On Thursday, May 2, I left school and traveled a few miles south to try a stretch of one of my most favored creeks. I knew I had lots of daylight and hit the stream at 3:30, knowing that it was about 5 hours to where my truck was parked (thanks to my gal Vickie for the drop-off). The first mile or so has lots of nice holes that I was quite excited about getting to fish. After about an hour I had moved slowly through all of these holes and hadn’t yet caught even one smallie…what in the world was going on? Knowing that I had only one way to go, I forged on and as luck would have it I hooked a small but powerful 12 inch smallies and upon removing the hook noticed that he had just burped up a small minnow like offering….upon further investigation I have found that this was a Bluntnose minnow. Whatever you want to call it…there in my fly selection was one of several that I had recently tied to look much like a minnow (you can see both the actual minnow and my fly in the photo above). So…it didn’t take long to make the switch and like a switch, the light went on over this particular creek.

I took just a moment to tie on a silver minnow representation onto size 2 tippet and once again started to work my way downstream…the second casts told me that I had hit a homerun, there on the other end of my 5 weight TQR rod was a nice 15 inch smallmouth. I grinned and wondered could it be that easy…the answer came just a few casts later as another nice smallie engulfed my silver fly…and as Uncle Si would say, “It was on like donkey kong”! The next couple hours was a blur and was filled with fish after fish…a couple were just a tad over 15 inches and very aggressive in their pursuit and take of my ‘minnow recreation’.

Through the years I have developed some techniques that prove to be too much for the smallmouth to ignore and on this day I was casting the fly about 45 degrees down and across then jigging the fly back across the stream, allowing for pauses and hesitations, but the real key comes  as the fly nears  my location. I have learned to slowly start to raise the fly through the water column by using my right or rod-hand to lift and jiggle the fly by putting pauses and twitches while raising the fly closer to the surface…this seems to be a trigger that most of the fish just can’t resist. This last maneuver is an easy way to finish each cast as I complete the cast by roll casting and then picking up the fly-line and making my down and across cast once again. On this night I caught several fish on the last 20 feet of line and with my glasses on could see that the smallies were following the fly across the stream, much like a trout will when it is staging and preparing to take a streamer.

I often carry along a fly box or several fly patches with different colors and sizes of flies with and without legs (rubber legs) so that while on the stream I can make most changes or get to a fly that is pretty close to what has either been eaten or I can see is being chased within the creek. I also try and have at least two different weights of fly line so that I can get the fly down into the strike zone and keep it there as long as possible while making it look as realistic and natural as possible. These are all things that take time to figure out each trip…but when you do, the results are usually very good.

The next time you are out…think like a fish and ask yourself a few simple questions; the answers you give yourself may just point you to a single fly that might just be the ‘magic bullet’ and if and when it all comes together…it is an awesome thing to experience. When all these factors add up to a couple flies and you start to haul in fish after fish…take a moment, look around and remember to Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Match the Hatch is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

The second part of the video is of a rookery of Herons that I came upon. I first spotted this group last year, but with the foliage intact, you couldn’t get a real first-hand view of just exactly what was up there above you and how many nests were actually there. I am still not sure how many adult birds there were but I would estimate the number being over 100. So, if like me, you love the wildlife of nature along the way….then please enjoy these short videos of some great southern Indiana scenery.

The Things We See While Fly Fishing is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

As darkness finally started to lift and what seemed like every song bird in the country opened up…I eagerly awaited the morning’s first gobble. I slowly turned my head from side to side peering through the faint light, looking for one or many dark globs in the towering trees that surrounded me, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t see any birds. Regardless, I was patient and knew that at any moment Mr. Tom would open up with his morning call. I waited and waited and as things go…7am rolled around and I had heard nothing, not a peep from anywhere. Now, I have turkey hunted most of my life and I know that on some days the woods are just going to be silent, I don’t know why, but I do know that this is how it is.

I decided I would call, walk, listen and just enjoy the morning. I eased my way along, quietly calling with my box call and listening for anything that might signal an interested Tom turkey. I particularly like to stop and listen anytime geese or crows start their morning cry and as it turned out I was about half a mile from my starting point in the woods when I heard a group of crows open up…followed by a faint gobble. I quickly placed my box call in my vest and briskly walked towards the gobble…once I had gone what I thought would be halfway, I stopped and slid out my box call and gave one slow yelp; GOBBLE! This time it was much louder and no question as to the direction. Luckily I was on a nice path and I hustled ahead about another 100 yards and sat down against a tree with a valley below me where I could clearly see 100 yards in the direction of the bird.

