Bird Watcher

I know this sounds weird, but I swear they are always there. Sometimes are better than others and there is definitely a major run in the spring and again in late summer early fall, but you can catch whites up there 12 months of the year.

Thanks bfshn. Kind of reminds of the ol "there is no replacement for displacement" saying when talking about motors.

probably 2-4 times a week during season. Sometimes I'll use it from dawn til dusk in July, so maybe 12-14 hours continuous, but it always goes back on the charger when I'm done for the day. More a question of if I can get all day use out of a 12v system on Truman lake in the summer time with wind and waves.

I hope this is in the right forum:) I think it's time to upgrade the trolling motor. I do so much multi-species fishing that I want one of the remote control units. I currently have a 12 year old 12/24 55# motorguide. It works great and the batteries last all day long no matter how much I use them on my 17 1/2' metal boat. I'm considering the 12v 55# thrust models. I like the idea of getting rid of one of the batteries in the boat. For those of you that have one of the remote 12v 55# units, how much life do you get out of them? Can you pull rigs for walleye, or pull shad all day long for stripers and hybrids, cats, without the battery dying? I've heard that the newer digital motors are a lot more efficient and don't drain batteries like the older motors do. It looks like a 200 dollar difference between the 24v 80# thrust and the 12v 55# unit, so it's a relatively insignificant cost difference, but I'd like to get one of the batteries out of the boat if I could get away with it.

White Bass - Spring River year round. During their run in the spring, just look for the boat parade up from twin bridges. Late summer dog days can be great down around Patricia Island too. Elk River is good too. Has a little later of a run than Spring River does and they will be on the flats below #10 bridge later in the summer. They are also in the Neosho River. All up and down. Honestly, it seems that you can close your eyes and cast and hit a white bass in the nose most of the time on Grand. The lake is loaded with them. Crappie - of course the easiest time is during the spawn. Pea Gravel banks 1-6' deep adjacent to channel swings on the main lake, coves that the channel goes past the mouth with pea gravel, same depth. Right now they can be deep down on the main lake, but they will start to transition soon.

I always figured it was because if you touched them with a hook they start bucking around like a rank bronc. They work great. much better than store bought night crawlers or little red worms. Stinky. Can't get the smell off your hands for days.

Yep. We called Rodeo worms. We used to dig them on the Neosho River. I guess you still could.

Man, you've given me the bug big time. I'm jealous, but happy you got into them. Good work Bud.

At my previous home, I would always dump the water out of the bowl that I soaked them in after picking in loamy spot on the edge of the yard. After about 3 years of dumping water in the same place they started coming up.

Cranes in Central Texas. Northern Saskatchewan/Alberta in October for snows, ducks, and darks. Argentina, New Zealand, King Eiders in the Bering Sea would all be cool. I don't know though. I honestly feel like I'm on some kind of bucket list hunt every time I'm set up on a corn field with about 20 or 30 thousand mallards using it. Set up at noon, Shoot them next to my best friend my Dad, and go home to eat dinner with the family. I feel like I'm living the dream every time I get to do it. I've always been simple like that.

Awesome.

Example: EHD outbreak reduces number of whitetail deer. Biologists suggest that bag limits and seasons should be reduced until population rebounds. Insurance Lobby influences Legislators to increase number of permits instead of reduce. Lobbyists win, Biologists are ignored and deer are all but exterminated. This exact scenario has already played out in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc.

lol, I didn't vote, but yes, I should be. The Internet is serious and should not be taken lightly.

Yeah, It's a mess down there. I guess the catfish issue is kind of what I'm getting at with the trotline and jug mess. I wish GRDA would adopt catfish regs more like MO has for Truman. I caught more 20# Blue cats last summer in 2 months fishing Truman than I have in 25 years of fishing Grand. It's Oklahoma though. I don't mean that derrogatory. I love the state, but the rural parts are very poor and very conservative. They barely have enough money to fund the ODWC wildlife programs that they have and the residents REALLY do not like being told what to do by the gov't. Throw in the dynamic of tribal lands and it is a very unique place to hang out. I still love it though. It just takes digging a little deeper to see the beauty of the place.

I'd say you're right. I had a biologist tell me 4 or 5 years ago that 70-80% of the fish checked in each year at the research station are from one single year class of fish about 12-15 years old. You know, the funny thing is, I can remember going down there with my Dad and his friends in the late 80's early 90's and we were the only boat out there most of the time. Somewhere along the way this fishery picked up a ton of extra pressure and a lot of it is from Yanks. You very rarely see a boat with OK registration snagging them. There's a ton of ND, SD, IA, NB though. Huge groups of guys with 4 or 5 boats and 10-20 people camping down there for a week snagging spoonbill. I don't know what started that phenomenon.

I don't know if I would say they are almost extinct. On any given summer morning you can watch them breach and jump as far as the eye can see. I've never had a problem going and catching one if I want to. I do fully support the regulations. 2 per person per season is plenty of spoonbill filets if someone wants to keep some for the table. I also really wish they would address the jug line/trot line issue on that lake. There is so much litter in the form of pool noodles and plastic jugs from abandoned trot lines and jug lines that it's disgusting. I'm all for liberty to enjoy the outdoors however a person wants to and if someone wants to put out some jugs or a trot line I'm fine with that but pick it up when you're done or dont leave them unattended in the first place. I swear a lot of days I feel like I'm driving a slalom course trying to dodge jugs and noodles and most of the time there's not another boat in sight.

There are new regs. for Spoonbill this year. 1. Must have Spoonbill permit 2. Can't keep fish on Monday or Friday 3. Barbless hooks only 4. Has to be tagged as soon as you keep one. 5. KEEP ONE PER DAY AND ONLY 2 FISH FOR THE YEAR 6. MUST GO ON LINE AND CHECK FISH IN Go to www.wildlifedepartment.com for all the regs. Game Wardens are not cutting any slack and the fines are steep. Remember you can only keep 2 fish for the whole year. I'm glad to see it. When I think of how many fish we legally kept 20-25 years ago, it kind of sickens me. At some point, this surely will cut into the Sodak, Nodak, Nebraska, and Iowa traffic that floods into Oklahoma each March and April for the spoonbill run. That will be bad for the local business that counts on those visitors every year, good for us that just want a quiet stretch of river to fish if it ever happens.

Thanks. Now that I was able to get on a computer I see that it was Jeff Olsen. Sorry.

Tried to send you a pm. Let me know if you receive it

There's still plenty of places to get them that fall outside the guidelines in the regulation. They are professionals.** They do this for a living. They'll figure it out. **ETA sort of. I haven't been real impressed with the striper guides (2) I've met from Beaver

What Forum is the Romper Room over there?

I guess I can't figure out how to embed. Here's the link. http://youtu.be/rfumbyYNPS0

I think I saw that on the 'fuge. I'll see If I can find it Today.

You make a good waterfowler because you can enjoy Bird Watching Marty. I honeslty believe that if a person can just enjoy watching waterfowl, even without the possiblity that the encounter ends in shooting, they will be a successful waterfowler. There are always lessons to be learned when watching fowl if we look for them. I recognize that field, well, now I do anyway. Nice pics Bud.

We're getting somewhere now. Justin, Where did you get the Boykin? Has he ever retrieved a Canada? I really want a Boykin and I think I better start looking for a new pup pretty soon but I'm concerned about picking up geese. Of course, die hard Boykin guys say they can do it no problem. I just don't know if I'm sold on the idea yet. Pat92B, where you been with that homemade layout boat? I love stuff like that. Do you hunt out of it? or just use it like a sled to get gear in the marsh? or both?