “We wanted an opportunity to compete for three days in a big tournament,” QUALIFYING FOR THE $1 MILLION BASS TOURNAMENT Parks and Smith had qualified for this largest-ever bass tournament with its largest-ever payout in money and prizes after fishing a qualifier at Bull Shoals Lake, also on the White River. They’d driven to Bull Shoals for 15 hours after fishing a collegiate tournament at South Carolina’s Lake Wylie. The several qualifying tournaments to fish the three day $1 million competition had 350 boats from 34 states and 5 countries competing to be one of the 200 final boats to fish Table Rock’s elimination tournament. Parks and Smith finished 13th at the Bull Shoals tournament, winning $1,700. Parks had learned from searching the internet that the bass at both Bull Shoals and Table Rock in November could be patterned by locating large schools of bait fish suspended in the middle of the lakes. “We fished down the bank for about an hour on the qualifier’s first day but didn’t get a bite,” Parks reported. “We went to deep water and targeted deep creek channels to locate bait fish.” After identifying large balls of bait fish in the middle of the lake to see how the bass reacted to the Ned-Miki jigs (plastic fluke-type bodies) they were casting. Smith had learned this method from fishing guide Joey Nania of Cropwell, Al., while fishing at Alabama’s Lake Logan Martin.
“We watched seagulls and loons diving on bait, motored there and spotted large bait fish schools on our Humminbird Helix depth finders,” Smith explains. “With our Garmin Panoptix LiveScope, we watched two to four pound bass following those bait balls. We started fishing the bait balls and by 10:30 am had 15 pounds of bass.”
“The Ned-Miki rig we fished was a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Finesse Eyez jig head that featured huge 3D eyeballs with a Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Minnow in the white-pearl color to catch these bass suspended with the balls of baits in 20-40 feet of water,” Parks explained. “I’d never used that rig before, until Tucker introduced me to it. But it certainly paid off for us.”
Next Parks caught a smallmouth weighing 3.90 pounds, and Smith caught a three pound smallmouth and three more spotted bass that weighed more than three pounds each. They culled their catch to 16+ pounds but didn’t know if this weight would be enough to win.
According to Smith, “The water was so clear, we had to stay well away from the bait balls and the bass to catch them. We couldn’t vertical jig to them.”
28 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing
Tucker Smith (left) and Logan Parks (right) won the Bassmaster College Team of the Year title.
CCA AL Events Check our website for our online silent auctions and giveaways this month!
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Auburn University Students Win More Than $1 Million Bass Fishing
Smith’s dad, Drayton, had signed the students up for the last-chance qualifier on Bull Shoals for the $1 million tournament. He’d called them to ask if they were interested, knowing how tight their schedule would be to fish for their collegiate team and drive 15 hours to enter the last qualifier. They also had to fish a boat manufactured by Johnny Morris’s companies. “My boat was a Nitro,” Smith explains. “Logan and I thought to ourselves, ‘A chance for $1 million – let’s do it.’” FISHING THE BASS PRO SHOP US OPEN AMATEUR TOURNAMENT FOR $1 MILLION AND PRIZES The top-200 teams who had fished qualifiers competed the first day at Table Rock. Parks and Smith had finished in 10th place after the first day of the elimination tournament and then in 8th place next. Both days they had five fish limits that weighed approximately 16+ pounds. The 50-top teams fished the last day of the Table Rock tournament when all the fishermen’s weights were zeroed. Then whichever of the remaining 50 teams caught the heaviest limit of five bass that day would be declared the winner. Parks and Smith fished the same way on the last day as they had on previous days with Ned-Miki rigs, after seeing birds diving on bait balls. “We were fairly confident we’d make some money at the $1 million tournament,” Smith explained. “Each top-50 individual would take home $2,500. Second place would win $200,000, and third place would win $75,000.” As in most tournaments, the competitors were lined up for preliminary weigh-ins before the official weigh-ins. Generally the top-place finishers would be placed at the line’s end to weigh-in the final time. Parks and Smith were lined-up next to last, causing them to believe they’d come in second place. “Our bass weighed in at 16.44 pounds,” Smith recalled. “When the last team to weigh-in had 16.20 pounds, we realized we’d just won the biggest amateur tournament ever held in the history of bass fishing.” LEARNING WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PARKS/SMITH TEAM Parks graduated from Auburn University with a double major in supply-chain management and information systems in December, 2021, and plans to pursue a full-time fishing career after graduation. “I’ll fish the Bassmaster circuit. I’ve studied and taken business courses to prepare myself to run my business of bass fishing,” he said. Smith plans to continue fishing while at Auburn for his 2-1/2 more years of school, learning all he can about fishing and then going pro. Most anglers probably didn’t think these two college students had a chance to beat the top amateur bass-fishing teams in the world. However, Parks and Smith and their families believed they could win. Their faith was repaid when Smith and Parks each received a $500,000 check, a Toyota Tundra truck and Nitro boat. Parks and Smith cried tears of joy on the weigh-in stand and looked out in the crowd to see their families and friends crying too.
Understanding How the Parks and Smith Team Came Together
Smith had had an outstanding high-school bassing career but knew Auburn University didn’t give scholarships for being a part of its bass fishing club, although other colleges 30 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
did award scholarships. But Parks promised Smith he’d be Smith’s partner, if he’d come to Auburn and join the bass-fishing club. Parks remembers that, “The first time Tucker and I fished together was on a saltwater fishing trip that I’d won at a raffle. Our personalities and philosophies of fishing meshed. We also had great chemistry. One of us would make a suggestion of what and how to fish, and often the other person would say, ‘Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.’” Parks is strong on catching smallmouth bass, Tucker excels on fishing river systems and catching spotted bass, and both of them know how to catch largemouth bass. In their first year of fishing together, this Auburn team won the Bassmaster College Series at Stop Number 4 on Saginaw Bay in Michigan and the title of Bassmaster College Team of the Year. They also won the Southern College Bass Open Series on Alabama’s Lay Lake.
What a Ned-Miki Rig Is and How to Fish It
Joey Nania has guided full-time for the past six years for 150-200 days per year on all the Coosa River lakes in Alabama, as well as Smith and Martin lakes. He says, “I like to fish a Ned-Miki head jig with a Z-Man StreakZ 375 plastic body, a small minnow-sized soft plastic with a forked tail at the end of the bait. This bait tracks true in the water, while wobbling and vibrating as you reel it fairly fast with the plastic minnow on its back. “I use my Garmin LiveScope echo map to study the suspended balls of bait and learn how the bass are relating to that bait. Then I’ll know right where to swim or drop my Ned-Miki bait. Bass and bait fish move around and probably swim further than anglers think they do. I use this tactic to catch spotted, largemouth, smallmouth, striped and white bass and even gar. “Tucker Smith is a very smart fisherman and can master any technique of bass fishing quickly, as he did fishing this Ned-Miki strategy,” he concluded. Important Contact Information Auburn University’s Bass Fishing Club https://www.facebook.com/AuburnBass/ Bass Pro Shops www.basspro.com Berkley https://www.berkley-fishing.com Garmin Panoptix LiveScope www.garmin.com Humminbird https://www.humminbird.com Joey Nania – Fishing Guide https://joeyfishing.com Z-Man Lures https://zmanfishing.com/
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Redfish
Choosing the Best Bait for
Selecting the Best Surf Fishing Rod
BY FRANK SARGEANT
32 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING February can be cold and windy along the northern Gulf Coast, but there’s still some good fishing available, especially for those who thrill to casting to individual redfish they spot first. Because frontal winds in winter come out of the north and northwest, they push water out of local bays to the lowest levels of the year, and this forces fish on the flats to drop into the remaining holes and channels. Find these refuges and the action is often immediate and sustained, not only for reds but also for trout and sheepshead. Not only that, but as the sun gets high on the days after the frontal clouds disappear, reds often push into the shallowest water, particularly on areas with dark mud or grass bottom, where the heat is absorbed better than on white sand. On these spots, their dorsal fin and the tip of their tails often peek through the surface, particularly if they tip to feed.
A kayak is a great way to get silently into the tidal creeks where reds stack up in winter. (Hobie Kayaks)
Getting at these fish requires a very shallow draft boat, kayak or a canoe. Find a spot with shoreline access and you can readily wadefish to the action, though you’ll need waders to ward off the chill. (Check out froggtoggs stuff—they make some very durable models at prices far lower than the premium brands).: Catching tailing reds can also be a casting challenge. The lure usually has to land several feet in front of them to avoid spooking them, allowing the fish to swim up to it, then give a slight twitch to trigger the bite. Scented lures like the FishBites Fight Club Fight’n Shrimp and the Z-Man Scented ShrimpZ are among the best bets, or add a fresh-cut shrimp tail to a bare jig head in the 1/8 ounce class with a 3/0 hook. The DOA Shrimp can also be effective in these situations, a slow crawl usually does the job. And you’ll occasionally score a surprising strike with a topwater like Rapala’s Skitter V, as well. In the potholes, the fish are much less sensitive so long as you stay well back from the hole, the fish are unlikely to spook. A jig with the tail of a FishBites Fight’n Shrimp or a fresh-cut shrimp tail dragged along the bottom is likely to pick up sheepshead, flounder, trout and redfish and sometimes all four from one hole. It’s possible to locate some of these holes and cuts on the open flats by careful study of Google Earth views, particularly on the Florida side of the FloraBama Line where waters are generally clearer. Nearly all marsh creeks leading to the bays in both Florida and Alabama waters have a few of them as well, but the water is too dark to see where they are via satellite views. You have to ease up the creeks and cast ahead until you start getting bit, then anchor and go to work. Mississippi Sound has lots of likely candidates; Bayou La Fourche, Bull Bay Bayou, Bayou Bubie, Bayou Caddy, Bayou Sullivan and many others that produce, not only in the main Bayou, but far up the little creeks that let off them. West Fowl River, Fowl River and Deer River, all on the west side of Mobile Bay, are also worth exploring, as are the Magnolia River, Fish River and Bon Secour on the east side of the bay. Don’t hesitate to go well up even creeks barely wide enough for your boat. If there’s a three or four foot deep hole on a bend up there in the marsh, there are likely to be fish in it at this time of year. (Of course, the smaller the creek the quieter you have to be in getting close to the holes and a kayak or canoe with paddle or push pole is better than a skiff with an electric motor.) While this sort of exploration means you’ll hit a lot of dry holes before you find one that’s “live”, you may sit in one spot and catch a dozen 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 33
Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish
Scented soft plastics on small jig heads do the job when reds are in the marsh country in winter. (Z-Man Lures)
34 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish
The patio outside the FishBites Trading Post is also a gathering spot for anglers, where fishing clinics are regularly held.
