Great Days Outdoors - March 2019

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6940A HIGHWAY 59 | GULF SHORES, AL 36542 HWY 59 @ COUNTY RD. 8 Gimme Six Extended Protection promo is applicable to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 01/01/19 and 03/31/19 in accordance with the promo-tion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. Customer should expect to receive an acknowledgement letter and full copy of contract including terms, conditions and wallet card from Suzuki Extended Protection within 90 days of purchase. If an acknowledgement letter is not received in time period stated, contact Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. – Marine Marketing via email: marinepromo@suz.com. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings apply to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 01/01/19 and 03/31/19. For list of designated models, see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. (Suzuki will, in turn, credit Dealer’s parts account.) There are no model substitutions, benefit substitutions, rain checks, or extensions. Suzuki reserves the right to change or cancel these promotions at any time without notice or obligation. * Financing offers available through Synchrony Retail Finance. As low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new and unregistered Suzuki Outboard Motors. Subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. $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 01/01/19 and 03/31/19. “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. © 2019 Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

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HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE

23

FEATURES 8 15

8

HOW TO HUNT TURKEYS BASICS FOR BEGINNERS

By John E. Phillips ARTIFICIAL SHRIMP LURES- WHEN TO GO SCENTED

By Ed Mashburn

18 23

TURKEY HUNTING IN THE RAIN

By Charles Johnson

28

THE ATV UTILITY TRAILER FOR HUNTING AND HOME

By Stephanie Mallory

FAMILY FUN THE GULF COAST FISHING RODEO

By Ed Mashburn

IN EVERY ISSUE

44

Bets 6 Best

by William Kendy

46

34

New Gear for Outdoorsmen

by Great Days Outdoors Staff

36

The Gun Rack Wind Drift - The Hunter’s Nemesis

38

14

From the Commissioner Alabama’s Unparrelled Artificial Reef Program Gets Even Better

40

Hunting Heritage Hunting on the Cover of Life

42

From the Director Unneccessary Risks - Don’t Take Them!

44

Paddle Fishing Bass In Smaller Waters

by Ed Mashburn

46 Camphouse Kitchen

by Hank Shaw

FISHING OUTLOOKS 52

Pier and Shore

by David Thornton

54

Gulf Coast

by Mike Thompson

56

Regional Freshwater

by Alex Granpere

60

Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts

64

Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room

66 68 69 70

4 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Great Days Kids Corner Classifieds & Fishin' Guides Fishing Tips

by Capt. Philip Criss The Turkey Chainsaw Massacre

by Jim Mize

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

PROPERTY PHOTO HERE

Uniontown High Fenced Investment Perry County, Alabama, 604.33 +/-Acres PROPERTY TEXT HERE This personal hunting tract and timber investment is located on County Road 65 in Uniontown,

Frisco City Farm House and Weekend Retreat Monroe County, Alabama, 60 +/-Acres PROPERTY TEXT HERE This scenic farm near Frisco City has it all: A renovated farm house overlooking a large ag field,

AL; 29 minutes from Demopolis, 40 minutes from historical Selma, and about an hour and 30 minutes from Montgomery. This property features timber and hardwoods, well managed and stocked lakes, and a beautiful completely furnished lodge on level topography. The high-fenced is stocked with world class northern and native deer and the lakes are stocked with bass, bream and crappie. Additional features of this tract are the large food plots planted with corn and soybeans, abundant county road frontage, great internal road system, and a shop with all the equipment one would need to operate the farm. The property has electricity, water, septic, natural gas, and phone. This is a turn key opportunity ready for its new owner!

Alabama Listings COUNTY Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Barbour Bibb Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Butler Butler

ACRES 535 317.65 116 47.5 10 1995 546 492 116 60 704 346 200 179 111 98.6 30 84 50 5.46 3.76 2.02 106 48.6 395 54

Butler Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun Chilton Chilton Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clay Clay Clay Clay Clay Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Coffee Coffee

10 102 100 26.91 12.34 3.5 636 221 107 25 19.37 526 220 210 54 49 160 117 80 42 40 80 57 56.48 254 6

COUNTY Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa Coosa Covington Crenshaw Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore

ACRES 158 156 40 36 25 85 10 6.29 440 151 100 62 45 43 270 134 876.25 289 175 340 600 463.54 205 184 140 2000

Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia Escambia Escambia Escambia Etowah Etowah Etowah Etowah Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Greene

264 213 90 50 671.6 79 40 27 275 167.3 57 55 260 232 160 155 133 608 563 552 250 118 2291 90 1 0.72

COUNTY Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Henry Henry Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lamar Lauderdale Lauderdale Lauderdale Lawrence Limestone Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes

timberland, fantastic hunting and a live stream. The 3BR 1BA farm house sits inside a pecan and fruit orchard, has covered front and rear porches, den with fireplace, dining room, and heart pine floors. It was renovated in 2018 with new HVAC system with hard pipe duct work under the house, completely rewired with varmint proof metal coded wire, new light switches and receptacles, new carpet in the bedrooms, blown insulation in the attic and walls, 1� meter and new PVC waterline, and new hot water heater in 2017. It has public utilities, trash pickup, and a well that’s never been used. While only a few minutes from the shopping and churches of Frisco City, the property is isolated enough to have all the privacy desired of a rural farm.

ACRES 186 114 96 92 88 200 104.5 400 94 87 62 47 373 255 220 104 92 76 60 30 120 1.36 1181 790 783 656

Lowndes Macon Madison Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery

567 930 100 772 163 125 100 387 325 120 94 60 1800 260 249 200 192 790 378.49 271.5 129 67 623 430 399 314

COUNTY ACRES Montgomery 275 Morgan 150 Morgan 41 Perry 604.33 Perry 386 Perry 200 Perry 189 Perry 140 Pickens 837 Pickens 513 Pickens 450 Pickens 430 Pickens 150 Pike 352.8 Randolph 407 Randolph 329 Randolph 78 Randolph 60 Randolph 52.4 Russell 1403 Russell 711.35 Russell 692.31 Saint Clair 296 Saint Clair 100 Saint Clair 68.13 Saint Clair 40

Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Talladega Tallapoosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa

29 458 253 163.82 43.56 42.5 740 350 213 188 75 1314 1015 882 723.5 95 46 300 163 153

COUNTY ACRES Tuscaloosa 144 Tuscaloosa 128 233 Walker 65 Walker Washington 1287.41 Washington 1261 Washington 480 Washington 313 Washington 240 2365 Wilcox 25 Wilcox 2.5 Wilcox 1.5 Wilcox 0.5 Wilcox 279 Winston 84 Winston 2.31 Winston 0.99 Winston 0.5 Winston

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 5

BEST BETS

BEST BETS FOR MARCH These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month!

VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3 MARCH 2019

BY WILLIAM KENDY

FISHING THE LOUISIANA LUMP

For a world class Gulf fishing adventure for yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, amberjacks, wahoo and other fish schedule a trip to the “Midnight Lump” approximately 21 miles South of the mouth of the Mississippi River off the coast of Louisiana.

The Midnight Lump is an underwater dome comprised of a series of truncated salt cones, drowned coral reels, rock ledges and debris. The Gulf currents push bait fish against and over the lumps, concentrating them in a virtual “buffet” feast for running game fish between December through March.

“Fishing the Midnight Lump means chumming and you need to make sure that you hide and position your hook in your bait so it falls like the rest of the chum looks and acts as natural as possible,” says Captain Skippy Thierry of the Escape out of Dauphin Island, Alabama.

LAKE EUFAULA BASS

March on Lake Eufaula is all about bass fishing and, specifically about pre-spawning or spawning bass that will be bulking up by feeding on shad and crayfish.

Captain Sam Williams from Hawk’s Fishing Guide advises angler to work the shallows, flats and rocky areas, throwing jigs and crankbaits that match the size of the shad and reddish crawfish imitations. He also says that if the water is dirty the vibration from spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and especially chatterbaits will prompt strikes.

Williams reminds fisherman not to overlook areas with aquatic vegetation like hydrilla and pads that provide cover and attract baitfish.

PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bill Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann OFFICE MANAGER: Lisa Williams MARKETING COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST: Abby Scioneaux ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester

CONTRIBUTING FREELANCE WRITERS: Chris Blankenship Daryl Bell Alex Granpere Craig Haney Charles Johnson Ed Mashburn Doug Max Greg McCain

John E. Phillips Corky Pugh Chuck Sykes Mike Thompson David Thornton Jim Barta Jim Mize Deneshia Larson

Patrick Garmeson Hank Shaw Joe Baya Don Green Babe Winkelman Bobby Abruscato J. Wayne Fears

Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at 951 Government Street B, Mobile, AL 36604. Subscription rate is $24 for one-year, $40 for two-years, and $55 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stapleton, Ala. and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors 951 Government Street B, Mobile, AL 36604 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment 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 | Accounting@GreatDaysOutdoors.com

GOODBYE VENISON...HELLO PORK

While mid-February in Alabama means the end of deer season that isn’t a reason to hang up your .30-.30, .308 or even .223 and stop hunting. March is a good time to harvest hogs.

Feral hogs occur in all of Alabama’s 67 counties destroying crops and habitat and, are fair game year round on private land, WMAs and public land. There is no bag limit on hogs, baiting is legal and night time hunting is allowed on private property under special permit. For more information online at: https://www. outdooralabama.com/ If you are a night owl and want to learn the nighttime hunting ropes see Rhett Hooper’s article “Wild Hog Hunting: How to Hunt Hogs at Night” at https:// greatdaysoutdoors.com/author/rhett-hooper/ 6 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Great Days Outdoors Media c/o Container Yard 951 Government Street B, Mobile, AL 36604 877. 314. 1237 info@GreatDaysOutdoors.com www.GreatDaysOutdoors.com All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.

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How to Hunt

Turkeys Basics for Beginners

BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS Photos by John E. Phillips

You can learn to hunt turkeys successfully.

Once considered a mystic art practiced only by the very best woodsmen in the nation, turkey hunting in the early 1950s and 1960s involved sportsmen who rarely shared their hunting skills or knowledge of turkeys with other hunters.

These hush-mouthed outdoorsmen knew the magic of turkey hunting and kept it close to their vests, sharing their love and tactics of the sport only with family members and a few close friends. But today, almost anyone can learn to hunt turkeys by watching turkey-hunting videos, outdoor TV shows and YouTube videos, attending turkey-hunting seminars and reading internet blogs and books on turkeys and turkey hunting.

I told Jones, “Purchase a pushbutton turkey call, the easiest, simplest yet one of the best calls for turkeys. All you have to do is: use your index finger to push the dial on the call to make it purr; pat the dial with your open hand to make it cluck; and push the rod back and forth with your index finger three times to make a yelp. Those three calls will get you started.

BILL JONES’S FIRST AND LAST TURKEY HUNT Bill Jones came into my taxidermy shop back in the 1970s (when I still was doing taxidermy) and announced, “I want to go turkey hunting for the first time. What do I need to know, and what do I need to get?”

I showed Jones pictures of turkey sign. I recommended he sit next to a tree bigger than his shoulders, while wearing a camo shirt and pants, hat and facemask. “Then listen for a tom to gobble and for turkey hens to yelp back. Cluck, and purr on your pushbutton box call a couple of times, put the call up, and wait. You may see the hens first but wait and expect the

8 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

“Then travel to where you plan to hunt. If you don’t have a place to hunt, go to a WMA. Walk the logging roads, listen for turkeys to gobble, and look for turkey droppings, scratchings and turkey feathers and tracks.”

HUNTING

The best way for a beginner to learn to turkey hunt is to go with a seasoned veteran turkey hunter and let him or her teach you the sport.

gobbler to come behind them. Allow the gobbler to get to within 30 yards of you, aim the bead of your shotgun at the turkey’s wattles where they meet the feathers on the turkey’s neck, and squeeze the trigger.”

On the first day of turkey season, Jones showed up at my shop about 10:00 am with a giant gobbler. I was much more excited than Jones was about his tom. When I asked him to tell me about his hunt, he replied, “I did everything you told me to do. I heard the tom gobble and hens calling back to him. However, before I began calling, I spotted something coming down the logging road toward me and soon recognized a turkey hen. She putted and clucked. Every time the tom gobbled, she’d yelp back to him. She was doing such a good job of calling that gobbler that I just let her keep on calling. In a few minutes, seven more turkey hens flew down and came up the same road, clucking and purring.

“Finally I spotted a tom strutting up the road, waited until the

gobbler couldn’t see me and got my shotgun on my knee and my cheek against the stock, aiming at the gobbler. When that bird was 26 steps from me, I squeezed the trigger. I thought my hunt was rather boring. The turkey did everything you said he’d do, and I shot him.”

I couldn’t believe what I’d heard and said, “I promise you, my friend, that that will be the easiest turkey you ever take.

Very few hunters ever have done that.”

“This hunt actually will be my last turkey hunt,” Jones explained. “I just didn’t get a thrill out of it. But I do want to get my bird mounted.”

FUNDAMENTALS FOR TAKING TURKEYS Taking a turkey in the springtime involves executing basic fundamentals like making a touchdown does. Even Super Bowl champion teams know that a game-winning touchdown results only when all the basic elements of the sport work 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 9

How to Hunt Turkeys – Basics for Beginners

together, including blocking, tackling and carrying out a specific game plan. Similarly, an effective combination of tactics may result in the taking of a turkey and probably increase your odds of bagging a bird by 40% to 50%. * Know Turkeys “I probably bagged more turkeys before I knew there was such a thing as a turkey call than I took once I discovered how to call turkeys,” says David Hale, the cocreator of Knight and Hale Game Calls in Cadiz, Kentucky.

“When my home state of Kentucky legalized turkey hunting, I only knew how to hunt the birds like I’d hunted deer, squirrels and other wild game, find where they fed and slept, locate the routes they traveled during the day and then go to those places and shoot the critters when they arrived.”

If you’ve identified where a tom roosts, the direction he flies out of the tree in the morning, the trail he follows to reach his food, the places he meets his hens, the areas he loafs in during the middle of the day and the routes he takes back to his roost tree at night, you can bag a gobbler without ever calling to him. * Learn to Read Turkey Sign After you understand what a turkey likes to do, and where he likes to do it, next you need to learn to read and interpret the sign he or she leaves in the woods. Find turkey sign to choose a place to hunt. Turkey sign has a degree of permanence. Most tracks and droppings will last until the next rain, and feathers will generally last until the next year. The woods contain a record of what the

turkeys have been doing, once you learn to see and identify it.

Go into the woods with an experienced turkey hunter. Let him show you the difference between turkey scratchings and places where squirrels have dug in the leaves for nuts. He can point out turkey tracks and probably give you reasons why a turkey has walked in that particular area. He can spot turkey droppings and teach you the difference between hen and gobbler droppings. He can show you how to tell an old scratching from a new one.

If you find a fresh track, you know the turkey shouldn’t be more than a mile away. The odds are that he’ll be much closer. If the weather has been dry for several days, and you discover a soft dropping, you know the turkey is so close he may be looking at you. * Have Basic Turkey-Hunting Equipment 1) Camo. An effective turkey hunter needs a quality suit of camouflage that matches the terrain where he’s hunting.

Consider mixing and matching your camo. Always have on hand a camouflaged headnet, hat, gloves, boots and socks as well as a lightweight, camouflage rainsuit that you can put in your daypack.

2) Miscellaneous Equipment.

