Retirement Fishing

Blackwater River, Virginia

Trying to make the most out of my time off is difficult this time of year.Like most outdoorsmen this time of year can be a challenge.Giving every second of free time to duck and goose hunting over the last few months can really wear a person down.I can only imagine if I had a family at home.So I'm still at home but I am shipping out for work early next week.The temperatures have steadily risen over the last week to a high of 76 forecast for today.As some of you know I have recently moved to my neck of the woods and have yet to find all of the free or close to free outdoor activities available.I do know of the beautiful Blackwater River only ten minutes from my house and a few days ago i ventured out to see if any fish were in need of a plastic grub.They most certainly were not.Talking with the old timers at the dock is one of my joys of the area.It seems to be that every morning they meet at the local diner for coffee then migrate down to the picnic tables at the park when the weather cooperates.They seem to enjoy "The guy with the weird grass boat".I think this is mostly because I have no idea what I'm doing on that river and they have plenty of time to tell me what I'm doing wrong.So taking some of there advice,with time to kill,I will venture out onto the river once again today.Here is the game plan.

picture borrowed from underage RVers blog

The river is lower than normal,however the southerly wind should be pushing more water up stream.This means the general flow of the river should be almost non existent.Perfect conditions for what I have planned.I call it retirement fishing.It involves such complex materials as a spinning rod,some split shot,a bobber and a minnow.I know,I know there is some technical jargon in there some of you may not understand.Seriously though,this is what the yellow perch and crappie are biting on.They seem to care less about lures this time of year and just want the real thing.Fair enough,I can waste away the afternoon with a good book,some bobber fishing and 76 degree temperatures.Stay tuned to see if this turns into just another boat ride.

Trout Fishing with Pops

My Dad fishing the creek

It's just everything that's right with the world.Take a little bit of of the outdoors,a little bit of outdoors and a challenge.Setting off from my parents house in southwest Va for some fishing I had no idea what was in store.We arrived at the creek with,guess this, nobody else.I understand it's February but these are trophy trout waters.Walking down to the creek we began to understand why we were alone in this endeavor,everything was frozen over.No problem little stick and stone can't help.I busted my dad a hole and scouted up the creek for some open water,it was non-existent.I returned back to see my dad gone!Alarmed I yelled his name,and a few other choice words.He was down the creek in a hole he created.We fished,talked,fished and then moved on.So I caught a rainbow trout in February.This is on my list of awesome things I have done,it's not why I'm writing this though.I'm writing this for my dad.

working his way througth,my Dad

My dad,even though he is in his early 60's,is well getting old.I love my dad,more now than I did when I was a kid.Watching him break ice with an oak limb from the woods this weekend made me appreciate the experience even that much more.he never complained,even though his waders were leaking in 30 degree water.He kept pushing me to move on to the next corner to see what was next.Watching him waist deep in 30 degree water busting ice is something I hope my other brothers get to witness.Talking with him about everything under the moon from finances to the actual moons effect on fishing was priceless.watching a bluegrass concert,drinking cheap American beer,lending my dad a lure.these are things that should be on my bucket list!I stink at putting this stuff in words,I'm much better at telling the stories,but I want my dad to know that I appreciate and look forward to these kind of unexpected times.Thanks pops!

Calling an Audible

A healthy Rainbow trout I caught last Summer

That's right me,the guy who never changes,does things by the book and still gets them wrong is calling an audible.With the late resident Canada goose season winding down locally I was ready to go back to work.The good thing here is I don't make those decisions,office people do.They decided I could use some extra time off.This would be great if I had asked for it,but rolling with the punches is what I plan to do.Being unable to track down any geese on public land I will venture West!Not very far mind you but to the Western part of Virginia on the trail of trout.I have had some luck fishing for trout in the last few years,it's a bit new to me.This "luck" was in late Spring/early Summer and I'm guessing the feeding patterns are quite a bit different this time of year.No worries I plan on taking very little with me and planning absolutely nothing.It seriously hurts me thinking about it.I only hope the water isn't to high and the fish are hungry.This is a big change for me and either it will be an epic experience or a complete disaster.

