Suzuki’s “Summer Like No Other” Sale This summer fishing will be unrivaled! Buy the Ultimate Outboard Motor from Suzuki Marine and start pullin’ ‘em in. There are Instant Savings on select models, and Low-Rate Financing. Stay out on the water longer with Gimme Six, Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Extended Protection at no extra charge. See your participating Suzuki Marine dealer for all the details.
INSTANT
SAVINGS SAVE RIGHT NOW ON
SELECT SUZUKI OUTBOARDS
SIX YEARS OF PROTECTION
INSTANT SAVINGS
REPOWER FINANCE
3 Years Limited Warranty + 3 Years Extended Protection, No extra charge. charge.
Instant Savings on select models when you buy a new Suzuki Outboard. See your dealer for details.
Rates as low as 5.99% on new Suzuki outboards on approved credit.* [60 Months]
CATCH 'E WITH M SUZUK MARIN I E
ISH F E H T ARE ING T I A W
251.968.2628 ™
6940A HIGHWAY 59 | GULF SHORES, AL 36542 HWY 59 @ COUNTY RD. 8
™
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 07/01/20 and 09/30/20 in accordance with the promo-tion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Six Extended Protection promotion applies to new Motors from to 350The HP Gimme in inventory which areissold and delivered to buyer between 07/01/20 and 09/30/20 in accordance withapplies the promoMarine dealer in theGimme continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who Suzuki residesOutboard in the continental US or25Alaska. Six Promotion available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings to qualifying purchases tion byMotors a Participating Authorized Suzuki dealer and Alaska to a purchasing who resides in the continental US or Alaska. Theapplied Gimmeagainst Six Promotion is available for pleasure useoutboard motor and of select Suzuki Outboard made between 07/01/20 andMarine 09/30/20. Forinlistthe of continental designated US models, see participating Dealercustomer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be the agreed-upon selling price of the 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 only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings applies to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 07/01/20 and 09/30/20. For list of designated models, see participating through Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months Instant on new Savings and unregistered Subject to selling credit approval. Not all buyers motor will qualify. Approval,inand and terms are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. must be Suzuki appliedOutboard against Motors. the agreed-upon price of the outboard and reflected theany billrates of sale. There provided, are no mdel substitutions, benefit per $1,000 financedsubstitutions, for 60 monthsrain is based on or 5.99% APR. Hypothetical figuresthe used in calculation; actual monthly payment differwithout based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories other factors such as down and fees. Offer checks, extensions. Suzuki reserves right to change oryour cancel these promotions at may any time notice or obligation. * Financing offers available throughorSynchrony Retail Finance. Aspayment low effective on new, unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between 07/01/20 and 09/30/20. “Gimme Six”, the Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a 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 USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2020 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. 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 07/01/20 and 09/30/20. “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.
THE SOUTH’s METAL ROOFING HEADQUARTERS
DIXIESUPPLY.COM
BAKERMETALWORKS.COM
Eight Mile, AL Theodore, AL Meridian, MS Summerdale, AL
Troy, AL Baker, FL Fountain, FL NOW OPEN: Cantonment, FL
METAL ROOFING & SIDING | 20 COLORS | 29 & 26 GAUGE | 5 PROFILES
8 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU
A-Team Fishing Adventures I N S H O R E G U I D E S E RV I C E Mobile Bay + Mobile Delta + Dauphin Island
3 TIME ALABAMA INSHORE TRAIL CHAMPION MULTIPLE REDFISH TOUR WINS
USCG LICENSED
Capt. Bobby Abruscato
(251) 661-7696 www.ateamfishing.com
35 YEARS EXPERIENCE
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 3
HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
8
CONTENTS
Private Anglers to Get One More Opportunity at Red Snapper this Fall . . . . . . . 8 by David Rainer Turn Bad Dirt into Great Dove Fields with Chas Moore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 by John E. Phillips Fall Pompano Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 by David Thornton A Tree Stand Fall I’ll Never Forget. . . . . . . . . 20 by Joe Baya Tips for Bass Fishing at Night. . . . . . . . . . . . 24 by John E. Phillips
12
16
Tag Alabama - Lots of Fun and Lots of Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 by Captain Richard Rutland Managing Farm Ponds for Big Bass. . . . . . . 34 by Brian Senn Waterfront Home Remodel for Life on the Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 by Ed Mashburn
In Every Issue
24
4 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
30
Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 by Hank Shaw New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Chris Blakenship The Gun Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by Craig Haney Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by Ed Mashburn Coastal Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 by Chris Vecsey Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by David Thornton Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 68 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Classifieds & Fishin‘ Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 by Captain Brian Barton A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 by Jim Mize
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
PROPERTY PHOTO HERE
Sugar Lake Plantation
Divisible Fruitdale Cabins & Lakes Hunting & Timber Retreat
Sugar Lake Plantation is one of the premier properties in the Southeast. It can be your family hunting retreat, commercial hunting operation or corporate retreat. Own 2230 acres with 1800 acres being high fenced. It includes a managed 162 acre lake with bass, bream and loads of ducks. The owner has purchased over $500,000 worth of deer with trophy northern genetics and released them inside the hunting preserve. There is a 8000 sq ft shop/barn with 2 bed, 1.5 bath, living room, kitchen apt. There are 11 miles of high fence with 40-60 ft ROW. 2 miles of underground power throughout property. New spillway and concrete boat ramp for lake. 40+/- acre soybean/cornfield. 10 High Roller 5x7 shooting houses on the 10 greenfields. Protein and spin feeders throughout property. 50 ton bridge installed for access around entire property. Multiple duck blinds and over 800 mallard ducks released onto property. There is also a 3b/2b double wide trailer and a 2b/1b single wide trailer on the property.
This turnkey, divisible, waterfront property is a rare find in many ways. Tracts this size and quality are rarely available in this area, much less with a fishing lake, duck pond, furnished cabins, and equipment included. The hunting is fantastic, with wildlife management and feeding programs in place for decades, and the abundant deer, turkey, ducks, and doves present show just how effective it has been. There are large, strategically placed food plots throughout the property, with mature sawtooth oak and fruit trees adorning each, as well as elevated shooting houses. Timber types include mature longleaf pine, loblolly pine that’s ready to thin, and mature hardwood, the majority of which are red and white oaks, giving you acorns during bow and gun season. Back at the camp, enjoy scenic views of the lake from the main cabin with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, roomy open floor plan, utility room, and large screened-in porch. The nearby guest cabin has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and the offset 3rd cabin is ideal for kids or extended family with 1 bedroom and 1 bath with a spacious den/kitchen combo that could hold additional bunks. Other improvements include equipment shed, a silo, and a large tractor shed that houses a commercial ice machine, zero turn mower, golf cart, 4 wheeler, Polaris Ranger, 2 tractors, and implements, all of which are included with acceptable offer. Located near Fruitdale, AL, minutes from groceries, fuel, and shopping, and less than an hour from Mobile.
Cherokee County, Alabama, 2230+/-Acres
PROPERTY TEXT HERE
Washington County, Alabama, 455+/-Acres
PROPERTY TEXT HERE
FL Panhandle Listings
Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Bibb Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Bullock Butler Cherokee Cherokee Chilton Chilton
ACRES 545 535 375 371 298 1995 1304 900 555 463 884 342 215 120 92.7 30 60 50 4.6 4000 167 92 85.16 2230 5 146 73
COUNTY Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Coffee Coffee Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa
388 54 38 620 234 179 58 41 856 128.16 66.4 200 33 294 161 133 80 30 142 80 74 38 35 640 151 120 86
Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw Dale Dale Dale Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Escambia Fayette Fayette Fayette
ACRES 78 360 331 72 50 22 64 96 63 63 30 1283 860 782 651 463.54 450 369 369 264 120 671.6 58.5 8.8 672 473 321
COUNTY Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Henry Henry Henry Houston Houston Houston Houston Jefferson Jefferson
232 132 244 103 76.76 0.7 2590 2100 490 165 105 329 80 55 53.2 41 200 100 60 20 10 325 31 17.5 11 633 120
Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lawrence Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion
ACRES 75 65 14 202 192 160 92 70 80 1013 783 656 500 450 2370 930 486 396 163 6214 3000 1164 558 551 387 100 88
Marion Marshall Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens
82 535 1800 308 299.1 260 192 790 298 269 129 110 858 697 623 469 430 386 240.75 160 40 36 837 513 450 430 417
COUNTY
ACRES
Pike Pike Russell Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker Walker Walker
521.95 112 50 10 240 159 135.84 90 81 740 550 406.47 350 45.7 537 520 320 115 500 305 203 153 152 203 100 82 61
COUNTY Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox
1320 455 240 213 190 2365 1465 660 310 3
Escambia Gulf Holmes Holmes Walton Walton Walton Walton Walton Washington
ACRES 257 55 93 41 454 235 60 45 39.75 22.5
Over 700 more tracts across over 47 states available...
INNOVATIVE LAND PROFESSIONALS
855.NLR.LAND
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR SEPTEMBER These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
STRIPED BASS ON LAKE MARTIN
The end of summer means less boating pressure on Lake Martin and an uptick in striper action. The pros advise that for September, striper anglers should start fishing the lower end of the lake at the beginning of the month and work their way north. Trolling slowly with plainer boards or free-lining with a 3-5-inch shad on a #7 circle hook works. If it’s still hot, some anglers will use downriggers to take the bait down to the strike zone which can be from 40 to 70 feet. As the month progresses and the water temperature cools, stripers can be caught near the surface using artificial baits such as large white hair jigs, chrome lipless crank baits and Zara Spooks. Pro Tip: Look for “boils” where schooling stripers are feasting on baitfish.
BEST LOCATIONS FOR DOVE STANDS
VOLUME 24, ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2020
PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya GENERAL MANAGER: Samatha Hester MANAGING EDITOR: William Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann
Alabama’s Dove season starts in September and stand location is critical
According to Mike Thompson (deceased and greatly missed) here are a few of the things that you should keep an eye out for in choosing your dove hunting sites. Freshly turned earth. Doves are attracted to freshly turned dirt which makes finding insects and seeds easier than in compacted soil. If you tightly cluster dove decoys it sends a message that dinner is ready.
Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Subscription rate is $30 for one-year, $54 for two-years, and $72 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile, Ala. and additional mailing offices.
Overhead limbs and tree gaps. Overhead limbs and hiding in the shadows they create makes you harder to see. A gap in the tree line makes it easier for doves to “funnel” into a field.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046
Rotten crops. Failed crops often burst open, exposing seeds and attracting doves. Visit Mike’s article “Dove Hunting Tips for Choosing the Best Stand Sites” in the Sept 2019 issue of GDO
SEPTEMBER IS HUNTING PREP TIME September is the perfect time for gear and tactic inventory, assessment and getting up to hunting speed.
Sight in your rifle and squeeze a few practice shots off. Bow connections need to be checked, broadheads sharpened, boots waterproofed and attention paid to all of the small details that result in a successful and safe hunt. Tree stands should be inspected to make sure all is tight and lubricated so there aren’t any tell tale “squeaks” when you are trying to be silent. Stand placement locations need to be identified to make sure they are currently valid. And ALL tree stand hunters need to make sure they are going to be safe. Harnesses, safety belts, platforms, tree steps, everything, needs to be checked and rechecked. See Joe Baya’s article, “A tree Stand Fall I’ll Never Forget” in this issue. 6 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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.
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GREATDAYSOUTDOORS WWW.TWITTER.COM/TEAMGREATDAYS WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/GREATDAYSOUTDOORS
The Alabama Marine Resources Division indicated about 100,000 of red snapper remain in the 2020 quota. Photo by David Rainer
8 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Private Anglers to Get One More Opportunity at Red Snapper this Fall Just when it appeared that the 2020 red snapper season was a wrap, private recreational anglers are likely to get one more opportunity to fish this year. BY DAVID RAINER Photos by David Rainer
Scott Bannon, Director of the Alabama Marine Resources Division (MRD), said the preliminary harvest numbers for the private recreational sector indicate about 100,000 pounds remain in the quota of 1,122,622 pounds. The red snapper season for private recreational anglers (which includes state charter vessels) was originally set to last 35 days, beginning the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. However, the season had to be shortened to 25 days to ensure the quota was not exceeded. Bannon said he and Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, are discussing options that would provide the best opportunity for private anglers to catch Alabama’s premier reef fish species. “The private recreational angler season went really well even though we closed a little earlier than we anticipated,” Bannon said. “The data showed a tremendous number of people took advantage of the season, especially with the opening earlier on May 22.” When the data from the season was analyzed, Bannon said a significant uptick in participation was quickly evident. “The average vessel trips for the season were 713 trips per day,” he
said. “That means a lot of people went fishing compared to the last two years, which had an average of about 530 vessel trips per day. “I think people took advantage of snapper fishing when they could not participate in other activities. They could not get on cruise ships. They couldn’t go to Disney. People were not playing travel sports. Boating was considered a safe outdoor activity, so I do think the COVID-19 pandemic affected the snapper season. I think it prompted more people to go snapper fishing than we had in the past.” Bannon said the snapper season might have ended even a little earlier had it not been for Tropical Storm Cristobal, which significantly limited fishing on the third weekend of snapper season. “Even after the second weekend, I had people tell me about the high number of boats they were seeing offshore,” he said. “They said there’s no way we’re going to make it to July 19. My thoughts were that as the season progresses the fervor dies down in July, and fishing gets a little tougher. Again, with not having other activities available, the weather outside that Cristobal weekend was really good and people went fishing.” Bannon said anyone interested can visit www.outdooralabama. com/2020-red-snapper-landings-summary and view the catch data as 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 9
Private Anglers to Get One More Opportunity at Red Snapper this Fall
“Our goal is to make accurate season predictions,” Bannon said. “Again, the pandemic did have an impact, and we don’t know where we will be next year with COVID. We will work with the Commissioner to see what kind of season we will have moving forward.” The other sector that takes advantage of the state’s great red snapper fishing is the Alabama charter boat fleet, which still operates under federal management through NOAA Fisheries. The charter season opened on June 1 and ran straight through August 1. “I think the charter season went really well, especially considering that, when the coronavirus first hit, a lot of people were canceling trips early in the year,” Bannon said. “As boating was considered a safe activity, many of the boats adjusted their capacity so people felt comfortable and safe. They lost the Cristobal weekend just like everyone else, but they got to fish pretty consistently for the 62 days they were open. From my discussions with the captains, they considered it a very good season considering the COVID circumstances. well as the chart that shows the angler participation rate compared to the average wave height. The catch data in the chart has been updated to include additional reports. “You can see in the chart that the wave height and catch effort are directly related,” he said. “The Cristobal weekend slowed down the catch effort. You can also see the weekend days had much higher catch effort.” For the first time since the five Gulf states were granted control of red snapper management in 2018, Alabama added Mondays to the weekend to try to spread out the effort and provide more opportunities to fish. “I think adding Mondays was a success,” Bannon said. “Some people felt that had a negative impact and reduced season length because of the Monday fishing. But if you add up all of the Monday effort, it is barely more than our peak Saturday. Mondays did exactly what we hoped it would do. It provided opportunities to avoid the Saturday chaos, allow people who work weekends an opportunity to go, and allow people who were on vacation who had to travel on Saturday to have an extra opportunity. “And, if you were local, the feedback I got was they took advantage of Mondays instead of trying to fish on Saturdays when the effort was so high. They didn’t fish anymore because it was open on Mondays; they just fished a different day.” With the snapper season closing after July 3, red snapper had to be replaced with lane snapper for the 87th Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo at Dauphin Island later in July. “I know there was disappointment that we didn’t have red snapper for the Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo, being the nation’s largest fishing tournament,” Bannon said. “With all of the other challenges the rodeo had with the COVID-19 issues and all the events that were cancelled, I think they had the best event they could under the circumstances.” With three years of state management data and the 2020 data on Monday fishing, Bannon said the MRD staff will analyze those numbers to determine season dates for 2021. 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
“And I think they’ll have a good fall season as people still have limited outdoor activities. The charters will target other fish, like amberjack, which is scheduled to be open until October 31. They can also catch vermilion snapper (beeliners) and other reef fish species as well as king mackerel.” Bannon was encouraged by the variety of sizes of red snapper that inhabit Alabama’s unparalleled artificial reef zones. “We saw in our preseason data that we had a large number of smaller fish, which we attribute to a strong year-class of fish,” he said. “Those younger fish will crowd those reefs. What you should see in the next year or two, those fish will be growing up around those reefs and then dispersing. We should be able to follow the year-class and see how it works out over the next few years. “We are comfortable with the amount of fish harvested in our reef zones from all sectors. Our surveys help ensure we are making appropriate management decisions to make sure our fishery is sustainable.” One of the ways MRD conducts those surveys and other management practices is through a variety of funding sources, one of which is the Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement that was implemented for the 2020 season. Bannon said 22,755 endorsements were obtained. The funds will be used for reef fish management. “I feel like we had really good compliance on the Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement,” he said. “This year, our Enforcement Officers were just making people aware they needed the endorsement, which helps us identify just how many people are participating in the fishery in addition to providing funding for all aspects of reef fish management. Next year, a person may receive a citation for not having it. “Also, for the fishing seasons after January 1, 2021, we’re adding greater amberjack and gray triggerfish as mandatory species for recording in Snapper Check. They are two valuable species to Alabama anglers, and we want to develop better landings data. At the time of this printing the timing of the extra day or two of red snapper fishing this fall has not yet been determined.
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 // SEPTEMBER 2020 11
Hunters not only take plenty of doves in the early season at Cahaba River WMA, there’s also numerous opportunities to take doves in the late season.