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Some of the wildlife that will benefit from this highly nutritional blend are Turkey, Quail, Dove and Deer. This mix is rich in vegetation and seeds that wildlife enjoy. Southern Buck Spring and Summer Mix provides the much-needed nutrients to improve your wildlife’s health. Plant from early March thru July 15. This mix will start maturing 90 days after planting and continue until the end of October.

SOUTHERN BUCK TURKEY DELIGHT

Southern Buck Turkey Delight is a blend of grains that covers the nutritional needs of Turkey. Southern Buck Turkey Delight is a Turkey feed that provides them with the nutrients they need to produce healthy birds. Southern Buck Turkey Delight can also be used to attract the Gobbler of your choice.

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10 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

How to Hunt Turkeys – Basics for Beginners

You’ll need a turkey vest with a drop-down seat, which will increase your patience and keep you from wiggling and squirming due to fanny fatigue. Plan to shoot a three inch Magnum 12 gauge or one of the new 20 gauge Magnums and the shells that pattern best in your gun, generally No. 4, 5 or 6 size shot. You may also want to consider using a full-choke barrel and/or a choke tube designed especially for turkey hunting.

Unless you’re hunting in an area that’s loaded with turkeys, you may have to walk great distances and sit for extended periods of time. If that region has any water on it, more than likely your feet will get wet, if you don’t wear the proper footwear. When purchasing boots for turkey hunting, buy the lightest, most comfortable waterproof boots you can find, as well as a quality pair of boot socks to add to your comfort, keep your feet dry and warm and absorb some of the shock from extended walking. Purchase knee-high boots, if you’re hunting where you may encounter standing water. Wet feet make for a bad day of turkey hunting. Try to have two pairs of boots with you when you plan to hunt for more than one day to give your boots the opportunity to dry thoroughly.

A quality turkey call is required for successful turkey hunting.

The wide variety of turkey calls available all will make turkey sounds. I suggest beginning turkey hunters use the pushbutton box call that’s simple-to-operate and will make

the yelp of a wild hen as well as more sophisticated clucks, purrs and cackles. When you’re hunting in high-pressure places, the pushbutton box call often will bring in more turkeys than other calls will because so few hunters use it.

Learn also to use friction calls and wind-blown calls. On certain days, turkeys will come to specific types of calls better than they will respond to other calls. * Find an Experienced Turkey-Hunting Buddy You can learn more by spending a day in the woods with an experienced hunter than you can by hunting on your own for 3-4 years. If you can’t hunt with a buddy, buy or rent all the turkey hunting videos you can locate. Each of these videos takes you on a turkey hunt and shows you what to do, when to do it and how to do it. * Cultivate Patience When You Hunt Someone who waits 30 minutes longer than he thinks he needs to wait before he moves after calling to a turkey often will bag more birds than a hunter who leaves his stand too quickly. My 30-minute rule I adhere to is, “If a turkey’s been gobbling and coming toward me and either shuts-up or refuses to come in, I’ll sit quietly on my stand for 30 minutes longer by the watch once I decide to move.” Remember, turkeys have short legs and take small steps, so rarely will they come to you as fast as you think they will.

TM

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How to Hunt Turkeys – Basics for Beginners

If you want to learn to turkey hunt by yourself, study and learn all you can from reading and watching TV shows, go to the woods, listen to turkeys talk, scout for turkey sign, and call less than you think you should.

12 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

How to Hunt Turkeys – Basics for Beginners

* Realize You Can Make Mistakes When Hunting Turkeys and Still Be Successful Your life won’t forever change for the worst if you make a mistake while hunting gobblers. Just do your turkey-hunting homework before going into the woods, and you’ll increase your chances of bagging a bird this season.

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING TURKEY HUNTERS

When a pastime becomes a passion.

Some don’t get it, but we do.

Looking for your own place to hunt, fish, enjoy

I’ve hunted turkeys for more than 50 years and therefore consider myself somewhat of an expert, because I’ve made every mistake a hunter can make at least twice. Here’s what I’ve learned about equipment you need.

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1. Chokes. Many turkey hunters make the mistake of not deciding before they hunt how they want to play the game of turkey hunting. To take a turkey as soon as you see him, shoot a really tight, full/full shotgun choke. If you prefer to see how close you can get the tom to come to you before taking the shot, shoot a modified choke.

Or, to take a gobbler that’s 20 - 30 yards away from you, shoot a full choke.

2. Binoculars.

3. Extra, camouflaged headnet and gloves.

4. A lightweight packable rain suit.

5. Insect repellant.

6. A small, lightweight, inexpensive flashlight.

7. A hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.

8. A tube of black grease paint.

9. Extra shells.

10. Lightweight, wicking underwear.

11. Lightweight, inexpensive waders and a cheap pair of tennis shoes.

12. One-gallon Ziploc bags to put my extra stuff in - essentials like toilet paper, extra sandpaper for my friction calls, chalk for my box calls, extra strikers and batteries, a small compass, BandAids, a couple of candy bars, waterproof matches and a space blanket.

13. A water bottle.

14. A wide variety of turkey calls.

15. Chemical hand warmers.

16. Polypropylene sock liners and a pair of innersoles.

17. A well-made turkey-hunting vest that: fits you with a snap strap in front to distribute the weight in the vest more evenly; contains a large, deep game bag; and features a drop seat that has plenty of cushioning and back support for comfort.

18. A sharp knife that keeps its edge.

19. A small compact, idiot-proof camera to capture memories of your hunts.

20. A sleep machine to help me rest in hunting camps.

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45th ANNUAL SPRING AUCTION

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FISHING

Artificial Shrimp LuresWhen to Go Scented

BY ED MASHBURN FAKE SHRIMP- CATCHING FISH FOR A LONG TIME It’s an obvious fact that anglers have known for a long, long time that Gulf Coast game fish love to eat shrimp. Just about everything that swims will eagerly devour a properly presented shrimp.

However, the original soft plastic fake shrimp missed one very important element of the real deal and that was smell. Many saltwater game fish which anglers eagerly chase rely on their sense of smell just as much as they rely on their sense of sight to locate and eat their prey.

Anglers have also known for a long time that some days it’s hard to get live shrimp and some days, it’s impossible to get live shrimp at all. Thus the need for a good, reliable substitute for live shrimp has been present for a long, long time. Traditionally, it has been very hard to get a fake shrimp lure that looks and acts like a real shrimp.

Thus was born the artificial shrimp lures of today.

However, about thirty years ago, the explosion of soft plastic lures which revolutionized freshwater bass fishing become a part of the Gulf Coast’s saltwater fishing scene. At first, saltwater anglers used many of the same soft plastic lures which bass anglers used. Some of these lures looked a little bit like live shrimp, and in the hands of a skilled angler, these original soft plastic shrimp look alikes could be made to move and act very much like real live shrimp.

Super realistic in appearance and with built-in scent, some of today’s artificial shrimp work just as well as the real deal and, in some cases, even better than the live shrimp.

EXPERT, EXPERIENCED OPINIONS We asked a number of experienced guides who depend on their ability to put their paying customers on fish every day to tell us about their use of artificial shrimp lures. In particular, we asked when these experts used unscented shrimp lures and when they had more success with the scented lures.

Captain Patric Garmeson from Ugly Fishing in Daphne, Alabama tells us that he uses unscented shrimp lures just about year-round.

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Artificial Shrimp Lures- When to Go Scented

slower,” Serra advises.

Another situation where the scented artificial shrimp really shines is when working thick structure. The fake scented shrimp can be rigged weedless and snagless, and when the fish bite the scented lure, they tend to hold on to it longer for a better hook set.

Serra highly recommends the use of the scented shrimp lures when flounder fishing.

“Flounder just love the scented shrimp. Sometimes you can even outdo live shrimp with the artificial lure on flounder,” Serra said.

Based out of Destin, Florida Captain L. W. Burroughs from Intracoastal Experience relies on scent for most of his artificial shrimp use and believes that is especially productive in low visibility situations.

”This unscented lure is really durable and and it holds up better than most of the scented shrimp lures. Not as many undesirable fish like pinfish, croakers, and hardhead catfish will bite and tear up this unscented lure,” Gameson said.

Garmeson does go to the scented shrimp lures when he’s fishing deeper water. He rigs a GULP! Shrimp on a ¼ - ⅜ ounce jig head and works the lure on the bottom.

“ I always put Smelly Jelly on my soft plastics. There’s just so much advantage to scents and, in winter, the scent really helps,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs uses scented shrimp lures for catching speckled trout and white trout. He prefers to use a GULP! Shrimp for redfish because this lure has a strong scent.

“If I’m fishing soft plastic shrimp lures, I put a scent on ‘em,” Burroughs added.

Captain Richard Rutland of Mobile Alabama based Cold Blooded Fishing agrees with Burroughs regarding scents.

Fish use their noses to find bait.

Reds and flounder especially use scent to find their prey

Garmeson has had good success with the Fishbites shrimp imitation scented lures and they seem to be more durable than most other scented shrimp lures.

Dauphin Island Captain Yano Serra from SpeckTackleLure Fishing has worked the Mobile Bay system for a long time, and shrimp lures are one of his reliable choices for almost all species of game fish.

“I use the unscented shrimp lures when the fish are hungry and actively feeding and I fish them under a popping cork. I use VUDU and DOA jigs, and I’ve used the old Beetle Grub for a long time,” Serra said.

Serra says a prime situation for using unscented artificial shrimp lures is when birds are working bait under diving birds.

When it comes to using the scented shrimp lures, Serra believes that during winter when most fish are dormant and slower, a scented artificial shrimp fished very slowly on the bottom is very productive.

“If you think you’re working the lure slow enough, then go even 16 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

“I always put scent on my shrimp lures even under a popping cork,” Rutland said.

Rutland believes that scented shrimp lures works well in particular for redfish and flounder. He likes to fish his scented shrimp lures on the bottom with a twitch every eight seconds or so for reds. For flounder, he hops the lure slowly across the bottom.

“Fish use their noses to find bait. Reds and flounder especially use scent to find their prey,” Rutland said. “I fish a lot of muddy water, and I use the scented lures to catch the fish because they use their sense of smell more in the muddy water.”

When asked what products he uses, Rutland recommends ProCure which is added to the lure and GULP! Shrimp which has the scent built in. He also likes Fishbite strips and feels that they really match the scent of real shrimp.

“Even when I’m fishing for trout, scent can’t hurt. In fact, I put it on everything I use except topwater plugs,” Rutland added.

Captain Bobby Abruscato of A-Team Fishing, also located in Mobile, extensively fishes Mobile Bay and the surrounding waters.

“I use unscented shrimp lures all the time when I’m targeting trout. I like the VUDU Baby Shrimp because of its size and sink rate which is better than a grub on a jig head. It sinks more like a

Artificial Shrimp Lures- When to Go Scented

Important Contact Information Captain Patric Garmeson Ugly Fishing Daphne, Alabama 251-747-1554 Captain Yano Serra SpeckTackleLure Fishing Dauphin Island, Alabama 251-610-0462 Captain L. W. Burroughs Intracoastal Experience Destin, Florida 850-585-7173 Captain Richard Rutland Cold Blooded Fishing Mobile,Alabama 251-459-5077

real shrimp, which is diagonally in the water and not straight to the bottom,” Abruscato said.

Abruscato fishes the unscented shrimp lure almost exclusively under a popping cork.

“I use a GULP! Mantis Shrimp for reds and it has incredible scent. I use a BDS jig head because it helps the GULP! have a life-like action,” Abruscato said.

Abruscato adds that he adds little pieces of Fishbites to lures to increase the scent.

INTERVIEW WITH SCENTED LURE COMPANY FISHBITES We know the scented soft lures can be deadly on fish, but the question is...why? Sometimes it helps to go to the source and ask for information.

“Some fish have a very complex sensory network for detecting chemicals in the water, specifically chemicals given off by injured prey animals- feeding stimulants,” said Fishbites VP of Advertising Michael Carr.

“Humans use our noses and mouths pretty much the same way except we are detecting gasses released in the air.”

When asked how important is scent to a fish,

Carr says, “You would first need to know if your target species hunts by scent alone or by sight or both. Secondly, scent is only part of the success story in fooling a fish. Your bait should also have the flavor of the prey animal as well so that when a fish bites down, it gets the taste it’s expecting. This dimension of the bait will decide if the fish tries to spit the bait out or inhale it.”

“Fishbites makes a variety of saltwater targeted flavors/scents. We offer these flavor/ scents in a variety of colors and sizes of baits and lures that are sure to plug in to almost any kind of saltwater fishing. For lure anglers, we recommend using our Fishbites Fight Club lures or our hybrid Bob’s Your Uncle Scented Bait Strips,” Carr said. “ Each of these lure products offers a power flavor/scent combo, but also provide a lot of visual action that is sure to catch the eye of many apex predators down below.”

Captain Bobby Abruscato A-Team Fishing Mobile, Alabama 251-661-7696) VUDU Shrimp Egret Baits 800-256-2078 www.egretbaits.com Smelly Jelly Smellyjellyfishing.com Pro-Cure www.pro-cure.com Fishbites 877-840-BAIT www.fishbites.com GULP! Shrimp 800-237-5539 www.berkley-fishing.com

“In almost all conditions where a shrimpeating fish would be coaxed by a PVC (unscented) shrimp, adding scent would up your game by an order of magnitude. Again, it’s not just about the scent alone, but the flavor that will associate with that scent. If the two don’t line up, you run the risk of losing the strike because the fish spit out your lure,” Carr concludes.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 17

Turkey Hunting in the Rain

18 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

HUNTING

Don’t allow spring showers keep you indoors this turkey season

BY CHARLES JOHNSON Long before the alarm clock sounded, rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. Flashes of lightning signaled the pre-dawn storms were approaching closer. Heavy rain could be heard pounding the rooftop. Would it be worth the effort to try to hunt a gobbler this morning?

Common sense would dictate to roll over and crawl under the blanket and forget about chasing turkeys on the stormy morning. However, turkey season only lasts a few weeks and hunting time was limited. Work and family activities would limit trips to the turkey woods.

We can’t control the weather, but we can learn how to deal with it. There are certain things turkey hunters can do to adapt for chasing turkeys on a rainy day. Weighing out your options and knowing how turkeys react to rainy conditions can help fill a slot on your gobbler tag.

UNDERSTANDING TURKEYS Your approach to hunting turkeys in the rain should be a little different than on fair weather days. If the day begins stormy and heavy rain is falling gobblers and hens may opt to remain on roost well after daylight. But, as the storms move on and the rain subsides, the turkeys will leave their roost position and begin their day.

pair of binoculars to scan the field for turkeys. Take note of their direction of travel and if any gobblers are present.

A flock of turkeys or even a single bird can spend hours strolling in an open area during a rain.

GOING IN BLIND Most turkey hunters own a poncho or a top-notch camo rain suit. While these garments provide protection in a light rain or drizzle, it can be a long day if a heavy rain persists, and calling can be almost impossible. However, a pop-up style blind can be the cure for hunting rainy day gobblers.

The pop-up and hub-style blinds are perfect for hunting turkeys in the rain. The blinds are inexpensive, light-weight and can be set up in minutes. Most models are roomy enough for two or more hunters. And one of the best features of these blinds is turkeys are rarely spooked by the blinds.

“Turkeys just don’t seem to pay any attention to the blinds,”

“Turkeys may not gobble when there is a heavy rain falling,” mentions Bob Phillips, of Lincoln, Ala. “But they will sometimes answer a call if close by.”

Phillips recommends looking for rainy day turkeys in open fields, food plots or along old logging roads. When on the ground turkeys will hang out in more open areas to rely on their keen eyesight to spot any danger from predators.