The Closer

My first ever Canvasback

It was another great waterfowl season that had to end at some point.The last few days of the season had me traveling to Maryland to hunt with the one who started it all,Swamp Thing.He had an invite to hunt an offshore blind in southern Maryland for divers.I haven't been on a diver hunt in years and took him up on the offer.The day before the trip my truck decided it was a good time to break down.Twelve year old truck sometimes do this I suppose.No worries,I'm insane,rent a car and fix the truck when I get back.So off I went and I'm glad I did.The fellow who had the blind,John,knew what he was doing.He grew up on the South River,hunted and fished it when he was younger and still does today.He put on a heck of a hunt and I managed in a team effort to get my first ever Canvasback.My brother covers this hunt well so here is the link to his blog where you can read all about it. http://rivermud.blogspot.com/2011/02/last-duck-hunt-of-season.html

After we left the offshore blind we inhaled a ridiculous amount of food or what I like to call sleepy medicine.I had a three hour drive down the Eastern Shore to my next adventure and I wouldn't say i was exactly attentive during the entire drive.Waterfowling makes you go crazy,it's true.Arriving at the Hotel in Pocomoke,Maryland I phoned my friend who invited me for an old time Eastern Shore waterfowl hunt.He came and picked me up in an over sized mud truck that had no business being on the road.I had no idea that at the local Tractor Supply Store there would be dozens of these trucks and what looked like long last relatives of my friend.All joking aside,every one of those guys were great people that would do anything to help anyone out.They just have a different way of life than I'm used to.We went over the game plan for the next day and I went to the Hotel early to get some much needed rest.the wake up call came early but I was ready for the last day of the season and so were the shore boys.

Arriving at the designated field we "placed" a dozen decoys in no specific order and threw a half dozen more into the pond.Then we "hid" or a sand berm covered in briers.This is how they do it,minimal effort,no high priced decoys,no specific placement or concealment.The funny thing is,it worked like a charm.First light had a pair of mallards flying over head,with some great calling they committed and were quickly dispatched by my host and I.This was already better than I expected.A few minutes later a pair of geese made the death turn for the pond and were also dispatched.This routine went on for several hours with pairs and small groups of geese working over head while thousands of Canadian and snow geese traveled south sky high.We ended up with ten geese and three mallards between six guys.By far one of the best low effort hunts I have ever been on.We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a sketchy Chinese buffet and grabbed a boat and headed to the water for the last hunt of the season.

A productive morning of the Eastern Shore of Maryland

We arrived at E A Vaughn WMA with a total of four hunters in a small boat with choppy conditions.I personally checked the seaworthiness of the boat and went in it anyway.I say again,waterfowling makes you CRAZY!With no rhyme or reason to it we headed in a westerly direction,found a random creek and threw out a few decoys.The amount of effort these guys put into this is something to be admired.I have to try harder to see less birds where I hunt.We saw thousands of snow geese heading south.We were targeting black ducks and had a few give us a look just out of range.Later in the afternoon a small group of Canadian Geese came over head.All four of us let into them with calling and they turned around on a dime,heading right for us.The problem is,we had zero goose decoys out.The geese had no idea where to go and after circling out of range decided to move on.No shots were fired that afternoon but I spotted more waterfowl of different species than I have ever seen in one place.That night we spent a few hours cleaning the mornings birds talking about the days events and hoping we could all get together next season to do it again.So that's it,the season is over and I go back to work next week.I have made a pledge to keep up with the blog better this year.Thanks for tuning in everybody,time to get the fishing tackle ready now.

Almost Over

Another one bites the dust,that's all she wrote,the fat lady has sung.Many phrases come to mind now the duck season is officially over.The goose season goes for another few weeks locally and I may try and get out one more time.It was another year of learning with very little headache beyond the normal.I got the chance to go hunting with some great people I have been out with before and I made some clutch connections that should help me broaden my hunting area in the next few seasons.So I will simply review the last week of the season and more or less put up a bunch of pictures.

