Outdoor Guide Magazine March-April 2022

OUTDOOR

GUIDE

March-April 2022

MAGAZINE

Prepper’s Guide........ Page 6

Spring arrives.........Page 10

Winter trout............Page 18

Galena adventure.....Page 23

Lake Michigan.........Page 31

HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING • SHOOTING • TRAVEL Missouri, Illinois and Other Exciting Outdoor Destinations!

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March-April 2022

Over and Outdoors

Trout fishing extends beyond opening day Photo and Text

By JOHN WINKELMAN Guide Associate Editor Holiday fanfare welcomes opening day of trout fishing season at the four parks in southern Missouri. Thousands of tourists and family fun seekers find favorite spots along streams and holes where traditions and trophies have abounded for years.

When the whistles blow at Bennett, Maramec, Montauk and Roaring River on the morning of March 1, memories are made as many anglers try to land a lunker or a limit.

But the four parks are not the only places for quality trout fishing in the state.

Missouri has designated areas of several cold-water streams with special trout fishing regulations. While the catching may not be as

fast and furious as the first minutes of opening morning, the limits and lunkers are still available.

BLUE RIBBONS Blue Ribbon Trout Areas in the state provide high-quality habitat on smaller streams that are capable of supporting successful spawning by rainbow trout. Harvest is limited in order to maintain the population of breeding-size adult trout and to provide great opportunities for catch-andrelease fishing.

In addition to the natural reproduction, the blue ribbon areas also receive supplemental stocking from the same hatcheries that fill the trout parks. The North Fork of the White and Current rivers are stocked with brown trout. The Eleven Point River gets rainbows provided periodically.

Six smaller tributary streams also have blue ribbon regulations, including Barren Fork, Blue Springs, Crane, Little Piney, Mill and

Spring creeks. Anglers may keep only one fish daily, and it must be at least 18 inches long. Lure types are restricted flies, and other artificial offerings. Live or manufactured soft plastic or scented baits are prohibited to reduce the potential for mortality of fish that are caught and returned.

RED RIBBONS Only three streams are designated Red Ribbon Trout Areas. On the Meramec River and its Dry Fork Creek tributary, anglers may only use artificial lures. On the seven-mile segment of the North Fork of the White River before it enters Norfork Lake, all bait or lures are allowed.

The daily limit is two fish that must be at least 15 inches. The areas provide quality habitat, and the hatchery stock they receive is mostly brown trout.

WHITE RIBBONS White Ribbon Trout Areas are streams with water cold enough for trout to survive all year. Periodic stockings

Maramec Springs and three other Missouri parks attract big crowds on March 1, but other options are available.

add mostly rainbow trout, but some brown trout are included. There is no minimum length requirement for rainbow trout, but browns must be at least 15 inches long.

Anglers may keep up to four fish daily. The areas have no bait restrictions.

The streams with segments designated as White Ribbon areas are Capps, Hickory, Little Piney and Roubidoux

creeks, plus the Current, Eleven Point, Niangua and Roaring rivers, and Stone Mill Spring, which has a catch-and-release only season from Nov. 1 through Feb. 28.

Regardless of how cold it might be on March 1, hearty anglers crowd into the four trout parks and enjoy the catching and camaraderie that have made those places famous. For those looking for

quieter encounters, several streams provide a variety of options throughout Missouri’s beautiful Ozarks.

John Winkelman is marketing director for Liguori Publications near Barnhart, Mo., and associate editor of Outdoor Guide Magazine. Send story ideas to ogmjohnw@aol.com. For updates or more outdoor news, go to johnjwink.com.

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Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

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March-April 2022

Gone Fishin’

Trail cams may have gone too far

By BRENT FRAZEE

We offer different styles of campers including: Bumper Pulls • Fifth Wheels • Motorhomes Toy Haulers • Projects for the do-it-yourselfer.

New units arrive weekly.

Delivery is available.

So when does modern technology conflict with fair Frazee chase in hunting and fishing?

Trail cams that transmit real-time images of big game, sonar units that show real-time movement of fish, rifle sights with built-in electronic range finders, electronics that make it nearly impossible for a fish to go undetected – is this really fair chase or is it overreach of technology?

To me, it appears we have reached a crossroad. Many hunters and fishermen wonder if we’re going too far, too fast, and I’m one of them.

The latest debate centers on the use of trail cams, especially that ones that can be linked to

Buying used and unwanted RVs!

A familiar forest scene

a Smart Phone to get real-time images of big game. In essence, a hunter could see that a big buck had ambled within sight of the trail cam he or she had put out, could cross a draw and shoot that trophy deer.

Is that really fair chase?

Or to be more succinct, is it really fair?

Are we losing the mystery

– Dick’s Sporting Goods photo

and romanticism of what brings us outdoors in the first place if we rely on modern gadgets such as this?

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March-April 2022

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March-April 2022

Prepper’s Guide

What do you do when lights go out?

By DAVID HOSKING

What are you going to do when the power goes off and you’re left in the dark for hours, days or maybe even a week or two? How will you light your house or business?

Let’s review some options for lighting during a power outage caused by, say, an ice storm: • Cellphone flashlight – These are quick and easy for finding your way around the house without stubbing your toes on furniture. However, the batteries will wear down quickly, and since the power is out, they can’t be recharged unless you plug them into an external battery.

They provide minimal light over a small area, so they are not very useful.

• Battery-powered flashlight – These are OK for a day or two, but they only illuminate a small

area and the batteries also wear down quickly. If you don’t have spare batteries, you can bet your local store shelves will be empty during an ice storm. Some of the new LED lights last longer than traditional flashlights and they provide greater illumination over a larger area, but they will still need to be recharged or have fresh batteries after heavy use.

• Candles and oil lamps – These worked well for our pioneer ancestors, but they don’t shed a lot of light, and they are risky for starting house fires, especially if left unattended.

Candles burn down quickly and oil lamps consume kerosene rather quickly. Today, kerosene is very expensive – about $12 per gallon, which will last about 20 hours in a traditional oil lamp.

Also the odor from burning kerosene is very strong and unpleasant.

Dismantled internal components of a vintage Coleman lantern after a thorough cleaning. A restored 1964 Coleman Model 228F. • Propane lanterns – These

have become popular recently because of their portability, ease of use, low odor and their ability to brightly illuminate a room.

However, they also present a fire hazard if left unattended and can cause suffocation if used in a confined space without proper

OUTDOOR

GUIDE

March-April 2022

MAGAZINE

HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING • BOATING • SHOOTING • TRAVEL Volume 30, No. 2 • Published six times a year Office: 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis, MO 63103 News department — 618-972-3744 www.outdoorguidemagazine.com e-mail: news@outdoor-guide.com COVER created by Kathy Crowe, graphic designer.

Carl Green, editor – carl@labortribune.com John Winkelman, associate editor — ogmjohnw@aol.com Bob Whitehead, editor emeritis – ogmbobw@aol.com Lynn Fowler, circulation manager Kathy Crowe, graphic designer — Account executives — Dan Braun, marketing director 314-256-4136 Lauren Marshall 314-614-5175 — Regional and specialty editors — Darrell Taylor Ray Eye Brent Frazee Brandon Butler

Bill Cooper Thayne Smith Steve Jones

Bill Seibel John Neporadny Jr. T. J. Mullin

Larry Whiteley Ted Nugent Ron Bice

– In Memoriam —

Joel Vance • Ron Henry Strait • Jared Billings • Charlie Farmer • Richard Engelke • Mark Hubbard • Spence Turner • Hank Reifeiss Kay Hively • Bill Harmon • Barbara Perry Lawton • Danny Hicks • Ron Kruger • TJ Stallings • John Sloan

Claudette Roper Gerald Scott Bill Keaton Charlie Slovensky Jerry Pabst Ryan Miloshewski

Kenneth Kieser Terry Wilson Bob Holzhei Jeannie Farmer Jo Schaper Jed Nadler

— Staff writers —

Don Gasaway Mike Roux Craig Alderman Randall Davis Larry Potterfield Tom Watson

Tim Huffman Russell Hively Roxanne Wilson Michael Wardlaw Tyler Mahoney Richard Aites

ventilation. Propane lanterns use small, 1l-pound disposable fuel cylinders which last only a few hours in a lantern. You’d need to store many full cylinders to get you through a weeklong power outage. Propane cylinders have become rather expensive these days – about $9 for a two-pack. To save money, some people try to refill these cylinders, but this is highly dangerous and even illegal in some locations. They are not designed to be refilled!

• Liquid fuel lanterns – These lanterns burn a pressurized liquid fuel known as Coleman Fuel (CF) or white gas or naphtha.

Some of the modern Coleman lanterns are designed to use either CF or common unleaded gasoline, although I find the latter gives off an unpleasant odor. These lanterns produce a tremendous amount of light and are portable, efficient and clean burning. CF is available most anywhere; even Walmart offers a generic, less expensive brand for about $8 per gallon. A full tank holds roughly a quart of fuel that lasts for at least 8 hours.As with propane lanterns, liquid fuel lanterns should never be left unattended or used in a confined space.

RELIABILITY PROVEN FOR 120 YEARS The technology underlying Coleman lanterns is more than 120 years old, which gives strong evidence to their longterm reliability if they are properly maintained. The Coleman Company, founded in Wichita, KA. in 1900, is still in business.

Over the years, the company also manufactured lanterns on behalf of others like Sears and J.C. Higgins, so you’ll occasionally find vintage non-green colored lanterns of slightly different designs, but they all work the same by burning pressurized liquid fuel.

I confess that these are my favorite lanterns and that I have had a love affair with vintage Coleman lanterns since I was a kid while growing up on a wilderness lake in Canada 60 years ago. In fact, my hobby is restoring these old lanterns back to like-new condition.