The rain falling on leaves and through the trees limits their hearing.

Hopefully, turkey hunters have done a little scouting and know where the open fields and food plots are located.

Visiting these areas ahead of a rain event can help hunters get a clue as to where the turkeys may enter the field. Turkey chasers should look for turkey tracks and droppings that would indicate the birds are visiting the area.

Top areas to focus your hunt are pastures, harvested grain fields, right-of-ways along power and gas lines. Use a quality 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 19

Turkey Hunting in the Rain

comments Johnny Ponder of Munford, Ala. “Birds will walk right by the blind and don’t even notice it.”

Pop-up blinds provide concealment for the hunter while keeping everyone and all the gear dry. Hunters can bring along a folding chair or stool and remain comfortable for hours even during heavy downpours. Most blinds have several different shooting windows that can be opened just enough to make a shot on a gobbler.

Turkey hunters can watch the weather forecasts a few days ahead of a hunt and prepare for a rainy day. The pop-up blinds can be set up ahead of time before the rain arrives. Many models have stakes and tie down ropes to secure the blind if strong winds begin to blow.

“If possible, set the blind near a group of small trees to help with concealment,” Ponder said.. “Along the edge of patch of weeds or near a large tree will help the blind appear more natural.”

Phillips reminds turkey hunters not to forget about utilizing a shooting house during a stormy turkey hunt. While the shooting houses are not as portable as a pop-up blind, they can still provide protection form the rain. And since the shooting houses are more permanent fixture on the landscape, turkeys are accustomed to them.

20 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Turkey Hunting in the Rain

Inside blinds or shooting houses out of the rain, hunters can utilize some of their favorite calls. Keep your calls dry and secure until inside confines of the blind. Mouth diaphragm calls will still work in wet conditions. However, certain box and frictions calls may not operate as well.

There are a couple of disadvantages from hunting inside a blind or shooting house. Heavy rain pounding on the roof can make it difficult to hear any turkeys that may be calling.

Also, field of view may be limited depending on the number of windows that can be opened.

Once situated in the blind or shooting house make certain there is room to shoulder a shotgun and put a bead on a turkey. Don’t wait until the bird appears to try to maneuver inside the blind. A shooting stick can make it easier to keep your shotgun in position.

RAINY DAY CALLING Raindrops falling on leaves, trees and even the ground makes it difficult for turkeys and hunters alike to hear any type of turkey calls. Rain pounding on the roof and sides of a blind or shooting house can be deafening. However, hunters should continue with their calling.

“Your calling will need to be louder and a little more frequent during a rain,” Ponder advises. “The rain can limit the distance sound will travel.”

Ponder and Phillips both suggest using standard turkey calls like the “yelp” and “cackle”. Turkeys will call in the rain and will respond to various types of calls. Box calls generally give a little more volume and can be effective anytime. Tube yelpers are another type of call that gives good volume.

If the rain intensity decreases or stops, that is the time to add more calling. Hunters will want to try a variety of different calls. Don’t get discouraged if there is not a vocal response from a turkey. Often the bird may slip in unannounced.

Always keep alert and a watchful eye as turkeys may appear from any directions.

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Also, turkey hunters will want to utilize a couple of decoys.

Other turkeys may see the decoys from a distance and move in to join them. A group of hens can also have a gobbler or two in tow. Set the decoys about 15- to 20- yards out from the blind.

Rainy days in the spring doesn’t mean your turkey hunt is a wash out. With some planning and a change in tactics you can coax an old gobbler into shotgun range.

e can Look Familiar? Whelp...

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 21

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22 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Family Fun

FISHING

The Gulf Coast Fishing Rodeo

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 23

Family Fun - The Gulf Coast Fishing Rodeo

24 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Family Fun - The Gulf Coast Fishing Rodeo

Gulf Coast Fishing Rodeo Not Just for the Anglers

BY ED MASHBURN Photo by Tony Kinton

Here on the Gulf Coast the two things we outdoors folks really love are fishing and competition with our fishing. We like seeing who can catch the biggest fish because, let’s face it, men will die for points.

Fishing rodeos are a part of the Gulf Coast culture. Some tournaments have been around for 80 years or so, and every summer, there are at least 14 major gulf coast fishing rodeos scheduled. Some of these tournaments are pretty serious business with lots of big, expensive boats and very hardcore crews and anglers going after big fish and big bucks.

These events are pretty much out of the reach of regular folks to participate in.

But for pure fun for the whole family, there’s no Gulf Coast fishing rodeo quite like the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo. No matter what kind of fishing a person prefers, and no matter what the angler’s age, there’s a category in the rodeo for him or her.

Although the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo doesn’t have the age and long experience of some Gulf Coast fishing rodeos, by all reports, people who take part in the Flora-Bama event, either as active participants or spectators love the weekend spent fishing or looking at fish on the coast.

A couple of folks intimately involved with the annual fishing tournament at the world-famous watering hole which was originally built in 1964 and totally re-built in 2010 after Hurricane Ivan made a direct hit on the Florida/Alabama border tell us about the event.

Here on the Gulf Coast the two things we outdoors folks really love are fishing and competition with our fishing. We like seeing who can catch the biggest fish because, let’s face it, men will die for points.

Fishing rodeos are a part of the Gulf Coast culture. Some tournaments have been around for 80 years or so, and every summer, there are at least 14 major gulf coast fishing rodeos scheduled. Some of these tournaments are pretty serious business with lots of big, expensive boats and very hard-core crews and anglers going after big fish and big bucks. These events are pretty much out of the reach of regular folks to participate in.

But for pure fun for the whole family, there’s no Gulf Coast fishing rodeo quite like the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo. No matter what kind of fishing a person prefers, and no matter what the angler’s age, there’s a category in the rodeo for him

or her.

Although the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo doesn’t have the age and long experience of some Gulf Coast fishing rodeos, by all reports, people who take part in the Flora-Bama event, either as active participants or spectators love the weekend spent fishing or looking at fish on the coast.

A couple of folks intimately involved with the annual fishing tournament at the world-famous watering hole which was originally built in 1964 and totally re-built in 2010 after Hurricane Ivan made a direct hit on the Florida/Alabama border tell us about the event.

THE FLORA-BAMA FISHING RODEO Angelo Depaola, a Gulf Coast businessman and buddy to the owner of the Flora-Bama, a long established waterfront bar/ grill/entertainment center on the Florida and Alabama state line has been a major part of the rodeo from the outset.

“John McInnis, owner of the Flora-Bama, and I have been friends since childhood, and we wanted to create an Alabama edition of the rodeo and were involved in the day to day decisions for the first couple of years. Now, John’s team at the Flora-Bama pretty much does all the heavy lifting. They are great and really have the rodeo dialed in now,” Depaola said.

Jenifer Parnell, marketing and public relations director 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 25

Family Fun- - The Gulf Coast Fishing Rodeo

for the Flora-Bama says, “The tournament caters to all walks of life, just like the Flora-Bama does. We have over 30 categories you can fish for, and there are events for all ages, and we have low entry fees to compete. The style of tournament allows people to fish off the beach, a pier, or a boat, and it gives people of all income backgrounds a chance to win really amazing prizes. Just like the Flora-Bama, we want all different people to come together and be able to make memories together.”

A good thing about the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo is that it takes place during red snapper season, so anglers can bring in the plentiful and large reds for prizes and fame and then have a great red snapper supper afterward.

HOW MANY FOLKS TAKE PART? With fishing tournaments like many other events, the more who take part, the merrier. And it appears the Flora- Bama Fishing Rodeo ought to be a pretty merry time to be on the Gulf Coast.

“Every year we have between 500 and 900 anglers, and the number is usually weather dependent for the variation,” Parnell said. “There are thousands of people who come through Flora-Bama Yacht Club and Flora-Bama Ole River Grill throughout the weekend to experience our restaurants, waterways, live music, and the sponsor area and weigh station.”

“There is a sponsor area that will have a fish viewing station so kids can see different kinds of fish and be able to touch them,” Parnell said. “Face painting, games for the kids and adults like corn hole, vendors selling clothes and a variety of products for non-anglers to peruse, and interactive kids’ area from Reptile Keepers LLC with live birds, reptiles, coloring 26 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

stations, and a bones display from Perdido Key State Park with educational guides and activity workshops are all here for the folks who come to the rodeo,” Parnell said.

AND IT’S NOT JUST A FISHING PARTY Although catching some big fish and hopefully gaining bragging rights for a year is an important element of the tournament, the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo is not simply about a lot of folks catching some big fish to show off and brag about. There are real positive results of the weekend’s activities.

“We give a portion of our proceeds to “Operation Reconnect” which brings military members back immediately returning from deployment to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach to reconnect with their families for a week-long uninterrupted free vacation. The tournament is all about fun, and it’s a low entry fee, but we have some of the best prizes on the Gulf Coast.

This is a family-friendly weekend,” De Paola said.

“Operation Reconnect” allows veterans and their families to enjoy some downtime in a gorgeous place without having to blow the family’s savings to do it. Bringing our military service people back into the civilian world is important, and “Operation Reconnect” does a great job of welcoming our veterans and their families and thanking them for their service.

This year’s rodeo will be held from May 31 through June 2, 2019 and there will be 40 categories. There are adult and kids’ divisions, and anglers can fish from shore, pier, or boats of all kinds. Anglers who want to participate need to purchase a ticket by May 30. For specific dates and information about the Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo, go to www. florabamafishingrodeo.com.

GEAR REVIEW

The ATV Utility Trailer for Hunting and Home

BY STEPHANIE MALLORY Time. You wish you had more of it. More time to hunt. More time to do the things you enjoy.

But, you have responsibilities, and work and family require a lot from you and your yard and hunting land aren’t going to maintain themselves. So, a product designed to help save you time maintaining your yard, hunting property and farm is well worth checking out.

The OxCart utility cart offers those time-saving capabilities that make life better for hunters, farmers, ranchers and basically anyone who maintains a property.

You see, the OxCart is not your typical cart. It’s designed to make hauling and unloading large loads 90 percent easier than standard carts. Not to mention, it reduces physical strain, allowing you to get more done in half the time and with much less effort so you can focus on the fun and not the work.

WHAT GIVES THE OXCART ITS TIME-SAVING QUALITIES? 28 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

The OxCart combines a rear offset dump pivot point for greater control with a hydraulic-assisted tub lift for easier heavy-load handling. The swivel feature reduces backing, allowing you to control dump wherever you want. Commercial-grade durability with an all-square-tube construction, full mandrel bent NASCAR designed axle support and tractor-grade tires make this the first cart you can load to the maximum allowing you to move twice as much in half the time without straining your back. Designed for use at home and hunt camp it is ideal for toting treestands, hunting gear, filling feeders, maintaining food plots and fences, cleaning barns and moving fire wood. In addition, you can hook the cart to your ATV and haul out heavier loads, such as a deer once you experience success.

“One of the only ways that carts have changed or tried to improve over the years is by getting bigger, but this innovation hasn’t resulted in a better product for consumers,” said OxCart owner Todd Dechant. “Unfortunately, as the

The ATV Utility Trailer for Hunting and Home

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 29

The ATV Utility Trailer for Hunting and Home

carts’ cubic footage has increased, the frames, wheels and attachments haven’t kept pace, resulting in big tubs that can’t handle the loads they’re hauling. Why buy a bigger cart if it can’t hold or haul a full load safely? I decided to design a cart that my wife could easily use. She can easily fill the OxCart, control it and dump heavy loads safely, all while taking fewer trips. The hydraulic-assisted tub lift and swivel design helps smaller-framed people, such as my wife, dump even the heaviest of loads easier, providing the assistance needed to lift less and do more, a lot more.”

“The 110-degree swivel reduces backing and allows you to dump your load (lift-assisted) wherever you want. The OxCart is truly the dump-cart solution and is the last utility cart somebody should ever need to buy,” Dechant said.

To get a better idea of how the OxCart is much better than any utility cart, consider that most utility dump trailers are designed with a formed metal frame and a center dump pivot point that cause them to dump like teeter-totters. When the bed is filled with heavy items, you must lift most of the weight to dump the cart, risking back or leg injury. You often have to step away as the load shifts and the tub slams to the ground.

The OxCart’s smart design eliminates these problems so you can lift much heavier loads and transport and dump them more quickly with less pain and strain.

The OxCart’s pro-grade performance, innovative design and exclusive features make it the first tow-behind utility dump cart that you can fill to the max knowing it can hold, move,

30 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

lift, position and dump the heaviest loads with ease.

The cart is load-tested to 1100 pounds, so you can fill it up and make fewer trips. The powder-coated hammered finish stands up to all that Mother Nature can dish out. Tractorgrade multi-terrain 4-ply tires with run-flat technology are designed with a liquid polymer that self-seals most punctures instantly before losing any air which is an important feature when working in rugged terrain. Commercial-grade graphoil bushings and grease zerks extend the wheel life.

The Oxcart attaches to any mower, ZTR or ATV with a pinhole hitch. Couplers mount easy for 1 7/8 and 2 inch ball hitches.

When it comes to versatility, the OxCart is unmatched thanks to the conversion kit accessory that turns it into a farm cart/ wheelbarrow in seconds for use in livestock care, land maintenance and hunting prep.

So, you see, the OxCart is far more than just a utility cart. It is also your answer to more time afield with friends and family.

The OxCart is available at Runnings, Orscheln Farm & Home, Atwoods, Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Big R Stores, Rural King.com, Amazon.com, TSCstores.com, and available for free shipping on PowerEquipmentDirect.com. It’ll soon be available in the Canadian stores Peavey Mart and TSC Stores!

For more info, visit www.oxcart.com.

MSRP: $349-$449

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NEW GEAR

BY WILLIAM KENDY

Strike Gold with the new G5 Outdoors Striker V2 Broadhead

Archery equipment manufacturer G5® Outdoors announces the Striker V2 Broadhead.

Consisting of a 100% stainless steel design the strong and lethal Striker V2 features sharp, easily replaceable Lutz blades, a machined ferrule with a 1.25 inch cutting diameter available in 100 and 125 grain weights. The Striker also offers “Ballistic Match Points” allowing for aerodynamically broadhead matched performance tips for range practice.

Suggested Retail Price: $42.99 www.g5outdoors.com

Yamaha Portable Power to Go

The new fuel efficient Yamaha EF2200iS 2,200 watt portable inverter generator runs on a tank of gas for up to 10.5 hours at a 1/4 rated load. The quiet air cooled single cylinder 4 stroke engine running at a 1/4 rated load reduces noise levels to 57-65 dBA, allowing for normal conversations.

Weighing only 55 pounds the generator features a LED illuminating control for easy status checks.

Suggested Retail Price: $1,099 www.yamahamotorsports.com/powerproducts

Hatsan USA SpeedFire Airgun Offers Easy Multiple Shot Capability

Hatsan USA’s SpeedFire break-barrel air rifle is a lightweight, multi-shot magazine fed repeater utilizing an automatic loading mechanism. With just a single motion the EZ-Load action system cocks and loads up to 12 shots eliminating the inconvenience of loading one pellet at a time. The SpeedFire is available in .177 and .22 calibers with an adjustable match trigger, Optima 3-9 x 32 scope and more.

