Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Game & Fish South

Whether you call it fatwood, pine knot, heart pine or pine “lighter’d,” as the guy who showed me where to find it did, the resin-rich heartwood at the center of old pine stumps might be the best natural firestarter in the woods. As a kid fascinated with anything to do with fire, I was amazed at how quickly splinters of the pungent wood burst into flame, necessitating just a single match to create a roaring blaze for roasting hot dogs. Using pine lighter’d or birch bark to start a warming fire even when most of the surrounding forest is dripping wet or covered in snow is something I pride myself on. It’s just one of the dozens of little tricks I’ve picked up from older, wiser outdoorsmen in the four…

Stream trout are perhaps angling’s most perfect finned adversary. Gifted with exceptional eyesight—perfect for their gin-clear habitats—trout are ever wary and watchful for predators on the wing and the foot. Trout possess a powerful sense of smell; one their anadromous cousins use to return to the streams of their birth. Stream trout are quick to detect (and reject) offerings that are tainted with synthetic materials such as insect repellent or sunscreen. Sporting streamlined bodies strengthened by life in the current, trout make long, powerful runs toward the gnarliest cover and leap acrobatically into the air to throw lip piercings forged from sharp metal. For trout enthusiasts, opportunities to catch these truly amazing fish across much of the country are plentiful. These range from rainbows and cutthroats patrolling classic freestone fisheries…

Bouncing along on the ATV through northern Alberta’s mixed stands of poplar, birch and spruce among wide-open muskeg swamplands, I felt it: the unmistakable excitement—and unease—of venturing into an unknown wilderness. Shawn Mack, a guide at W&L Guide Service and son of owner Wally Mack, expertly drove us on the scant path he and his brother Kristen, another guide, had carved out in the bush weeks earlier with chainsaws. The route saw us juking fallen trees, bounding into and out of small depressions and cruising through open stretches among grassy bogs. Each minute, it took us deeper into the region’s wild public land (crown land, as the locals call it), which seemed to extend indefinitely. In one open spot, Shawn stopped the ATV, peering down at the soft mud. “That’s…

From Nags Head on the Atlantic Coast to South Padre Island on the Gulf Coast, fishing piers are beginning to bustle with the usual suspects afflicted by cabin fever. Hungry fish are waiting to challenge a rod’s resolve, but is catching fish that important? Fishing in its purest form is an unadulterated quest for peace of mind, and piers offer that in spades. For a few hours, just by turning your head toward the languid swells and circling gulls, you can escape the workaday worries. Of course, fishing from piers is hardly the only great outdoor opportunity in this bountiful month. 1 ARKANSAS SUCKERS The weather and the water temperature are just right for gigging redhorse suckers in Ozark creeks. If you’re not sure you can identify suckers, just watch…

The late Elwood “Buck” Perry of Hickory, N.C., is known as the father of structure fishing. An ardent angler, Perry spent decades studying fish, their habits and how to successfully catch them. His research taught him that he could hook more fish by finding the underwater features fish followed during their movements from deep water to shallow and back again throughout the year. Perry called these features “structure” and defined them as “places on the bottom where visible or pronounced changes occur—bottom features that are different from the surrounding bottom areas.” This could be a substrate change from soft to hard, a change from shallow to deep or a transition from weedy to clear. Today’s fishermen use the word “structure” to describe almost any type of cover or bottom feature.…

Unless you were raised in a big city, chances are you spent at least part of your youth fishing local ponds of a few acres or less. Why did you stop? There are still plenty of fish to be caught from these water holes that can be easily fished from the bank. These might be man-made farm ponds, golf course ponds, strip pits, reservoirs or natural waterways. There are literally tens of thousands of such honey holes around the South. Besides holding water for one purpose or another, most also hold an abundance of fish. To catch them, all you need is a rod and reel capable of casting lures of different weights, a small selection of baits and a basic understanding of the pond’s layout, depth and available fish…

Often overshadowed by Pickwick and Wheeler lakes, its larger sisters on the Tennessee River, Wilson Lake looms larger when it comes to producing giant whiskerfish. For those in the know, Wilson Lake is the place to go when looking to land your next monster cat. “Pickwick is more known for numbers, but without a doubt, Wilson produces more giant catfish per surface acre than either Pickwick or Wheeler,” says Brian Barton (brianbartonoutdoors.com), who guides out of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “In many catfish tournaments where competitors can fish either Pickwick or Wilson, the biggest catfish typically come out of Wilson,” says Barton. Situated between Pickwick and Wheeler, Wilson Lake covers 15,930 acres and runs for 18 miles along the Tennessee River. Wilson Dam separates Wilson and Pickwick lakes at Sheffield, Ala.…