I got off the boat with a little over a week to go in the duck season in Virginia and Maryland.Naturally I wanted to get out everyday however the lack of birds in my normal honey holes had me change up game plans,meaning I slept in a few days.The first day I was home my brother the nutty professor,my friend Kevin and I went out to what is normally one of our afternoon spots.Kevin and I had some luck with pass shooting ducks a month before and we were literally covered in geese.The season was closed on geese a month ago so they received a free pass.This time however the season was open.Heading into the creek we spooked a few dozen roosting geese hoping we didn't just blow our chance.The geese flew well that morning,well above our heads that is.We ended up calling a single in and with a team effort that can only be described as three seconds of hell,the goose didn't make it past the wall of steel we threw into the air.Heading back to the dock is when the day took a serious turn south.

Coming into the creek by the park to the boat ramp we heard yelling on the shoreline.It was impossible to understand the man yelling as he was visibly upset.I eased the duck boat toward the shoreline and two more men joined in yelling in our direction.It became clear they were pointing to something in the water.It wasn't until it was alongside the boat we all noticed it was a person.I couldn't tell you what was going through my head,I don't remember.All we knew was this was real and it was happening now.My friend Kevin,seated in the bow,grabbed the mans jacket.My brother,seated in the middle,grabbed the decoy retrieval pole and hooked his waist.I eased the boat over to the shore.Unfortunately the brush was heavy on the shoreline and we couldn't quite get close enough.I opened the motor up and rammed through some heavy brush to get us as close as possible.The police were now showing up but nobody was prepared to get in the water.My brother jumped out of the boat and between him and Kevin got him to shore.We were all worked up with adrenaline and I took the boat to the ramp.Waiting on the ramp while the armada of police and EMT personel worked on the man.He was loaded into an ambulance and carried to the hospital.We were told he had a slight pulse.This is where the story takes an even stranger turn.

The details came out soon after the man was hauled away.The original man on the shoreline stated the following.The victim pulled up in his truck,parked,got out,walked down the dock and jumped into the creek.We couldn't believe it and I still can't to this day.He turned out to be a 79 year old man.The worst part about this entire situation,the man was declared deceased upon arriving at the hospital.I guess nobody will ever know the reason why he jumped in.I contemplated for quite some time whether or not to tell this story here.I have told my close family and a few friends but it's one of those times you just keep thinking if you could of done anything else to help.Maybe if he did survive he would be pissed off we saved him.I will carry on with the story of my last few days of the season in a few days.

24 Hours in a Day

Not joking,worlds largest Marine Travelift

I swear I just need a little more time!It's been a very hectic month or so and I just can't seem to find the time to write,relax or even think.I'm sure everyone else has this problem on a daily basis but it's a new thing for me and I hate it.I can always find/make some time for myself.As an example,I usually bring three books of around 300 pages a piece to the boat for a thirty day hitch.I usually run out of reading material with a week left.This hitch with a week left to go,I have read a little over 100 pages.So now that I have explained myself,let me try and summarize what I have been doing and what I hope to be doing this time next week.Here we go,keep your hats on and hold on.

I asked for a boat transfer it was granted

I worked on a new boat for 4 days and got transferred to a cement barge for training

I was extremely upset over this transfer but dealt with it because I have financial responsibilities

I worked on the cement barge for a few weeks

I got transferred to another boat

I was excited as anyone at work could be

The boat went to the shipyard for routine maintenance

By this time next week the ducks and geese in Southeast Virginia have reason to be scared

So there it is and I'm out of time.I got to take a trip up the Hudson to the Catskills,unfortunately it was to a cement dock.The view was awesome but I didn't have time to enjoy it.I will try and do everything possible except force myself to write more often this year.Not because I think people want to read it,because I need to get it off of my mind and out on paper or laptop.Take care and I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season!

