Outdoorsman Thread

[TripleF]

Oh boy Monk!!! Very cool.

Had the boys out for Spring Break. Spent 2 days/nights in a cabin!

[Doc B]

I'm sure they had a blast, Scott. Nothing like a camp fire!!!

[RobesonsRme.com]

A nice article that brings back many memories:

https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/every ... -a-bb-gun/

Charlie Noyes
Hope that link works!

[Waukonda]

Went to the woods, (after a game of fetch), and found the Dutchman's Breeches in bloom.

[Steve Warden]

Those are cool, Ike.
I don't recall ever seeing those. I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm out on a nature walk.
A little research https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant ... aria.shtml shows I'll have to get out soon, as they bloom in March and April.

[dlr110]

A few more pic's from Alaska. I think my brother needs to by talking to
National Geographic.
.

[Steve Warden]

Always a pleasure to see the Alaska pics, David.
You're spot on - they are certainly worthy of National Geographic!

[Waukonda]

Have yet to find any morels, so here are a couple more wildflowers I ran across. First pic is of Spring Beauties, they are everywhere in the woods, 2nd pic is a Cutleaf Toothwort.

[Paladin]

Caught a good look at this squirrel taking a break on my feeder.

Ray

[Steve Warden]

[Waukonda]

Caught a good look at this squirrel taking a break on my feeder.

Ray

That is a classic!

[Doc B]

Great picture, Ray!!!

[dlr110]

Love that pic Ray! I immediately started thinking of all the silly captions that would go with it.

[Paladin]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the nice words.

Ray

[Quick Steel]

That is funny. And cute.

[WillyCamaro]

That is funny. And cute.

I agree QS .
Willy

[Tony_Wood]

Missed a few, and caught a few small ones. The bite was light and gentle. Can’t wait for the shallow water frenzy in the next week or so.

[treefarmer]

Tony_Wood,
I recognize a nice pile of filets and a well used filet knife but this ol' Florida boy doesn't recognize the fish. What are they and I suppose you're referring to spawning/bedding activity in the shallow water? An inquiring mind wants to know.
Treefarmer

[TripleF]

Missed a few, and caught a few small ones. The bite was light and gentle. Can’t wait for the shallow water frenzy in the next week or so.

824C46CA-9F48-4B32-AEA9-A9BC38357D6A.jpeg

3D6192BF-4E27-42D1-98A6-EA2AF06C695F.jpeg

That's what I'm talkin' about!! Well done my friend!!

[Tony_Wood]

Tony_Wood,
I recognize a nice pile of filets and a well used filet knife but this ol' Florida boy doesn't recognize the fish. What are they and I suppose you're referring to spawning/bedding activity in the shallow water? An inquiring mind wants to know.
Treefarmer

Yes sir,TF. Looking for the spawn.
These are crappie.

[Tony_Wood]

Missed a few, and caught a few small ones. The bite was light and gentle. Can’t wait for the shallow water frenzy in the next week or so.

824C46CA-9F48-4B32-AEA9-A9BC38357D6A.jpeg

3D6192BF-4E27-42D1-98A6-EA2AF06C695F.jpeg

That's what I'm talkin' about!! Well done my friend!!

Thanks Scott. Days are just now starting to hit 70’s so it will pick up from here.

[treefarmer]

Thanks, TW.
We have Crappie, also called Speckled Perch. Their marking are a bit different.
Treefarmer

[Tony_Wood]

Thanks, TW.
We have Crappie, also called Speckled Perch. Their marking are a bit different.
Treefarmer

Do you fish for the speckled perch? I have never fished for those. Would love to see some pics from someone.

[treefarmer]

Well Tony_Wood, getting back to last evening's discussion on fishing for Crappies/Speckled Perch.
I don't fish as much as I used to. I had a job for 3 1/2 years that kept me on the waters of Orange County Florida right before we moved to the Panhandle. I used to enjoy fishing for Crappies, they were called Specks most of the time in central Florida. They are several names for the common Black Speckled Perch found in our waters. Papermouth is one that some of the old folks used to use and that is obvious if you have fished for them very much.
My 1st recollection of fishin' for Specks was as a very young boy. My dad would rent an old Cypress board boat at the Black Hammock Fish Camp next to Lake Jesup, part of the St. John's River system. We would fish with what he called live Missouri minnows drifting across the lake in the cooler months. Pop got the idea of trolling with a tiny jointed MirrOlure, this resulted in me getting to operate the "kicker", a small Elgin outboard motor. Idling along would get boring and every now in then I would goose the throttle a tiny bit, Pop would give me the look , I would slow back down and he would hang a nice Speckled Perch. We finally realized what was going on.
While I was working with the Pollution Control Agency, I had the pleasure of working with an old retired Air Force feller. He taught me how to make cheap lead headed jigs to use in catching the Specks when the season was right. We had found large numbers of big Crappies near a flood control structure but the rocks/boulders, whatever they are, around the dam were an easy place to lose the little jigs we were casting into the fast flowing water. We would buy yellow No-Alibi jigs on a card at the bait shop and then go catch fish till we lost the last jig to the rocks. This is when the homemade jigs came into play, saved a bunch of money back in the day. We fished with ultra light spinning outfits and the 4 LB lines. The light line worked best plus when it fouled between some rocks, it was a lot easier to break off and retie another homemade jig. At the time I didn't have "real" ultra light rod. One day at the local bait shop, I saw a used 4 Star Garcia Ultra Light, two piece rod some one had traded in. It was a beauty, it was a light action fast taper rod and I ended up with it by giving the shop owner a $5 bill and a couple of packages of venison sausage. I still have that rod, it's been broken once and has worn out several tiny open faced spinning reels.
It was a real thrill to hook one of those large Specks in that fast canal water and finally get it to the bank and into the cooler. When they were big enough, we would filet them as in your picture. If they were small we would scale, gut and fry whole like a regular Bluegill.
There are some pictures in some old albums some where that would show some of our fish back in the day. Sorry I haven't located them.
Treefarmer

[FRJ]

That's just funny.
Nice picture, Ray.