Feathers and Fins

Been an annual tradition as long as I can remember to hunt the morning shoot with my brother, today was a fairly decent morning. Arrived at 4am and got to the spot at 4;15 set up everything and then sat on the boat and had our coffee together enjoying the mornings first light. Had a boat of hunters come in on us within 50 yards about 30 minutes before shoot time and put an nice wake in the back of my boat. Talk about no respect not like we were invisible with my bow mount flood light on to let them know people were there. Then the proceeded to go set up on a point across from us and of course the skybusting did happen. Shame as the birds were not call or decoy shy, people need to learn to let birds work and range 40 yards or less people not 100 yards or more. Oh well guess people might learn when they keep going home empty handed. We put 7 birds down all were committed to decoys and feet down in our spread. Only put out 5 dozen this morning and tried the floating mojos which I really like plus two pole mojos. No big rafts for a change which was strange but with the ponds locally opening my guess is they are back to them. Also no geese not even the resident population. Duck numbers were modest maybe saw 500 to 800 total so we need another decent front. All in all good to be with my brother, coffee was hot and good and Scooby snacks are always good.

South of hwy 412 way up river

The birds are terns that you want to look for small white many think they are gulls but they are terns. The hunter was my best friend said most the birds were headed toward Blue Springs.

The birds have been popping up from Larue to Beaver shores, talked to a few different guys who have been chasing them and they said some hold bass some are holding stripers and others have walleye but all of them that are being pushed up have something on them. Sounds like a run and gun type day with a lot of time on Binoculars but its paying off. My buddy who has been doing it a lot said have three rods rigged. 1 with a 1oz white bucktail 1 with a pencil popper and one with a spoon and be ready to move fast. I love that type of fishing it can be very productive but man you cover water and on cold days like this you better be dressed for it.

Nope, but I know who it was

http://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/socks-gloves/windstopper-foldover-mitt.html I use them hunting and fishing in winter, if they get wet no big deal you still stay warm I have 3 pairs, hunting, fishing, work ooppss 4 IN TRUCK Pair also.

Rocky Branch behind the island birds were busy busting on bait stripers and Whites had pushed up 3 hours ago... Stripers were running 12 to 16lbs whites were about 1 to 2lbs. Ducks were dead

LMAO, That right there is funny I don't care who you are.

Bama never overlooks or underestimates any team, not so long as the head coach is there he just doesn't do it. A&M on the other hand may well underestimate Mizz and that could be the difference, Johnny will want to make it his Swan Song though as will several others so Mizz D-line better be up to task. It will IMO be the better of the two games to watch.

I am with you on Lamb, its a meat I have never been able to acquire a taste for, but I do like Goat Cheese go figure that one out. I am convinced though if Billethead cooks something anyone will like it. That man needs to just open a wild game restaurant.

Way off topic, but I do not understand why anyone who can hunt would rather put store bought meat in their freezer over wild game? I remember being laughed at in school for having Quail or Pheasant and especially duck and goose sandwiches until I gave the teaser a bite then they were looking at their lunch like it was a dog turd. Nothing to me is better for a lunch that Quail breast sandwich with some fresh carrots and peaches from the garden.

Immature bufflehead drake.

OSU, by record from last several years should be given the shot. Record speaks louder than anything and im no fan of these run up scores. Bama gets in if undefeated by being the defending NC. OSU Gets in based off last year and this year if they stay undefeated. Record v Record period. I don't give a dam about polls or computers. the teams record should do the talking and nothing else. If Bama beats them to a pulp so be it but they deserve the shot based on their record.

Mizz should move up to #3

Remi right now I would be tossing shad imitations for flies such as Clousers , FOF, and Abel Anchovies. For other artificial thin fin, redfin, shad raps, flicker shad and Keitech. But Live crawlers or shad would be the go to bait. Also keep the profiles of flies and artificial to 4'' and under preferable 2 to 3'' as that is typical shad size. Slow approach works best on the area from 62 to HI.

I fished Big O and many of the Kissimmee chain of Lakes and found them as difficult to catch on live bait as any other lake. The Big O had some very bead year and those fish became congregated in spots making them a lot easier to locate and wonder if the author of that article mentioned that fact? Many people think of shiner fishing on O with balloons as that is what many shows were showing so people could be entertained for by the visual aspect on TV. Truth be told many guys who were using shiners would tail hook them and pitch them toward the cover but maintain pressure on the line to hold the shiner up high struggling on surface. Doing that kept the hook and heavy line above water or nearly above it hiding the presence of the hook and line. Those bass would strike with such ferociousness it would amaze you. But even more devastating was a pencil popper tossed so that you could pop it a couple times then feed line back out so it drifted back in to the edge of the weeds ( shiners just didn't do well tail hooked for long ) but a popper wasn't alive so it wasn't an issue. The other thing im curious about in the article was if the author was talking about the main lake or was he really talking about the tributaries. For instance Taylor creek was and still is a phenomenal bass canal as is the St Lucie and Loxahatchee. Guys with air boats fished these with no issues at all. The famed Stick Marsh and Farm Pond 13 I would think would have been more impacted Than the Big O but they were not. Sounds like an author who didn't like live bait angling possibly? I will say this if someone asked me where to go for Big Bass and Numbers in Florida it would be "THREE LAKES" no questions no doubts yet very seldom talked about. And I would say have top water baits and 14 to 18 inch worms to mimic the young watersnakes. Dam now im missing FL.

And after that drive that is why you don't put a cold QB in the game. should stay with MM but im betting a few more drives like that he is in fast.

No. I use live bait and watch guys pop bass on jigs right after im done. The reverse also holds true I have gone trolling past guys using live bait spider rigging and hammered crappie and walleye .

Its all the Media, Wrench. its teaching people to only shoot bucks for the racks. Funny thing is years back Doe's were off limits because of populations now populations are so good but no one seems to want a doe. I wish all states put in a reg you had to shoot 2 does before you could shoot a buck.

Wrench I have a saying. CANT EAT HORNS! I actually prefer popping doe's. If a legal buck shows he goes down as well, but I hunt for meat.

Jeb over the years I have seen many cases just like this one and some worse and monetary was all that was done. Wildlife crimes although we ( sportsmen ) feel they deserve much stiffer penalties seldom get them. Most the time its fines and revocation of privileges. The truth is District Attorneys and Judges do not see them as major crimes and waste of time. We may not like it as a group of sportsmen but the truth still is that wildlife violations are not seen as a big deal. Most groups who violate pay the fine and go right back to business. I would bet this was a business for the primary two and fines are just viewed as cost of doing business. Sucks!

That is the one thing I have to say about Saban I like. He doesn't like running up scores, there is a point that sportsmanship needs to be shown and some of these super high scoring games are very unsportsmanlike. You cant tell guys not to score but when you are up so much continuing with a high power air attack to keep scoring is not sporting.

Here is the real problem. If things stay as they are its pretty clear it will be Bama and Florida. But IMO Florida does not deserve to be there. It should be Bama and Ohio State. Bama goes because they are the Defending Champions if they stay unbeaten. Ohio should go 12-0 in 2012, still undefeated this year beats the Seminoles record. and keep in mind we still have 6 undefeated teams. and none of them play another undefeated. So who gets to go to where they are after all undefeated! And could stay that way.

Wayne I have outlined it several times how it could and should be determined. Settle it on the field period.

OTF, I HAVE YOUR ANSWER. MONEY will dictate who gets in. Simple as that, I cannot imagine the "Committee" putting a school like ( for instance only ) Temple ahead of Bama or ATM or for that matter any bigger school with a higher draw power. Money will dictate.