Suggested Retail Price: $229.00 www.hatsanusa.com

The Dogtra 2700T&B E-Collar

The Dogtra 2700T&B e-collar is designed for upland hunting, giving you more control and locate ability on long ranging bird dogs. The 1-mile range receiver/beeper horn alerts ‘Pointing’ or ‘Pointing & Running’ motion and has three stimulation modes: new HPP vibration, and Nick/ Constant stimulation. The Dogtra 2700T&B comes with unique singlebody design that eliminates bulkiness and reduces the risk of catching on obstacles while in the field. The 2700T&B is also available in the 2-dog system 2702T&B .

Suggested Retail Price: $359.99 www.Dogtra.com

34 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN

LIVETARGET Introduces New Hollow Body Craw Lure

By combining a hollow body and bass jig, the new LIVETARGET Hollow Body Craw offers a snag resistant design allowing scent paste to be squeezed inside the hollow cavity resulting in a long lasting scent trail. The body emits tiny bubbles when the lures lands on the bottom and kicks up puffs of silt on the lift. The HBC comes with replacement pincers.

Suggested Retail Price: $8.99 - $9.99 www.livetargetlures.com

Tigress Takes Kite Fishing to New Heights

Tigress Outriggers & Gear introduces its new Kite Assembly Box which include just about everything a fisherman needs to keep a kite in the air and fish on the line. The package contains the gear and materials necessary to complete two full kite set-ups, giving anglers options to either double up on conditions or prepare for possible changes on the water, all housed in a rugged waterproof box. www.tigressoutriggers.com

Swagger Stalker Bipods Introduces Steelbanger Series

The new Swagger Bipod Steelbanger series are designed to help shooters and hunters acquire multiple or moving targets down range. The low profile, single hand adjustable Steelbanger Basic is engineered for shooting prone or on a bench rest. The Stalker QD features a simple quick detach button and is ideal tree stand or hunting blind use. The largest of the line Stalker Lite is a versatile all-round rapid deploy shooting rest.

Suggested Retail Price - $69.99 - $149.99 www.swaggerbipods.com

Decoy Transportation Made Easy

Carrying your decoys out to your set up area can be a challenge but Montana Decoy just made the job a little bit easier with its new Decoy Carrying Case. Decorated in Realtree MAX-1 for superior concealment this lightweight, convenient and easy-to-use case makes toting up to three decoys an easy and simple job. Includes a sturdy strap, hip-mounting belt look and multiple pockets for easy storage.

Suggested Retail Price - $29.00 www.montanadecoy.com.

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 35

Wind Drift The Hunter’s Nemesis

A big game hunter’s greatest challenge is understanding, estimating and compensating for the wind.

Last fall after getting back from his mule deer hunt in New Mexico, my neighbor James came over to tell about his recent hunt. He was really down because he had missed a trophy mule deer after seemingly doing all the right things.

BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney

With the distance and crosswind speed known, accounting for them is easier.

His guide Wes had spotted a nice mule deer buck feeding up on a hillside near the rimrock and they had made an excellent stalk to within approximately 250 yards downwind of the buck.

Spotting the buck, Wes checked his rangefinder to determine the actual distance was 271 yards, then taking out his wind meter, he checked the direction and speed of the wind and told James. Solidly braced on his shooting sticks, James held for the bullet drop, corrected for the wind drift and squeezed the trigger.

When the rifle fired, he could not believe his eyes as the buck ran off full speed ahead. “I looked at Wes and said I can’t believe I missed, everything was perfect”, James said.. He said Wes then patiently explained that the one factor they couldn’t check was the

36 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

crosswind downrange near the buck.

It was evidently more wind than they accounted for and it caused the bullet to deviate enough from it’s flight path to miss.

MEASURE THE WIND? James thought the wind gauge would be what he needed to make the shot but it was half the story. Without knowing the wind direction and speed near the target, James was still at a disadvantage.

A wind gauge, for example, can accurately measure wind speed but only where you are positioned not where your target is or anywhere between you and the target. However, it is still handy to know what the wind speed is at your location.

Years ago, a Wyoming guide told our hunting party to check out how the wind affects objects and how you can figure wind speed. A light breeze on your face is 3-5 miles per hour; leaves on trees start rustling at 5-8 miles per hour; 8-12 miles per hour wind gets dust blowing; 12-15 miles per hour

THE GUN RACK

wind will sway small trees; and 17-18 miles per hour wind will cause whitecaps on open water. Arnie, our guide, said his grandfather from Minnesota taught him that method and he wasn’t sure how accurate it was but he thought it was a pretty good rule of thumb.

IT TAKES TIME Today’s hunters have more technology available to be successful at long range hunting than ever before; long-range calibers, rifles, bullets, long range shooting adjustments on scopes, rangefinders with ballistic data and on-line ballistic calculators. Still, the hunter must learn to study and evaluate downrange winds and adjust his scope based on his caliber and load.

A Must Read for Turkey Hunters.

“Any information that came from outside was highly suspect. Anything that came from inside, even from members of your own family was, in many cases,

There is no easy out on this problem as no technology exists at this writing to measure speed or direction of downrange crosswinds. It takes time to learn to judge wind speed by its effect on natural objects as described previously. Then, the hunter should take his time to calculate all this info in order to make an ethical shot on the game but too often the game moves out of position before the hunter can make an intelligent and accurate shot.

tarred with the same brush. Nobody and by

TIPS AND TRAINING As great as technology is for today’s hunters, we still need to learn and practice the things that will help us better judge wind drift at hunting ranges. Following are some tips and training exercises:

days” when you mostly made it on your own

that I mean nobody, gave away a thing.

The “boy” in this story is blessed with an honest and benevolent grandfather who learned the hard way. Alan covers very well what has come to be called “The bad old or you didn’t make it at all.”

TOM KELLY

Start learning how to hold for short range, less than 300 yards, by obtaining the wind drift ballistics for your caliber and load and study them. These can be obtained online from the manufacturer of the ammo you are using.

Use a wind speed meter (anemometer) regularly on the range and when hunting to read an accurate wind speed at your location.

Use a rangefinder when hunting to accurately measure the distance to your target. With the distance and crosswind speed known, accounting for them is easier.

At a park, ball field or your hunting club, practice estimating distance without your rangefinder and then check your estimate against what the rangefinder says. This can be fun to do and the practice will serve you well should you forget your rangefinder on a hunt.

First Edition

A great time to practice shooting in crosswinds is a blustery day at the range particularly during early spring. Using the wind drift information for your rifle, shoot targets out to 300 yards practicing wind drift compensation.

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When hunting in gusty wind conditions, wait until the wind lays down before taking your shot if there is time.

As ethical hunters, we must remember even with having the most technologically advanced hunting gear in our history, we still must use our brain to make humane long range shots on game. There is no magic caliber or rifle!

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 37

Alabama’s Unparalleled Artificial Reef Program Gets Even Better Second phase of enhancements started this year

As I’ve said many times, Alabama’s artificial reef program is second to none. Our reef zones cover more than 1,030 square miles of offshore waters, and now the reef zones have expanded more than 30 square miles in the nearshore waters while bolstering the inshore reef system as well.

The Alabama Marine Resources Division (AMRD) has recently completed Phase I of the Alabama Artificial Reef and Habitat Enhancement Plan. That plan was crafted by AMRD, with assistance and backing from the Alabama Wildlife Federation and the Coastal Conservation Association back in 2013.

Phase I of the plan was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) with funds from the criminal fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The grant of almost $12 million was used to enhance inshore, nearshore and offshore habitats. I’ll summarize for you what was accomplished: The inshore projects were designed to enhance artificial reefs already in place and build new inshore reefs. Thousands of tons of limestone aggregate were deployed at 20 existing inshore reef sites. I have heard good reports from inshore fishermen that this refurbishing of the older reefs has definitely increased fish production.

BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

The nearshore projects were considerably more involved. Marine Resources has been working diligently to survey the bottom in the area six to Nine nautical miles from the Alabama shore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) required that meticulous survey process before any new artificial reef zones could be added. The permit finally came through in 2018, and seven new artificial reef zones were established in that nearshore zone to allow reef construction in an additional 30 square miles of water bottoms.

As soon as the Corps permit was received, AMRD deployed 600 10-foot concrete and limestone pyramid reef

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modules in the new nearshore zones.

About 15,000 tons of four to ten inch limestone aggregate were deployed at 20 reef sites in the nearshore zones to create juvenile reef fish habitat.

Our marine biologists feel that these juvenile reefs should really help increase the survivability of age zero and age one red snapper, triggerfish and other species, which will mean more adult red snapper make it to the new larger reefs we have built. This is something new we are doing, and I think it will pay big dividends in a few years.

The two existing R. Vernon Minton Nearshore Reef Zones were enhanced with 125 concrete and limestone juvenile reef shelters. With these new additions, the two Minton zones are pretty much fully built out.

Three circalittoral reef sites, only about 500 feet offshore of the Baldwin County beaches, were created by installing 166 shallow-water, anchored reef modules constructed with concrete and limestone discs within the modules.

These three reefs are the first of this kind in Alabama, and they will be accessible for people to snorkel to from the beach. This adds access to one more user group for enjoyment of our reef system.

The offshore projects included the sinking of two ships to serve as highrelief complex habitats for a wide range of reef fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates.

The 250-foot New Venture was deployed as a shipwreck reef offshore of Orange Beach, and the 102-foot Gladys B tug boat was converted into a shipwreck reef offshore of Fort Morgan.

Two kinds of large, 25-foot pyramid reef modules were deployed in the offshore general permit reef zones.

First, Marine Resources deployed 125 concrete and limestone pyramid reef modules that contain shelves and/or smaller pyramid-shaped structures within the interior void spaces. The

FROM THE COMMISSIONER

second deployment was for 45 concrete and limestone pyramid reef modules with a single, large, open void within the interior portion of the module. We will study the different designs to see which produces more fish. We will then use that design for Phase II deployments.

Marine Resources also enhanced 12 existing reef sites in the offshore general permit reef zones with repurposed concrete pipe, culverts, and junction boxes and created three new reef sites in the offshore zones with the same material.

That was a lot of good work, but we are nowhere near finished with reef building! Phase II of AMRD’s Reef Enhancement Plan starts in 2019 with a substantial budget of almost $22.5 million to enhance inshore, nearshore and offshore habitats along with biological monitoring. Phase II is also funded by NFWF. For inshore waters, four new reefs are planned. Nearshore projects include acquiring USACE permits to designate another 30 square miles of water bottoms between six and nine miles offshore as new artificial reef zones.

After the permits are received, Marine Resources will deploy 1,200 juvenile reef shelters in the newly permitted six to nine mile reef zones.

To provide additional habitat in the circalittoral zone, 300 shallow-water, anchored reef modules will be deployed in the three areas a couple of hundred yards offshore in Baldwin County.

The Phase II offshore projects include acquiring USACE

permits to designate approximately 95 square miles of water bottoms west of the Hugh Swingle General Permit Reef Zone as a new artificial reef zone.

To contribute to Alabama’s goal to provide a wide variety of artificial marine habitat, two large ships at least 300 feet in length are expected to be acquired and deployed into shipwreck reefs.

An additional 250 large reef modules that provide up to 35 feet of vertical relief will be deployed in the offshore reef zones.

Our abundant artificial reefs, which hold many desirable reef fish species including the ubiquitous red snapper, have been studied and monitored for years. NFWF’s Phase II grant will provide funds for continued biological assessments of the reef zones and how productive the different types of reefs are to the overall ecosystem.

The plan also calls for the collection of biological information within the offshore general permit reef zones to continue generating data critical to managing red snapper production and biomass offshore of Alabama.

As you can see, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is not content with the status quo. We want to do everything possible to enhance the natural resources in our state’s inshore, nearshore and offshore environments to ensure our reef system remains the best, most productive program in the world!

The coordinates for all the reefs can be found at https://www. outdooralabama.com/saltwater-fishing/artificial-reefs DIVISION OF CLUTCH PRODUCTS INC.

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251-433-3696 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 39

Hunting on the Cover of LIFE half-page Kleenex ad and the full-page Goodyear Pliofilm ad on page 25, right under the LIFE masthead, a narrative under the heading, LIFE’S COVER reads: “The man and his dog on LIFE’S cover are enjoying, for the first time in years, an autumn of peace. Many men like him, civilian and soldier, are having their first opportunity to go out over long-neglected roads, to tramp through fallen leaves of the quiet woods and absorb the scented sharpness of a hunter’s autumn. This year, non-hunters, too drive again through the country to see the fleeting autumn brilliance, depicted in the color photographs on pages 61 to 64.”

A HUNTER’S AUTUMN The October 29, 1945 autumn issue of LIFE Magazine caught my eye in the antique store because of the vivid cover photograph. A bird hunter with his dog are “front-and-center” in a woodland setting, probably after grouse in the brushy hardwoods.

BY CORKY PUGH Executive Director, Hunting Heritage Foundation

The photograph fills the 10 ½- by 14-inch cover of America’s thenfavorite, most widely circulated weekly magazine. The 150 page magazine originally sold for ten cents, or by subscription, two years for $8.50.

My wife and I assumed the cover photograph had something to do with a hunting related article in the magazine, and bought the vintage document to take home. Hunting memorabilia is a significant part of inside décor for us in home and camp, and this almost 75 year-old magazine was a neat addition.

Upon closer examination, there was no hunting article in the magazine. Instead, on page 24, sandwiched between the

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POST-WAR RECOVERY Abundantly evident in the old magazine’s content are poignant reminders of the biggest and deadliest war in history. World War II had ended, and many of the advertisements and articles in October 1945 LIFE are war related.

For example, the entire back cover is an ad for Camel cigarettes, with an “actual color photograph of a Navy diver at work underwater.”

The title, “Clear That Harbor!” tops the page, with the observation, “It’s a battle all its own as the Navy diver fights his way through scuttled ships and sunken mines to clear away the underwater wreckage of war.”

HUNTING A RETURN TO NORMALCY Despite the absence of a hunting article, striking is the use of a hunting photograph on the cover of a major periodical, just as a matter of course, as if to say that hunting is a positive, routine part of our society. When is the last time you have seen that?

HUNTING HUNTING HERITAGE HERITAGE

Much has changed since the post-war years of the midforties. Even in the New England states, our society was still grounded in rural life and hunting was much a part of the mainstream.

As millions of soldiers came home from the war, these ablebodied young men took to the fields and forests in pursuit of game. Hunting was a relaxing, easily-attainable pastime, and a way to put meat on the family table.

“During World War II, wildlife conservation was reduced largely to a holding action as the insatiable demands of the war effort sapped manpower, funds, and resources from any program not related directly or indirectly to the international struggle. But with the return of peace after the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, progress resumed.”

“The machinery for concerted national effort in fish and wildlife restoration had been built before or in the early years of the conflict and lay oiled and ready to move forward,” Trefethen continues. “There were five hundred young scientists holding bachelor-of-science or doctorate degrees in wildlife management who were available to resume their careers in state or federal wildlife agencies or in the universities.”

Wildlife conservation was just catching on and these legions of civilian-soldier-hunters were consequential in multiple ways. While the sudden influx of large numbers of hunters impacted game populations, these same hunters purchased state hunting licenses. Their purchases of hunting arms and ammunition provided the financial basis for the relatively new Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. “So were thousands of experienced conservation officers and wildlife technicians, now more mature and with broadened Hunting license sales, which had numbered around seven viewpoints of their responsibilities and duties.” million before the war, climbed to eight million in 1945 and exploded in 1947 to over twelve million.

Wildlife agency administrators of the era were more often than not veterans of the war. Alabama’s own venerable The financial underpinnings of game management programs Charles D. Kelley, who served in the director’s role for a were built on the shoulders of soldiers returning from war and record-setting 39 ½ years, had been a ball-turret gunner the timing could not have been better. during the war.

