curtisce

Time for some duck gumbo

no wind is the worst. untilit get over 25 it doesn't cause much problem. Only things is that once you sit up to shoot they can be out out range in a blink with that wind.

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we got a group of 8 of us for a hunting trip in south dakota for ducks and pheasants. Figured if I was making the trip might as well go fishing with my brother who lives up there. He had just upgraded his boat to a raner reata with 150 Yammy on it so I wouldn't have to dag mine up there.Made it to his house nd spent the night. In the morning we headed out. First lake we visited held big smallmouth but since the state record was caught there some years back they seem tougher to find. we were surprised when we got there that there were 2 other boats on the lake. Doesn't anyone work these days? Of course one was on the favorite rocky point. Lots of weeds this fall compared to spring which mkes it tough. Fished around several places without much luck. Just outside the weeds i hook the first fish, a nice 19" smallie. few minutes lter my brother has a fish on. It pulled out line and went into the weeds. after about 20 minutes of clearing the weeds from the line we see it and it's a nice pike. Finally net it. Beautiful thick 40" pike my brother's best. Couple pics and back into the lake. One more smaller pike there and then nothing. Fished near Eden SD next day again a lake known for SM. Couldn't get them to bite but caught several walleye most over 20" and a few pike. The next days were tough because the wind was blowing 25 and gusting. Had to hide out anywhere we could find some shelter. few pike and smallies but nothing to write about. Headed west that night and joined my friends who drove 14 hours that days. First day was just waterfowl. at first light had some ducks around. One lager group decoyed in and with 8 guns blasting only managed 5 ducks. First shots of the season. after that it was all canada geese. Hunted till about 10:00 and finished with 18 geese. From our base to the spot was about an hour but we headed home relaxed for a few hours then another hour back. Had ducks in the area but they were liking a spot about a mile east. Broke a few off so we did get some shooting. With about 40 minutes lefft and no joy from the big ducks we started getting buzzed by goupps of teal. The would come from nowhere blast through the spread go out abit and come in for a second try. We were ready for them the second time. Ended with about 15 teal and a few big ducks. With the warm weather and the corn harvest far from complete our fear was we wouldn't be seeing numbers. far from it. big wads of ducks and the pheasnt hunting yielded 8 limits each day in less than 4 hours hunting. we hunted Pheasants in the morning starting after 10 and then ducks staring around 4. next day we reversed it. Our Our day duck hunting we got set up around 4. A near by lake had ducks and geese on it so we waited for them. Specks were the first to arrive but as the guide had warned us they rarely commit. we watched them circle then the ducks arrived. Thousands of pintail filled the sky but only one per hunter so we just watched the show. The sun was dropping but the mallrds did show up and we got plent of shooting and our aims were improving. Overall a great trip. Your'e always going to fight the weather in South dakota. Between me and my brother were managed a pocession limit for me to bring back, we threw back alot of 20+ fish. Only one over 20" allowed. ened with around 90 ducks and geese for our group and we all got our 2 day limit of pheasants

I know someone who does something similar to these. They take about 6' of 4" pvc. they drill about 3" holes through both sides and the stick vinyl siding through the holes. Makes like a tree Weight one end and a empty jug on the other to keep it upright. great attractors and you don't get hung up on it.

Yeah I agree,now if they could just learn how to slow the wind.

my brother and I started our annual South dakota trip on Lake Sharpe on the MO river. OUr first day fishing netted 100 smallmouth wiht few over 4#. OUr last day we fished near the dam. I caught aa smallmouth that had a tag in it's jaw. Like banded birds they have a number on it and you can go register it and find out where it was tagged. fishing the same spot we caught 4 more. can across another boat and he told us he had been part of the taggging process just yesterday and he had caught several including one that had a $100 reward on it. No such luck for us till yeasterday. We recorded all our tag the day of the catch. Found out that they all were tagged the day before. I got a letter from SD yesterday with a check for $100

i switched to lithium talked to Marty he didn't mention anything

7 years old came on my boat. works well. Also have 2 Duracell deep cycles batteries that still seem to have good life.$100 for everything or will sell separately

@DutchGood job, where is Hartley I heard of it before on the forum butit's not one of the corp ramps that i recognize.

Fished yesterday, tough as well. Can't say I know of any pattern. cAught one nice smallie otherwise smaller fish. I was gone the second half of April. Did anyone see any significant spawning activity, Beds or shallow cruising fish?

Put in at aunts Creek, ran to the mainlke and then upstream. not nearly as stained as I had been lead to believe. Good color in James arm and main lake above there was quite clear. found some fish, maybe a dozen for the day 4 or 5 keepers though small. Most came from a bout 10fow. Had one Smallmouth 18" . The fish seem to get smaller as the day wore on. can't blame the weather, had a solid overcast most of the day and a decent breeze. Caught most on the ned, switched to a tube 1 nice one came unzipped by the boat but that was it.Saw a few shallow beds with small bass near but onle a handful. Next weeks forecast doesn't make repeat trips seem likely.

We're in Europe during now started in Spain. On the island of Mallorca off the coast of Spain we had some mallards getting some beach time and walking the path along the seaside with rest of the tourist