Rob's Thursday morning Hunting & Fishing log

Report #: 112

Date & Time: January 8th, 2011 (7:08 to 10:20 AM)

What & Where: Duck hunting - Bellevue, TX

Results: 2 Ducks

Lies & Lessons Learned: Bluebird day, not much flying at all and the calm winds didn't help. The rare Canvasbacks were thick though and everyone got their limit of 1. I added a single Widgeon drake.
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Report #: 113

Date & Time: January 13th, 2011 (7:06 to 10:30 AM)

What & Where: Duck hunting - Lake Texoma, TX

Results: 3 Ducks (11 in group)

Lies & Lessons Learned: Cold morning barely 20 degrees and thin ice on the water, usually perfect duck hunting conditions. They were moving slow though. The thing with guided trips is sometimes you get put with other guys and sometimes the group shooting isn't the best. We ended up with 11 ducks for 4 guys, but we should have had more with only a single duck taken from two different large groups. I tried to do my part. It was a fun morning and I shot a hen Goldeneye, a really rare duck down here and a first for me.
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yep, this is last weekend of doe and spike season.

haven't heard of Herd. my favorite is Green Frog for lunch buffet and Dairy Land was highly recommended but never made it.

 

Got my hog head back from taxidermist.
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the room you sleep in when here. right above the bed, when you open your eyes at night you'll see the glow of its eyes.

 

Report #: 114

Date & Time: January 16th, 2011 (7:06 to 11:00 AM)

What & Where: Duck hunting - Bridgeport, TX

Results: 6 Ducks (36 in group)

Lies & Lessons Learned: We had 6 in a guided group today and the ducks were thick! Quality ducks too, out of 36 there were Pintails, Redheads, Greenwinged Teal, and Gadwalls taken. Typical late season ducks were weary working forever and then often flaring just out of range. We still hammered out a limit, but must have had 2,000+ ducks work us today.
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Report #: 115

Date & Time: January 22nd, 2011 (11:40 AM to 12:40 PM)

What & Where: Crappie - FChat HQ at Grapevine Lake, TX

Results: 0

Lies & Lessons Learned: First trip to boat house after I put the structure down last February I didn't even get a bite! Water is only 11 foot and COLD. There is just nothing up there that shallow right now. I had 11 months in a row of a keeper Crappie, but guess January is going to do me in. I don't even want to give them another try until it warms up again.

 

Report #: 116

Date & Time: January 23rd, 2011 (7:04 to 11:30 AM)

What & Where: Duck hunting - Bellevue, TX

Results: 6 Ducks (20 in group)

Lies & Lessons Learned: Great way to end the Texas duck season! We whacked and stacked them. As typical with guided trips there are several guys that make noise with their gun but nothing ever seems to fall. I wait until their guns are empty so they can't claim my whacked birds. That usually means tougher shots as the ducks go into rocket the hell out of here mode, but nice challenge. End of season shy birds, but we still pilled them up, they just flew late in morning, but consistent. All quality ducks too! Not a single diver or Shoveler. All Pintails, Mallards, Gadwalls, and Teal.

Time to get all the fishing stuff out!
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Report #: 117

Date & Time: January 26th, 2011 (12:00 to 2:00 PM)

What & Where: Trout fishing - Keller, TX

Results: 3 Rainbows

Lies & Lessons Learned: First time I've been out this year to the local park pond for stocked trout. They would have been better just a couple days after stocking, but I still gave it a try. They will stock again in a few weeks.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt8TSZaJHjU[/ame]

 

Video of my 2010 in review...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gExLs9QdoU0[/ame]

 

Report #: 118

Date & Time: February 25th, 2011 (12:30 to 2:00 PM)

What & Where: Crappie - FChat HQ at Grapevine Lake, TX

Results: 4 Crappie (all 12.5"+ and > 1 lb, largest 1 lb 5 oz)

Lies & Lessons Learned: Went today for quick test fish, they weren't in yet last month. At least a few are in now and VERY nice sized ones. Pulled out 4 large Crappie with jig in under 30 minutes. Also had a keeper 10" that I threw back because it looked so small compared to the big ones. They wouldn't touch a minnow, but they liked the jig and that's how I prefer to catch them anyway. After those 5 they shut off though. Good sign!
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Report #: 119