PROGRESS RESUMED According to James B Trefethen, author of the Boone and Crockett book An American Crusade for Wildlife:

Charles told of shrapnel tearing up through the fuselage of the plane between his legs on multiple occasions. This was probably very good experience for someone about to occupy the director’s job.

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 41

Unnecessary Risks

Don’t Take Them!

We’ve all taken unnecessary risks at one time or another, but there is no excuse for doing it now!

BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)

I’m writing this article on New Year’s Eve, sitting at the hunting camp, watching it rain and reflecting on the events of the past year. 2018 had many ups and downs, and I’ve got the scars to prove that we made it through them. Even though most of our issues are fairly public, a few things go virtually unnoticed by the majority of the public. The one I want to talk about in this article is hunting accidents.

were as passionate about as they are about baiting, turkey limits, or carcass importation regulations.

Every reported hunting accident comes across my desk, and, despite the fact that hunter education is required for all new hunters and we stress hunting safety at every event, unnecessary and preventable accidents happen every year. The most preventable hunting accident is treestand falls.

This is one issue that I wish hunters

I can remember the days when

42 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

FROM THE DIRECTOR

I’d take to the woods with a fanny pack full of cotton spindles, a $45 loc-on style stand on my back, a paracord pull rope in my pocket, and my bow. Most hunters in their 20’s, which for me was in the late 80’s and early 90’s, feel invincible. So, I never worried about getting hurt, much less dying, from falling out of a treestand.

And, I did fall out several times while hanging stands.

Luckily, I never received serious injuries.

once again filled a need in the hunting industry with the invention of the “life line.” This is a safety line that allows the hunter to be attached to the tree while on the ground and through the entire process of climbing into the stand. Once the hunt is over, the hunter remains attached to the tree leaving the stand until he/she is safely on the ground. This should virtually eliminate treestand accidents.

As times and technology change, most hunters change with it. In the late 90’s, I graduated to screw-in steps, a $65, more comfortable loc-on style stand, a newer bow, and my first safety strap. Many of you remember the ones I’m talking about: One single strap that fastened around your waist on one end and the tree with the other.

Thankfully, I never fell wearing that type of strap because I’m quite sure it would’ve cut me in half.

So, why have 12 treestand accident reports made their way to my desk during the 2018 portion of the 2018-19 deer season? Full body harnesses and lifelines have one fatal flaw: It’s impossible for them to work if they are not worn and used!! Out of the 12 accidents, only one hunter was wearing a safety harness. However, a life line was not used.

Fast forward to the early 2000’s. Technology had changed again, giving hunters the option of wearing either a chest harness or a full body harness. They were bulky, cumbersome, and a pain to use. But, growing a little wiser with age and with wounds not healing as fast, I begrudgingly started using the chest harness. I also started reading hunting stories about people falling from trees and getting seriously injured. By this time,

Because these injuries are so easily preventable, we recommend that even hunters who were not required to complete hunter education take a course. treestand manufacturers and other hunting accessory companies had conducted numerous studies on how to make hunting equipment safer and how to reduce hunting related injuries.

Today’s hunting world is full of hunting gadgets of all types, and hunters have been eager to spend money on the latest and greatest hunting accessory. Just as treestands, bows, and guns have progressed, so have the safety harnesses. Many different styles of full body safety harness are on the market today that are much more user friendly than their predecessors and very reasonably priced.

All of the market research has shown treestand falls to be the number-one hunting-related accident, and wearing full body harnesses is the way to prevent the vast majority of falls. Despite this knowledge, treestand accidents continue to persist. Why is this?

More research has revealed the majority of hunters fall either entering or exiting the stand. Technology has

The 12 accidents so far this year are unsettling. But, what is even more unsettling is the fact that two were fatal. What senseless tragedies that were completely preventable. Both were men in their 60’s with decades of hunting experience. I guess complacency is to blame for the fatalities. We all tend to take for granted tasks we’ve done thousands of times before and nothing bad has happened. Unfortunately, it only takes one fall, and these two guys didn’t have the opportunity for a second chance.

I caught myself earlier this year wanting to climb up to a stand to check the straps when I didn’t have my harness in the truck. As I was walking to the stand I thought, it’ll only take a second and I don’t want to go all the way back to the camp and get my harness. When my foot hit the second step, I snapped back to reality and quickly got back on the ground.

It’s just not worth it to take that risk. I’m quite sure everyone who has fallen from a treestand thought it would never happen to them, that it only happens to those who are careless or inexperienced. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most accidents happen to seasoned hunters.

Considering the number of hunters who take to the woods each year in Alabama who do not have accidents, I can reassure you that hunting is an incredibly safe sport. Still, there’s no reason anyone should ever have to face being crippled, paralyzed, or worse from a hunter safety lapse.

Because these injuries are so easily preventable, we recommend that even hunters who were not required to complete hunter education take a course.

Personally, I’ve come a long way in the past 25 years regarding hunting from treestands. What started out as sitting on a tree limb has evolved into state-of-the art stands, ladders, life lines, and full body safety harnesses.

The gray in my beard isn’t’ just for decoration. I’ve realized that I’m not invincible, and no matter how many times I’ve done it and how careful I am, accidents still can happen, and I don’t want my family to get a call saying I won’t be coming home.

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Bass Kayaks in SmallareWaters Perfect Without a doubt, the fish I catch most from my kayak are largemouth bass.

And the reason I catch so many bass is that I often choose to slide my paddle boats into small, uncrowded, quiet, and very fish-rich waters.

BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn

Some very large bass make their homes in small bodies of water, and these big bass don’t get much fishing pressure at any time. This makes them very good targets for a kayak equipped angler.

But when I say I fish “small waters” it doesn’t mean that I’m limited to puddles and little ponds. When we come to look at the concept of “small waters” we find that there are truly many, many choices of waters which in one way or another quality as “small”.

Bass boaters are restricted severely in the waters they can fish, kayakers are not. Kayak anglers can go bass fishing just about anywhere bass boaters can, and lots of places the powerboat guys

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can’t. Of course, we can’t go as fast as the roostertail guys, but if going fast is important, we wouldn’t be fishing from a kayak anyway, would we?

SMALL WATERS? HOW ABOUT LAKE GUNTERSVILLE? Now, Lake Guntersville in north Alabama is a world-famous big lake for bass anglers. Folks travel from all over the globe to fish the massive waters of Guntersville for big bass.

Lake Guntersville stretches for many, many miles along the Tennessee River channel, and there is no doubt about it, this is a very big lake.

So, just how is it that Guntersville can qualify as “small” protected waters for kayak anglers?

If you travel just north of the town of Guntersville on the highway along the shoreline of the lake, you’ll soon drive over some long bridges and causeways

PADDLE FISHING

which cross arms of the lake. On one side of the structures is the open lake and the masses of big power boats roaring around. On the other side of the structure are bays and pockets which can’t be reached by the big boats and which are accessible only to paddle craft and these small protected waters are bass rich. They get minimal fishing pressure, and the bass do bite for kayak anglers.

This is just one example of how “big” inland lakes all over the South can also be “small” waters. Most major reservoirs and impoundments have these sheltered places where only paddle craft can reach, and these are our territory.

RIVERS, BAYOUS AND OTHER SMALL PLACES On the Gulf Coast, there are countless miles of small waters which hold lots and lots of bass for those paddle anglers who can reach them.

We’ve caught some great bass through the years at many of these places, and we’d like to suggest a few of them for our readers who are eager to experience some truly fine bass angling from their kayaks.

WAKULLA RIVER This spring-fed river just south of Tallahassee offers some wonderful bass fishing on the smaller spring-runs and protected backwaters of the main river. Kayak anglers can fish the thick weedbeds with soft plastics and spinnerbaits for some incredible strikes from aggressive bass. And there’s always the chance of catching a feisty little Suwannee bass, a fish that looks and fights like a river smallmouth bass in the Wakulla.

MOBILE DELTA This massive waterway with five big rivers also has literally miles of backwaters and bayous which give the bass angler no limit of places to launch a kayak and catch some big fish.

Any lure which looks like a crab or shrimp will work, but white and chartreuse and white soft plastics are particularly good.

BLACKWATER RIVER This tributary of Pensacola Bay offers kayak anglers some fine clear but tannin colored water for bass fishing. Kayak anglers can explore some of the many offshoots and creeks which feed into the Blackwater to find places that may have never been fished before. The bass are usually very willing to come play.

FOR SOME REALLY SMALL WATER....GO PRIVATE And finally, there are limitless numbers of small, private, almost never fished ponds and reservoirs scattered across the South.

Many times these potential kayak bass fishing hotspots can be located by simply driving along rural roads and keeping a watch out. Look for cattle farms as they often have watering ponds on the property.

Also look for small ponds near larger private homes. Often

folks build small ponds and lakes for their own fishing, and then they never go fishing. If permission to fish these private lakes can be obtained, things can get interesting fast for kayak anglers.

Kayak anglers who politely ask permission to fish these little waters may find some of the best bass fishing in the world. Most of these small waters won’t take a lot of fishing pressure before the fish start to get smart, but by spacing out the trips among a half-dozen or so local ponds, a kayak angler can keep the fish dumb and happy in the private waters and willing to bite.

Bass boaters are restricted severely in the waters they can fish, kayakers are not. Kayak anglers can go bass fishing just about anywhere bass boaters can, and lots of places the powerboat guys can’t.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN KAYAK FISHING SMALL WATERS First, kayak anglers need to use the biggest advantage of kayaks for bass fishing for maximum effects. Kayaks are quiet, and they are stealthy. Even though big bass in small waters may not see as many lures and bait as bass which are open to the powerboat anglers, the small water bass are not stupid.

Kayak anglers need to make every effort to keep noise and surface disruption to a minimum. Movements such as casting and paddling need to be made slowly and quietly.

And dropping gear and other stuff overboard from a kayak is always a bad idea. Quiet is good. Noisy is bad.

Also, kayak anglers in small waters might want to think about fishing larger lures for bass. These small water largemouth bass tend to find devouring a single big prey much more economical than eating a bunch of small stuff. A bass in a five acre pond may not pay any attention to a little jig that mimics a two inch long minnow, but it might just roll up on a big soft plastic worm that looks like something which would provide nutrition for a few days.

Finally, another big advantage of kayak fishing small waters is that kayak anglers can try out one pond or creek in a day’s fishing, and if it doesn’t pan out, it is usually possible to load up, relocate, and try another body of water. Sometimes even moving from one creek to another or one bay on a lake to another can make a lot of difference in what is caught.

It’s not hard to move a kayak, so if the fishing ain’t so good, then move it!

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CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN

BY HANK SHAW

Photos by Holly A. Heyser and Hank Shaw

Blackened Catfish With Maque Choux If you are of a certain age, you will remember the “Great Blackened Redfish Craze of 1983-6”. I remember it well, for I was there at the beginning.

I don’t quite remember the first plate of blackened redfish I ever ate, but I can tell you it was around 1983 in a whitelinen restaurant in New Jersey. I remember it being crispy and spicy, spicier than anything I’d ever eaten before; I was not yet a chili head then. Blackened fish was as trendy then as fancy-dancy, cross-cultural tacos are today.

Whatever happened to blackened fish? It lives on, in the 46 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

menus of sad, corporate dungeons like Applebee’s or TGIFriday’s. Mention blackened redfish to a gourmand and they will invariably bring up sun-dried tomatoes and flower garnishes — the leg warmers and neon bracelets of 1980s cuisine.

I am here to rejuvenate this odd dish, which involves a fish fillet, lots of butter, the near-destruction of a frying pan, and an acrid cloud of spice-infused smoke that would expel a platoon of Tommies from their trenches. I know, I know. I am not doing a good job of selling it, am I? But blackening creates a juicy, perfectly cooked piece of fish coated in a crust of spices and herbs. It packs an enormous amount of flavor while miraculously remaining light, and, dare I say, low fat. True blackening, however, is an art.

Camphouse Kitchen

Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme is said to have invented the dish in 1980 because his little New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul’s, lacked a grill. Prudhomme wanted to grill his redfish, so what to do?

Ingredients CATFISH • 4 catfish fillets or skinless fillets of other fish • 1/2 cup melted butter • 1/2 cup Cajun seasoning • If you don’t have Cajun seasoning, mix together: • teaspoon black pepper • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon celery seed • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika • 1 tablespoon garlic powder • 1 tablespoon dried thyme • 1 tablespoon dried oregano MAQUE CHOUX • 2 tablespoons butter • small onion, chopped, about 1 cup • 1 green pepper, chopped • 4 cups corn kernels • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half • Salt and Tabasco sauce to taste

He decided to get a cast-iron frying pan screaming hot --and when I mean screaming hot, I mean so hot that “white ash starts to form on the edges of the pan.” That’s a direct quote from Prudhomme’s recipe. What now? Dip the fish in butter — butter?! The cooking fat with one of the lowest smoke points around?! — and then in Cajun spices, then slap it down on the pan. Armageddon ensues. The milk solids in the butter, along with the spices themselves, char almost instantly. It takes only three to five minutes to cook a normal fish fillet.

You need to let the frying pan sit on the stovetop while you eat dinner. If you try to clean it any sooner, the iron can actually crack. This is what made true blackening unwieldy in a restaurant setting. If you have 20 orders, you need 20 pans, which then need to sit and cool before you can do anything to them.

A nightmare in a small kitchen. No wonder Prudhomme sold his blackened redfish for $60 a plate when he took his show to New York City in 1983 — that is a breathtaking $130 in today’s dollars. Try to find an entree in America that costs $130 today. It will take some doing…

Prudhomme created such a craze for redfish that the poor critter was nearly put on the Endangered Species List. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, commercial landings for redfish, which is a drum (think California white seabass, Altlantic croaker or freshwater sheepshead), went from 54,000 pounds in 1980 to 5.4 million in 1985.

Horrified that he might be associated with the extinction of a popular gamefish, Prudhomme began promoting the blackening of other species, from tuna to catfish. As it happens, catfish is ideally suited to this technique. And it’s cheap, plentiful and sustainable. Definitely a trend I can get behind.

Blackened Catfish with Maque Choux Prep: 15 mins • Cook Time: 20 mins • Total: 35 mins

While this is a catfish recipe, it is a modification of a redfish recipe. And as you might suspect, you can modify this recipe for any other fish you choose to use. I’ve seen blackened salmon, trout, flounder, walleye, black bass, seabass... you get the point. The fish is less important than the technique.

As for the maque choux (mahk-shoo) , as you can see it is basically Cajun succotash. Corn, onions and green peppers are its foundation, and it usually has tomatoes and a little hot sauce, too. White rice is the perfect side dish here. Simple, kinda bland, you need it on the plate next to the spicy catfish.

Instructions 1. Make the maque choux first. Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat, then add the onion. Saute the onion for 1 minute, then add the green pepper. Sprinkle salt over everything and saute for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the corn kernels and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover while you make the fish.

2. Get a cast-iron frying pan hot over your hottest burner.

Turn the stove fan on high, and open the windows nearby, as this creates smoke. Let the frying pan get hot for a good 3-4 minutes. While the pan is heating up, melt the butter and pour the Cajun spices into a shallow dish.

3. Dip the fish fillets in the melted butter, then dredge in the Cajun spices. Shake off any excess. Do this for as many fillets as will fit in the frying pan; I find that 4 normal fillets is as much as it will hold. Lay the fish down on the hot pan. It will sizzle up fiercely and smoke. This is normal. Let the fish cook this way for 2-3 minutes.