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Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish
nice reds and trout from a hole about the size of the average suburban bedroom when you hit it right and these places tend to reload regularly on fronts that arrive later. Tides are of course minimal on the north Gulf Coast, but they’re enough to affect movement of fish in the backcountry. On a high falling tide, you can sometimes sit at the mouth of a creek falling into a larger bayou and connect with reds waiting there for shrimp, killifish and crabs pushed out by the falling water. Lures that imitate said bait do the job. AROUND THE BRIDGES Bridges across the many bays of the northern Gulf are magnets for redfish pretty much year around. The pilings attract bait, and the bait attracts the reds. Careful graphing with side scan or forward scan sonar can locate schools of these fish easiest, but if you don’t have the electronics you can also find them by trolling a big diving plug like the Rapala X-Rap Magnum 20, which goes down as much as 20 feet, up one side and down the other, as close to the pilings as possible. Where you hook one fish, you can be sure there are others, sometimes dozens of them. Once you know where the fish are, you can drop the anchor (quietly) and cast scented baits to them on a half-ounce jig head, or use a live pinfish, grunt or croaker on a standard sliding sinker rig, with a slip sinker above a swivel running to a two-foot leader of 30-pound-test mono and a 3/0 to 5/0 octopus or circle hook. On shallower bridges like the Dauphin Island Bridge, it also sometimes works to put the bait on a slip-cork rig, set to drop the bait down about four feet or so. This is then freelined with the tide so that it floats naturally through the bridge pilings, a deadly tactic that not only catches reds but also big trout.
MORE ABOUT FISHBITES FIGHT’N SHRIMP BAITS FishBites Fight Club baits are a step up from most scent baits, which are designed to add a bit of scent to lures that primarily attract visually. The FishBites formula is such that you can literally fish the Fight’n Shrimp like real shrimp for scent feeders like reds. Put them on a 2/0 to 3/0 short-shank hook through the tail, cast them where you think the reds are likely to be, and let them set. If there’s moving water, redfish down-tide won’t take long to come calling. The new Fight Club 5” Brawler Jerkbait is equally deadly rigged on a 1/8 to ¼ ounce jig head or a weighted widegap hook and fished with a rapid stop-and-go twitch. Fight Club baits are infused with the same chemical compound as the original FishBites, and fish will eat them just as they would the real thing. For more than 30 years, Dr. Bill Carr, founder of the FishBites Company devoted his career to studying the feeding behaviors of marine species at the University of Florida. His pioneering scientific research methods led to his key findings about the chemical stimulants fish use to detect and track their prey. Carr’s discoveries busted the myth of stink-baits, proving that there is little in common between what humans smell in the air and what fish detect in the water. He learned that odors that persist in the air don’t necessarily dissolve in water and become detectable or attractive to fish. Carr then focused on replicating these natural, nongaseous feeding stimulants in the lab, creating more refined and potent versions. FishBites is the result. Not only did Carr unlock the scent component of the formula, he also unlocked the importance of the flavor. Fish might smell something interesting,
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Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish
but on tasting it, they might simply spit it out before you can set the hook. In 1999, the company was founded in St. Augustine, FL by Dr. Carr, Terry Dillinger, Teresa Carr Dillinger, Michael Carr, Mona Carr and William (Billy) Carr Jr. They launched with only four crudely packaged Fishbites bait products.
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Today, the company offers over 160 baits and rigs including Fishbites Fight Club® Lures, all made in the USA. The baits have been used to catch over 90 species of fish, and are must-have products for thousands of coastal, inshore and freshwater anglers. One of the huge advantages of FishBites over the natural bait it replaces is that it needs no refrigeration or special preservatives, and can be kept in your tacklebox for weeks, ready to go when needed. (The company cautions that storage in a hot car or direct sun can shorten the baits’ lifespan, however—for long term storage, it’s best to refrigerate them in the original sealed package.) FishBites also has a retail store in St. Augustine, which is not only a great place to buy every possible variation of FishBites but also all sorts of tackle. The shop also holds regular fishing seminars on the open-air patio. Important Contact Information FishBites • www.fishbites.com Retail Store • 170 Nix Boatyard Road • St Augustine, Florida (904) 217-8012 frogg toggs • www.froggtoggs.com
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Choosing the Best Bait for Redfish
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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low heat; cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cayenne pepper, black pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt. Set aside. 3. Dip the filets into the melted butter, then coat with the seasoning mixture. 4. In a large skillet over high heat, sear fish on each side for 2 minutes or until slightly charred. 5. Place in a 11x7 inch baking dish and pour the Italian dressing onto each filet. Cover the baking dish and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until flaky and tender.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 39
40 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
COLD WATER
BASS BY ED MASHBURN That wind whipping up off the water is chilling me to the bone. My hands are shaking as they grip my spinning rod, my teeth are chattering a little, and my feet are getting just a bit too cold for comfort. Despite my best efforts when I was getting dressed earlier this morning, I guess I’m not properly equipped for cold weather bass fishing. Even with the sun shining, this cold weather bass fishing trip is testing my endurance. I’m just about ready to call it quits and head back to dock. But then, I feel that magic touch from below and my line comes tight, and my rod bends over, and my reel’s drag starts to complain just a bit. Then I see that big bass come up through the clear, wintertime water and make a jump, I really don’t mind the cold so much. In fact, I don’t even notice the cold as I work this fish to the boat. As I lift this fine wintertime bass in the sun to admire it and then set it back in the water to get even bigger, there’s no thought of going home. What? Go home and leave a hot cold weather bite? WHERE THE BASS ARE- HOW
TO FIND THEM I spent one of the coldest fishing trips I’ve ever survived one frigid January day on Weiss Lake with Captain Lee Pitts, a veteran guide who showed me how and where to fish to catch cold water bass. I learned a lot from this master angler. “The biggest thing about bass fishing in winter is trying to find where the bait is and what depths they are in. With cold water, early to late winter, the bass are going to hold on deeper brush and wood cover and harder bottoms. Many times, if the bait is plentiful, they will hold in the deeper creeks and troughs towards the main lake body,” Pitts said. “My Humminbird electronics play a major part of my winter fishing. I look for bait and structure on the fish finder screen,” he added. On one very cold winter morning while fishing a smaller lake in the Gulf Coast region, we only found bass on the fish finder screen in one small, focused area, which was in the deepest part of the lake. In forty-five feet of water over a featureless bottom, shad were ganged up in a massive, tight school, and the big bass were clustered on the outside of the school feeding on shad that ventured from the school. When we dropped shad-look-
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 41
Cold Water Bass
Lee Pitts fishes ledges and drop-offs to find bass gathered up in cold water.
42 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Cold Water Bass
big bass in small waters still feed in winter if the right presentation is made. In smaller waters, it’s hard to beat a dark colored soft plastic worm or creature bait just barely moved over the bottom. Work a worm or other soft plastic in the deepest water and watch the line for tiny little movements which might indicate a bass has taken the lure.
ing lures, even simple silver and white jigs into the area, a hookup would come fast. WHAT THE BASS ARE DOING Pitts said that bass are just trying to survive the winter. If they can find a comfort zone, they will lock down and try not to exert a lot of energy. “They will feed, but not as aggressively as they do in the warmer months. That’s not saying that after a cold front and then we have a few days of warm weather, that bass won’t light it up,” Pitts said.
When the water gets cold, it is hard for anglers to slow down their offerings too much. Lures worked on the bottom should be given lots of rest time between jerks and hops. Let the bass know the lure is there and that the lure is not going to move away fast.
Anglers need to be aware that here in the Deep South, sometimes in winter if we get some nasty weather, as in rain, a south wind, and chop on the water and because of this those cold water bass can sometimes go on a feed and really tear the shad and other feed up. These winter hot bites don’t last long, but they can be very productive.
Anglers in winter need to be aware that the bigger bass will rarely smash a lure. Wintertime cold weather bites tend to be very subtle, sometimes there’s just a weight on the line, and anglers need to be sharp line-watchers to detect the slight movement of the line which signals a bass take.
HOW TO GET THEM TO BITE- LURE SELECTION “Swim baits, Alabama rigs, and big spinner baits are great for big wintertime bass. Normally in the winter, you will not catch the numbers of bass, but you will catch better fish.” Pitts pointed out. “The biggest thing you have to remember is everything is cold and everything is slowed down. Even with the bigger swim baits, I try to creep it down and give a really slow presentation because the bait fish are just as lethargic as the big bass.”
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GEAR, CLOTHING, COLD WEATHER EQUIPMENT Cold weather bass fishing, even in our generally milder winters, calls on anglers to make some changes in clothing in order to keep comfortable when on the water. Layers of clothing work much better than a single heavy jacket or rainsuit. Layers can be removed as days warm, and this can be important. A waterproof outer layer of clothing is very important for cold weather bass fishing. A basic rule of cold weather fishing is to keep as much of the angler as dry as possible. A dry angler will be a much more comfortable angler.
In most of the larger reservoirs here in the South, lures that look like shad can be very productive in winter. Shad are a primary bass forage food year-round, but especially in winter, silver and white shad color lures can be very effective.
Waterproof footwear is a major part of winter gear. Wet, cold feet are miserable and can bring a winter bass fishing trip to a fast halt.
In smaller lakes and ponds, cold weather fishing can be tough, but
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Cold Water Bass
A hat does more to maintain warmth than almost any other article of clothing. Winter fishing hats need to be thick, close-fitting, and secure in the wind. Old-fashioned “toboggan” type beanie hats are hard to beat for keeping heads warm.
Cold water bass tend to be larger fish on average.
That personal flotation device (PFD) that created such hot, sticky, uncomfortable fishing during the hot summer can be a very welcome layer of insulation in cold weather bass fishing conditions. And of course, a PFD can be a real life-saver in cold weather if an angler should happen to fall in. Pitts says that “layering” is key to staying warm in frosty weather and if it is really cold, maybe an additional heat source will help. “You really need to dress in layers because the temperature of the water is going to be colder than on the land,” Pitts said. At times I will bring a small Buddy Heater behind the console of my boat. With extreme water clarity in winter. I adapt my line size and with colder weather, I may drop down my line size.”