Most of the vintage lanterns you find on eBay, FB Marketplace or in antique shops for $50 or more are basically over-priced junk that have been rusting away in a barn or garage for the past 30 or 40 years. An old lantern may look pretty on the outside, but its internal components are usually full of crud, rust and stale, varnished fuel that will clog the ultra-fine needle valve of a lantern’s generator.

A LITTLE JOB FOR YOU The air tubes are almost always clogged with mud dauber and spider nests. To restore them to a reliable condition, the inside of the fount (fuel tank) needs to be de-rusted and cleaned, and the generator and fuel-pickup assemblies must be dismantled and soaked for hours in cleaning solutions. The fuel cap and pump gaskets always need to be replaced.

Unrestored, these old lanterns may work for a time, but never for a long time. I try to buy vintage lanterns for about $10 or $15 because it costs $25 or more in new parts and materials, as well as many hours, to restore them.

So why would you want to buy a restored vintage Coleman lantern instead of buying a brand new one from a big-box store?

Frankly, the quality of the new Coleman lanterns is poor compared to the vintage lanterns.

New lanterns cost more than $100 (plus shipping), and although they are still assembled in the USA, many of the parts are now made in China of plastic materials.

I can’t imagine these new ones lasting for another 30 to 50 years like the old ones. On the other hand, with proper care, restored vintage lanterns are reliable and will last almost

indefinitely. Replacement parts continue to be available.

KEEP IT DRY When you are camping, don’t leave the lantern out in the rain, and when you store it, dry it off, release the pressure, empty the fuel, put the cap back on tightly – and it will work fine the next time you use it.

So, for when the power goes off, a restored vintage Coleman lantern is your best choice for reliable performance, and you can pass these treasures on to your grandchildren to use 30 years from now.

Prepper’s Guide author David Hosking can be contacted at gamekeeper01@gmail.com Typical crud and gunk removed from inside a 30 year old Coleman fount (fuel tank) Dismantled internal components of a vintage Coleman lantern after a thorough cleaning.

A restored 1964 Coleman Model 228F So why would you want to buy a restored vintage Coleman lantern instead of buying a brand new one from a big-box store?

Frankly, the quality of the new Coleman lanterns is poor compared to the vintage lanterns.

New lanterns cost more than $100 (plus shipping), and although they are still assembled in the USA, many of the parts are now made in China of plastic materials. I can’t imagine these new ones lasting for another 30 to 50 years like the old ones. On the other hand, with proper care, restored vintage lanterns are reliable and they will last almost indefinitely. Replacement parts continue to be available. When you are camping, don’t leave the lantern out in the rain, and when you store it, dry it off, release the pressure, empty the fuel, put the cap back on tightly—and it will work fine the next time you use it.

So, for when the power goes off, a restored vintage Coleman lantern is your best choice for reliable performance, and you can pass these treasures on to your grandchildren to use 30 years from now.

Typical crud and gunk, removed from inside a 30-year-old Coleman fount (fuel tank).

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

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Hunting, fishing license fee increases necessary

By BRANDON BUTLER

The money sportsmen and women spend on hunting and fishing licenses is a major contributor to funding conservation across the country. Today’s license fees are the foundation of tomorrow’s opportunity.

If we hope to pass on our national commitment for conservation to future generations, then sportsmen must continue to lead the way.

This means license fees must stay current with the times. It’s rare to hear applause for fee increases, but they are at times necessary.

I’ve bragged on my dad for his creative gift-giving technique when he surprised me with my first shotgun. He hit it out of the park on that one. But he struck out with the bases loaded – and down by one run in the bottom of the ninth – when he failed to buy me a lifetime license in Indiana before they stopped selling them.

I’m pretty sure they cost around $400 in the early 1990s, which seemed like a lot at the time.

They went away when I was about 12. Those licenses were all-inclusive, covering deer and turkey tags, along with general fishing and hunting privileges. A real sweet deal!

The reason they went away is because the Indiana DNR knew they would eventually be underfunded if those licenses saturated the market. So now when I go home to hunt, I pay a hefty price, and it’s going up. And I’m all right with it. I just told you I wish I did have a lifetime license, but I don’t have one. So I pay the license fees and accept the cost as necessary.

It feels good to do your part.

CORE PROGRAMS According to an Indiana Department of Natural Resources press release, “For the first time since 2006, Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) has increased fees for hunting, fishing and trapping licenses. The new fees allow DFW to maintain core programs including habitat restoration, maintenance of public lands, scientific research and education, and expansion of other services to manage Indiana’s fish and wildlife for everyone to enjoy.

“Funds will also go to the DNR Division of Law Enforcement to ensure it is equipped to provide public safety and enforce the laws governing natural resources. The new license

Guest Editorial

prices were determined by comparing license fees among other Midwestern states and balancing the rising costs of resource management.”

I feel this is an honest and reasonable explanation for the fee increases. So now, for me to go back to Indiana and fish, my non-resident fishing license will cost $60 instead of $35.

To kill one deer, the license now costs $240 instead of $150. In my eyes, its money well spent. When I think about the joy I’ve had hunting deer in Indiana since my youth, I realize that paying it forward by financially contributing to conservation, while having the privilege to hunt, is money well spent. These fee increases will help ensure future, healthy fish and game populations.

Federal money for conservation primarily comes from two sources – Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson. The Pittman-Robertson Act was established in 1937 to fund wildlife conservation through a tax on hunting and shooting equipment. The success of this funding model was used to pass the similar Dingell-Johnson Act in 1950, which supports sport fishing. These two acts have supported state-based conservation for more than half a century, but the time has come to significantly expand funding for conservation across the country.

PROUD TO PAY Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson put the responsibility of funding conservation squarely on the shoulders of sportsmen and recreational shooters. As a sportsman myself, I am proud to pay these taxes and contribute to funding conservation. However, sportsmen can’t be responsible for funding the future of conservation on our own. We need the financial support of all outdoor enthusiasts.

As I said earlier, few people jump up and down to celebrate increases in fishing and hunting fees, but at the state level, those are the dollars collected to ensure a bright future.

If you think about it from the perspective of not just gaining a privilege to fish or hunt, but also investing in the future of fish and game, then I hope you feel proud of the contribution you are making. Because you should.

I just hope the non-hunting and non-fishing crowd understands the importance of sportsmen to the funding of healthy habitat for all critters.

For outdoor writer Brendan Butler’s podcasts, go to www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.

Hunting and fishing license fees help make outdoor sports possible.

March-April 2022

The Life Outdoors A legendary meat shoot remembered

By RICHARD W. AITES

While I was growing up in rural Venango County PA in the 1980’s, the local sportsman’s club sponsored several meat shoots during the spring and summer months.

For a small entry fee, you’d get a handful of shotgun shells and a couple of shots at winning a frozen turkey or smoked ham.

Dozens of area residents, young and old alike, gathered at these events, sharing hunting stories and gossip, while awaiting their turn to pepper the tiny “X” at the center of the bull’s-eye with their favorite scattergun.

You always had a really good time, even if you didn’t end up winning a prized butterball or honey-baked ham.

Meat shoots, in one form or another, have been around since this country’s founding.

It was a great way to bring a community of sportsmen and sportswomen together to enjoy one another’s company. The following is an excerpt from my historical-fiction novella The Legend of Coal Oil Johnny as told by 82-year-old Andrew Buchanan of Franklin PA in 1921.

A MID-19th CENTURY GATHERING One hot Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1853, our church and its boisterous pastor, Edgar Slentz, was sponsoring the annual meat shoot. The prize was a 30-pound ham. Several of the menfolk showed up toting new-fangled percussion guns and rifled muskets.

One of our deacons boasted that he could knock the fly off a horse’s rump at 100 yards with his prized squirrel rifle. Another church-goer arrived with a long rifle adorned with fancy, German-silver inlays and a tiger-maple stock. He’d recently purchased the beautiful piece from a master craftsman in Lancaster County.

Young John Steele was the laughing-stock of the congregation when he arrived with an old English fowler that he’d inherited from his father. The ungainly piece was longer than the boy was tall, even after his father hacked a foot off the end of the barrel. The

He fired, but the apple did not budge.

– Williamsport (PA) Sun-Gazette photo

walnut stock had so many dings and dents that it looked more like a club than a gunstock. The relic was also equipped with a great big flintlock and shot lead balls as big as chestnuts.

THE CONTEST BEGINS Henry Rouse was the first to step up to the firing line. Some 50 paces away was an apple resting on the decaying stump of an oak. Rouse owned the largest farm in the valley, and a large herd of cattle and other livestock allowed him luxuries foreign to the rest of our little farming community.

One of those luxuries was the handsome rifle he raised to his shoulder. The polished brass ornaments of the Hawken gleamed in the sunlight as Rouse aimed his sights on the tiny target below. Following the shot, a small chunk of the stump was turned into mulch, but the apple did not budge.

“Yah barely missed it, Mister Rouse!” one spectator remarked as Rouse lowered his rifle. The old farmer then shook his head in disgust and mumbled a few choice words before he walked away from the firing line.

A BOY AND HIS GUN At 12 years of age, Johnny was the youngest participant, therefore he was the last to shoot. Seven men had taken their best shot, but none had hit the fruit. When young John Steele stepped up to the firing line, most of the congregation chuckled at the skinny lad and his monstrous firearm.

“That thang weighs more than he does!” one spectator remarked. “Right out of General Washington’s war!” another fellow hollered.

Johnny was not shaken by their comments.

He raised the big gun before peering over at his parents, who were standing on the sideline. His father gave him a nod and a surge of confidence before he focused back down onto the apple. He slowly and deliberately steadied his aim.

“Come on, boy! Shoot that ugly thang!” the impatient pastor shouted. Johnny paid no mind as he took a deep breath and gently squeezed the trigger. The blast from the gun rattled the church windows before a cloud of white, sulfuric smoke engulfed the boy’s falling frame. The recoil generated from the large powder charge and .69 caliber ball sent the gun airborne and knocked Johnny to the ground.