Using a wide metal spatula, carefully flip the catfish fillets and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

4. When you flip the catfish, add the tomatoes and the Tabasco to the maque choux.

5. Serve with white rice, the maque choux and a good beer. And revel in the fact that some idiot paid $130 for this back in 1983...

Venison Pastrami

This recipe is a confluence of happenstance.

If you’re not familiar with pastrami, or just know it as some random lunch meat, it’s cured, smoked, spiced meat, usually beef, that is often steamed before slicing. We owe our love of pastrami to Eastern European Jews — pastrami 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 47

Camphouse Kitchen

sandwiches are always best eaten from Jewish delis — and variants of this meat exists all over that part of the world.

Here in California’s Central Valley, where I live, our local Armenian population enjoys basturma, its own version of pastrami. I’ve long made goose pastrami, which was a favorite of Romanian Jewish people back in the 1800s. I like it with Canada goose breasts.

I highly recommend that you use a single-muscle roast, ideally from the hind leg, or even backstrap for this recipe, as this is a lean, smoked meat that you’ll end up slicing thin and serving in a sandwich.

If you use larger cuts, you will have silverskin or connective tissue in your roast that will not soften when you eat it. But that’s where the steaming comes in. I rarely do this, but here’s how to steam pastrami if you need to: • • • •

Preheat your oven to 275°F. Set a big roasting pan in the oven and pour boiling water in it so the water is about 1 inch deep.

Put a rack in the pan to keep the pastrami elevated over the water level.

Ideally you cover this whole shebang with foil to keep the steam in, but you can also just keep the oven closed. It’ll work.

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•

Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of your pastrami and pull it when it reaches 160°F. Let the meat rest 30 minutes, still covered, before slicing.

A word on the curing salt. The 3 grams I call for will actually be enough to cure up to about 3 pounds of venison. A general rule is about 1.25 to 1.5 grams of Instacure per pound, but you do need a few grams initially to get things started. Do not use more than I call for, though.

Keep an eye on your venison’s internal temperature when you are smoking it. A piece of backstrap can be ready in 90 minutes in a hot smoker, which to my mind isn’t enough time on the smoke. Try to keep your smoker at 200°F or cooler; I like to keep it at 165°F, which lets me smoke the meat for a solid 3 to 4 hours.

What wood? Your choice. I prefer oak, maple or hickory for this, followed by walnut, pecan or cherry.

Once you make your pastrami, it will need to be eaten within a week or two, or you’ll need to vacuum seal and freeze it.

Venison Pastrami

Prep: 15 mins • Cook Time: 4 hours • Total: 4 hours 15 mins This recipe can be scaled up if you need to. Remember

Camphouse Kitchen

the salt and cure ratio is this: 2% of the weight of the meat in kosher salt, plus 0.25% - that’s one-quarter of one percent - of the weight of the meat in curing salt No. 1. Can you skip the curing salt? Yes, but it won’t look or taste like storebought pastrami.

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • •

A 2-pound piece of venison, a hind leg roast or backstrap Kosher salt (see recipe notes) 3 grams Instacure No. 1, good for up to 3 pounds of meat 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon crushed juniper (optional) 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus 3 tablespoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup brandy, red wine, vinegar or water 3 tablespoons coarsely ground coriander

Instructions 1. Weigh your venison. For every pound of meat, you’ll need 10 grams of kosher salt and about 1.5 grams curing salt. Mix the salt, curing salt, sugar as well as the thyme, celery seed, caraway, juniper and the teaspoon of black pepper and grind them all together in a spice grinder. Pack the venison with this mixture,

massaging it into the meat. Vacuum seal or put the meat into a Ziploc bag or closed container and set it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. A general rule is 2 days per pound of meat. If you’re unsure, leave the meat in one more day than you think you need to. This salt ratio will prevent the meat from getting overly salty.

2. Rinse the cure off the venison and pat it dry. It’s fine if you have a little bit of the cure stuck to the meat, but you don’t want too much. Put the venison on a rack in the fridge and let it dry uncovered for up to a day.

3. Dip the meat into the brandy — or really any other liquid you want — and then coat thoroughly in the 3 tablespoons of remaining black pepper and ground coriander seed. I like to grind this myself so the texture is a little coarse, a little fine. Press it into the meat well.

4. Smoke the venison at about 165°F to 200°F until the interior hits 145°F, which takes me about 3 hours. Let the pastrami cool and eat as lunch meat, or on crackers or whatever.

Turkey Gumbo

I’ll be honest: This is as much a shrimp and andouille gumbo as it is a turkey gumbo. And what’s more, there isn’t any reason you can’t substitute whatever meat makes you happy for the turkey.

But this does happen to be what I think is an excellent gumbo recipe, and it is undeniably a great use for turkey drumsticks, wild or store-bought.

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Camphouse Kitchen

Gumbo is one of those stews that everyone makes in their own way. I happen to prefer a more Cajun method, with a dark roux and not much tomato, if any. The roux (pronounced “roo”) is a mixture of fat and flour that thickens the stew and, when you cook it to the color of dark chocolate, adds a distinctive flavor.

All gumbos use a roux, either as a base of stirred in at the end, and all gumbos employ the Holy Trinity of onion, green pepper, and celery. Most use garlic, too. And almost all gumbo uses at least one of the three thickeners: the roux, okra or filé, which is dried, powdered sassafras leaf. Rarely will you see all three in a gumbo, however.

Meat is where it gets crazy. You can put pretty much any meat you want in a gumbo, and most include more than one.

This turkey gumbo is pretty typical in that it has the main meat — turkey legs and thighs — plus something smoked, in this case my homemade andouille sausage, and a seafood like shrimp, crab or crawfish.

I do not advise using turkey breast here, because it doesn’t take well to long stewing. If you must use turkey breast, dice it into pieces you’d want to eat, then toss it into the gumbo in the last 10 minutes so it won’t dry out.

Gumbo is usually served with steamed, long-grain rice, or potato salad. A Dixie or Abita beer is a good accompaniment.

Turkey Gumbo with Andouille and Shrimp

Prep: 20 mins • Cook Time: 3 hours • Total: 3 hours 20 mins Gumbo is one of the great uses for a turkey drumstick. I use homemade andouille and Gulf shrimp from Alabama, but any good American shrimp and smoked sausage will do; tasso ham is another good option. And feel free to put any and all meats you want in here. I use filé powder here to thicken my gumbo, but you can skip that and use ½ pound of okra instead.

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

½ cup peanut oil, lard, or butter 1 cup flour 1 quart stock, turkey or other good similar stock 2 bell peppers, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1 large yellow onion, diced 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 to 4 turkey drumsticks ¼ teaspoon celery seed 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning ¼ to ½ pound smoked sausage or tasso ham, cut into coins or chunks 1 pound peeled, raw shrimp 1/2 pound sliced okra (or 2 tablespoons filé powder)

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• •

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste Chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions 1. Pour the stock and 1 quart water into a pot and bring it to a simmer.

2. In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook this, stirring often, until it’s the color of milk chocolate. You’ll need to stir this more often as it cooks so it doesn’t burn. This should take about 15 minutes.

3. Add the diced vegetables and the garlic, and mix well. Let this cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, celery seed, bay leaves, and Cajun seasoning.

4. Bring the stock to a full boil and start adding it ladle by lade into the soup pot. It will sputter and seize up at first, but keep adding the stock until it has all incorporated. Bring this to a full, rolling boil and let this boil for a couple of minutes.

5. Turn the heat back down to a simmer and add the turkey drumsticks. Taste for salt and let this simmer until the meat wants to fall off the bone, a couple of hours. Remove the turkey legs and pull the meat from the bone.

6. Add the sausage, shrimp, and okra or about a tablespoon of filé to thicken, and let this simmer 5 minutes. Add Tabasco to taste and serve garnished with green onions over rice.

COASTAL SPORTSMAN

SPECKLED TROUT FISHING My Introduction to The Slick Lure

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My Introduction to The Slick Lure

it on, cast and expect to catch fish. The lure has to be used in the right situation and presented properly. Let’s go over when and how the lure should be used.

Setting the lure up is also super important.

You’ll want to make sure that the hook comes up through the slot in the belly and pokes through the back.

By Captain Bobby Abruscato

In some tidal rivers the trout suspend so sometimes, you can catch them in a little deeper water. Typically, though, I use the Slick in water depths from one to eight feet. It won’t work if you are jigging in a 20 foot water column.

There, a lead headed soft plastic is going to work best.

When you are at the six to eight foot range, give the lure a two or three count before beginning your retrieve. We’ll touch on presentation techniques in a bit, but that will keep the lure in the strike zone for you.

Currently Pure Flats offers the Slick Lure in a 20 different

We had just finished up and said our goodbyes. Then I thought as my charter drove away from the landing, “It’s just too perfect of a day to call it quits”. The bite in Mobile’s Dog River had been awesome with over 30 nice trout and a bull red landed, all coming off of mullet imitation lures, top waters, crank baits and jerk shads.

Good but not atypical of a winter day in the area’s tidal rivers.

So off I went with plans to fish my way back down the river, eat lunch at a restaurant near the mouth and then fish my way back up. After a dozen or so casts without a bite, I started to lose my enthusiasm. Before giving up, though, I decided to try another shape and color. Opening the hatch to my tackle storage area, I noticed an untagged baggie of large soft plastics that my buddy “Fuji” Jim Ising had left on my boat from a previous trip. “Heck, I’ll try these things. They are not biting what I have been throwing so who knows?”

Rigging one up I made a cast- nothing, but on the second cast a hard thump and hookup resulted in my landing a three pound or so sized trout. Same thing on my next three casts. “Well, I guess I have found them.” So I tried the MirrOlure that I had previously been using, ten casts and not a bite. “Huh? Let me try this thing that Jim left again.” 4 more casts netted three more trout and I was on the phone to Jim. “Man, you have to find out what these things are! They are eating them up and I can’t get bit on my favorite lure!”

About an hour later I get a call back from Jim. “They are called Slick Lures from a company called Pure Flats out of Gainesville.”

As soon as I got home I found them on the web, ordered some and the rest has been history for me. They have been the most productive of that type lure that I have ever used in 40+ years of speckled trout fishing. Moreover, I have had talented anglers on the boat with me and have challenged them to out fish it with their favorite lure and have yet to find anything that out fishes it. As with anything good though, there is a catch. You can’t just tie

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My Introduction to The Slick Lure

colors from solid subtle and bright colors to two-tone combinations of colors. The spectrum that is offered will cover any level of clarity. Selecting the right color for the right shade of the water being fished is key and experimentation is the best way to determine what is going to work. Generally, though, I have found that the brighter colors work best in off-colored water and the more natural colors work best in clear water. Of course, as is with fishing there are times that the fish don’t read the rule book and go 180 degrees from what I thought they would do. I usually have at least a couple of colors tied on when I boat fish and a few different ones in my wade box when I am in the water.

As part of my learning curve with the lure, I had to figure out what hook works best. They come with an un-weighted 4/0 Owner “Beast” hook. That is the hook shape you’ll want to use, but with the 1/8 oz. weight. The “Beast” is a wide gapped swim bait hook and the shape allows for the hook point to come all the way through the thick rubber body of the lure. This allows for more hookups while keeping the action of the lure intact.

Setting the lure up is also super important. You’ll want to make sure that the hook comes up through the slot in the belly and pokes through the back. Be sure it is centered in the back so the lure doesn’t spin and then take care to make sure the lure lays flats and is not “bowed up”. I also

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like to “skin” the tip of the hook. This means that once the hook pokes through, I slide the point back into the lure ever so slightly- just enough that I can run my finger across the back without getting hitting the point. This keeps it in place and also makes the lure truly weedless.

The Slick is a big fish bait. By that I mean that it entices big fish to bite, but that doesn’t’ mean that smaller fish won’t try to eat it.

The acid test for making sure that it is set right is to drop it in the water and jerk it a few times. It should go side to side and not spin, nor come up to the surface. You’ll also want to check it after a few casts and especially after catching a fish. The fish almost always knock the hook out of the lure, so you’ll want to re-set it after each fish.

The type of line used with the lure is another aspect that is essential to success with the Slick. Because the lure is thick and the hook is somewhat buried in it, you’ll want to use line with little or no stretch. This doesn’t help get more bites, but hooking fish with a lure body the size of the Slick requires being able to move the hook when it is

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My Introduction to The Slick Lure

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My Introduction to The Slick Lure

set-especially on long casts. I like fluorocarbon or braid when using the Slick. As mentioned, mono will get just as many bites, but will drive you crazy missing fish because of the amount of stretch.

When tying the lure, use a loop knot. There are a variety of loop knots that can be used and all will free the lure up for more action.

Everything in saltwater eats shrimp, so by just putting one on a hook you’ll instantly catch fish- yea right! As with any bait, both natural and artificial, presentation is the most important, yet most often overlooked factor.

Applying that to presenting the Slick, focusing on how the bait is offered is paramount once all of the above has been done. The Slick imitates a finfish like mullet pogies, etc. A trout eats a finfish by striking them first from the side just like a submarine attacks a ship. Then the trout immediately turns the finfish and swallows it head first.

Because the trout will be feeding facing into the current, the best cast and retrieve direction will be 90 degrees relative to the direction of the current while you are in the searching mode. This sets the bait up easiest for the trout to strike. Then you can pretty much cast in any direction once you have dialed in on the location of the fish.

I use a slow rolling retrieve and never stop reeling. By “rolling” I mean, just barely, almost imperceptibly, raising

the rod tip as I am reeling. The “rolls” create a little slack in the line which even though I don’t stop reeling causes a slight pause in the lure.

Captain Richard Rutland and I have fished the Slick in tournaments for a few years now. He uses a dramatically different presentation than mine. His is a pronounced “jerk-jerk- pause” where he completely stops reeling allowing the lure to stop and start slowly sinking before beginning his retrieve.

Very often, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these two noticeably different presentations going tit-for-tat catching fish. There have also been occasions where one has worked better than the other.

The moral of that story, and what both presentations have in common, is some sort of pause in the retrieve. The bite is similar to a jolt of electricity being sent up the line. It’s truly such a hard hit, that you can see the other angler’s rod knock when they get bit. Even though the bite is hard, you’ll want to set the hook and probably harder than you’re used to. The hook needs to get pulled through or out of the body and into the fish, or they will just spit it out. If the lure comes back with the hook not pulled through, you’re not sticking them hard enough.

The Slick is a big fish bait. By that I mean that it entices

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My Introduction to The Slick Lure

big fish to bite, but that doesn’t’ mean that smaller fish won’t try to eat it. Oftentimes, I’ll get multiple bites without hookups only to finally catch a 15” trout. That tells me that I am around smaller fish which can’t get the lure in their mouths. As mentioned though, that doesn’t stop them from trying!

In conclusion, please be aware that I am not sponsored by or affiliated with Pure Flats. I buy the lures just like everyone else.

They are available online as well as at local tackle stores like McCoy Outdoors and Tackle This in Mobile, Al. I hope that if you decide to give the Slick Lure a try, the above mentioned tips help to have the success that I have had with it.

CS 8 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

LAND SALES TIMBER SALES HOME SALES SELLING PROPERTIES IN ALABAMA, FLORIDA & GEORGIA FOR FIVE GENERATIONS. MUNFORD, ALA • Talladega County

GREENVILLE, ALA • Butler County

Turn key recreational tract with yearly income from a farm lease and a mixture of hardwood and pine timber. Known for its quality hunting and is loaded with deer and turkey.