I heaved the 6-ounce spinnerbait and trailer as far as I could toward the dam and let it fall toward the bottom. Powerful currents from the hydroelectric power plant’s 14 open gates quickly swept the bait downstream and away from our boat. The offering started tumbling through huge rocks some 10 to 12 feet below the surface. I began a slow crank, keeping the bait at a depth where it bumped into the boulders about every 5 seconds or so. The boat continued its drift downstream in the tailrace area as I retrieved my first cast of the day. I tossed it again as far upstream as possible and engaged the reel after the lure’s 8-second free fall. On the second handle revolution, I felt the spinnerbait tick a rock,…

I’ll never forget watching someone’s tent wheeling its way across the blustery desert because the guy lines were tied with granny knots. It was another reminder that as with most things in life, there is a right way to do something once, and plenty of wrong ways to do it then re-do it. The problem is, in this modern world, gadgets and gewgaws will do many things better than we ever could in city and suburban life, but “out there,” not so true. And even if you were a Boy Scout, those useful skills and knowledge have a way of falling out of your mental filing cabinet. So, here are some tricks I learned from guides, cowpokes, grizzled trappers and other folks smarter than I, who probably learned the hard…

On my hunt, I used the synthetic-stocked Mossberg Patriot Predator in .450 Bushmaster ($568; mossberg.com) and the walnut-stocked standard Patriot in .308 Win. ($669). Their spiral-fluted, dual-lug bolts and detachable box magazines proved utterly reliable. Meanwhile, the user-adjustable LBA trigger broke perfectly. Both guns have hassle-free optics mounts and are great for bear and other big game. A wide field of view and good light transmission in low light are key for baited bear hunts. Shots are often close, and most activity happens late. Swarovski’s Z8i 1-8x24 ($3,188; swarovskioptik.com) and Z8i 1.7-13.3x42 P ($4,166) both offer a wide field of view and have the new Flexchange 4A-IF reticle, which I loved. The illuminated dot reticle has a switch for bright daytime or low illumination. Hold the top intensity switches for…

May can be a tricky month for catching bass. Across much of the South, it’s not quite spring and not yet summer. Bass aren’t hanging around the spawning grounds anymore, but they’re not settled into their deep-water summertime haunts yet either. True, there’s often a morning topwater bite in May—and that’s a blast—but once the sun gets up that bite tends to disappear, and the bass often disappear with it. Many fish will suspend off main-lake and secondary points, hold in the shade of deep boat docks and marinas or wait listlessly next to bluff walls or other sharp drops. Now is the time to do nothing. ENTER THE SLIDER The “slider” or “do-nothing” technique was developed by a Tennessee light-tackle specialist named Charlie Brewer in the 1960s. Though Charlie…

Last week, one of your friends boasted about all the catfish he caught in a nearby oxbow lake. He brought home a dozen channel cats to eat and showed you pictures of three whoppers—a 25-pound flathead, a 12-pound channel cat and a 31-pound blue—he caught and released. This week you fished the lake, but to say your luck was different than your friend’s would be an understatement. You didn’t get a nibble despite using the same bait and tactics that worked so well for your buddy. Have you ever experienced a situation like this? If so, you aren’t alone. Many anglers find oxbow lakes perplexing, as consistent success on them can be challenging. Fishing is hot some days, cold others and there doesn’t seem to be rhyme or reason for…

La Zona Fishing Lodge owner Hector Bradanini began as an area guide offering day trips in 2002 and then added overnight cabin accommodations in 2013. In 2019, he completed the lodge hotel. American Airlines offers two 9-hour overnight direct flights from Miami to Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport. Upon arrival, anglers are met by a La Zona representative who transfers them to the lodge near Concordia, Argentina, via a 5-hour van ride. The lodge offers six air-conditioned bedrooms with private baths and a main building with a comfortable lounge room above an extra-large dining room and kitchen. Excellent and overly abundant food and beverages are provided at breakfast, lunch and a three-course dinner by Chef Santiago Cattani. Since 2018, Chef Cattani has been a premier asset to the operation.…

A sturdy and reliable trailer is critical for getting your kayaks down the road safely and to the access point that leads to the water’s edge. Yakima has you covered with several options, but one version I especially like is the EasyRider. The EasyRider ($3,399; yakima.com) can carry from one to three kayaks rigged with a number of additional Yakima accessories, or up to four bare kayaks total. Plus, the aluminum trailer is more than capable of long-distance, cross-country expeditions on paved and gravel roads, thanks in part to its shock absorbers. It features a 500-pound capacity, and the tongue folds for easy storage.…