WINNER CLAIMS THE PRIZE Some of the spectators continued to chuckle as Johnny recovered to his feet and patted the dirt and dust from the back of his britches. He then retrieved his gun, which had landed several feet away.

When the smoke finally cleared, the laughter subsided. The apple was gone. The big lead ball from Johnny’s old fowler had struck home, vaporizing the piece of fruit.

Sheer disbelief and the aroma of applesauce lingered about the air as the boy collected his prize.

March-April 2022

Outdoor Guide

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March-April 2022

The Rural Rambler

Spring is when everything wakes up

By RUSSELL HIVELY March and April are the “waking up” months of the year. They are times when spring fishing, warmer weather and the opening of spring turkey season begin. It is the time when trees, bushes and flowering plants burst with leaves and blooms.

Isn’t it appropriate that the name “April” is derived from the Latin word “aprier,” which means “to open”? *** For the outdoorsman or anybody, is there a sweeter sound than spring peepers on a quiet spring evening?

*** Did you realize that the hunting industry in Missouri estimates its part of the economy supports 18,000 workers with over $1 billion in revenue? *** Cabbage is a favorite burn remedy. To use it, you must grind leaves into a paste and apply it directly on the burn.

Secure the paste with a piece of gauze and tape. *** The color of a male turkey’s heads tells of the mood of the bird. When bluish, the bird is calm. It turns bright red when

excited.

*** There are many traditions in deer and fish camps. Perhaps the oldest is preparing and eating pancakes. Pancakes have been around since at least 600 B.C. *** Did you realize the rose is the United States’ national flower? Seeing a wild rose in bud or bloom is a treat whether it is the national flower or not. *** The COVID pandemic did affect fishing some places.

In Minnesota, the number of fishing licenses purchased increased by 10 percent while ice fishing house permits went up 30 percent. *** In the mid-1930s, only 70 river otters were estimated to live in Missouri.

Can we say their reintroduction has been successful? *** As of the fall of 2021, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation had preserved 8.2 million acres for elk and other wildlife. ***

Seeing a wild rose in bloom is always a treat.

– Valeria Bold/Unsplash photo

Hopefully, the people of Missouri are still friendly to strangers. Amelia Earhart was made welcome by Cuba, MO, residents when she made an emergency landing in a field near there in 1928. *** Some people claim spring is clearly here when the first hummingbird returns. This is usually before Easter each year. *** Each spring, watercress abounds in and around springs and creeks in Missouri. Is healthy watercress a sign of good water? *** The Missouri Department of Conservation owns about 700,000 acres of forested land. Of that, over 36,000 acres are primarily pine and oak trees. *** The sound of coyotes barking on a clear summer night is still a thrill to most outdoorsmen. Yet coyotes have a negative aspect, too.

About 50 percent of all sheep losses in the state are attributed to coyotes. *** Some say spring is the prettiest time of the year.

Others claim spring is the “melting” time of year. It is a time when the last of the snow and ice melt, and the browns of winter melt into the greens of spring. Whether melting or waking up, spring is a beautiful time of year. Anyway, those are the thoughts of the rural rambler.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Spring Adventures in Benton County, MO. 3

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5

6

7

Visit th e Quilt T Benton Cou rail or nty Ba quilt s  Ex rn hops plore b history eautiful Co le Cam p’s  Esc and shops ape on the La  Vis ke on it the H a SUP a r or kay ry S Tr and Pi ak uman oneer Visitor Village  Att Center end th e Wars Stroll & Art Wa aw Wine  Hik lk on A pril 30 e 22 m , 2022 iles of Truma beauty n Lake at the  Bi Mount a ke the in Bike Warsa & Hikin w river  Take g Park f ront tr a selfa ils guid in War saw or ed historic walkin Cole C  Cru g tour amp ise aro u nd the of Trum beauti a n ful roa L ake  Din ds e at on e of ou restau r “Bes rants t of Mi ssouri ”

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO

WWW.VISITBENTONCOMO.COM

AND “LIKE” BENTON COUNTY TOURISM AND RECREATION ON FACEBOOK.

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March-April 2022

Safari Club banquet in Chesterfield on March 19 The Gateway Area Chapter of SCI, a group that supports hunting, will hold its 17th annual banquet and auction on March 19 at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield.

Melissa Bachman, host and producer of “Winchester Deadly Passion” on the Sportsman Channel, will discuss her adventures in hunting a variety of species around the world.

SCI (Safari Club Inter-

national) has sponsored her show since 2017.

An auction, raffle items and games also are planned. It’s a chance to meet others and share experiences.

A Meet-and-Greet session with Melissa Bachman begins at 5 p.m., followed by

the sit-down dinner and program at 7 p.m. and the live auction at 8 p.m.

A silent auction is also planned.

Auction items include hunts, guns, hunting apparel and accessories, art works and local enter-

tainment packages, among others.

Single tickets are $55, or $400 for a table of eight.

Order tickets online at VisitGatewaySCI.org or call Dave Stokes at (314) 882-6199. A ticket provides dinner, cash bar and a hotel room discount if needed.

Tickets are also available from the website, www. gatewaysci.org. If you buy a table, be ready to provide the names of your guests.

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Winchester host Melissa Bachman will tell of her adventures.

March-April 2022

Outdoor Guide

What’s in your woods?

How attractive are your woods to deer, turkey, and other wildlife? A properly conducted timber harvest can improve your hunting and recreation opportunities, while adding land value and generating revenue.

A professional forester is uniquely qualified to help you with a timber harvest that accomplishes your goals.

CALL BEFORE YOU CUT provides a free packet about working with a forester to take care of your woods.

If you own 30 acres or more, you may qualify for a free site visit and consultation.

Page 13

Outdoor Guide

Page 14

March-April 2022

Wildlife Wrangling and Outdoor Ramblings

This little piggy finds some woe

Photos and Text

By RANDALL P. DAVIS

As many of you kind folks well know, I have an uncanny gift for inflicting bodily injuries upon myself as consistently as failed political promises after an election year.

Falling off ladders, piercing by drill bits, traps snapping on various extremities, etc. all are amusing anecdotes – but only

after the tissue and bone heal.

Some would say I’m either clumsy or negligent. I prefer to offer that most of the time, I just really get into the work ... most of the time.

The latest wounding (see photo) could easily be affirmed as the result of fending off some wild animal with my foot. The thrilling tale of enduring a crushing bite from a badger or coyote or beefy suburbanite raccoon

would generate an approving nod from those in the nuisance wildlife field, who know it’s best to offer a sacrificial toe than allow the beast to consume more tender flesh.

But, ahem, such is not the case.

I could say the trauma came from throttling a mountainous, drug-fueled assailant by perfectly executing a “crane-style” kick… just like the Karate

Kid… that knocked him out cold.

But no, not this time.

THE ABCs OF IT And from this hideous photo, I could snooker my way into your confidence by saying that (A), I got up in the night, stumbled over my dirty socks and landed foot-first in the side of the door jamb; or (B), plunged the right foot into my rubber boot

where this toe tried to share the exact same space as one of the Brittany’s MilkBone biscuits (I have no idea, here); or (C) I thought it would be cool to dye my toe purple by dipping it into a freshly made blackberry cobbler.

Now, while that’s creative, it’s all false.

No, the real reason is that while ferreting out a carton of Half & Half on the back side of the top shelf of the fridge, my forearm glanced the side of a plastic squeeze bottle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup just enough to allow it to tip and slip from its eye-level perch and rapidly descend to the very first joint of the Little Piggy that should have stayed home.

The accuracy was impeccable, because just the bottle’s bottom corner delivered my seemingly two-ton surprise. If I could only produce winning lottery numbers with such precision!

OOH, THAT HURTS! Other than attempting to pass a kidney stone the size of a hen’s egg, I don’t think I’ve had anything hurt as much. At that point it was me go, “Wee, Wee, Wee” all way to the couch.

Fortunately nothing was broken. It was just an ol’fashion smash’n.

As the day passed, the digit grew darker, and more bulbous. My wife medicated the

Self-inflicted maiming is a way of life for a wildlife wrangler ... at least it is for this one.

traumatized toe with a homemade herbal salve and wrapped it with a cabbage leaf. (Yes, folks, it does work!)

The remedy did its job. I still can’t do any pirouettes. But come to think of it, I never really could. But I’m healing.

Perhaps when the next self-wounding comes – as you know it will – I’ll have a better story to go with it, one of swashbuckling scenarios fielding fetid field mice from a widow’s window well, or perhaps displaying grand bravado extracting a drowned possum from a goldfish pond. You know, real professional wildlife removal heroic feats.

Or maybe I›ll just be happy when all of the Little Piggys – or any other body part fit for a nursery rhyme – make it back home in one piece. ... So says “This Old Man!”

Lolo National Forest area is protected The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and a landowner are conveying two tracts of wildlife habitat to Lolo National Forest about 10 miles south of Missoula.

The 1,040-acre transaction secures access points to several thousand acres of surrounding public lands and alleviates challenges for hunters because of the area’s checkerboard ownership pattern.

It connects the Bitterroot Valley, Bitterroot Mountain Range and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness to the south and west, the Sapphire Mountain Range to the east and the northern Continental Divide Ecosystem to the north.

The two sections feature key riparian habitat since more than

one mile of Bear Creek, Camp Creek and Sleeman Creek, all headwater streams and tributaries of Lolo Creek below, cross the property.

The transaction protects these spawning and rearing areas for native west slope cutthroat trout and other fish species.

The properties are within or adjacent to important segments of the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce national historical trails.