Settled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, sits the Lake Mary Tract that features hunting, fishing, a home, and a guest house.

LAKE MARY TRACT – 410 ACRES – $1,250,000 280 Lake Mary Lane BAY MINETTE, ALA • Baldwin County

ANCIENT OAK FARMS – 112 ACRES – $299,500 9953 Luverne Highway • UNDER CONTRACT CASTLEBERRY, ALA • Conecuh County

Hardwood Bottoms and Pine Plantations cover and provide future income for the buyer plus excellent cover for the wildlife. Has a good network of roads.

BARBARROW TRACT – 150 ACRES – $350,000 Pine Forest Road

FLORIDA ESCAMBIA COUNTY Corley Road Farm 200 Acres $1,699,995 Hwy 99 Tract 125 Acres $499,500 Barrineau Park Tract 33 Acres $247,500 Brown Foundation Tract $59,995 Myrick & Suedeshoe Tract 460 Acres $849,500 Hicks & Horne Cabin & 360 Acres $1,099,500 Byrneville Tract 83 Acres $186,750 < UNDER CONTRACT > HOLMES COUNTY Beall Packing Road 68 Acres $138,000 < UNDER CONTRACT > SANTA ROSA COUNTY Hutto Tract 200 Acres $275,000 WALTON COUNTY Watson Tract 200 Acres $599,500 Sandy Creek Tract Acres $199,500

ALABAMA BALDWIN COUNTY Bushy Creek Tract 275 Acres $478,000 Grover Weekley Tract 88 Acres $199,000 < UNDER CONTRACT > Mrs. Weekley Tract 352 Acres $552,800

MOBILE OFFICE 800-704-0645

Smith Tract 55 Acres $109,500 Coleman Tract 110 Acres $148,500 Dyas Creek Tract 212 Acres $212,000 BIBB COUNTY Centreville Tract 144 Acres $699,500 BUTLER COUNTY N. Mt Zion Road 81 Acres $169,900 Aztec Road 91 Acres $150,000 Shackleville Road 87 Acres $110,000 < SOLD > Shows Tract 36 Acres $83,000 CHEROKEE COUNTY Dobson Tract Cabin and 40 Acres $72,500 COFFEE COUNTY Cr 407 Tract. 213 Acres $595,335 Cr 377 Tract 322 Acres $418,600 < SOLD > Zion Chapel 183 Farm 183 Acres $464,820 < SOLD > County Road 522. 27.5 Acres $108,500 CONECUH COUNTY Carr Tract 258 Acres $550,000 Dewberry Tract 95.3 Acres $317,500

The Joe Reeves Road Tract is a turn key recreation and timber property that is set up perfect for hunting, fishing and timber investment.

JOE REEVES ROAD TRACT – 352 ACRES – $867,000 1483 Joe Reeves Road Provitt Road 96 Acres $211,200 Mothershed Road Tract 109 Acres $189,900 Tomlin Mill Creek 80 Acres $144,000 Dicks Road Tract 274 Acres $625,600 Mayberry Gulley Road 39 Acres $97,500 Mayberry Gulley Road 32 Acres $80,000 Smith Co. Road 77 Tract 386 Acres $868,500 Little Horse Creek Tract. 99.26 Acres $223,335 GENEVA COUNTY River Road Tract 1077 Acres $1,287,015 LOWNDES COUNTY Stallworth Tract 320 Acres $400,000 MOBILE COUNTY Russell Road 394 Acres $630,000 WASHINGTON COUNTY Sacco Tract 160 Acres $247,000 Saccojawea Tract 160 Acres $200,000 Fruitdale Highway Tract 390 Acres $877,500

ESCAMBIA COUNTY Hartwell Tract 68 Acres $169,995 CRENSHAW COUNTY Sizemore Creek Tract 135 Acres $350,000 Faulk Road Tract 194 Acres $368,600 Hudson Settlement Tract 120 Acres $299,500 Wild Fork Creek Tract 253 Acres $875,000 < UNDER CONTRACT >

WWW.BUTLERLANDANDTIMBER.COM

Hammac Road Tract 160 Acres $432,000 < SOLD > Pineview Tract 160 acres $360,000 Strength Tract 80 acres $120,000 Mable Leigh Tract 80 acres $168,000 BeaverCreek Tract 88 acres $199,995 < SOLD > Middle Creek Tract 63 Acres $110,000 < UNDER CONTRACT > Wawbeek 660 Acres $1,599,995 PIKE COUNTY Buckhorn Tract 242 Acres $484,500 < SOLD > Warrick Tract 218 Acres $572,220 WILCOX COUNTY Tri-County Tract 134 Acres $480,000 DALE COUNTY Concord Road 45 Acres $109,500 Dean Church Road 22 Acres $77,000 Hurricane Creek 23 Acres $70,000 Ariton Tract 18 Acres $49,500.00

GEORGIA CLAY COUNTY The Old Grimsley Place. 361 Acres $599,500 Cotton Hill Road 131Acres 255,725.00 Hidden Lagoon 19.77 Acres $52,500

LUVERNE OFFICE 334-335-6784

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

The arrival of spanish mackerel schools are another harbinger of spring along the Emerald Coast.

BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton

SPRING INTO ACTION The weather this month may well be our most ‘bipolar’ of the year as winter grudgingly relents into spring.

March can bring in cold northerly winds with clouds and rain or even snow. Or it can be sunny and mild enough for short pants and sunburns.

So it definitely pays to be prepared for whatever nature deals us. Usually that is quite a variety of shore fishing options as our local species respond to increasing water temperature and growing length of daylight hours.

Sheepshead, “whiting” and pompano are the first gamefish to spawn in the early spring, usually around the full moon. And as the conditions of the shallow coastal waters improve to their liking, some epic bites begin to take place. Especially when these fish are

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joined by other migratory species late in the month.

Spanish mackerel, cobia, king mackerel and jack crevalle are all coastal pelagics which return to our area when the waters climb to a sustained temperature near 70. This warm surge sparks increased activity by our native invertebrates (shrimp, crabs, squid, clams, etc.) and forage fish (anchovies, menhaden, herring, etc.) as well.

They all engage in the cycle of life and renewed growth triggered by the fertility of our shores and estuaries.

Sheepshead are increasingly drawn into larger schools which orient around any hard structures in the vicinity of the mouths of bays and passes. They are intent on the upcoming spawn

FISHING OUTLOOK

and tend to feed more (and gain weight) as that happens.

Simultaneously, compact competition soon decreases the naturally available food supply rendering them more susceptible to human offerings. At this point they may even eat dead shrimp, but as always the fresher the better. Of course live shrimp is the most widely used bait, though not always available. Natural alternatives such as beach ghost shrimp, hermit crabs and fiddler crabs are often great options to still catch a mess of these scrappy, tasty fish. Just be sure and check your local regulations on size and creel limits as Florida has changed theirs’ since last year.

Tackle for sheepshead can vary a good bit. A seven foot medium to medium-heavy spinning rod with a 4000 series reel and 10 to 20 pound line is probably ‘standard’ for most pier or jetty applications. The real key to success is often in the rigging, which should be stealthy enough as to not arouse the sheepshead’s suspicions. At the same time it needs to be stout enough to keep the fish from wrapping around nearby piling and rocks. But this should be balanced with the conditions of water clarity, wind and current. Because getting these wary convicts to bite your offerings consistently is the first step to putting them in the box.

Selection of hook and weight size are just as important as using the right rod and reel. But in clearer and calmer water your terminal rig will often determine how many bites you get.

When I first started targeting sheepshead decades ago, I noticed every time I stepped down the line size the number of bites practically doubled. As well the amount (and type) of weight used should match the conditions. The terminal rigging should be to your advantage, not the fish’s. So finding the right balance in your tackle setup is as important as choosing the right bait. That can be anything from BB split shot to three ounce egg sinkers.

It is not advised to lift sheepshead out of the water by the line because so many are only lip hooked and it may tear out. The best tool for landing sheepshead is a net, specifically the 30 inch diameter hoop nets on a rope employed by many pier anglers. It will save you lot of fish and it gives you the option to fish as light of line as necessary.

The arrival of spanish mackerel schools are another harbinger of spring along the Emerald Coast. The east side railings (outside the sandbar) of the gulf beach piers from Panama City to Gulf Shore are often lined with anglers jigging for spanish mackerel in mid to late March. Again a seven foot medium action spinning combo with a 3000 to 4000 size reel and 8 to 12 pound line is the ‘standard’. Lots of ‘spring breakers’ get in on the action as well. It can be pandemonious at times when multiple mackerel are striking at every lure thrown. But in frenzies like this it doesn’t take long to catch a limit of 15 spanish mackerel. And pier anglers often make friends quickly in these situations.

There are other anglers along the east facing rails doing their own thing too. Inside the sandbar, pompano fishers with medium class tackle wait for a school of the tasty silver platters to happen by. While farther out cobia fishers peer eastward into the water for hours hoping to get a chance to cast their jig in front of a prized cobia. Heavy spinning tackle mounted on an eight to ten foot ‘cobia rod’ is their weapon

Selection of hook and weight size are just as important as using the right rod and reel. But in clearer and calmer water your terminal rig will often determine how many bites you get. of choice, often with 50# to 65# braided line. These are big, tough fish, as often is the competition for them among anglers. So be sure to check about the local pier etiquette (“First Shot” or “cut throat”) as well as the regulations before you jump into it.

Meanwhile along the sandy gulf beaches pompano numbers increase almost daily. New recruits from south Florida join our local populations swelling their pre-spawn aggregations.

These competitive fish schools are actively moving back and forth in the longshore trough searching for food along the way. Pompano feed heavily on invertebrates in the surfzone, so they are readily caught on pieces of shrimp, native sandfleas or ghost shrimp fished on long set lines.

Typically on an outgoing tide (in the morning), pompano are found farther away from the beach along the edges of the trough and longshore sandbar. Ideally where there is a cut in the sandbar nearby. On the incoming tide (afternoons) they often tend to feed in shallower water (4 to 6 feet deep) more so when that water tends to be above 68 degrees.

Pompano may be accessible at times by anglers using shorter (seven foot) rods with lighter line. And in calm, clear water conditions they can best be targeted using a “Carolina” rigged bait on light tackle. In rougher water or windy conditions, more than one ounce of weight is required to keep the bait in place on the bottom. That’s when heavier rods and lines should be employed. And when the water gets silty or on cloudy days the pompano rigs with brightly colored plastic beads or styrofoam floats may work much better in aiding the fish to locate your bait.

A nice variety of “whiting”, redfish and black drum may be incidental catches to targeting pompano with these methods in March. But what really matters is getting out on the beach or pier to enjoy your fishing options and the great days outdoors!

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Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook

BY MIKE THOMPSON Photos by Mike Thompson

The month of March can be a difficult time to target fish on the Gulf Coast due to the unpredictable weather situations you are likely to face. Fast moving fronts, with brisk winds, are not unusual in the beginning of the month. As the month winds down, warmer breezes excite the anglers, yet seem to confuse the fish. No matter the weather, there are always a few opportunities Gulf Coast anglers can turn to. Let’s look at a few places to try.

ALABAMA Many coastal anglers get excited as they see the azaleas start to bloom in March. This bloom signals that the weather is warm enough to gather up large school of brawny, sheepshead around most any structure with a barnacle on it. This includes bridge pilings, rock jetties and gas rigs.

Dropping a fresh piece of shrimp around structure will draw bites from the crafty sheepshead. Sheepshead are notorious bait stealers, so keeping a tight line is important. Another important factor is using a strong

hook. Sheepshead can bite a normal thickness hook in two.

During early March the sheepshead will be ganged up around the gas rigs just a mile or two offshore of Dauphin Island. As waters warm, the sheepshead will move into the shallower waters of Mobile Bay. Speckled trout are always on the target list of Gulf Coast anglers.

During March, most of the trout will be found in deeper waters, such as harbors or slips. The deeper bends of rivers will also hold specks as they seek out salinity rich waters. These fish are targeted with soft plastic grubs fished on or near the bottom.

Dog River, Fowl River and Theodore Canal are places to try on the western shore of Mobile Bay, while Fly Creek and Fish River are popular spots on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Some of the biggest trout of the winter are taken in these spots.

MISSISSIPPI Over on the Mississippi Coast, anglers will have a few targets to

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choose from during March. Captain Marcus McDavid, with Saltwater Therapy Charters, can still find fish to ‘pull on” during this fickle, fishing month.

“I like to target the ample numbers of sheepshead that are in our area this month. I target structure that is in about 15-feet. The structure must stick up off the bottom at least five-feet to hold many fish,” McDavid explained.

For bait to catch the sheepshead, McDavid uses live shrimp if available, but will also use fresh dead shrimp to tempt the fish.

“You can usually find live shrimp in March but fresh dead works well too. Although you can’t buy them anywhere near me, you can also catch your own fiddler crabs along the beach areas. Sheepshead love them!

You can find them around bridge and pier pilings near shore.”

As March moves along and waters start to warm later in the month, McDavid starts probing the waters of

FISHING OUTLOOK

the barrier islands. Ship, Horn and Cat Islands can also hold fish in the surf.

Fishing in the surf during March can pay off with some of incredibly tasty pompano. The delicate fish, with the small mouth, cause anglers eyes to light up being slid onto the beaches.

“Speckled trout and reds move out of the rivers and start associating with the shorelines of the barrier islands in late March. We slip on our waders and start working the surf to connect with these “Pompano start to run along the fish, tossing artificial baits,” McDavid beaches in the surf. A two drop rig said. “My top producer has been the baited with sand fleas is the best bet.

Rapala Skitter Walk, in the chartreuse Long rods with 20-lb line will help to color. Behind that, we also do well on get the distance into the surf. Look Matrix Shad in the green hornet color. for breaks and cuts on the sand bar, The Wedgetail Grub in the chicken or a as pompano will be feeding in these chain pattern is good too!” holes,” Pfieffer explained.

FLORIDA FOCUS While offshore is still pretty much on hold, the inshore waters can still provide action and excitement around Pensacola, according to Captain James Pfeiffer of Can’t Quit Charters.

“The month of March has lots of good fishing along the Panhandle of Florida. Anglers in the area target speckled trout in the mouths of bayous and canals. Throwing Gulps and Mirrolures can result in many fish,” Pfeiffer said.

“Sheepshead will be the main focus around the jetties, ledges and rock piles in Pensacola Pass. A medium rod rigged with 12-15-lb mono or braid will work good. A slip sinker in the 1/2oz-1oz with 20-lb mono and strong short shank #1 hook is a good set up. Baited with live shrimp or fiddler crabs works best. The same areas the sheepshead are in, mangrove snapper and redfish will be around and caught with the same rigging for sheepshead.

Good luck and tight lines,” Pfieffer said.

CONCLUSION Till things heat up offshore, coastal anglers should concentrate on the many opportunities available inshore.

Sheepshead will be the number one target, as the bigger fish are caught during this period. Give it a try this month. You will be pleased…

See you on the water.

Important Information

Rapala Skitter Walk www.rapala.com Matrix Shad www.matrixshad.com Saltwater Therapy Charters www.saltwatertherapycustomcharters.com 228-861-7359 Can’t Quit Charters www.can’tquitcharters.com 850-380-9600

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Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring and time to get into some great freshwater fishing along the Gulf Coast and Deep South.