12 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Turn Bad
HUNTING
Dirt into
Great Dove Fields with Chas Moore
Take a 15-doves-per-day limit at WMAs – several of which have been carefully prepared for hunting doves. BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS Most Cahaba River WMA hunters who are fairly good shooters can limit out within the first hour of dove season, and even a poor shooter often will take 8-10 doves on opening weekend. You may think with so-many doves available for harvest that hunters have paid $100 each to enjoy this dove hunting opportunity. You also may expect the fields to be composed of cut corn, cut wheat and/or cut millet and an abundance of rich soils, roost trees and water. The last place you’ll probably anticipate this kind of shooting on opening day of dove season is on a reclaimed, strip-mined WMA. The obvious reason that doves will frequent strip-mined lands is to get grit for their craws. Depending on where that land is located, you may have a fantastic dove hunt. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources develops, maintains and manages over 775,000 acres of land for Alabama hunters. WMAs are financed with funds derived from hunting licenses and federal-excise taxes on firearms and ammunition. Chas Moore is the area wildlife biologist for the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and the Mulberry Fork WMA. On both WMAs, Moore uses the same management system to increase habitat for doves and provide more dove-hunting opportunities, not only for in-state hunters but also for out-of-state hunters. “Although we use the same management system for doves on the Mulberry Fork WMA that we do for the Cahaba River WMA (https://www. outdooralabama.com/hunting/wildlife-management-areas), Mulberry Fork WMA doesn’t produce as many doves as Cahaba River WMA does, perhaps because doves haven’t been hunted on strip-mined areas on Mulberry Fork WMA as long as on Cahaba River WMA,” Moore said. “Most of Mulberry Fork WMA is made up of underground mining and not strip-mined. Also, Mulberry Fork WMA doesn’t seem to have as much gravel and grit on the surface for doves to eat and not as much water there as on the Cahaba River WMA. Another reason may be that
there’s not nearly as many dove hunters on Mulberry Fork WMA as on Cahaba River WMA.” Moore came to the Cahaba River WMA in 2004, when only a few, small dove fields existed along the powerline rights-of-way. These dove fields were planted and managed to provide food for doves and dove-hunting opportunities for sportsmen. Like many dove fields, a hunter might harvest one to three doves in a day of hunting. “Most hunters were unsuccessful here,” Moore explained. “The Cahaba River WMA fields were mainly planted with corn and held quite a lot of reclaimed strip-mined land on them.” “Today 30,000 acres of Cahaba River WMA are leased from a major timber company. Under the conditions of its lease, the Game and Fish Division of Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources only can manage the existing openings in this primarily pine-timber forest. However, even pine trees have a hard time surviving on reclaimed strip-mined land, due to the rocky soil,” he said. Moore and the Department of Conservation talked with the owners of the property, and they agreed to let Moore use some of the flat, reclaimed strip-mined sections of the land to create wildlife openings and food plots. Once the strip-mined company reclaimed the land, the company planted vegetation on the land to stabilize the soil. Some of the openings were planted in fescue, which wasn’t a good food source for wildlife, and others with millet. Moore discussed with the landowners the possibility of planting millet and native grass seed on some of these flat, reclaimed lands, since both the millet and the native grasses would be good food for doves and other wildlife. Moore noticed that the millet seemed to grow very well on the reclaimed strip-mined land, but as Moore mentioned, “The problem with using reclaimed strip-mined land to plant for wildlife is that most of the dirt was full of rocks and gravel.” Moore decided to try a different type of planting that proved to be a bonanza for doves and dove hunting. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 13
Turn Bad Dirt into Great Dove Fields with Chas Moore
When the sun sets on the Cahaba River WMA dove fields, most of the hunters agree with the words, “A good time was had by all.”
PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING A DOVE FIELD Perhaps other landowners, hunting clubs and/or wildlife biologists use the same system of land management and crop management that Moore today employs on strip-mined land. However, I’ve never seen or heard of anyone else using this technique to create a dove field on terrible soils like those found on reclaimed strip-mined lands. When GDO asked Moore how he developed this technique of preparing a dove field, he explained, “When we first asked the people who had reclaimed the land, if they would mind planting millet on the fields, they used hydroseeders to plant the millet. The hydroseeder had a mixture of seed, fertilizer and mulch that was sprayed on the land. The hydroseeder coated the ground and produced a good seedbed for the millet. But, I believed I could mimic that same type of application without having a hydroseeder, which was expensive equipment we didn’t have. “We started out by spraying Roundup with a tractor sprayer on our WMA dove fields about the second week in June to kill all the fescue and weeds that had grown-up on these flat, strip-mined lands. We didn’t bushhog the weeds before we sprayed the Roundup. Then we gave the weeds about two weeks to die.” Next, either the last week of June or the first week of July, depending on the weather, Moore and his team went in and broadcast browntop millet, a warm-season rapidly-maturing grass that grew well in rocky shallow soils and fertilizer into the standing grass. Then they raised the blade on a mower to bushhog all the weeds down to scatter the straw from the dead weeds on top of the millet seed and fertilizer. Since the browntop 14 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
millet seeds were very small, once the weeds were cut, that weed straw held the seed and the fertilizer in place. The next rain would cause the millet to grow up through that weed straw without weeds because they’d all been killed before the plantings were done, and the millet didn’t have to compete with weed growth.” Just before the beginning of dove season, Moore and the WMA team ran a hydraulic disk in an area not too rocky and broadcast top-sown wheat on top of the disturbed soil to put this strip of wheat – about 16-feet wide - right down the middle of the 15-acre millet field. The disk used just barely raked the soil because the soil had to be disturbed in a seed bed before wheat seed could be broadcast by top sowing. They plant wheat all the way around the edges of the millet field too. Then WMA hunters didn’t have to be as concerned about snakes, since the hunters could see the ground. Often people leasing land will plant millet and then burn out the seed. Next, just before dove season, they’ll mow their millet and burn all the stalks and stubble. However, due to the weather being so dry at the beginning of dove season, even controlled burning can be a problem, if the wind is blowing even slightly. To prevent the threat of a controlled burn becoming a wildfire, Moore and his team don’t run fire over the top of the millet. “We’ve found that by leaving our millet standing, the heads of the millet plants that produce all of the seeds often will layover, and some millet still will be standing throughout the season on which the doves can feed,” Moore says. “Once the opening day of dove season arrives,
Turn Bad Dirt into Great Dove Fields with Chas Moore
some of the seeds from the head of the millet plant will fall to the ground. Also, some millet stalks will fold over and put giant heads of millet seeds on the ground for doves to eat, and some of the top-sown wheat will be on top of the ground too. Generally the doves will have been feeding on these crops a week or two before the hunters show up.”
Several weeks before the dove hunt, a strip of top-sown wheat is planted in the middle of the dove field.
MORE CAHABA RIVER WMA INFORMATION Most Cahaba River WMA hunters each will get from 10 to a limit of doves in the 12-different fields that the WMA has planted this way. Hunters who know how to shoot doves usually can get a limit of doves in the first hour of the season on opening day. “We’ll often have about 50 or 60 hunters total, hunting on all 12 fields, and that’s not usually enough to keep birds flying from field to field. The hunters are scattered out all over,” Moore said. “Cahaba River WMA easily can accommodate about 200 hunters on all the fields we have planted,” Our dove fields are only open on Saturdays and Wednesdays in the afternoons to give the doves a chance to feed and not be shot at all day, every day.” The good news for Cahaba River WMA dove hunters is that doves will remain there all year long, due to the ample food in the fields, quality nesting habitat in the pines and plenty of year-round water there. Moore mentioned that the late dove season held in December and January draws quite a few migratory doves, but very few dove hunters are at Cahaba WMA at that time of year. Yet another factor that Moore explained that helps the Cahaba WMA in particular is, “This property has a lot of old, big, dead trees around many of our fields where the doves like to stay and look over the field before they fly down to eat.” Although the state’s season for dove hunting is from noon to sunset on opening day, state dove hunters can hunt all day through dove season, except at Cahaba River WMA where legal shooting time is always noon to sunset. If you’ve been to a long-standing organized dove hunt in Alabama, or if you’ve been to a paid dove shoot, you know that hunters typically start arriving before 12:00 noon, and usually some type of lunch is prepared and offered often with a menu of barbecued pork, beef and/ or sausage, baked beans, slaw or salad with a No. 1 wash tub filled with soft drinks and ice and possibly some sweet tea. All that creates a delicious meal and fellowship for hunters to enjoy before the dove shoot starts. On opening day of dove season, Moore said that hunters will be on the edges of the fields, cooking or bringing food in to feed their friends and neighbors that they’ll want to hunt doves with that day, similar to what you see when tailgating at an Alabama or an Auburn football game. “Each group will have its own food and perhaps a pot of coffee and sweet rolls, or sausage and biscuits to nibble on before lunch is served. Our hunters call our style of dove hunting at Cahaba River and Mulberry Fork WMAs tailgate dove hunting. Each group makes the hunt its own organized dove shoot, and everyone has a great time,” Moore said.
What You Need to Hunt Doves at Cahaba River and Mulberry Fork WMAs To hunt small game and doves on a WMA requires a Heritage Hunting License, which costs $12 for residents, and a map of the WMA printed from the Internet and signed by the hunter. Nonresidents can get a three-day pass for $47.05, or a 10-day card for $64.90, and don’t have to have a WMA license, but must have a signed map of the area. To learn more about the dove hunts held at the Cahaba WMA or Mulberry Fork WMA, go to www.outdooralabama.com, click on Hunting, click on Wildlife Management Areas and then select William R. Ireland, Sr. - Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area to see this current year’s map, the season dates and the bag limits for that WMA. You have to have to have that permit map with you to legally hunt on the WMA you plan to dove hunt. Chas Moore’s phone number is on that map permit, and if people call and ask him how to get to the dove fields, he’ll send them a Google Earth map for each WMA with pins on it noting where all the dove fields are. “Our hunters sort of laugh when they hear about people paying $100 to dove hunt on private land, when the hunters on Cahaba WMA often enjoy better dove shoots for a fraction of the price,” Moore mentioned.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 15
A #6 kahle hook on a Fishfinder Rig took this hungry fall pompano.
16 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Fall
Pompano Run Your timing, tackle, bait and location are all key factors to consistent fall pompano angling success. BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
When someone mentions the phrase “pompano run” to shorebound anglers along the Emerald coast, most immediately think in terms of spring time fishing for pre-spawn pompano. But a growing number of savvy surf fishermen know the fall run of pompano can be similarly rewarding. After all, it’s the ‘flip side’ of seasons when the coastal waters begin to cool off in stair-step fashion that spark good numbers of legal-sized pompano to again become active feeders in the surfzone. Once progressively colder fronts begin making their way southward over the Gulf during October, November and December, other species in the family of jacks “hightail” it to southwest Florida. They just can’t stand it here when coastal water temperatures drop below 80 degrees. But pompano have a better tolerance for cooler water, even down into the 60s. Many of them tend to linger much longer along the beaches of Northwest Florida, coastal Alabama, and even the barrier islands off the Mississippi Sound. Pompano along with other resident fish species “fatten up” during the fall months by feasting on the numerous invertebrates of the surf zone like mole crabs (“sand fleas”), coquina clams, and beach ghost shrimp. These prey items become a little more sluggish in cooler water and make for easier meals for these hungry fish. Traditionally, pompano fishermen try to get out early in the morning for a few hours and then call it quits for the day. But mornings are the coolest part of the day, and are often accompanied by the strongest winds of the day (offshore) and
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 17
Fall Pompano Run
‘Slurping’ for beach ghost shrimp is a workout.
coincidental with a rapidly falling tide. Not the best conditions to entice pompano into easy casting range from a chilly beach. Too often overlooked by surf anglers are the afternoon fishing opportunities when the air has warmed, cool breezes abated, and the tide is coming back in. As the afternoon-evening rising tide floods beach troughs with another foot or two of warmer, saltier water from farther offshore, they become more accessible and hospitable to hungry pompano as well as other surfzone species. The slight rise in water level and temperature may be all that is needed to allow these fish into feeding areas where eager anglers can readily reach them. In fact mid-day, being the time of lowest water, is probably the best time to gather bait like beach ghost shrimp to be fished with during the afternoon. Twenty to thirty ghost shrimp are plenty for an angler to fish through the balance of the day, especially if the ghost shrimp are relatively large (three inches long or more). The 1 ½ to 2 inch ones are ideal size to use whole, as they are just ‘bite size’ for pompano. But the bigger ones can be cut in half to stretch the bait supply. This also releases more scent into the water which is another reason pompano and other fish are drawn to your bait. Some noted Gulf Coast surf anglers refer to ghost shrimp as “pompano crack” because the fish of the surf zone are so addicted to eating them!
Most fishermen don’t have a place to clean fish that they are proud of or enjoy.
WWW.KILLERDOCK.COM
We make the greatest fish cleaning stations known to mankind. Made In The USA Built-In Hose Stations Patented Draining Systems
Clear Ceramic Coating Marine Grade Aluminum King Starboard Cutting Surface
18 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
WWW.KILLERDOCK.COM
(251) 207-1743
Fall Pompano Run
Fishbites, a scented artificial “mesh” available in strips and other forms, can enhance the chances for angler success, especially early in the fall when the water is still relatively warm. Small pompano, along with other small jacks, pinfish or croakers can nibble shrimp off the hook so stealthily an angler doesn’t even realize they are “fishing on credit”. At these times, simply using an inch long strip of Fishbites may be all that is needed to catch fish in the surf. They work great on the pre-rigged double drop pompano rigs with brightly colored floats or beads. These regionally made rigs (marketed in most bait shops along the coast) work best during periods of rough surf, dingy water, or dim light conditions when visibility is limited. Just don’t make the ‘gob’ of bait bigger than the end of your thumb for the targeted pompano. In calmer conditions, when the water is clear, pompano often become a bit finicky about biting the pompano rigs. During these times, a Fishfinder rig (aka “Carolina rig”) which allows a fish to eat the bait and move away without feeling the weight is much more effective. Permit especially can be quite wary about biting traditional double drop rigs but they are suckers for a well placed ghost shrimp on a # 6 or #4 bronze kahle hook lying on the bottom. Their keen eyesight may only be exceeded by their acute sense of smell to find ghost shrimp in relatively calm water.
When a pastime becomes a passion.
Some don’t get it, but we do. Looking for your own place to hunt, fish, enjoy 4-wheeling—even a building site for a cabin or home? Alabama Ag Credit is the original land lender and your local expert in recreational real estate financing. We understand the unique requirements of long-term rural real estate lending, and can custom build loan packages with competitive rates and flexible terms. So you can enjoy the great outdoors for years to come!
Permit are just one of several by-catch species fall anglers encounter when targeting pompano this way. Gulf kingcroaker or kingfish (called “whiting”), along with Northern kingcroaker (“ground mullet”), red and black drum, bluefish, seatrout and croakers. All these are best targeted with the lightest tackle possible under the conditions encountered. When the water is fairly calm, even so-called “freshwater” spinning tackle (7 foot medium action rod with a 2500 to 4000 size reel and less than 12 pound line) will do the job quite well. Even ultralight panfish tackle in the 2 to 6 pound class can be used quite effectively for this type of near shore fishing when the waves are small. Since there are rarely obstructions in the surf to cause a break off, it is just a matter of line capacity, drag setting and angler patience to catch most any of these junior gamefish. Times when the Gulf is rough, and/or the wind blows harder than 15 miles per hour, anglers will have to add more weight in order to cast their bait and hold it in place. That’s when longer and heavier classed rods come into play. It’s not easy at times to find the right balance between adding weight and decreasing sensitivity. But that “sweet spot”is a huge key to success for the fall pompano angler. Keep tweaking your approach until you find a pattern that works consistently. Then try to improve on it and file the information away for future fishing trips. Your timing, tackle, bait and location are all key factors to consistent fall pompano angling success. Early in the fall, in fairly clear water, pompano can still be caught on artificials. Traditional ½ to ¾ ounce pompano jigs can be quite effective this time of year, but the Goofy Jig or Silly Willy Rig can be even more deadly on pompano in the surf. One reason is the angler can fan cast from a single location and quickly cover a lot of water to locate a cooperative school of pompano. When retrieved properly (just crawled along the bottom with occasional hops), the tandem weighted wobble jig and small fly rigs mimic ghost shrimp and mole crabs that pompano are actively seeking. They can be made even more effective by adding a sand flea, small piece of shrimp, or strip of Fishbites to the weighted jig hook. Fall fishing patterns for pompano are a little different than the rest of the year. But the rewards of a fun battle and a great meal make the taste of victory all the sweeter. Here’s to hoping you can get in on the action too!
AlabamaAgCredit.com Call 800.579.5471
MEMBER
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 19
A Tree Stand Fall I’ll Never Forget BY JOE BAYA
I wake from my dream with the bed sheets damp from my sweat. I’m still shaken, panicked from that feeling of weightlessness, a feeling where I’m perpetually falling, waiting on impact. It’s a dream I’ve had before and will have again. You never forget tree stand accidents like mine, but I’m thankful for it. I’m thankful I won’t ever put my family and myself through that experience again. I’m thankful and I’m reminded daily how precious life is to you and the ones who love you. Climbing tree stand accidents are a reality of the pastime, but with a little preparation and common sense, they don’t have to be. Don’t lull yourself into thinking that a tree stand fall won’t happen to you. TREE STAND ACCIDENTS - MY DAY TO LEARN It was a beautiful Sunday, October 31, 2004. The morning was crisp with a light steady breeze. I knew exactly where I wanted to be. There was an oak flat between two fall food plots. The whitetails in the area often frequented this flat, browsing on their way from the fields back to their bedding area. It was a pretty good hike in there by southern standards, which meant I was required to have an earlier than normal wake-up call, but I didn’t mind. Slipping through the thicket as quietly as I could, I cautiously took each 20 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Use other mistakes to learn and prevent your own nightmare from occuring.
step, never more than three or four without stopping, just like a deer. Finally, after painstakingly making my way through the dark autumn forest, I arrived at my post. A red oak, probably 100 years old or more, is where I would stand guard for the next four hours. I found an old stand here years ago. Knowing how much time and energy it took to put up that old wooden stand way back in the woods, I was confident enough to replace it with one of my own. As I took my first step onto the steps leading up to my stand, my stomach rose into my throat. I had left camp without my safety harness. Returning now would mean I wouldn’t arrive back at my tree for at least an hour. This would be well after daylight and during the hours when those whitetails would be heading back, hopefully, right under my tree to their bed. I would be fine, I thought. I knew tree stand accidents were possible, but climbing this tree just this one time without my harness wouldn’t hurt anything. Heck, I’d been up and down this tree 20 or 30 times before without so much as a slip. In fact, I’d never had any tree stand fall whatsoever. No reason to ruin a good hunt.