The properties are also adjacent to portions of the Lolo Trail National Historical Landmark, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Because of its wildlife, habitat, public access, recreational, cultural and historical features and benefits, the project received funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 15

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For more information on the Mossy Oak Mistral Tube please visit www.ctrtechnical.com and available in finer sporting goods stores nationwide.

CUGA Vest Protective Dog Vest One could say CUGA® Vest was born out of necessity. We can confidently say it was

born out of a love for dogs. The CUGA Vest – Standard is a durable, highly visible protective vest made from Cordura brand fabric is lighter and more breathable than neoprene. It offers protection through the breast and underbelly with double layered 1000 Denier Cordura. The body is lightweight and breathable. It protects from barbed wire, briars, posts, thorns, stakes, scratchy things, and more so that wherever your adventure takes you, you know your hunting companion is protected.

Outdoor Guide

Page 16

March-April 2022

Akers Ferry loses its two operators; sons will keep it going

SIGHT IN FOR TURKEY SEASON Don’t wait! Now is the time to head to one of MDC’s two staffed shooting ranges and outdoor education centers in the St. Louis area to sharpen your skills and pattern your shotguns for spring turkey season.

August A. Busch — Defiance 3550 Route D, Defiance, 63341

From news sources Two operators of Akers Ferry and the adjacent canoe rental and campground on the Current River died in January of COVID-19 complications.

George Eugene Maggard, 80, died on Jan. 3, and his only son, Marcus Eugene Maggard, 50, died on Jan. 6.

They had operated the Akers Ferry operations in Shannon County together.

Their family plans to continue operating the business.

The Ozarks Alive website reported that the ferry was established in the late 1940s and was operated by the Maggard family after Buck Maggard took it over in the early 1950s.

A combined funeral was held at Salem Christian Church, with eulogies from local ministers and both caskets adorned by American flags to recognize both men’s

George Eugene Maggard

Marcus Eugene Maggard

military service.

The younger Maggard’s son Joshua said he and his brother Alex plan to continue running the ferry and canoe business as their father and grandfather would have, and to continue promoting tourism and safety on the rivers.

“It’s kind of like farming,” Joshua Maggard said. “You either marry into it or you’re born into it.

“I have every intention of moving forward as they would. Alex feels the same way. That just keeps us moving, one step at a time.”

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Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 17

Tips, Tricks and Thoughts for the Great Outdoors

Spring is finally coming … isn’t it?

By LARRY L. WHITELEY

Circle Sunday, March 20 on your calendar in red.

Put that date in your phone calendar and computer with a special alert or something.

You can also tell Alexa, Google Assistant or whatever to remind you that this date is the official first day of spring, no matter if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not. I don’t know about you, but I want spring and I want it now!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, on that exact date, you got up that morning to a beautiful sunrise through the trees with a choir of angels singing “Hallelujah”?

Birds would also be singing, turkeys gobbling, wild flowers blooming and trees leafing out.

Since the first day of spring this year is on a Sunday, you probably don’t have to go to work. But since we’re day-dreaming here anyway, let’s say your boss calls and tells you he knows how much you enjoy spring, so take the week off with pay and go fishing. Did I hear the angels singing again?

As I write this, I pause to look out my window at icicles hanging from bare tree limbs, the ground is white, my outside thermometer says 23 degrees. The birds aren’t singing and neither are the angels. The squirrels are shivering. I put another log on the fire. My fishing gear sits in the corner waiting, and so am I. I think I will quit writing for a while and go inventory my turkey gear. Then, when my wife leaves to go shopping, I might practice my turkey calls. Spring is coming … isn’t it?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT “The beautiful spring came; and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.”

– Harriet Ann Jacobs TRASH TALK My wife and I work hard at recycling. We have separate containers to put out our cardboard, plastic, glass and papers.

When they are full, I take them to the local recycling center. It is something we feel is important for all of us to do. I wish everyone would feel the same.

I was driving through our son’s neighborhood last week to pick him up to go fishing. Every family had its trash container on wheels out for the local garbage truck to come by and pick up.

Most of them were overflowing with things that could have been recycled and kept out of landfills.

The Environmental Protection Agency says we produce 292 million tons of waste in America each year. There are 3,091 active landfills and 10,000 old landfills.Alot of the different materials that end up in landfills contain toxins that are eventually released and seep into the soil and groundwater. These substances are major hazards to the environment as well as our fish and wildlife. They also are an ugly scar upon our beautiful landscape.

According to the EPA, we create enough garbage every year to fill a convoy of 10-ton garbage trucks 145,000 miles long, which is more than halfway from here to the moon.

Every year, Americans dispose of 18 billion diapers. They’re all sitting in landfills somewhere.

Americans use 100 million steel and tin cans every day and we recycle about 5 percent of them. We use enough corrugated cardboard in a year to make a bale the size of a football field and the height of the World Trade Center. About 40 percent of it is recycled. We use around 41 billion glass containers each year. About 30 percent are recycled.

What is your excuse for not recycling? Don’t have time to do it? Is it too much trouble? Shame

on you! Do it for future generations of your family! Earth Day is April 22 and a great time to get started recycling.

BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE Hunters and fishermen championed clean water and air, prevention of soil erosion and healthy forests, conservation of our natural resources, and preservation of our fish and

– Waste Today photo

and wrong.

A great way to improve communication with kids is using outdoor traditions like fishing, hunting, camping and hiking.

Outdoor activities take you and them away from the distractions of everyday life and put them in touch with nature. Ban social media from their smart phones, but do let them use them to take pictures and videos to share later.

Make it a time of listening and

talking.

TURKEY TRUTH “The turkey’s eyes are such that he can see a bumblebee turn a somersault on the verge of the horizon.”

– Archibald Rutledge Larry L. Whiteley has been an award-winning magazine and newspaper writer, radio host and blogger for more than 40 years.

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Page 18

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Overflow fly fishing for winter trout

Photo and Text

By DON GASAWAY

Warming winter temperatures allow fly fishermen to enjoy fishing in dam tailwaters, a productive fishery that appears when the water level above a dam rises during winter months.

Clear, deep lakes often receive a stocking of rainbow trout. The fish immediately scatter until summer temperatures force them to suspend in the deep water.

In the winter, water levels rise above the level of spillways and flow into tailwaters.

Rainbow trout wash over a dam into a spillway basin and the creek below. They remain there until the late spring, when water temperatures rise to a point that the fish die or become a meal for predators.

During February and March, early-season anglers

fish for these trout as they concentrate in the deeper pools.

The secret is to fish early in the morning, just at the break of day. The weather is cold, but to the diehard trout angler, it is worth the discomfort.

TRY TO BLEND IN It helps to wear clothing that blends with the natural cover.

Bright colors tend to spook trout. Warm dry clothing is important for both comfort and safety. Getting wet in cold weather can be life-threatening. Sneaking through the brush covers the angler’s approach. Trout remain elusive and wary even in cold weather.

It is important to avoid quick movements. Approach as silently as possible. The clatter of rocks and gravel crunching beneath the angler’s feet alerts trout to danger.

Trout tend to face into the current. Therefore, the angler

Grasping a late winter trout from the river is like holding an icicle, but the action of trout fishing below dams is well worth it.

should approach them from downstream if possible. It is important to walk along the bank not through the water.

Perhaps a recommended rod and line combination might be a 6½- or 7foot rod with a 3 or 4weight line. The smaller rod works better in

any brushy areas. The short, light rod is fun when stressed by a trout.

Some recommended flies might be anything from #16 to #20 with dark bodies and stubby wings and no tails.

Any midge, nymph or caddis imitation seems a good bet.

ALL IN THE POOL! Trout in winter tend to pool up in the deeper water. They seek eddies, edges of runs, the creek bank and any place of slow water. Trout feed slowly in quiet water as if to conserve energy. They do not make the spectacular

rises that are common with summer fish.

This cold-water trout fishing can be uncomfortable and even dangerous. It has its rewards, but nevertheless, it is vital to remain dry and warm.

Frostbite and hypothermia are ever-present dangers.

This fishery will never exceed summer trout fishing in popularity or productivity.

Still, it is a fun way to spend a winter morning when the “correct” time to fish trout is many long days away.

Don Gasaway is an outdoor writer from Marion, IL, who fishes for trout in Missouri on the White River and throughout the Ozarks. He can be found on Facebook at www.facebook. com/#1/DonGasawayWriter and www.facebook.com// DonGasawayfishing/. His blog is www.facebook.com/ donsbankfishing/.

BIG PINEY RIVER

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CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE. GET TO PULASKI COUNTY, MO!

Gentle rivers full of twists and turns, spectacular Ozark scenery, and phenomenal fishing make for a fantastic outdoor adventure! But that only scratches the surface of all Pulaski County offers. Fill up on tales as old as time at our historic military and Route 66 stops. Test your skills at archery, golf, indoor shooting, and more. Grab delicious eats and treats at our unique diners. Then do it all again as you work your way through our day-after-day adventures.

Plan your trip at pulaskicountyusa.com.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Here’s to the queens of the forest!

Photo and Text

By TED NUGENT

The human instinct may very well be the most powerful force in the universe. Deep in our most intimate, wildly pulsating realm of consciousness and beyond, mankind is blessed with pure urges of spiritual adventure – the nonroad never traveled, survival, independence, self-sufficiency and rugged life, liberty and pursuit of individual happiness autonomy.

Ted Nugent met his soulmate Shemane 33 years ago in the wilds of Detroit.

Those of us who continue to hunt in the modern world retain these pure instincts as we call upon them in our indefatigable drive to live life to the fullest as handson participants in God’s ever-loving, always fascinating, miraculous creation.

I celebrate this phenomenon most clearly at the campfires I share with great Americans throughout the hunting season every year, and a most welcome dynamic growing annually is the exciting increase in women on the hunt (for game, not men).