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Building a Cabin
Step 1 - Creating a Budget BY JOE BAYA
46 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
LIFESTYLE I recently purchased some rural property in southern Alabama. I wanted some acreage not only to hunt but use as a family getaway where we could kick back and just relax. While we are currently camping and “roughing” it in a trailer our goal is to ultimately build a cabin or more substantial “home away from home”.
“We will get an appraised value and we can normally loan somewhere in the 80% neighborhood and if there is a difference then the customer will need to cover that difference themselves. That just means the customer has additional equity in the property and we can work with that, “Williamson said.
I’ve found that I am not alone in this desire and it can be an involved and difficult scenario if you don’t take the time to learn the steps and educate yourself on the process and how the puzzle all comes together.
Regardless of whether a customer owns the property to be built on outright or has a lien against it, Williamson pointed out that Alabama Farm Credit has structure a plan that works. AFC will get an appraised value for the entire property as a whole, which means the property plus improvements and then based on whether the land is free and clear or whether there is a debt on the property, they can net out the amount that they can loan and have available for the construction.
The big question is, “where do you start?” Sure, you can look at examples of cabins and rural homes along with floor plans to get an idea of options and what you envision yourself in. Realistically, before you go any further you need to decide exactly what type and size of residence you really want to build and what your true needs are. Do you want a rustic cabin with minimal amenities, a cottage type residence for weekends, something larger and more substantial to accommodate family and friends or a “barndominium” where you have a residence and storage for equipment? Are you building rental property, like a cottage or even a corporate retreat? All of this needs to be addressed. You don’t have to go for all the gold at one time. You can start small and expand but you need to keep that in mind so the smaller house you start out with has a design and floor plan that is conducive for future expansion at a reasonable cost. Once you have a firm grip on exactly what your country home will be, then it is time to get down to brass tacks and that means creating a budget. I interviewed Dale Williamson of Alabama Ag Credit. AAC has nine offices in southern Alabama. “The budget is our number one driver,” Williamson says. When we look to finance the construction of a cabin, we look to use the budget that the builder creates for the client to put together a package and that drives the whole building process and what the appraiser values that cabin to be built for.” “By knowing the square footage, finishes, bedrooms, bathrooms and all the details, we’re going to come up with an appraised value for the cabin based on the comparable sales in their area and that number allows us to know what we can loan on those improvements,” Williamson explained. Murphy’s Law, “If anything can go wrong, it will” so it is prudent to factor in an “overrun” amount. In my experience, in any building or improvements I’ve ever made, I always allow for 20%. If you are planning on spending $100,000 on a project, you should figure it will ultimately cost $120,000. Cost of materials can suddenly spike, labor may increase and you may simply run into unexpected hurdles. “I would definitely say that a minimum of 10% up to 20% reserve would be a healthy number. You always run into unforeseen things and in the COVID age there are pricing issues and inflation and you need to have some wiggle room so you are not going to get caught short,” Williamson said. “I have been doing this for nearly 20 years and I have rarely seen a project come in under budget.” One thing that people have to be aware of is not to “over improve” their property but it depends on their intent in terms of their short- and long-term objectives. For example, if an owner just wants to build a cabin or cottage and enjoy it with the intent of selling it after a certain period of time and making a profit, that is one thing. If an owner plans on keeping that property long term (or maybe even not selling it at all) and then suddenly the “return on investment” part of the equation isn’t as important. The improvements made are not market driven but personally driven and getting the money back in the short term may not be an issue. Having said that, owners need to be cognizant of what the market will bear in the neighborhood they are in when it comes to over-improving and salability to make sure they will get their investment back.
“In the case of a customer owning the property free and clear they may not have to put anything down. If there is some debt against the property, we typically would just refinance that into a new construction loan. If they want to keep the cabin loan separate from the land loan that is possible but we’ve found that nine times out of ten most people put everything all in one loan with one payment,” Williamson explained. As in any business scenario there are always going to be extenuating factors and circumstances. For example, if you own a larger tract free and clear and want to build a higher end cabin, terms can be worked out that allow financing the construction without excessively preventing you from doing other things with the unencumbered portion of the property, such as harvesting timber, harvesting pine straw or even selling off parcels. “It is about the loan to value ratio and we want to be sure that we don’t over-collateralize the property and limit the other activities of the customer,” Williamson said. Williamson noted that Alabama Ag Credit has basically two programs that are applicable to cabin construction. The first is a rural home loan which is normally for people with smaller acreage who want to build a “primary” residence in the country. The second is an agricultural type loan and that would be to build a cabin on a timber or recreational tract and the loans and terms differ for each one. “For the rural home loan we can go up to a 30-year term and the interest rates right now are going to be in the fours. On the agricultural side the programs, which mimics our land products,typically offer around a 20-year term, although we have some wiggle room and the fixed rates are also running in the fours right now, which is historically low,” Williamson said. Whether it is building a cabin on your property or other capital improvements it is critical to keep in mind the vitality and pricing points in order to stay competitive in your local market. If you are going to keep that property for 30 years and enjoy it then that is one thing. On the other hand, if you plan is to enjoy it for a while and then sell you need to make sure that the improvements don’t overprice the property. For example, when it comes to acreage people are used to looking at a “price per acre”. Let’s say that you own 100 acres and want to build a $200,000 camp and the average going price per acre in the market is $2,000. If you decide to sell, then the per acre price for your parcel and cabin is now $2,000 plus the $2,000 cost of the “dirt” which takes your asking price up to $4,000 per acre and that isn’t really factoring any sort of appreciation of the dwelling. That doesn’t mean your property won’t sell but you have reduced the pool of prospects and that most likely means more time on the market to move it and a possible a price reduction. All food for thought. Important Contact Information Alabama Ag Credit www.AlabamaAgCredit.com (800) 579-5471 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 47
Land Financing Interest Rates BY GREAT DAYS OUTDOORS STAFF
Alabama Ag Credit is affiliated with the over 100-year-old nationwide Farm Credit System and is a stockholder owned cooperative. That means that when someone obtains a loan with Alabama Ag Credit they become a stockholder of the association and a portion of those earnings is returned to them through the AGC patronage program, as determined by their board of directors. At closing you make a one-time Alabama Ag Credit stock purchase and that stock ownership entitles you to share in the co-op profits, lowering your loan’s total interest cost. When your loan is paid off, the cost of the stock is refunded to you. In other words, when you borrow from Alabama Ag Credit, you become a stockholder and part owner in the cooperative, entitling you to a portion of the earnings (patronage) when the association does well financially. The more you borrow, the bigger your share of earnings. Alabama Ag Credit doesn’t sell its loans on the secondary market like a lot of other financial institutions. When you have a 20-year loan with Alabama Ag Credit, it owns your loan for 20 years and that loan stays with them. As part of the farm credit system one of AAC’s missions is to service rural Alabama and provide financing for people who want to buy acreage, be it 20 acres for a homestead or more acreage. While it specializes in financing rural and farm land they can finance a residence as long as it is outside of city limits and meets other Farm Credit System requirements. 48 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
One of Alabama Ag Credits popular financial products is their 20-year fixed rate loan with a 15% down payment. For rural homesites, the standard is a 15 year loan with 15% down. At AAC, the terms of a land and rural residential loan, such as interest rate and down payment, depend on the applicant’s unique underwriting factors and a number of components, including credit, financials, loanto-value, the type of property, the length of term, the market conditions and other factors. One of the things that differentiates Alabama Ag Credit is that they have a complete sheath of services which makes life easier for the customer and ensures a shorter buying and closing process. For example, one of those benefits that AAC offers is that it has its own appraisal department, which results in a shorter turn-around time for the whole transaction and is also economical. Alabama Ag Credit is headquartered in Montgomery and has nine offices across the state.
Alabama Ag Credit Land Finance Rates (1/10/22)
AAC has terms up to 30 years with rates between 3.75% to 4.95% depending on the fixed rate period. Contact: www.AlabamaAgCredit.com 800-579-5471
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 49
BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
Wild Hog BBQ Recipe This recipe is designed to make pulled pork barbecue from a wild hog shoulder. You can use it for a store-bought pork shoulder, but it won’t need as long to cook. If you are pressed for time, you can barbecue up to about 250°F, but the results won’t be as wonderful. Many folks like 225°F as a happy medium. Flip your pork shoulder every hour or so to make sure it gets even smoke. I only apply smoke to the meat for four to six hours because I think it balances the flavor of the wild hog with that of the smoke. Prep: 15 mins • Cook: 8 hours • Brining: 8 hours • Total: 8 hours 15 mins Ingredients
• • • • •
1 4-to-8-pound wild hog shoulder, boneless or bone-in Salt Dry rub of your choice Barbecue sauce of your choice 1/4 to 1/2 cup bacon fat, lard or butter
Instructions
1. Sprinkle salt all over the pork shoulder, getting 2.
3. 4. 5.
6.
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it into every crevice. Put the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. I like a solid 24 hours. Rinse the meat and coat with the dry rub of your choice. If you’re not using a dry rub, either use black pepper or pat the meat dry. Set foil in a tray that will hold the pork shoulder, leaving enough extra foil around the edges so you can wrap the meat later. Get your smoker going. If you have lots of time, set it to 200F. A happy medium is 225F, but don’t go higher than 250F. Set the meat in the tray and put it in the smoker. Flip the pork shoulder every hour so it gets even smoke. Smoke like this for at least 4 hours, and up to eight; I prefer about six hours. Now wrap the meat tightly in the foil and continue to cook until it’s done and is shreddable, anywhere from another hour or two for a young hog or store-bought pig, to another eight hours for an old hog. You can do this in an oven, too. Shred the meat with a pair of forks, and mix in the bacon fat. If you find yourself with long, stringy threads of meat, chop it a bit so it works better as a sandwich. Serve with the barbecue sauce of your choice on a bun with coleslaw.
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
Venison Steak Diane Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 12 mins • Total: 32 mins Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • •
1/2-pound piece of venison backstrap or tenderloin Salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 shallot, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup brandy 1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon mustard (I use Dijon) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup heavy cream Minced herbs for garnish (basil parsley, chives, etc)
Instructions Bring the venison loin out of the fridge, salt it well and let it come to room temperature, at least 20 minutes. 2. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Pat the venison dry with a paper towel
1.
3.
