Rainy Day on the Trinity

If there was ever a perfect day on the river with good friends, today was the day. We have had days when the fish were bigger and days when the fish were more plentiful but today was very unusual because we all caught limits in a very orderly fashion. Dan landed the first Steelhead about 11:00AM and then Steve hooked a good fish soon after. Steve shouted to me that it was my turn and by golly, I landed the next one. Three for three seemed very fair and it would only be fitting if Dan stepped back up to the plate for the next go around, and he did hook the next Steelhead but it got free right at the net. We figured that that was his turn and Steve was next, which he was, landing another bright 7 lb fish. The joke was on now and it was my turn and wham, I scored again. Steve and I sat down and dug into the lunch box watching closely as it was Dan's turn to finish out our limits. After a half dozen casts, Dan found the sweet spot just upstream of a big rock and his float instantly disappeared but popped back up. I barked out something vocal that was unintelligible which was easily interpreted as: you missed him dummy. That fish must have been on a suicide mission because a few seconds later he inhaled Dan's Copperjohn fly and the fight was on. There couldn't have been a better ending when Dan's second fish came to the net. What a great day on the water.

Herbert Earl Stansbury III Vision Fund

Here's the deal. I have decided to start the Herbert Earl Stansbury III Vision fund or maybe just hire a hazmat company to cleanup all the lead and empty shell casing Herb scattered all over the BLM. Over the last two days Herb has educated a number of bucks or maybe just given them false security with a hunters ability to shoot straight. With a total of 10 shots at three different bucks over a two day period I can honestly say I think Herb had a blast. Bert and I also had a blast catching a few trout, listening to all the shooting and second guessing if it was Herb. After each volley of shots Bert and I would wait with anticipation for the cell phone to announce success, but it never rang. I noticed each of use checking our phones often for a missed call or some type of communication. The call never came through, figure that. One would think that his scope was off, but that was quickly ruled out with a test fire, so it must be his vision. Therefore, send me money and I will make arrangements to have Herb's vision checked.

It all started Wednesday morning when Herb, Bert and I launched the boat and headed down river to hunt a section of BLM land that is accessible only by boat. Since Herb was the only one with a deer tag, the plan was to drop him off and then Bert and I would trout fish until we met at a predetermined spot and time. The trout fishing was fun but the "One Thing" that made the trip memorable was the suspense of hearing all the shooting and waiting for the call.

I could tell the deer story but I feel that stories like this are best told by the shooter over a campfire at deer camp. The bottom line is: There is still room in the freezer honey.

Where has Pops been?

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. I have been working on the Red Bluff house for over a month getting ready for Garrett and Nicole's wedding, hence, no hobby activity to report. The wedding was beautiful and the two are enjoying a short honeymoon. We had tons of help cleaning up yesterday and believe it or not, the yard looks like a park and you can't even tell there was a raving party Saturday night. The trailers are loaded with tables and chairs to be returned today and after about noon time today old Pops will be ready to start practicing the highly refined art of participating in hobby craft.

First on the list is the bookcase I promised Emerson a long time ago. Then I hear the trout at Lake Almanor calling, the Steelhead on the Trinity begging for attention and Sam is anxious to chase a Quail or two out on the BLM. This storm should bring a few new Steelhead up the Sacramento River. Oh, I forgot about the G-1 Deer season opens on Saturday and Herb has promised to come up and hunt the river while Bert and I fish for Steelhead. So much to do and I think I have the time to do it. Stay tuned and I will report.

Squirrels in the shed.

After deer season I have been working very hard to get our Red Bluff house ready for a wedding in October. Trimming trees, bushes, painting and all the fun stuff. As Glenn Beck would say, The One Thing on the list that stands out as very high priority and important enough to expose to the nation was the problem with grounds squirrels invading our storage shed. It seems that our resident population has exploded and the little vermin probably didn't know about .17 HMR Exterminators. The following video explains it all.