THE DETROIT WILDERNESS When I met my soulmate Shemane 33 years ago in the wilds of Detroit, I immediately knew that she was the One! A fiercely physical force, she had never hunted, fired a gun or touched a bow and arrow in her first 25 years of life, but I just knew she would love the outdoor shooting and hunting lifestyle with a passion.

And so, the physics of a spirituality journey began!

As a champion moto-

Shemane has taken to the outside life, as seen here.

cross maniac, state champion swimmer and all-around tough-as-nails tomboy, she naturally and quickly latched onto these Samurai martial art methodologies post-haste, with aplomb.

As statistics show, the fastest expanding demographic in the outdoor world is indeed the female of the species. I believe the ultimate instinct

of motherhood coincides with natural hunting instincts to provide, protect and feed the tribe.

And everyone knows that some of the best shots and best hunters in the world happen to be women!

It is the purity of focus that assists them in avoiding the psycho baggage of the male species and naturally and ef-

fortlessly zeroing right in on the fundamentals of our sport.

WE SAW IT ON TV There is also no question whatsoever that the success or our Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show for 33 years is a direct result of Shemane’s effervescence and believability and the glowing intellectual pragmatism that embodies the

Page 19

hunting lifestyle.

Everybody loves the Queen of the Forest!

When Shemane picks up her Mathews bow, I sharpen my Cold Steel knives, knowing all too well that fresh meat will hit the ground very soon.

We see the most welcome promotion of our hunting lifestyle by the husband-andwife teams that host so many TV hunting shows, and we salute them emphatically.

There is no question that there is something incredibly intriguing and alluring when we see a female in the wild, stalking game.

The outdoor sports forever were the near-exclusive realm of men, so it is a monumental upgrade for our sport and conservation work to include the gals.

We should all salute and thank these pioneering women for joining our ranks, and do everything in our power to invite and welcome all the women in our lives to share the Spirit Campfires of the wild.

The Queens of the Forest live!

Page 20

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Book Shelf

Local writer tells all about roadkill

By CARL GREEN Editor

Here’s a book you probably would have never expected to see published, and it’s coming right out of St. Louis, the transportation crossroads of the nation. That is appropriate, because the whole book is about animals getting run over by motor vehicles on our roads and streets.

Don Corrigan, longtime editor at the Webs t e r- K i r k wood Times and journalism teacher at Webster Don Corrigan University, has pulled off an astonishing feat of research and writing, making for a highly entertaining book that is more important than it may seem to be at first glance.

It’s called “American Roadkill – The Animal Victims of Our Busy Highways.” That’s a perfect description because that’s exactly what it is. And he pulls off an interesting contrast in writing about squirrels, deer, snakes and other frequent roadkill by making this serious topic funny at the same time, with tongue-in-cheek descriptions, comparisons and references to our hyper media world.

IT’S THE ANIMALS But mostly it’s about the animals, and the carnage, and he makes that clear on every page. Each species gets its own chapter, starting with skunks and continuing on with possums, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, turtles and frogs and then working up to more

substantial highway victims such as armadillos, moose, panthers, bears and more.

Corrigan’s research takes him far beyond just “the blood and the guts” (as the song goes), to explore how many of society’s other favorite topics somehow connect to animals falling victim to our endless supply of drivers.

The contents are carefully illustrated, foot-noted and indexed with a bibliography, forward and introduction, so you know he’s serious about it. But it’s a great read and thought-provoking as well.

The cover features a cartoon turtle about to be smashed by an all-too-real semi on a desert highway.

CHAPTER TWO It’s actually Corrigan’s second such book, the first, from 2019, being, “Nuts About Squirrels: The Rodents that Conquered Popular Culture.”

Both are published by McFarland & Co. For a smart gift idea, go online to mcfarlandbooks. com to find the Roadkill book for $35 or the Squirrels book for $29.95. They’ll still smell good next Christmas or on any birthday in between.

Never miss an issue!

Visit Our Website at www.outdoorguidemagazine.com

To receive the Outdoor Guide, send $14 for a year or $24 for two years, plus your name and address, to Outdoor Guide Magazine, 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis MO 63103. The magazine comes out six times a year – at the beginning of January, March, May, July, September and November. For subscription questions, call the Outdoor Guide Magazine at (314) 535-9786.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 21

Ice fishing – cold day fun, but stay safe Photo and Text

By BRANDON BUTLER

The winter weather roller-coaster ride we’ve been on has taken another turn to colder days. As temperatures drop and lakes freeze up once more, ice fishermen will be heading to local waters in search of some fine catches and much-needed relief from cabin fever.

Ice fishing offers anglers the opportunity to wet a winter line while potentially hauling in a mess of great eating fish.

If you’ve been searching for a way to spend time outdoors during the remaining frigid days of winter, ice fishing may be just what doctor ordered.

Remember though, utmost caution must be applied when heading out onto ice-covered waters.

Ice fishing is a great pastime for many reasons, but one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much is because it allows a group to get outside and spend time fishing when most people aren’t even considering the possibility.

NOT COMPLICATED Ice fishing is a pretty simple endeavor. Only a few tools are necessary, including an ice auger, a fishing pole, bait and a skimmer.

The ice auger is for drilling holes in the ice. Special ice fishing poles are beneficial for fishing close to your hole, but

regular old fishing poles will work if you don’t want to invest in special ice fishing gear.

Skimmers are simply scoopers for taking chunks of ice of the water inside your drilled-out fishing hole.

Ice fishing consists of lowering your offering down through the hole you have augured and working to find the depth fish are holding at. Try dropping your bait all the way to the bottom, and slowly jigging it up and down. If I do not have any strikes, I bring in a couple of feet of line, and continue to jig.

Fish often are found holding near the bottom, but at times you can find them suspending at different depths.

OLD RELIABLES Depending on what you’re fishing for, baits vary, but the old reliable worms, beemoths, and minnows are favorites of most ice fishermen. Jigs used for ice fishing are small, and some savvy ice fishermen will use various fly fishing flies.

Some ice anglers choose to fish from a shanty, which is a shelter used to protect from the elements. These are nice for staying warm but limit scenery and natural exposure.

Ice safety is essential to the enjoyment of ice fishing. Be sure to check the thickness of the ice near the edge of the water you intend to fish.

A good rule of thumb is to never fish on ice less than 4

Two ranges offer ‘5-stand’ shooting Turkeys are up in arms – or wings – now that the Missouri Department of Conservation has scheduled “5-stand” clay bird shooting opportunities at two St. Louis-area locations starting in April and continuing through Aug. 31.

Both challenging and fun, 5-stand shotgun shooting simulates the flight patterns of popular game birds to prepare hunters for the season.

One location is the August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center, at 3550 Route D, about five miles west of Defiance, to be open for 5-stand shooting from 1 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. Call (636) 300-0258.

The other is Jay Henges

Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center at 1100 Antire Road, just off I-44 exit 269 in Eureka. Hours are 1 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Call (636) 938-9548.

The department describes 5-stand shooting this way: “Shooters rotate through five stations, where they will see clay targets flying left and right, toward and away from them at different angles and speeds.

Fees are $4 per round, which includes the clay birds and eye and ear protection if shooters don’t have their own.

For more information, go online to MDC.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/shooting-ranges.

inches thick. While thinner ice may hold one person, ice thickness varies across a body of water, and you do not want to risk falling through.

Never ice fish alone. Having the assistance of another to pull you to safety if you were to break through is essential.

Wear a lifejacket and carry an ice pick or screwdriver in your pocket. The jacket will keep you afloat, and the ice pick will allow you to grip the ice and pull yourself out.

Ice fishing can be a ton of fun when a group gets together to spend some time outdoors during the cold winter months.

The group I ice-fish with likes to build a fire in a barrel on the bank of our local pond. The fire sure is nice for warming our hands after handling a few ice-cold bluegills.

For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors. com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.

Ice fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors in the winter.

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Outdoor Guide

Page 22

March-April 2022

Your Guide to

GREAT GEAR Winchester offers Super Pheasant copper plate shot Winchester introduces Super Pheasant Diamond Grade shotshell ammunition. Diamond Grade was brought out in 2020 as the hardest shot available for best possible performance.

The Super Pheasant version is an 8 percent antimony (hardening alloy), copper-plated shot for upland fields designed to connect with authority on tough roosters.

The initial offerings include 2 3/4” inch for 12- or 20-gauge as well as a hard hitting 3-inch, 12-gauge load. It comes in boxes of 25.

The hardening alloy has four times more antimony than standard target loads, resulting in the hardest copper-plated shot available to target shooters.

Monsterbass offers the Seeker, a new, fast-moving crankbait Monsterbass introduces the Seeker, a fast-moving crankbait with a new look designed for capturing the attention of aggressive bass.

The Seeker is available in three depth offerings – six feet, eight feet and 12 feet.

The Seeker is 2 ½” long, weighs half an ounce, comes in six premium colors, uses BKK Treble hooks and produces a subtle rattle.

The entire hand-built Seeker series can be seen at monsterbass.com/collections/monsterbass-seeker-series.

Night Cat backpacking tent easy to set up, carry, buy Nobody said it has be expensive to go camping. Not when you can do it in the Night Cat lightweight backpacking tent for one or two people.

The Night Cat is easy to carry, to set up, to put away and to buy it in the first place. It weighs 4.4 pounds and folds down to 16 by 4.7 inches with its foldable fiberglass poles.

It only takes a minute to set up or take down, so it’s great for backpacking, hiking or beaching. Seams are covered in waterproof tape to keep it dry in a storm. Pegs and guy lines help keep it stable on windy days.

Versions of the Night Cat lightweight tent are $49.99 and $59.99 at Amazon.com. A larger version is $79.99.

Modern synthetic saddle comes at a bargain price

Does every saddle have to be leather?

Saddle Online.com doesn’t think so. It is offering this synthetic horse saddle tack set, designed for extra comfortable trail riding and available at a marked-down price.

