Time to get to your local Suzuki Marine Dealer for the Ultimate Outboard Motors. Buy during our Spring Sales Event and get Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Extended Protection at no extra charge. There are Instant Savings on select models, and Low-Rate Financing is also available. See your participating Suzuki Marine dealer for all the details.
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NTER SALES EVENT WINTER SALES EVEN Gimme Six Extended Protection promotion applies to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20 in accordance with the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings applies to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. For list of designated models, see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. There are no model substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors. Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 04/01/20 and 06/30/20. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2020 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 3
HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
14
CONTENTS Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget. . . . . . 8 by John E. Phillips The Weather Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Hot in Late Summer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 by Capt. Bobby Abruscato Plan For Upcoming Florida Hunting Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 by Tony Young Custom Dock Fish Cleaning Station Designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 by William Kendy
26
8
Bass Pond Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 by Brian Senn
In Every Issue
32
4 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
20
Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 by Hank Shaw New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 by Charles Sykes The Gun Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Craig Haney Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Ed Mashburn Coastal Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by Chris Vecsey Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by David Thornton Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 64 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Classifieds & Fishin‘ Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 by Capt. Kenny Lewis as told to William Kendy A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 by Jim Mize
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
Pintlala Farm
DIVISIBLE - BANK OWNED Black Belt Farm
This farm is located in Alabama’s fertile Black Belt soil region along the Pinchony Creek and Pintlala Creek drain basin, that consists of thousands of acres of bottomland hardwoods, TEXT and joinedHERE by very productive farm PROPERTY land. This is an excellent area for trophy deer, turkey and waterfowl hunting. As you ride through the property you see a very diverse wildlife habitat of mature hardwoods that provide a great mast resource for maximum wildlife growth, upland pines, open fields, and thickets for wildlife bedding. This property is a fully developed recreation property with established food plots and shooting houses and is ready to enjoy.
Diverse, bank owned farm has it all: timber, agricultural land, catfish ponds, duck ponds, & a hunting lodge. In the fertile Alabama Black Belt between Orrville & Selma at Beloit, an area renowned for its abundance of trophy whitetail deer, turkey, dove,PROPERTY duck, & other hunting, enjoy easy access w/ paved frontage on Highway 22 & CR TEXT HERE 189, miles of internal gravel roads that rival many county roads, & an array of income producing opportunities from cattle, timberland, catfish farming, hunting, & row crop production, all on one tract. Previously used to host commercial hunts, 2BR hunting lodge w/sleeping loft has 3.5 BAs, stone fpl, open floor plan, & views of the surrounding farmland. Downstairs mud/locker rm could be an additional bed or bunk rm, & the walk-in cooler w/ conveyor. Bunkhouse w/a full BA outside the lodge can sleep 4-8, & brick farmhouse just to the East w/5 BR & 3 BA could be for guests, office, owner’s lodge, or caretaker’s home. 440+/- acres of timber consists of hardwood plantation, pine plantation, natural oak hammocks, & areas of mature, natural hardwood. 465+/- acres of open land includes both fenced and unfenced pasture that are flat to gently rolling, with multiple barns, silos, and sheds present, and the 28 catfish ponds w/power & pumps throughout encompass 367+/- acres. Several duck ponds & strategically placed food plots, and Tatum Creek flows through the property providing several large potential fishing lake sites. Two add. waterfront homes are available for purchase if desired & DIVISIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED.
Montgomery County, Alabama, 218+/-Acres
Dallas County, Alabama, 1283+/-Acres
FL Panhandle Listings
Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler Cherokee Chilton Chilton
ACRES 860 535 375 371 210 1995 1339 1304 463 161 884 215 120 103 62 10 60 50 4.6 4000 167 395 85.16 77 2230 146 73
COUNTY Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington
388 216 54 38 30 620 526 234 220 179 200 294 161 133 101 80 80 74 22 20 10 151 360 331 72 50 22
Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Greene Greene
ACRES 60 876.25 59 96 1283 651 463.54 256 224 450 342 264 111 83 671.6 672 473 321 232 122 244 103 2590 2100 490 165 38
COUNTY Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Henry Houston Houston Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lawrence Lawrence Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes
329 150 53.2 41 38 200 100 10 31 17.5 633 120 75 65 14 367 202 200 192 160 80 45 1013 793.5 783 656 500
Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marshall Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery
ACRES 2370 930 486 396 163 6214 3000 1164 404 264 82 535 1800 308 299.1 260 192 790 298 269 129 110 858 697 623 469 430
COUNTY Morgan Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Pike Russell Saint Clair Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega
76 386 240.75 189 160 50 837 450 430 240.36 172 112 40 195 68.13 10 240 159 74 74 66 740 550 406.47 350 45.7 882
Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Walker Walker Walker Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Winston Winston Winston Winston Winston
ACRES 537 153 152 120 120 80 203 100 82 73 61 240 213 190 160 160 2365 1465 660 310 31 265 265 148 2.3 1.3
COUNTY
ACRES
Escambia Gulf Holmes Santa Rosa Walton Walton Walton Walton Walton Washington
257 55 93 680 454 235 188 60 39.75 22.5
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR JULY These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
2020 ALABAMA ALLIGATOR ADVENTURE
If you are an Alabama resident, 16 years of age or older and looking for a reptile challenging outdoor adventure, you have until July 8, 2020 to register for a 2020 Alabama Alligator Possession Tag.
VOLUME 24, ISSUE 7 July 2020
The cost to apply for a tag is $22.00 per zone and there are five zones in the state, each with varying regulations and dates. There will be a total of 260 tags awarded. Tag selections will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of July 2020 with results posted on-line. Only one tag per hunter will be awarded and each successful applicant must complete the online Alligator Training Course prior to accepting their hunter/alternative status. For application specifics go to www.outdooralabama.com/ alligators. In 1938 Alabama was the first state to protect alligators from extinction. The population grew to the point where in 1987 gators were removed from the Endangered Species List. Today they actually pose a nuisance in many areas and affords the opportunity to participate in a small-scale regulated hunt.
ALABAMA JULY FROG GIGGING
In the hot days and steamy nights of July it may be time to take a little break from fishing and do some frog gigging. That means grabbing a good and waterproof headlamp and/or submersible quality spotlight, some old tennis shoes or rubber boots, a 7 to 10-foot long three or more prong spear), a drainable bag and bug spray and do some frog gigging. Since there is no closed frog gigging season and a 20 frog per day limit, with a little luck and some perseverance you can harvest the makings for some great eating, either by wading or in a stable flat bottom boat. Speaking of “good eating” make sure to check out the fried frog leg recipe in this issue. Advice from the experts: Go big on the gig… and drive the prongs through the frog.
TIME FOR CATFISHING
In July in Alabama, it is hot…not only temperature wise but for catfishing. In the summer, even though water levels drop and temperature levels increase, catfish still get hungry and bite. In rivers and lakes, while fishing at night or during the day, attaching a float that suspends the bait a few inches off of the bottom can produce action. Dangling a strong, meaty smelling chicken liver or other “stink” bait will draw catfish. Having said that just throwing a bait out there and waiting for a bite can be boring at times and to spice things up, casting spoons, jigs tipped with a small shad or cut bait or even swimbaits, paddlebaits on a medium size outfit works. Of course, limblines, set-poles or jug fishing setups can fill the cooler. 6 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya MANAGING EDITOR: William Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester
Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Subscription rate is $24 for one-year, $40 for two-years, and $55 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile, Ala. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment is received by the 15th. Great Days Outdoors assumes no responsibility for delivery after magazines are mailed. All delivery complaints should be addressed to your local postmaster. CONTACT US: EDITORIAL | JoeBaya@greatdaysoutdoors.com ADVERTISING | SamHester@greatdaysoutdoors.com SUBSCRIPTIONS | greatdaysoutdoors@pcspublink.com Great Days Outdoors Media LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 877. 314. 1237 info@greatdaysoutdoors.com www.greatdaysoutdoors.com All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.
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Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget
8 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Attract, keep and grow deer with the right food plot seeds and fertilizer. BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
Everyone I know and from everything I’ve learned about planting green fields recommends that if you want a successful crop that attracts deer and turkeys, you must use the correct seeds for where you’re planting and put down good fertilizer just before you plant, or as you plant. The combination of the knowledge and advice of Dale and Daniel Bumgarner of Wildlife Management Solutions (https://productsforwildlifemanagement.com/) in Eutaw, Alabama, and Chris Grantham of Alabama Liquid Fertilizer (https:// www.facebook.com/ALFandSupply/) in Elba, Alabama, will give your foodplot fields the best outcomes and provide the most food for both deer and turkeys. Wildlife Management Solutions Daniel Bumgarner of Wildlife Management Solutions (WMS) is a wildlife biologist and explains that his company provides food-plot seeds and seed blends for the southern Gulf Coast states. “Previously my brother Dale and I were in the wildlife service and management business for private landowners, crafting wildlife-management plans and planning food plots. However, we had a very difficult time finding the varieties of seeds to plant in green fields for the lands we were helping to manage, Bumgarner said. “We recognized some needs in the seed business, due to the numerous types of soil in the Deep South, as well as having different kinds of climates, including high temperatures and droughts occurring at different times of the year from other parts of the country. So, we began to mix and match different seeds on test plots of land to learn which seeds would produce the most tonnage over the longest time for deer hunters specifically and also good crops for both deer and turkeys.” Bumgarner emphasized that doing a soil test is the first step in having a great food plot that will produce the maximum tonnage of food for a deer herd. “Any crop you plant only will be as good as the dirt. Besides the amount of fertilizer and lime that your soil test recommends, you also want to know what soil type you have, perhaps sandy soil, heavy clay soil or other kinds. With this knowledge, WMS can formulate a specific seed blend that will match-up the best with that soil type. Here is a closer look at what a mixed-seed blend of WMS Alabama Blend green-field planting looks like up close. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Management Systems
“The weatherman also can give you the best information on when’s the prime time to plant fall green fields. If you don’t have the right conditions for planting a green field, your green-field crop is much more likely to be a disaster than a success. You need cooler temperatures with a rain event coming behind the planting for the best success,” Bumgarner said. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 9
Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget
Turkey-hunting enthusiasts and avid deer hunters should consider one of WMS’s blends that provides food for deer during the fall and winter and has included plants that turkeys will feed on in the fall, winter and spring. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Management Systems
Budgets for Green Field Plantings Oftentimes the main factor on what and how much you should plant to have quality green fields that will attract deer is determined by the size of the land that you control or own and the amount “We’ll want to know more too about the physical site you’re planting for the best seed success whether it’s a new cutover that receives a full day of sun or a green field in a creek or a river bottom that may get morning sun and afternoon shade and may hold more moisture than a clear-cut. About the only type of ground where we can’t get food plots to grow is on prairie lands where you find Selma chalk types of soil. These areas have exposed barren ground that has absolutely no type of topsoil. This kind of property is also known as white-cliff areas in the South,” Bumgarner noted. Here’s a look at three green-field budgets that WMS offers. These options allow you to determine what seed blends you may want to consider to maximize the dollars spent for the quality and tonnage of green-field plantings. 1) Limited Budgets - The least-expensive green field planting Bumgarner recommends is a blend of seeds that includes cereal grains like wheat or oats. The rationale behind this is that this blend attracts deer, is easy to plant, and per acre cost of seed, wheat or oats or both, will be the least-expensive seeds to purchase. “WMS has a mixture called TriticOat that includes forage and triticale with black oats. Black oats grow much-more aggressively than other oats in the winter months, resulting in much-more tonnage from the 10 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
black oats than from other oats. Black oats result in more regrowth, and deer prefer them more than other oat varieties. WMS typically doesn’t see cold injury to the black oats like we do other oats. “Triticale is a wheat/oat cross, and we use this blend because it carries a much-higher sucrose level than other cereal grains, making this plant much sweeter,” Bumgarner said. “This triticale variety is said to produce much-more tonnage than other cereal grains will during deer season. Many triticale varieties are designed to produce more tonnage in the spring, but we chose the variety of triticale that produces the most tonnage during the South’s deer season. This blend puts plenty of ‘groceries’ in the fields for the deer to eat with a lot of sugar content to attract deer during the South’s hunting season. This blend is very inexpensive. To purchase enough seed to plant a one acre food plot, or two, 1/2-acre plots, or four, 1/4-acre food plots is about $50.” 2) Middle-of-the-Road Budgets - If you have more dollars to spend on your food plot, Bumgarner suggests a blend that includes the two cereal blends recommended earlier, triticale and black oats, and adding annual clovers and brassicas. This variety of seeds won’t increase your budget dramatically. “I recommend our WMS Alabama Blend, the number-one brand of seeds for planting food plots that we sell in the South,” Bumgarner explained. “This blend features triticale, black oats and a variety of wheat that produces a lot of leaves. But no hairs, which deer don’t like, develop on the ends of the wheat seeds when they seed out in the spring. Deer and turkeys will eat the seeds and the leaves of this type of wheat, so planting this wheat variety in the fall also provides food for deer and tur-
Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget
keys in the spring. This mix also contains Driller Radish seeds and two biomast clovers: frosty berseem and FIXationN balansa clover, which are two of the white, flowering, winter peas to give deer more to eat.” Wildlife Management Solutions recommends using 1-1/2 bags of this WMS Alabama Blend per acre, costing about $53 per acre. Some landowners and land managers prefer to plant two bags of acre. 3) Robust Seed Budgets – “If you have a more-robust budget for seeds, consider planting some of your green fields with the WMS Alabama Blend of seeds, and in other fields our WMS Deer Magnet,” Bumgarner advised. “On the green side of this blend, we add triticale and black oats and a wider variety of clovers, like frosty berseem, FIXatioN balansa, as well as Persian clover, crimson clover and arrowleaf, plus winter peas, daikon radish and chicory. The WMS Deer Magnet produces probably the best mixture for a food plot you can plan to hunt over for deer season, feeds deer and turkeys through the spring and almost all the way through the next summer, due to all the different varieties of clover.” Alabama Liquid Fertilizer and Supply Inc. This company has come out with a liquid fertilizer that you spray on green fields after the crop already has started to grow and/or just before it matures. Although I can’t understand how a fertilizer that’s sprayed on top of a crop will help the crop grow more and be more nutritious for deer and turkeys than a fertilizer that’s put in the ground, I’ve interviewed some hunters currently using Alabama Liquid Fertilizer who have had amazing results with this product.