BY ALEX GRANPERE Photos by Ed Mashburn

FLORIDA WATERS

LAKE TALQUIN This fine northwest Florida lake should offer anglers some prime early spring fishing if the weather holds true to form.

Buddy Cartwright of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin tells us that anglers should visit the lake early in the month for the best shot at the biggest bass as they will be moving on the beds for spawning. The bedding bass will take worms, lizards, and other soft plastics, and March is a good time for sight fishing the big girls as they are on the spawning beds.

Junebug has been a consistently good

color for the March soft plastics.

ing action and fast bites from big bass.

Crappie anglers will find plenty of slabs in the shallows as they continue their spawning, but some of the biggest fish will have moved off the beds and back into more open water.

Try trolling creek mouths and deeper creeks with jigs and live minnows.

Rob Baker of Wilderness Way tells us that as the water warms, the bass will start moving into shallow water bedding areas, and depending on the water clarity, some good sight fishing for bedding fish can occur.

The catfish will still be in deeper water in March, but they will be getting ready to move on the flats and ledges for spawning as the water warms.

WAKULLA RIVER In March, anglers in northwest Florida can expect to find some great spawn-

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This will be a good time for topwater frogs worked over very thick cover.

Work the soft-plastic frog slowly and be ready for some violent strikes.

Plastic worms in watermelon color on Carolina rigs will catch bass near heavy cover. Look for logs and old blowdown treetops, especially in the Wakulla River.

FISHING OUTLOOK

For panfish anglers, the bream will be moving into quiet backwaters off the main river channels, and tiny artificials and live cricket and worms will collect a mess of bream in short order.

ALABAMA WATERS

LAKE GUNTERSVILLE Winchester, Tennessee based MidSouth Bass Guide Captain Jake Davis says bass anglers will have good luck with Rat-L-Traps in the standard Guntersville red colors, and Texas-rigged soft plastic will also be very good.

Square-bill crankbaits will be good bets to cover a lot of water in order to find the best concentrations of bass.

It looks like just about every kind of offering made to the bass this month should be good.

Davis tells us that we’ll need to look for water warming into the upper 50s or above for actual bedding to begin.

When the water temperature hit’s the low 60s, things should get very good for bass anglers as the bass will go to the shallow bedding areas.

Bass anglers should work the staging areas, drop offs and channels near the flats where most of the Guntersville bass go to make their beds for spawning.

Crappie anglers should have good results in March by fishing the bigger creeks where the slabs will be getting ready to spawn in April and May. Both small jigs and live minnows worked slowly around deeper structure will be good.

SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop in Jasper, Alabama says that in March, the river comes alive with bugs and that’s good news for Alabama’s trout anglers.

According to Jackson this month will see March browns hatching as well as black caddis. Blue wing olives have been hatching all winter, and they will continue into March. Fly hatches can occur anywhere along the run of the Sipsey Fork.

Another kind of fly fishing will occur

in March as fly anglers throw streamers in white, silver and black top to match the run of threadfin shad. These one to three inch streamers can attract some of the biggest trout in the river.

Trout will be stocked monthly at the Sipsey Fork, but the folks at Riverside have a donation jar where anglers can drop a few dollars in for the purchase and release of three to five pound rainbows in the river.

Anglers need to work creek mouths very hard. Look for water grass which will be starting to grow.

tom structure at this time.

“I cover a lot of water at this time using a Larue Bifflebug on a jighead. I can feel the jig hit rocks. I also throw spinnerbaits. I like a Talon 3/8 oz spinnerbait with double Indiana gold blades. I like chartreuse and white colors,” Lee said.

MOBILE DELTA “Everything about fishing in March is predicated on the river stages.said Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service Captain Wayne Miller. “The higher the rivers, say eight feet or higher at the Berry Steam Plant, and you’ll be fishing down around the Causeway because of the very high water, While it is not impossible to catch bass in the very high water and fast currents, it can be close.”

After the high waters run down, bass will find lots of food coming out of the Riverside conducts guided drift boat flooded woods. The bass will bulk up trips, wading trips, and striper on the and get really healthy, and this benefit fly trips above the dam in Smith Lake, can carry on through the rest of year. along with coastal saltwater fly fishing In March, the Delta bass will be eating trip to various Gulf Coast locations. crawfish, and lures need to match this food. Really bright reds and oranges WEISS LAKE are good choices for crankbaits. Jigs Captain Lee Pitts of Pitts Outdoors can be very good too. in Cedar Bluff, Alabama says,” It’s ‘ March and THE time for crappie here.” Think small. In early spring we see Anglers can fill a big ice chest with large crawfish, and the bigger bass will fine eating crappie by long-line trolling target big crawfish. Use big jigs with jigs over open water and then as the trailers, and I will bulk up the size month moves on, fast results will come of jigs and crankbaits in the crawfish from a jig fished under a float. This rig patterns,” Miller said. should be cast over submerged stumps on flats.

LAKE EUFAULA Over in Eufaula, Hawks Fishing Guide Lee says, “ Throw it out, and let it sit.

Service Sam Williams points out that Then, move it a foot and let the jig setthe bass will be in a pre-spawn pattern tle back under the float. Keep moving and will be feeding heavily. Smallthe float and jig a foot at a time. The er crank baits and lipless crankbaits crappie usually hit the jig as it falls.” fishing in five to seven feet of water should be quite good in March.

Anglers who are crappie fishing on Weiss at this time need to think about Anglers need to work creek mouths using light line- 6 pound test is good very hard. Look for water grass which because it allows good lure movement will be starting to grow. and a more natural presentation.

On another note, anglers can have The bass at Weiss are starting to get some serious fun trolling along drop tight to the shorelines in preparation off and old creek channels for white for bedding. Anglers need to focus on bass, hybrids, and even some very big hard clay and gravel and rock bottom. stripers in March. White jigs and shad The bass will be holding on hard botpattern crank baits are good choices for 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 57

Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook

slow trolling for the whites and hybrids.

The crappie at Eufaula will be off deep ledges, and as the month goes one, they will move to the tops of drop offs and ledges as they get ready for the big spring spawn.

Anglers need to pay attention to the weather. If the weather and water warm sooner than unusually, the crappie may start their spawn earlier than they most often do- April and May.

WILSON LAKE JFishing guide and captain Brian Barton says that in March the catfish at Wilson are getting ready to spawn and advises anglers to pay attention to lake flats and long points. Between Wilson Lake Shores and McKiernan Creek is a very good region to find these pre-spawn catfish.

Look for rock and wood cover, and work the bait just above or beside the cover.

Catfish anglers should try cut bait, chicken livers, and live shad if they can be found. Big catfish will be found right below Wilson Dam and try big chunks of shad or whole shad in deeper holes along bluff walls. Use electronics to find holes on the bottom that are five feet or deeper than the surrounding bottom- the bigger cats love these areas.

As March moves on, bigger catfish will be moving up in shallower water for spawning.

MILLER’S FERRY The word from Joe Dunn, from Dunn’s Sport in Thomasville, Alabama is, “In March, everything is on the banks in a pre-spawn or actual spawn pattern. When the water gets at 60 degrees, everything will start to happen.”

Bass anglers can flip jigs in grass that will be starting to emerge, and chatter baits and spinner baits will also be very good. All lures need to be in some kind of shad pattern since shad are the primary forage for bass.

Dunn reminds us that a lot of anglers will be riding around the lake at this time looking for the right conditions, because the lake doesn’t all have the same water and temperature conditions at the same time. Some bays and sloughs will be warmer and more productive than others.

The Miller’s Ferry crappie will be up on the banks by late March, and they will be shallow near wood and grass.

Crappie anglers should look for crappie to be just off the banks. Use a cork with a jig a foot or so below the cork.

This rig works very well on suspended crappie along the banks at this time.

“I like a Southern Pro jig- the color depends on water temperature and clarity. Silvers and blues work well for clear water. Chartreuse, black, and electric chicken are better for stained water condition,” Dunn said.

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As the month goes on, bream anglers will find bluegills coming shallow.

Important Information Capt. Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com Capt. Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www/midsouthbassguide.com Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL Rob Baker Wilderness Way Kayak Shop 850-877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, Fl 32327 Whippoorwill Lodge 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com

Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69 N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 riversideflyshop.com Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 Millewa12000@yahoo.com Capt. Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com Capt. Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com

MOON & FEED TIMES

60 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

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*Manufacturer’s suggested retail price shown. Prices may vary due to supply, freight, etc. Actual prices set by the dealer. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Availability subject to production, stocking, and demand. MSRP for base Kodiak model. Kodiak 450 EPS shown from $6,899. • ATVs shown are recommended for use only by riders age 16 years and older. Yamaha recommends that all ATV riders take an approved training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Always avoid paved surfaces. Never ride on public roads. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing; never carry passengers; never engage in stunt riding; riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix; avoid excessive speed; and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Professional rider depicted on a closed course. Specifications subject to change without notice. Kodiak 450 EPS model shown with optional Genuine Yamaha Accessories. ©2017 Yamaha Motor Corporation. U.S.A. All rights reserved. • YamahaMotorsports.com

877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 65

KID'S CORNER

TROPHY ROOM

Till Rogers with a nice spotted seatrout.

Katherine Hutcheson with some tasty red snapper 66 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

Sidney Pope has a bull by the horns.

This is Fisher Galbrath, Looks like they got his name right!

7 year old Cam Joiner from Bay Minette with his catch

Tanner Martiniere found a mangrove snapper.

Give us your best shot!

Featured kids receive a gift! 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, like if it's a first time, when and where animal was caught/killed, how much it weighed. If it's a buck, include points.

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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 67

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FISHING TIP

A Guide’s Perspective of Lake Guntersville in March

BY CAPTAIN PHILIP CRISS

I could use this article to talk about a particular rod and reel, a type of line, a favorite lure or my preferred bass boat.

If we were talking about winter fishing with water temperature in the forties or the middle of summer with water temperatures in the 90’s we would need to discuss certain techniques, lures, creek channels, ledges or travel ways of the bass.

But to be truthful, “Lake Guntersville in March” what more is there to say in the world of bass fishing. It is the time of year when the bass are at their heaviest. They are feeding in anticipation of the spawn.

Most of all they are shallow and moving into the spawning areas. Areas that are out of the current in water depths of two to four feet. Usually these are areas with firm or hard bottoms.

I hear some folks say, “but the lake is covered in milfoil, hydrilla and star grass” which is true.

However, that does not mean there is not a hard bottom under the grass. The bass will clean out the spot they prefer under the grass.

Some of the best spawning areas and places to fish in March are in the lower quarter of the lake. Areas like Brown’s Creek, Alreds, Spring Creek, Seibold Creek and around all of the islands in this part of the lake.

When it comes to which bait to use, keep it small. There is no wrong bait or presentation in March. Rat-L-Traps, buzz baits, spinner baits, swimming or flipping a jig,

square bills, Pop-Rs will all work.

Having said this the fishing can be on fire and then we get a weather front move in. This could be a good thing or bad thing. A cloudy, rainy low pressure does little to change things. But let a high pressure cold front move in, well that changes everything, but It does not mean you cannot catch them. You just have to adjust to a reaction bite!

Remember to keep it simple in March. If I can help you or to book a trip call me Captain Phillip Criss 205-4615549 “Bass Guide” 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2019 69

A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS

The Turkey Chainsaw Massacre “What was that?” asked my son.

I looked at him with disbelief. This gargling warbler, the turkey not the son, sounded like a water hose full of gravel. Maybe the old bird suffered as much from pollen as we did.

BY JIM MIZE

As you wait on the first hint of morning light, few sounds have such a soothing effect as the soft chirp of crickets. That is, soothing until you realize that cricket sound is the same one you heard in Psycho right before some guy in a dress jumped into the shower with a butcher knife. On occasion, turkey hunts can take on the nature of a cheap horror film. Mine could have been titled, “The Turkey Chainsaw Massacre.”

Like any scary flick, this hunt began normally. The weather was mild, the night sky full of stars, and except for an occasional rooster’s crow, the only other sound was that eerie bunch of crickets.

Shortly after dawn, a lone crow drifted across the sky, calling in a raspy voice as if possessed. Others of his kin answered, haunting the forest like a gathering of evil spirits. They landed in the tops of the oaks, like spies of some dark force.

A cloud of pollen danced in the first beams of the sun. This golden cloud drifted like a pretty poison, perhaps poppy dust dropped by the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. I glanced upward, expecting to see a swarm of flying monkeys and wondered if they were in season and good to eat. But it was just pollen and there were no flying monkeys. Still, it filled our sinuses and watered our eyes. I fought back a sneeze. My son blinked to erase this golden grit from his pupils.

As the crows commenced to call again, one lone warrior answered defiantly, a fat old gobbler who claimed these woods.

I whispered back, “That, my boy, is what we’re here for.”

I returned his call with an inviting yelp, deceptive and seductive. I pretended to flirt as best I could with this overweight Thanksgiving dinner.

The crows reacted to our conversation.

They began to swarm, milling about as if only to remind me this was their horror film. I expected to see the earth disgorging centipedes and other foul creatures of Middle Earth, but my eyes watered from the pollen and whenever I looked down my hood slid forward and I couldn’t see a cotton-picking thing. For all I knew, I was being eaten by ants and lizards and . . . then he gobbled again.

The hairs on my neck rose outright.

His garbled, throaty blathering came from a point much closer. He’d been sneaking as I’d been contemplating creepy-crawlers. The sun had crested the tree tops, lime green with new growth. All this was promising, except for the ominous gaggle of crows milling about somewhere over this noble bird.

I hit the slate a couple more times and hoped he’d catch sight of my decoys, mistake my hen for his best girl and realize she was being courted by some young whippersnapper of a jake, even if he was made of molded plastic.

He gobbled again and my blood ran cold.

We went on like this for what was probably minutes, but seemed like hours. The gobbler got to be old for a reason and I’d been skunked so far this season for the same reason. He was smarter than me. Still, I knew I had something on my side, dumb luck.

70 MARCH 2019 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237

This reassured me until I realized also that dumb luck isn’t the same as good luck.

In an instant, the crows cranked up to a new level, took wing and left. I wondered what dreaded visitor could drive off such a horrendous gathering of birds. The gobbler fell quiet. Only the crickets seemed louder and louder and louder until I looked over my shoulder expecting to see the glint of a butcher knife.

Instead, I heard a deafening roar that nearly made me jump from my camo and streak through the woods in my Fruit of the Looms screaming like a schoolgirl chased by boys with toads.

“Waaaaaaah, wah, wah, WAAAAAAAAAAAH,” roared this horror that I knew had wreaked havoc on my turkey hunt. This chainsaw screamed from only fifty yards away, and soon was echoed by another. An entire pulpwood crew assaulted the silence and I knew that one wise old gobbler was about to disappear into the deep woods like a vampire at daybreak.

I guessed about where he would cross the fence that marked the boundary line and made a mad dash for it, son in tow.

We got there just in time to watch this majestic, but overweight flying fat-boy flap as best he could through a pine thicket.

We sat and caught our breath. No hero came to our rescue. No wizard offered magic potion for our use. No bluebird landed on my shoulder to whisper wisdom in my ear.

We’d just survived what one shot could have turned into The Turkey Chainsaw Massacre. But that shot was never fired. No massacre occurred.

Still, it might have, if I could have gotten my hands around the neck of that pulpwood cutter.

JIM MIZE has a lot of turkey-hunting stories that end with the gobbler getting away. You can find his award-winning books of humor at www.acreektricklesthroughit.com.

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