Saddle Online’s brown, cordura saddle is lightweight and easy to clean and maintain. Just wipe it with a damp cloth – it doesn’t need the maintenance and upkeep of a leather saddle.

The saddle is waterproof and well-padded with suede for comfort, while O-rings let riders attach trail-riding accessories. The underside is padded with synthetic fleece.

Stirrups are padded and comfortable, too. The saddle is built on a fiberglass tree, and the size ranges from 15 to 18 inches, with a 3.5” horn and stirrups from 28 to 34 inches. It weighs 17 pounds.

A range of these synthetic saddles are available for $299.95 each at saddleonline.com, which also offers leather saddle models and accessories.

StrikeHold lubricant saves boaters from rust and corrosion The anti-corrosion lubricant StrikeHold Marine was developed for U.S. military use but now is available to the public and has been helping boaters protect their motors and electronics from saltwater and other corrosives.

Strikehold Marine can stop and prevent saltwater rust and corrosion on any metal and recreational boat parts. It is used by the Navy, Marines and the Coast Guard. It has additives that penetrate into metal parts, displacing moisture and forming a bond that repels salt water and other contaminants.

Strikehold is best applied as a preventive measure before exposure to seawater. After disconnecting terminals, it can be applied to batteries and all electrical connections, such as lights, circuit panels, and marine electronics.

The long-lasting, clear protective coating is non-greasy and contains no wax, silicon, Teflon or graphite to gum up mechanisms.

For more information, call (678) 883-3578, send an email to info@strikeholdmarine, or go online to www.strikehold. com/pages/marine.

Gerber shovel does it all then folds up When you need a shovel, and if you’re camping or hiking, it had better something you can fold up.

The solution could be the Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel. At 16 inches long, it lets you chop, dig, scoop or scrape with its lightweight carbon steel blade.

The handle can even double as a hammer for pounding tent stakes. Its rubberized grip is comfortable and firm with a push-button lock to hold the folding blade in place. It folds to 9 inches, packs up in a nylon bag and weighs 28 ounces.

Gerber’s Gorge Folding Shovel, in black, sells for $24.95 at REI stores and rei.com.

Komclub tent poles come in five sizes, have many purposes Sometimes the tent outlasts the poles, so it’s good to know affordable Komclub replacement poles are available at two for $19.99.

The stainless steel, lightweight poles come in sets of two that weigh just 28 ounces. Camping poles are about 17 inches long, and .75 inches in diameter. Tent poles are 31.9, 47.2, 62.2 or 78.1 inches, but they store at 16.5 inches.

The poles are moisture-and-rust resistant and have a silicone cap on the bottom to increase friction between the poles and the ground to make them more stable.

It only takes one person to install a pole. Just press the spring and push it in, and just pull the spring to disassemble.

Multiple purposes include for a canopy, awning, beach shelter and more.

Komclub replacement tent poles are available at amazon.com.

Campfire Coffee is the name for good times outdoors Campfire Coffee in Tacoma, Wash. is the real deal when it comes to finding great coffees for outdoor adventuring and roasting it for coffee lovers everywhere.

When they roast coffee, they do it over a campfire, the way it’s been done for thousands of years around the world.

They have a Mountain Top espresso blend with chocolate and smokey tastes using coffees from centralAmerica and eastAfrica.

Their fair trade organic Mexican Chiapas is bright, citrusy and balanced. Fireside Vibes is a decaf option.

See their full lineup of coffees and accessories at goodies@ welovecampfire.com or drop into their shop at 1554 Market St. – next time you’re in Tacoma!

Vevor adult tricycle carries a load and then folds for storage Vevor’s foldable adult tricycles are a safe, smart choice for personal mobility, to carry loads and remain stable on any road conditions.

They have 24” wheels, a padded seat with backrest, a large rear basket, front and rear brakes and a seven-speed drive train.

The tool and equipment supplier makes the bike out of carbon steel, so it is anti-rust and corrosion-free and can support up to 220 pounds. Because it folds, it won’t take up too much space for storage.

The deluxe 7-speed, folding adult tricycle in green sells for $265.99, while a red version of it sells for 243.99. Find them at vevor.com.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 23

Galena proves worthy for winter adventure

By CARL GREEN Editor

I did not see this coming.

One clue may have been our clear lack of success at skiing, in which, twice, I ended up flat on my back with about 30 people trying to pull me up.

Another may have been my wife Lois’ love of outdoor adventuring, which has led to us hiking rugged trails and biking long trails all around the Midwest. She figured it out. We could hike long, rugged snow trails, too, if we just got some of those snowshoes.

We found the Yukon Charlie website for all things snow and we were in business, her with smart, petite shoes that glide along the surface with her in them; me with enormous lugs that require a wide berth and lots of snow to hold them up. Not being limber, the hardest part for me was strapping them on and keeping them on.

The other hardest part was finding great places to go snowshoeing and getting to them at the right times. At home in Edwardsville, across the river from St. Louis, we usually don’t get enough snow to do much “shoeing,” so we made short trips to places like Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Muskegon State Park, both in Michigan, which have actual snowshoe trails, and the Door County peninsula and the adventuring town of Hayward in Wisconsin.

NEW YEAR, NEW PLAN Early this year brought another ambitious adventure, to Galena, about the most northern town in Illinois, on its western edge and home to the popular Chestnut Mountain Resort for skiing. First thing we learned was that Chestnut is a good place to ski in part because they don’t

let snow-shoers creep around to muck up the carefully manicured ski runs. Fair enough.

At least there was some lingering snow, and we found a place to make use of it – along the 13.4-mile Galena River Trail, which winds alongside the local river from a spot south of town northward through the town and ending at a park at the north edge of town.

Most of the year, this is a nice place to walk or bike and see some sites. In January, it was better for snow-shoeing.

We started at the south end at a town called Aiken and traipsed along the river northward until a turn-off for Caspar Bluff Land & Water Reserve, the site of Native American burial mounds including a very large Thunderbird-shaped mound.

Once we had snow-shoed up there, this place gave us a nice look around above the river, with great views below us, and then returned us back down to the main trail to resume our northward journey. We drove back later to snow-shoe more of its trails and appreciate the mounds.

GREAT MAN ARRIVES But on this initial outing, we reached Galena Junction, where the old train station was located a short jaunt south of town, conjuring images of future president Ulysses Grant as a young man arriving to work at a job.

This trail had given us enough ups and downs and interesting views and history lessons to think we were doing something worthwhile with our snowshoes, but then we turned around and headed back to the starting point so we wouldn’t have to sleep under a tree.

Next day, we started on the trail at its north end. It gave us a panoramic view of the old part of town, looking just as it

Lois and Carl pause on the Galena River Trail. – Lois Green photo

did when Grant arrived for the first of many times.

Grant, it turns out, worked in his family’s tanning shop in Galena before the war. When it started, he rose through the ranks, becoming Lincoln’s top general and being credited with winning the war for him.

GRANT’S HOUSE The town owned a nice house on a hilltop, built in 1860, and honored Grant after the war by giving it to him. He and his family lived there a few years,

but when the kids grew up and moved east, the parents followed and never moved back.

The younger Grants sold it in 1905 after their parents were dead. The state got it during the Depression and made it the historic site it is today, with interesting tours showing how it looked when Ulysses and Julia lived there with their kids.

In two days, we’d done a commendable amount of snow shoeing and soaked up some history. Ramada provided a nice room and indoor pool, and

we dined twice in the popular, historic downtown, once on genuine Italian cuisine and once at a very good Mexican place.

The history museum was well worth a look and even incorporated a shaft from a lead mine.

But the weather forecast was getting dire, so we high-tailed it for home the next day only to drive through a frightening storm that got worse the further we went.

FATE IS REVERSED The result was a most ironic

reversal of fate. Our own town had been buried under a foot of snow and after digging out, we went on one of our best snowshoe expeditions ever, right there on the bike trails in our neighborhood. We didn’t have to drive anywhere.

The next day we had more wondrous snow-shoeing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s rangy and hilly campus.

There must be a lesson here, but to be honest, I haven’t figured it out yet.

Outdoor Guide

Page 24

March-April 2022

Wild Wine Life on the Road

A spring turkey hunt at Puchta’s winery

By RAY MAXWELL Photos by Puchta Winery

Visit a winery, taste wine. Go hunting, fishing or foraging with the winery owner. Cook up the winery owner’s favorite recipe.

Pair the dish with the wine the owner feels is the best pairing.

That is how you live the wild wine life.

Adam Puchta Winery is the oldest family-owned winery in the United States, established in 1855 in Herman, MO, a small river town along the Missouri River that you will find to be something out of a story book.

The chance to enjoy a spring turkey hunt in such a beautiful setting is something that we gladly accepted when it was offered to us by Tim Puchta.

With the sun rising we arrived at Adam Puchta Winery and were greeted by Tim Puchta, the sixth generation to run the winery. Tim’s sons Parker and Spencer Puchta assist Tim at the winery, and you can find all three working any and all jobs at the winery.

You could not ask for a more

perfect spring day to visit a winery or go turkey hunting.

You could not find a cloud in the sky in the light wind-breaker weather.

A GOBBLER & HENS We headed into the woods with Tim and heard one turkey and actually saw several turkeys – one gobbler with several hens.

The presence of the hens will be the reason we were unsuccessful in bringing the male turkey any closer to our blind.

But with the turkeys below us out of range, the vineyards above us on the hill helped ease the pain of leaving the woods empty-handed.

You will find many positive things about spring turkey season. On that list are morel mushrooms, usually popping out at the same time. Tim mentioned that as farming practices in the area have changed and blights have killed trees like elms, the morels have become sparse over the years.

Sadly, much of Missouri has seen a decline in the number of morel mushrooms. Due to time,

The view from the front porch of the Stone House.

we did not search for any morels and did not see any while we were turkey hunting.

