BilletHead

The rod I built . I just meant I put the rod together. 10' Orvis Clearwater 8 wt. Hope I did not lead you to believe I am a rod builder. Man I have too many hobbies as it is now! BilletHead

Oh I could probably fix a brother up on all the drum he wants. The only secret to catching them is not to want to catch one . Yea I know . BilletHead

Pretty too and keep the pictures coming Randy! Marty

Did not get an early start this morning Got launched and made my first cast around 7:30. I built the fly rod and started throwing it first. Wanted to prove something to myself. Found the fish in 5 to 12 foot of water. Used a sink tip with a four foot leader. The predator X I tied in the bass fly swap and then a pine squirrel thingy with a couple of rubber legs. Caught a few and then put the fly rod down and started throwing the short worm on a jig head. Now known as the ned rig. Many years ago we were doing this but times have changed with super tough stretchy colorful worms and specialized lead heads. Back then we used what we had. Last three trips including today I was throwing the same head and PB&J rig. Darned near indestructible . Got tired of this and decided it would be nice to take a few fish home this trip. Wanted to do some exploring and messing with a new to me used Helix 7 depth finder. I put on a flicker shad in fire tiger and began to troll. I go pretty nuts just trolling if the bite is slow. I have even been known to doze off doing just this. I had not went thirty feet and had a keeper walleye. Hum I thought and proceeded to catch another soon afterword. Rigged up a second rod and worked down the bank to find a crappie. Then a nice fat channel cat about four pounds that just about took the rod out of the boat. Of course it wouldn't be a real trip if I didn't catch a drum , I tried to stay in 10 to 15 foot of water. My baits did not run deep and the only time I felt bottom is if I strayed into less than ten foot. Caught fish out to 18 foot so I know the fish were off the bottom and very aggressive. I messed here and there for a couple of hours. A good day with totals of 10 walleye, eight crappie, the drum and channel cat and bunches of the green stinkin bass plus more of the pretty brown bass. Kept four of the walleye that ranged from 17 to 18.5 inches and four of the crappie that were 11 to just over 12 inches. Water temps 72 at start and 75 when I quit at noon. Used the big motor when trolling. Not a slow speed either. Slowest I could get it to go was 2 MPH and at times I was moving at 2.7 MPH When you fish alone you have plenty of time to think. I thought a lot of my fishing partner Richard I lost to cancer. The boat I used today he bought new then he sold it to me and later he bought it back. Then when he passed I was gifted it back again to me from his wife. We spent many, many hours together on this lake and other places in this rig and I felt he was watching me today. I could hear him saying. Hey would it hurt you to take some soap and water and was the boat once and awhile? Other things too. The way he would laugh out loud when fishing was good like today, Pretty good mess of fish and fillets Everybody have a safe and fun holiday weekend off and on the water, BilletHead

It will only be as hard as you make it Oneshot. Pretty easy if you stay basic. BilletHead

Anyone still eating? , I know some of us are. Today we heated up water and did sous vide again. Plus a Cesar salad with from scratch Cesar dressing that included good stuff like a raw egg yolk and anchovy fillets. We procured a couple pork tenderloins. Got them home and did a bit of trimming, very little. A little smoked salt, garlic pepper and a small can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Mashed the peppers and put this all in a bag including adobo with the loins. Did not vacuum seal but did the water displacement method and zipped the bag shut. Dropped into 134 degree water and let it go for almost two hours. While this was happening Pat picked red romaine Lettice out of the garden. Man I like shopping in the front yard . No pesticides or herbicides or other nasty things too worry about. Might have to flick off a worm but that is all. When loins were done pulled and drained off the chipotle juice and retained it. The meat was dried and I got a skillet hot outside on a propane burner. Put in a dollop of butter then seared the meat, After the sear pulled meat and put in a slosh of white wine and while skillet was still hot scraped up the skillet bits. Then added the chipotle and cooking bag juice and thickened to a sauce. I know what you are thinking it will be blazing hot. Well it wasn't, spicy but mild on the hot scale, Plated up and fixed the salad. All is good here in BilletHeadVille as we feasted, The pork had a pink blush and could be cut with a fork, BilletHead

Does not matter where you plant it Oneshot. Soon you will have mint growing places where you don't want it. I started with three little sprigs from an old home site. Now I have too much . If we ever got over to Bennett springs someday again I will bring you some. Enough to make her really happy and you unhappy to plant it all. You never know she may be happy enough to let you get a boat!, BilletHead

We don't want you boating under the influence either. Maybe you should stay on shore with your rod propped up in a forked stick. Call MoCarp and go carp fishing. Be sure to wear your camo too. I heard that carp fishermen are stealthy, BilletHead

Nice DJ, I like the way they use that flat body to pull back. I got to get out and get me some of that fun, BilletHead

Mrs. BilletHead and I decided to make a trip to Truman and see what we could find. Launched and ran up the Pomme arm a little ways. Just dinking around keeping our eyes peeled hoping to find something. Soon in some timber a mix of vertical and horizontal wood we seen some shad being busted. Strung up the long rod and tied on a BilletHead Fry. Landed five bass, three others came unbuttoned and flat arse missed four others and just like that it was done. Largest was a tad over sixteen inches. No monsters just fun. Critters of all sorts out and about. Watched and eagle catch a fish and take it to a nest. Canada geese and their goslings along the bank. No wind early and could hear gobblers sounding off and later seen two big toms walking the shoreline. As we toured around I could see Mrs. BilletHeads eyes scanning a bluff bank that tapered below slowly towards the water. I knew from all our years together just what she was thinking and asked her if she wanted to do some beach combing. A quick yes and we headed to the bank. Got out of the boat to stretch the legs and as I looked down I seen this, Feral hog tracks where a couple had dropped down to get a drink. This arm of the lake is fed by some pretty clear water but just like the invasive feral hog from just inches of water out to the channel drop off carp were rooting in the shallows making the clear water muddy. And just like the hog they don't belong here. I returned to the boat and fished more shoreline as the Mrs. walked. Soon I got a text she was ready to be picked up. When I got there she opened her hand, You can pick up all the trash and fishing lures you want but on Corp property you cannot keep points. Just thought I would pass this info on let you conscience be your guide when beachcombing. Started getting pretty dark to the East and could see rain so we decided to call it a morning and head back to the ramp. Another great day in the outdoors and a good way to spend Mrs. BilletHead's week day off, BilletHead