I pulled up my head net and got comfortable…slid out my slate call and quietly made a soft yelp, GOBBLE! This time the return call was very loud and I knew we were ‘engaged’…so to speak. I have learned through the years that less is more and waited about 30 seconds when once again GOBBLE! Quickly followed by another GOBBLE! This time I could feel the volume of the gobble and knew it was going to happen. Once more I made another yelp on my slate; this time even quieter than before-GOBBLE…followed by another GOBBLE and then there in the darkness of the woods was a white head moving directly towards me. Now…it is at this moment that it doesn’t matter how many times you have done this, or how many birds you have shot, this is what it is all about and your heart rate increases and even good hunters have to slow themselves down and control things. I eased my slate call to the side of my leg and slowly eased my shotgun up onto my knee. I knew that at this point this old bird knew exactly where I was and he didn’t need any further information.

I watched as he head-bobbed his way towards me and as he crossed the small creek that was flowing with water, his beard dipped into the creek. There was no doubt that he was smitten and was on his way to do what Tom turkeys do! As he walked behind a big Gum tree I raised my gun into shooting position and in seconds there he stood, in full strut at about 25 yards. The display was another one of ‘those’ memories that I won’t soon forget; it was brilliant and there was just enough natural sunlight for me to see all the various shades and hues of his ‘coat of many colors’. I waited and he came out of strut, stepped towards me neck extended and I made one quick and lethal shot…I had just watched one of the greatest spring dances unfold before me and I knew I had been blessed by these past few minutes.

My bird weighed in at 20 pounds with an 11 inch beard and 27 mm spurs…and was in perfect condition; this meant that after many years and many birds I am having this bird mounted. I called up one of the best taxidermy guy’s around…Bill at Bill’s Taxidermy and asked if I should do anything with the bird? He told me to bring it to him and he would take it from there and later that afternoon that is exactly what I did…so, if you are looking for a guy who really knows his stuff, give Bill a call at 825-4204 and he will take care of your taxidermy needs.

So while my day started out slowly, by just enjoying nature I was able to harvest a gorgeous bird and solidify a memory that will long stay there in the back of my mind; I hope that you will give turkey hunting a try and that you too….will have an opportunity to experience the greatest of all spring dances as we Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Sweet Owen Tom is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

OK…so after that excitement I took the time to pay close attention to the stream and yes, it was for sure up, about a foot and the water was indeed flowing pretty swiftly, more so than usual…but the big factor was quickly evident; the stream was stained about halfway on my own scale. Turbidity is the term used to describe how ‘dirty’ a lake or stream is and biologists use a Secchi Disk to determine the turbidity; the disk is lowered into the water until it can no longer be seen, this depth is then recorded. The Secchi Disk is generally used in lakes and in slow moving streams…that being the case I will refer back to my own system, the stream was about halfway between clear and non-fishable.

Water clarity is vital to fishing success because a fish generally won’t eat what it can’t see. Yes, fish do have lateral lines that help out much of the time but in these small streams the smallmouth follow and chase what they think is a baitfish and for sure it helps your chances in catching fish to have a color that the fish themselves can actually see and follow.

Now here is where most folks think that because the stream is stained that it is going to be no good…well, that just isn’t the case. In fact (my opinion again) I like to fish a stream with a little stain, maybe at 3 or 4 on a scale of 10. The reason is two-fold, usually this means the water is up and this also means that these ambush fish are likely to follow and be aggressive and secondly, the fish themselves can’t see you as easily. What I have found fly-fishing is that I don’t have to be as careful when there is a slight to medium stain on the water. One of the toughest times I have each year is in the summer when the water levels drop and the color of the water drops to a 1 or so on the above scale. It can be almost impossible to stalk close enough to actually cast a fly into a pool…so I go back to my scale and the water on this particular Friday was at about 5.

