Feathers and Fins

Honestly the front will shut down the bite on fish im betting, Montne was good saturday for bass, If i was betting I would set-up tomorrow at the old hatchery or one of the 12 bridge islands and see if any birds came in on the backside of this front. Historically we do get some birds on the backside of the front but they are normally gone within 2 days after it. So my best option would be South side of the islands on a point or the east sides on points or cuts. Wouldnt expect a lot but you may scratch out a few.

10 days ago there were several large parties hunting deer on the islands. I was hitting the geese in that general area as well as a couple other groups. The geese have moved off the lake and into fields around Pea Ridge and Lowell. I spoke to my cousin tonight who is stationed up in Sodak and he said they flew the river on a chopper hop earlier and it was very dangerous with the amount of birds along the River. This front is cold but did little to cover food or freeze out the big water or river he said. If we dont get some heavy snow cover and fronts forget about a good season. Not hard to see very little snow coverage and the depth is minimal.

Im becoming very fond of that Loon, he is great entertainment.

Geese are getting hammered pretty hard upriver so im not sure, I know they have been heading out early into the farm fields in Lowell early and hanging out in them till late afternoon. There are many cacklers starting to show up and they are more leary of people then our local giants. If they do what they normally do when the migrators arrive you will need to look from Blue Springs all the way up river for the Mudflats they use and try and pattern them. I know there is a big flock of stupid birds in the back of Hickory that make perfect bow targets though. As far as the walleye up there go,Flicker shad and troll them 100ft back on 10lb florocarbon working transition banks and flats from 12 to 20 fow. Untill the shad start balling up its hard to set pattern them, Biggest reason stripers are hard to get right now is shad are thick but scattered around in the water, If they will jaust ball up in an area it would make life so much easier... The plus side though is its made bass fishing pretty fun, no set pattern other than points or breaks. Ive been picking up some real nice 3 to 5 lb bass working over the back side of wind swept areas with Flickers and Jerk baits. Be very careful water is dangerously low and its getting interesting, Ill be hanging around someplace from Prairie Creek to Rocky branch to Horsehoe Bend today lol I know big area to cover but my guts telling me stripers before the front. Ive scouted ducks and you would have a better chance at seeing pigs fly on Beaver than seeing a duck. Untill this front gets here its fishing time.

Shoot the geese as you find them walleye up there might be near war eagle, havent played that far up the lake in awhile. Ducks you might see a few pets there aint many. Now monday there should be a ton

Each person is diffrent. For me I just wear a pair of Fleece bottoms jeans over them they keep me warm with two pairs of socks and 800thinsulate boots for uppers a thermal shirt of any kind with a fleece turtleneck and jacket is for anything from 40 to 50 over 50 im fine with just thermals and clothing. Under 40 I have my waders on 5mm neo's and a heavy jacket over the above mentioned. For hand Simms gloves are IMO impossible to beat.

Quill Lake Canada geese, they have a white breast either in a small patch or all white in some cases.

I often think about it, I come up with they could play 500 times and those two teams would still be 250 /250. It was eithers year to be the champ that night or not. I dont think there is to many games or teams pro or college that I can think of that were so well matched they could have kept going week after week. Maybe the Celtics/Lakers of the 80's.

Wayne, I think its fine for two teams who have met to play in the NC! If they are the two best teams in the land let them play and prove it. I know how many people hated last years NC because of that and their was some question about more diserving possibles but that leads me into this, Poll are done SCHOOL CONFERANCE and Allegiance's be they sports writers, coaches or what have you. Until we get away from opinion and go to facts and stats then it will always be that way. We could have someone write a program and let a computer choose and im sure it would be argued. Say #2 and #16 play and 16 wins the computer should raise 16 and lower 2 but what if there was bad calls? or it was a super tough nail biting game? Computer will only see stats programed into it and not the whole story. I support a longer season ( for play-offs) and let the best teams duke it out till we have two and those two no matter who or what conferance play for the NC. ANY GIVEN FRIDAY, NIGHT, SATURDAY OR SUNDAY applies so true. There will always be debate but damit let the teams settle it on the field by playing the game those kids diserve it under one uniform system with no polls just Wins vs Losses. To bolster that I plan to watch the Cotton Bowl and NC thats it none of the other games really appeal to me. But a Play-off system I would be glued to the set or seat at RAZORBACK Stadium or Tulsa or Mizz because those would be exciting and fun to watch and they would all have meaning.

Its funny how that big white strip makes a grown man go nuts aint it lol. almost as bad as a collar.

So when you comming over to help me remove these pooping machines. They keep increasing in numbers and sizes are getting interesting, I saw some true QUILLS the other day and will be looking for them big time, when i saw them I already had my two and just sat there and watched them, One would be going to the taxidermist for certain, its a bucket list goose for me.

Something about 37 days off between the last game of the season and bowl games always screamed dangerous to the players but hey its the NCAA a group that needs to go bye bye IMO. I believe in some type of governing board to insure safety and academics but after Penn St last year I only made me even more anti-ncaa. That was a criminal case nothing to do with the actual team and the ncaa should not have gotten involved in handing out a penalty, i really feel for the kids there now.