Dr. John Sortino is a physician at Fort Rucker near Enterprise, AL. “I saw an interesting brochure on liquid fertilizer, so I called and talked to Chris Grantham, the president, and decided to give the product a try. We’d been fertilizing our green-field plantings with 13-13-13 when we planted. I was interested in this liquid fertilizer because it was to be applied to the plants after they started growing. The fertilizer was absorbed through the leaves, which made this fertilizer unique. I learned that deer would eat the plants with the fertilized leaves, due to the extra protein in the leaves, and the leaves were more palatable because of the addition of liquid fertilizer.,” Sortino said. When Great Days Outdoors questioned Sortino regarding what types of results and differences he saw after applying the liquid fertilizer to his food-plot plantings the findings were positive. “In years past, we bought permits to hunt over bait and placed our feeders out in the middles of the green fields. Once we did that, the deer might graze some on the food plot, however, they spent most of their time at the feeders. The deer primarily would come up to the feeders and eat the corn on the ground, “Sorino said. “But after we added Alabama Liquid Fertilizer to the plants, the deer came out of the woods, fed on the food plot all the way out to the feeder, ate some of the corn and then grazed on the food plot again as they returned to the woods. Instead of spending almost all their time around the feeder, the deer mostly grazed on the food plots where we had sprayed.” Sortino also noticed a difference in their turkeys when they came out of
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Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget
the woods. They would walk through the green fields before they had been sprayed with Alabama Liquid Fertilizer, eat the corn and return to the woods. After he sprayed on the green fields, the turkeys would come out to the food plot, peck on the leaves and the other plantings in the food plot, take a few kernels of corn and then feed in the food plot once more, until they returned to the woods. Instead of spending most of their time at the feeders, the turkeys fed at the food plots. Sortino realized then that something was different about our food plots from the year before that included this change in the deer and turkeys’ feeding habits and the amount of time they stayed in the field. “Both deer and turkeys fed more on the food plots, after we sprayed the liquid fertilizer, than they did eating at the feeders. I also noticed that the deer coming to the food plots seemed fatter at the end of the season than they were at the first or the middle of the season,” he said Sortino and his friends attached a sprayer to the back of a 4-wheeler and diluted the liquid fertilizer with water per the instructions on the fertilizer. Using the sprayer enabled them to put the liquid fertilizer out quickly. Sortino observed that the liquid fertilizer seemed to improve the health of the deer feeding on the food plots and to attract even more deer than the green fields before they were sprayed with the liquid fertilizer. All the hunters around Sortino’s land had planted green fields and had feeders out.
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“I’m convinced the liquid fertilizer helped to pull deer onto our property from neighboring lands. The liquid fertilizer seemed to be that little extra something that the deer wanted more than the food offered on other properties,” Sortino explained. “Perhaps the deer could smell that additional fertilizer or protein and the minerals in the leaves that we sprayed. Anyway, our green-field plantings were far more preferred by the deer and turkeys than the green fields not sprayed with liquid fertilizer. I’m so convinced that this product enables us to see more deer and turkeys on our green fields, that we’ll be using Alabama Liquid Fertilizer again in 2020.” Bryan Rogers, lives in Tennessee and works at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. and has limited planting and hunting time. “The only time I have to hunt is on weekends. I’ve searched for some type of quick fertilizer that I can put out easily and quickly, since I don’t have much time to hunt or plant. I’m not interested in buying a bunch of granular fertilizer, hooking up a tractor and then putting the fertilizer around the plants,” Rogers said. “But with liquid fertilizer, I can place it in an ATV sprayer, mix it with water and spray my green fields quickly from start to finish. With liquid fertilizer, you let your green fields come-up and start growing before you spray them. The plant takes the fertilizer in through its leaves and stems instead of through the ground.” Rogers allows his food plots to reach six to eight inches tall before spraying the liquid fertilizer, which is generally a week or two before deer season starts. He’s learned that if he sprays a green field the month before the opening of deer season, by opening day the deer will have eaten the green field, so the plants are only one to two inches high. He says the fields will look like you’ve taken a lawn mower through the fields.
12 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Fall Deer Food Plots for Every Budget
that the sprayer puts out to deliver two gallons of fertilizer and water per acre.” No Land and No Green Fields or Only Very Small Green Fields “One of the advantages to using liquid fertilizer is that it has the same effect on native plants as it does on crops that are planted in green fields,” says Chris Grantham, the owner of Alabama Liquid Fertilizer. “By spraying liquid fertilizer on greenbrier (smilax) and various bushes, poke sallet and any other type of plants that deer will feed on at the time of year that you’ll be hunting those deer, the plants will receive their nutrition through their leaves and produce more-palatable and healthier forage than the forage that hasn’t been fertilized.” If you have small 1/4-acre green fields and/or small hidey-hole no-plow hunting spots, the crops you plant for early-season bowhunting also will benefit from an application of liquid fertilizer. So, even if you have a limited budget or no budget at all for green-field plantings, you can take advantage of fertilizing native plants and small bowhunting areas by using liquid fertilizer.
Once your green field planting is out of the ground, you can use an ATV sprayer to distribute the Alabama Liquid Fertilizer on the crop for faster and better growth and increased palatability.
Alabama Liquid Fertilizer and Wildlife Management Solutions are in the problem-solving business for landowners and hunting clubs before these individuals spend the money to plow or disk the ground, put in lime and fertilizer and plant the seeds and then not get good results. By concentrating on a very-specific region of the country,they both provide fertilizer that deer love and design new and better seeds for southern food plots.
Hunting For That Perfect Gift?
Photo courtesy of Alabama Liquid Fertilizer
“One year before I began using liquid fertilizer, I had to replant my entire green field because the fertilizer had dietary calcium in it, and I believe the deer thought that these food plots were one giant mineral lick,” Rogers recalled.
BLACK BELT BOUNTY
Celebrating the heritage and traditions of hunting and fishing in Alabama’s famed Black Belt region
When Rogers first planted green fields, he used 13-13-13 or 15-15-15 or whatever type of fertilizer his father had left in his fertilizer bin after fertilizing his hay fields. “Before I started using liquid fertilizer, my green fields were thick and pretty, and the deer would come to them and eat but not stay there long during daylight hours,” Rogers reported. “Once I began spraying Alabama Liquid Fertilizer I noticed that the deer would feed on the plants as soon as they stepped out of the woods and would continue feeding on the plants as they walked across the field and back into the woods.” Since Rogers’ green fields get hit heavily by deer during deer season, he puts-up isolation cages around a small portion of the green field to learn how much the green-field plants will grow without the deer feeding on them. The plantings inside the cage will be six to eight inches tall, while the plants in the rest of the green field only will be one to three inches tall. “Besides this liquid fertilizer aiding in seed growth, it’s extremely easy to apply too,” Rogers emphasized. “I just mix it to the percentage of water
This deluxe hardcover coffee table book is filled with striking images from some of todays most gifted wildlife photographers and artists and their visual offerings are perfectly counterbalanced by words from an impressive bevy of outdoor writers and recipes from some of Alabama’s award-winning celebrity chefs. FEATURED SECTIONS:
• • • • •
The Tradition—the rites of passage; first hunters and gatherers; folklore The Land and Water—the landscape; lakes and rivers; conservation practices The Hunt—field trial history; renowned dog trainers; game and bird hunting The Cast—well known bass, crappie and catfish lakes and rivers The Table—sustainable living; wild game, sides and dessert recipes
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Even in hot weather, you can catch speckled trout
14 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
The Weather Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Hot in Late Summer TRY THESE LIVE BAIT TACTICS FOR SPECKLED TROUT SUCCESS WHEN THE TEMPS ARE SCORCHING BY CAPT. BOBBY ABRUSCATO It was only 4:00 in the morning in mid-August and I was in the process of loading up and launching my Skeeter at the ramp in Bayou la Batre and already sweating and knew it was going to be a scorcher. The wind was non-existent at the time, but as always, the sea breeze would kick in shortly after lunch time. I can’t ever decide if I’d like wind or heat but normally I’ll take the calm weather and heat, but this day was going to be brutal with absolutely no wind at all. My charter for the day showed up shortly after I had baited up and launched the boat so we set out just as the orange glow from the rising sun lit the eastern horizon. Our first stop was Grand Batture Bar which is a grass covered flat lining the southern end of Grand Bay in the southwestern corner of Alabama’s coastline. I prefer to fish deep structure during the hot months, but an afternoon squall had blown through with wind blowing most of the night. With that in mind, I thought that some fish would be active for a short while in the morning before the sun got up good. I was right, as we landed ten or so nice fish before it was really light enough for me to turn off the stern light. The fish all came on live shrimp under popping corks except for two that I got to strike on a top water plug. We probably could have continued to work the area for more, but I made up my mind to make a move to some deeper structure, so off we went. The next stop was a sunken vessel in the Mississippi Sound that rested in about 12 feet of water. I located the wreck using the GPS and side imaging feature of my Raymarine Axiom Pro and anchored the boat 100 feet up current of the structure. The wind was still calm, so we were able to make very natural drifts back to the structure using slip corks rigs. This also told me how the fish were relating to the structure. Once I determined their location I switched a couple of the crew to tight-lines. The bites came about equally as well on both rigs and it wasn’t long before we had managed to land a pretty impressive number of speckled and white trout. As usual, though, during the summer months, once the trout on the structure get active, all of the fish near the structure get active. This meant several lost hooks, and trout, to sharks, so I opted for another move. One more move was all it took to finish out what proved to be a very
productive day. We fished another wreck in the same manner except that I set up a little closer to the structure as the tide had slowed to almost nothing. In this instance, I still used slip corks, but I also incorporated a couple free-lined croakers. This is a technique that really works very well in slack current applications, but often produces some of the biggest trout for me. It’s a little tricky, but it didn’t take long for the crew to catch on. They each landed a couple big trout, which were released before we made a bee-line for the dock to beat out a threatening cloud that was forming to our north We kept ten of the smaller speckled trout and an equal number of white trout for the crew’s fish fry that evening, but the day’s total catch was over fifty speckled trout up to five pounds each with a bunch of white trout, with some Spanish mackerel thrown in for added action. The trip was a good one, but not an exception for a late-summer outing. Live bait is a must for me during the hot months and here are some of the techniques that I use to be effective with bait. Match the Technique with the Situation Fishing live bait under a cork offers the angler two advantages. First it allows you to cover enough water to locate the fish. Secondly, it is a very natural presentation of a bit that has been caught up in a tidal current. Both of those advantages are lost if the bait is not able to drift. This can be caused by two things. Either the reel is locked in gear so the line can’t go out or there is no current in which to move the bait. If possible, try to plan your trip so that the wind and current are moving to roughly the same direction. A good example of this is if the wind is southerly, and the tide is coming in, the structure in the Mobile Bay sets up well. If the wind is easterly and the tide is falling the Mississippi Sound fishes better. The point is to be sure that the bait is able to drift to moist effective fishing under a cork. During the hot months and especially later in the morning, I fish deep structure. “Slip” versus “popping” corks allow for the bait to reach the lower thirds of a deep water column. The only thing more complicated than actually rigging them is explaining how to rig them, so please refer to the sketch on my website (www.ateamfishing.com) for a diagram of 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 15
The Weather Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Hot in Late Summer
the slip cork. You’ll also find diagrams of the other live bait rigs that I use. Tight lines are very effective in current situations although I usually don’t start using them until I have figured out how the fish are relating to the structure. It is interesting to see how it varies from day to day and how they move around. Typically, when the current is moving harder than normal, I find the fish are down current of the structure. On normal days they tend to stay near or up current and on slack tides, they are spread all over. One critical note here is that just when you think you have them figured out, they fool you, so try to make sure you are set up on the fish before trying to do too much. As on our trip, I like to free line croakers near the structure when the current is slack. The first key factor for success using this technique is to be sure that your croakers are very lively. They’ll need to be hearty enough to overcome the friction of the line to get to the bottom. Secondly, even though there is no current, you’ll need to fish with slack line. This allows the croaker to swim naturally, which is the main enticement for a bigger and thus smarter speckled trout to attack. Shrimp is Always Good, but when it gets Hot- the Croaker is King If you are fishing in saltwater, you’ll never go wrong using live shrimp for bait. Everything in Mobile Bay and Gulf of Mexico will eat a shrimp. During the hot months, because the inshore waters are so loaded up with all species of active fish that in itself can become a problem with using shrimp as bait. Not only will you catch speckled trout, you’ll catch
16 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
catfish, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, etc. I still carry shrimp on my late summer charters but I mostly use croakers for bait because the bite cleans up. You’ll still catch some of the unwanted species, but not nearly as many. It is worth repeating that I believe that the biggest factor that I have found in successfully using croakers is to be sure that they are very lively. I like to catch my own on the morning of the trip. Those are the best, but often, if you check with a bait dealer, you’ll find that they may have some that have just been caught, or even if they have been caught the day before and kept properly, they are frisky and lively enough to work.. Look in the tank and see if they have red on their tails or bellies. If they do, they are not going to work as well as the ones that are still shiny and slick. Presenting croakers is also important. I hook my croakers different ways depending on how I plan to present them. On my tight line rig I use a #4 Kahle hook. With this I hook the croaker through the top lip only. Try to catch just enough “meat” to make your cast. If you get a bite and miss the trout, you are hooking too much meat. You want the croaker to come off of the hook when the trout strikes. Also, when using a tight line, I just leave the rod in the rod holder and let the croaker do the work. The aforementioned Kahle hook does a wonderful job of setting the hook. Also by holding the rod, you are going to move it around too much for the trout to be able to attack the bait. With both a cork rig and a free line, I hook the croaker just in front of the dorsal fin and once again, you want to catch just enough meat to
The Weather Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Hot in Late Summer
make the cast and not throw the croaker off. When using a shrimp, I stick the fish as soon as the cork goes down as the trout will eat a shrimp like we eat a piece of popcorn. With a croaker however, I let the rod tip be pulled to the water before setting the hook. I have tried feeding line etc, but have found that by just giving the trout enough time to pull the rod down I hook them most of the time. This also allows me to get the hook in the lip or mouth rather than gut hooking the fish- as often happens when the fish is allowed to keep eating.