HUNTING “A nice 8-pointer was slipping his way through the oaks, stopping occasionally to munch on an acorn or briar leaves.” I took my first step into the sky, just as quietly as I had made my way to the stand. 10 feet turned into 30. In seconds, I was taking my final fateful step onto the platform of my loc-on. I pulled my bow and pack up and then quietly knocked an arrow. I had made it, unscathed, and was ready for the morning hunt. The crunch of leaves to my right broke me from my daydream. I slowly turned my head and immediately caught a glimpse of an antler. A nice 8-pointer was slipping his way through the oaks, stopping occasionally to munch on acorns and briars. He passed just out of range of my bow, off to his bed for the day, which would soon warm to near 80 degrees. MY TREE STAND FALL The rest of the morning would prove beautiful, but uneventful, at least as far as hunting was concerned. It was nearly 10 a.m. and it was time for me to get back to camp. I gathered my gear and lowered it to the ground. I stood to stretch my body, stiffened from the long sit. I took one last look around, and that’s when my world got turned upside down. It happened to me, I had a tree stand fall. Back then I used metal bolts as my steps to climb the tree. I would take a long drill bit and make a hole deep enough to support the bolt, then stagger them and climb. On this particular tree, I had one bolt well above my stand. I would use this bolt along with a sturdy tree limb to hoist myself onto the platform and to hold onto as I took my first step off. Maybe it was my foggy brain state after such an early morning. Maybe it was meant to be, but this morning as I took my first step down, I grabbed onto that limb on the old red oak with both hands. I was too much for the limb to hold that day.
wouldn’t even start to worry until late in the evening if they hadn’t heard from me. This meant I would be in these woods all day and into the night with rescue most likely coming in the early hours of the morning on the next day. The mosquitoes were already buzzing; I wasn‘t waiting. I decided I had to get back to the camp to call for help. I dragged myself across the ground to my bow, which lay near me. I was able to use it, along with all my available strength -- and that old red oak -- to struggle to my feet. I thought I would use it as a crutch. TREE STAND ACCIDENTS A PAIN LIKE NOTHING I’VE FELT BEFORE That first attempted step sent a pain through me like nothing I had felt before or since. As the bones in my pelvis shifted, I immediately passed out. I woke, not sure how long after, with my face in the leaves and feeling drunk like the sky was spinning above me. I would try it again, foolishly, this time with the same results. I would awaken to accept my fate. “It shouldn’t be too bad, I thought, spending the night in the woods. These mosquitoes suck, but they are only biting my face. Surely, the coyotes won’t bother a human.” I remembered I had a lighter in my pack, another rule Davis taught me, so at least I’d be able to build a small fire. I can’t describe how it feels to be alone in the woods, helpless. I lay there for the better part of five hours, calling as loudly as I could every 20 minutes or so. “HELP!!!” “HELP!!!” There was no gun to fire my three warning shots. No flares to send up. No phone to call or text. Just me and my thoughts, wondering why I had been so stupid to have a tree stand accident and how bad my injuries were.
1.43 SECONDS 1.43 seconds. That is the amount of time it takes gravity to bring a 220-pound object 30 feet back to earth. They say when you have a near-death experience, your life flashes before your eyes. I can tell you they are wrong. In 1.43 seconds, I only had time to yell, “Oh s%$&!”. I tumbled backward and somehow had the wherewithal to tuck my shoulder and brace for impact. I was lucky to land flush on my right side. 31 miles per hour. That’s the speed that a 220-pound object dropped from 30 feet impacts the ground. I’d played years of football and took my fair share of tumbles off the monkey bars, but this was nothing like I had ever felt before. I lay there on the leaf litter trying to take a breath. The landing knocked the breath out of me, quite literally, as one lung collapsed on impact. It wouldn’t come back for what I guess was nearly two minutes. That’s when they say my lung expanded again. My liver and spleen were lacerated and I broke my pelvis in two places. The remaining force fractured my L4 and L5 vertebrae, along with my foot, and sent searing pain throughout my body. This is when my life flashed before my eyes. I remembered Davis, my hunting mentor, handing my brother and me two new safety harnesses. We were NEVER to get off the ground without one. I thought about how disappointed he would be with me. How I had let him down. I began to think about my parents, my siblings, even that girl I was trying to get to go on a date with me back at school. I’d heard many stories about various types of climbing tree stand accidents, but I never thought I’d be the one to have one, but here I was. I realized that none of them expected me home until near dark. They 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 21
A Tree Stand Fall I’ll Never Forget
At around 2:30 p.m., I thought I heard a truck door close. I began calling out again. This time, my calls were answered. As fate would have it, two hunters had noticed my truck still parked at my camp and had come by as they left for home. When they realized I hadn’t returned, they set out to the area that I had signed to hunt that morning fearing I may have had tree stand fall or worse. They told me that they had almost just headed home, but they just decided to poke their head in since they hadn’t seen me milling about camp. It was a lucky break. FOUND! Upon finding me, they immediately began trying to figure out how to get me out. We didn’t know if I had a spinal injury or not, but since most tree stand accidents happen where cell phone reception is poor, there was no way to contact an ambulance from our position or get a helicopter into those woods, it was decided we had to do it ourselves. These two men raced back to camp and retrieved an ATV, a ladder and a piece of roofing tin. Through some redneck ingenuity, they were able to fashion a stretcher of sorts and attach one end to the back of the ATV. I was able to pull myself onto the makeshift stretcher and one man drove while the other carried the other end of the ladder. We slowly made the bumpy ride out of the woods to the road where the truck awaited me. Every bump sent pain throughout my body. There were a lot of bumps. Once back at camp, they were able to summon an ambulance to come to my aid. It took nearly an hour for the ambulance to reach our location and another 45 minutes strapped to a spine board to get to the first of three emergency rooms I would visit. Upon arriving, I was wheeled into the emergency room and a battery of tests began. X-Ray, MRI and a CAT scan assessed the damage done internally. IVs were administered for dehydration and pain, and worst of all, a catheter was inserted because I couldn’t relieve myself.
since my tree stand accident. She decided to go quickly into town to run an errand or two. By the time she could return, I would be in shock. This is what caused the sweating, so profuse that I would actually stop shortly thereafter, as my body had no more to produce. It also caused me temporary blindness. I had to listen to what was going on around me. I remember the ambulance ride, listening to the buzzing sirens and the paramedics talking with the hospital. I remember thinking to myself, “I wonder what people are thinking about this ambulance going down the road. I bet they are wondering who is inside it and what is wrong.” That’s what I had always thought when I had seen an ambulance. TREE STAND ACCIDENTS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH DEATH Upon arrival at the third emergency room, it was onto another round of tests and treatments. I would soon learn that I required emergency surgery to remove my spleen that had ruptured. Apparently, spleens are known for splinting themselves at the onset of injury and then rupturing later. The pain I had felt in my left shoulder was a referred nerve pain caused by abdomen filling with blood. “The doctor told me how lucky I was that this didn’t happen the day I had my treestand accident. That day would have been my last.” The anesthesia was given as quickly as possible, and I was told that another hour without treatment would have resulted in my death due to blood loss. The doctor told me how lucky I was that this didn’t happen the day I had my tree stand accident. That day would have been my last. Again, I watched the faces of my family members aging with stress as I lay flat on the gurney and was wheeled off into the recesses of the hospital.
SLICK
My family members, well alerted by this time, were making their way to see me from all over the region. Mid trip, they were told I would be moved to a better hospital, and they all had to double back to meet me there. I would spend five days at this hospital undergoing a humiliating and painful series of tests and treatments. I scared everyone. It was like I could watch them age right before my eyes. After five days, my internal organs had stopped bleeding and I was cleared to continue my recovery at home. Finally, off the painkillers, the beeping machines, and the constant testing, I could go home to get some rest. ANOTHER FALL Again, I wake from my dream, my clothes soaked with sweat. I’m panicked from that feeling of weightlessness, that feeling like I‘m perpetually falling, waiting on impact. Face down in the carpet, I realize this isn’t a dream. It’s the morning of the 11th day since my accident. After five days of having my family help me bathe, go to the bathroom, and put their lives on hold to aid me, I’ve taken another fall. I was having breakfast that morning when I noticed a strange pain in my left shoulder. It was a sharp pain. Later, I would learn it was called Kehr’s sign. I didn’t know what it was at the time, so I stood on my crutches to relieve what I thought might be heartburn. Upon standing, I became extremely dizzy and passed out. After snapping to, soaked with sweat, I was able to muster enough energy to climb back into my chair and dial my mother. You see, this was the first day she had felt comfortable to leave my side 22 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
New Colors LIL SLICK Incognito 525
Tiger Bait 170
Tux 320
Dirty Ice 310
Cold Night 300
pureflats.com
A Tree Stand Fall I’ll Never Forget
occur? When you’re climbing up or down, and that is precisely when most hunters are disconnected from the tree. DO NOT DISCONNECT YOURSELF FROM THE TREE AT ANY TIME UNTIL YOUR FEET ARE BACK ON THE GROUND. There is no good excuse not to. My tree stand fall medical bills tallied more than $250,000.00, so don’t tell me you can’t afford it. Stay connected or stay on the ground. It’s that simple. So, as I slip off to sleep tonight, I wonder if I’ll have the dream again. You know, the one where I’m falling, perpetually, waiting for impact. I hope I’ll sleep soundly. I can find comfort in knowing that since you’ve heard my story, maybe you won’t have a story of your own. BUY A SAFETY HARNESS, LINEMAN’S BELT AND LIFELINES RIGHT NOW!! Here is what A Ruptured Spleen Looks Like, All too common in in a tree stand fall - Source, www.cliniciansbrief.com
The surgery was a success. Around seven pints of blood were removed, which is about half of my body’s total. I required two blood transfusions to replace it. I spent another five days in the hospital, three in the intensive care unit, and received another catheter and an IV in my carotid artery. I was placed on every pain medication you can imagine. I also had multiple drain tubes, one in my abdomen and one down my nose into my stomach. Every few minutes, that tube would suck the remaining blood and who knows what else from inside me. Green, black and red fluid all passed through the tube taped just under my left eye. I struggled to rid myself of a fever, the doctor’s monitored this closely. Another round of humiliation was dispensed when only a suppository medication would finally relieve it. A FULL RECOVERY My tree stand accident required me to withdraw from college for the semester. All in all, I was bedridden for over 30 days and on crutches for another 50 after that. When I fell from the tree, I weighed 220 pounds. My first day on crutches I weighed 180. Despite this, I would go on to make a full recovery. I would take on the remainder of my classes the following semester, working double to catch up. I was so lucky. Tree stand accidents like mine usually result in paralysis or death. I still experience pain in my pelvis and lower back to this day, and I have a weakened immune system without my spleen. This means I get sick easier. I have to watch my diet and exercise more than the average person. What a blessing. Through the pain and the humiliation, the worst part about this entire accident was the stress that I watched my family go through. Luckily, I was just a young man of 19 and I didn’t have a wife or kids. Seeing the worry and fear in my parents and siblings was bad, but I can only imagine what that would do to a child. Now having a son of my own, I can’t fathom what my parents must have been feeling. I will say that despite everything, I’m glad this fall happened. It has taught me the preciousness of life, the value of family, and the importance of protecting yourself from tree stand accidents. I urge you to wear a safety harness AND use a climbing rope system when you plan to hunt above the ground. When do most accidents involving tree stands
Muddy - https://www.gomuddy.com/tree-stand-safety-harness/ Hunter’s Safety System - https://huntersafetysystem.com/ Cabela’s - https://www.cabelas.com/category/Safety-Restraints-Harnesses/104639580.uts Sportsman’s Guide - https://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/hunting/treestands/safety-harnesses?d=115&c=120&s=395 Lancaster Archery - https://www.lancasterarchery.com/hunting/treestands-blinds/safety-vests-harnesses.html Academy - https://www.academy.com/shop/browse/safety-restraints--harnesses Primal Treestands - https://www.primaltreestands.com/primal-products
Protect Yourself BY WILLIAM KENDY Whether you are a landowner, a hunter who leases land or a member of a hunting club you need to have hunting land liability insurance to protect your personal and business assets and family financial security. If you own or lease hunting land and allow guests or belong to an individual hunting club take a moment to check out the liability insurance program offered by the Quality Deer Management Association (www.qdma.com). Programs start at around $200.00 and include a membership ($35.00). Items covered include member-to-member guest and tree stand, ATV, limited watercraft, mobile equipment, hunting dogs and firearm coverage. It also includes a $1 million per occurrence general liability coverage and more. It is an affordable option for small to medium size property owners, lease holders and clubs. It is underwritten by Lloyds of London and all claims are handled in the U.S. through Outdoor Underwriters, Inc., based out of Columbia, S.C. and has more than 20 years’ experience with hunting land liability insurance. Outdoor Underwriters can also design an insurance liability protection program to fit your specific needs. It’s all about protecting your assets, your family and your future. Contacts Quality Deer Management Association 1-800-209-3337 www.qdma.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 23
Tips for
Bass Fishing at Night
Mike Carter says that nighttime is when he fishes his Choo Choo spinner bait and Bob’s Frog and catches the most bass, particularly in warm weather. BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
“I got him!” Mike Carter of Cedar Bluff, Alabama, who guides for bass and crappie at Guntersville and Weiss lakes, yelled as we fished together at night at the end of July. “Get me the net.” I immediately found the net, handed it to him and watched as he skillfully played the bass down. Using his rod, he dragged the big largemouth into the net and lifted the fish into the boat. We only had been on the water for about an hour and a half before Carter caught this 6-1/2-pound largemouth. That’s only a glimpse of Carter’s talent as a bass fisherman. Carter often competes in bass-fishing tournaments, and so far, in the first seven months of 2020, 438 bass-fishing tournaments have taken place on Lake Guntersville. Once Carter had the bass in the live well, I asked him to tell me what just happened and why. “Just now I was slow-rolling my 3/4-ounce Choo Choo spinner bait (https://www.choochoolures.com/) with a Bob’s Frog trailer made by Fish Bites (https://fishbites.com/) above the eel grass in 8-10 foot deep water,” Carter explained. “As soon as the spinner bait came out across the top of the grass and landed on top of the mussel shell bed, the bass annihilated it. Using this technique, it’s unbelievable how many bass my party catches. On a four hour night bass-fishing trip, two people catching and releasing 15-20 bass isn’t unusual. We have caught more bass than that on other nights, and they were quality bass as well.”
24 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING FOR BASS AT NIGHT Carter reports that by fishing at night, the bass aren’t nearly as spooky as they are during the daytime. Therefore since the big bass also bite more readily and more aggressively at night, Carter and his clients will catch a good number of bass - often weighing 6-8 pounds each. Carter emphasizes that his fishing party at night can get away from the crowd and dodge the heat, which sometimes may be over 100 degrees in the daytime. One advantage that Carter has too is that he fishes underwater grass lines, well away from the bank, that he pinpoints with his depth finder. We were 200 yards away from the nearest bank when he caught the 6-1/2-pounder. “The real sweet spots for bass on Lake Guntersville are where there’s underwater grass in 8-14 foot deep water with current breaks that have been created by mussel shell beds,” Carter said. “The bass will hold in the grass just off the edges of those mussel shell beds looking up toward the surface for bait coming out of the beds.” During the day in the spring, the summer and early fall, the power plant upstream at Lake Guntersville will start generating current, but this rarely happens at night. If the current does run at night, the points on the main river can produce large numbers of bass. However, Carter believes that the best place to fish when the current’s not running is where shell banks break-up the underwater grass. Carter usually fishes from 8 pm until 12 am but mentions, “If we find a good school of bass, and my clients are catching them, I’ll stay longer until the bass bite stops.” One of the reasons that Carter is so productive is because he’s enjoyed
FISHING
When Carter has a 6-pounder on his line, he doesn’t jerk the bass into the boat but rather lips or nets the fish.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 25
Tips for Bass Fishing at Night
fishing day and night for bass on Lake Guntersville since 1989. Although he’s spent plenty of time on the water, he’s still willing to try new lures and techniques to catch wall hangers. FINDING THE FISH “I use Lowrance depth finders (https://www.lowrance.com/), and even though my units have a night mode, I turn the brightness of my screen down very low at night,” Carter explainsed. “I follow the contour lines that my depth finder shows me and try to stay in 10-14 foot deep water, since that’s where underwater grass generally will be. Anytime I see an irregularity in the contour lines in water that deep, I’m certain that a mussel shell bed is there. Mussels attract plankton, plankton attracts minnows, shad and crawfish, and those critters attract the bass. So, even though I’m fishing down an underwater grass line, I’m looking for those shell beds on underwater current breaks as well. Almost all of the lakes on the Tennessee River are famous for producing bass on their shell beds.” LEARNING ABOUT CARTER’S OTHER EQUIPMENT When fishing at night, Carter prefers a 7’ 6” heavy action Hammer Rod. He also uses a Lew’s 6.3:1 baitcasting reel (https://www.lews. com/) with Vicious 20-pound Test Pro Elite Fluorocarbon Line because he’s slow-rolling his spinner bait. “I retrieve my spinner bait very slowly,” Carter reported. “I want that spinner bait to barely tick the top of that underwater grass. If I feel the spinner bait getting hung in the grass, I’ll pop it with my rod and continue my retrieve. Even though I’m constantly clearing grass off the lure, I’m sure to stay in contact with the grass because as soon as the spinner
26 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
bait is out of it and over the shell banks, those bass will attack.” CATCHING NIGHTTIME BASS Carter fishes a 3/4-ounce Choo Choo spinner bait with a #7 chrome Colorado blade with a red- and-purple skirt. He really likes the Choo Choo spinner bait because of its medium-sized wire that the Colorado blade is attached to, which allows the blade to thump as you reel it. “I just started using the Bob’s Frog trailers made by Fish Bites Lures, and they’re somewhat stiffer than most trailers,” Carter said. “They’re also impregnated with a fish attractant that definitely causes the bass to bite. I like this trailer because it makes the spinner bait float somewhat higher in the water than other trailers will. That action allows me time to reel the spinner bait above the grass before it reaches the underwater shell banks. Not only that – this kind of chunk trailer gives the bait bulk and buoyancy to solicit strikes.” Sometimes Carter casts his spinner bait in the same area two or three times before suddenly, the bass will slam it, and the rod almost will jump out of his hand. Carter believes that the strike happens because the attractant’s scent from the Bob’s Frog remains in the area even after Carter reels the spinner bait back to the boat. The first time he casts the spinner bait, the bass will smell the attractant in the Bob’s Frog and may attack immediately. If the bass doesn’t take the bait on the first cast, on the second and third casts to the same area, the fish will still smell the attractant and will hear the big Colorado blade on the spinner bait thumping and attack.
