A little fishing report and something extra

[BilletHead]

     What a wonderful day,

  A bit on the windy side but wonderful none the less. Got the jet serviced and had been told by a river expert that he thought my motor was set a little low so it was raised during the service. Got it out yesterday just for a run up and down the river to blow out the cobwebs. Ran well and even picked up some speed with the raise. Then today not getting an early start letting the temps rise some we hit another section of the river. Mid forties water temp at the ramp but the farther up the river we went it cooled until forty one. We broke out the fly rods and did some casting with no catching. I felt good to have the long rod in hand. We then hit a favorite bank for a little peek. Mrs. BilletHead scored with a Dalton base and a Smith point. When finding the Dalton base she did a mini I found one dance, the Smith got a better butt shake dance but I was more excited with the Dalton find.

 We headed back to the ramp to see it backed up with loading out and in with fisher people. Man what a mess when folks are launching for the first time of thier season. We had three ahead of us. A small snafu in one craft. Three in the boat going to launch. Guy started the motor and tried and tried to get it off the trailer. Screaming at another asking did you unhook the front? Yes was the response from the lady. He checked anyway. Then he revved it up again still not coming off. He than screamed to the truck driver pull it out. Up the ramp they went until someone hollered hey your tie downs are still holding the back down . Finally we got off the water and headed home.

  Home we unloaded the boat, took out something to thaw for dinner and headed to a pond. Strung up the long rods and proceeded to work our way around the pond. I found the bass and got the Mrs. next to me and we caught and caught and caught a few more. A small transition from deeper water onto a long shallow cove. They were all stacked on the break and very active. We caught twenty bass and one bluegill. Fish were in maybe two foot of water and even had some follow up our fly right to the top when lifting for another cast. Pretty fun day and start to our season. No monsters as they varied from a foot long to the biggest maybe fifteen. Pat got hers on a olive woolly bugger with a barred orange hackle. My fish came on an articulated worm with black head and purple body,

     Life is good in BilletHeadville. Came home and grilled duck,

BilletHead

 

[Al Agnew]

Always great to find a Dalton point, or even a piece of one.  I've found three whole ones over the years, and a fourth that is whole except for a half inch chunk knocked out of one edge.  It's so cool to hold in your hand something somebody made 7,000 to 9,000 years ago.  And very interesting flint coloration on the other point.

 

[Johnsfolly]

I would have been happy with just a fishing report. Great job on the stone points! Those are gret finds!

[BilletHead]

           Yes Al Dalton points are neat finds and the oldest point type we have in our collection. Have a Dalton drill too. Next oldest is the Breckenridge which is found to be in context right above the Dalton. When a Dalton were resharpened it was on the right side and the Breckenridge resharpened on the left creating a bevel.  Then we have a Scottsbluff right after the Breckenridge. Then other various points right down the line to historic and to the most recent small arrow points. 

   The Material on the Smith point pictured is Jefferson city chert (banded variety) The brownish streaks are grainy and in places caused the percussion flakes to terminate and cause a step fracture where they stopped and did not carry through. I used to flint knapp a bunch. Just don't anymore. May get back into that someday. Hunted and gathered chert for many years and have a couple thousand pounds or more rat holed.

BilletHead

[Johnsfolly]

BH

Great information. I really don't know much about stone points. So I appreciate the lesson. Do you know when a point would have been made of quartz and whom would have used quartz? I found a quartz point when I lived in Connecticut. My brother was the last person that had it.

I'm pretty sure that your lady would appreciate seeing a ton of chert making its way back to a creek near Billetheadville.

[BilletHead]

     Not real informed about points out of our area John. Quartz was used where there was nothing better to work with. This being said materials were traded and we would call that and exotic material if not found locally. Their have been documented cases here in Missouri where exotics like obsidian points have been found. Closest place it could of came from is Yellowstone park area. As far as the person that may of made the point you found who knows. Depending if the point was prehistoric or historic made. We can only guess if made before modern man contact (prehistoric).  After modern man made contact with the indigenous peoples (historic) then there are records of the tribes who made the types of points.

  Now to my hoarding of good material for knapping. Heck the Mrs. has been known to pick up chert and check it out. Hey will this one work she will ask? HA, she is as bad as I am. Did you know that all we have here in the states is chert? No flint. Flint is from other countries. I think mainly Europe. What makes Flint is the content of silicon. We are blessed here in the Midwest with some of the best material for knapping. Especially some raw materials. With heat treatment you can make some cherts better but more brittle if taken too far. Yes prehistoric peoples did thermal altering of cherts. Yes I have a kiln and have done it too. A roaster electric cooker like you cook turkeys with work also.

BilletHead

[ness]

Dang.