Archery season is history

The good news is Tadd connected with a nice little buck on opening day. That makes three bucks in a row for the late starter. The other good news is that many bucks survived the season to just get bigger next year. There isn't any bad news even though I hunted 16 straight days without a kill ( except for a few trout and one monster pike). I had a few opportunities and three misses but I had a great time. It's funny that I didn't suffer the depression after being unsuccessful this year. I think that watching Tadd bag another buck was worth more than any kill I have experienced in recent memory. I've always said that the kill was over rated and the camaraderie with your buddies and the outdoor experience was what the hobby is all about. I've got a few good stories but right now I'm too tired to put them in type. Just give me a little time to think of some good excuses for the misses. ( Maybe I need a new bow?) The fishing at Lake Almanor has been outstanding and the big rainbows are stacked up in the Branch. Sunday morning before hunting Tadd and I caught and released some good ones, including a nice 4 1/2 lber I caught on a pond smelt fly. It's hard to return to Red Bluff and the heat when the fishing is so good.

Check out this hungry Rainbow. Terry and I both set the hook on the same fish. You can see both lines coming out of the fishes mouth. I've seen it in the past when one hook slides down the other line a hooks the other hook but in this case both hooks were in the fish's stomach.

When I set the hook on this pike I thought I had the wall hanger I've been chasing.

Check out this 26" three point that my neighbor Josh bagged yesterday on the last day of the season. He had to go swimming in Hamilton Branch to recover the buck and when he grabbed the horns the buck came back to life and then the battle really started. Josh had to slit the bucks neck while they were wrestling in the creek because he had shot all of his arrows. Nice buck Josh.

Big Forky

Look what I ran into last night. These two photos are of two different deer. I tried to get photos with both in the same frame but they were feeding about 30 yards apart. These are two of the largest forked horns I have ever seen in the wild. Three days until the opener.

Buck City

Archery season is almost here but the bucks are few and far between. Emerson, Tadd and Mini visited us for the weekend and Tadd and I escaped for a few minutes this morning to scout up a buck or two. We spent about two hours cruising the woods and only found two bucks. The first was a small spike but the second 3 pt got our attention. I didn't put out my trail camera this year because I realized after the last two years that everything changes as soon as the season opens. This way it will prevent the depression I experienced the last two years after getting hundreds of photos of big bucks only to have them disappear once the season opens. Our plan this year is to spend the first two days cruising the area and then setting up some stands after the woods settle down after the crazy opener. Stay tuned.

Camping we will go.

Our friends Mark and Alisa are staying at the cabin for the next 10 days and it is too blazing hot to stay in the valley so camping at the 6000 ft level is the answer. We will be located for the next few days at the head of Rock Creek unless the mosquitoes and flies run us off. There isn't cell service so if you need to contact us just leave a message on Michele or my cell phones. We will come back to civilization about every other day to restock the whiskey and check for messages. See ya soon.

It's a Brown Trout Night

After Michele out fished us guys last night it was time for revenge. It started out slow but guess who caught the first fish. Your right, Michele jumped out into the lead with a nice 21" 3 lb 7 oz. Brown. The pressure was on but I finally hooked a good one which was only 1" longer than Michele's but was 3 lbs 12 oz. Terry had to stop by Holiday Market on the way home and buy a coconut cream pie to ease his depression after being beat up on the water by my lovely wife. The coconut cream pie was great, thanks Terry. Tomorrow is a new day and after we shoot lacquer on the entertainment center we will terrorize ground squirrels with our .17 HMRs. Stay tuned.

It was a Rainbow Evening

Terry Howard escaped the heat in the valley today and helped out with our entertainment center project. It was only fitting that we head for the lake after dinner and chase some of those big Brown Trout at Geritol Cove. Funny thing was we only caught two nice Rainbows. Michele fish was 22" long and weighed 3 lb 10 oz. Mine was 20" and 3 lb. .03 oz. Terry's fish is still eating Hex flies and just getting bigger. Sorry Terry, my wife out fished us both.

New Wheels more Big Browns

I was heading back up the hill on Monday afternoon and whammmm, my good old hunting and work truck gave up the ghost. It ended with a plume of steam rising out of the exhaust pipe. To make a long story short, Tuesday and Wednesday was reserved for truck research and believe it or not it was the easiest purchase I have ever made. I got a great deal on a new set of wheels and even had time last night to break it in, launching the boat at the dam. Michele and I launched at 7:00pm and boated three good Browns before dark. They measured 22", 20" and 19". Not a bad catch for the maiden voyage of our new truck. Take a good look at the pretty truck because Michele said it will never look the same after deer season.