Tips for Bass Fishing at Night
Although Bob’s Frog comes in several different colors, Carter’s favorite color is brown. When he fishes, he dips the brown bait in red dye to give that brown trailer an orange-like color. The Bob’s Frog is similar to the old Uncle Josh pork chunk in many respects. “One of the similarities between the Bob’s Frog and the Uncle Josh pork chunk is that after you catch three or four bass on it, the bass pulling on that trailer will wallow-out the hole where you’ve put the hook in the trailer, causing the trailer to slide off the hook,” Carter emphasizes. “To solve this problem, I take a paper punch, cut out some really-small pieces of plastic from a milk jug and put them behind the trailer. This way, the trailer is secured to the hook, and you can fish one trailer for several nights. The good thing about this Bob’s Frog trailer is that it’s tough like the Uncle Josh pork chunks, and it won’t be damaged in any way.”
“Bob’s Frog, made by Fish Bites, has improved my night fishing dramatically here at Lake Guntersville,” Mike Carter explains.
Carter came up with this idea of using a paper punch and milk-jug plastic disk on the first night he fished with the Bob’s Frog trailer when he caught eight, 4-6 pound bass before he lost the trailer. “I know of other fishermen who have tested Bob’s Frog trailers during the day and have found that it tends to be too stiff to fish for bass in the daytime. I do believe this bait can work during the day, but I’ll just have to experiment more with it and use different colors,” Carter added. After Carter put a picture of a 6-pound largemouth and a 4-pound spotted bass on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/michael. carter.35977897), caught from the first time he fished the Bob’s Frog, he was overwhelmed with the numbers of calls and emails he got from night bass fishermen wanting to know where he got the Fish Bites Bob’s
CAMPER CITY TRUCK ACCESSORIES
Frogs. Carter posts on his Facebook page just about every day he fishes. Although he’s primarily a bass guide, he also conducts quite a few crappie-fishing trips during the winter months on both Guntersville and Weiss. To learn more about Mike Carter’s fishing adventures, you can contact him at 423-802-1362 or send a message on his Facebook page. For more information on Bob’s Frogs and where to order them, check out https://fishbites.com/freshwater/
BUCK’S ISLAND a division of MarineONE Corporation
Don’t Buy a Boat ‘til You Get a Buck’s Quote!
G3 Pontoon V18 G3 Rebate Now! Specializing in Truck Toppers + Accessories • Spray-in/Drop-in Bedliners • Bug Shields • Gooseneck & 5th Wheel hitches
• Vent Visors • Running Boards • Warn Winches • Bed Covers
Call 256-442-2588 or email bimarina@bucksisland.com
And MORE! Mobile 1051 N. Schillinger Rd. Mobile, AL 36608 (251) 633-9004 1-800-431-6692
Pascagoula 1340 Denny Ave. (Hwy 90) Pascagoula, MS 39567 (228) 762-6082 1-877-732-8782
$222 Monthly (wac)
hattiesburg 7166 Hwy. 49 N. Hattiesburg, MS 39401 (601) 296-1800 1-888-730-0432
1-800-I’M-READY (467-3239) www.bucksisland.com
4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 27
BY DEBBIE
Recipe and image courtesy of Allrecipes.com
Roast Duck with Apple When you’re in the mood for something rich and flavorful, try this duck rubbed with light seasoning and stuffed with apples, celery and onion. Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 1 hr 20 mins • Total: 1 hr 30 mins Ingredients
• • • • • • • • •
1 (4 pound) whole duck 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning ½ tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons chopped onions 5 stalks celery, chopped 3 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple 3 cups cornbread crumbs 1 tablespoon olive oil
call o t e Tim
Professional Fiber Glass Repair Since 1974
FIBER-PLASTICS INC www.fiber-plastics.com
• Custom Fabrication • Premier Repairs • Expert Finish Work • Estimates & Supplies • 14’ Ultralight Tunnel Boats
Instructions
1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
Rinse duck and pat dry; rub with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery in butter until tender. In a medium bowl, combine with apple and cornbread crumbs. Mix together to make dressing (if necessary, add a little water to moisten). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill the duck’s cavity with dressing, and sew shut with kitchen twine. Rub outside of bird lightly with olive oil, and place in a shallow roasting pan or 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 to 80 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
28 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Look Familiar?
We can help...
2100 Halls Mill Road • Mobile, Alabama 36606
251-473-3176
Wildlife Management Solutions, Inc. Specializing in Wildlife Management Products
877-400-8089 • productsforwildlifemanagement.com 14281 Hwy 11 South • Eutaw, AL 35462 • Seedsource@bellsouth.net
DEALERS WELCOME
WMS Pea Patch-Our #1 Seller!
WMS Pea Patch is a great mix of trailing & bush type cowpeas, soybeans, buckwheat and sunflowers. This mix is designed to offer palatable leafy forage at different stages, providing high protein feed throughout the summer.
WMS Lablab N Corn
WMS Lablab N Corn is the ultimate feeding and harvest plot! Provide high protein summer forage and hunt over a high carb food source through the fall and winter. Lablab, Trailing Cowpeas, and Corn!
WMS Summer Spot
WMS Summer Spot is the small plot solution for summer forage. This mix is designed to provide deer with a high protein forage that can handle heavy grazing.
The most durable, light-weight, and most affordable, high-end deer feeders available on the market! Convertible from gravity feed to automatic deer feeder in just minutes.
WMS Dove Magnet
Possibly the best bird mix available! Millets, sunflowers, and sorghums are combined to produce a true dove magnet. Also great for turkeys, quail, and pheasant!
WMS Duck Magnet
A diverse blend of millets, production grain sorghums, and Egyptian wheat. This blend provides a variety of preferred duck feed that will persist through late season.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 29
Tag Alabama Lots of Fun
and Lots of Learning
BY CAPTAIN RICHARD RUTLAND
For the past couple of years, I’ve been involved with an intense, high-quality university-level scientific study, and all I had to do was catch fish and do a little measuring and recording work when I caught something. Although a Mobile Bay area fishing guide might not seem to be a critical part of a major scientific study, people like me are helping Coastal Conservation Association and the University of South Alabama learn a great deal about the fish that live in our waters. Other local anglers can also become part of this study also. It’s easy, it’s fun, and about all it involves is going fishing and catching some fish.
It’s not a big deal to do, and what we are learning from this work and the work done by other taggers is crucial to help advise those who make fishing regulations and limits in their process. Here’s what I do to make sure this tagging process is easy on all involved. First, I have my tag ready in the needle so I don’t have to scramble around to find the materials when I catch a good fish. I make sure that the number of the tag is recorded in the log along with the date. When I get a fish that I want to tag, I measure and weigh the fish and then quickly apply the tag and make sure that it’s properly applied so it will stay in place. Then the fish is released. The last step that I do is to reload the needle with another tag and record the number and date of it so I’m ready for the next fish to be tagged.
HOW I DO THE TAGGING THING I’ve been tagging both redfish and speckled trout since this joint Coastal Conservation Association/ University of South Alabama program started, and I have tagged the largest number of fish in this program, 315 fish the first year and 410 fish the second. I’ve learned a lot about the fish I catch from my tagging work and this knowledge helps me every day in my work as a fishing guide.
It’s easier to do the tagging thing than to explain it- it’s not hard at all.
Basically when I catch a good tagging fish, I quickly measure and weigh the fish and then apply a small “spaghetti” tag with identification information and specific fish number to the upper back of the fish with a sharp needle, and then I release the fish and it goes its way. This operation is quick, and it doesn’t over-stress the fish at all.
Anglers who are members of CCA are automatically eligible to take part in the Tag Alabama program, and there’s a training session- either in person or online- to demonstrate how fish can be safely tagged, how to keep and maintain data from the fish, and how to submit data to the folks from South Alabama so the information can be entered into the program’s data base. There are annual contests for anglers who have tagged the most fish, and there are categories and rewards for professional guides and for non-professional anglers.
After I have tagged the fish, I submit my catch log and data to the folks from South Alabama who manage the loading of data in the system. This is not an involved or difficult process. 30 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HOW THE PROGRAM IS FUNDED The Tag Alabama redfish and speckled trout program is sponsored by the Coastal Conservation Association of Alabama, and they provide funds for the materials and operation. This program receives much of its funding from the sales of CCA specialty vehicle license tags and when a driver buys a CCA tag when renewal time comes around, their tag fees really go a long way to support this vital program.
AND WHAT I’VE LEARNED Since I’ve been tagging reds and specks for the Tag Alabama program, I have learned a lot, both about fish and how they move and travel.
FISHING The provided Tag Alabama tagging kit provides all needed materials and supplies.
Tag fees really go a long way to support this vital program.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 31
Tag Alabama- Lots of Fun and Lots of Learning
Quickly record the length, weight, and location of caught fish for entry in Tag Alabama database and later study.
For instance, one redfish I caught up near the Causeway on Mobile Bay was recaptured later in the Biloxi, Mississippi area. That fish really travelled a long way in a short period of time. Other reds I have caught have been recaptured and they haven’t moved any at all. I have even recaptured fish that I had tagged earlier. Several redfish that I caught and tagged were caught in the same area for the second round of tagging. However, perhaps my coolest tagging experience came with a speckled trout I caught and tagged. On a Tuesday I caught and tagged a nice speck. On the Friday of that week I had a guide trip that I took back to the location I tagged that speck, and we caught it again in the same area. I had another guided trip the next day, and on Saturday, we caught that same speck less than 100 yards away from the initial location it was caught. The same fish was caught three times in the same location in a week. WHAT DID I LEARN? First off, the tagging process doesn’t seem to bother the fish much at all. They still eat and they still can be caught. Secondly, I found that catch and release really does work. Fish that are handled properly and released quickly don’t suffer much damage, even when tagged. FROM THE OFFICIALS Crystal Hightower, Lab Manager of the Dauphin Island Sealab, helps oversee the Tag Alabama program, and she offers us some general information about the program. She says, “The Tag Alabama program started in 2018. We provide individual angler kits which allow the angler to enter data on the fish they
32 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Tag Alabama- Lots of Fun and Lots of Learning
catch. From the data, we look at population size, growth of fish, mortality, and do we see any issues with overfishing. Our goal is to help inform management with their decisions by looking at individual fish levels and in the future to look at community levels.”
It’s easy, it’s fun, and about all it involves is going fishing and catching some fish.
At this point, redfish and speckled sea trout are the primary focus of the study, but tripletail can also be tagged for the study. Another tagging program looks at cobia and tarpon. Hightower says that any angler who regularly fishes can become a tagger in the Tag Alabama program and immediately start placing and reporting tags in fish. She also says that one of their biggest concerns in the program has to do with “orphan tags” which are tags which are applied to fish but are never reported to be entered as data. If the initial placement information can’t be found, then that’s just lost information. To help anglers with the process and steps in applying tags, recording information in the angler logs, and then reporting the log’s data for inclusion, anglers can call Tagging Hotline- 800-372-5950. Anglers who are interested in becoming part of this world-class study to help determine the condition of our coastal fisheries can contact info@CCAAlabama.org for more information about how to join CCA. Once an angler is a member of CCA, she or he can get on a list for workshops, and then receive tagging kits, and be ready to go have some fun catching some of Alabama’s great gamefish and also providing much needed information for the preservation of our fisheries in the future. Important Contact Information Captain Richard Rutland Cold Blooded Fishing 251-459-5077 Richard@coldbloodedfishing.com Coastal Conservation Association- Alabama Blakeley Ellis- Director Tag Alabama 251-478-3474 • info@ccaalabama.org
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 33
Managing
Farm Ponds for
Big Bass
BY BRIAN SENN
Great Days Outdoors Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report podcast co-host
An assessment of the pond and adjoining land needs to be completed before treatment steps can be implemented. 34 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HOG RUSH FISHING
Two of the most common questions that we receive at the Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report podcast are from fishing pond and small lake owners who ask, “What is involved in pond management?” and “How do we grow trophy bass?” While the questions sound simple and straightforward enough, the answers are a bit more entailed and complicated. To address these issues, we reached out to Norman Latona, owner of Southeastern Pond Management in Calera, AL.
“THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
SEPOND specializes in pond management services, including developing management programs and implementation strategy and steps, fertilizing and liming, weed control, electrofishing, fish stocking, pond design and construction and more. According to Latona, whether it is for a new pond owner or someone who wants to reclaim an old pond, they need to do a full assessment of the pond to establish aquatic ecosystem baseline data. That includes establishing fish population and health (via electrofishing) availability of forage, water characteristics, the physical characteristics of the lake and the surrounding watershed and other benchmark data. “We look at the physical characteristics of the lake and the surrounding watershed,” Latona said. “That includes the vegetation, the shape of the shoreline, account of structure or cover, natural and artificial habitat. Once all the data is collected, we summarize it and, based on the objectives and goals of the owner, we produce a management plan. Once SEPOND produces a “snapshot in time”, taking into consideration what the owner wants to accomplish, it creates an action plan, outlining a series of steps to be implemented. Latona has found that it normally takes between 12 and 18 months to hit the established goal. “It’s a snapshot of what the situation looks right now and we determine what needs to be done over the next year or so to create conditions more favorable to produce the results the owners want,” Norman said. “It’s kind of like going to the doctor and having a physical so you know future treatment should progress.” The central component of this information gathering component utilizes electrofishing technology which allows them SEPOND to safely and effectively sample the pond’s fish population, check alkalinity and do an aquatic weed assessment. He emphasized that the process doesn’t harm the fishing population, it just stuns fish swimming in a 6-8-foot radius of the booms. It’s like an underwater “stun gun”. This allows them to be netted, counted, measured or even culled if the bass population needs to be brought into balance with the forage and carrying capacity of the pond.
THERMAL NIGHT
HUNTS
IN ALABAMA
In terms of what is the best time to start a pond management plan, Latona said that while most of SEPOND’s electrofishing efforts occur in the warmer months, starting a program in the colder months isn’t an issue. “We can electrofish year-round and the only issue is that it may be a little more difficult to get access to properties with equipment in December and January as opposed to March and April and we take into consideration what is happening in the resource at that time of year and adjust accordingly,” Latona said. “We’ve been doing this for over 30 years and we know what we are looking for. If we shock in January, we don’t expect to see evidence of fresh bass reproduction. On the other hand, if we shocked in May or early June and we didn’t see bass fry, that would be noteworthy.” Latona emphasized that because spring and fall are critical times for fish
334-430-8111
www.HOGRUSH.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 35
Managing Farm Ponds for Big Bass
growth, getting the ball rolling in late February or end of summer allows you to achieve maximum results. “We can start out right in the early spring and get the liming and fertilization programs cranked up. If we need to do some harvesting to reduce the predator population or add forage such as threadfin shad, we can start working on that and make sure all is in sync with optimum growth periods,” Latona said. While most plans call for a 12 – 18-month time frame for a completed management program and measurable results a lot depends on how efficiently the owner implements the recommendations. “Fixing a pond is a little bit like fixing a watch with a sledge hammer and you have to create a little havoc and upheaval in the fish community,” Latona said. “Let’s say you have a ten-acre lake that is heavily bass crowded so we pulled out 350 pounds of fish, preferably in the 10-14inch range and then added forage.” “What you have done is dramatically reduced the number of bass that you are trying to feed and, at the same time, increased the food supply. If we did this in March, without question you would see measurable results, as in plumper fish, by the end of summer,” Latona said. “The more efficiently you put in place the management inputs, the more dramatic the results and our expectation would be significant results within the first year.” On the other hand, Latona cautioned that trying to “piecemeal” pond management and just “cherry picking” different steps very rarely produces the outcome that an incremental, priority-based action step management program would.
FOUNDATION REPAIR
An example would just be dumping more forage fish into a pond hoping that all the additional food will fatten up the bass but not harvesting fish, liming or fertilizing. “Just stocking more forage fish won’t necessarily result in bigger bass since it doesn’t address the interrelated dynamics of the pond and it would be very expensive on an on-going basis,” Latona said. “It takes about ten pounds of food to grow a pound on a bass and if all you did was feed them, in a bass crowded pond, with hundreds and thousands of little 4-10-inch fish, you’d go broke. There is a carrying capacity as to how many fish you can grow in that pond but it depends on what you want. If your goal is bigger bass just doing 50% of the recommendations won’t get you there.” “I look at it as a candle that has a wick on both ends with our goal slapped right in the middle of it. We can start harvesting bass and that lights one end of it. If we add forage that lights the other end of the candle and, once that happens, we are going to be more efficient in achieving our goal which is bigger bass,” Latona pointed out. “We also prioritize by levels of importance where level one is a critically important component such as harvesting whereas level three may be introducing structure or habitat but level three isn’t something really mission critical in order to achieve the stated objective,” he said. While Southeastern Pond can provide a total “turnkey” pond management program they work with “Do-it-Yourselfers” to provide individual components and materials. “There are a number of things that pond owners can do on their own and we are more than happy to provide material and fish, specific services like liming or fertilizing, technical expertise and advice and
CONCRETE REPAIR
ENCAPSULATION
ARE CRACKED WALLS, SAGGING FLOORS, AND A NASTY CRAWL SPACE RUINING YOUR GREAT DAYS? UNLEVELED SIDEWALKS MAKING YOU AFRAID TO GO OUTDOORS?
(251) 333-9355 www.mdhfoundationrepair.com
Call us! We can Help! Your homes first responder MDH Foundation Repair 36 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Managing Farm Ponds for Big Bass
guidance,” Latona said. Latona pointed out that the one area that can be a challenge to DIY pond owners who use hook and line fishing to harvest excess simply because of the volume. He says that the rule of thumb for fish harvests in bass crowded ponds is between 30-35 pounds and up per acre. “For a 10-acre lake that means you need to pull about 350 pounds of fish out and for a 30-acre pond that is about 1,000 pounds of bass. That is a lot of fishing for 2,3 or even four people,” Latona said. “That is where electrofishing harvest can help and save pond owners a lot of time and effort.”
