With the much colder than average winter across much of Texas, I’m convinced that the patterns of fish and game are running at least a couple weeks behind schedule. From recent reports, large flocks of snow geese are still staged along the coastal prairies; usually the birds have already begun their migration back to their nesting ground in Alaska and Canada.
Wild turkey usually have begun pulling out of the draws and creek bottoms where they spend the winter months. By now, they are usually dispersing into fields and higher ground where they nest and rear their young. A rancher friend of mine near Eldorado down in Schleicher County says the huge flocks of turkey that winter on his place are staying in the deeper draws and creek bottoms; typical of their habit during the winter.
Mike Ford, who owns the Rio Rojo Rancho in Red River County in northeast Texas says turkey flocks in that area continue to stick with the low country and heavy cover; their wintertime haunts. Crappie have yet to move into the shallows on most reservoirs, when conditions are more normal, they begin moving into and out of shallow water by early March.
The trophy blue catfish bite is definitely still underway. This past week, Bro. Terry Terry guided his daughter, Maddie to a new Eagle Mountain Lake blue catfish record in the Junior Anglers division, the big blue tipped the scales at 32.1 pounds.
This will all change and, change quickly with a few warming days of sunshine. Mother Nature might be a little slow this year but her schedule is always flexible, she will soon notify the fish and wildlife that it’s time to get on with their annual springtime job of procreation!
GETTING ORGANIZED - This is the time of year when I and most sportsmen are transitioning from fall and winter hunting seasons. I recently stored my duck decoys, calls and all the other paraphernalia needed for hunting waterfowl.
Rather than simply toss all my gear into the shelf in my storage room, I took the time to place my waterfowl clothing (washed and folded neatly) into plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Inside this large plastic box, I placed my calls, lanyard, etc. On the outside I used a felt tip pen and wrote WATERFOWL GEAR. Next fall, I won’t have to scramble around looking for all my duck hunting gear and clothing. I’ll find it well organized in a waterproof and, mothproof box.
It’s time to start getting ‘things’ organized for spring turkey season. ‘Things’ include a smorgasbord of items including calls, decoys, light camo clothing with shades of green that didn’t fit into the landscape back during waterfowl season. Before the beginning of the season, I plan to ‘box’ all my turkey hunting gear and have it ready to go. Then, when it’s time to head out on that first spring turkey hunt of the year, I will have everything ready to go.
Likewise with fishing tackle. I have begun categorizing my fishing gear for the species for which I fish. Within the next couple weeks, I plan to have boxes marked ‘crappie gear’, catfish terminal tackle, soft plastics for bass, etc. etc.
Granted, I’ll have to turn my back on the chaotic manner in which I’ve always prepared for an upcoming outing for bass, catfish, crappie, white bass or stripers. No more last minute scrambles to find those one ounce chartreuse and white slabs needed for the upcoming white bass trip or, those black and chartreuse lizards for fishing the black bass spawn. And where in the heck are those #4 treble hooks for catfishing?
There’ll be a place for everything and everything in its place. Well, folks, that’s my plan and I’m sticking with it. I’ll let you know how it’s working for me in a month or so!
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UPCOMING CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS - Cabela’s Crappie USA is hosting a couple of crappie tournaments in Texas on March 27, one at Toledo Bend and the other at Lake Wright Patman. For more information, go online to www.crappieusa.com or call 270-395-4204. These events are one day qualifiers for the Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic scheduled for next October.
OUTDOOR TIP OF THE WEEK - About a decade ago, the use of turkey hen decoys started to become popular. Today, few spring turkey hunters venture forth without at least one turkey decoy, usually a hen or sometimes a hen and jake. The most recent trend in turkey decoys is the use of lifelike mature gobbler decoys.
Bass Pro Shops offers a very realistic mature gobbler that comes with a fan (tail feathers) that closely resembles the real thing. The affordably priced Bob N Tail gobbler is visible to turkeys from a great distance and I’m convinced will be a big help this spring in closing the distance with a boss gobbler.
My plan this year is to make my turkey decoys as visible as possible, I truly believe that sight is possibly as important as sound when attracting turkeys. Using these lifelike and highly visible gobbler decoys, placed near a couple of hen decoys should be a big help this spring.