Many people would consider this hunt to be a bust, but actually it was quite fun to be hanging out with a good friend in the woods and turkey hunting, all while talking about childhood memories and some of our favorite hunts and wines.

SMOKING TURKEY We hunted until noon and went back to the winery. Tim

introduced us to Chef Louie Montague, a talented chef and master smoker. Chef Louie brings decades of experience in the food world to the winery.

We took some turkey legs and thighs from a fall turkey to smoke, and he showed us that simple preparation is really all you need when smoking turkey.

Louie does not brine his turkey, and that really surprised me since every turkey I have seen cooked has been brined before cooking. Louie pulled back the turkey skin and inserted butter

tabs between the skin and meat.

He explained that you would do this with the breast also and in between the thighs and breasts if you were smoking an entire turkey.

THE GRAND TOUR Chef Louie smoked the turkey for about two hours at 300 degrees. During that time, we toured the winery and homestead.

Tim showed us the shed that was the original home built by the family in 1839 as temporary living quarters for a year while the permanent residence was built, or what Tim calls the Stone House.

Visitors can rent the Stone House and enjoy staying in wine country. I called the Stone House “Luxurious Turkey Camp.” If you are going to visit Missouri Wine Country in Herman, staying at the Stone House is a great way to enhance the visit.

Many people remember Adam Puchta Winery as the place with the cats, and you can see any number of the six cats

rooming around the winery. You also can find one of the cats on the label, called “Cat’s Meow.”

Tim then took us to the tasting room, where you can see some monster bucks gracing the wall opposite photographs of the various Puchta family embers.

SAMPLING THE WINE The winery produces more than 20 wines including white, red, rose, sweet, dry and fortified. You will find at least one wine at the winery to enjoy when you visit.

We sampled four Adam Puchta wines in the tasting room – Chardonel 2019, Dry Rose 2019, Cellar Select Norton and Estate Norton 2011.

Chardonel 2019 we found to be very fruit forward with apple and tropical fruit components.

The wine has a light touch of oak to add weight and round things off while approachable and enjoyable.

The Dry Rose 2019 we found to be a darker rose, since this is a blend of Norton and Chambourcin See PUCHTA’S page 28

Gone Fishin’ (And then some)

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Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Fly fishing for pre-spawn crappies

Photos and Text

By TERRY & ROXANNE WILSON

During early pre-spawn, sexually mature crappies move toward the shallows but stop first at a staging area where they await conditions (water temperature and length of daylight) that signal them to migrate to the shallows.

These staging areas can be the deep ends of docks, a brush pile on a point, or standing timber near the spawning flats.

Potential staging hot spots can be checked out by working backward. Look first for suitable spawning grounds in the

Crappie Bully has been a very successful fly for prespawn crappies for 30 years.

shallow back ends of coves or near a brushy shallow flat, then look for the nearest deep water with structure.

On ponds, crappies may use submerged brush piles as staging areas, but they may suspend near a deep weed line if little brush is present. When fishing for suspended crappies, our best success has come while using a slow, sinking fly that has independent action as the fly falls vertically through the water column.

Although many fly patterns can fill this need, our favorite is one of our own creations called Crappie Bully. It sinks hookbend first, has lots of flash, and its rubber legs help slow its descent. Flies that employ a small spinner or a twister tail attached to the hook bend also fish well on the vertical drop.

CHECKING THE DEPTH Locate a brush pile, deadfall, weed bed or other prospective structure and cast a vertical drop fly over the structure, then count (one thousand and one, one thousand and two, etc.) as the fly descends to help determine the crappies’ depth.

If slack line is cast at the target, the fly will free-fall toward the intended structure, but if the line is pinned to the rod upon splashdown, tension will pull the fly back toward the rod a bit. Either is a good presentation as long as the fly caster knows the fly’s location in the water.

Line watching is essential.

Any twitch or hesitation in the fly line should be answered with a quick but gentle lifting of the rod tip. Remember, crappies’ mouths are rather delicate, so don’t be too forceful in attempting to land the fish.

If no strike occurs, begin fly action just before it encounters the brush by using the line hand to impart a short slow strip. Allow a brief interval and strip again. A countdown will enable your fly to return to the same depth in anticipation of fish contact or to prevent an unwanted snag.

RIG A SLIP BOBBER Another successful method of fishing for suspended crappies involves using a large strike indicator rigged as a slip bobber. This setup

Use a fly rod for early-season crappies to score some great catches.

requires that the leader is threaded through a small hole in the indicator, which may be lengthened as necessary.

Place a small stick-on strike indicator on the leader to serve as an adjustable stop for the indicator. The indicator rests against the weighted fly during the cast but stays on the surface while the weighted fly is allowed to sink to the depth you’ve set after splashdown.

Actively nesting crappies

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can be very aggressive in shallow water. Their territorial instinct causes them to attack any competitor or nest robber.

Depending on weather, the nesting process can last several weeks.

A BIT OF FLASH These chasers are much more vulnerable to a minnow pattern stripped through their territory, and any appropriately sized streamer pattern will take some fish. Those that incorporate a bit of silver flash, a lot of white and a touch of red have an advantage. Since these patterns will be fished shallow, weighting should be judicious.

Cast these streamers into the back end of coves or shoreline weeds and brush and strip back to the rod. Start with short, slow strips followed by pauses, then repeat the strip. Increase the length and speed of the strip if the slower retrieve is ignored.

Cast these streamers into the back ends of shallow coves or into shoreline weeds and brush and strip back to the rod. Start with short, slow strips followed by pauses, then

FISHING

Page 25

repeat the strip. Increase the length and speed of the strip if the slower retrieve is ignored.

When conditions are bright on clear waters, the spawners may withdraw to deeper water, but they won’t go far. Look for crappie cover along the first breakline, the area where the flat begins to drop away into deeper water. These fish may be widely scattered and in a neutral feeding mood, but they can be caught if the streamer passes close to their positions.

If a cold front moves through and cooler temperatures linger, the crappies may withdraw to their staging area. Previously discussed presentations for suspended crappies will need to be applied until the water begins to warm again. Many anglers are discovering the fly rod’s advantages for those intent on joining the action.

Terry and Roxanne Wilson are the authors of six books on fly fishing, including their latest, “The Bluegill Diaries: A Flyfishing Chronicle.”

Their website – thebluegillpond.com – has more articles, or check their fishing log on Facebook at Warmwater Fly Fishing.

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Outdoor Guide

Page 26

March-April 2022

Outdoor Gallery

NIC’S BUCK – Nic Arnotti took this eight-point, 230-pound buck on private property near Ramsey, IL.

JOE CARRETERO harvested this healthy buck on the afternoon of opening day in Phelps County, MO.

PHELAN GOOD – Mike Phelan of Sentara, MO, took this beautiful Missouri Monarch in the Missouri River bottoms near Chesterfield.

FAMILY THAT HUNTS TOGETHER – The Muckerman family made good use of this past hunting season. At left, Will Muckerman, 11, shows his first deer, taken near Hillsboro, MO. In the center, Jake Muckerman, 16, took this handsome buck in an area north of Kansas City. At right, Megan Muckerman harvested her fourth deer while hunting with their grandfather, John Muckerman of Chesterfield, retired marketing director for Dierbergs.

Send in your favorite outdoor photo to news@outdoor-guide.com or mail to Outdoor Guide Magazine Gallery – 505 S. Ewing, St. Louis, MO 63103

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 27

Catching more bass – even in the rain Photo and Text

By JOHN NEPORADNY JR.

Fair-weather fishermen are missing out on some great opportunities to catch bass if they shy away from donning a rain suit and wetting a line on a rainy day.

Touring pro Casey Scanlon is unsure if it is the dropping barometric pressure or rain breaking up the surface of the water that causes the feeding spree, but he knows for sure that bass are turned on by rain showers.

“The fish usually tend to be more active,” he said. “The only exception would be a really cold rain – almost like a freezing rain – when the water temperature is already cold. “ The Missouri guide guesses it is a combination of factors that cause bass to bite in the rain.

“You have the low light conditions all day, which kind of makes the fish roam around feeding,” he said. “You have a front coming through, which changes the barometric pressure a little bit and breaks up the surface of the water, so the fish don’t see the boat as well and they are able to chase baits to the surface a little bit better.”

Rain runoff also activates bass, especially on highland reservoirs where rainwater runs hard down the hillsides.

“If you get a substantial rain, those fish know what’s going on,” Scanlon said. “They are in a feeding mode and they look towards that running water.”

MOVING BAITS HELP IN RAIN Scanlon favors using moving baits most of the time for fishing in the rain. “If the water is warm enough, I always try a topwater of some sort, whether it’s a walking bait or a buzz bait or a Pop R. I love a topwater and burning a Luck E Strike RC2 square bill (crankbait) around shallow banks in the backs of pockets.

A spinnerbait can work well, especially if you get some stain in the water. Then I will always have a jig on too, a half-ounce Trophy Bass Company jig.”

A topwater lure is still an option for Scanlon even when a downpour roils the water’s surface. “If you get a driving rain, sometimes stuff like a (Zara) Spook or some of those subtle baits don’t get the attention of the bass,” Scanlon said. “So in that instance, I will throw something like a Pop R or a real noisy topwater like a big buzz bait that makes a little bit more disturbance. I am going to throw a topwater as long as I can until the fish absolutely tell me they don’t want to eat it – because it is just fun to throw.”

Cold rains in the late fall and winter tend to drop water temperatures and turn off bass, but a warm rain in the early spring is the prime time for Scanlon to don a rainsuit.