Electrofishing in action The shock only stuns fish so they can be counted or removed.
CCA AL Events TBD Orange Beach October 15th Montgomery September 24h Birmingham
Show Your Support for Alabama’s Coastal Fishing & Marine Resources. All proceeds from your TAX DEDUCTIBLE purchase are used for marine conservation in Coastal Alabama.
For more info on the events or CCA Alabama www.ccaalabama.org 251-478-3474 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 37
Waterfront Home
Remodel
BY ED MASHBURN
Having a home which gives access to fishing, boating, and just sitting comfortably in the evening watching the day close down over the water is something many of us wish we could obtain. But repairing and renovating an existing waterfront home requires time, talent, and quite a bit of patience. It’s easy to make very expensive mistakes when buying waterfront homes for remodeling, but it can be done, and the results can be very pleasing. Jay and Jamie Ison both work in Mobile, AL and they have a remodeled home located on the western shore of Mobile Bay, and their thoughts and effort, along with some professional help from a quality construction company, made their dreams of living in a waterfront home possible. Now, not every potential waterfront home has the qualities of the Ison home. Folks who are thinking of buying an existing waterfront home need to get professional help to determine potential flooding and storm damage, the state of the home’s sub-floor spaces, and supports, and the conditions of the electrical and other utility services. The condition of the roof also needs evaluations. There are a lot of elements that waterfront home buyers need to consider. But, just think how nice it would be to have a home on the water which allows fishing, boating, and other water activities without having to drive to a ramp or marina. 38 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Great Days Outdoors wanted to explore the way the Isons went about their waterfront home remodeling project, and they were gracious enough to explain how they made their home on the water even better suited to their needs. The best way to learn about their remodeling and improvement process is to let Jamie tell the story. GDO - Can you describe the house and property that you have renovated? What attracted you to this place. Jamie - As a realtor, I have the opportunity to go in and see homes that are on the market in the area. I immediately fell in love with the serene atmosphere of this cottage on Mobile Bay. GDO - What kind of major problems did you have to correct or improve? How difficult was it to fix a waterfront property? Jamie - Our home was in very good shape. Initially, we did create an outdoor patio and kitchen area. With the high rainfall totals and now living here full time, we knew that we had to address drainage and moisture issues under the house. After discussions with many experts for more than a year, we decided that MDH [Daphne, AL] was the company that we felt had the expertise to assist us. We
n o e f i L r o f r e t a W e h t
Sunrises such as this are worth a great deal to anyone who loves the outdoors.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 39
Waterfront Home Remodel- for Life on the Water
The new outdoor kitchen is a great addition to the home.
added drainage around the home to prevent water runoff, encapsulated underneath, added a sump pump and dehumidifier. The floors are no longer buckled, and energy costs are improved. GDO- What was the work you had done by MDH Construction Company? Jamie - After meeting and getting to know Mike [Mike Hayes, owner] and his staff, we felt confident that MDH was the company that we would work with to complete some home improvement projects. Once we decided to live full time at the bay, we needed to address closet space. My husband and I shared one closet which was also the laundry room. At first, we thought we would redo the closet and move the laundry room to another location. We consulted with a great architect, Don Bowden, who helped us design the space. Our study was adjacent to our bedroom and we decided to take in part of the study to create the laundry. After a few months, Jay (my husband) said, “I don’t want to ever be in a closet with you again!” We called the architect, he re-drew the plan. and now I share my closet with the laundry and Jay has a beautiful new master closet. We are both thrilled with the results! Also, we decided to change to hardwood floors in our bedroom. During this project, we also replaced some of our older windows with new impact windows to help strengthen our home regarding storms. GDO - What sort of water access to the bay or other waterways do 40 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
you have? Do you fish or dock a boat from your property? Jamie - The entire front of our home is overlooking Mobile Bay. We have a bulkhead, but we do not yet have a pier. We enjoy beautiful sunrises, watch hundreds of pelicans and other varieties of sea birds fly by including osprey and eagles! We have amazing views of The Bayway and downtown Mobile at night. GDO - What is the most satisfying part of having a house right on the water? Jamie - The Western Shore of Mobile Bay is a hidden secret. After a day at work, Jay and I are only 15 to 20 minutes from our home where we are transformed into another world. There seems to be a magnet that draws us to the water. We enjoy the peace, serenity and the beauty of each day. It is of crucial importance that any potential waterfront residence buyer work with a reputable contractor who can plan and deliver needed improvements. One of the very best construction companies in the Alabama coastal area is MDH Construction. Mike Hayes and his company offer remodeling, new construction, crawl space evaluation and correction and foundation repair. MDH can be contacted at 251-333-9355 or mdhconstructioninc@ gmail.com. www.mdhconstructionservices.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 41
Thermacell Brown insect repellent Appliance w/1 TE Refill • Emits earth scent the smell of musky dirt and decaying leaves masks human odors up to 4 hours per mat.
NO NATZ
The best personal bug spray available to repel gnats, mosquitoes, and flies. Look for this counter display in your Quality Co-op store! NO NATZ AFC #607898
NO MOSQUITES AFC #607898
• Uses the same effective mosquito repellent as original ThermaCELL mat. • Repels mosquitoes, black flies and flying insects. Creates an efffective insect-protection zone of 15x15 feet.
$20.99
#TMRBJE AFC #408098
Wildgame Vision
Find these at your local Co-op store
Brassy Bucks A blend of Brassicas
MAXRAX 16% Deer pellet MAXRAX 17% Deer pellet MAXRAX 16% Fall/Winter Textured
River Bottom Ground Blind
MAXRAX 18.5% Spring/Summer Textured MAXRAX 16% De-wormer pellet
Big Buck Blend 16 point Big Buck Blend Rack Developer
Rivers Edge 18ft - 2 man • Removable padded seat and backrest. • 36 inch wide foot platform. • 500lb capacity • Flip-back shooting rail for easy entry
AFC #423264
Rivers Edge 15ft - 2 man • Removable padded seat and backrest. • Two tree blades for simple mobility. • 500lb capacity • Two rachet straps w/ safety tie-off ropes
AFC #458832
5 lbs. Plants 1 acre.
AFC #461426
Imperial Whitetail Deer Seed
ALAFARM DOG FOOD Premium Adult Dog Food 26-18 26% Protein - 18% Crude Fat - 50 lb. bag
High Energy Dog Food 24-20
24% Protein - 20% Crude Fat - 50 lb. bag
Maintenance Dog Food 21-8
21% Protein - 8% Crude Fat - 50 lb. bag
Puppy Food 30-20
30% Protein - 20% Crude Fat - 25 lb. bag
Monroe Tufline Flip Disc
Designed for 250 to 400 cc ATVs. 52” cutting width. Weight tray for additional weight if needed. 16” notched disc blades with cast iron greasable bearings.
Forage
Cover Crop
• Captures residual nitrogen. • Increases water infiltration and soil moisture holding capacity. • Helps prevent soil erosion •Helps increase soil organic profile.
• Extensively tested, proven performer. • Consistent high forage yields. • Early/medium maturity • Rust resistant • Gray leaf spot resistant
AFC #403558
Carpenter Bee Cottage Trap Features angled entrance holes. Unique funnel directs bees to bottle. Weather-proof roof & hanging wire. Includes small bottle. Larger standard plastic bottle may be attached.
AFC #606001
Quick-lock Directional Tripod Feeder (30 gallons)
AFC #458778 Digital Timer Programs up to 6 feed times per day. BackSpin technology. Battery and feed level indicators. Hopper attaches with Quick-Lock modular system.
Keep Antlers Growing. 20 lb. rock - AFC #407100
WEDNESDAYS • 5 P.M. CENTRAL Sunday, Central Time
Alabama Stations and times
T E L E V I S I O N S H O W
Market Montgomery Mobile Dothan Birmingham Columbus, GA Huntsville
Station WSFA-TV 12 WPMI-TV WTVY-TV 4 WBMA-TV 33/40 WLTZ-TV 38 WAFF-TV 48
Time 6 AM 6 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 9 AM
www.SimplySouthernTV.net
www.alafarm.com
MID STATE STOCKYARD
Contact your local CO-OP store for all of your farming, hunting, or gardening needs! Albertville Andalusia Arab Ashford Ashville Athens Atmore Blountstowon, FL Centre Columbiana Courtland Crossville Decatur Demopolis Elba Elberta Enterprise Faunsdale Fayette Florala Florence Frisco City Geneva Goshen Greenville Haleyville Hamilton Hartford Hartselle Hazel Green Headland Holly Pond Jacksonville Jasper Jay, FL Leighton Leroy Lineville Live Oak, FL Luverne Lynnville, TN Madison, FL Meridianville Moulton Northport Notasulga Oneonta Opp Pell City Piedmont Pulaski, TN Rainsville Rogersville Scottsboro Selma Stevenson Talladega Troy Tuscumbia Wedowee Wetumpka
256-878-3261 334-222-1851 256-586-5515 334-899-3263 205-594-7042 256-232-5500 251-368-2191 850-674-8194 256-927-3135 205-669-7082 256-637-2939 256-528-7188 256-353-4663 334-289-0155 334-897-6972 251-986-8103 334-347-9007 334-628-2681 205-932-5901 334-858-6142 256-764-8441 251-267-3175 334-898-7932 334-484-3441 334-382-6548 205-486-3794 205-921-2631 334-588-2992 256-773-6832 256-828-2010 334-693-3313 256-796-5337 256-435-3430 205-387-1142 850-675-4597 256-446-8328 251-246-3512 256-396-2097 386-362-1459 334-335-5082 931-527-3923 850-973-2269 256-828-5360 256-974-9214 205-339-8181 334-257-3930 205-274-2185 334-493-7715 205-338-2821 256-447-6560 931-363-2563 256-638-2569 256-247-3453 256-574-1688 334-874-9083 256-437-8829 256-362-2716 334-566-3882 256-383-6462 256-357-4743 334-567-4321
BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
Spanish Dove Salad This is something of a pantry dish that comes together very rapidly if you have the ingredients on hand. The hardest part of putting this together is the garlic: I use my own preserved garlic, and if you have some, use it -- it makes the dish. If you don’t have any, roast a head of garlic instead. It’s not the same, but it will get you close. Everything else in this recipe is easily available at supermarkets. If you don’t have squab, pigeon or dove, use quail breasts. Quail will get you closest in terms of size and texture, although the flavor will be different. Prep: 25 mins • Cook: 20 mins • Total: 45 mins Ingredients
• • • • • •
3 cups dove stock, duck stock or beef broth Breast meat from 12 to 16 doves 1/4 cup high-quality olive oil 3 to 4 preserved roasted red peppers, cut into strips 3 green onions, sliced thin (white parts only) 1/3 cup pine nuts
44 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
• •
12 to 16 cloves preserved garlic, or 1 head garlic, roasted 25 minutes Parsley, salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Bring the stock or broth to a simmer. Drop the dove breasts into the broth and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let this sit for 5 to 15 minutes. The longer the dove breasts sit in the hot broth, the more cooked they will be, but they should not overcook no matter how long you keep them there. When they are cooked to your liking, remove the dove breasts and toss them with some olive oil in a bowl. (If you happen to have a sous vide machine, salt the dove breasts well, then put them in one layer in a vacuum bag with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter or duck fat. Cook at 135°F for 30 minutes or so.) 2. If you are not using preserved garlic, roast your garlic as per Elise’s instructions. When the garlic is done, carefully remove the cloves. This is persnickety, but you can also just smear them out and use the roasted garlic as a sort of puree at the bottom of everyone’s plate. It may look messier, but it still tastes good.
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
3.
4.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry sauté pan over mediumhigh heat, tossing them frequently to toast all sides. Pay attention to them as they toast because pine nuts go from nicely toasted to burnt in seconds. When they have some pretty browned spots on them. move the pine nuts to a bowl to cool. To compose the salad, divvy up all the ingredients between four plates and drizzle a little of the olive oil from the dove bowl over everything. Garnish with some parsley and grind black pepper over the plates. Serve at room temperature with some Spanish sherry, a rosé or white wine or a crisp lager or pilsner beer.
Squirrel Stew with Paprika and Greens There are a lot of ways you can play with this dish. You can use rabbit or chicken instead of squirrel, red wine instead of white wine, red vinegar instead of cider, kielbasa instead of smoked Portuguese sausages, collards instead of wild greens etc. Have fun with it. The only trick to this stew is to build the flavors bit by bit. Not everything needs as long to cook as, say, squirrel legs. Follow my instructions on when you put in each ingredient and you’ll be fine. Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 2 hours • Total: 2 hour 20 mins Ingredients
• • • •
3 squirrels, cut into serving pieces Salt Flour for dusting 1/3 cup olive oil
• • • • • • • • • • • •
2 cups sliced onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 heaping teaspoon dried savory or oregano 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 heaping tablespoon paprika 2 to 3 cups of whole peeled tomatoes, torn into large pieces 1-pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or linguica, sliced into bite-sized pieces 1-pound greens, kale, chard, collards, wild greens, etc. black pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Salt the squirrel pieces well and then dust in flour. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot over medium-high heat. Brown the squirrels in batches, being sure to not overcrowd the pot. Move the browned pieces to a plate or cutting board while you cook the rest. 2. When the squirrels have been nicely browned, remove them all from the pot and add the onion. Sauté the onion until it just begins to brown on the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, mix well and cook this for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. 3. Pour in the white wine, vinegar and about 1 quart of water. Add the savory, red pepper flakes and paprika, then the torn-up tomatoes, then the squirrel. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste and cook gently until the squirrel wants to fall off the bone, about 90 minutes. Fish out all the squirrel pieces and pull them off the bone -- this makes the stew a lot easier to eat. Return them to the pot.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 45
Camphouse Kitchen
4. Add the smoked sausage and the greens and cook until
•
Fried Red Snapper Bites
SNAPPER • 2 pounds skinless snapper fillets • Salt • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1/4 cup yellow mustard (Dijon is fine) • 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning • 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half • 1 sleeve Saltines crackers • Peanut oil for frying
the greens are done, about 10 minutes (If you are using collards, they need more than 10 minutes to cook so adjust accordingly). Add salt, black pepper, chile and vinegar to taste and serve with crusty bread.
Even though I call these fried snapper bites, it can be done with any firm. white fish. You do want the chunks you fry to be at least the width of a finger, and even twice that, so use that as a guideline. I like the New Orleans remoulade with this, but you can use any sauce you like. Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 15 mins • Total: 35 mins Ingredients REMOULADE • 1/2 cup Dijon or Creole mustard • 1/3 cup mayonnaise • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley • 3 tablespoons minced shallot • 3 tablespoons minced celery • 1/4 cup minced dill pickles • 1 tablespoon minced garlic • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning 46 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions 5. Mix all the ingredients for the remoulade together and set aside. The remoulade can be made up to a week in advance, and making it the night before lets the flavors mellow. 6. Cut the fish into chunks of about two bites each. Salt lightly. Mix together in a bowl the eggs, mustard, Creole seasoning and heavy cream. 7. Pour enough peanut oil hot into a frying pan to come about a half-inch up the sides. Heat this to about 350F. 8. While the oil is heating, dunk as many snapper bites in the egg wash as will fit. When the oil is hot, dredge the fish in the mashed Saltines. You can do this in a bowl or in a plastic bag. Really press in the Saltines, and it’s OK to have a few bits that aren’t pulverized. 9. Fry the fish until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with the remoulade, and some lemon wedges if you have them.