Many hunters think of bears as big nasty critters that are hard to kill. Bears can be big; an Alaskan brown bear can weigh more than a half ton. Bears can also be nasty. Across North America black bears kill—on average—at least one person each year. But bears—most bears—are not hard to kill, and their size varies greatly by location. Most black bears weigh less than 500 pounds, with the average being closer to half that. And while a 500-pound black bear might be twice the size of a 250-pound black bear, it’s not twice as hard to kill. So, given their average size and the potential for danger, what are the best loads for bears? First, we must set some parameters because brown bears and grizzlies are a whole…

Wally Mack’s W&L Guide Service (wlguides.com) pursues black bears from a comfortable camp just outside High Level, Alberta. The perfect staging ground for outings into the wilderness, the camp has an assortment of cabins with cots, mattresses and pillows as well as wood stoves or heating units. There’s a separate kitchen and dining area where Wally’s wife, Louisa, prepares fabulous homecooked meals. Hunters will also appreciate the shower facility with on-demand hot water. While the camp’s look has changed significantly in its history—beginning first as a wall-tent camp more than 25 years ago—it’s always been set up near High Level. According to guide Shawn Mack, this is due to the area’s phenomenal bear population and the abundance of huge black bears. The camp’s biggest spring black bear measured 8 feet,…

Simply stated, topwater lures catch big fish on the flats. Most experienced coastal anglers know seatrout, redfish, snook and tarpon will wallop a wide assortment of floating lures at times. Larger trout and snook seem to have a particular affinity for floating lures. But presenting the right lure under the right conditions in the right way can make all the difference between landing trophies and just getting a whole lot of arm exercise out on the water. To maximize your strikes, you must apply the right lure and presentation to the situation you find on the flats on any given day. Even though all of us who have been at it for a while have our favorite topwaters, they may not be the best bets when conditions aren’t right for…

Some ponds are a bit too large for an angler to cover thoroughly just by walking the edges. When your longest casts still won’t reach promising water, you might want to consider investing in a Bass Pro Shops Pond Prowler 10. The two-person Prowler has two swivel seats and is pre-wired for a trolling motor that can be mounted fore or aft. There’s a place for the battery, too. Made of virtually indestructible high-density polyethylene, the Prowler weighs 138 pounds, which means two people can easily lift it into the back of a pickup and go fishing. It’s rated for 250 pounds maximum capacity per seat (525 pounds overall) and carries a lifetime warranty. ($799.99; basspro.com)…

While in northern Alabama, visitors can find food, lodging and other facilities in Florence on the north side of the river or Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia on the south side. Or you can stay at Joe Wheeler State Park on Wheeler Lake. In Muscle Shoals, music lovers will want to visit the Fame Recording Studios (famestudios.com), where musical greats such as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Mac Davis, Jerry Reed and many others recorded their music. Then, head to Tuscumbia to tour the Alabama Music Hall of Fame (alamhof.org). While in Tuscumbia, visit the birthplace of Helen Keller (helenkellerbirthplace.org). Not far from Tuscumbia, pay homage to hunting dogs at the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard (coondogcemetary.com), more commonly known as the Coon Dog Cemetery, on Freedom Hills Wildlife Management…

The early June day was absolutely perfect. You just don’t get many like that: high skies, 80 degrees, nearly flat calm, and the bass were a special kind of hungry as the spawn was winding down. Conditions were ideal for a kayaking largemouth slugfest—or so we hoped. It was to be an exceptional day based on company alone; my son Tommy, who has become quite the hammer on bass waters, was in tow, along with my two friends Alex Sherbinow from Old Town and renowned Yooper photographer Scott Niska, who was pulling double duty with the camera and rod and reel. The goal was to conduct a road launch with a fleet of Old Town Sportsman kayaks on a beautiful lake that didn’t offer a modern public ramp. Both Alex…

Kayaks built with fishing-specific features make time on the water more productive for anglers seeking small-craft adventures. From ample storage and electronics-rigging options to smart mounting solutions for accessories, kayaks designed for fishing help us find the bite and make the most of it—all while remaining easier to transport and store than larger boats. Our colleagues at Florida Sportsman recently put the latest kayaks to the test on the water, and the following models stood out for a variety of fishing situations. OLD TOWN SPORTSMAN AUTOPILOT 136 LENGTH: 13'6" | WIDTH: 37"WEIGHT: 158 lbs. including motorCAPACITY: 660 lbs. MATERIAL: single-layer polyethylenePROPULSION: Minn Kota trolling motor (45 lbs. thrust) with i-Pilot; paddleMSRP: $4,849.99 oldtownwatercraft.com TOP FEATURES: Among other specialties (including the famed PDL pedal drive), Old Town Sportsman was an early…