Matching technique to the situation results in success
Beat the Heat Be sure to be safe from the pop-up thunderstorms that occur during the summer and stay hydrated. Overheating is dangerous and easily avoidable. You often hear to drink plenty of fluids, but it’s important to drink them before you start to feel dehydrated. Water is best so keep plenty available and easy to get to so you’ll be sure to consume it. I like to leave a few bottles scattered around the console and deck, so we can constantly be picking them up and taking sips, especially when it gets busy. I also have a big bottle or two before I even leave the dock. Summer has become one of my favorite periods to trout fish and some of the best trips of my years have been during the hot months. The techniques that I offer work well for me and I hope that they work for you if you decide to use them.
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BY CEIL KOHL
Recipe and image courtesy of Allrecipes.com
Speckled Trout in Capers and White Wine Speckled trout baked in a white wine-capers sauce. This recipe will work with trout, grouper, or any solid white fish. So easy and delicious. Serve with corn, mixed vegetables or glazed carrots and broccoli. Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 40 mins Ingredients
• • • • • • •
1-pound fresh speckled trout 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon lemon butter 1 teaspoon capers 1 pinch paprika or to taste ½ cup white cooking wine 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley or to taste
call o t e Tim
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Instructions
1.
2. 3.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Please trout in the middle of the aluminum foil and top with butter, lemon pepper, capers and paprika. Pour cooking wine over trout. Close foil around the trout. Bake in a preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork which is normally about 30 minutes. Garnish trout with parsley.
18 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Plan For Upcoming
Florida hunting opportunities BY TONY YOUNG Division of Hunting and Game Management Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Photos by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
20 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
While the challenges due to COVID-19 are ongoing, it’s also a time when we’re reminded of the power of hope. One thing that helps many hunters look forward to the future is planning for upcoming hunting opportunities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) offers late spring and summer wild hog hunting opportunities on several wildlife management areas across the state. Some areas offer still hunting for hogs during daylight hours, others are nighttime hog-dog hunts – and some offer both. Most of the WMAs offer walk-in opportunities and don’t require a quota permit. A hunting license is not required, however, a $26.50 management area permit is needed. You can search for WMAs offering spring-summer wild hog hunting opportunities using FWC’s new online WMA Finder. Visit MyFWC.com/WMAbrochures and click on the big red
button “START SEARCHING NOW!“ WMA regulations brochures and maps are only available online. Before heading afield, spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the information. You can take the brochure and map with you, even to places where you can’t connect to the internet, by taking a screenshot with your cell phone, downloading it to your mobile device or printing it. For a printer-friendly version, click on the “PDF BROCHURE” button. Also, before you go, we recommend you check the open/ closed status of that area by visiting MyFWC.com/Notices. In addition, for updates regarding the FWC’s efforts to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and help protect stakeholders, staff and volunteers, visit MyFWC.com.
Florida has more than 7,000 alligator harvest permits available for the 2020 season.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 21
Plan for upcoming hunting opportunities
APPLY FOR FALL QUOTA PERMITS Whether hunting during daylight or at night you can hunt for Florida wild hogs spring-summer-and fall.
Fall deer and hog quota hunts Hunters may apply for archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun, wild hog, youth (ages 8 to 15), family (adult and up to two youth), track vehicle and mobility-impaired quota hunt permits during the phase I application period. To apply, applicants must have an up-to-date $26.50 management area permit, a license that includes one or be exempt from license and permit requirements. Special-opportunity fall hunts Another great option is applying for special-opportunity fall hunt permits. These hunts offer large tracts of land with an abundance of game and low hunting pressure. All hunts allow you to take only mature bucks with at least one antler having four or more points as well as wild hogs. These special-opportunity deer and wild hog hunts take place in central Florida on Fort Drum, Lake Panasoffkee, Triple N Ranch and Green Swamp West Unit WMAs. National wildlife refuge hunts There are also several fall hunts on five national wildlife refuges that hunters may apply for. These National Wildlife Refuge hunts offer another opportunity to hunt on well-managed habitat with healthy game populations and low hunting pressure at Lake Woodruff, Merritt Island, St. Marks, Lower Suwannee and St. Vincent national wildlife refuges.
22 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Plan for upcoming hunting opportunities
When to apply Hunters who would like to take part in one or more of these hunts can apply during the phase I application period which begins at 10 a.m. on May 15 and runs through June 15. Applications can be submitted at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, county tax collectors’ offices, or most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies. By June 19, you should be able to log into your customer account to find out if you’ve been selected.
Florida offers a variety of different whitetail deer hunting opportunities on public land.
Alligator hunt permits Since 1988, the FWC has offered hunters the opportunity to take part in its annual statewide recreational alligator harvest, which always runs Aug. 15 – Nov. 1. Alligators are a conservation success story in Florida. The state’s alligator population is estimated at 1.3 million alligators of every size and has been stable for many years. Phase I application period The application period for the phase I random drawing begins May 8 at 10 a.m. and runs through May 18. More than 7,000 alligator harvest permits will be available. Hunters can submit their application for a permit that allows the harvest of two alligators on a designated harvest unit or county. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age by Aug. 15 and have a valid credit or debit card to apply. Applications can be submitted at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, county tax collectors’ offices, or most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies. License/permit costs The alligator trapping license/harvest permit and two hide validation CITES tags are $272 for Florida residents, $22 for those with a Florida Resident Persons with Disabilities Hunting and Fishing License, and $1,022 for nonresidents. The cost for applicants who already have an alligator trapping license is $62. Additional application periods Any permits remaining after the first phase will be offered during the phase II application period May 22 – June 1. Those who were awarded a permit in phase I may not apply during phase II. Any remaining permits will be available in subsequent application phases. What to expect if you get drawn Within three days of an application period closing, applicants can expect to see an authorization hold on their credit/debit card, verifying there is a sufficient balance to cover the cost of the permit. However, this does not mean they were awarded a permit. Once the authorization process is complete, the lottery drawing will be held. All successful applicants will be charged, while those who were unsuccessful will have the authorization hold lifted from their credit/debit cards. Applicants should be mindful of the policies of their financial institution regarding authorizations, pending charges, timeframes for releasing holds and overdraft fees. Successful applicants should expect to receive their alligator trapping license/harvest permit and two CITES alligator tags in the mail within six weeks of payment. For more information on alligator hunting or the application process, see the “Guide to Alligator Hunting in Florida” by going to MyFWC.com/ Hunting and then “By Species.”
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BY HANK SHAW Photo by Holly A. Heyser
French Fried Frog Legs For the record, fried frog legs really do kinda-sorta taste like chicken. Light, flaky, mild, they are like a combination between chicken breast, shrimp and crab. Damn good. Make more than you think you need. Prep: 1 hour • Cook: 15 mins • Total: 1 hour 15 mins
3.
Ingredients
• • • • • • • • •
1 1/2 to 2 pounds frog legs 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 cup flour 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 3 garlic cloves, sliced very thin 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
1.
2.
Soak the frog legs in the milk in the fridge for an hour. Meanwhile, mix the salt, black pepper and flour in a bowl, then chop the garlic and parsley. Heat 5 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan large enough to hold all the frog legs; if you don’t have a
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4.
pan large enough, put a baking sheet in the oven and set a rack inside. Turn the oven to about 180°F. You’ll use this to store the finished frog legs while you fry the rest. If you do have a large enough pan, set the baking sheet with the rack set inside next to the stovetop. Dredge the frog legs in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Fry in the butter over medium-high heat until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Flip only once if you can help it, as the flour coating is fragile. Set on the rack to drain when the frog legs are done. Discard the butter in the pan and wipe it out with a paper towel. Set the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, saute the garlic until it smells good, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and swirl in the lemon juice. Arrange the frog legs on individual plates, and, right before you serve, mix the parsley into the sauce. Pour it over the frog legs and serve immediately.
Notes I served my frog legs with sauteed chanterelles and crusty bread. But boiled or roasted fingerling potatoes would be another good option, green beans an ideal veggie, or maybe a bitter greens salad with a vinaigrette dressing. White wine or a lighter beer, i.e., a lager or pilsner, is a must.
There’s no better place for a change of scenery than Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Our beaches are open and our destination is ready to welcome you back to our shores. We’ve missed you.
Plan your escape and request a vacation guide at GulfShores.com/back-to-the-beach 877-341-2400 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 25
Custom Dock fish cleaning station Designs
Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
BY WILLIAM KENDY
26 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Six First Time Land Buyer Mistakes to Avoid
For the record, this article is about what you need to consider in creating a custom dock fishing cleaning station. It doesn’t outline how to build your own cleaning station. It doesn’t tell you what materials you need to buy, what tools you need to own or give any cost estimates. It does present considerations and the pros and cons in terms of building your own fish cleaning station verses purchasing a complete unit The facts of life for a fisherman. Here is the deal. Catching fish is fun. Eating fish is fun. Cleaning the fish that you had fun catching and will have fun eating isn’t fun. Whether you have a limit of redfish or speckled trout, a mess of bream or crappie or a bunch of catfish you still need to either filet, scale and process your catch. In order to get the most out of your catch in the most efficient and easiest way requires a good fish cleaning station. Unfortunately, that definition is relative, depending on where you are handling your catch. Depending on where you are fishing you may need a portable fish cleaning table. You may have to clean your catch on a board on your truck tailgate, on that board on the ground or a board on top of a cooler or on a rocking boat. Or maybe no board. Where to Start A dock fish cleaning station, in its simplest form, is a cutting table with slots/cuts for drainage of fish guts, scales and water and other parts possibly with some sort of overhead cover that provides protection from sun and rain. It can be that simple or more deluxe in featuring a sink, knife and water holding cuts or whatever “floats the boat” of the owner. There are two ways to go forward on having a “custom” dock mounted fish cleaning station. Option #1 is for a “Do-it-Yourselfer” dock mounted fish cleaning station. In essence, it is a worktable with modifications. If you search “how to make a fish cleaning station” online you will find a number of posts and videos that go through the process and even furnish free plans as to how to get going with actual specifications. If you have the tools, the skill and the time to take this route, the world is your oyster and you can build a basic model or the “Taj Mahal” of all dock mounted fish cleaning stations. Most DIY fish cleaning stations are wooden which, in and of itself, creates an issue down the road. Option #2 is to opt for an already built dock mounting fish cleaning station. These units range from the basic unit to the top of the line depending on your need and your wallet. While these products may not be “custom” in the fact that they aren’t “hand-made” for you, they can deliver custom features. You can even build your cleaning station “To Order” with options such as knife, cup, umbrella holders, slots for spray hoses, sinks, drainage options, dock overhang struts, a cover, virtually everything you could imagine for a dock mounted fish cleaning station. There are a number of reputable companies in the marketplace that produce dock mounted fish cleaning stations. One of them is Killerdock, 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 27
Custom Dock Fish Cleaning Station Designs
a family business located in Mobile Alabama. Killerdock manufacturers six different stations, utilizing marine grade aluminum and other state-of-the-art components. Dock Fish Cleaning Station Issues When it comes to dock anchored fish cleaning stations, there are the good, the bad and the ugly and the designs run all over the place. Still, many self-build stations are made of wood and that results in some problems. Rotten, Warped and Cracking Wood Regardless of how well built a fish cleaning station on a dock is, if it is built of wood it will weather and become unstable. Regardless of whether the filleting surface is built of plywood or boards, over time it will crack, splinter and not have a level, even or safe cutting surface. In addition, because of scoring or just weathering, cracks will develop and that captures fish refuse which, over time, will start to smell, regardless of how much you sterilize. Even if you use something different for the cutting surface, the frame will succumb to weather. “We use ½ inch King Starboard as a cutting surface,” said Killerdock Sales Manager Aaron Williamson. “It is made out of high-density polyethylene, has UV protection, you can sanitize it and it has just the right amount of a texture to it, which makes it less slippery for slippery fish.” “It’s much more sanitary than a piece of wood simply be-
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Custom Dock Fish Cleaning Station Designs
cause wood is porous and can rot and honestly, it’s not really something you want to put your food on,” Williamson noted. Wood also needs to be continuously treated to withstand the rigors of weather, especially her in the hot humid south. Killerdock uses only marine grade aluminum to construct their fish cleaning tables, which means they are impervious to corrosion, rotting, cracking and warping. In addition, they coat their tables with SG Marine MetalJacket XL Ceramic-Hybrid Coating, ensuring even more protection against harsh environments and fish guts. “We build our stations out of aluminum because stainless steel will eventually rust, especially in salt environments and it just isn’t going to last. The ceramic coating we apply is a very high end product that actually bonds to the metal, not simply sitting on top, like a paint. It not only protects the aluminum but also makes it easier to clean because it puts a barrier between the metal and anything that wants to stick to it,” Williamson noted. Dock Presence and Weight Wood isn’t light and it’s not skinny. Most likely you will want to mount your table on 4x4’s with 2x4 and 2x6 construction and that may compromise your available “walk by” space not to mention the weight. “The weight of a wooden deck makes it more difficult to try to
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Custom Dock Fish Cleaning Station Designs
hang it off the edge of the dock and that is why most wooden stations take up a lot of dock space. Our Upscales 5 model weighs 90 pounds and the Upscale 6 ½ weighs in at 120 pounds” Williamson said. “This allows them to be mounted on the edge or your dock or seawall.” Improper Drainage Dock fishing cleaning stations should be angled toward the back extending over the water for easy drainage and cleanup.