Camphouse Kitchen
Fried Flounder with Homemade Tartar Sauce This is my family’s method of making fried flounder. It is tried and true, and I have made only one change to it since the 1970s: I add a little mustard to the egg wash mix, which I learned in Louisiana. It adds a ton of flavor. You’ll also see the homemade fries on the plate. If you want to make them, I followed this recipe from The Splendid Table under American French Fries (www.splendidtable.org) Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 20 mins • Resting Time for Fish: 1 hour Ingredients TARTAR SAUCE • 1 cup mayonnaise • 2 teaspoons mustard, Dijon or brown • 2 teaspoons lemon juice • A few drops of Tabasco sauce • 1/2 cup chopped pickles • 1 teaspoon small capers • 1 shallot, minced fine • 1 tablespoon minced chives • Salt and black pepper
FISH • 2 to 3 pounds skinless flounder fillets • Salt • 1 cup flour • 2 eggs • 1/2 cup milk • 1 tablespoon mustard • 1 cup breadcrumbs • Oil for frying Instructions 1. For the tartar sauce, mix everything in a bowl and set it in the fridge. Salt the fish lightly on both sides and set aside. 2. Set up a breading station. You will want plates or shallow bowls or somesuch. The first has the flour in it -- and if you want more seasoning than I am suggesting in this recipe, this is where you add it -- then another basin with the eggs, milk and mustard all beaten together, then the final basin with the breadcrumbs. 3. Dredge the flounder in the flour first, pressing it into the fish and making sure you get it totally covered. Now sweep the fillet through the egg wash, again making sure you get it totally coated. Finally, set it in the breadcrumbs and press them in to make a good coating. Set each fillet on a plate or tray in the fridge and let it rest 1 hour, and up to all day.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 47
NEW & COOL GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY
Remington 870 Express for Doves
While the Remington 870 Express isn’t fancy, for hunters on a budget who have an inkling to try their hand at dove and quail hunting, it is a solid choice. Available in 12 and 20 gauges and .410, it has a solid steel receiver, non-reflective black matte metalwork, a 26- or 28-inch vent ribbed barrel, and a modified choke. Available in a compact version. Suggested Retail Price: $439.00 www.Remington.com
Berkley Crazy Legs Jerk Shad
The Berkley Gulp Alive Crazy Legs Jerk Shad has twin curly tails that imitate a struggling saltwater bait fish and is sure to grab the attention of finny predators like sea trout, striped bass and snook. These five-inch baits are best rigged on a weighted EWG swimbait hook jig head, or as a trailer on a bucktail. It is available in a five pack, in seven colors. Suggested Retail Price: $6.99 www.berkley-fishing.com
Pro Ears offers New Stealth Elite Bluetooth Electronic Ear Buds
Offering a sleek design and improved ergonomic options the Stealth Elite provides hi-fidelity sound for music, noise protection and hearing enhancement. They feature three modes of operation; isolation mode, pass-through mode and amplification mode. Package includes batteries, USB-C charger cord, Bluetooth lanyard, three sizes of silicone ear tips, four sizes of foam ear tips, ear hooks and a one-year warranty from date of purchase. Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 www.proears.com
Eggtronic Power Bar USB-C Wireless Power Bank with Apple Watch Charger
This portable charger has the ability to wirelessly recharge three devices at once and recharge a device through its USB-C port on the side. It features two 7.5W high-speed Qi Apple Fast Wireless Charging spots plus one 5W magnetic wireless charging spot. This compact, sleek charger won’t take up room in your gear bag and is perfect for spending long hours without electricity. Suggested Retail Price: $149.99 www.eggrronic.com
Shimano Symetre Spinning Combos
Shimano is now offering new Symetre spinning combos in 14 different rod/reel configurations from ultralight to inshore saltwater models. Going from size 1000 up to 4000 the long-casting reels are perfectly matched with a high-quality, lightweight graphite rod that features durable stainless-steel frame guides with aluminum oxide inserts, split-grip EVA handle and a custom metal locking nut reel seat. Available from 5 feet to 7 feet in varying actions. Suggested Retail Price: $99.00 www.fish.shimano.com 48 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
NEW AND COOL GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
Onyx A/-M 24 Inflatable Life Jacket
The low-profile Onyx® A/M-24 Inflatable Life Jacket inflates only when needed so you can enjoy unrestricted movement while boating or paddling. It inflates automatically when it is immersed in water or when the wearer pulls the inflation handle. It is constructed of durable ripstop fabric and features a neoprene neckline that provides all day comfort. Features highly reflective piping, fits adults over 80 pounds and more. Suggested Retail Price: $ 189.00 www.onyxoutdoor.com
Tenzing Hangtime Backpack Designed for Deer Hunters
As much at home in a tree stand as in the field, the Tenzing Hangtime backpack is designed to carry a full load or gear and offers easy access to essential items. Its rigid, EVA-molded holds its shape and allows fast and unobstructed access to contents without fear of spilling them far below if in a treestand. Its 1,600 cubic capacity houses 7 compartments and 15 specialized compartments. Suggested Retail Price: $199.99 www.tenzing.com
Fish Monkey Blocker Gloves for Warm Hands
For cool, damp and drizzly days on the water, the FM Blocker neoprene glove keeps your hands warm and dry and provides exceptional feel and dexterity. The Blocker is wind and water resistant, soft, stretchy and, since it is just a single layer, thin. That allows all-day comfort as well as full hand functionality. Finger slits in the index fingers and thumbs allow detail work without removing gloves. Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 www.fishmonkeygloves.com
Hurricane Bag Archery Target
The two-sided Hurricane bag archery target is built with durable 1000 P.S.I Tri-Core technology which results in longer target life without pass throughs. Stuffed to the max with a weather-proof fill that doesn’t rot, mildew or rot these they feature high-visibility aiming points against bright-colored backgrounds with off-centered impact points on both sides. This increases target life and longevity with easy two finger arrow removal. Multiple sizes available. Suggested Retail Price: Starting at $39.99 www.feradyne.com
Streamlight ProTac 90X USB
The ProTac® series of tactical lights is a complete rechargeable system that includes a Streamlight SL-B26™ protected Li-Ion USB rechargeable battery pack with an integrated micro-USB port and a charging cord. This multi-fuel capability enables users to charge the light on the go or insert cell batteries when a charging source is unavailable and delivers 1,000 lumens. Made from rugged 6000 series machined aluminum it weighs 4.9 ounces. Suggested Retail Price: $115.00 www.streamlight.com 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 49
Get Ready for the First Hunting Action of the Fall
BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Many of us who love the outdoors will head to Alabama’s fields and abundant waterways this month for the first hunting opportunities of the fall, whether we’re granted a reprieve from the summer heat or not!
doves. The bag limit of 15 birds can include either species or a combination of the two. The Eurasian collared (ringneck) dove is considered an invasive species and is not included in the regulations.
With Alabama’s dove season coming in early this year, hunters can pursue the nation’s most popular game species on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Traditionally, the season has opened the Saturday after Labor Day. However, the holiday is later this year, so the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division gave Alabama hunters what they requested in a WFF survey of numerous dove hunters throughout the state that asked for opinions on season dates.
The 2020-2021 season September 5 start date is for the North Zone, and that first North Zone segment runs through October 25. The season starts at noon on opening day and ends at sunset. After opening day, hunting is allowed from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset. The second segment is November 21-29, and the final segment is December 12 through January 10, 2021.
WFF Director Chuck Sykes said the survey revealed that the majority of hunters wanted dove season to open as early as possible in September, and they wanted to maximize opportunities to hunt these aerial acrobats on weekends and holidays. With Labor Day falling on September 7, WFF decided not to push the season opener to September 12 in the North Zone. Since the majority surveyed wanted it early, WFF opted for the earliest date possible. The way the season segments are set, dove hunters get an extra weekend and a holiday to hunt for the 2020-2021 season. Alabama’s dove season regulates the hunting of mourning doves and white-winged
50 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
In the South Zone of Baldwin, Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Mobile counties, the 2020-2021 season opens on September 12 and runs through November 1. The final two segments are the same as the North Zone. For some wing-shooting action even before dove season opens, waterfowlers can hunt geese during the early waterfowl seasons. The early seasons for geese run September 1-30 and then October 12-24. The goose season regulations are broken down into dark geese (Canada, White-Fronted and Brant) and light geese (Snow, Blue and Ross’s). During the September season, hunters can take five dark geese per day, but only one Brant is allowed in that bag limit. The bag limit for light geese is five per day for the entire season.
FROM THE COMMISSIONER already been purchased, go online and click on the “Replacement/ Additional Hard Card” link to purchase any or all of the six cards.
As many people know, Alabama has a significant Canada goose population, and this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of that resource. Other waterfowl hunters will be waiting for the Special Teal Season, which runs September 12-27, 2020, with a daily bag limit of six birds. Depending on the weather during September, Alabama could have teal-hunting opportunities from the Tennessee Valley to the Alabama Gulf Coast. Before you head out in September, make sure you have renewed your licenses. All Alabama hunting and fishing licenses expire on August 31, so don’t forget to purchase your licenses at a retail outlet or online at www.outdooralabama.com. Just like last year when we introduced the collectible hard-card licenses, the 2020-2021 hard-card licenses are available with more beautiful wildlife and outdoor life art. For a nominal $5 fee you can purchase a piece of art, with six new cards to choose from that depict a variety of outdoors scenes. The art scenes include a beautiful buck, strutting turkey, crappie, redfish, wood duck, and a Second Amendment-themed card for shooting sports. A total of 32 license privileges are eligible for purchase as a hard card, including annual hunting and fishing licenses for residents and non-residents, state duck stamp, Wildlife Heritage and bait privilege licenses. This feature is not available for trip licenses and no-cost privileges. Lifetime licenses will also now come on a beautiful new hard card. To obtain a hard-card license with the wildlife and nature scenes, go online at www.outdooralabama.com and click the link to purchase a license. Buyers can choose one or all of the six new cards at $5 per card. License purchasers who use retail outlets can also obtain a hard license. For those who want to get a hard card after a license has
After purchase, the hard-card licenses will be mailed to buyers within 10 days. If you haven’t received your hard card before you plan to hunt or fish, be sure to keep a paper copy of your license or have it available in the Outdoor AL app on your smartphone. As I said last year when we unveiled the first set of hard-card licenses, purchasers still must comply with harvest reporting requirements. Deer and turkey hunters should report through Game Check. The easiest way to comply is to use the Outdoor AL app. If you don’t use the smartphone app, you must retain a paper record of your harvests. Every time I talk about hunting and fishing licenses, I always remind the general public how important this revenue source is to conservation and wildlife and fisheries management in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is an agency that is funded through license sales and revenue from visitors to our beautiful Alabama State Parks. Most licenses sold by ADCNR receive three-to-one federal matching funds through the Sport Fish Restoration Act and the PittmanRobertson Wildlife Restoration Act. Those funds are derived from excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and fishing equipment and are distributed according to the number of licenses sold and land mass and miles of waterways of the state. I hope you will join me in the field this month. For me, trying to hit a fast-flying teal or an acrobatic dove means I get to do a lot of shooting to get my limit. No matter, it’s just great to be outdoors, and Academy Sports and Outdoors will sell me all the shotgun shells I need.
EASY APPLICATION!!! Unlike many liquid fertilizers, Clark’s Plot Nutrients: • Will not settle out in your tank or application equipment • There are no particles large enough to clog spray nozzles • It is readily absorbed by plants because it is a foliar application. Therefore, within one hour 80-90% of the fertilizer is already absorbed into the plant and working • Heavy rain will not wash away the fertilizer See what a difference it can make on your place!
CALL FOR PRICING & QUANTITIES DISTRIBUTED BY:
Liquid Food Plot Fertilizer Plus Calcium
Clark’s Plot Nutrients is a true liquid fertilizer that is designed to not only provide fertilizer to your food plot, but also supply calcium. Calcium is vital to the development of deer antler growth and egg shell strength in turkeys.
ENDORSED BY:
Chris & Kelley Grantham Elba, Alabama
334-233-2687 ALFandSupply@gmail.com www.alfandsupply.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 51
s l e r r i u q S a m a B
Muzzle loading hunters today enjoy squirrel hunting with smaller bore rifles.
BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney
“Squirrel hunting is one of the purest forms of hunting game that’s left in Alabama”, said my buddy Wade recently with an “air” of great wisdom in his voice. We were at his house and waiting to take some venison sausage from his smoker for supper while talking about the upcoming hunting season. “I believe it makes you a better deer hunter or turkey hunter because you have to learn moving quietly in the woods, patience, stealth, scouting the woods for game, and it improves your shooting skills.” he said and I couldn’t argue with him. Only my opinion, but if you have never squirrel hunted you should. Here are some tips to get you started. FIREARMS FOR SQUIRRELS I suspect .22 caliber rifles are far and away the most
52 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
popular firearm for squirrel hunting. Most hunters I know have at least one .22 rifle with many having two or more. These rifles are great for plinking, target shooting and hunting squirrels. With no recoil and a wide variety of inexpensive ammunition available, there is no excuse for a hunter to not be a crack shot with his .22 rifle. But which type .22 rifle? There are single shots, bolt-action repeaters, lever actions and semiautomatics in a variety of price ranges to fit your budget. The most popular style, by far, is the semiautomatic. While there are a number of models available by different manufacturers, the Ruger 10/22 in a number of variations from the factory is arguably the most popular. The 10/22 is also
THE GUN RACK popular for the variety of after-market accessories available which the hunter can use to customize his rifle into a one-of-a- kind model. Lever action .22 rifles are very popular among squirrel hunters with a number of models available from Browning, Henry USA, Marlin, and Rossi. Interestingly, the Marlin 39A is the longest produced cartridge rifle in the world. It seems there are more versions of various lever action .22 rifles than the .22 semi-automatics available on the market. The lever actions can shoot .22 short, long or long rifle ammo but short and long ammo is not as readily found in stores as in the past. Pellet rifles have become more sophisticated and more accurate in recent years and very suitable for squirrel hunting. They shoot flatter and harder than ever before plus there are pellets specifically available for hunting that up the odds for airgun hunters. For early season squirrel hunting, a shotgun is an excellent choice since the trees have not dropped their leaves yet. Many hunters I have spoken to use a 20 gauge with a modified or full choke tube and number 6 or 7 ½ shot. The .410 is a popular choice of veteran squirrel hunters in single-shot, pump or Henry lever-action models with a full choke. Before rimfire and centerfire rifles, our forefathers hunted squirrels with their flintlock deer rifle by learning to “bark” squirrels. Because most lived a meager existence, they did not have a separate smaller caliber flintlock to hunt small game and used their .50, .54 or .58 caliber rifle for small game. For squirrels, they would shoot the limb right below where the squirrel was stretched out and the concussion would kill the squirrel or would knock it off the limb to the forest floor where the hunter could dispatch the. Head shots could be made but the woodsman would not have the squirrel brains to scramble with his eggs. SCOPES FOR .22 RIFLES The best scope you can afford for your .22 rifle is a definite plus in achieving your limit of squirrels. Leupold, Nikon and Simmons offer .22 rifle scopes with parallax set at 50 yards in either 4-power or 3-9 power. I have hunted for a lot of seasons with either a Ruger 10/22 with a Leupold 4-power or a Marlin 39-M with a Leupold 3-9. The 3-9 usually gets the nod during late season when the trees are bare of leaves and I may get a longer shot than normal. Either way, the scoped .22LR is a potent combination for hunting squirrels. .22 LR AMMUNITION FOR SQUIRRELS Serious squirrel hunters should take the time to try different brands of ammunition to see which one shoots best in their rifle because there will be a difference, sometimes not much, sometimes a lot which shows up at longer ranges when hunting. Several retailers I have talked to report hollow-point ammunition is their best seller for squirrel hunting but solids also do the job. CCI has a unique .22 LR cartridge that has gained a following for small game hunting. The CCI Segmented HP Subsonic .22 LR produces a higher level of stopping power on impact due to the HP bullet segmenting into 3equal parts tripling the effect resulting in maximum energy transfer.
Squirrel tails are a key component of Mepps lures.
RECYCLE SQUIRREL TAILS FOR CASH OR LURES Sheldon’s, Inc. asks hunters to save the tails of the squirrels they take home for table fare. The company uses the tail hair to dress the hooks of many of their spinner lures used for bass, trout, panfish, pike, musky and walleye. Mepps will either purchase the tails outright or swap for Mepps lures. Care and Handling of Squirrel Tails (follow carefully) 1) Tails are best from squirrels taken after October 1. 2) Do NOT remove the bone from the tail as deboned and split tails have no value. 3) Generously salt the butt end of the tail. Use either dry salt or a strong saltwater solution. 4) make sure the tail is straight before drying. Curled tails are useless. 5) Keep tails away from flies. Best storage is in a freezer. Do NOT send tails that have been exposed to flies. 6) Do NOT put tails in a plastic bag for storage or shipment as they could heat up or spoil. 7) Best time to ship is during December, January, February, and March. Dried squirrel tails can be shipped anytime. 8) Put your name, mailing address and phone number or e-mail address, along with tail count inside EACH package. 9) Shipping refunded on shipments of 50+ tails. Ship UPS or First Class mail only. Contact Mepps for more recycling information. www.mepps.com
.
No matter which type of firearm you choose, squirrel hunting is challenging and a great way to improve your set of hunting skills. Additionally, it is great fun for youngsters and a terrific way to introduce them to hunting. Another plus is to recycle your squirrel tails for extra cash or lures from Mepps.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 53
STAND UP
Kayak
Considerations Before You Buy
Anglers who choose to stand and fish need to make sure that PFD is worn.
WHY STAND UP IN A KAYAK? One of the primary considerations for any kayak buyer is the seat. Kayak anglers spend a lot of time occupying the seats of their kayaks, and a good seat is crucial. But how many times do we kayak anglers need to think about the opposite position which we might occupy in our paddle craft - standing up? In fact, being able to safely and securely stand up in a kayak can be a matter of great importance. Standing in a kayak increases the angler’s line of sight, and for certain fishing applications, such as drifting over shallow flat sight fishing or trying to reach a feeding school of fish a good distance away with a long cast, can make a world of difference.
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
And another fishing-related element of being able to stand up- comfort. Most anglers will get stiff and start to feel pressure points after sitting in any kayak seat. no matter how well-designed and comfortable, after a couple of hours of paddling or pedaling in pursuit of fish. Being able to stand up and let the blood recirculate to all parts of
54 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
the body can go a long way toward prolonging a fishing trip in comfort. So, being able to stand up and fish from a kayak should be a consideration for any potential purchaser of a fishing kayak. FLY FISHING IN PARTICULAR All kayak anglers can profit from being able to stand and fish, but for those anglers who choose to fly fish from their kayaks, being able to stand up and really put some power into a cast can be critical. Fly casting from a seated position in a kayak can be done and done well, but sometimes being able to stand and approach a tailing redfish or a school of feeding speckled trout can make fly fishing success more possible. Kayak fly fishing is a great deal of fun, and the stealth and shallow water potential of a kayak is perfectly matched for fly fishing use. Another
PADDLE FISHING advantage of standing up to fly fish from a kayak is that most anglers can maintain control of the fly line easier and better from a standing position. When sitting, the line tends to collect in the angler’s lap, and this can cause some serious tangle problems at the worst possible time, when a big fish takes the fly. Standing allows the angler to collect the line and keep it in a more orderly fashion which helps prevent line tangles. By being able to stand and look in all directions easily, kayak anglers can put a fly before fish that would otherwise be missed. And since most kayaks which allow anglers to stand can also be safely and quietly paddled while the angler stands, this allows the angler to approach catchable fish. And after a big fish is hooked, it is easy for the angler to sit back down in the seat and work the fish from a lower, more solid and stable position. The rule for fly anglers when it comes to fishing from a kayak is, “See ‘em and hook ‘em while standing, and then play ‘em from the seat.” KAYAKS MADE TO STAND IN Not all kayaks are suitable for anglers to stand in. Several kayaks are superb boats for rough water use and long-distance paddling or pedaling, but because of their design and build, are not suitable for anglers to stand in them. Trying to stand in a kayak not made for standing is a quick way to turn a fishing trip into a swimming trip. Before purchasing any kayak, the angler needs to do some research and see if the kayak is a “standing boat.” There are a number of fine kayaks made for standing anglers and a short list of some good ones that we have personal experience with are listed here, but there are many more.