4. 5.
and cook it on all sides. Turn the heat to medium so the butter doesn’t scorch, and take your time. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes or so to get a nice brown crust on the venison without overcooking the center. Remove the venison, tent loosely with foil and set aside. Add the shallots to the sauté pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Don’t let the garlic burn. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping off any stuck-on bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the brandy cook down almost to a glaze, then add the venison stock, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this boil down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail behind it that does not fill in for a second or two. This should take about 3 minutes on high heat. Turn off the heat and let the boiling subside. Stir in cream until the sauce is as light as you like. Don’t let the sauce boil again or it could break. Slice the venison into thick medallions. If you find you have not cooked it enough, let the meat swim in the sauce for a few moments to heat through. If the venison is to your liking, pour some sauce on a plate and top with the meat. Garnish with some chopped herbs. Chives are traditional, but basil and parsley are also nice. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 51
NEW & Cool gear BY WILLIAM KENDY
Okuma Silver Slayer Tarpon Rods
The new Silver Slayer Tarpon Rods are built with 24 - ton carbon rod blanks that feature Okuma’s UFRII rod tip technology. This process blends unidirectional fiber over 24 - ton carbon in the extended tip section of the rod to increase lifting strength and power. The series consists of four spinning models, two at seven feet and two at seven feet nine inches in heavy and extra heavy actions. Suggested Retail Price: $179 - $189 www.okumafishingusa,com
Montana Decoy Introduces Full-Strut Gobbler Decoy
The new Montana Wily Tom 3D gobble decoy is not only lifelike but it folds for easy portability in your hunting vest or pack. It is built on a lightweight two-piece double printed design that is easy and fast to set up and allows hunters to use the printed fabric or their own real turkey feathers to add to its allure. Suggested Retail Price: $129.99 www.montnadecoy.com
Yamamoto Updated 5.5 Inch Swimming Senko When cast, in shallow or deep water, the Yamanoto swimming Senko falls horizontally with a side-to-side tail action that is designed to trigger strikes. This larger bait is saltimpregnated, delivers a smooth and even fall rate and can be fished in a number of different ways with or without weight. It is available in 23 different color combinations in lengths from 3.5 to 5.5 inches. Suggest Retail Price: $5.97 to $7.99 www.baits.com
BioLite Headlamp 750
750 lumens of light and a rear red light (strobe or flood) allow for maximum lighting and visibility. This pro level headlamp puts you in complete control of your illumination thanks to Constant Mode (no autodimming), Run Forever pass-thru charging (can charge via a power bank while being worn with the included cord), and eight different lighting modes. Runs 150 hours on low, seven hours on high, eight hours reserve. Suggested Retail Price: $99.95 www.bioliteenergy.com
Ruger Introduces Three New Wrangler Revolver Models
Featuring a 3.75-inch cold hammer-forged barrel and a Ruger Birdshead-pattern grip frame, this .22 long rifle single action revolver is available in black, silver and burnt bronze Cerakote colors. It features a blade front and integral notch rear sight, with standard black panels that can be swapped for aftermarket available Birdshead-pattern grips. It incorporates a transfer bar mechanism and loading gate interlock to prevent accidental discharge. Suggested Retail Price: $269.00 www.ruger.com 52 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
NEW & COOL GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
HUK’s Next Level Cargo Pant
The ultimate in style and protection, HUK’s new NXTLVL Cargo Pants offer defense from the sun and biting insects while maintaining the freedom of movement anglers need for a full-day adventure. Featuring the high-stretch, quick-drying, stain resistant, and antimicrobial SPR-rated fabric, the HUK NXTLVL Cargo Pant has an everadjustable waistband, perforated back yoke, zippered back pocket and a gusseted crotch for maximum mobility and is water resistant. Suggested Retail Price: $70.00 www.hukgear.com
Rapala R12 Heavy-Duty Lithium Filet Knife Combo
Equipped with lithium-ion batteries (comes with two batteries in a convenient carrying case), the Rapala R12 filet knife not only delivers the power to make fast work of fileting, it also delivers the longevity (80 minutes of continuous run time) needed for big jobs. It comes with an LED light that allows anglers to better see what they’re doing in dimly lit or sunset fileting sessions. Suggested Retail Price: $179.29 www.rapala.com
Big Man Accuracy
The Bowtech Revolt XL compound bow is designed for long draw archers and provides unrivaled accuracy coupled with a smooth draw. It is powered by the DeadLock Cam System and optimized for ultimate performance at 350 feet per second for archers who need a quality bow that can accommodate up to a 33-inch draw. It features an ultra-wide stable riser strategically weighed to cancel vibration for ultimate accuracy. Suggested Retail Price: $1,229.00 www.bowtecharchery.com
The Ultimate Survival Tool
This is a must-have camping gadget that could potentially save your life. It’s a cool all-purpose tool that you conveniently wear on your wrist. It has a built-in compass, fire starter, whistle, emergency knife, and yards of paracord you can use as a rope or by unraveling a part of it, utilize the strands as tinder. It’s a tool you hope never to need but should have. Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 - $10.99 www.all2shop.net
New On-line “Shopping Mall” for Hunting Equipment
If you are looking to buy and sell used and even new hunting equipment, look no further. The Hunting Exchange is a new on-line service that can help you find what you are looking for, from boots to bows and arrows, decoys, optics, treestands and blinds and more. Plus, if you have hunting gear that you want to sell, listing and selling it online is easy and safe. For more information go to www.hunting-exchange.com.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 53
Sheepshead Fishing Shines as Seasons Transition
With my Alabama Gulf Coast roots, when February arrives, my thoughts immediately turn to sheepshead fishing. Of course, people who love the outdoors may have a hard time deciding what to do in February. Different outdoor activities abound in Alabama this time of year, including the final hurrah for deer season, which closes throughout the state by February 10.
BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
For me however, the allure of catching those toothy, banded fish, known as proficient bait stealers, is too much to resist. As winter breaks and the gloomy days turn into warmer, sunny days, it’s time to head out into the inshore waters for some fun fishing. Sheepshead start their spawning activity in the nearshore waters during the late winter and early spring before heading into the Gulf of Mexico. Before the spawn, the fish hang around inshore structure and feed on barnacles and any other crustaceans they can find. Sheepshead are often found around rock and concrete jetties and pilings, but don’t forget about other habitat the sheepshead call home this time of year – petroleum platforms, bridges and oyster reefs. Sheepshead possess some serious front
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teeth to chisel barnacles off structure and to crack the shells of mollusks as well as scraping algae off rocks. Live shrimp and fiddler crabs are some of the best baits for sheepshead. Fortunately, the bait shops on the Alabama coast have them in stock, but it’s probably best to call ahead and make sure they have ample supplies If you can’t find live bait, fresh dead shrimp will work. Just in case bait is scarce, you can always grab a pint of oysters and cut them into pieces to use for bait. Just understand that the oysters don’t usually last long on the hook, so be prepared to rebait often. If you toss a piece of bait, any kind of bait, into a likely sheepshead spot and don’t get a bite within a couple of minutes, you might as well reel it in because you have been robbed. Always carry plenty of sinkers, leaders and hooks because you are going to lose some tackle when you’re fishing around barnacle-encrusted rocks, pilings or petroleum platforms. Go with the lightest line you can get by with if the water is relatively clear. If you keep getting cut off, move up to 15-pound-test, and I’ve found that fluorocarbon line handles the abrasion better than monofilament. You can use anything from
FROM THE COMMISSIONER No. 2 to 1/0 hooks but stay away from the fine wire hooks. The sheepshead’s tough mouth will bend those, so go with 2x or stronger hooks. Sheepshead have large heads, which means you need bigger fish to yield decent-sized filets. Although sheepshead aren’t that easy to clean, the delicate, white flesh makes it worth the effort when the filets hit the frying pan. Alabama’s daily bag limit on sheepshead is 10 fish per person with a 12-inch minimum size, but anything smaller than 15 inches is not going to yield much of a filet. Catch several big ones and throw back the little ones to catch next year. February is also a great time for freshwater fishing when the weather cooperates. Crappie fishing can be fantastic as the weather starts to warm. The popular panfish can be caught from one end of Alabama to the other in our many lakes, rivers and reservoirs. In February, crappie will start staging to get ready to move into the shallow water to spawn when water temperatures hit 60 degrees. Until then, look for structure in areas near creek or river channels where the fish can retreat should a late cold front blow through. Today’s electronics take a lot of the guesswork out of locating fish. It’s incredible that the latest graphs show the individual fish hovering in the branches of a tree or around a rock pile. Find the fish and drop a small jig or minnow into the strike zone and catch a mess for dinner. If you’re still in a hunting mode, you’ve got the last few days of deer season, which closes on February 10. Meanwhile small-game hunters are preparing for the last month or so of squirrel and rabbit seasons, which run through March 6. The daily bag limit for squirrels is eight, and don’t forget that the taking of fox squirrels in Bankhead National Forest is prohibited. The daily bag limit for rabbits is also eight.
Small game hunting is a perfect way to introduce young people or inexperienced hunters to the outdoors. With the leaves off the trees, you’ve got to be pretty stealthy to sneak up on squirrels in February. If you can find someone with a good squirrel dog, it will likely make the hunt much more productive. Plus, it’s great fun to watch the dog work his way through the woods, searching for that squirrel scent and then treeing. It might take some vine-shaking to get the squirrel to move so you can get a shot. If the squirrel takes off through the treetops, it’s best to have one of the hunters carry a shotgun for those shots. It’s difficult to hit a running squirrel with a .22 rifle. Rabbit hunters will be out in force after deer season ends, and that is a great way to spend a day outdoors, listening for the pack of beagles to sound off when they strike a rabbit. It’s exciting to hear the baying pack move in your direction, but you’d better be prepared to shoot because the rabbit can be quite a distance in front of the dogs. I know just about everybody has heard about taking someone snipe hunting. Although that is mostly known as a prank you pull on your kid sister or brother, hunting snipe is really an outdoor activity available in Alabama along our beautiful Gulf Coast. If you really want to see how good your aim is, head out into the lowlands around Alabama’s many rivers or the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and try your skills on fast-flying snipe. The snipe is a member of the gallinule family, and, when flushed, it can rival any bird in terms of speed and maneuverability. That season runs through Feb. 27. And don’t forget about the final day for the Special Youth, Active Military and Military Veterans Waterfowl Hunting Season, which is Feb. 5. As anyone who has hunted waterfowl in Alabama knows, the weather dictates the hunting success, but that last youth hunt can sometimes be the best of the season. As the seasons transition, take the opportunity to head to the field or water and enjoy some of the best outdoor adventures of the year.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 55
Where is the Proof?