The next step is in picking out a color that the fish will be able to see and yet represents a color of acceptance, by that I mean a flashing neon orange fly may not work because these fish aren’t stupid and know what is and isn’t a possibility. When the water is stained I have two go to colors; yellow or lime green (chartreuse), others may have a variety they use, not me, one of these two colors will work and that is all I need to know. On this day I decided to go with a heavy chartreuse bunny leach as I wanted both a fly that could be seen and one that I could fish from the bottom point of a hole to the top…with the water flowing swiftly the added weight would help me to get the fly low enough in the water column.

The first couple holes I came to both gave up one small (12”) smallie. That was a good sign that the fish were looking and my fly was in the strike zone. As I neared the deepest hole on this stretch of water I carefully started at the very top of the run and worked my way methodically down through the stream into the deeper portion. Once again, when the water clarity is low…you will need to be more methodical and place the fly in every nook and cranny that you think might actually hold a fish as they can’t see across the pool to come and get the fly. I was about halfway down the pool, I  made a long cast of about 30 feet into the right hand portion of the current and just allowed the fly to swing from right to the left edge of the current…I could feel the fly vibrating due to the flow of water over the fly-line. I made a couple small strips and then again, left the fly to ‘vibrate’. A couple more strips and another pause…when I felt a pop and snap set the rod. It was at that moment that I knew I had hooked a substantial fish. I cleared the line with my left hand and got the fish on the reel and finally could feel the full weight of my adversary. This is where experience paid off and I just allowed the fish to pull against the stream and the drag of the reel…up, down, left, right and in a few seconds I was able to work the fish into slower water. It was then and there that I could see that I had landed a trophy…this big hen was full of eggs and would provide a passel of new life for this small stream. A couple of photos and a quick measurement and back to the depths she went…another catch for another day.

This spring when you are out fishing your favorite lake, pond or stream…give water clarity some thought and I know you’ll do very well as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Water Clarity is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

I made a big spring order the other day and decided to try their own FC Meat Locker fly box. I didn’t know exactly how good the product would be at just $29.99 (that is half of some of the other fly boxes of the same ability). I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this large fly box and being a guy who strips streamers 100% of the time….wow…it was fantastic to have a large variety in one box; in fact, I combined 3 fly boxes into one and the photo you see is all of my smallmouth and largemouth flies (not all, but all the styles I tie and use). So….if you are looking for a great fly box at a great price…give the FC Meat Locker a look.

Feather Craft Meat Locker Fly Box Review is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

Saturday, April 20^th was the first day of youth turkey hunting here in Indiana and Jonas and I were up early and off to an Owen County farm in hot pursuit of a gobbler; we also had my boat and a float tube in the Suburban for a little afternoon fishing.

We eased down the corn row and slid into a nice spot to listen and take in all that the morning offered. I waited a bit and then reached into my pack and pulled out my owl hooter…gave a few sharp notes as an owl and before I could even listen our first bird gobbled. I quickly found a spot for Jonas to sit and I moved a few feet deeper into the woods and waited. A few seconds later another loud gobble resounded through the woods and I knew the game was on. I love a slate call and eased it out, made a few soft yelps and Mr. Tom went nuts, double gobbling and really raising a ruckus. In just a few minutes we both heard him fly down and I whispered for Jonas to get his gun up and look to his right…now this is where I should continue on with some great story…but the old bird didn’t like something, walked to the edge of the field and walked slowly the other direction! Sacre bleu!

No sweat as it was early, so we picked up and moved quietly along the woods to another hay meadow and eased our way to a point where we could see the entire field…there before us was a big group of turkeys with what appeared to be at least two Toms. Once again having knowledge of the field paid off and we backed down into the woods and leap-frogged about a ¼ mile of edge cover. As we neared the hay meadow we could hear two big boys gobbling hard and so we quietly slipped to within about 15 yards and I had Jonas sit just in front of me; to our right, through the foliage we could see several birds walking around and there, in the middle were the two Toms in full strut. They were about 100 yards out and the noise that they were creating was pretty impressive.

