Old dog 417

Oh no! The ground work has been laid... Are the cow jokes about to begin? I'll moooove along out of here and not udder another remark. od

Good information! Thanks, od

Is the River Run ramp accessible at this time? From what I've read Bull is up 10' so.... I'm wondering if I can launch there or need to go down to Beaver Creek. Any upper area info would be appreciated. Thanks, od

Well done....again! od

The Stockton crappie are elated to hear you won't be slaying them this weekend!!😉 od

Good job! ....Again! Is there very much high water debris (floaters and trash) in that area? od

We had a mixed bag this year. Better than last year but...just when we thought it was gonna break loose and meet our expectations (Right after Christmas) it shut down to an occasional merganser or nothing. Best outing since then was these 3 and it took 3 of us to take them in 3 hours! What is there...only eleven days left?....At least we're not froze out yet! Great pics guys! od

I pulled into that ramp sometime after 3 PM to install a Drotto Boat Latch on my boat trailer. I don't know when you left but that hungry old possum was still there and he was busy. He was so tired from dragging fish carcasses around he was staggering. He'd get into real difficulty in the rip rap and have to stop, drop his feast, and rest a bit. Of course his actions didn't go unnoticed by herons and gulls that wanted a share of his bounty. The last I saw of him, he was backing his way into the woods dragging a fish carcass, and grinning from ear to ear! Good job on the fish "catchin"! ! od

Well done! od

Two of us had a good hunt this morning at a farm lake in Northern Greene Co. We could hear them coming in before legal shooting time or before we could even see them for that matter. Overcast morning so we got no help from the sun but at about 7:00 two flew right towards the decoys and as we shot,...ducks started going up everywhere in front of us. Two then four and then repeat was the order of the day and by 7:25 we had our limit of Mallards and Gadwalls. Ironic as it may sound more continued to try to come in as we picked up spent hulls and retrieved our birds. I forgot to take pics and even worse I forgot to save any flank feathers! We'll go again after Christmas and I'll remember then. These were fresh ducks and wanted to be where we were waiting. This observation is supported by the fact we never blew a call! Conditions/Equipment: Dense Overcast skies Temp 31 degrees No wind, completely glassy surface Thin sheet ice along shoreline extending out 18-24" 2 dozen, Dakota Mallard flocked head floating dekes (3 on a jerk-string) 1 Higdon Splashy Flasher motion decoy Merry Christmas to all, od

I caught an invite from two friends to hunt a farm lake in Northern Greene Co. Although we attempted to address all the details in planning the hunt we encountered several "first hunt of the season" challenges. Things like... forgotten extension line for the jerk string, binoculars left in the truck, dead battery on the 4-WD Mule, forgotten retriever pole, and the discovery that one end of the blind had been missed when adding fresh brush and cedars last week. We took it all in stride and found ourselves sitting in the blind ready to hunt with 10 minutes to spare before shooting time. No wind and a heavy cloud cover greeted us at daylight creating some concern as to whether we would see any ducks, let alone get them to work. But, none of us wanted to trade places with those that were experiencing the Black Friday madness so we continued to sit patiently and stare into the overcast sky hoping for the best. And then it happened...a pair, then a group of four, a single, you know the drill. We missed some shots, did the "just wait for one more pass then we'll shoot" routine...(that of course never happens) but we persevered and managed a decent hunt harvesting a mixed bag of 9. So, all in all it was a successful "first of the season" hunt and more importantly it was encouraging. Not a record setter by any means but after experiencing several "none seen/ no shot" hunts last year it gave each of us that shot in the arm of encouragement and renewed anticipation of more to come. That anticipation makes getting up at 4 AM and going out on chilly mornings all worth it! Besides, at my age, we really want to go because we still can! Weather: Temp 36, Wind none to very slight SE breeze, Overcast with early fog and occasional mist. Species observed and/or harvested: Gadwalls, Shovelers, Meragansers, and Teal. Good safe hunts to you all. OD

Same here. od

I'm considering the purchase of a Drotto Latch system for my trailer. There has been a couple of threads on here from new Drotto owners so I wanted to open a thread to those that have owned Drottos for a while as to their current level of satisfaction. I generally fish alone so I'm always in the market for things that will expedite loading and unloading my boat and this device seems to be the ticket. I'm serious about Yea or Nay...just tell it like it is! Thanks, od

Your boat looks like my wish list... Bimini top and... Am I seeing a portion of a lever actuated bow release? If so, what has your experience been with it? Thanks, OD

Good reports and Way to go, both you guys! Good to see the high water gone and fishing improving. od

Well done! Good report with good pics! od

Well done! od

Good job and good pics Dan. Great mixed bag! Been a while since I used a Erie Dearie so thanks for reminding me to try one again. MrGiggles, Congrats on getting that motor going again and getting back on the water. Hopefully the COE will get all the courtesy docks reinstalled soon and spread out some of the ramp traffic. od

Good job! You've certainly got them dialed in as you just seem to keep "bouncing em" to the boat. I'm more like WM...except I seem to catch drum and cats pretty good on bouncers. lol. od

Well done!! A tip of my cap for the release of those fish too. od

Good news for sure since 10' above seems so much better than the 18' when it was at 885+. Considering Stockton's outflow...I think it's impressive that Truman has managed to drop 4 FT! od

Add on to the above post... Toilet is no longer under water but was locked up. The user fee box is high and dry now also. od

This is how Ruark Boat Ramp area looked today, Wednesday 7/17. I was able to launch and not have to get my feet wet (yay!!) and even though the courtesy dock was higher than I would have liked it was tolerable. If they would push the dock out so the metal walk ramp was at water's edge it would reduce the height a bunch. I don't know when or how often they move it but perhaps a call to the COE office would help. Not a lot of traffic at the ramp today or on the lake but I did have the pleasure of meeting Liphunter who was also going to take current pics for Dutch and this thread. Typical of this forum...just ask and someone, or two, or more will respond. Today's results: 2- 16" walleyes and 2 bluegill. All were released. Bottom bouncers/crawlers, silver smile blade, 20' channel point. WT: 84 Wind SW at 10 mph Sunny and hot. 90 degrees at 11 AM. Tight lines, od

What? No pics? 😉 od

X2. od