It has blown my mind how many people genuinely think WFF is covering up the presence of “long-tailed” cats in Alabama. I’ve been in my job for a little more than nine years now, and not a week goes by that someone in our division doesn’t receive a call, text, email, or social media post about a “longtailed” cat sighting in Alabama. One of the first years on the job, I was working a deer show in north Alabama when I realized the magnitude of the passion some people have for this topic.
BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)
I would sit in the back of the WFF booth to watch how WFF staff interacted with the public. After listening to one gentleman school a conservation officer on black panthers in Alabama, I handed him a business card and told him if he’d shoot one of them and bring it to my office, I’d make him an instant hero because he would be the first person in the history of the world to take a black panther.
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He left a bit puzzled but returned a few beers later to continue his discussion with the officer. It was at that point I reached my limit and the amusement was gone. So, I amended my previous statement and added that if he’d shoot the unicorn that black panther was riding, I’d love to have it mounted in my office. Needless to say, he didn’t appreciate my sense of humor and that has been the closest I’ve come to being in a physical altercation as WFF Director. Fast forward to January of 2022, and the passion is still high for panthers of all colors as proven by the latest social media posts I saw. “There were 1,000 of those big cats turned loose in Alabama along with 3,000 Coy Wolves.
FROM THE DIRECTOR Most still have tracking collars. Most of them don’t. It was some kind of conservation research project that didn’t go as planned.” “Game and fish will tell you there are none (big cats). If it’s ever confirmed they are in the timber cutting business will be gone. They are protected. Just like if you see a certain box turtle while cutting timber you are to leave that section alone. That’s the fastest generic way I can explain it.” Now, let’s look at some facts about a real panther, cougar, mountain lion, or “long-tailed cat.” I reached out to my counterpart at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to gather some information on a documented population of “long-tailed” cats, the Florida Panther. According to the latest survey, the estimated population of adult and subadult panthers within the habitat where panthers primarily breed is 120-230. The range for the Florida panther is often considered the Southeast (historically from Arkansas to South Carolina), but occurrence data indicates the vast majority are in Southwest Florida. (See Figure 1. Orange indicates breeding area and blue indicates sightings.) Panthers range from extreme southern Florida up to Orlando and, on rare occasions. a bit farther north. Most female panthers are found south of lake Okeechobee. When young males disperse from their mothers in search of new breeding territory, they may be seen in other parts of Florida. One young male made it as far as western GA where he was shot and killed in 2008. Breeding has been documented a few times north of the Caloosahatchee River in recent years, but the majority of breeding is south of the river.
So, using our 200-animal population estimate with an average vehicle death of 24.8 animals each year, that means that roughly 12% of the entire panther population is killed by vehicles each year. If we use the same math based on the social media post I referenced in the first paragraph, Alabama would have 125 “long-tailed” cats hit by cars each year. When was the last time Al.com posted a picture and story of a “long-tailed” cat dead along a roadside? Never. The last confirmed mountain lion killed in Alabama was in 1948 in St. Clair County. If Alabama has as many mountain lions in Alabama as many claim, why don’t we have a confirmed trail camera photo or vehicle incident report? With the 100’s of thousands of trail cameras used in Alabama, if a cat was here, someone would’ve gotten a decent picture of one, don’t you think? FWC receives 1000’s, if not 10’s of thousands of trail camera photos and videos each year to confirm the population of cats in Florida. Why don’t we? Just for clarity, WFF never released “long-tailed” cats in Alabama. WFF doesn’t deny the fact that a Florida Panther could wander up this way. However, we want proof. Not a trail camera picture of a cat in Utah being passed off as one from around Lake Martin. Or, not just someone saying that Aunt Judy heard one screaming like a crazy woman behind the chicken coup last night. I’ll make a deal with all of you. For the first person to give verifiable proof of a panther, mountain lion, cougar, or “long-tailed” cat in Alabama, WFF along with the Alabama Conservation Officers Association will provide that individual a lifetime hunting and fishing license. We will all be anxiously awaiting the proof.
CAMPER CITY TRUCK ACCESSORIES
Specializing in Truck Toppers + Accessories Okay, from facts, we know that there are 120-230 panthers located in approximately the lower 1/3 of the state of Florida. These facts are derived from scientific research, trail camera evidence, and verified eyewitness accounts. For the sake of argument, let’s just keep this simple and say we assume there are 200 panthers in this area. I wonder how many are killed each year while attempting to direct traffic? FWC keeps records of all verified panther deaths in the state, and in 2021, there were 27 deaths reported with 21 of them being from vehicle collisions. Since 2014, an average of 24.8 panther deaths have been confirmed because of vehicle collisions.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 57
Kayak Fishing in Small Waters for Lots of Crappie It doesn’t take much equipment or time to rig a kayak for very effective crappie catching.
It turns out that converting a stock fishing kayak into a crappie catching machine is really not that hard or expensive. When rigging a kayak for dedicated crappie fishing, the main thing to keep in mind is that we need to be able to present a number of rods with different lures or baits at different depths. Determining the depth crappie are holding and what they are eating is crucial, and it varies greatly from day to day. Rod holders are the key. Most stock kayaks have “rod holders” built in, but these are nothing more than rod transporters, and they don’t have much use for crappie anglers. Kayak anglers will want to install some kind of mounting system on the kayak- there are many brands and kinds of these mounting tracks, and they all work well. These tracks allow crappie anglers to mount different numbers, sizes, and positions of rods to allow maximum bait presentation. BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
Some kayak anglers can manage a bewildering array of rods and sometimes their kayaks look like giant bugs with antennae sticking
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out in all directions. I admire these folks, but I can’t keep up with that many rods at one time. My old blue Hobie kayak is equipped with rod tracks on both sides of the foredeck, so I can switch a holder from side to side as my needs change. I can keep up with a single long “rod holder rod” and a short ultra-light spinning rig which I use to toss jigs. GIVE THEM THEIR CHOICE- MULTI RIGS By presenting baits and lures at different depths, kayak anglers can usually find the best presentation fairly quickly. Crappie are very sensitive when it comes to their depth preferences, and by using long rods, short rods, rods horizontal to the water and rods more vertical, anglers can give the crappie the choices they sometimes want. I have found that by using a long, long crappie pole which presents my bait a good distance from the boat and holds the bait at a selected depth, and at the same time casting my ultra-light spinning rig, I can cover a wide range of depths to help locate the schools of feeding crappie. And since the long pole holds the bait stationary and the spinning rig presents an actively moving bait or lure, I can find out whether the crappie want moving or stationary bait.
PADDLE FISHING Another good thing about setting up a kayak for crappie fishing is that none of the needed equipment is terribly expensive. The crappie rod and reel rigs run less than $50 each, and the tracks and rod holders are not terribly expensive either. Once installed, the track and holders last a long time. USE THE WIND IN OPEN WATER Once the spring spawn is over, crappie will leave the shallow, brushy shallows and head out into deep, open water where they spend the rest of the year working bait schools. These schools of feeding crappie can travel far and wide, and a kayak helps anglers cover the open water to find the feeding fish. The wind can be used to move a kayak slowly over open water flats where anglers can find the best concentration of slabs. I’ve seen kayak anglers who used their paddle boats in some of the very big Tennessee River lakes to drift fish the deep flats once the crappie had left the spawning shallows in late spring, and these folks were extremely successful with post-spawn crappie. If the kayak is equipped with a sonar fish finder, kayak anglers can move upwind of the main feeding schools and let the wind move the kayak over the feeding fish. SPRING FISHING- SHALLOW STRUCTURE Probably the classic crappie fishing situation occurs in spring when the big slabs go in the shallows, usually wooded and hard to reach shallows, where they spawn in massive numbers. In spring, kayaks are probably the very best fishing craft for putting anglers in the right places to mop up the spawning crappie. Kayaks can snake their way through the thickest cover and put anglers in contact with the biggest crappie. Some truly big bedding crappie, and lots of them, can be located and caught by using the kayak to find the most protected spawning shallows. FOR LOADS OF CRAPPIE- THINK SMALL WATER Although most crappie anglers love to go on big lakes, rivers, and reservoirs to find and catch crappie, if we crappie chasers don’t pay attention to the small waters that can be found all over the country, we may just be missing out on some seriously good crappie catching. Just how big a crappie can small waters produce? How about the world’s record black crappie, a five pound 6.4 ounce mega-slab caught in Tennessee by Lionel “Jam” Ferguson in May of 2018. This absolute monster crappie came from a small pond in Tennessee, and it replaced the old world’s record crappie, a five-pounder, which came from a private lake in Georgia in 2006.
unaware of any dangers from anglers and easy to fool. There are thousands of smaller lakes and ponds scattered across the country which hold crappie, and the best thing about these small waters is that usually at least a few of them are very close to wherever a crappie angler lives, so no long trips are involved. Crappie anglers who spend some time fishing and learning particular small lakes and ponds can become very well acquainted with the fish, with the water, and with the structure of a small lake much easier than trying to learn the ins and outs of a major reservoir with often variable water levels. In small waters, anglers can learn when and where in the course of a year the crappie will be catchable. BACKWATERS OF LARGER LAKES Most major lakes and rivers have lots of small, hard to access backwaters and offshoots that sometimes hold tremendous loads of crappie, especially in springtime when the slabs seek quiet shallows for spawning. There are several reasons for crappie anglers to concentrate on smaller backwaters which connect to bigger lakes or rivers, but the biggest reason to kayak fish small waters is that big boat anglers can’t reach these waters, so the competition is much less. These secluded backwaters are the private property of kayak anglers who are willing to do a little exploring to reach the fish. So, kayak crappie anglers who want to find some very good crappie and lots of them- think SMALL!
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Although not all small waters can produce a world’s record crappie, many smaller ponds and lakes provide an almost untapped bounty of great crappie fishing. And according to the world-record evidence, the biggest crappie do come from smaller waters. SMALL PRIVATE PONDS If an angler can arrange permission to fish private lakes which hold crappie, then things are just about perfect for some real fun. Most private lakes and ponds receive very light fishing pressure, and the crappie may be totally
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Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
Certain times of year are tougher than others, and February is certainly one of those times. The weather can be chaotic and dialing in patterns can be difficult due to rapidly changing conditions. But the fish still have to eat...and they will. MISSISSIPPI A good bit of movement along the inshore waters this month. Many inshore species will begin to move out of the marsh and creeks as the month progresses. Redfish will be abundant from the skinny waters to the barrier islands. For folks looking for bigger fish, the barrier islands will be the place to be, but weather will play a heavy hand in accessibility. Crossing the open waters of the sound are best done on flat calm days.