I knew things were going to get interesting and had Jonas settle in and get his shotgun up…I reached down and gave a soft yelp on my slate call; immediately both birds gobbled, several times. As I peered through the leaves and briars I could see a bird moving our way, seconds later there were two Jakes in front of Jonas and curiously dawdling around, looking into the woods for the future love of their life! Over the next 45 minutes I tried everything I knew to do…but the big boys didn’t budge, they just kept gobbling, spinning, spitting and every time I even touched my call they gobbled in unison. It was one of the most impressive shows I have seen in my many hunts…but this is where the story ends. But for the lack of pulling the trigger we had a truly great experience, however we couldn’t get the birds to close to a comfortable shooting distance and eventually the Jakes returned to the Toms and they all slowly meandered away down the middle of the meadow. I was pleased with all we had experienced and proud of Jonas for waiting and not taking a Jake…and the good news, well, within an hour we were just west of Linton and on one of my favorite lakes.

I dropped Jonas off with my float tube, his fly rod and a few flies I had tied for him and left him…took my boat and went around the shore and put my boat in at the launch area. We fished for about three hours and once again Jonas did very well, landing about 10 bass, the largest was 17 inches. I had left him in a cove that was out of the wind; when I motored around the corner I saw this big kid in a float tube, casting a beautiful line…I watched and he stripped a few times and then hooked and landed a decent bass. It struck me that here before me was not just a physically big kid, who is already 6’5”…but a kid who really knows what he is doing. Landing a bass might have been a small accomplishment but the way it was done gave me that moment of warmth, where I was proud of his ability to handle a fly-rod…and handle himself. I had watched a few years back as Harrison made his passage from boy to man; here before me was the same thing…Jonas had moved from this little kid to a man that I know is going to go places and do great things. It is easy for me to say, but I know that our time in the outdoors, experiencing nature, was, is and will be a big part of his growth, a big part of the person that he is becoming and a big part of the person that he will eventually be.

If you have a special someone in your life, a young person who would benefit from time in nature…then don’t hesitate as you will reap a harvest of blessings! I hope to see you and the next generation as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

The Passage is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

I searched for places to stay in the area and came up with ROLF, then contacted Myron McKee, the owner and operator. You can visit the website and see all that they have to offer…I will tell you that we stayed at the newest cabin, the Lighthouse, and it was all and even way more than we ever thought it could be. The Lighthouse is built 60 feet high upon stilts and sits directly next to (it even seems to be over the river) the North Fork itself.

The cabin has everything a person could ever want; its 1200 square feet has a central kitchen and living area with a bedroom on each side. The front bedroom has a sit-in bay window that opens to the river and sits just beside the hot tub (there is also one in the other bedroom). The large front porch has a view that is second to none and was where we spent most of our time…looking down the canyon and out over the river as  you can look directly into the crystal clear water as it flows by, at times it was quite mesmerizing! Lastly, I must add that Myron was a pleasure to work with and answered our many questions and helped out at each and every turn…so, please take a look at the website and give the area and ROLF a visit.

The North Fork isn’t a simple river to fish…by any stretch of the imagination. I knew going in that this was an exploratory venture and tried to put as little pressure upon myself as possible; the truth is that I couldn’t wait to get going and after a 7 ½ hour drive, a little time fly-fishing was just what the doctor ordered. We talked to Myron and he suggested that we go upstream and put in just below the large Rainbow Springs and then float back to the cabin, so we pumped up our new Voyagers, lashed them to the top of my Suburban, drove a few minutes north and launched upon the cold, clear, 56 degree water as it flowed south towards Arkansas.

The video was shot with my iPad from the front porch of the Lighthouse Cabin. Truly a wonderful view of a gorgeous river …

The upper half of the river, below rainbow springs, is known for its native population of big, hungry rainbows… frankly rainbows aren’t known for being terribly aggressive with streamers, well at least the smaller ones-I was in hot pursuit of a big fish. I had my new 5 weight TQR rod with a Rio streamer line, along with a couple fly patches of bigger streamer flies and started casting at each likely looking spot along the way. Once again I knew this wouldn’t be easy but here I was, an hour in and hadn’t had yet even had a hit…it was at this point that my mind started wondering back to the many hours chasing trout; did I have the wrong color, wrong tippet size, stripping too fast, too slowly, etc…and it was at about that point that I felt a bang, not a tug on my line. My brain reacted and sent an impulse to my left hand, whereby my left hand strip set and as they say…the battle was on! The first few seconds are the best as I didn’t know what I had…I just knew that it was big. I kept my composure and got the fish on the reel and it was at that moment that up out of the water launched a big and very colorful rainbow. Patience, patience…I kept reminding myself, don’t get crazy and try and crank in a big fish that was using the river current to its own benefit. My little 5 weight rod was bent double and my arm was extended straight up trying to use the drag of the reel to tire the behemoth as it pulled tirelessly against my 3X tippet!