“That is absolutely what you look for, when you get a warm rain and a lot of it,” he said. “That is the time when you want to target those runoff areas in the backs of creeks and places where it might make a water color change. Another

Fishing in the rain produces lots of bass action for touring pro Casey Scanlon.

good part about rain is that sometimes it can create a mud line or a change in the water color that can really trigger the fish into eating as well.”

TOPWATER BAITS ARE COOL IN SUMMER A cool rain during summer is also a great time to throw topwater baits. Scanlon notes bass move off the bottom during a summer rain and start chasing bait, so he likes to throw either a topwater lure or a deep-diving crankbait such as the Luck E

Strike Freak to catch those roaming fish.

If the rain produces lots of runoff, Scanlon also tempts shallow bass in the backs of creeks with topwater lures and square-bill crankbaits. His favorite places to fish rain runoff are steeper banks in pockets and small flowing creeks.

“I like a medium-size creek with some flow coming into it, but I don’t like the bigger creeks with lots of flow like a raging river,” he said.

Fishing in the rain produces high numbers of fish and quality bass for Scanlon.

“Those big fish are just taking that opportunity to eat then,” he said. “I have had a couple of amazing days fishing a spinnerbait or big square bill crankbait on Table Rock Lake in the spring, when the lake had a ton of water flowing into it. I have had some fantastic days on Norfork, Bull Shoals and Table Rock, throwing up into the runoff in the backs of steep-

er pockets during the spring.

“I have had some fantastic topwater (with buzz baits and poppers) days in late spring and early summer during the post-spawn, when we got a hard steady rain all day long.”

The Bassmaster Open winner relies on Bass Pro Shops 100 mph rain gear to keep him dry even in a downpour.

He wears a waterproof pair of wading socks and Bass Pro Shops Redhead waterproof boots to keep his feet dry.

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Outdoor Guide

Page 28

• Gone Fishin’ same concerns. Arizona made news when its Game and Fish Commission voted to ban all trail cams for the purpose of hunting.

“Arizona is an arid state, and hunters know where biggame animals go to water,” said Larry Phoenix, a regional supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

“We’ve seen as many as 25 trail cameras around one water catchment.

“It was to the point where it was absolutely impossible for wildlife to avoid detection.

from page 4

Plus, it was leading to conflicts among hunters. So after we got feedback, we decided to go this route.”

After considerable debate, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted to ban trail cameras “for the purpose of taking or aiding in the taking of wildlife.” That regulation went into effect Jan. 1.

But Arizona isn’t alone.

Other Western states – Utah, Nevada, Montana and New Mexico – all restrict or ban the use of trail cameras for hunting to some degree.

BOONE & CROCKETT HAS NEW POLICY And the Boone and Crockett Club, which honors hunters who take trophy big game, recently came out with a new policy statement, saying hunters using certain types of technology no longer will be eligible for recognition.

“The use of any technology that delivers real-time location data to target or guide a hunter to any animal in a manner that elicits an immediate response is not permitted,” it said.

However, the club has no specific policy for cameras that require hunters to phys-

ically check the photos from trail cams.

I think that’s a proper stance.

Most Midwestern states have no problem with the use of standard trail cameras, which click a photo of anything that breaks the beam of a sensor.

Hunters can later go back to the site, insert the card into a reader and see what visited in the night.

The deer could be long gone by the time they see the photos, but it at least gives hunters an idea of what is around. That’s fair chase.

But what about the forward-facing sonar that fisher-

March-April 2022

men are using today? It allows fishermen to see real-time movement of fish and drop a lure right in front of the marks on the screen and even see how the fish react.

It’s fun. It’s like video-game fishing. I even considered buying one of the expensive units for my boat.

But there was a nagging doubt that kept cropping up.

Do I really need that to catch fish?

Some guides have confided that it’s almost cheating. It doesn’t make the fish bite, but it sure makes them easier to locate.

• Puchta’s

Fisheries biologists in many states are taking a wait and see approach. If fish populations are affected by the new technology, they will reduce limits, not ban the forward-facing sonar.

That’s a good approach, in my opinion. But then again, with all of the forward-facing units in use today, I worry that fish will eventually run out of open water refuges where they once didn’t see many lures. As a result, they might become more “lure-shy.”

Brent Frazee is the retired outdoors editor of the Kansas City Star.

from page 24

grapes. The wine offers wonderful dark cherry, strawberry and plum flavors. This was my favorite wine that day; we also said that the toughest thing about the wine is that it was so easy to drink. The wine works with all food.

We decided that we would also see which works better with the turkey – the Rose or Chardonel.

Next, the Cellar Select Norton is a combination of estate fruit and purchased fruit. The wine is very approachable, with a fruit forward statement of plum, blackberry and spice.

The Estate Norton 2011 was made entirely from grapes grown by the Puchta family. The wine offers more complexity, with hints of caramel and mushroom in addition to the berries and red fruit components. You also will find it softer.

MAKING CHOICES Tim also explained how the family was affected by Prohibition, which forced them to go from making a living to living in order to survive. While many wineries in California were able to make wine for churches, this was not an option for the Puchta family. Government agents came to the winery, cut the vines and smashed the equipment.

After our tasting, we sampled the smoked turkey in the orginal

cellar, which now hosts dinners and cooking classes.

We paired the smoked turkey with the Dry Rose and Dry Vignoles 2019 to see what paired best. Both wines paired very well with the turkey and my bias leaned towards the Rose, yet my vote went to the Vignoles with peach, citrus and stone fruit favors really offering a nice contrast to the turkey.

People who enjoy a dry Chenin Blanc will love this wine, and it also pairs well with spicy food.

Tim went with the Rose and Chef Lou chose the Dry Vignoles.

A GLORIOUS FINISH We finished the dinner with a homemade gooey butter cake and paired the cake with the 1855 Dessert wine that is more like a sherry and the Signature Port, which is wonderful ruby port-style wine.

Normally I am in the camp with Signature Port and the cake, but since I use almond extract, the 1855 proved a better wine pairing since it offers a nutty and caramel taste profile that complements the cake.

We departed after dinner, saying “Thank you” for a wonderful hunt, food and wine experience. We are looking forward to our next hunt with Tim and other winery owners in wine country.

Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 29

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Outdoor Guide

March-April 2022

Page 31

When should you fish Lake Michigan?

Here’s how to find an answer Photo and Text

By JERRY PABST

Over my 25 years as a Lake Michigan charter captain, I developed a rather lengthy list of the questions regularly posed to me by clients.

“How big is the lake?

How deep? Did you ever go across?”

“Is it always this hot, or cold, or windy or buggy or foggy?”

“Do you ever fish at night with your family? With your wife?”

“Did you ever get skunked, or sea sick or injured?”

And there were many more. I am surprised no one ever asked if I had ever been drowned.

While these all were answerable questions, the one that came up most often required a prediction on my part that was totally beyond my ability to even attempt to make.

It was, “When is the best time to fish Lake Michigan?”

GOOD QUESTION! Now bear in mind that this query came from someone who was seeking guidance in choosing a date for their next big lake outing.

All I had to do was give them professional advice on which half-a-day of next year’s fishing season, 183 days from April to October, that they would be most likely to fill a cooler with salmon and trout.

I would have to foresee the daily weather and fish movements on a lake over 300 miles long, 50 miles wide and nearly 1,000 feet deep, which is noted for its volatile weather patterns, and form an accurate opinion of fishing prospects a full year in advance. That’s all.

Over the years, my only response was to explain that fishing results varied from day to day throughout the course of the season, and the only reliable way to judge it was to get out there and try your luck.

After all, that is why they call it “fishing” and not “catching.”

Every year, beginning in 1973, while I was “trolling for dollars,” I kept accurate

A Lake Michigan fisherman shows his prize catch.

daily records of each trip.

When, where, number of clients, hours fished, number of fish caught and species were included and reported in detail to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. I never heard of this paperwork again, and I supposed it went into a big box and then was filed in a government basement somewhere, never to be seen again.

THE FISH ATLAS And then, what to my wondering eyes should appear but the on-line Fish Atlas

developed by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue University to provide easy access to long-term fisheries data from Lake Michigan.

These data have been recorded by charter boat captains in log books that are managed by the Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin natural resources departments. Amazingly, my long forgotten reports had miraculously come to life.

Scrupulously compiled over five-year periods by Dr. Mitchell Zischke of Purdue, charter boat catch data are

recorded for each grid cell shown on a map of Lake Michigan.

These grid cells cover the entire lake and are approximately 10 miles square in size. They provide insight into lake-wide trends without compromising the confidentiality of specific fishing spots. The Fish Atlas includes annual average catch, catch per trip, and catch per angler hour for chinook and coho salmon, rainbow trout (steelhead), brown trout and lake trout.

CELL BY CELL Using this map, an angler can access total sport fishing results per grid cell for each season beginning in 1993 and further refine it by month and by species. It won’t put any fish in the box, but it will give you a good idea of what your chances are at any time of the season for encountering the different species.

While most charter clients are content to catch “whatever is biting,” I recall one fellow who charted a whole trip by himself and then informed me he was only interested in

catching rainbow trout.

It was September, the water was very warm, and I don’t think there was a rainbow trout within 100 miles of my harbor.

I explained this to him, but he was adamant. We tried, and did manage to boat a respectable pair of three-year-old Chinook, but no “bows.” He left the fish with me and grumbled his way out of the harbor.

If I had had the Fish Atlas map then, I could have shown him why our search was in vain. Better yet, I could have shown him when he could try again when the odds would be in his favor.

BE AMAZED! Dr. Zischke informed me that the Lake Michigan Fish Atlas is the first he has completed, but he hopes to expand his work to Lakes Huron and Lake Erie soon.

Normally, a photo of the Fish Atlas map would have been included in this article, but you have to see it and use it to appreciate it. I urge you to go to https://fishatlas.org/ map.php. Be prepared to be amazed!

Be Ready for the Season!

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Outdoor Guide

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March-April 2022

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