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.