As you can see from the photo above…I did eventually net my trophy, a 21 inch buck rainbow. I was able to share this special moment with Frank and he obliged me by taking a few pics of me and this amazing fish before we watched as it eased its way back into the cool, clear waters of the North Fork River.

>>> Click Here <<< to listen to a short synopsis of the North Fork of the White River. After floating most of the lower sections I have a much better idea of where to put in and take out as well as where you might find some of the better fishing.

For those of you looking for some great fishing in a truly magnificent wilderness area, please give the North Fork River area some consideration and give Myron a call at River of Life Farms. You will find that the river and the accommodations are both second to none; I hope to see you along the way as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

ROLF – River of Life Farms is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

My gal Vickie had prepared another of her awesome Easter meals and as the afternoon moved forward, the sun grew brighter and my longing for fish and water began to apply pressure on my thinking and by mid-afternoon I caved and asked dad to drop me off so that I could walk one-way, a few miles of one of my favorite creeks. As I walked the few hundred yards down to the creek my mind wandered…”Would today be a good day…was it too soon…was the water still too cool”? Within a few minutes I arrived at my first good hole and cautiously stalked below the pool, stripped off 25 feet of Rio sink tip line from my new 5 weight TQR rod…carefully I false casted a cream colored trout candy fly-careful so as not to spook the pool! The fly landed above the hole and through the clear water I could see it cascade down into the 4 foot deep pool, I gave 3 quick staccato strips with my left hand and watched as the fly disappeared, bang, the tug on the other end sent a shock through my rod hand and there on the other end was my first trophy of the day; a 13 inch emerald colored smallmouth adorned the end of my line. I quickly backed the fish out of the pool and as always took several photos and then released the fish into the smaller pool downstream from me.

Wow…what a start-seems like my fishing app might just be wrong. I decided to try a few more casts…maybe; just maybe I could steal one more nice fish from the pool. Same cast, same drift, strip, strip, bang…no way, sure enough #2 was a brilliant 12 incher who thought he was much bigger than he actually was! Once again, move backwards, take a few photos and ker plunk, back into the lower pool I deposited the second trophy. Surely not….not another, two casts later I snap set on fish #3, (wash, rinse and repeat); 2 more casts and fish #4…now you if you think this is another big fish story, well, I can’t stop you…but let’s just jump to the conclusion, let’s make it simple…I landed 9 smallmouth from a pool that was no larger than 15’X15’. In fact over the course of 30 casts I landed 9 bass and had fish number 10 halfway in before he came unbuttoned! There I stood in the middle of a beautiful afternoon with one of the most dry and wry smiles upon my face and the only thing I could think of was the old country song by Jerry Reed, When You’re Hot…; you know how it goes…when you’re hot you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not! Simple as that-and if you have fished you understand completely. When it is all going well and the bite is on, well, grab ahold and catch as many as you can!

OK…but 9 fish from 12 to 16 inches from one little pool was almost too much, furthermore I caught all the fish on two flies; a cream colored trout candy and a silver colored trout candy, both on a size 6 hook. If you think the other half of the verse isn’t true (when you’re not…you’re not) then you haven’t fished much because over the past few long and cold winter months I had walked many miles and on two occasions I was on the stream over 5 hours without catching a single fish…so, just like a kid in a candy shop, when it comes together, I pour it on and take no prisoners.

As the afternoon progressed I caught a few more smallies, 15 in total, but I couldn’t shake the fact that what had happened was pretty special…then, there in the back of my mind, continually, over and over was Jerry Reed singing about this special afternoon on an Easter Sunday in March. I have said this many times to many different groups, there are special rewards awaiting those who will get up, get out and get going! Come on and join me this spring as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

When You’re Hot … is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

There are many companies now that produce a very comfortable, efficient and safe float tube. As I mentioned I am used to the Creek Company’s ODC 420 and can tell you first hand that I’ve fished from the particular model for as many as 8 hours in one day…and did so very comfortably. Truth is that if you are looking for a way to fish smaller waters (lakes and ponds) a float tube is about as functional as it gets. I love to put the shore on my left side (float tube facing backwards) and fish completely around a lake or pond; unlike many other kayaks, canoes, etc….you can fly-fish from a float tube and never have any down time!