BY CHRIS VECSEY
Feb Coastal “Warmer February days can lead to excellent sightfishing for bull redfish” - photo courtesy Danniella Vecsey
bit more as we near the end of the month. Warmer periods and lower pressure will have schools moving further out of the backwaters. Sheepshead will be prepping for their annual spawn and their numbers will increase along rip rap, piers, bridges and any other heavy, inshore structures. Fiddler crabs and shrimp fished around these places will produce. Baits can be fished both on the bottom or suspended under slip floats at varying depths.
Big drum will also be a target at the barrier islands and between these bigger bottom dwellers and the bull redfish, there can be some amazing sight fishing opportunities.
ALABAMA The trout and redfish bite will continue to produce in the mobile delta and coastal rivers this month, but as with MS waters, many fish will begin moving into the mouths of the rivers and into the upper bays as we near March and the typical spring transition. Watch for water temps to near the upper 60s to signal this movement. Live baits like shrimp, croakers and finger mullet will work as will artificials like the Mirrolure MR 17, Rapala Rip Stop and Matrix Shad.
Speckled trout will still be abundant in the creeks and bayous, but they will begin moving around a good
As in Mississippi waters, Alabama sheepshead will be in very good numbers as they gather to spawn. They
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FISHING OUTLOOK will stack up on most inshore structures, with bridges and rock jetties being very good places to target convicts. Live shrimp, sand fleas and fiddler crabs are usually best. Offshore, this can be a prime month for targeting trophy yellowfin tuna at the “lumps” whenever calm seas permit. Chunking for trophy yellowfin can be a grind, but it can pay off with some of the biggest tuna of the year, with many exceeding 200 pounds. When the tuna won’t cooperate, it’s time to hit the rigs in the 250-600 foot range for wahoo. There’s a few approaches that can be taken for success with these speedsters. Trolling with deep diving plugs is a commonly used tactic that produces consistently. The Rapala X Rap and Nomad DTX are top lure choices for this job and can be pulled at a variety of speeds. Live baiting is another highly successful way to target big winter wahoo. Large hardtails (blue runners) are a great choice for their availability and their hardiness. Finding tuna and wahoo is also heavily dependent on knowing where to find optimal water conditions. An online satellite imaging service like Hilton’s Real-Time Navigator is extremely helpful in keeping tabs on where to fish. FLORIDA The inshore waters of the panhandle will give up a variety of species this month. The key is covering water and have a variety of tackle/bait options onboard. In the coastal rivers, speckled trout, redfish, flounder, drum and even striped bass are possibilities on any given day. Action is typically best on a falling tide around piers or channel edges. Practically any location where dropping water funnels bait should be fished.
Many artificials will work for this, specifically shrimp and small baitfish imitations. Favorites include the standard DOA shrimp, the Slick lure and most paddletails. Live shrimp and finger mullet will work better for anglers wanting to cast and set. Baits can be freelined, fished under a float and on the bottom with a carolina rig. Possibly the hottest fishing to be expected along the panhandle this month is right on the beach. Surf fishing in February can be very good, with pompano, whiting, bull redfish and others making up the bulk of the catch. Finding rip currents and other anomalies in the sandbars will make the difference in whether you stay bit or just stare at rod tips. Rip currents form deep cuts that run perpendicular to the beachline and create a natural buffet line for gamefish running the surf zone looking for food. Rigs should be staggered at different distances around these locations and baited with small pieces of shrimp, sand fleas or fish bites. In many scenarios, rigs that are dressed with small, bright colored floats will be the ticket. On calmer days, try using less-dressed rigs. On many of these clear and flat days, the more simple the rig, the better. Further offshore, the bottom fishing will be a solid choice, especially around natural bottom areas for vermilion snapper and others. Just be mindful that shallow water groupers are prohibited to harvest through February and March. This includes scamp, red and gag grouper, which must be released if captured.
Important Contact Information Hilton’s Realtime Navigator www.hiltonsoffshore.com
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Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
Slot-size redfish please anglers of all ages this month.
Beach ghost shrimp make up the bulk of the natural diet of winter fish in the surf zone, and make prime bait this time of year. The typical conditions of mid-winter along the Emerald Coast can surely test the shorebound angler more than any other time of year. In February we may see some of our coldest weather, and certainly coldest water of the year. The Gulf water temperature averages near 60, but may dip below that during periods of prolonged cold snaps, especially in the shallow surf zone and back bays. BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
On the other hand, the days are gradually getting noticeably longer and that means the stronger rays of the sun may just as easily bring a period of mild air temperatures in the 70s that can help warm these shallower waters. Even a few degrees can make a big
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difference in the activity level of our native fish species surviving on the lower end of their temperature preference ranges. The cold blooded nature of these fish and the invertebrates they feed upon may be heavily influenced by any sustained warm spell, or cold spell. Both of which are fairly common in February. DANCE TO THE BEAT OF YOUR OWN DRUM... The drumfish in the family Sciaenidae dominate the surf zone this month in the form of red and black drum, kingfish (Gulf, Northern and Southern), Spot and Atlantic croaker, seatrout (Sand, Silver and Spotted), and even Silver Perch (commonly called
FISHING OUTLOOK “sweet trout” or “yellow tail”). They are joined in lesser numbers by Florida pompano, Bluefish, Spadefish, Sheepshead, Permit and catfish (Hardhead and Gafftopsail), along with various pinfish, grunts, puffers, rays and skates to round out the “by-catch” list. At this time of the year, the emphasis is on pompano (and whiting), sheepshead, and the red drum to a lesser degree. Many surf and pier anglers try the “whatever bites” approach with a double drop rig that essentially is targeting pompano. Where it is placed is essential, as is the bait on the hooks but “when” is just as important, because these winter fish are not feeding as often as in warmer water conditions because of their metabolism. Often a succession of sunny days that warms things up even a few degrees can trigger a midwinter feeding frenzy. These may be fueled even more during the rising tide period in the afternoon hours when relatively warmer, saltier Gulf water pushes in closer to the coast. Especially around the passes and inlets on the days of strongest tidal flow. Figure in the weather and water conditions that affect the amount of sunlight and water clarity you have to deal with. Then ‘fine tune’ your approach with the wind speed and direction, and wave height/ direction to determine where and when would present your best angling options. Conversely, a prolonged cold snap or foggy/ cloudy period can ‘turn off’ the bite, pushing these fish into a state of relative inactivity with a lack of appetite. Adjust accordingly... WHICH WAY WHITING… Presentation is especially important to angler success at these times because it should resemble whatever these lethargic fish would opportunistically feed upon. Beach ghost shrimp make up the bulk of the natural diet of winter fish in the surf zone, and make prime bait this time of year. Often ghost shrimp out produces even live (Penaeid) shrimp fished side by side, several times over, and frozen shrimp by factors of 10. Nothing is more frustrating to anglers than watching some other fisherman pull in fish one after another, while they cannot buy a bite. This scenario plays out often from the Gulf beach piers whenever “whiting” are schooled under and near the pier. These fish can be so finicky they will ignore frozen shrimp altogether. Yet they may be tempted to eat a ghost shrimp with an immobile light tackle presentation. The average size of the whiting in these schools tends to be longer than 12 inches as the winter wears on and for their size, whiting are relatively strong fighting fish. A specimen over 16 inches is great sport on light or ultralight spinning tackle pulling more like a miniature red fish than its smaller cousin. And they make great eating too. The only drawback is it takes a number of years for whiting to reach that size or longer. They grow quickly the first year to about 11 inches when they reach sexually maturity. Thereafter their metabolism shifts more toward reproduction, and they only grow about an inch per year. So a 16 or 17 inch whiting (about one and a half pounds) is at least 5 years old. And a two pound whiting (about 20 inches long) would be close to 10 years old. Keep that in perspective when keeping a box full of these unregulated panfish. They certainly have not been quite as numerous (nor as large) as in past years, partly due to increased fishing pressure year round.
effort as they can be caught from a variety of different venues with varying methods. Gulf pier fishers, as well as those on jetties, seawalls and back bay docks and piers are quite likely to encounter these so-called “convict fish”. They are sportingly well suited for medium to light tackle in most situations but anglers may need to tackle heavier, or lighter depending on the wind/wave/current conditions encountered during the course of each day. The vast majority of sheepshead are caught in daylight between the hours of 9am and 3pm. It seems every angler has their favorite method for targeting sheepshead at different locations, or in differing conditions. At times, they can be fairly aggressive, but just as often they can be quite finicky even refusing to eat what are considered prime baits with only tiny hooks on ridiculously light line. Sheepshead are truly omnivorous, eating both plants and animals in the form of algae growing on rocks and piling, as well as the barnacles, mussels, oysters, and other invertebrates (crabs, shrimp, etc.) they may encounter. Live fiddler crabs, even crushed barnacles or oysters can be quite effective for sheepshead as they browse around hard structures. Small live shrimp work well when sheepshead are suspended between pilings. And ghost shrimp fished on the bottom with light line and a small hook may entice even finicky sheepshead while staging on the bottom away from structure. Be sure to check your local regulations on sheepshead, as they are different between Florida and Alabama waters. Alabama anglers may have another venue to fish from this month, as it was announced late in 2021 that the Fort Morgan Pier may be open sometime in February. The previous pier at that location offered good fishing for sheepshead at times (along with other species like “white trout” and flounder and it looks like this structure will be even better. A warmer than average February often signals a more active sheepshead bite. Colder waters will delay their prespawn aggregations for another month or so. No two years are exactly alike, as February weather tends to be so volatile. Thats another reason for fishermen to pay attention to the details of weather and water, along with any timely reports available through social media to identify trends. All of these scenarios play out on a daily basis all along the Emerald Coast for Gulf beach, inshore, pier and jetty anglers this month. Depending on the weather and other conditions, a modest variety of fish can still provide hours and hours of fishing fun, or frustrations, along with a few meals, as we spend our great days outdoors!
SMILE WHEN YOU SAY THAT... Sheepshead represent another large percentage of February angler 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 63
REGIONAL FRESHWATER Fishing Outlook BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
It’s not too hard to put together a good string of crappie in early spring.
ALABAMA WATERS
LAKE EUFAULA Early spring can present problems for anglers trying to find fish, but also, the early spring can reward those anglers who put in the time to locate fish.