Randy I have watched Te'o and looked at who he has gone up against, I think Bama already knows how to handle him, simply rush rush rush right at him wear him down then Pass at will. SEC or not you bang someone enough and tire them out they become just another body. Bama did it last week to one of the best pass rushers in the NCAA, he kept beating them untill they beat him. I really think Saban is the 12th man he finds ways to win but does have a weakness and thats confusion, if ND can confuse him enough for some big plays both OandD then they have a slim chance. The game is either going to be smash mouth or a blow out by Bama. They game has potential to be good, Will it be as good as Bama / Georgia is the question. And for the record that was one of the best games I had seen in 20 years pro or college. I hope ND / BAMA can be equally good. A&M though I think is going to win and I will be watching Johnny Football is just flat out fun to watch i cant help it he is.

I had to go to several jobs and can say I saw very few birds in OK MO and KS the Four corners areas. TONS AND TONS OF GEESE from the local giants to little squeakers few snows and specks mixed in. I wa thinking about duck hunting Saturday but is looking more like a run and gun on the geese looking for more jewlry for fun and then after some stripers and walleye. I spoke to a couple friends who hit beaver today and with the winds laid down somewhat they said the stripers were biting and they were picking up walleye to 7 pounds, Looks like our best chances in the near future for ducks is after the major front comming in Sunday. So if anyones interested my suggestion is take advantage of the massive goose numbers that seem to be comming in daily and then go fishing.

Can he recruit will be the big question. IF he can bring in the Big Monsters from the North and the Speed rushers of the South on both sides of the ball and IF he can get a good QB and a Couple WR's then I think his style offense will be good, It will all be on who can he recruit. Maybe a good hire but if he is another NUTTJOB then I think JL might have his head stuck way out on a chopping block. Rumor of his contract 6 years 3m and change could mean he wants the rest of the money he possibly could have gained to hire good assistants to help in the recruiting and building a stable leadership and that could spell wins. More i hear the more i see potential but the big question still looms and that is recruitment.

Sam, im sure you would have done the same, Just another heads up FOR EVERYONE, 12 BRIDGE RAMP be very careful cutting between it and the sand bar, I marked it last night and the cut is only 1.7ft right now. Go around the island or your motor will meet rock. Stripers are in PC but in low numbers I managed a 30lber last night but it was the only bite. still tons and tons of bait but its scattered bad and not balled up.

20FOW, AVOCA, POLE TIMBER .... Jig them with crappie jigs or 1/4oz spoons.

OTF i thought about that and imagine how spirited it would be to have and how much more it would force schools to have a better athletic department, that would create some good football in all regions. If teams or in the truth schools are not willing to put out for good coaches and good players ( yes i know education first ) it will make the schools better in the education aspect, You cannot attract high calibur players and academic students if the school doesnt have a good athletics department helping fund the school. It is so intertwined its not even funny. I know kids who never would be in sports but they choose a college based on its sports department because they know that those sports draw attention to the school and make grants and funding better or at least easier to get. College is BIG BUSINESS.

Two words come to mind this time of year, PRAIRIE CREEK! Go to the back of Avoca or Prairie Creek and get shad with a cast net then start drifting between the bouy lines at the marina, if that dont work drift around the swim beach. Set one bait near the bottom for walleye and two free-lined for stripers. My graph keeps blacking out in the area from the bait and whites. Ignore the gunshots from the tracker as geese fly over it they are doing nuisance goose jerky removal.

OTF, Its all about money! There are 35 bowl games 35 thats 70 teams out of what 122 teams. I wish they would simply take the top 4 teams from each conferance pit them against eachother till there is a winner per conferance then put the winners in a play-off similiar to NFL play untill we have two teams left and they play for the NC. Let the fans and teams have a true champion. The only bowls i really watch anymore are the Cotton, Sugar and NC. But i could promise you i would try and watch ALL the play-offs if structured right, as i am sure many fans would and that would be much more money to the NCAA and Schools

But ND is not even close to GA, A&M and LSU. 37 Days for Saban to Plan for it im going with the Tide. They figured out last night Run right at the problem pass rusher and you will win, I am betting a heavy rushing game in the first 3 quarters wearing down ND D-line and a 4th quarter beat down by the air.

Normally dont see the little geese till Jan, Im thinking the drought and farmers getting crops out so early has pushed them further south than normal. What was suprising was we ran probably 30 miles and saw 2 ducks! Geese are here in force but not the ducks. Suppose to be a good front this week so we will see. The only bad thing today was we couldnt shoot the Bows at the birds due to the wind.

No stripers Chris, Only half heartedly tried for them as we were distracted by geese, my brother finally after 20 years got his first banded bird an Illinois Honker. We took our 4 birds and gave the stripers a couple trolls but with the wind and my wifes birthday the latter being more a factor gave up early. LOTS of geese near Horseshoe bend and suprisingly they are squeakers. Man ive shot mallards that were bigger lol. I Know WC has 1 striper right now he just called me so im thinking tomorrow if the winds die down im going to give it a more hearted try, if the geese dont interupt me again lol

Targeting stripers in the morning for the first time in a long time, but the guns will be in the boat if the Geese want to play.

After much consultation with the great spirit Known as Jack Daniels and his freinds Jim and John we have come to the conclusion it is the BLUE MAN of the Ozarks.