Now the next generation of float tubes are out and these are the frameless pontoon boats…once again many of the companies have thrown their hat into the marketing of these neat crafts…however, I recently purchased the Voyager, also from the Creek Company and I will give it a glowing report. I had the new tube out on the North Fork of the White River and found it to be all I could have expected…and lots more. So here is a quick and hopefully concise review of what this new craft will allow you to do.

The Voyager is rated at a class II for whitewater and several of the places that we went through on the NF were class II and the boat went down smoothly with no issues at all. I am not sure how brave I would get with fast water…but I was very comfortable in handling everything that the NF threw at me.

I fished with an older friend of mine, Frank, who is 67 and also purchased a Voyager; I found that Frank did very well in the boat and used his like a walker on water by standing in the river between the two sides of the pontoon. I also tried this in several places and found that by facing the point or back of the boat downstream, you can use the seat as a stripping basket and by doing so you can move very securely around from place to place and if you slip or feel insecure…you can use the sides of the boat to stabilize yourself.

>>> Click Here <<< to listen to a discussion that I had with my good friend Frank. It is a discussion about float tubes and the new Voyager all made by the Creek Company. We also discuss the ins and outs of float tubes for an older fisherman.

The video below is short, but it shows my friend Frank moving through a set of rapids while we were fishing the North Fork of the White River in south-central Missouri. I think you can easily see how manageable the Voyager is while in faster water.

My favorite way to use the Voyager was to have my kick fins on at the same time I was traveling down the river and in the slower water I was able to use the Voyager just like a float tube. I would put the current at my back and use my fins to maneuver from place to place, side to side to hit the most productive spots. I found that this was a highly productive way to hit many of the deep holes and if I worked hard with the kick fins….could hover in place for a while and really probe in and around the big boulders in search of big trout. In one section of slower water I simple zigzagged from side to side across the pool, basically trolling and slowly retrieving a cream colored, cone headed wooly bugger; I was able to catch three nice browns using this method.

As I would near a rapid, I would reach down and pull my kick fins up and rest them on the foot bar, drop the oars and negotiate the rapids…then, once through the white water, drop my fins down and immediately start to cast and strip through the bottom of the pool. This was a highly effective way of working these productive areas of the stream…in fact at one pool I made a long cast into some heavy riffles and immediately hooked a decent 15 inch brown. Me and the fish rode the rapids about a 150 feet and when we came through I landed the fish, this made for a very exciting few seconds as I really couldn’t negotiate or move while passing through the rapids but was able to keep tension on the fish and had 2X tippet which allowed me to ‘bully’ the fish a bit and make it through without any big issues.

If you are someone looking for a tube to fish still water with…then the Voyager is also your boat. Just like a float tube, the Voyager gives you all the options of the ODC 420 but then allows you to drop the oars and literally scoot over the top of water and get to another portion of the lake very quickly. I use the Voyager just like a float tube while on still water with the added bonus of being able to move very quickly to hop from one spot to the next and so on….I might also add that there is just a little more seat room in the Voyager and this gives you the ability to move around and get comfortable from time to time. One last item…the Voyager packs up into a small and neat package for travel or to put in your car while on vacation…and in a matter of a few minutes you can go from packed up to fishing your favorite water.

So…this was a quick overview of the current float tubes and a couple models that I am familiar with and would feel totally confident in recommending to other fly-guys. If you have been thinking….then get going, you won’t be disappointed at all. If you would like to see a video of the ODC 420, check out this comparison video that I did a couple years back…it will give you a good idea of what the tubes look like. I also have a short video that shows how to get in a float tube and then how to put your kick fins on…check it out as well. Best of luck in your pursuit from a tube…I know you will do well!

Float Tubes and the New Voyager is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff

First off, I am fortunate to have as a friend a fellow by the name of John Phipps. John and I go way back and he is without question one of the finest guys I know; he is also the best turkey hunter I know and therefore I recently sat down with him on Easter Sunday and we discussed several things that a new or rookie hunter can do to better help his odds in the woods.