HOG RUSH “THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
Joe Baya has been a professional fisherman and is United States Coast Guard (USGC) licensed captain and has filleted thousands of pounds of fish. He believes that most cleaning tables are inadequate when it comes to drainage. “There are some inherent flaws in almost every fish cleaning table I see. The first is that the fish cleaning station doesn’t drain correctly and it pools the slime, guts, blood, and other nasties that working up a bunch of filets can produce,” Baya said. “If the table doesn’t have the right angle or is more over the dock than the water, the scales and undesirables typically end up on the dock or on the top of your feet underneath the table.” “All of our models have a two-degree slope away from the dock and drain down below the dock either through the legs or rear slots,” Williamson said. “Our units’ hang over the water by 19 and 21 inches, which ballows even more of your dock to stay clean and gives you more usable dock space.’ “In addition, hose stations are built into every model so no more dragging a hose across your dock,” Williamson added. Build or Buy? If you are a dyed-in-the-wool DIY person, with the time, tools, skill and also an avid fisherman who is going to put the dock fish cleaning station to good use, should you build or should you buy? “I’m a DIY guy myself so I would say that if someone is going to build it out of wood and put Starboard on it for a cutting surface and install some sort of plumbing then they could put something together for less money than we charge for our base unit,” Williamson said. “It is a cheaper and short-term solution.”
THERMAL NIGHT
HUNTS
IN ALABAMA
“If it’s built out of wood, then in a couple of years it is going to be covered in mildew, smell pretty bad and then you will have to build it again. If we are honest, we don’t treat any of our other fishing investments this way. Why not have a fish cleaning station that will enhance your entire dock experience and last for many years?” Baya has a final observation. “Like it or not, what you have on your dock is a direct reflection of the home you live in. Having a beautiful fish cleaning table is certainly not a necessity, but does it hurt?” Sources Killerdock Killerdock.com 251-207-1743
30 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
334-430-8111
www.HOGRUSH.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 31
If all you catch is small bass, you could have an “out-of-balance” pond
32 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Bass Pond Management
Catching too many small
BY BRIAN SENN
Bass?
As the host of the Great Days Outdoors Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report, every week I get to talk to expert anglers and guides as to what fish are biting, where they’re biting, what lures, bait and tackle to use, when and how to use them and a bunch more. I’m a lucky guy. We also interview individuals who are in businesses that directly relate to fishing and the outdoors and one of them was Norman Latona, owner of Southeastern Pond Management, headquartered in Calera, Al. with offices in two other states. Southeastern Pond Management offers full-service pond management services including fish stocking, fertilizing and weed control, electrofishing, pond design and construction and more. One of the biggest issues that listeners have shared with me, as it relates to pond fishing is that when they fish ponds, ranging from three acres up to 15 or even 20, is that they are catching small bass but aren’t catching any big fish. It’s frustrating to catch lots of little fish but not one big fish. By little fish I mean one weighing a pound or so but no ‘braggers”. Latona maintains that if your pond is producing a lot of 10-14 inch “skinny bass” your pond is most likely “bass/predator crowded” and is out-of-balance. “If you are catching a fish that has a bucket mouth, a five-pound head and yet he weighs a pound and a half or catch a fish that weighs two pounds that isn’t plump and has a sucking belly, there probably is a balance issue,” Latona said. “That is what we refer to as bass or predator crowded and it is the most out-of-balance condition we run into,” he said. “The fish may be easy to catch, but it is frustrating and not that much fun when small bass is all
that you catch.” Latona pointed out that bass are voracious predators and, if left to their own devices, would eat themselves out of house and home and that there are very few forage species that are capable of keeping up with their appetites. He remembers a college professor who referred to bass as the “saber-tooth tiger” of the 21st century. According to Latona, while a 10-12-inch bass can survive eating little bluegill fry and other small forage, they are not going to grow a lot by doing that. That means they will “stunt” in the 10-14-inch size range. “It’s kind of like having a bowl of rice sitting at the end of your driveway. You have to walk down there and eat one piece of rice and then walk back to the top of the driveway and then, walk down again and eat a piece of rice, again and again and again,” Latona said. “You might survive doing that but you are not going to flourish.” Latona explained that once a pond gets into the bass and predator crowded phase it is all about an inadequate food supply and it just snowballs downhill. “Crowded ponds and lakes are characterized by small skinny bass, and typically lots of eight to nine-inch bluegill. The reality is that a 10 or 12inch bass can’t even can’t get its mouth around an eight-inch bluegill, so they’re forced to eat what they can get their mouth around, which is the tiny stuff. There’s just not a lot of intermediate size forage available. “And it gets worse and just perpetuates because there’s so many small bass. Bluegill are spawning and doing their job but before they get a chance to grow to that important intermediate size to three, four or five inches long where those 12-inch bass can actually nutritionally benefit from them, they all get eaten, because there’s so many small bass,” 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 33
Bass Pond Management: Catching Too Many Small Bass?
Latona explained. Latona said that ironically, he finds that a lot of over-populated bass pond owners worry that if they add more forage, as in threadfin shad or bluebill, with so much food available for the bass to eat, that they won’t be able to catch any fish. After all, with all of the edible natural bait swimming around, why would any self-respecting bass strike and artificial lure or baited hook. What they fail to consider is that bass are cold-blooded and plentiful “table fare” makes for more aggressive, bigger fish and better fishing. “The opposite is actually true, because bass are cold blooded and the more abundant the food, the more frequently they feed and, the less abundant the food source, the less they feed,” Latona said. “A bass that is in an environment where there is very limited forage is content to hunker down in a brush pile or hang by a stump and sit there for hours, days or longer waiting for something to swim in front of them. They are not going to utilize energy chasing around food.” “Largemouth bass don’t know that they’re supposed to weigh five pounds when they are five years old and they are happy to eat what is available and they conserve energy,” Latona added. On the other hand… “Whereas you put bass in a lake that’s full of food with a really dynamic forage base, they’re feeding all the time. They feed more aggressively, they’re more apt to bite your lure or bait and we see that time and time again. Also, bass in lakes with plenty of food are easier to catch. So, it’s a win-win.”
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The solution to the problem of having too many small and undernourished bass resulting in no big fish is simply to “break the chain” and “cull the school”. In other words, get rid of surplus fish and make the pond more competitive based on its carrying capacity. “You’ve got to break that chain, and remove a bunch of small bass and then the forage population will begin to flourish,” Latona said. “You may have to remove 30 to 40 pounds of bass per acre to keep them in balance and it can be a daunting challenge. If you’ve got a 20 – 30-acre lake, that can approach 1,000 pounds of bass a year.” Depending on the size of your pond, that can amount to a lot of fish. While hook and line fishing can help alleviate your stunted bass problem, you will need to spend a lot of fishing hours on the lake to make a sizable dent in the bass population. Another down-side of using hook and line to reduce the bass population is that the fish you catch may actually be the fish you want to keep. “We’ve got a rule on the lake I fish all the time. If we catch you on the top water plugs, I don’t care how big you are you get released back in the lake because I want those fish who bite top water plugs in the water,” Latona said. Southeastern Pond Management has an alternative solution. “We utilize electrofishing and we can be very selective. It doesn’t hurt the fish. It just stuns them and we can pick and choose which fish we take out. So, in that respect, it’s probably even a better approach than hook and line and the process doesn’t damage any fish that we
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Call us! We can Help! Your homes first responder MDH Foundation Repair 34 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Bass Pond Management: Catching Too Many Small Bass?
don’t want to remove,” Latona explained. “Electrofishing doesn’t really discriminate, it removes fish, not just the aggressive fish, not just the fish that don’t tend to be aggressive, we just select based on size. Obviously, we don’t take the seven to nine-pound fish, since these are the ones we are trying to produce.”
Bigger bass is the result of an “inbalance” pond
“We tend to look at harvest in terms of how many pounds per hour we can remove from a target range,” Latona said. “Depending on the season, we can remove upwards of 75 or sometimes even more pounds of fish per hour. Depending on the size of your pond, if we do that a couple of times over the course of the year, you would be close to your harvest quota.” When it comes to the best time of the year to “fix” your small bass pond issue, Latona noted that spring is the most productive time of the year simply because the fish are in shallower water. In the summertime they go in the late afternoons or evening when it is cooler. “In the springtime, as the water is warming and the bass are in the shallows, it’s certainly easier to shock fish and it’s more efficient in terms of the number of pounds that we can roll up,” Latona said.
Contact Information Southeastern Pond Management Sepond.com 205-288-1371
TM
LIL SLICK = BIG
RESULTS
Effectively fished using several techniques including:
Suspended under a rattlin’ cork • Twitch & pause with swimbait hook • Tight lined on a traditional jig head
A versatile lure that is very effective in different water depths and conditions.
theslicklure.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 35
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BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
Sicilian Tuna Meatballs Tuna is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, and, just as with other meats, little is wasted. Meatballs made from scraps of tuna appear in several cultures, but the Sicilians seem to eat them the most. This recipe is an amalgam of about a dozen I’ve read, and it works well either as a stand-alone dish or, American-style, with tomato sauce and spaghetti. If you can’t get fresh tuna (you cannot use canned tuna here), use amberjack, mackerel, bluefish, king mackerel, wahoo or any dark, meaty fish. Prep: 30 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients
•
1 1/2 pounds tuna
38 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
• • • • • • • • • •
2/3 cup breadcrumbs 1/3 cup shelled pistachios or almonds, chopped 1 cup minced onion 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint Zest of a lemon 1 tablespoon salt 1 egg Flour for dusting Olive oil for frying 1 recipe, fennel-tomato sauce
Instructions Chop the tuna into 1/2-inch pieces. Put the tuna, mint, pistachios and the chopped onion in a food processor and pulse to combine. You want a rough mixture, not a smooth paste. Put the tuna mixture into a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, salt, lemon zest and egg and
1.
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
2.
3.
mix well with your clean hands for a minute or so. You want everything combined well and you want the proteins in the egg and tuna to bind the mixture. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop out the meat, roll into meatballs. You should be able to make about 20 golf ball-sized meatballs. Roll each meatball in flour and fry in enough olive oil to come halfway up the sides of a large frying pan. You will probably need about 1/2 cup. Fry gently until browned over medium heat, about 15 to 20 minutes, and set each finished meatball on paper towels to drain. To finish, stew the meatballs in the tomato sauce (you can use any tomato sauce you want, if you’d rather not make the tomato-fennel sauce) until heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes, and serve alone or with pasta.
Pork Stir Fry with Asparagus This is a really easy, very basic Chinese style stir fry. If you remember the basic method, you can stir fry any lean, boneless meat along with any seasonal vegetable. The marinade, the Chinese “trinity” of garlic, ginger and green onions and the sesame oil never change. If you don’t like chiles, leave them out. Note this is not a “saucy” Chinese stir fry. If you want a saucier dish, double the marinade. Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 8 mins • Total: 28 mins Ingredients
•
1 pound pork or wild pig loin, sliced into thin strips
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
3 teaspoons corn or potato starch 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sherry 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 3 teaspoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons peanut oil, lard or vegetable oil 3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 to 3 small dried hot chiles, crumbled A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 3 to 5 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces 1 pound of asparagus, sliced on the diagonal into bitesized pieces Sesame oil to garnish
Instructions 1. Slice the pork into slivers and mix it well with the marinade: The starch, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Let this marinate on the counter while you cut all the vegetables, or about 20 minutes or so. 2. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat on your hottest burner for a minute or two. Add the peanut oil or lard and swirl it around. When it starts to smoke, add the minced garlic and ginger, as well as the crushed chiles. Stir fry this for 30 seconds. 3. Add the pork and any marinade in the bowl and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pork or wild pig turns opaque. Add the asparagus and green onions and stir fry 2 minutes, or until you begin to see some liquid start to form in the bottom of the wok. Don’t cook for more than another 3 minutes or the pork will be overcooked. Turn off the heat and drizzle the sesame oil over everything. Serve with rice.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 39
Camphouse Kitchen
Smoked Doves with Guajillo Sauce Making smoked doves is easy: Put 1/4 cup of kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal) into each quart of cool water, along with a teaspoon of Instacure No. 1. This is curing salt, and you use it when smoking meats for food safety and to give meats that characteristic rosy color. You can get it in butcher shops and online. And you can skip it, but I prefer the flavor with the curing salt. Submerge your doves in this brine, in the refrigerator, for 12 to 24 hours, then briefly rinse and drain them. In this state they can sit in the fridge for a day or more. Arrange your doves breast side up and smoke them over the wood of your choice — mesquite or oak is mine — for about 2 hours over low heat. I use a Traeger, and set it at 170°F. This gives you enough smoke time and you won’t incinerate your doves. If you want to sauce them, all you need to do is either paint on the sauce in the last hour, or toss the finished doves in the sauce, wrap in foil and heat in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes or so. Prep: 30 mins • Cook: 2 hours • Brine Time: 12 hours • Total: 15 hours 30 mins Ingredients
• • • •
16 to 20 doves, quail, snipe or sora rails, or 8 pigeons or teal 1/2 cup kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal) 2 quarts water 1 teaspoon Instacure No. 1 (optional)
40 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
GUAJILLO SAUCE • 8 dried guajillo peppers, stems and seeds removed • 2 tablespoons tomato paste • 1 small white onion, quartered • 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano • 1/4 teaspoon allspice • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander • 2 to 6 hot chiles, such as arbol • Salt and lime juice to taste Instructions 1. Dissolve the salt and curing salt into the water and submerge the doves in it. Set this in the fridge for no less than 4 hours, and no more than 24 hours; I prefer 12 hours. Remove, rinse briefly and pat dry. 2. Get your smoker going to about 170F to 200F. Use whatever wood you like, but I prefer mesquite or oak. Smoke your doves for 2 hours, with smoke going the whole time. 3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour boiling water over the dried chiles to rehydrate them. While this is happening, char the onion and garlic in a hot, dry skillet until you get some nice blackening. Peel the garlic and put it in a blender. Roughly chop the onion and put that in there, too. 4. Put the guajillo chiles and all the remaining ingredients into the blender and puree. Thin the sauce with some of the chile soaking water, lager beer or water. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lime. 5. You can either paint the doves with this sauce in the last hour of cooking, or you can remove the birds from the smoked, cut them in half with kitchen shears or a knife, and then bathe them in the sauce. Serve with plenty of napkins and a bone bowl. Watch out for birdshot!