Tis the Season

The Gutrunner hooked up to the duck truck,ready to go

I have had some of the best times I can remember over the last few weeks.I'm almost scared to tell the world about it because my luck is sure to change.I was granted all of two weeks home,I got the boat transfer I asked for and the hunting has been some of the best I think I have ever seen.I'm sure I just jinxed myself but that's alright,I have the memories of the last few weeks to carry me through the hard times to follow.I'm going to jump right into the hunting adventures and leave the thought of work alone for a few more days until i have to return to the boat.

Blacwater River,December 2010

It started with me finding my way onto the Blackwater river on the last day of the second split.I went duck hunting by myself and bagged exactly zero birds.The great thing was I really don't care because I saw birds they just wanted nothing to do with me.The following week with the season closed I finally made it around to getting a new trailer for the duck boat.This has been a long time coming and I feel much better about my investment being towed behind me.For one the lights work on this trailer.The next day I had an all day hunt planned with my brother,Nutty Professor in the morning,and my friend and his son in the afternoon.

Nutty Professor with a few mallards

The morning went like no other hunt I have ever had in my boat.My brother and I were literally covered in mallards on the minute of legal shooting time.We shot poorly but still managed to scratch out a few birds throughout the morning.The birds were still flying when we left however we had birds to clean and I needed a break before I spent the afternoon back in the marsh.That afternoon the local meteorologists had the weather wrong to say the least.The rain started ten hours early and the predicted wind was non existent.My friends son was out on his first boat hunt and he was miserable just like us.The rain didn't let up and we saw one bird all afternoon that was making his way to Florida.Great memories but I feel that my friends son may now be against anything that has to do with a boat.After a day off,we can't hunt on Sunday in Virginia,My friend and I decided to give it another go.

My buddy,drenched and not happy

Same buddy,different attitude.Our two drake black ducks

We had to deal with traffic issues trying to get to the boat ramp and almost missed first light.With only minutes to spare the boat blind was erected and the birds came in to the feeding hole.We scratched out a few mallards and decided to make a run for our original spot we didn't have time to make it to that morning.The meteorologists again got the weather wrong.The day before this epic hunt we had torrential rain and temperatures around sixty.The forecast for the next day was 38 with a stiff north wind.The actual temps were 30-32 with snow and zero wind.The snow had the local birds confused and hungry.They flew all morning and put on quite a show.Even though after we moved to the new spot we had very few birds give us a look,it was the most birds I have ever seen flying continually in all directions.A great show by mother nature,this was the best hunt I have ever put on.Not because we took a few birds but because I was in a boat with awesome ducky weather with a good friend and his duck dog,Benny.The following day my friend gave me a ring and let me know he had a half day at work the next day.It was time to hook the boat up one more time.

Upon returning to the same boat dock we quickly found out the ramp was closed for repairs.Thanks again to my friends GPS we made our way to a new area only recently scouted .We found ourselves in a river that was frozen over from shore to shore from the minus 15 degree temperature of the past few nights.Let it be known,I have never driven a boat through ice and I would rather not do it again.It took forever and thankfully I have an aluminum boat.Although not indestructible,it definitely broke the ice.When we showed up in the creek we found the only area with open water and threw out some decoys and the mighty mojo.Getting ready we heard geese in the area,which are out of season,and crossed our finger that some birds would come check us out.We got lucky,two drake black ducks came to check out our decoys a few minutes after first light and they were subsequently bagged by one shot from me and one from my friend.We got buzzed by a Bufflehead and a drake Mallard and around 830 decided we were frozen enough and picked up to head back to the dock.The tide now being low it was an experience trying to get the boat back on the trailer at the ramp.We used oars to bust the ice and wheel chocks to keep my truck from sliding into the river.As of now it's snowing again outside and although my urge to go back out and hunt again is relentless,I know it's a better idea to take a day off and enjoy nature from the couch in my heated house.