Anglers whose balance is not good don’t need to be standing. The most stable and solid kayak will not keep an angler in the boat if the angler loses her or his balance and falls over the side. Any angler who is considering obtaining a kayak for fishing needs to be honest about the ability of keeping balance. This is not only a fishing consideration, it is very much a safety consideration. My balance is not nearly as good as it was when I first started kayak fishing, and I don’t feel secure about standing and fishing in many situations. Each angler will want to make sure that standing and fishing is really a good idea. Another couple of considerations for anglers who want to go the stand up fishing way- practice, practice, and practice some more. The more time an angler spends mastering the feel of fishing and paddling a kayak from a standing position, the better and more secure the angler will be. This takes time, but heck, it’s time spent fishing, so how bad can it be? The other major consideration for anglers who want to stand and fish is to always wear that hat PFD! Kayak anglers should keep on a good, well-fitting personal floatation device at all times, but when the angler is standing, it is absolutely crucial that the PFD is worn. Once an angler loses balance and takes a swim, it’s too late to reach for a stored PFD. When you stand, wear the PFD, Standing and working fish, if it’s done right, can be so much fun!
Some notably efficient kayaks made for anglers to stand and fish are the Hobie Pro Angler Hobies series These kayaks come in a range of lengths and sizes, and while they are pedal powered, they allow the angler to lift and remove the drive unit and paddle the boat in super-shallow water. The Hobie Mirage Drive Outback is another good kayak for standing anglers. Another fine kayak which is absolutely built and designed for standing fishing is the Kajun Custom 12 kayak. This kayak which is made in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is made so that the angler can stand and paddle the boat and even walk from end to end carefully. While this kayak is not the fastest kayak nor the easiest to paddle in rough conditions, it is superb for standing and fishing situations.
BAY TRANSMISSION
The Vibe Sea Ghost 110 is a good, solid stand up fishing kayak as is the Wilderness Systems Tarpon and the Old Town Predator 13. All of these kayaks demonstrate the same characteristics which make for a good stand up boat. They have width and they have flat bottoms. These elements create stability, but they also make for a slower, somewhat harder to move kayak. Anglers will have to balance their need for speed with their desire to stand and really see what’s going on. And we haven’t forgotten stand up paddleboards (SUP) built for fishing. We’ll look at this remarkable fishing craft at another time. EACH ANGLER IS DIFFERENT Let’s be honest here. Although many kayaks can serve as great fishing boats for anglers who want to stand up and fish, not every angler should be doing this sort of thing.
FREE ESTIMATES
• Transmission Specialist • High Performance Transmission • Expert Electronic Diagnostics • Automatic, Manual & Clutch Repairs • 4x4 Transmissions • General Repair • AC Service • Brakes Credit Cards Accepted • Radiators Fleet Accounts • Starters
251-626-3540
4935 Battleship Parkway Spanish Fort, Al 36567 • Mon - Fri • 8-5 20 Years at Present Location • Jake Jordan , Manager
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 55
Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
“There’s nothing better than a happy kid holding a fish!!” Photo courtesy of Capt Dustin Hayes with Shore Thing Fishing
September is an amazing month on the northern Gulf of Mexico. We typically start seeing those first cooler spells of the oncoming fall and with that change in weather comes some big changes in the fishing. Inshore and offshore, this is one of the best months to fish our coast.
BY CHRIS VECSEY
INSHORE From the barrier islands of Mississippi to the grass flats of Santa Rosa Sound in the Florida Panhandle, the inshore fishing scene will be in full swing this month. Water temps will remain warm, but with dryer, cooler evenings, many different types of forage will be on the move and the predators right behind. In the backwaters and marsh, shrimp will be in abundance; the action with redfish and speckled trout will be excellent around creek mouths and key flush points. Narrowing down these areas where currents
56 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
create a natural funnel is a route to success. Shrimp imitating artificials, soft plastics under popping corks and topwater lures can be very effective. A falling tide is typically best in these spots. Menhaden and other species of baitfish will also show up in large schools, often in open water. Birds are your friends in this scenario. Identifying types of birds at distance can also que you in on the type of forage beneath them. Terns and small seabirds will usually lead to anchovy, silversides and other smaller bait species that usually attract Spanish mackerel, bonito, speckled trout and occasionally bull redfish. Larger birds like pelicans and gannets point to menhaden, threadfin herring and other finfish and these are the baits that’ll attract bull reds, jack crevalle, cobia, king mackerel and even tarpon at times.
FISHING OUTLOOK Sharks will always be a visitor as well. During these frenzies, almost any type of bait fish imitating lure will work with spoons, bucktail jigs and large twitchbaits being solid picks. Fly fishermen will usually take advantage of these pre-fall frenzies with the opportunities they create with larger species nearshore. Trolling spoons and diving plugs around these bait schools will also keep rods bent. The surf will see a big pickup with cooler temps and the influence of bait. This is typically the start of the fall pompano run and big whiting, reds, drum and sheepshead will offer action in the waves. Captain Dustin Hayes with Shore Thing Fishing stays busy this time of year with guided surf trips to both local and traveling anglers along Alabama’s beaches. “You’ll want a variety of bait and lure choices in September with so much variety in the surf.” Hayes says and he uses natural baits like shrimp, sand fleas and FishBites as well as mixing it up with small jigs and swimbaits. “I use lighter, double drop rigs and split shot rigs for whiting and pompano. flounder will pick up in the surf significantly so I work swimbaits like the 1oz Hogy Pro Tail and Berkley Gulp Swimming Mullet along the shallow troughs. Bounce the swimbaits right on the bottom and cover ground, going from trough to trough,” Hayes said. For larger fish like bull reds, big drum and sharks, Hayes likes to use pieces of cut ladyfish, mullet and cracked blue crab. Hayes always like to go for variety and employs many of these techniques in every trip. When he’s not on the sand guiding, he sells tackle at Sam’s on Canal Rd in Orange Beach, so DIY guys can see him there for advice on rigging and where to go. Grass flats along the panhandle will load up with speckled trout and redfish. Many mornings will give up great action with topwater lures and other baitfish imitating lures. Live baits like croakers, menhaden and bull minnows will be effective as well. Freelining these baits is usually the best technique although they can be fished under a float as well. Covering water on these flats is often the best move vs anchoring. Fish will be chasing bait schools across these open areas so moving and using baits/lures that enable this faster approach do well. OFFSHORE Bluewater fishing is typically outstanding in September. Cleaner water conditions are typical and solid action with wahoo, mahi mahi and billfish can be found fairly close off Alabama’s and Florida’s coasts. Mississippi anglers typically have to travel further to reach productive blue waters but the action is there for those with the range.
always work a vertical jig and keep a driftline out with either a live or dead baitfish. This is an excellent time of year for picking up a wahoo or blackfin tuna on freelined baits and jigs. This also helps cover the entire water column and provides many bonus catches. Swordfish action will be consistent both during the day and night. Fishing iconic areas like the Spur and Steps will keep anglers hooked up. Focus on areas in 1200-1800 foot depth during the day and set baits in slightly shallower water at night as the fish rise and move in towards the shelf to feed. Oftentimes as the waters cool, swords will move in at night to water as shallow as 300-500 feet to feed on large schools of bait. Whatever the target is this month, chances are it’s biting and we can all breathe a sigh of relief many days from the torturous summer heat.
Important Contact Information Shore Thing Fishing Charters Captain Dustin Hayes 678-897-0167 you can also reach Hayes at: Sam’s Bait and Tackle 251-981-4245
WE SERVICE ALL BRANDS OF GUN SAFES BUT...
WE PROUDLY SELL ONLY HOLLON GUN SAFES
Pulling a mixed spread of trolling baits that covers from the surface down to 20-25ft will get the job done. Time-tested lures like the Ilander, Moldcraft Wide Range, Yo Zuri Bonito and others will continue to perform. Sometimes varying the overall size of your baits or adjusting trolling speed can make the diference in following fish vs biting fish. Always pay attention to the lures in your spread for following fish or for fouled baits. Bottom fishermen will appreciate the drier days ahead and the number of species open to harvest. Taking the time to “make bait” on the way out pays off big time when it comes to quality bottom fish. Pinfish or mullet are good choices, but live cigar minnows or threadfin herring are hard to beat, especially for big grouper and scamp. You can fish these baits on a variety of rig styles and sizes with two hook rigs and carolina rigs being the most popular. While holding or drifting over bottom spots,
(251) 479-5264
457 Dauphin Island Parkway “At the Loop” Mobile, AL 36606 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 57
Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
Sunrise is a time of anticipation for gulf beach pier anglers.
This a transitional month from summer’s relentless heat to fall’s refreshing breezes. In fact the weather in September along the Emerald Coast brings almost as much variety as the great fishing. Near shore water temperatures usually range from the middle to lower 80s. This encourages the rapid growth of sealife as well as spawning tropical activity. Historically, September 12th is the historical peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. So everyone should keep a watchful eye on the tropics as a busier than average season has been predicted. We pray the central Gulf Coast may once again be spared the worst of it!
BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
YOUNG-OF-THE-YEAR Fish hatched out over the summer grow quickly in water over 80 degrees. Baitfish species, like scaled and false herring (locally called “LYs”) may grow an inch per month. Typically by September these younglings may reach 3 inches in length and form massive schools in the surfzone. Larger predatory fish, like mackerel, jacks and “bonita” cash in on this food source in anticipation of the upcoming cooler weather. Resident species as well such as bluefish, redfish and seatrout, take advantage of these small baitfish too.
58 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Anglers can master the situation by catching some of these baitfish to entice a predator fish to bite. Usually plenty of bait can be gathered using cast nets, ribbon rigs or small sabiki rigs. Especially if the angler has a 5 gallon bucket with an aerator to keep the water oxygenated and the baitfish alive. The baits can be hooked on a small treble or long shank single hook (like a #4 Tru-Turn) and cast out on medium sized spinning tackle in the 8 to 12 pound range. With an abundance of mackerel and bluefish around at times, anglers often add a short light wire or heavy monofilament leader to protect from cut-offs. Artificial lures that imitate these small baitfish (like silver spoons, jigs and plugs) often work as well, or even better than the real thing at times. The angler can cover more water with a lure, and not spend valuable fishing time trying to gather bait. To each their own though, but there should be plenty of fish for everyone. This is a great time to get the kids involved in fishing. As the many species available in abundance will help hold their attention and increase their angling skills. In fact a couple
FISHING OUTLOOK of kid’s pier fishing tournaments are offered along the Emerald Coast in the early fall. Navarre Beach Pier, FL offers their “Take A Kid Fishing Day” October 3rd. And the Gulf State Park Fishing And Education Pier in Gulf Shores, AL will host the 2nd Annual “Salty Kidz” Rodeo. These events provide the youngsters much needed tackle, tips and advice from experienced anglers willing to share their knowledge and time. And they are FREE! FALL PIER FISHING FRIENDS When the weather allows coastal waters to be fairly calm and clear, the fishing action can often be spectacular. The list of species available for anglers to catch from the pier is extraordinary. And numbers of fish around the pier often exceed the number of anglers available to catch them. This makes for memorable times that for decades have lured resident and visiting fishermen to return to the same places during this period. Over the years, lasting bonds are built between resident and non-resident fisher-folk who share common experiences. Anglers often trade tales of past ‘glory’ days when fishing was perhaps even better than now.
LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL OPTIONS Every from-shore angler dreams of that ‘perfect’ fall day from the pier or beach or jetty when the weather and water are clear and calm and “fishing” is better described as “catching”. Certainly some days will be like that this month. Though most folks are content to simply enjoy the good times, sharing their experience and catches with others. During periods of inclement weather however, anglers have to search hard to find a protected cove, jetty or pass that offers safe access to the water. Sometimes rough water or strong easterly winds can provide unique situations to anglers by bunching up baitfish along lee shorelines, piers, jetties or seawalls. And if predatory gamefish like bluefish, ladyfish, redfish, and mackerel find them, then it is “game on”! These are the spots and situations that often make from-shore anglers “clam up”. So keep your eyes and ears open.
Every gulf beach pier hosts anglers who primarily target king mackerel, others pompano, some just like flounder or spanish mackerel, and some “whatever is biting” will do. But the Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores is unique to these other Emerald Coast piers because of its vibrant speckled trout fishery. Every year some really nice speckled trout are landed from this pier. Usually by sight casting live shrimp or small “LYs’’ to small schools of trout roaming in the ‘shallows’. Also, some trout are caught at night around the lights hung under the pier. It is a dedicated group that routinely fish for trout on this pier.
Fortunately, the weather is usually hospitable for good fishing much of the month. And most days when the surf is less than 3 feet fishermen can see plenty of action. September surf zone anglers can expect to see increasing numbers of slot-size redfish and black drum along with good numbers of bluefish, ladyfish, blue runners and PLENTY of juvenile jack crevalle. Baby jacks are the predominant species in the surf zone this month. They will bite a variety of live and dead baits and most any small artificial lure that looks edible. They can give light and ultralight tackle anglers all they bargained for, by providing hours of practically endless fun. Though they usually weigh less than a pound, they have the same never-give-up fighting attitude of their brawnier predecessors. They are a great target species for fly fishing anglers too, as they often run close to shore.
The planned reopening of the GSPPier sometime in late August will weigh heavily on how much fall fishing anglers get to enjoy this September. Of course Mother Nature has the final say on when fishing from all the piers and from the beaches will be good. Extremely rough water and strong winds just don’t bode well with shorebound fishing, unless you like catfish.
Barring bad weather (Good Lord willing), September always brings such a large variety of fish catching opportunities to shore-bound anglers it’s often difficult to decide what fish to target and where to try. But no matter where, when, how or why you go about it, some of the best late summer and early fall fishing awaits those who enjoy their great days outdoors!
DIVISION OF CLUTCH PRODUCTS INC.
& POWERTRAIN
Time to Get Your 4x4 Ready for Hunting Season Cables · Transmission Parts · Ring & Pinions, Axles · 4X4 Drive Shafts & Differentials Custom Built Control Cables · Complete 4WD Services · All Types of Parts Specializing in Agricultural Clutches and Drive Shafts
www.clutchproducts.com
OUR LOCATION 1159 South Broad St. MOBILE, AL 36603 1-800-239-2191
251-433-3696 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 59
REGIONAL FRESHWATER Fishing Outlook BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
September is a fine time for folks to get on the water and after the fish.
60 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING OUTLOOK
ALABAMA WATERS
LAKE WEISS Bass fishing at Lake Weiss in September will start the annual fall transition and bass anglers can find good fish in a wide range of locations. Some bass will still be found on deeper ledges in the main boy and river channels, but a lot of bass will follow bait up into shallow water.
Anglers will not want to concentrate totally on the grass at this time because there will still be plenty of good bass holding on deep ledges.
Captain Lee Pitts has spent the last 15 years connecting fishermen with crappie and bass.
Crappie will be on open water trash piles where they will respond well to vertical jigging.
“I love a Talon spinner bait in shad pattern with gold willow leaf spinners. I have good luck in September with a Gene Larue Bifflebug in Okeechobee Craw and green pumpkin colors. A Larue Tattletail worm rigged on a shaky head is also very good at this time,” Pitts said.
Catfish are always good at Eufaula, and jug fishing in September is a very good way to gather up the main course of a fish fry. Cut bait, especially shad, is best at this time.
“In September we usually have good luck using vertical presentations for crappie on Lake Weiss. We either lower live minnows or use jigs over deeper brush piles in 12 to 18 feet of water.”
Bream anglers will do well fishing around lily pads with live bait for some hot bluegill and shell cracker action in September.
MOBILE DELTA Crankbaits in shad and crawfish patterns on the major rivers are very good for bass at this time. Moving water, either incoming or outgoing tides, are important. The fish can be lethargic in slack tide periods.
Pitts pointed out that as September moves along, the crappie will move to deeper boat docks in the mouths of creeks. This movement produces some fine dock shooting with jigs far up under the shaded parts of docks.
“Typically we get a saltwater infusion up in the Delta in September. The salinity can go out of sight from the Causeway up to I-65,” says Captain Wayne Miller from the Mobile-Tensaw Guide Service.
Pitts recommends that Yellow Creek and Bay Springs areas of Weiss Lake for early fall fishing because both of these areas have deeper feeder sloughs with lots of cover that the crappie like.
“This brings schools of baitfish and shrimp into the rivers of the Delta. The fishing can be fantastic, but if something breaks the pattern, fishing can be tough,” he added.
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE Both milfoil and hydrilla weed mats next to the river channel will be prime places to find big bass in September. Early fall on Lake Guntersville means topwater fishing over the weed mats. Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service tells us that the bass will be all up and down the entire lake at this time, and where there is grass, there will be bass. Davis recommends that anglers looking for the best bass should use their ears. “ Listen for ‘Rice-Krispie’ popping sounds coming from the weeds. That’s shad and bream feeding in the grass. The bass will be in there feeding on the shad and bream. If there’s no snapping, find another weed bed,” Davis said. Davis likes a Missile Bait D-Bomb in Super Bug colors for punching through the grass mats. For the famous top water frog bite on Guntersville in September, Davis likes a Pro-Z Frog in Scooby-Doo color. This lure fished on a start and stop retrieve will produce some heart stopping strikes at this time.
Bass on the Delta are still in deepwater summer pattern. For best fishing results in September, consult the tide charts printed in Great Days Outdoors to determine when the tides will be moving best. The topwater bite on the Delta picks up when the shrimp migrate. There will be lots of shrimp moving. Soft plastics and especially 1/8 to 1/4 oz white buss baits can be very effective, and mid to late September fishing just gets better. MILLER’S FERRY Over at Dunn’s Sports, Joe Dunn tells us that anglers may have to do some searching to find the best concentrations of fish. For crappie, Dunn advises anglers to look out in the main river channels where deep sunken timber and treetops will be holding some good schools of crappie this month. To catch the better crappie, drop live minnows down to reach the fish over the treetops. Remember to keep the minnows just above the holding crappie, the big ones don’t like to move down to reach a bait, but they will move upwards to eat.
Bass anglers should start shallow with the top water fishing and work out as the day warms.
Trolling jigs and minnow-tipped jigs can be very productive for Miller’s Ferry fall crappie, and as the month moves on, crappie chasers can focus their search on deeper slough mouths where they meet the main lake body. These crappie will be suspending in open water waiting for schools of shad to show up.
LAKE EUFAULA Big old Lake Eufaual is a good place for anglers to visit to find some hot bass fishing. Acccording to Hawks Fishing Guide Service Captain Sam Williams, “The biggest bass will be deep in the weeds.”