Camphouse Kitchen
Oklahoma Onion Burger This is a classic Oklahoma onion burger, with sliced onions, cheese and maybe some pickles and mustard. Damn good, and easy to make. This is an onion burger: A finely ground patty, smashed on a flat top, topped with finely shredded onions, then cheese, topped with pickles and mustard, all on a potato bun. Every element plays a role. A rich patty, seared hard but still medium at the center. Lots of tender-to-crispy-to-burnt onions. Melty cheese, usually American, although I use cheddar slices. Sharp pickles, ideally sweet-hot bread-and-butter pickles. A little ballpark yellow mustard, and that potato roll — a soft, welcoming, smushable bun that links all this amazing together. I’ve mentioned a few key details already: potato buns, yellow mustard, zippy pickle slices. The cheese needs to be able to melt quickly, so get the pre-sliced kind. True onion burgers use American cheese, but I hate the stuff, so I use pre-sliced cheddar slices. The onions need to be sliced very thin, with a knife if you have good knife skills, or a mandoline or even a meat slicer. But watch your fingers if you use these last two! The meat, whatever it’s made of, needs to be fatty and fine. I used venison — a doe I shot in Oklahoma, thus this post — ground in a 4.5 mm die (fine in most home set-ups), with bacon ends to a ratio of 85 percent lean to 15 percent fat. You can’t really go too much lower than this because the fat in the patty keeps it from sticking to the pan. Anything more than about 20 percent gets too fatty. You need something to smash your patties. I use either a bacon press or a stiff, diner-style spatula. Both work fine. In a pinch you can use a small pan to squash your patty.
Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 10 mins • Total: 30 mins Ingredients
• • • • • • •
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced very thin Salt 1 pound finely ground venison or beef 1 tablespoon canola oil Black pepper 4 slices cheddar, American or other cheese Pickles, mustard and burger buns
Instructions 1. Slice the onion very thinly, then toss it with a little salt in a bowl and set aside for a few minutes. Divide the meat into four patties. 2. Heat a large frying pan or flat top over medium high heat for a few minutes. When it’s hot, add the canola oil. When it’s hot, place a patty on the pan and smash it with a spatula or bacon press. Hold for 30 seconds. Sprinkle black pepper on the patty, then cover the patty with onions. It’s OK if a few spill onto the hot pan. Cook like this for 2 minutes. 3. Carefully flip the burger. You want to scrape the pan to get everything, in case you have some spots that have stuck. I use my off hand to hold the onions onto the patty as I flip. Once flipped, press down on the patty to sink the onions into the meat. 4. Add salt and pepper to the patty and lay a slice of cheese onto it. Let this cook for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how cooked you want your meat. Two minutes will give you a nice medium. 5. To get everything off the pan, place the bun on the cheese and use the spatula to lift the burger off the pan. Set it on the bottom bun. Add pickles and mustard if you want. 6. Optional: Get another pan hot and melt some butter in it to toast the buns before you use them. About 30 seconds should get you a nice toasty brown.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 41
NEW GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY
Savage Arms 110 Ultralite Centerfire Rifle
Expanding on the high-performance Savage Model 110 bolt action platform this “sub” six-pound rifle offers a spiral-fluted bolt, strong and light Melonite skeletonized receiver, a PROOF Research® carbon fiber wrapped stainless steel barrel, threaded muzzle and an adjustable AccuTrigger™. Additional features include an over-molded AccuFit™ polymer stock offering easy length-of-pull and comb height changes to insure optimum fit and comfort. Available in six popular calibers. Suggested Retail Price: $1,499.00 www.savagearms.com
AFTCO Fillet Knives
AFTCO’s new 8”, 10” and 12” fish fillet knives feature full tang corrosion resistant 4116 German stainless-steel blades with an up-sweep blade design that maintains an efficient cutting surface while fileting. The 56-58 Rockwell hardened blade insures sharpness and edge retention. The ergonomically designed over-molded handle is constructed of textured polypropylene which results in a comfortable inhand feel and a secure and maximum hold in wet conditions. Suggest Retail Price: starting at $66.00 www.aftco.com
Frabill’s “Big Bad Bait Station” Now in 30-Quart Size
The 30-quart Magnum Bait Station has an injection-molded base, a heavy-duty non-slip bottom, one inch of commercial-grade foam insulation and an airtight waterproof gasket to insure healthy bait. It sports dual two-speed water resistant aerators built into the lid, powered by D-cell batteries or an included 12V power adapter. Rugged non-rusting composite latches, large side mounted handles and a tethered drain plug complete the package. Suggested Retail Price: $189.99 www.frabill.com
HAWK Elevate Pro Safety Harness
The HAWK® Elevate Pro Safety Harness is an ultra-comfortable, easy-to-use safety harness for hunters that delivers trustworthy safety that comes on and off fast. It offers comfortable padded waist and shoulder straps, quick-release leg buckles with adjustable leg straps. The design includes a cell phone storage pocket, integrated gear hooks, silent bino cables, lineman’s belt, tree strap, suspension-relief strap, adjustable elastic chest strap and a carabiner. Suggested Retail Price: $139.99 www.hawkhunting.com
New Wildgame Innovations Switch™ Game Scouting Camera
Three buttons are all it takes to get the “dummy-proof” Switch™ trail camera fully operational. To set up, simply choose a capture mode, delay, setting and time zone. High-intensity LEDs allow for the capture of high definition crisp 12-medapixel images and 720p HD videos. It has a 65-foot range, allows for up to 32 GB of memory storage, utilizes 8 AA batteries and is easily concealable. Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 www.wildgameinnovations.com
42 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
Boss Buck All in Series 200 Protein Feeder
Perfect for remote locations, this convertible and rugged rotomolded plastic constructed feeder with a 2-in-1 leg system for year-round use as either a gravity feeder or an automatic feeder system. It has galvanized hardware and internal cone dispensers that feed evenly to three ports with drain holes 34 inches off the ground. A 3-way inner sleeve enables feed flow control of up to 200 pounds of feed. Suggested Retail Price: $220.00 www.bossbuck.com
Lockly Secure Pro Smart Lock
Hi-tech and easy to use, the Lockly Secure Pro smart lock is perfect for your cabin in the wild, second home or even a rental unit when not in use. It can be opened with a fingerprint or through Bluetooth with the corresponding app and allows owners to send visitors unique access codes with set parameters for keyless entry. The Secure Pro works for deadbolt or latch style doors. Suggested Retail Price: $299.99 www.lockly.com
Tsunami SALTX Surf Fishing Rod
Incorporating a 100 D15 Nanotech, IM7 carbon fiber blank construction along with an offset, 70/30 F3 friction fit ferrule location allows this lightweight, strong and easily transportable two-piece rod to cast with a one piece feel. The SALTX features Fuji Silicon Carbide braid proof “K” frame guide rings assuring secure reel attachment, comfortable shrink vinyl grips and other features allow the rod to deliver high performance. Suggested Retail Price: starting at $279.00
Spiderwire Ultracast x8 Braid
Now available in low-visibility Inshore Camo and high-visibility Aqua Camo, this smooth eight-fiber braid is engineered for long casts and offers a high-strength-to-diameter ratio. The “low-vis” inshore camo blends with the underwater environment for skittish fish while the “hi-vis” aqua allows an angler to track his line to better react to bumps and strikes. It is available in a number of spool sizes in 4 -100-pound test. Suggested Retail Price: from $14.24 www. Spiderwire.com
Rapala RipStop®
The Rapals RipStop® has a 2-part plastic body with an integrated lip, VMC® black nickel hooks and a tail design that creates a fast-ripping, flashing swimbait action. It’s hard-stopping, forward motion stops on a dime, with a subtle shimmy before coming to a rest, then ever so slightly lifts its head with a super slow-rise. Fish it with cast and wind, wind and stop, twitch, snap to match conditions. Suggested Retail Price: from $9.97 www.Rapala.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 43
Spending Time in the Great Outdoors Has Never Been So Needed
If there is one good thing to come from the crazy Covid-19-dominated spring of 2020, it is the fact that so many people have rediscovered the value of having quality outdoor recreational opportunities. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has worked diligently for decades to provide and enhance outdoor recreational access in Alabama for the use and enjoyment of our citizens and visitors. And, boy, was it used and enjoyed this spring!
BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
With schools and universities closed or operating online, professional sports leagues and events shut down, youth baseball and softball postponed, people out of work or teleworking from home, and many other unique changes this year, people’s desire to get outside has been tremendous. I know I have spent much more time in my backyard every evening watching the bats, birds and stars instead of watching March Madness or the NBA playoffs, and I have spent time every weekend at one of our state parks or on a trail in the Forever Wild properties around the state with my family and the new dog we adopted from the shelter in March. It has been great. We worked cooperatively with Governor Ivey and State Health Officer Scott Harris to keep as much open in the outdoors as possible during the Safer at Home and Stay at Home orders. Our Alabama State Parks never closed. Our dedicated staff were there every day managing the campgrounds, cleaning
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and sanitizing bathhouses and restrooms, keeping trail parking lots open, operating our golf courses with new protocols to keep people safe and distanced, and ensuring that boat ramps and marinas in the parks were open. The response from the guests has been wonderful. I have received many emails and calls thanking us for staying open and doing it safely. Alabama is one of the few states that never closed the parks, and we have Governor Ivey and the work of our staff to thank for it. I hope next time you visit our state parks you will tell the staff members you see how much you appreciate their work. Our Wildlife Management Areas were also extremely popular during the turkey season this spring. With people teleworking or away from work due to business closures during the Stay at Home order, we saw a huge increase in participation on our WMAs, and we saw greatly increased turkey harvests from those public lands. Turkey harvest was up almost 100% on the WMAs, Forever Wild properties and open federal public lands in Alabama. I am glad to see people using these treasured hunting properties. DCNR has worked to provide more than 750,000 acres of public lands in Alabama for hunting. For just the cost of a WMA license and a state hunting license, a hunter can have access to some of the finest hunting lands in the Southeastern United States. What a bargain! I think people used the free time they had during the pandemic to discover
FROM THE COMMISSIONER these properties and what they have to offer. I hope that translates into increased usage during the deer, squirrel and rabbit seasons this fall. I hunted a couple of WMAs this spring and it made me proud of what we provide to hunters. Unfortunately, I did not harvest a turkey on a WMA, but I think that can be blamed on my terrible calling and my inability to be still. Hunting is not all about killing an animal anyway. I did see a bunch of deer while I was hunkered down waiting for Ole Tom Turkey to come by. I told them I would be back in November to bring one of them home with me in the back of the truck. Medical and mental health professionals continually tout the benefits of spending time in the outdoors. I know every morning when I left the woods my stress level was lower and my outlook on the day and the future was vastly improved. The time we’ve spent as a family hiking on state park and Forever Wild trails has been priceless. We have seen stunningly beautiful flowers and pitcher plants. We have seen bald eagles, hummingbirds, hawks and species of birds I did not know existed. I soaked in God’s palette of hundreds of shades of green that are so magnificent in the early spring woods. The hope exuded by the rebirth during spring every year always peaks my anticipation for what the rest of the year holds. That hope has never been so needed as it has been this year. A lot of states either closed boat ramps or closed waterways and fishing. I thought that was totally unnecessary. If you are going to social distance, there is not a much better place to do that than in a boat or on the shore of a lake with your family. You are away from other people, there is plenty of air movement, and the sun and elements are good for inhibiting viruses. We did not close boat ramps, waterways or State Fishing Lakes in Alabama, and many people took advantage of this relaxing pastime. Our freshwater fishing license sales are up, and I have seen some big bass and crappie pictures on
Facebook. The saltwater license sales are a little off, but a lot of the saltwater fishing is driven by tourism and, with the beaches closed for the month of April, not as many people came to the coast. Since the beaches reopened in May and with the opening of red snapper season on Memorial Day weekend, saltwater fishing is taking off as well. I have spoken to several boat dealers and gun shop owners. They all reported brisk sales this spring, even with the social distancing protocols and limits on the number of customers in stores. Since some of the safety protocols have been relaxed, we are seeing a lot of those stimulus checks being spent on outdoor recreation sporting goods like rods and reels, kayaks and camo clothing that is on sale after the turkey season. That all bodes well for continued increased outdoor activities. Outdoor recreation is a $14 billion industry in Alabama and supports 135,000 jobs. I know those 135,000 people appreciate the recreational opportunities we have in Alabama. I am sure most of you reading the article already appreciate the great outdoors. I do as well. However, even though I am the Alabama Commissioner of Conservation and my life’s work has been to protect, provide and enhance outdoor recreation, I had taken what we have in Alabama for granted. Many times, we don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone or threatened. When I saw what was happening with the closures of parks and hunting and fishing in other states, I was concerned. I pondered what it would mean to me, my family and friends, and all the people around Alabama if they could not hike, or camp or hunt or fish. It was not a pretty picture. I am so glad Governor Ivey considered outdoor recreation essential in Alabama. This year for me, the trees were a little brighter, the flowers smelled sweeter, the birds’ songs were a little more melodious, and the water was a little clearer and more refreshing because I know how close we came to not being able to enjoy them. I hope that you will take a little time this year to truly appreciate the great outdoors and let the peace and tranquility it offers soothe your mind, body and spirit this summer.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 45
The Wild Baitfish Regulation
What Does it Mean for Fishermen?
BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)
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FROM THE DIRECTOR
Q & A: ALABAMA’S NEW WILD BAITFISH REGULATION What is specified in Alabama’s current Wild Baitfish Regulation? 220-2-.162 Wild Baitfish Regulation: Within the jurisdiction of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF), it shall be unlawful to transport any live baitfish, having been caught or harvested from streams, rivers, public lakes or reservoirs in Alabama, away from the waters in which they are caught. Further, it is unlawful to import any live baitfish, having been caught or harvested from streams, rivers, public lakes, or reservoirs from any area outside the State of Alabama. For the purposes of this regulation, baitfish are defined as any species of fish or crayfish (Superfamily Astacoidea) that are legal to use as bait for recreational or commercial fishing in Alabama.
Why can’t anglers transport live baitfish species like herring and shad to other water bodies, since they are not a threat to sport fish populations as Asian carp are? Young Asian carp closely resemble other baitfish species such as herring and shad (Figure 1). Due to this likeness, most anglers either would not be able to differentiate these species, especially at smaller sizes, or would not take the time for proper identification. This error could result in the transport and establishment of species like silver carp to water bodies where they do not currently exist, increasing the potential for further damage to sport fish populations in Alabama.
This regulation does not prohibit the possession or the use of live baitfish on or within the waters from which they have been caught or harvested. Nor does it prohibit the possession, importation, or use of live baitfish acquired from commercial producers and bait shops located within or outside the State of Alabama provided the origin of these fish was not from a wild-caught source. Why did the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) enact the Wild Baitfish Regulation? ADCNR implemented the current Wild Baitfish Regulation to assist in the fight against invasive species, particularly Asian carp. Since an angler using live baitfish could unknowingly capture young Asian carp from areas where they are currently established and transport them to water bodies where they do not currently exist, ADCNR chose to be proactive and enact a regulatory change that will reduce this threat and assist with protecting our valuable aquatic resources. What are Asian carp and how did they arrive in the United States? Asian carp refers to several different species of fish that are native to Asia. Currently, four Asian carp species are known to exist in the United States: Grass carp, Bighead carp, Silver carp, and Black carp. Asian carp were brought to the United States in the 1970’s through the aquaculture industry as a tool to control water quality issues and aquatic vegetation. Unfortunately, when the stocked aquaculture ponds became flooded due to heavy rainfall, Asian carp escaped into public water bodies, such as the Mississippi River. Why are Asian carp such a threat? Since Asian carp are non-native, all four species have the potential to create various problems with our native aquatic environments. The species currently of utmost concern in Alabama is the Silver carp. This species has already negatively impacted recreation and tourism to public water bodies in nearby states, such as Tennessee and Kentucky, and poses a significant threat to recreational boaters and anglers in Alabama. Silver carp are well known for their jumping ability when frightened. This behavior has been documented to cause bodily injury to unsuspecting boaters struck by the flying fish. Another key concern is their ability to grow quickly and populate at a rapid rate. Silver carp are filter feeders and can consume large quantities of plankton, which is the base of the food chain. This behavior can devastate water bodies and negatively impact sport fisheries. Since silver carp have recently increased their range into the Tennessee River region in North Alabama, ADCNR is very concerned about their potential expansion to other areas.
Figure 1. This photo depicts the similarities among common baitfish species in Alabama and young Silver carp. Why were live baitfish species that do not resemble Asian carp included in this regulation? Since many aquatic species in Alabama occur naturally only in certain tributaries or river basins, transporting them outside of their native range and introducing them into a new environment has the potential to be biologically harmful. Are anglers allowed to transport live bait fish purchased from a commercial producer or bait shop for use when angling in Alabama? Anglers are only allowed to transport and use live baitfish in Alabama purchased from commercial producers or bait shops (in-state or out-ofstate) if the origin of these fish was not from a wild-caught source. Even if wild-caught baitfish are acquired indirectly from a commercial producer, bait shop, etc., they are still illegal for transport and use in Alabama. Are live Blueback Herring now legal to possess and use as live bait in Alabama? ADCNR recently removed the possession restriction on live Blueback Herring from Regulation 220-2-.26. As with other wild baitfish, this species can only be used as live bait on water bodies in Alabama where they are caught or harvested. Blueback Herring cannot be legally transported from one water body to another per Regulation 220-2-.162. For more information on this regulation or any other regulation, please go to the freshwater fishing link at www.outdooralabama.com or contact the WFF District office in your area. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 47
Summer
Companion-Kit GUNS
The AirLite.22LR Kit Gun is a great choice for the fisherman or hunter for use afield.
BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney
The July morning had started out great. I had been fishing a beaver pond on a small creek an hour or so east of Birmingham catching some small but feisty bass. After awhile, I thought I would move downstream to another small beaver pond to give it a try. It looked easier to get back into the creek on the other side so I decided to cross the small 15 foot long beaver dam looking carefully for snakes that might be laying on top. After looking carefully for snakes, I decided to cautiously head across the dam. Two or three steps later, I stopped immediately as I saw the cottonmouth slowly rise up about 7-8 feet from me which was too close for comfort. I slowly retrieved from its holster my kit gun, a.22 revolver, which had #9 pellets for the first two shots in the cylinder. The cottonmouth was quickly dispatched and I breathed a sigh of relief. Fishing the next beaver pond didn’t seem as important as it had a few minutes earlier so I decided to head back to the truck for the psychological comfort of an ice cold RC and a Little Debby Fudge Round. HISTORY OF THE KIT GUN Back in 1911, Smith and Wesson filled a special order from one of their dealers, Phillip Bakeart, for a .22 LR revolver with a 6-inch barrel based on their
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small I-frame platform. The new revolver became so popular that it became a regularly catalogued item in 1915. Sales were steady until the mid-1930’s when target shooters wanted heavier mid frame revolvers such as the S&W K22 which had adjustable rear sights and a ramp front sight. S&W refined their earlier small .22LR revolver with a 4 “barrel, adjustable rear sight and a ramp front sight. They named the new product the “Kit Gun”, meaning a hunter, fisherman, camper, trapper, and other outdoorsmen could pack the gun with their other gear in their kit bag, tackle box, pack or saddle bags. Because of its compact size and light weight compared to full size revolvers, it was often carried in a belt holster for easy access. The new model became very successful and S&W still builds kit guns to this day. KIT GUN VARIATIONS Over the years, there have been versions with 2”, 3”, 31/2”, and 4” barrels in .22LR and .22Mag. and cylinders that held 6, 7 or 8 rounds. Additionally, gun finishes have included blued, nickel, stainless steel, scandium and aluminum alloy. In 1953, the S & W Kit Gun Airweight was built on the aluminum alloy J-frame which was the same as
THE GUN RACK
The “brother from a different mother” is handily kept in your tackle box on your boat.
BROTHER FROM A DIFFERENT MOTHER? I have carried a lightweight kit gun for years because of living in the land of cottonmouths, rattlesnakes and copperheads. Snake chaps and a kit gun are part of my gear from spring until frost in the fall. However, quite a few friends use the brother from a different mother, either the S&W Governor or Taurus Judge with their capacity to use a .44 Special or .410 shotshell. The bad news is they are heavy, much more weight than most outdoorsmen want to carry in a belt holster. For the fisherman, the answer is to carry it in a tackle box in his canoe, kayak, or boat. A number of hunters I know carry the big brother behind the seat of their ATV or truck. THE SKINNY Over the years, I have owned quite a few handguns in a number of calibers but none have been easier to carry and more fun to shoot than my kit guns. Once you use one in the field, you’ll be glad you have invested in one.
used on the Airweight .38 Special. In 1960, the .22 Magnum version was introduced on the steel J-frame. CURRENT S&W MODELS Current models available are the Model 317 AirLite Kit Gun and the Model 63 both in .22LR The Model 317 is the more recent model and has a stainless frame and 3’’ steel lined barrel with an alloy cylinder holding 8 rounds. The sights are a fully-adjustable rear sight with a Hi-Viz fiber optic green front sight. This sight combination makes it really easy to acquire the target. The 11 ounce weight of the Model 317 is amazing; this is one handgun you can wear on your belt and almost forget you are carrying it.
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The Model 63, to me, is the iconic kit gun with its’ all stainless construction, 8 round capacity and 3 inch barrel. Having been on the market for a number of years and me having used a 63 in a variety of situations outdoors adds to its iconic status for me. The sights are a fully-adjustable rear sight with a High-Viz red fiber optic front sight. The 24 ounce weight of the 63 definitely gives a different feel in the hand and on the belt than the 317 at 12 ounces. With either model, I would load #9 shot for the first two rounds and regular .22LR loads for the rest based on which brand of ammo my gun shot the best from a rest. Kit guns also come in handy when confronted with a rabid raccoon or feral dog. Many times I have ended a successful day of fishing using my kit gun for plinking in the woods along the creek. At the farm or hunting club in the off-season, a lot of shooting at paper targets, paper plates, potatoes stuck on nails on the sides of a 2x4 stuck in the ground, water balloons, and balloons can be a lot of fun alone or with another person.
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4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 49
K A Y A K N E D FINDING HIDTS NEAR ME O P S G N I H S I F
Research a little, drive a little, and then fish a lot.
So, how can I find great fishing spots close to my home that not every angler already knows about? This is a question all anglers ask from time to time and it’s a good one. Finding new and different fishing spots is one of the most fun parts of the whole angling situation. For kayak anglers in particular, finding new fishing spots is much easier since we don’t really need fishing spots equipped with boat ramps and “civilized” launch facilities. The best thing about finding new fishing spots is that reaching new fishing locations is really not that hard. It takes a little research, it takes a little talking with other anglers and it takes a little exploring. However, all of these things are fun in themselves, and often, some great fishing possibilities are identified.
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
It’s been said that 90% of Americans live within an hour of some kind of navigable water, and for us in the Gulf Coast and Deep South region, boatable and fishable water is not nearly that far away. We live in a world of creeks, bayous, lakes large and small, and rivers, so new places to fish are close at hand for us. So, how can kayak anglers find less-well-known waters for fishing?
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PRINT AND ONLINE SOURCES There’s a world of information in various formats available for anglers who want to find new places to fish. Here are some sources that have proven to be very helpful. Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer - This excellent soft-back, large-format book provides detailed topo maps. For about 20 dollars a pop, kayak anglers can buy state specific DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteers which give topo maps, detailed road access and specific lay-outs of smaller waters as well as feeder streams which feed into larger, more well-known bodies of fishing water. I love to take my Alabama DeLorme and look at all of the little squiggly blue lines which represent small creeks and streams that I can access within a few hours’ drive. For those of us who prefer paper and print sources of information, DeLorme can’t be beat for lots of information in a fairly compact form. Almost every specific area of the fishing world has online fishing forums where local anglers
PADDLE FISHING meet and discuss fishing. These forums can be very helpful for kayak anglers looking for different fishing possibilities. On the Northern Gulf Coast, Mobile Bay Kayak Fishing Association and Pensacola Fishing Forums are two sites which provide a lot of up to date information that kayak anglers can use to learn of new spots. There are some very helpful online sources that kayak anglers can use to find potential fishing hotspots that otherwise would remain unknown. Google Earth - This on-line source gives some very detailed and day to day updated satellite photograph information for kayak anglers looking for small, remote, largely unknown waters. Google Earth can help kayak anglers find the shortest, most direct routes to access the small waters. www.takemefishing.org - This wide-ranging on-line site provides specific topo maps and roads for all of the states, and this site can be a lot of fun to examine and use to help start planning road trips. Many other features besides maps are provided on this site- fishing reports, anglers’ advice and direction, and other services. Great Days Outdoors - Not to put too fine a point on it, Great Days Outdoors presents a lot of specific, close to home information and fishing suggestions for kayak anglers who want to find new fishing possibilities. FACE TO FACE LOCAL Probably the best source of potential fishing site locations is to talk to anglers who already know of these places. It’s surprising how much information is out there in the experiences of other anglers if we can only access this experience. Local guides can often be very helpful for kayak anglers looking for new places close to home. Although these guides are obviously in the fishing business to make money, they are also usually quite willing to share some general site locations. They may not tell a stranger exactly where the hotspots are, but they usually will be willing to name general locations and bodies of water. Booking a trip with one of these guides is a great way to learn about and see local waters which can then be accessed by the kayak angler on her/his own time later. Spending time at local bait and tackle shops is a very rewarding thing to do, and kayak anglers looking to expand their knowledge base of local waters can gain a lot of information from listening to the “brag” of anglers who have been successful. Most anglers are not good at keeping secrets when it comes to fishing success, and a little bait and tackle shop talking and listening can really pay off. LOAD UP THE KAYAK AND DRIVE And now it’s time to take action on our research. Once we have looked online, studied maps, and talked to local experts, we need to load up the kayak and gear, secure it all well, and then drive to those spots which looked promising. It’s this time on the road actually looking for the waters we suspect may be good fishing places that is so rewarding-sometimes. Let me assure you folks that not every place that looks promising on the research level will pan out to be a good fishing spot. Some creeks only flow
after heavy rain. Some bayous are just too shallow to hold fish. I’ve driven to small lakes a bit off the highway that looked great online from space on Google Earth, but which turned out to be mudholes that only served to grow mosquitoes. I also have discovered jewels which I never even suspected. I was exploring a backroad in Florida looking for a certain beach which was said to be a good kayak launch area. As I approached the beach area, I passed over a small tide-bayou, and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement in the little bayou. The tail of a big black drum which was grubbing the bottom of the bayou for stuff to eat waved at me. I stopped the truck, looked at the big drum as it tailed up the creek, and then I unloaded the kayak. I found that little un-named, unsuspected bayou creek to be full of just under slot size redfish which were eager to come play. I had never known of this little bayou and never even suspected it was there. But this little place was a jewel of a fishing spot. This is the sort of end result of researching close to home waters for kayak anglers that makes all of the study and looking worthwhile. And by the way, I never made it to the beach I was originally researching- I didn’t need to find it after all.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 51
Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
Awesome day on the water with Captain Jason Downs or Bite Back Charters. Photo Courtesy Capt. Jason Downs.