Captain Sam Williams from Hawks Fishing Guide Service says that in February on Lake Eufaula, the weather dictates how fishing trips go. On warm, sunny days, the bass can move up shallower and bite a bit quicker, but on most of the fishing trips scheduled for February, anglers looking for bass will want to slow down in their presentation of lures. Bass will be moving slowly, and lures worked too fast will usually be ignored. In particular, bass anglers should work the old leftover lily pad stems and blowdowns which present shoreline cover for bass. On warmer days, bass will pull up out of deeper water and hold on the stems and limbs in the water. For most of February, bass anglers can fish Rat-l-Traps off the first ledge 64 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
with good results. A slow retrieve will be best- don’t burn the lure back to the boat. Crankbaits worked in deeper water with trash piles and old stumps in 12 to 22 feet of water can be good. According to Williams crappie is normally great in February. “Look around bridge pilings- try ultra light spinning rigs with 4 lb. line using either small jigs or live minnows. Sometimes a combination of the two works best,” Williams said. For some real exercise, anglers can look for birds diving over open water. There will be white bass, hybrids, and stripers under the birds working big schools of shad, and the big striped fish will eagerly take silver and shad colored jigs, spoons, and top water plugs. LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
FISHING OUTLOOK Captain Jake Davis of Mid-South Bass Guide Service fame says that February is a very interesting month for bass anglers on Lake Guntersville. and that it is a very good time for trophy hunters to make a run to the big north Alabama lake and spend some time casting to very big bass.
Cat hunters will want to look in 25-40 feet of water in the upper portions of the lakes. Bluffs and ledges with sharp bottom contours will be best. When the dams are generating, anglers will want to work the upstream side of humps and islands below the dams.
According to David, big bass will be moving up into shallower water looking for lots to eat before they start their spawning work.
On the lower end of Wilson, cats may be 90 to 100 feet deep at times, but 60-75 feet is usually a reliable depth to start fishing.
Rat-L-Traps and Texas rig soft plastics in particular work well on early spring big bass. The bass will be from ten feet deep to less than a foot, and they’ll be all over the lake. This shallow water pattern will only get better as the month goes on.
On another note, Barton says that anglers can expect to meet up with some big, mean February striped bass below the dams. Anglers who fish the tailrace waters of either dam just downstream of turbine boils will likely encounter some hard pulling striped fish. Anglers should use live shad for bait. Let the bait go to the bottom in the fast water. Weight requirements will depend on the amount of water coming through the dam. If there’s no bite in ten minutes, then a move is in order. The stripers, hybrids and whites will be somewhere below the dams when water is running.
When the bass actually start their spawning, and this depends on the warm weather and warm rains that we might get in February, angler will want to look at spawning bays in creeks and around new grass growth. The grass may only be an inch or so long now, but it is enough to hold lots of bass. Davis points out that lures in cloudy water need to have a good shade of Guntersville red on them, but if the water is clear, more natural shad colors will be best. Crappie anglers need to get up to Guntersville in February because Captain Jake informs us that the slabs will be thick under bridges and docks, and they will be fat, dumb, and happy- ready to bite. Small jigs and live minnows will work for the bigger crappie at this time. MOBILE DELTA “On the beautiful Mobile-Tensaw Delta in February, everything will be geared toward the stages of the rivers. If we have heavy flooding rains upstream, it can take two or three months to get lower good fishing water down here on the Delta,” says Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service Captain Wayne Miller On average years, the lakes in the middle and lower Delta should be well fishable- these are waters south of the I-65 area. Anglers fishing the deeper cypress lakes will have good luck with jigs and other crawfish imitations. Crankbaits can be very good at this time. Anglers should focus on points and deeper waters with the mudbug lures. In the area around the Causeway, bass will be piled up in the creeks. Anglers should look for the bigger lakes with lots of creeks feeding into the lakes, and then work the creeks hard for bass. The largemouth bass will be feeding heavily on crawfish in February because this is the major forage for the bass at this time. WILSON/PICKWICK LAKES Patience is a prime ingredient for early spring anglers on the big Tennessee River chain of lakes. Cold fronts can slow down a hot bite, and a warm spell can accelerate the bite. February gives catfish anglers a wide range of possibilities on Lakes Wilson and Pickwick. One day, the catfish may be on a tear and eating up everything. The next day, you’d swear there’s not a catfish in the lake. It will take patience and persistence this month. Veteran guide and fisherman Captain Brian Barton tells us that when the cats are found, they will be tightly schooled up, so anglers can catch a lot of good catfish- once they are located.
WEISS LAKE Weiss Lake is one of the premier crappie and bass lakes in the entire country, and the fish can break wide open in early spring. Captain Lee Pitts has been putting anglers in touch with limits of crappie for years and he gets pretty excited when talking about the fishing on Lake Weiss in February. “February is when spring starts kicking in. Everything is heading to the creeks,” he said. This is a good month for long-line trolling for schools of crappie which are chasing shad. The crappie are not holding to shoreline cover yet, but are out in open water keeping up with the shad. Multiple rod set ups work well, and Lew’s Slab Shaker rods in lengths from eight to twelve feet to vary the angle and depth of presentation work well. Pitts likes 1/24 oz. Mo-Glo jig heads by Bobby Garland, and he really likes to thread a Bobby Garland Baby Slab or Slab Slayer grub body. He reminds us that at this time, the bigger crappie don’t want a lot of action on the lures, but rather a slow pull with just the action provided by the soft plastic lure is what is wanted. Bass at Weiss will be moving very shallow in February. Anglers should look for them to see them clearing bottom in hard bottom areas in readiness for spawning. Clay banks can be good, but rock bottom is best at this time. “I like Strike King squarebill crank baits, and Rat’L-Traps will work, too. I like something with chartreuse, orange or red accents. And I never go out this time of year without a black and blue colored jig ready to go,” Pitts said. “Some of our best fishing days are in February- for big fish and for lots of fish,” he added. SIPSEY FORK Alabama’s only year-round rainbow trout water offers some fine early spring fishing for anglers who take the time to observe what the trout are feeding on. Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop tells us that February can be a very good month for trout anglers in Alabama. The Sipsey Fork should start having good hatches of stoneflies beginning with the smaller brown stoneflies which will emerge all along the run of the river. Fly anglers should try dark brown stonefly imitations in sizes four877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 65
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
teen to sixteen. As the month goes on, it is very possible that the larger black stoneflies will show up, and the trout go wild over these bigger bugs. Midges are still present, and anglers who drift nymph patterns in twenty to twenty-four sizes will take fish. Spinning gear anglers can use a clear plastic water bubble and a fluorocarbon leader to fish the same flies that work for fly rod anglers. Trout Magnets and Roostertails with single hooks will always catch fish on the Sipsey Fork. MILLER’S FERRY LAKE Although cold weather can slow down the early spring bite on Miller’s Ferry, a warm early spring can bring things to a boil quickly, According to Joe Dunn of Dunn’s Sports in Thomasville, February will see the crappie on Weiss Lake starting their transition into spring and spawning. If the water temperatures hold chilly, the crappie will still be suspended in deeper water in sloughs and deep channels, but when the water temperature hits 60 degrees, the crappie will move shallow. During February, anglers can troll with jigs and live minnows in fifteen to ten feet of water to find the schools of crappie. Dunn said that some parts of the lake warm up sooner than others, and this can trigger earlier spawning. In particular, Hog Pen Slough, Marina Slough, and the Gee’s Bend areas all tend to be the first parts of the lake to warm enough to cause the crappie spawn to start. Dunn says that as February moves along, the bass will start thinking about moving on the spawning banks. If we get some warm weather in February, they may actually move up in the grass along the shorelines and start bedding. Crankbaits, chatter baits, and swim jigs all will work well on bass at this early spring situation.
FLORIDA WATERS
Jeff DuBree of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin says that this is a big spawning month for the bass and crappie on Talquin. Anglers should focus their efforts in the deeper creeks which feed into the lake, and when the water temperatures get close to the mid-60 degree mark, anglers should be on the water. Both bass and crappie will be in pre-spawn patterns at the start of the month, but the fish will move into spawning areas as the month progresses. Crappie chasers should try trolling multiple jig and grub rigs over deeper creek mouths. So far this year, jigs in blue and green have been good producers.
Rob Baker of The Wilderness Way in Crawfordville says that toward the end of the month, the weather usually gets quite a lot warmer, and by March, spring will be in full swing. Bass in Wakulla River will be moving into spawning areas- look for large trees and other solid cover which projects out into the main river. The most reliable lure for Wakulla River in early spring will be soft plastics. Wacky-rigged worms allowed to sink slowly near the heavy cover can be very effective. Edges of thick weed beds are always good spots to find bass in the Wakulla River. Spinnerbaits worked along open edges near weed beds can draw some strikes from big bass.
Important Contact Information Capt. Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com www.brianbartonoutdoors.com Capt. Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www.midsouthbassguide.com Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy. 43, Thomasville, AL Capt. Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com Capt. Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 16027 Hwy 69 N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 riversideflyshop.com
For bass, anglers should throw spinnerbaits and jerk baits near cover on the larger creeks.
Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 millewa12000@yahoo.com
It’s still a bit early for best bream action, but anglers can start to find some good shellcrackers in deeper water near creek mouths by fishing worms on the bottom.
Jeff DuBree Whippoorwill Lodge 850-875-2605
WAKULLA RIVER Although the spring-fed Wakulla River never gets as cold as other freshwaters of the region, the bass still tend to bite better as the spring weather starts to arrive in northwest Florida.
Rob Baker Wilderness Way 850-877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, FL
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116 E. I-65 Service Road N. Mobile, AL 36607 Phone: 251-476-2699 www.bluewateryachtsales.net 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 69
FLORIDA TIDE CHARTS
70 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
MISSISSIPPI TIDE CHARTS
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 71
Pensacola Motorsports
TROPHY
Garett Johnson, Coker, Al with a 8-point wall hanger
You didn’t see it coming. Neither did the fish.
ROOM
Emilee Sprinkle showing off her monster red snapper
GET FEATURED IN OUR ISSUES OF GREAT DAYS OUTDOORS WHEN YOU
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
Introducing the all-new FISH PRO™ The world’s first personal watercraft designed for fishing will bring you closer to the action for an experience like never before.
IT'S EASY TO ENTER POST:
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618 N New Warrington Rd. Pensacola, FL 32506 (850)456-6655
©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.
Sea-Doo.com
72 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Photo of the Month! Simply share your great day outdoors with us!
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When Submitting Trophy Room photos, be sure to include as much information as possible about the person and the trophy. Final Decision is made by the editorial Staff of Great Days Outdoors Magazine. Submitting a photo does not guarantee it will be published.