Post away friend. Would like to see them. Be talking to you soon about our trip out your way in August. Will be looking for two of your natives , Marty

Your the Man Randy! Glad to call you our friend, Marty and Pat

More of those big green sunfish they call stinkin bass, Had what I call a rare windless day here in BilletHeadVille. Seems like this Spring it has blown everyday. I went to me favorite pond. I almost did not even fish this place this season. turned down for waterfowl by the owners son. He got pretty irate over that deal so I was not even going to ask for fishing permission. Well a couple days ago I was at a funeral saying goodbye to another long time friend. So as I was leaving I heard a voice hollering my name. It was the owner of this pond. We had a good visit and he asked if Pat and I had been fishing. I told him we had here and there. He than sais no 'I mean my pond. I said no and he asked why. I told him I was not going to even ask this year and he responded you tow go anytime you want. So this morning I grabbed the fly rod , waders and flys from the fly swap. Did not want to mess with the kayak and needed the waders to protect me mainly from the fescue that is pollinating . Stuff tears me up. I can walk through it and if I get it on me I break out. Walked over the pond dam to see chasing along the bank. Fairly early so I tied on a Ness popper and casted it out. Two twitches and it was on, Missed another and then a solid hook up, Ok this may be a good morning. Snipped off the Ness popper and since I have caught on every fly swap fly except mine I tied it on. Because of the grass along the dam I dropped off into the water and began to cast parallel to the bank. Strip back and step forward and repeat. Next two fish, Really good solid fish. I took a measurement from back of rod to the lettering on the rod making mental notes on length. The fish kept coming and coming. One after another, Fish were from a foot to two foot deep running in and out from the bank chasing minnows and bluegill. I did this for about 150 yards, turned around and worked back from where I stepped in the pond. Fish after fish came to hand . I finally caught a small one. A 12 incher . As the total got closer and closer to 20 fish I thought I would quit at 20 and I did with this fish, Not a bad way to kill an hour and a half. Back at the house I took a rule and measured out the letter marks on the rod. Biggest fish made 18 inches a couple just under that and the rest just above the sixteen inch mark. the 12 incher figuring in my average was right at the 16 inch range. The popper was worked slow but the steamer pretty fast to keep it off the bottom moss and muck. The bass are very aggressive right now. Constantly working the shoreline feeding. Those fish I targeted , others it was a blind cast. If I missed fish I could make another cast and catch him or her. BilletHead

Way to go Duane! BilletHead

Good one buddy. Just a couple hot peppers in there. BilletHead

Yes, BilletHead

A little tragedy in the BilletHead garden last Evening, Mother nature tearing up Jack . Had about fifteen minutes of pea to marble sized hail and high winds. Tomatoes looked Ok but the lettuce looks like someone shot the patch with 000 buck, Mostly the flat leaved stuff. Romaine does not look too bad. I harvested some of the hailed stuff, cleaned it and shared with three families. Would of been five but the other two were not home. The tomatoes planted in the self water tubs is doing well. Blooming and some are having to be tied up., Every tub is planted now including this bunch that have peppers in them, BilletHead

Big time!

MoCarp here you go again. I really thought this post was really going well. Twice now you have called this guy a liar. He told you they were not short and you had to go and do this again accusing, assuming and this is not the first time you have done it to others. Please think before you post. If you look closely at the picture the camera is taking this shot at and angle. You have even rotated the original posted photo. If you go look at the posted photo you can see the board is wider at the bottom and narrow at the top. Come on man get a life. If a guy wants to keep a legal fish it is his right to, BilletHead

Nice! I know where a couple show up and I generally don't start looking until later. This may make me go out soon! Thanks Daryk, BilletHead

Never had a red one. May have to someday, BilletHead

Some of us could only wish.

Good deal DJ, Fun with family. I like it. I know what you are saying about protecting the skin. We have been given one body and in all ways we should protect it. I have always protected the chrome dome. Straw hat but mainly just a ball cap. I started noticing some rough spots on top of ears. Doc says sun damage. Nothing bad but who knows what could morph out of it someday. Dad and grandpa did not shave their heads like I do but they got to be hair challenged in later life. Both of them got heads that almost turned turd brown in the summer. Especially grandpa. After seeing a now deceased neighbor that fished year around with no hat get places cut off of his face, head and hands as he aged it really got me to doing better. I remembered a sun hat discussion on the forum. I settled on a Shelta Seahawk. Full brimmed and have a nylon insert in the front so that in the wind and boating across the lake the brim doesn't blow up or down. A bit pricy in the mid sixty dollar range but what is our skin worth I thought. Well made and if I needed to replace each year or two it is a bargain. I could see you in one Buddy . BilletHead

Yes JD it was a nice swarm. The swarm formed just after 9:30. Fully gathered by 10. I watched it all day hoping they would move lower or just move period. At 3PM had to go to a visitation, another friend gone. When we got back about a bit after 5 they were gone. We walked around the area looking. I guess they buzzed out, BilletHead

Grilled pineapple is the best! Bet the chicken wasn't to shabby either, BilletHead