July is the heart of the summer season along the Gulf Coast. High temps and pop-up showers are the norm, but the fishing can be incredible. Here’s some tips and ideas to tackle those dog days of summer.
BY CHRIS VECSEY
stay current on state water regulations.
ALABAMA Anglers along the coast will find themselves early to rise to beat the heat and it’s very critical to success with speckled trout along Alabama’s beaches. Working troughs and cuts along the inside sandbars with topwaters and twitchbaits can produce quality specks along with redfish and several other species. The key is being there early. Oftentimes the bite is over by 8:OO am so be there early and cover water.
Just off the beachfront we will see the peak for another migrating visitor; tarpon. These silver beasts can be found just offshore as they slowly migrate to the west. Intercepting these fish with live baits like threadfin herring and bumper (locally called crazy fish) is the common tactic although many are taken by sight casting big plastic swimbaits like the Hogy Pro Tail. Tackle needs to be stout, as in 30-40 lb mono or 50 lb braided main lines and 80-100 lb fluorocarbon leaders. Finish the rig off with a 7/0 or 8/0 circle hook and you’re in business. Baits can be freelined or suspended beneath a balloon or large float.
Bouncing soft plastic grubs and paddle tail swimbaits in those same troughs will often yield flounder as well, although most mid-summer flatfish tend to be on the smaller size. While targeting both flounder and speckled trout, don’t forget the new size and bag regulations in regards to the two. Go to www.Outdooralabama. com or download the Outdoor Alabama app to
Snapper fishing will continue through the early part of the month but there are plenty of other options both on bottom and along the surface. The bluewater bite will be very good as long as clean, high-salinity water stays within reach. Subscribe to a satellite imaging provider like Hilton’s Realtime Navigator to monitor offshore conditions. Tuna, wahoo, billfish and mahi mahi
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FISHING OUTLOOK are certainly on the table even for smaller boats when blue water moves inshore. Listen to local podcast reports and check with your local tackle shops for advice on where and how.
King mackerel are always a welcomed secondary target and Downs likes to target them with several methods, but timing often dictates success with kings.
MISSISSIPPI Mississippi’s barrier islands will be the center of attention for many working the state’s inshore waters. Captain Chris Barlow of Barlow’s Charters and Guide Services in Biloxi will spend most days running his 22 foot Skeeter to and from the outer islands in search of big speckled trout and redfish.
“First light, evening and, as usual, right as that summer time pop up storm starts to build. I prefer live cigar minnows, threadfin herring and hardtails on 40 lb seven-strand wire and using #4 or #2, 3x treble hooks depending on bait size. The cigar minnows wear a duster well and there are only two colors found on my boat, pink and green but the threadfin and hardtails seem to be better without. If the bite slows or the sun is bright I’ll send a bait deep, behind a planer, or down rigger. Sometimes a simple 4-6 oz bank sinker rubber banded to your mono about 30’ above the bait does the trick,” Downs said.
“Live baiting with croakers from 3-8 inches long will be the main gameplan. I like to fish these two ways; either freelined or on the bottom with a carolina rig,” Barlow said. Barlow focuses on drop offs ranging from 3-12 ft and also on grassbeds. He likes to rig with a two foot, 20 lb fluorocarbon leader and 3/0-4/0 Kahle hooks. Barlow makes it a priority to continuously be on the lookout for birds and frenzies on the surface. He pointed out that many types of baits and lures can be used during these surface blitzes. Swimbaits and spoons often excel since they cast well and can be found in many shapes and sizes. “There was epic action on the surface last year with bull reds and jack crevalle and finding the birds will lead you to the fish.” Barlow said. Barlow, like many other area Captains, also watches for debris on the surface that could be holding tripletail and while numerous baits will catch fish, he prefers to use the simple and tried and true live shrimp and popping cork combination. “If I find tripletail on the surface I will position the boat downcurrent from the fish so that my angler can cast beyond the fish and drift back naturally,” Barlow said. “I stick to a live shrimp under a popping cork. The cork keeps the bait suspended as well as giving the angler a visual cue to its position.” An action packed day at the Islands with the possibility of bonus tripletail is plenty of motivation to head out early! FLORIDA Florida’s offshore waters will be teaming with a lot of the same targets as those to the west, but with slightly different state regulated seasons as well as the abundance of natural bottom structures. Captain Jason Downs runs Bite Back Charters out of Gulf Breeze. While discussing tactics for summer days off of the Florida Panhandle, Downs goes after a couple of the usual summer targets but with a couple tweaks to his techniques.
Downs recommends fishing these baits around structures that are holding an abundance of bait. Regardless of the target, there is some excellent fishing to be had in July. Pay attention to the weather and stay hydrated!!!
Important Contact Information Bite Back Charters Captain Jason Downs 850-810-2548 Barlow’s Charters and Guide Services Captain Chris Barlow 228-861-8535 Barlowscharters.com
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“Red snapper will be open until July 25th and will almost always be on our day’s agenda. I tend to change tactics for late season fish. The big fish in the near shore areas are no longer too keen to come up in a chum slick or eat a cigar minnow they’ve seen a million times like they were earlier in the season,” Downs said. For this reason, Downs says he will spend a little extra time in the morning to catch a handful of jumbo sandperch and/or bank seabass. “Fished on heavier lead and leader and drug along the bottom instead of higher in the column as typical for snapper fishing will almost always result in that late season sow,” Downs pointed out.
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Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
Wade fishing for speckled trout is a great way to cool off a hot July day.
“The “silver king” in a parade of pelagic predators is the highly prized tarpon.” Just about everything is popping along the Emerald Coast in July as the summer heat builds and fishing opportunities for shorebound anglers abound. Many anglers try to beat the searing summer sun by fishing at dawn, evenings, or during the night around dock and pier lights over the back bay waters. The Gulf water temperature usually moves into the middle 80s, while the water temperature in shallower bay may even get into the 90s.
BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
Thunderstorms are always a distinct possibility, day or night this month as the warm water and “juicy” atmosphere are so conducive to producing “pulse” storms. Not that a shower isn’t a refreshing break from the heat, but lightening strikes quickly and should always be respected by vulnerable anglers on a pier or open shoreline. Fortunately, the intense storm period is usually short-lived (less than an hour) and the cloudy aftermath may provide anglers several hours of more pleasant conditions to take advantage of. Fish of all sizes are usually present along the gulf beaches and in the bays both as newly
54 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
hatched fry and forage fish up to the larger inshore and nearshore species. The “silver king” in a parade of pelagic predators is the highly prized tarpon. July is THE premier month for their annual migration along the north central Gulf coast as these mighty gamefish are moving en masse toward their spawning grounds off the mouth of the Mississippi river in July. THE JULY PIER-SPECTIVE Many thousands of tarpon are routinely seen from the gulf beach piers this month as schools of 50 or more individuals move from the east toward the west. Most are well out of casting range from the pier. And only on occasion are they within reach. But it is not uncommon for more than a few of them to be hooked by anglers on those piers. Many are incidental hookups by anglers fishing live baits like scaled or false herring (locally called “LYs”) for king mackerel. But some are targeted by anglers throwing large swimbaits with the intent of hooking one of these passing gamefish. The rods are usually nine foot medium heavy to heavy action, with a fast taper rated for 25 to 40 pound line. The reel should hold 300+ yards of 20 pound to even 65 pound line (braid). This
FISHING OUTLOOK is “big game fishing” folks! Hard labor in the hot sun only for those with the strength, stamina and tackle to subdue a wildly running, leaping fish which often exceeds 100 pounds. The battle may last an hour or more in +100 degree subtropical heat and humidity, so bring plenty of water.
and speckled trout are drawn to the concentrated food source. It’s almost a right of passage to spend most of the night on the pier fishing for trout and whatever else may bite. It’s also a great way to beat the heat of the hottest days of the year.
Often the great fish wins the battle by throwing the hook during one of its patented head shaking jumps. Many others break the line, leader or hook. Or even strip all the line from a reel that is undersized for this overpowering leviathan. Part of the allure though, is sometimes a pier angler can subdue a tarpon. Then the question becomes what to do with it. Most are simply “popped off” by intentionally breaking the line at pier side.
A hooked live shrimp presented to fish around and under the lights has been a long standard way to fish here. But small 2 1/2” to 3” soft plastic minnow imitations (like Zoom’s Tiny Fluke) can be even more effective at times. The best colors should resemble whatever baitfish are present. But “Baby Bass’’ (green), “Baitfish” (salt & pepper), and Arkansas Shiner (brown) are most popular.
Fortunately, tarpon are not reported to be very edible and very few of these magnificent gamefish are killed on purpose. In fact, to do so (legally) requires the purchase of a special harvest tag ($50 in FL, $61 in AL). Just another reason to release them.
There are so many from-shore fishing possibilities along the Emerald Coast in July. Is it any wonder this is a major vacation destination for people from all over as they enjoy their great days outdoors!
Alabama pier anglers are hopeful the refit construction of the ever popular Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores will be completed some time in July. So they might again get a chance to hook one of their official state saltwater gamefish! Other large, more common gamefish are around the gulf beach piers in July too. A variety of sharks, jack crevelle, king mackerel, little tunny (locally called “bonita”), and even “bull” redfish may be present. These fish patrol the outer perimeter of baitfish schools. “Pressing” them toward the pier hoping to pick off’ any injured or stray baitfish which might make an easy meal. So anglers drifting a “wounded” live baitfish, or “snobbling” a dead bait to look like a dying one can often entice a strike from one of these marauding predators. Tackle for this style of fishing averages to about an eight foot medium action, fast taper rod with a 5000 to 6000 series reel capable of holding 300 yards of 15 to 20 pound line. Intermediate sized predatory fish are there as well, and can be landed on lighter tackle. Anglers make many casts with lures or bait, so the tackle should be as light as plausible. A seven foot medium action, fast taper rod with a 3000 or 4000 series reel holding 200 to 250 yards of 8 to 12 pound line works best for this. Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish (called “skipjack”), and blue runner (“hardtails”) are often caught from the beach piers this month. They not only bite a variety of small live and natural baits, but most any artificial lure that looks of similar size and shape. Silver spoons and ⅝ to ¾ ounce jigs can be quite effective, as are the popular “Bubble Rigs” but these fish will also strike most three to four inch soft or hard plastic lures. Medium sized hard lures (three to five inch) made by Yozurri and Rapala are often very effective in getting bites from these mid-sized gamefish. MEANWHILE ON THE BEACH... Pompano are still the primary target species for surf fishermen. But those are greatly outnumbered by the abundance of other jack species (like ladyfish and blue runner) as well as smaller pinfish, grunts and croakers. This often makes fishing with shrimp practically a waste of time. Synthetic bait strips like Fishbites will stay on the hook much longer. So, at least this gives anglers a chance to catch the occasional pompano. As well, other popular species are still available in the surf zone like slotsized red and black drum, bluefish, occasional flounder, and even spotted seatrout (“speckled trout”) in Alabama and Mississippi coastal waters. In fact, wade fishing for speckled trout along the beaches and back bay shorelines here is a viable summer past time. These mobile anglers can cover much water in search of biting fish. Locations like Little Lagoon Pass, Fort Morgan Point, Pelican Bay Spit, and the West End beach on Dauphin Island provide wade fishing anglers with miles of opportunities. Hard baits like MirrOlure are very popular and effective for trout, redfish and flounder. These fish usually feed on small mullet or other finfish as well as the abundant shrimp. FLIP THE SWITCH AT NIGHT Lighted piers and docks provide anglers places that congregate bait at night, thus drawing the inshore predators to them. In July, lighted public piers like Cedar Point and Fairhope really “shine” as an abundance of hungry white
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 55
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
It’s hard to beat soft plastics worked around weedy cover for summertime bass.
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
FLORIDA WATERS
APALACHICOLA RIVER SYSTEM Bass anglers will have good luck with soft plastics in July fishing deeper structure in the Apalachicola river system, says Tony Poloronis of Outcasters Bait and Tackle in Apalachicola. He points out that is is also a good thing for bass anglers to remember coastal bass love to eat shrimp, and so having a bucket of live shrimp will often pay off with good largemouth bass in summer. Bream will still be bedding in July, but the biggest part of the spawn will be over in July. Anglers can fish live worms or crickets around treetops and snags for good bream action. July is prime catfish time on the Apalachicola River system, so anglers who offer up prepared catfish baits like Catfish Magic will find some hard-fighting, great tasting catfish on the river. Anglers are reminded that river levels can vary greatly in July, and that upstream heavy rains can produce high water conditions downstream for quite some time. 56 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
LAKE TALQUIN “Carolina rigged soft plastics and deep diving crank baits will work well on the Talquin bass in July,” says Buddy Cartwright of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin. Crappie will be in deep water near channels, and anglers will want to try live minnows near the ledges and drop-offs. Bream will be scattered in the lily pad fields, and anglers can do very well with either crickets or red worms fished near the pads. For some real hard fighting summer fish, anglers can fish the Ocklawaha Creek area with deep diving crank baits for striped bass. LAKE SEMINOLE Local guide Jody Wells says that he has found that when fishing a frog, the bass are more willing to strike regardless of the light and sky conditions. “With the frogs, it doesn’t matter. I’ve caught some big bass in the middle of
FISHING OUTLOOK the day with bluebird skies,” Wells said. Bream anglers will have a great time catching big bream, both bluegill and shell crackers in July. Crickets and red worms will both work, and fishing on either the new moon or a full moon is really good in July. Catfish bite at Seminole year round, and in July they bite especially well on stink baits fished on the channel mouths and ledges on the main lake. Wells recommends anglers start their trips at Seminole Lodge and Marina (850-593-6886) which is right on the water, is clean, and has good dock facilities for anglers.