Drew Sprinkle with a respectable bull elk
Benjamin Knight with his mature sailfish he landed 6 miles out. Caught him on a live shrimp and a 4000 series inshore reel.
Vann Wilson with this 8 point buck. The buck was bagged in Coffeeville, Al 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 73
KID'S CORNER
TROPHY ROOM
Jameson Norris with a good looking young largemouth.
Kipton Hall got it done this evening!!
Ethan Harville age 10 has a right to be proud and happy
Savanah Holifield
1
ST
Buck
Delilah Boykin, 6, with her first buck
Colton Henderson went juggin for this nice Cat.
Demi Davis has her hands full with this largemouth
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.
FISHING TOURNAMENTS NEAR YOU
Fishing Tournaments
near you
Stanly County Big Bass Bounty
Format: A CPR (catch-photo-release) online “virtual” tournament in which bass are photographed on an approved measuring board along with an Event Identifier Card then uploaded via the Fishing Chaos App. Minimum length: 15.00” Number of Fish: 1 Number of Photos Scored: There’s no limit to the number you may submit; fish with lower scores are automatically replaced by those with higher scores. The score of your largest bass will remain on the Monthly and Overall Big Bass Leader Board at end of competition and your Best Five for the year long Leader Board. January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022
MBKFA 2022 BATTLEGROUND - AOY & Citations 2022 AOY & Citation Standings.
January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022
Baldwin Strong Tournament Series 2021-2022
The Baldwin Strong youth fishing tournament series is an online (CPR) catch, photo, release fishing tournament for anyone 18 years old and younger. A CPR tournament is a length-based tournament format quickly growing in popularity where participants capture a photo of the fish on a bump board or measuring device and submit the photo to the tournament. The Token is required to be visible (written on hand or paper) within all photos submitted (NO PHOTO EDITING ALLOWED) The tournament series will consist of 8 month-long tournaments from October 2021 to May 2022 with competitive categories and prizes each month with the Master Angler awarded at the conclusion of the tournament! All participants are encouraged to log every fish caught, as we will have random prize giveaways. October 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022
MBKFA Shepherd’s Challenge 2022
This is a CPR (Catch, Photo, Release) tournament! The tournament will run from 5:00am through 5:00pm on February 19, 2022. This will be a total length, 3-fish aggregate of your longest 3 sheepshead and black drum where only 1 fish can be a black drum. Guaranteed payout for top three spots! February 19, 2022
For a full list of tournaments, rules, and prizes, check out https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament 76 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING TIP
Advertiser Index A-Team Fishing Adventures . . . . . . . . 3 Admiral Shellfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 ADCNR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Advance Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Alabama Farmers CO-OP . . . . . . . . . 67 Alabama Liquid Fertilizer . . . . . . . . . 49 Bay Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Bluewater Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Boaters List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Brush Clearing Services . . . . . . . . . 44 Buck’s Island Marine . . . . . . . . . . 19, 25 Camper City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 CCA Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Clutch Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Coast Safe & Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Cold Blooded Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Deep South Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Dixie Building Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Farm Credit of NW Florida . . . . . . . . 35 Fiber Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 First South Farm Credit . . . . . . . . . . 50 Fishbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Fishing Chaos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Geico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Hilton’s Offshore Charts . . . . . . . . . . 27 Hydraulic Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Killer Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 MDH Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Midway Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 National Land Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Paradise Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pensacola Motor Sports . . . . . . . . 72-73 Photonis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ranch King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Ricciardone Dentistry . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sams Bait & Tackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Slick Lure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Southeastern Pond Management . . . . 7 Southern Seed & Feed . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Test Calibration Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
War Eagle Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Fishing for Convicts BY WILLIAM KENDY
Fishing in February is kind of a “touch and go” sort of proposition. The bite can be on one day and off the next. The one thing that February has going for it though is the sheepshead bite and, in fact, according to the experts, February is a prime time to catch them. Sheepshead are known for their “convict” striped appearance and their legendary skills in stealing bait. They normally weigh between two and six pounds with strong “buck teeth” that are perfect for barnacles, small stone and fiddler, crabs, shimp, sand fleas and other baits. According to Captain Patric Garmeson of Ugly Fishing based out of Mobile, sheepshead hang out around structures, like pilings, wrecks, docks, bridges, jetties and reels, basically any structure that offers refuge and food. Garmeson should know, he holds the Alabama state record with a 13 pound, 14-ounce trophy. “Anglers want to look for big structure, especially metal structures, stone and concrete, as their ‘go to’ locations for the largest number of fish in water that is six feet or deeper and sometimes even as deep as 50 to 60 feet,” Garmeson said. “Wood pilings are not out of the question and
can hold fish as well.” Garmeson points out that in February anglers should concentrate on structure in the lower areas of the bays or at “near shore” structures in the upper reaches of the Gulf typically within about six miles out. He also says that he looks for two things when it comes to structures; a lot of barnacles and hopefully some oysters and don’t be shy about scraping them off to create your own sheepshead feeding frenzy. In terms of bait, Garmeson says that the most common and productive bait for sheepshead are live shrimp, fresh dead shrimp and fiddler crabs. His favorite rig is a simple split shot setup with a 20-30 inch fluorocarbon or monofilament leader attached to 20 pound braid. He uses a 1/0 Kahle hook tied on about 10 inches from the split shot and he uses the smallest size split shot he can get away with depending on the speed of the current. The stronger the current the heavier the weight. He also uses a Carolina rig with a ¼ to one ounce egg sinker and a simple “knocker” rig where the barrel sinker sits on the eye of the hook.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 77
A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
Why Opossum Starts With “O” The trait possums are best known for is their self-defense mechanism. When attacked, a possum will usually first look for a tree. Finding none, it may then try bluffing by hissing and baring all fifty teeth. As a last resort, it will play possum, lying very still, much like a grown man who hears a baby cry in the middle of the night and suspects it’s diaper needs changing. BY JIM MIZE The Virginia Opossum, known locally by its familiar name, possum, has scientists intrigued. Partly, this is because possums are highly unusual and partly because scientists think they sound smarter when intrigued. Possums supposedly began to roam the earth during the dinosaur era. This is probably about the time they learned to zigzag. Now, possums inhabit Central America, the Southeast, and have recently been introduced as far west as California, though no one can explain why. Many people think possums are related to rats. This is a nasty rumor; possums are more closely related to kangaroos and koalas, which would make them quite cuddly if they could hop and weren’t ugly. Let’s face it, possums really are ugly. They have long snouts, pink noses, and a naked, scaly tail. Admittedly, some people think possums are attractive, but these same people tend to have ugly dogs. The teeth on a possum would make an animal orthodontist’s career. They have fifty - - the possum, not the orthodontist - - which is more than any other mammal. Oddly enough, possums also have opposable thumbs, but they’re on their hind feet. These thumbs can be used to grab limbs, twiddle backwards, or hitch-hike to where they came from. A possum’s diet would make a great mouthwash commercial. Rotting fruit, road kill, snails, rats, worms, they’ll eat it all. Think about this the next time you see a mouth-watering recipe for possum. Occasionally, possums will raid a garbage can or try to steal dog food. They refer to this as gourmet dining.
A possum may also emit a foul odor, which is usually what tips off the man about the diaper. And from the sound of it, possums have reason to worry. Typically, their life span is less than a year and they might be done in by humans, parasites, disease, exposure, starvation, owls, dogs, and coyotes, which could explain why possums can’t get life insurance. Perhaps what intrigues scientists most is that possums are not extinct. Consider the facts. First, a possum’s defense mechanisms are none too impressive. Second, they run slower than sap. Third, almost anything larger than they are has them on its menu. And last, a possum’s eating habits would send chills through the Surgeon General. So how do they survive? By making lots of possums. A female possum births two litters per year, typically with 8-10 possums per litter. A bumper crop may be as large as 17 per litter. She then gets to haul them around in her pouch - - remember the kangaroo relatives - - and after that will haul them on her back. You’d think that among possums, minivans would be popular. Wildlife officers receive numerous calls about dealing with possums. They could reduce these considerably by forwarding them to me. Here’s how I would handle frequently asked questions. Q: “My dogs are barking at a possum. What do I do?” A: “Tell the dog to hush and go to bed. If your neighbors are complaining, lie about it being your dog.” Q: “There’s a possum lying very still on my porch. Is it dead or playing?” A: “Check on it tomorrow. If it walked off, it was playing.”
78 FEBRUARY 2022 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Q: “A friend brought me a possum after one of his hunting trips and suggested I cook it. Do you have any suggestions?” A: “Yes. Get a new friend.” Q: “A possum climbed into my garbage can. How do I get it out?” A: “What day is your garbage picked up?” Q: “How did the possum get its name?” A: “Well, there are two theories. One is that Captain John Smith overheard an Algonquin Indian call it by its Indian name, ‘apasum’. Being a lousy speller, Smith wrote it down as ‘opossum’.” “The alternate theory, which I ascribe to, is that possums came into this world as rural animals, and ever since their origin, were known as possums. They wandered unheeded, occasionally crossing a wilderness trail, swerving now and then, and when seen by early settlers were greeted with, ‘Look, there’s a possum’.” “All that changed with the invention of roads. Highway departments paved these trails with taxpayer dollars. The wilderness scouts have been replaced by Ford Scouts and still the possums wander unheeded. Except now, when they cross a road, they are greeted with screeching tires and an exclamation of, ‘Oh shoot, a possum’.” “Occasionally, the kids in the back seat completely misunderstood Dad and repeated his exclamation with something other than ‘shoot’. That’s when Dad learned to catch himself mid-phrase and now exclaims, ‘Oh . . . possum’.” So an entire generation grew up learning the animal by its new name, ‘opossum’. I should point out, however, that scientists were never much intrigued by this alternate theory. Apparently, they felt they would look smarter by being intrigued about something else. JIM MIZE has never eaten possum, at least, on purpose. You can find his award-winning books of humor on Amazon or at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // FEBRUARY 2022 79
IMPORTING UNPROCESSED DEER COULD SPREAD CWD IN ALABAMA LEARN MORE AT OUTDOORALABAMA.COM/CWD
GAME CHECK IS MANDATORY FOR EVERY DEER HUNTER All hunters are required to report their deer harvest using Game Check, which will help the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources effectively manage wildlife for generations.
Check your harvest at OutdoorAlabama.com/GameCheck or by using the official ADCNR mobile app Outdoor AL Search OUTDOOR AL on your app store!