Date & Time: February 28th, 2011 (5:00 to 7:00 PM)

What & Where: Hogs - Deer Lease at Olney, TX

Results: 0

Lies & Lessons Learned: Had to check on the Deer Lease and fill the feeders as it had been 2 months. Might as well get in a hog hunt too since I'm 120 miles out there. Loaded 1300 pounds of Corn and Peas in the truck, filled both my feeders to the brim, tested feeders, removed my 3 game cams to bring home for maintenance, and then I got up in the blind for 2 hours. My feeders have been dry for a month now, so I didn't expect nothing and nothing is what I got. Had Coyotes howling all around me, but I never saw one.

 

Report #: 120

Date & Time: March 3rd, 2011 (2:30 to 2:50 PM)/March 4th, 2011 (1:15 to 1:30 PM)

What & Where: Crappie - FChat HQ at Grapevine Lake, TX

Results: 4 Crappie (all 1+ pounders, largest 13.5" and 1 lb 8 oz)

Lies & Lessons Learned: There aren't a ton of Crappie in yet, but there are no small ones. They are all very nice large pound plus fish. I had to stop quickly at boat house yesterday and today, just there long enough to throw a jig in and bring up a few nice Crappie.

 

Report #: 121

Date & Time: March 4th, 2011 (7:00 AM to 12:30 PM)

What & Where: Largemouth Bass - Grapevine Lake, TX

Results: 1 Largemouth Bass (apx. 4 lbs)

Lies & Lessons Learned: I went out this morning with my insurance agent, who before getting married and kids was a tournament bass fisherman. He knows this lake well and I'm without a boat right now. It was cool and cloudy, the fish weren't biting much at all. I only got one bite all morning, but it was a nice one! He hooked into a BIG one, but lost it at the boat. He caught a 7.5 pounder last weekend and he said this one was bigger. Later on in the morning he caught several 1-3 pounders on a rattle-trap. I stuck with a large spinbait and the smaller bass didn't seem to like it.
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Report #: 122

Date & Time: March 10th, 2011 (8:00 AM to 2:00 PM)

What & Where: Largemouth Bass - Lake Fork, TX

Results: 2 Largemouth Bass (apx. 2 lbs each)

Lies & Lessons Learned: It was 2 days after a cold front, so the bite was very slow. I caught a few small ones, the guide caught nice 4 and 5 pounders.

 

Report #: 123

Date & Time: March 24th, 2011 (8:00 AM to 3:30 PM)

What & Where: Largemouth Bass - Lake O.H. Ivie, TX

Results: 1 White Bass

Lies & Lessons Learned: I didn't get a single Largemouth bite, but I enjoyed fishing O.H. Ivie for the first time and watching my guide pull in two 10 pounders. I have seen fish that big in tanks, mounted, or on TV. Never have I been there next to someone as they hook, fight, and then land a Largemouth that huge. Lake Ivie isn't known for a bunch of bass, but when you catch some, usually they are huge!

Here are pics of the guides 10-0 and 9-14, along with one of the guides friends with a 11-5 we had to assist for a picture.
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Report #: 124

Date & Time: April 3rd, 2011 (6:30 to 9:30 PM)

What & Where: Hogs - Pottsboro, TX

Results: 0

Lies & Lessons Learned: My first bow hunting attempt. I had 3 hogs move about 60 yards away, but didn't stop at the feeder or give me an attempt. I thought they were coming closer, so didn't stalk them, I should have. I'm motivated to take a hog with the bow before deer season.

 

Report #: 125

Date & Time: April 4th, 2011 (7:00 to 11:30 AM)

What & Where: Turkey - Pottsboro, TX

Results: 0

Lies & Lessons Learned: We tried hard for a Turkey today, but not successful. The wind was too high for them to hear our calling or even us to hear a response. We stalked out a few places with hen decoy and calling while also walking several miles through woods stopping to call now and then. We did see a single jake on the road driving between places.

 

No hens were around and the way Jake acts I don't think he could be anything but single. He was driving hard through the woods though looking for a hen, but even if found one I think Tom would have spurred his tail feathers.