Old Friend, Big Brown (and I'm not refering to UPS)

Facebook just brought together two old friends and after trading many old memories we created a new one. Randy Beebe, which was one of my best high school buddies, discovered me on Facebook and sent me a message last week and we instantly decided to meet at the cabin an catch up on the last 20+ years. Randy arrived Tuesday afternoon on his Harley decked out in leather and ready to dive into the past. I must admit reminiscing about the past was quite refreshing and after hours of talking about family, grand kids and values we had to admit we still have a lot in common which was the basis of your friendship in school. In our emails leading up to the reunion I promised Randy we would go chase a big trout. The Hex hatch is starting to taper off so I warned him that we had a 50-50 chance of being successful, and unfortunately I was right because only 50% of us caught fish. We both had many strikes but I was the lucky one, landing two nice trout. The Brown was the largest trout I have caught to date measuring 23", but I didn't have my scales to make it official. The big hook jawed male probably weighed in between 4 and 5 pounds. My neighbor Matt saved the head and fins and maybe some day we will see a great wall mount. I'm still waiting for the 25 incher to get serious about mounting a trophy for the cabin. Therefore, the mission still exists, Fish on dudes. Thanks Randy for reminiscing the past and making new memories for the future.

Hike to Beauty Lake

Jody and Kerry came to visit us this weekend at the cabin and we decided to take a short hike into the Caribou Wilderness. Our destination was Beauty Lake which was a easy 2 mile hike up a gentle drainage into a basin that held many small lakes.

The trailhead started at Hay Meadows.

The wilderness started just past the meadows.

The first forks in the trail.

Indian Meadow

Almost there.

Sam, Michele, Pops, Kerry and Jody at Beauty Lake

The Fun is Back

The bed fishing is over at Lake Almanor so Olivia, Nikki, Jeff, Michele and I traveled to Walker Lake to chase a bigmouth. The fishing was slow but Nikki did connect with a good Largemouth to add to the wall of bass photos on this blog. We are getting ready to leave in a few minutes to chase big trout at Geritol Cove. Rumor has it that the hex hatch has started. I'll report tomorrow if the rumor is true.

The Fun is over and the Work Begins

Terry's Big Fish of the Day

Terry and his friend Butch from Missouri finished up the sight fishing season with me on Tuesday.  The wind blew from every direction and fishing was a little slower than last week.  There was still plenty of fish on beds if the wind would allow you to see them.  We had about and hour of flat water and most of our fish came in that period.  We spent a lot of time running from cove to cove looking for flat water and about the time everything calmed down the wind would switch to another direction.  My eyes still hurt from squinting threw the ripples.  

I didn't catch as many fish this year and the size seemed to be a little smaller.  The reason for the smaller fish was because we seemed to have more wind this year.  The bigger fish come out of deeper water and with the ripples on the surface you just can't see into 10 feet of water.  It will be a couple of weeks before we return to Lake Almanor and the sight fishing will probably be over.  Next comes the Hex hatch, watch out trout.

Well the fun is over for a while and I am back in RB drawing up a new job that will start tomorrow.  It should take about two weeks and 20 gallons of sweat.  We should be back up to the cabin about June 12th for the summer.  

Missouri Butch and a nice Smallie

More Lake Almanor Smallmouth

Ryder and Dad with a good fish.

Ryder and Sean joined me on Memorial Day at Canyon Dam Lanch ramp and we preceded to boat a nice batch of smallmouths.  It looks like I started something with his first catfish sandwich and we ended up keeping a couple of small fish for Bass sandwiches.  The rest he learned how to kiss on the forehead and send them back home.  We were off the water by 10:30am because of the increasing boat traffic.  Terry and Butch will join me tomorrow for the last day of Smallmouth fishing this month.  Back to woodworking and sawdust.

Fun Time at Lake Almanor

I've been busy this last week harassing the bass at Lake Almanor.  It has been a little windy but it was generally pretty calm in the morning until about noon time.  We can still catch a few bass after the wind comes up but it just isn't as much fun when you can't see the expression on their faces when you rip their lips off.  I've had a lot of company which is really a blast, especially when everyone is catching fish and having fun.  Dinner time was really fun because we ate some of our catch along with wild Turkey and Venison back strap.  Check out the smiles on all the fishermen.

Steve with a fish Terry broke off the day before.

Yours truely with a chunky Smallmouth

Pete's first Lake Almanor Smallie

Another great Smallmouth.