Bass anglers will still want to concentrate their efforts out in the deeper ledges along the main river channels. Of course, when the water in the lake is moving from water being pulled through the dam is best for bass fishing.
Anglers will have good luck punching through the grass with heavy jigs. Williams recommends the Big Bite Yo Momma and Yo Daddy jigs in hematoma color pattern.
Big spinner baits worked on the deeper ledges can be very effective here in September. Shad patterns are best since everything will be feeding on the shad.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 61
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
Catfish will be good. Use cut shad on tight lines and try live bream for some really big trophy sized cats here in September. SIPSEY FORK September is a great time for float trips on the Sipsey Fork. Riverside Fly Shop can set up trips for anglers. As the anglers move downstream, hopper patterns and streamers are very good. In addition to the stocked rainbow trout, anglers can expect to encounter some big pickerel in September. Brandon Jackson at the Riverside Fly shop sets up trips for anglers and says that in September, usually the temperatures start to cool and the grasshoppers start to fall into the river where the trout gobble them up. A very good fly combination at this time is a hopper pattern on the surface with a dropper fly in a midge pattern. Sow bugs flies can also be very effective in September. If the September weather stays warm, sinking ant patterns can be good. Anglers will need to keep in mind that stocking of trout goes on year-round in Sipsey Fork, so there are always trout to be caught. Various size trout are stocked from ten to twelve inches fish up to fifteen and sixteen inches. The much larger holdover trout which have survived from the previous year’s stockings will move up toward the dam later in the fall. Jackson reminds trout anglers that September is a good time to think about obtaining a new pair of waders since the water will be getting even colder. WILSON LAKE September is the official start of the fall fishing season on the Tennessee River lakes even though two-thirds of the month is still summer. Cooler water temps and shorter days initiate the fall bite. Veteran fishing guide Captain Brian Barton says,” For trophy catfish, the deep waters of Wilson Lake are your best bet. Begin your search from the mouth of Shoals Creek to Wilson Dam on the north side of the lake. Look for fish in 56 to 90 feet of water on the river channel ledge and submerged islands and canal system,” Barton points out that the trophy catfish bite starts in September on the big northwest Alabama Tennessee River lakes, and this is especially true on Wilson Lake. The big cats feed more during the day as fall starts, and the lower portions of Wilson Lake will be very good for the biggest catfish.
hybrids will be chasing shad, and they’ll be schooling in September, so look for birds working bait. “There ought to be some good crappie fishing, some excellent bass fishing, and some pretty good hybrid and white bass fishing on Lake Seminole this month.”says fishing guide Captain Jody Wells. Bass will be good on topwater lures and frogs are very good, both early and late. Try frogs in dark colors for best results. Crappie anglers will find good success in September using minnows or jigswhichever they prefer. Deep water from 20 to 25 feet deep is a good depth to start looking for crappie. They often suspend at the 16 foot level. Wells believes that the most important element for fall crappie fishing is to fish over tree tops. Find the tree tops and the crappie will be close. APALACHICOLA RIVER SYSTEM Tony Poloronis of Outcaster’s Bait and Tackle in Apalachicola says that bream will probably be off the beds now and will be scattered in deeper water holding close to structure. Live baits such as crickets, worms, and small shrimp if they can be found will work. Bass will be in all of the regular late summer places. Look for them on ledges and drop offs in the main river and up the larger feeder streams. Soft plastics will work well, and there is usually a good early and late topwater place in sloughs and bayous off the main river. Stripers and hybrids will be showing up in the main river as the water temperatures start to cool toward the end of the month. Fishing live bait such as shrimp and minnows downstream from the train trestle can produce good
, g n i t n u H , e s Defen l a c i t c a T , g n i t Shoo
The very best times for fishing Wilson Lake for big catfish will be when the dam is generating and moving a lot of water through the lake. September means the superior smallmouth bass bite will start up for the fall, and anglers can expect some hot brown bass fishing, especially below Wheeler Dam. For the biggest smallmouths, anglers should drift live shad as close to the bottom in the fast water as possible. Look for ledges and humps in the fast water which will break the current and give the big smallmouths places to hold out of the current. “White bass will be easy pickings this month. Like other fish, they will be gorging themselves on yearling shad fattening up for the winter, the tailrace will be your best option. Live shad, spoons, spinners, and sabiki rigs will all catch plenty of stripes,” Barton said.
AR’s purpose built to suit your needs Building purpose driven firearms for what you want to do. Small family owned modern sporting rifle manufacturer.
FLORIDA WATERS
LAKE SEMINOLE For some hot white bass and hybrid bass action, anglers should look over the sandbars in the main lake which are 10 to 15 feet deep. The whites and
62 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
850-832-2238
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
Bass fishing with poppers on a fly rod is a lot of fun.
Important Contact Information Capt. Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com www.brianbartonoutdoors.com Capt Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www.midsouthbassguide.com Capt. Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com Capt. Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com Jeff DuBree Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge Lake Talquin 850-875-2605 Fishtalquin@gmail.com stripers in the fall. Of course, catfish will still be good in the river system. Fish live bait and chucks of shad in fairly deep water for good September catfish. LAKE TALQUIN The bass will start schooling on Lake Talquin in September in open water, so a shad-look lure that can be cast a long way to reach the schooling fish is good. Mann’s Little Georges and Rat’L’Traps are both good for this kind of long distance fishing. Jeff DuBree from the Whippoorwill Sportsman’s Lodge on Lake Talquin says that the weather will still be hot in September, so anglers should work ledges on the main river channel. Try deep running crankbaits, shakeyhead worms bounced on the bottom, and soft plastics on heavy jigs for best bass fishing. Some big bass will be caught around lighted docks at night. Stripers will still be in cooler water up creeks where springs feed into the lake. White bucktails jigs in 4 to 6 feet of water will work. Bream will be scattered around the lake, but fishing around deeper docks is always a good technique for September bream. Catfish will still be biting well in deeper water on live bait and chunks of shad.
Jody Wells Lake Seminole 850-209-2420 Brandon Jackson Riverside Fly shop 17027 Hwy 69N Jasper, Al 256-287-9582 riversideflyshop.com Tony Poloronis Outcaster’s Bait and Tackle 631 Hwy 98, Apalachicola, FL 850-653-4665 Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Highway 43 Thomasville, Alabama Capt. Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Guide Service 251-455-7404
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 63
MOON & FEED TIMES
64 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
ALABAMA TIDE CHARTS
t
FLEXIBLE — The entire lineup of 4.2-liter V6 four strokes—from the F225 and F250 up to the mighty F300—is now available with either mechanical or digital controls, for ease of repower
t
LIGHTER — At 562 pounds (digital) and 551 pounds (mechanical), they’re up to 73 pounds lighter than other four strokes in their class
t
POWER
Yamaha’s award-winning 4.2-liter V6 four strokes set the standard for offshore performance. Not only do they feature class-leading 4.2-liter displacement, but they’re also:
FASTER — Up to 19 percent faster than other 300-hp competitors, planing offshore boats with ease*
t
BIG-BLOCK DIGITAL & MECHANICAL RIGGING MEET
SMARTER — Up to 17 percent better fuel economy, at cruise RPM, than comparable outboards*
Learn more about the powerful performance of our 4.2-liter V6 Offshore F300, F250 and F225 at YamahaOutboards.com/V6offshore.
GIVE US A CALL OR STOP BY TODAY TO GET A QUOTE ON REPOWERING YOUR BOAT
*Testing conducted by Yamaha at Yamaha’s test facility on a Grady-White® 257 Advance/300 hp, with each boat rigged for maximum performance. REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear. © 2017 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. 1-800-88-YAMAHA
116 E. I-65 Service Road N. Mobile, AL 36607 Phone: 251-476-2699 www.bluewateryachtsales.net 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 65
FLORIDA TIDE CHARTS
66 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
MISSISSIPPI TIDE CHARTS
Share highlights from your great days outdoors with us! info@GreatDaysOutdoors.com
FISHING
REPORT ALABAMA SALTWATER
DO YOU WANT THE AlABAMA SALTWATER FISHING REPORT 24/7 AND AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON?
Check it out at www.alabamasaltwaterfishingreport.libsyn.com
New Podcast Every Thursday
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 67
Pensacola Motorsports
TROPHY
Alan Davis took his first buck, a 7 pt from 175 yards in Mossy Head, Fl.
You didn’t see it coming. Neither did the fish.
ROOM
Chris Head and friends with their yellowfin tuna
GET FEATURED IN OUR ISSUES OF GREAT DAYS OUTDOORS WHEN YOU
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
Introducing the all-new FISH PRO™ The world’s first personal watercraft designed for fishing will bring you closer to the action for an experience like never before.
IT'S EASY TO ENTER POST:
Discover yours at our dealership
Pensacola Motorsports
To Facebook @GreatDaysOutdoors
618 N New Warrington Rd. Pensacola, FL 32506 (850)456-6655
©2018 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Some models depicted may include optional equipment. Carefully read the operator’s guide and safety instructions. Observe applicable laws and regulations. Always wear appropriate protective clothing, including a personal flotation device and wetsuit bottoms. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. See your authorized BRP dealer for details.
Sea-Doo.com
Photo of the Month! Simply share your great day outdoors with us!
[ OR ]
EMAIL: info@GreatDaysOutdoors.com
When Submitting Trophy Room photos, be sure to include as much information as possible about the person and the trophy. Final Decision is made by the editorial Staff of Great Days Outdoors Magazine. Submitting a photo does not guarantee it will be published.
PHOTO of the MONTH Peter Antosh with his 23lb red snapper caught in the Gulf
Allison Alred with her red snapper caught in Gulf Shores
Kyle Rabren with his Red and Black Snappers caught in Orange Beach
KID'S CORNER
TROPHY ROOM 1
ST
Bass
Jack Taylor, 12, with his tiger bass
Sidney Bowman, 14, caught this alligator gar in Daphne.
Grayson James, 7, caught his first ever bass on Father’s Day weekend on Perdido Bay
T.J. Horton, was 9 when he caught a monster 57-1/2” #50 King Mackerel July 2019
Ann Claire McMillian, queen of the snapper
1
ST
Buck
Huck Smeraglia, 10 with his big bass.
Savannah Williams, 11, of Elberta , AL first kill. 7 point taken in Brantley, AL
Give us your best shot!
Send your submission to info@greatdaysoutdoors.com. Submitting a photo does not guarantee that it will be published. We cannot give any guarantees on when a photo will be published. Please include: child's full name, age, mailing address, and any details. We need to know when, where, size (weight, points, etc.), shot or caught with what and any other meaningful information, like first time, etc.. CONTRIBUTIONS WITHOUT THIS INFO WON’T BE PUBLISHED.
Advertiser Index A-Team Fishing Adventures . . . . . . . . . . 3 Alabama AG Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Alabama Farmers CO-OP . . . . . . . . 41-42 Alabama Liquid Fertilizer . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Bay County Amory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Bay Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Bluewater Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Buck’s Island Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Camper City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 CCA Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Clutch Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Coast Safe & Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Deep South Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Dixie Building Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Call Today! 877-314-1237 This space could be yours
Fiber Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 First South Farm Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Fishbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
WITHOUT ADVERTISING A TERRIBLE THING HAPPENS ...
Geico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 GS/OB Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NOTHING!
Hilton’s Offshore Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Hog Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Hydraulic Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Killer Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 MDH Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Midway Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 National Land Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Paradise Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pensacola Motor Sports . . . . . . . . . 68-69 QDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Slick Lure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Southeastern Pond Management . . . . . . 7
Ever wish that handling your advertising was a little less time-consuming? Discover how Great Days Outdoors Media can make that happen. We can help you skyrocket your traffic and increase your revenue. Whether it’s through print, digital, podcast, or design we will create a campaign to meet your needs.
Test Calibration Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 War Eagle Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Wildlife Management Solutions . . . . . . . . . 29
72 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Call today! 877-314-1237 or email us at samhester@greatdaysoutdoors.com
FISHING TIP
FALL LAKE BY CAPTAIN BRIAN BARTON
Striper TACTICS
September marks the very beginning of the fall striper season. The latter part of the month will be best. If you are fishing lake Pickwick or Wilson, start your search below the dams. Early in the month your best bet is topwater baits cast along current seams at daylight and late evening. When fishing below the dams always try to coordinate your fishing times during periods of peak water generation. Without current it’s very tough, especially when using artificial lures. Same tactics for anyone targeting stripers in the mid lake or lower lake regions. away from the dams, the best areas will be long tapering points with gravel bottoms. If vegetation is present that’s all the better. In mid to late month, your best option will be live bait, 4-5-inch gizzard or threadfin shad drifted in the tailrace. Use a slip float or adjust your weight to keep bait drifting 2-3 feet off the bottom. Later in the month some fish will stage in the mouth of creeks, gorging on the shad schools that reside there and swimbaits can be very effective on these fish if live bait is not available. When picking colors, pearl or smoke/pearl are usually best. If the water has color to it, try blue/ white. If the water is really dirty try chartreuse. A good tip when striper fishing with plastics, is to spray your lure with some type of oily scent. It doesn’t really matter if it’s shad, garlic or any other odor, stripers just seem to prefer an oily based lure. And, as always, follow the bait. Wherever you see large sized shad in schools, the stripers won’t be far away. For guided trips for stripers, smallmouth bass or catfish contact: Captain Brian Barton brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com. www.brianbartonoutdoors.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // SEPTEMBER 2020 73
A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
Designing the Perfect Hunting Camp turn around make poor members anyway and the cars that get stuck just keep the road from washing out. Any cars permanently abandoned make great stands in inclement weather. Think about it. How many stands have you hunted from that have a radio, a heater, and windshield wipers? BY JIM MIZE
Hunting camps are like underwear; the most comfortable ones are old, worn, and not much to look at. The biggest difference is that you don’t share both with your friends. Usually. Like worn underwear, however, great hunting camps take time to develop. If you’re starting from scratch, you have to think about a number of factors. For instance, consider the location. The ideal hunting camp is so remote you have to be lost to find it. But this makes locating the camp near a landmark, such as a large mountain, beneficial. The peak serves as a beacon, preventing members from becoming disoriented, or at least making them ask when lost, “Why’s that big mountain over there?” Another nice feature in locating a hunting camp is a creek. A babbling stream can soothe the weary into a deep sleep, or for some, put suggestions in their subconscious that keeps them from drinking much before bedtime. A fish pond on the premises can be a big plus as well. There’s nothing like a good mess of fish to put the crew in good spirits. In the event your group tends to fish like they shoot, you might want to consider keeping handy a supply of fish sticks. To add color to your camp, instead of a creek consider substituting a swamp. You’ll find that hunters who have mosquitoes to complain about tend to gripe less about your cooking. Especially if it is fish sticks. The approach to your camp can be just as important as its location. Camp roads should be challenging. There’s no better initiation rite than to have a new member drive the family car to the lodge. Those who
Once you pick your site, the next step is to design the lodge. Camp lodges take all sorts of shapes. I once stayed in a hunting lodge that had been left behind by the Civilian Conservation Corps, probably because it was run down seventy years ago. On second thought, it might not have been abandoned. Judging by the ages of our members, I don’t know whether the workers left or just joined our club.
For heat, they had a wood stove modeled after the club president . . . it was a potbelly. The lodge itself was a Quonset hut, which in reality is nothing more than a culvert cut in half and placed curved side up. Either that or they just buried the bottom half. It makes no sense to construct a mansion out in the middle of nowhere. I mean, who wants to be in charge of telling hunters to wipe their feet and not to spit on the floor. The place should be simple, with few amenities beyond walls and a roof. In my book, running water is a creek. Another club I visited had a lodge made of logs. They used to have quite a few drafts, but then they adopted the custom of clipping shirttails on missed shots and nailing them to the walls. They still had drafts, not between the logs, but just above the seats of their pants. For heat, they had a wood stove modeled after the club president . . . it was a potbelly. Most clubs have at least one prankster. These guys loosen the lids on salt shakers, superglue the loose end of the toilet paper roll, or
74 SEPTEMBER 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
liven up the sleeping quarters with roadkill. At some clubs, these guys are easy to identify. They’re the ones tied to a locust tree out front. Shooting skills at most clubs are optional, but the ideal is for everyone to be average. Otherwise, those who shoot poorly dampen the overall image of the club and those who shoot well put excess pressure on the remainder. In the perfect hunting club, none of the members would snore. The next best thing, however, is that none of them hear well. The culture of a camp can take years to develop. You can’t just invent camp culture by putting up a building. Ideally, you’d start with a plantation home, spared from British troops by a final stand of the brave women left at home while the men were off to war. Or in a real pinch, you can use a Winnebago won in a poker game. Camps should run themselves without rules. Not that every member has his own way, but every member behaves in a fashion suitable for all. Occasionally, someone who gets a little uppity may need to wake up with a dead possum. These sorts of events have a restorative effect, even though you get tied to the locust tree out front. Card games frequently erupt at the lodge, but it pays to be careful with betting in a hunt camp. The old rule of thumb is that you never bet more than you can afford to lose, but if you do, lose it to someone who owes you money. All in all, you may grow to like your hunting camp so much you wished it was home. And if you stay there too much, you may discover that your spouse just chucked all your belongings out the window and your wish came true.
JIM MIZE considers himself the perfect hunting camp member since he is an average shot and has experience being tied to locust trees. You can find his award-winning books of humor at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.
Tougher Than ALL Other Scented Lures! Powered by Fishbites Flavor/Scent Technology! Lasts Fight After Fight Fish After Fish 3.5” Fight’n Shrimp
4” Butt Kicker
5” Dirty Boxer
A NEW FLAVOR/SCENTED LURE BROUGHT TO YOU BY -
Made with pride in the USA!
5” Brawler Jerk Bait
IN STORES NOW!
fishbites.com
/fishbites
@csbfishbites
#setthehook
Unforgettable Adventures.
Feel-Good Savings. Get boat insurance serviced by the experts. Contact me today.
251-445-0053 3766 Airport Boulevard | Mobile geico.com/mobile-al
Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. Boat and PWC coverages are underwritten by GEICO Marine Insurance Company. In the state of CA, program provided through Boat Association Insurance Services, license #0H87086. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, DC 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. Š 2019 GEICO