White Bassin’ The Little Niangua: An Annual Tradition With Two Old Friends.
Canoes, V-bottoms and a lone fisherman floating in a tube while fly-casting backwater pools for white bass drifted by that afternoon. I found myself lost in the camera’s view finder caught up with fishing scenes framed by blooming red buds and wild plums with promises of dogwood snow storms budding in the background.
At my request, […]
WHITE BASS SPAWN OFFERS UNIQUE OZARK STREAM FISHING
When Jack alerted us white bass had started their spring run, Jim and I wasted little time making plans to go. With the dogwood in full bloom and combined with an opening day turkey hunt, it was spring at its finest. As it turned out, chilly weather did little to cool our enthusiasm. Not even […]
[more...]Spring Rains Muddy Up The Bass Spawn.
Joe Garrett hoisted the largemouth bass high making sure I saw there was no bloody tail. “I don’t care what anybody says,” he stated emphatically, “they haven’t started spawning yet!”
Several sources reported spawning fish the last few weeks and Garrett repeatedly stated it was not so. This was the third bass of the morning and […]
SUMMER DRAW DOWNS DRIVE BASS DEEP
I felt the 11‑inch plastic worm crawl over every rock with the agonizingly slow sweeping retrieves coached by my guide. After tedious fishless hours methodically plowing over, through and around rocky bottoms and submerged snags there was a violent reaction to a hookset. The rod pulsed sharply downward as a heavy fish fought […]
[more...]SPRING BASS FISHING IS A SIGHT GAME ON CLEAR LAKES.
Joe pitched a sluggo at a spawning bed. A large shadow cautiously swam out to investigate, then slowly retreated. Joe, virtually imperceptibly, twitched his lure while verbally coaxing the lunker to take another look at it as well. Suddenly, it darted out and engulfed it. After Joe’s patented jarring hookset, the battle […]
[more...]PH LEVELS DECIDE WHICH 10% OF WATER TO FISH.
Ken Cook, fish biologist, used knowledge of PH levels to win the 1991 BASS MASTER CLASSIC on Chesapeake Bay. He reportedly spends most tournament practice days determining what PH levels exist at the pending tournament site. When a bass tournament officially starts, Cook usually knew where to find the action. Penny Berryman paralleled much the […]
[more...]Turkey Hunt For The Disabled
28-year old Vince Lukowsky (clad in camouflage) raised his right index finger in response to his mother’s question. It was his way of saying yes to a query whether he was enjoying his outing.
He raised the little finger of the same hand and wagged it for emphasis when his mother asked if he was […]
Calling Wild Turkeys 365 Days A Year
Billy Green, owner of “Ozark Ridge Calls,” Lebanon, Missouri, had just called a fall turkey within gunshot range and I passed it up. He was slightly upset. I was too - only more so.
One, I had not seen a beard. Two, it was more than 30‑yards away. Three, my shotgun was in the shop and […]
A Turkey Hunter’s Nightmare - “Victim Mistaken for Game.”
Turkey hunting is one of the most intense field events a hunter can participate in. If done ethically, he and a wild creature establish communication and each tries to out-beguile the other. Both have strong personal motivations. One ultimately strives to slake strong hormonal urges to insure the continuation of its species. The other is […]
[more...]LET’S TALK TURKEY!
Selecting a turkey call these days can be confusing. There are many variations of slate calls, diaphragm calls, tube calls and box calls available. All are effective when used properly. When all else fails, plan “B” could feature the barrel of the ball point pen in your shirt pocket.
From the time turkeys […]
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