Ryder's First Fish

Check out the video of Ryder and his first fish.

Ryder's new dog

Welcome Bogey to the family.  Do you think Ryder is excited to have a new playmate.  Bogey is a Labradoodle and will keep the Puritz family busy for a while.  What a cutie.

Cedarville-Surprise Valley

I thought I would share an article in Enjoy Magazine that Michele came across this morning.   What I found interesting was the paragraph: "The Chamber of Commerce’s largest and most successful event is its annual squirrel hunt, where shooters are invited to help farmers rid their fields of crop-destroying and plague-carrying rodents."   The Surprise Valley was our destination last week but we didn't make it when we were sidetracked by a farmer in need of help near Alturas.  We are making plans to participate in the Annual Squirrel Roundup next year.  Click on this link to read the article on Cedarville.   Also check out the video of a Golden Eagle picking up a dead squirrel. 

                                      

Squirrels 101

Rob, Terry and I ventured to Adin last week to try out the new 17 HMRs and found the weather to be a little nasty.  We chased ground squirrels for a couple of days  but the wind blew like crazy and on Friday we were blessed with a couple of inches of snow.   We parked Rob's 34 ft. fifth wheel trailer down a dirt road behind the ranchers home next to the river.  With a couple of inches of snow we made the decision to leave the trailer and come home with our tails tucked between our legs.  Having lost the first round to the squirrel gods we were determined to return and even the score.  On Wednesday we returned to retrieve the trailer and kick a little squirrel butt and we did just that.  We eradicated our fair share of little rodents and scared the living you know what out of the rest.  The three of us shot about 800 rounds on Thursday and did our share of saving the hay industry and stimulating the ammo industry.  Check out the video below if you don't mind the graphic nature of rodent control.  I mounted the video camera to the top of the scope on my rifle.  Most of the shooting was between 80 and 230 yards.  I also have footage of a Golden Eagle swooping down and picking up a dead squirrel and I will try to edit that tape and post it in the near future.  Hope you can enjoy the video, not recommended for the faint at heart. 

Minute of angle?

Ok, I took the day off from making sawdust and sighted in my new Savage Model 93 .17 HMR.  Talk about a flat shootin, accurate and I must say very fun big boy toy, well this is it.  This gun takes plunking to a new level.  For those of you that are not familiar with the term "minute of angle", this gun is the definition.   A minute of arc, arcminute, or MOA is a unit of angular measurement, equal to one sixtieth (1/60) of one degree.  Since one degree is defined as one three hundred sixtieth (1/360) of a circle, 1 minute of arc is 1/21,600 of the amount of arc in a closed circle. In simple words a MOA is one inch at 100 yards and in shooting MOA accuracy is what all shooters strive to achieve.  Savage claims that the Model 93 is capable of shooting MOA right out of the box with factory ammo and after today I certainly believe it.  I can't claim that I achieved that feat today because the place we were shooting today only allowed a maximum range of 82 yards.  The wind was blowing out of the north at 10MPH so we chose a place down by the river which was shielded from the wind.  The bullet of the .17 HMR weighs 17 grains as compared to 150 grains bullets that are typical of hunting rifles such as the 30-06.  At 17 grains traveling at 2550 fps, wind is a big factor in the accuracy department.  I first sighted in at 25 yards.  I was able to group five shots at about 5/8” and then we moved back to 82 yards.  Next time we go out I will be taking a new bench and a set of digital calipers.  You might think that I am going a little overboard (I’m sure Michele does), but I have been shooting for 53 years and I have never had a rifle that I could shoot MOA at 100 yards.  Having cataracts for 50+ years might have something to do with it, but I’m not using that excuse.  Check out the photos and you can see that we shot several groups under one inch at 82 yards.  My next post should have better and more accurate proof of MOA.  All I can say is:  “Watch out ground squirrels”  

This is my first group at 82 yards.

About 1" at 82 yards.

Looks like 5/8"

A group shot at 25 yards, about 1/2 inch

Prototype of a new portable shooting bench

Cabinet update

USPS just delivered my 4000 grit pads yesterday so I will be able to finish the TV credenza this week.  While waiting I started two media centers and I'm almost ready to spray lacquer.  I finished Olivia's candle box and I anxious to give it to her this weekend.