>>> Click Here <<< to listen to an audio clip of a discussion that I had with John Phipps who is a local hunter here in southern Indiana. John is one of those special guys with a special talent for calling and harvesting turkeys. In this clip, John talks turkeys for the new or beginning turkey hunter and gives his advice on calls, shotguns, shell, etc….I think you will very much enjoy listening to a veteran hunter and his advice on how you can better prepare yourself to have a better chance of harvesting a bird this spring.

One of the first questions I asked John was pretty simple, “What does turkey hunting mean to you”? I loved John’s answer and I will piggy back upon it and agree that turkey hunting is so much more than just the hunting of a turkey…I would add that if I couldn’t actually harvest a turkey, I would still go and I’m not sure the experience would be diminished at all! Just being outdoors ahead of daylight, watching, listening and experiencing mother nature as all her creatures wake up is, at times, mind boggling. I thought in fact that when I first started turkey hunting this was pretty special; it turns out that as each year comes and goes…I anticipate those first morning sounds more and more. The utter darkness and moving carefully to get to a spot where you have scouted and know that Mr. Tom is overhead, waiting, is intriguing…but once there, when the whip-poor-wills and other morning birds start to awake is special, well, it is past special and sets the mood for the rest of the day, successful or not?

John and I discussed scouting and quite frankly it is of high importance for you to find a place to hunt…then put the time in to understand the topography as well as the location of birds. True, you can be pretty successful at locating birds by just listening, but you learn so much about a piece of property while just out moving around and that ‘mind map’ will be of great importance to you when it is dark and you need to close on a bird to set up. A few years back I had moved in and set up in the dark…at the usual bewitching hour, nothing; I waited for another half hour and still nothing. This wasn’t too surprising as there are just some days that the birds don’t gobble. I stayed put and called occasionally but eventually got tired of sitting and decided I would put to use my integral knowledge of this property and moved slowly and quietly uphill about 400 yards to a big hayfield. I can still remember how long it took me to move and when I finally peered through the edge of the woods…there before me was several birds and in the middle was a nice Tom. Once again I used my understanding of the property and pulled back into the woods, moved ahead of the birds and set up…about half an hour later the group of birds moved past me and I made a nice 30 yard shot! Was this a perfect hunt…guess it depends on your definition of perfect; no, I didn’t have a bird come charging in on me…but I had a front row seat for a nice group of birds as they passed by, well within shotgun range…pretty perfect if you’re asking me.

Lastly, please, please be careful this spring. It seems like each year we read about a turkey hunter getting shot. I have to say that of all the hunting I do…turkey hunting has the most potential for something to go wrong. First off, know where you are! If you are not hunting on a property you have permission to be on…get off and go secure permission. Not only is it dangerous and illegal…you may actually mess up someone else’s hunting. Never, ever, wear blue, white or red as these are Tom turkey colors and you will really be asking for trouble. Don’t be afraid to wear orange to and from your set up area (many turkey vests have an orange flap that can be placed on your back or over your shoulders). One more great tip is to buy a bird bag that is orange…this way, once you harvest your turkey you will have an orange bag that will both aide you in carrying the bird and make you quite visual as you are removing the bird from the woods or field.

So, purchase your license and make your way to your hunting spot and prepare. If you are new to the sport then by all means grab your box call, diaphragm, or slate call and start practicing. Don’t worry about making 15 turkey sounds, just try and get comfortable in making a few of the basic calls; for me that is a soft yelp, a cluck and a purr…in no particular order. If you are a veteran hunter then try and help a younger or less experienced hunter out; offer to go scouting with them and if you are looking for a way to jump start a youth hunter (17 or under) and really make an investment, by all means invite a young hunter along and take them out during the youth season that runs the Saturday and Sunday (April 20 and 21 of 2013), prior to the annual Wednesday opener (April 24).

Turkey hunting is  much more than a season, its more than just pulling the trigger…its placing yourself into nature and absorbing the sounds, colors, sights, smells, etc…all in search of memories and I hope this spring we can all harvest a bag full of memories as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

It’s Turkey Season is a post from: Fly Fishing With Jeff