ALABAMA WATERS
WILSON LAKE According to Wilson lake guide, Captain Brian Barton, big catfish will be on the beds, so flats and gravel bars in 10-25 feet of water. Lime Kiln Hollow and Hog Island are good locations to start a search for the big catfish in July. For smaller eating size cats, the Wheeler Dam tailrace and flats in the mouth of Big Nance Creek are good drift-fishing locations. Use cut shad, chicken livers, shrimp, and nightcrawlers for bait. For bream, target weed beds along pea gravel shorelines. Bream will be bedding when the full moon comes, so try to fish during this time period. Use crickets, worms, or small artificial lures near the edges of the weeds for best results.
Another hot fishing venue in July is for stripers, hybrids, and white bass near the dam when water is being actively pulled through the dam. Use silver or other shad pattern lures to target the striped hard-pullers. LAKE GUNTERSVILLE Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service says that bass anglers can have good luck with soft plastics and crank baits on the ledges, and jigs are not a bad idea, either.
Crappie will be very deep. The best crappie fishing will be at night under lanterns and dock lights. Catfish anglers might want to take a trip to visit Lake Weiss this month. “For catfish anglers, this is your time of the year. Jugs, rods and reel, heck you can jump in and grab them by hand!,” Pitts said.
Bream anglers will have a great time catching big bream, both bluegill and shell crackers in July. Crickets and red worms will both work, and fishing on either the new moon or a full moon is really good in July. MILLER’S FERRY Joe Dunn of Dunn’s Sports says that by July crappie will be spawned out and will respond to vertical jigging. Dunn likes Roadrunners with Southern Pro grub bodies in popsicle and Weiss Lake Killer colors at this time of the year and points out that sometime larger size jigs and grubs also work well. Bass anglers will want to work channels and grass beds early. Working the shallows sometimes work if the shallows are close to deeper, cooler water. Dunn reminds us that for all fishing at Miller’s Ferry, the best fishing will occur when the dam is pulling water and there’s a current present in the lake. Another bit of advice Dunn offers is for bass anglers to look for green fallen trees in the water. Bass seem to really orient to the still-alive trees at this time of year. For some great fishing and eating, cat fishing at night can be great on the whole shad- will attract some big catfish. Long lining jugs in the main river channel with 15-30 foot long jug lines can really produce in July.
“A ½ oz MuscleCrawler jig from Tightline jigs in either Guntersville Special or Green Tequila colors is very good,” Davis shared.
LAKE EUFAULA Trash piles and ledges in 12 to 25 feet of water will hold both bass and crappie says Hawks Guide Service Captain Sam Williams
As July moves on, the world-famous Guntersville frog bite will commence. Anglers have a lot of excitement fishing frogs over the heavy grass. Davis recommends a Pro-Z Bait frog in dark colors.
Carolina rigs, big lip crank baits, and jigs will all be good, and black is a very good color at this time. A ¾ oz Texas rig with a big black Mann’s Jellyworm is good for big bass in July.
Panfish can be tough in July. Both bream and crappie will be deeper and slower to bite in July, but anglers can still find good fishing especially below floating docks in deep water.
Bass anglers will find bass eager to bite at Eufaula early and late, and bass will be holding where anything casts a shadow on the water. Lily pads in particular can be very good cover in July.
WEISS LAKE Over on Weiss Lake, veteran fishing guide Captain Lee Pitts advises anglers to fish very early near floating cover. Spinnerbaits can be very good. Many bass anglers fish the shallows all day long at Weiss with good success, but fishing near heavy cover is best.
Threadfin shad pattern crank baits work well.
When the sun gets up, the top water bite will usually be over until almost dark, but anglers can find lots of good bass both largemouth and spots on ledges and breaks on creek channels.
For some real fun in a different way, jug fishing for catfish is a very effective way to gather a big mess of good-eating catfish in July.
Crappie will have dispersed and their conditions are not best during hot weather. However, for those hard-core crappie anglers who just want to catch slabs, fishing around bridge structure and under lights can be productive.
Crappie will be best at night both under lanterns and around bridge structures. Try to find the level that the schools of shad are holding and then fish a jig at that level for good crappie.
SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop tells us that during July, trout anglers will want to use terrestrial flies such as hoppers, crickets, and beetles. Winged ant patterns are very good in July as this is the month when these insects hatch out and leave their nests, so the trout are used to seeing the ants in great numbers on the water. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 57
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
For maximum fun, get a fly rod and some popping bugs and find a bunch of big bream.
Important Contact Information Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL Captain Sam Williams Hawks Guide Service 334-687-0400 Brandon Jackson/ Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 Riversideflyshop.com Captain Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.leepittsoutdoors.com The river may still have some good midge hatches early and late. Caddis flies may show some good hatches in July, but this is dependent on weather and water conditions.
Captain Brian Barton 256-412-0960 brianbartonoutdoors.com
Anglers who haven’t yet mastered the long rod can still catch plenty of trout by using ultra-light spinning gear. Single hook Roostertail spinners are good, but for maximum results, a clear bubble for casting weight about 2 ½ feet above a fluorocarbon leader with the same flies that fly rod anglers use will catch trout on Sipsey Fork.
Captain Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 msbassguide@comcast.net
MOBILE DELTA “The main river currents far up the river from the Delta itself are greatly influenced by the tides down on the coast. Currents in the river are generated by the tides, and anglers will want to pay attention to where the water is moving. That’s where the bass will be more active,” says Captain Wayne Miller from the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service Miller advises that ledges, deeper undercut banks and wood structure will all be prime locations to find bass in July. Anglers can find some good topwater bites early and late in the major lakes off the main rivers, but the main rivers will have a more reliable bite in July. Bass anglers should try spinner baits, deep running crankbaits, and jigs and soft plastics around treetops in the water and other wood structures. The key to good bass fishing on the Delta rivers in July is to find current, and look for similar conditions in other locations. What produced fish in one spot will probably work on other similar locations.
58 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Buddy Cartwright Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge Lake Talquin 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com Jody Wells 850-209-2420 Tony Poloronis Outcasters Bait and Tackle 631 Hwy 98, Apalachicola, Florida 850-653-4665 Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404
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FLORIDA TIDE CHARTS
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PHOTO of the MONTH Kyle Rabren with a redfish caught on Magnolia River in Magnolia Springs.
Todd Montgomery with his 34 lb snapper caught by petrified stumps Orange Beach.
Peter Antoshwith his 25lb red snapper from a reef zone south of Orange Beach.
KID'S CORNER
TROPHY ROOM
9 year old Mary Blake shows off her trophy pumpkinseed
Kipton Hall, 9, with his trophy sheepshead.
Reid Johnson, 13 shows off this catfish catch
Mason Flowers caught his biggest bass to date. The bucketmouth was a handful on ultralight tackle.
Owen Pippin, 13 with a respectable redfish
JT Rabren, 4, from Robertsdale with his largemouth bass
Will Thomas shows why it’s important to take a kid fishing
Give us your best shot!
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CORRECTION In the June issue Jim Mize’s column should have been titled, “Communing With the Fishes”. Also, the article should have ended with the sentence, “Best of all, I spent the entire trip right-side up and the only fish I communed with were on my line.”
Dixie Building Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fiber Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 First South Farm Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
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FISHING TIP
Flounder Gigging on the Gulf Coast BY CAPTAIN KENNY LEWIS as told to WILLIAM KENDY
While most of us think of fishing with rod, reel and bait, there is a different fishing opportunity available in Alabama and that is flounder gigging. The concept is simple. One takes a multi-prong gig, lights and wades at night to spear flounder in shallow water. We asked fishing Captain Kenny Lewis of Panhandle Charter and Guide Service in Pensacola to give us tips on gigging on the Gulf Coast. “On a typical night flounder gigging works best when there is full tide outgoing. On a full moon the fish won’t cooperate and try to run on you. We pretty much hit the banks with the calmest wind and sometimes we find the fish right on the banks and sometimes their bodies are almost sticking out of the water, with their tail sections laying up on the banks and they lay up on that little ripple. When there is a north wind the Gulf is definitely the place to go. There is no general area that I have found Gulf flounder that they go back to every night. They move out of the deep into the shallows and you may come across five or ten, a school or a bank full of them. I’ve gigged 15-30 fish down one section of the bank that was only about 100 yards long and then suddenly find another fish.
For flounders, in July and August I like getting up in the back bays and they hold a lot a flounder but you need to learn the water and sometimes it is hard to see,” Lewis said. According to Lewis, you don’t need much for flounder gigging. “We normally use a four or five prong gig on a 10-foot pole. When you are in three feet of water you don’t want to run out of pole and the longer length gives you more dependability and leverage. When it comes to lights, we use underwater submersible bulbs, halogen and halos. We use a bright light in clear water and the yellow light in stained water. While we do take some larger fish, called ‘doormats” most of our fish are in the 14-17-inch range,” Lewis said. Captain Kenny Lewis www.phcags.com 8507122059
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // JULY 2020 69
A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
Take A Kid WHERE?! “Right.” Even as I answer I know she has led with a jab and the hook is close behind. “Then why don’t they have ears?”
BY JIM MIZE Like salt and pepper, bread and butter, pigtails and inkwells, kids and fishing fit. Every calendar company in America publishes at least one picturing a sandy-haired kid carrying a cane pole. Calendar producers, however, must be mostly grandparents. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like kids. And I think kids should learn to fish at an early age. But like the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. It’s just that most days even four arms are not enough. Take, for instance, my two kids, Coconut and Gumbo. Picture a five-year-old Swedish female investigative reporter and that’s Coconut. My lower back pains trace back to curling uncomfortably around her little finger. At the same time, let me say that I guide her through life with a firm hand. But most of the time it’s planted firmly against my forehead in disbelief. Her investigation starts the minute her feet hit the boat floor. Maybe the carpet triggers her curiosity. “Dad, you know a lot about the outdoors, right?” As my chest expands, pressing hard against the top button, I answer humbly, “Well, a fair bit.” “Dad, do fish blink?” I think for a minute. “I dunno. Why?” “Well, don’t they get water in their eyes?” While I’m sorting through that one, she hits me from the blind side with another. “Do fish burp?” “Well, I . . . uh . . . I dunno.” “And one other thing. You keep telling me to be quiet ’cause the fish will hear, right?”
The only recourse in such a sparring match is to take the offensive. Otherwise, you’ll be quickly belittled, befuddled, and bedeviled, flat on the mat and down for the count. “Dad, why do fish eat worms?” “Because they can’t get into McDonald’s.” “Oh . . . why not?” “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” The trick to fishing with kids is staying one step ahead of the question and two steps ahead of the boredom. When Coconut gets bored, she begins practicing her tap dance routines. Lunch is quietly pieced over the side to the ducks. The plastic worms are braided into a headband. I thought for a while that I had the solution to this one as well. “Coconut, you can take one toy on the boat,” I had said. “OK, how about Barbie’s Soda Shop?” “Sure.” Only in the main channel did I notice the fine print on Barbie’s Soda Shop box. “Over 900 pieces,” it said, like that was good news. The first time I turned into a headwind, Barbie jumped into the soda-shop phone booth to call the governor for disaster relief funds. Tiny sodas flew everywhere. Chairs tumbled and tables rolled. And then there’s Gumbo, a three-year-old fireplug. Kids at that age are the inverse of cats. No matter how you drop them they land on their heads. Finesse is learned at four.
Gumbo likes action. The most effective ploy I’ve found with Gumbo is to catch a handful of bluegills and let him race them around the livewell. That’s good for at least fifteen minutes. And whatever I do, I never, never, never forget his Snoopy float. In my mind, I’ve plastered a picture of Charlie Brown wearing a hat and trench coat and holding a Snoopy float, saying, “Snoopy floats--don’t leave home without them.” Although fishing with kids sounds just short of impossible, I do have a few tips for you. And believe me, they’re based on experience. First, be sure everyone understands that the capacity of a boat is no more than one kid per adult, regardless of weight. If they overload you, pull the plug. Second, be sure the kids are spread two rod lengths apart. Otherwise, they get tangled or start sword-fighting with your prized graphites. Finally, do everything you can to get them into action early. Bluegills, crappies, rock bass, and perch are all good choices and size doesn’t matter. Once, I thought I had finally struck paydirt with Gumbo. As soon as we hit the lake, I saw fish splashing and not a boat in sight. It was a school of white bass. I figured we were in for at least twenty minutes of blinding action. Steadily, I approached with just the whir of the electric motor disturbing the silence. Still no boats and still the fish jumped. Just as I eased up on the school, I heard them: the words that clutch a father’s heart, that strike from behind, that close the windpipe as if gripped by the ghost of an ancient arm wrestler, words that conjure fear, remorse, regret, dread. At the top of his lungs, Gumbo yells, “DADDY, I GOTTA GO TO THE BATHROOM!”
Let me describe Gumbo for you. Have you ever seen one of those electronic robots that bump into walls, bounce off, turn, bump into another wall, beep, buzz, and blow smoke? That’s Gumbo in a bass boat. Gumbo likes to cast and reel. Constantly. Without pause. The fish that catches his hook will be decisive and outgoing, and likes to hang out under boats. Gumbo’s cast goes about four feet.
70 JULY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
JIM MIZE still takes kids fishing but has learned to wear protective gear. “Take a Kid WHERE?!” is an excerpt from The Winter of Our Discount Tent, one of his award-winning books of humor and nostalgia that may be found at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.
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