Back Bay Adventures

Panama City, FL

Capt. Rob Womble 850-596-2490

Capt. Todd Jones 850-819-5829

BackBayAdventures.com

So what does a guy from Kentucky, with a penchant for big game, do on the Florida Panhandle? After years of offshore fishing I began the quest for tarpon. Having heard for years that big tarpon cruise the sugar sand beaches just out of casting distance from the beach and to far in to be of concern of the offshore fleet the Silver Kings slip by almost unnoticed.

Three years ago I attempted a tarpon trip only to be beaten by the weather and unable to make it out of the harbor in the typically small flats boats.

This year was different...after completing a successful offshore trip including a boat limit of red snapper and king mackerel the day before, I met my guide, Captain Rob Womble of Back Bay Adventures at what he described as "brutally early"...4:30 in the morning.

In the preliminary phone conversations Rob shared the lay of the land...don't get your hopes up, tarpon can be tough, don't set the hook to quick and only 1 out of 20 hookups make it to the boat. Capt. Rob is honest at his profession just like all good guides...honest, hard working for his clients and gets as much if not more enjoyment than they do at the hook set.

The morning started off with the catching of live bait, then a short run to the tarpon grounds. The first tarpon was spotted just seconds after our 6:00am arrival only to be followed by a steady flow of fish until almost the noon hour.

I can only compare tarpon fishing to that of elk hunting...spot and stalk big game. The drill is straight forward...spot the tarpon gulping air or rolling at the surface, after repeated sightings determine a line of interception, present your bait and hope for the best...when the best happens hang on for the ride of your life!

Fishing is fishing, sometimes the bite is on sometimes it's not. This day happened to be one of the days that it was light resulting in only a single hookup. No reflection on the guide or location...there were plenty of fish and presentations...just not a lot of takers that day.

One of these big fish within casting range seems to rattle the nerves, resulting in "Tarpon Fever", the inability to control what is normally an accurate casting arm, accelerated heart beat and an anticipated adrenalin rush. The sight of a four foot back streaming through the surface, the flash of a silver side and that bucket sized mouth as it breaks the surface just doesn't settle well in one's mind. I found myself reliving the visions as I relived the day in my dreams that night. Part of the anticipation of tarpon fishing involves keeping an eye on other boats...they are doing the same...it's all about the hookups, jumps and who gets them first and the most, and hopefully the signaling of the impending bite. Proudly I can say that Captain Rob and I were the only boat with a hookup and jump in the area that day...yes there were other boats.

It may seem that I'm down playing the single hookup...it was phenomenal! A light touch as the bait was taken and allowed to free spool, a moment of steadiness as the hook grabbed the fleshy corner of the fish's mouth followed by an explosion of energy only rivaled by that of a big sail or marlin. The explosion of energy resulted in the classic, stuff that dreams are made of leap and cartwheels...a real sight considering that this leaping Hiroshima was 150lbs of pure, raw unbridled strength.

Unbridled is the proper use of the english language at this time as that is exactly what was to happen next. With the fish's tail two feet above the water's surface, a cartwheel and a spray of water the fish's bridle slipped from it's mouth.

I'm sure that fish felt the same as I did...

excited, flushed and looking for another fight.

Back Bay Adventures know the area and where the fish are, they are professional and enjoy the sport of sight fishing big fish. You can't ask for anything more I know I can't. I look forward to the hunt again with Capt. Rob.

Mark Nethery

Bluegrass Game Calls

502-266-6652

It's cold, gray, overcast, snow covered or maybe just wet and muddy...and you think hunting season is over. Wrong, beat those winter blues, now is the time to key in on the alpha predator, that's right, old laughing dog himself, aka Wiley Coyote.

This is not just any animal your hunting, it is the result of tens of thousands of years of nature's genetic refinement. This is an animal that can out see, smell, run and out think even you...but you can get him with patience and a little strategy.

Focus on staging areas, those out of the way travel corridors along streams and brushy areas surrounded by open fields. These are the coyote's typical hunting grounds and it's source for food. Coyotes often hunt for mice, chipmunks and moles along these edges as they work to fill their empty bellies.

This is the single weakness, hunger, that you can use to your advantage.

Camoflauge is critical, scent control is of the utmost importance and stealth is imperative. Call loudly at first to let the locals know you're an intruder, A few howls or yips can be deadly as the first sentinel is sent out to survey the situation. Often times your calls will be answered immediately or after a few minutes but once answered it becomes an exercise in patience. Wait 20 minutes and if still no visitors have arrived follow up with a predator distress call...call aggressively, with a variety of pitches and volume...then wait. After 20 minutes with no success use your distress call again. If 20 minutes again passes with no opportunity it's time to relocate.

As with most hunting, the early morning and late afternoons are most productive, however, mid-day on those bitter cold days can also prove productive as predators search for food. Food is energy and energy equals body warmth, even for coyotes.

Some other tricks that might be worth remembering...cluttered fence rows make good travel corridors and also hold coyote food. On windy days tie a dull colored rag on the bottom wire, from a distance this will look like an injured rabbit and might just play on the predator's curiosity. Predators are fast learners so be prepared to mix up your game. What worked yesterday, might not work today. One thing for certain, a missed shot or botched opportunity on any predator provides them a quick education that they will remember.

Persistance pays off in this game of cat and mouse...some days are more productive than others just as some areas are better. Try, try, try again.

The great thing about hunting coyotes or any predator for that matter, is that most landowners and farmers are very willing to allow you the opportunity to hunt as they are often viewed as a threat to livestock. Remember common courtesy, keep gates closed if found that way, the same rule applies for open gates, don't harass livestock. Follow these rules and you might find yourself being invited back for other hunting opportunities.

Pit yourself against the coyote or any predator for that matter and you will definitely beat the winter blues.

Mark Nethery

www.bluegrassgamecalls.com

Although the title might have visions of scantily clad camouflage maidens serving you drumsticks, a la Henry the Eighth, dancing in your mind but this is really an article on how to keep turkey hunting simple and focusing on a Gobblers greatest weakness...sex.

If you believe everything you read, turkey hunting is really easy...not. The problem is that the old gobbler you're going after doesn't read the same articles as you, but he does think. That big bird has only one thing on his mind in the spring and that's the ladies. Keeping that one piece of information in mind can and will most often be key to getting that Tom.

You've done your homework, located a bird, put him to bed the night before, the rest is simple...or is it? Have you ever had a bird so fired up in the morning that he gobbles his head off at the breaking of a blade of grass only to have him just seem to go stone cold? We all have- just remember that when he goes cold it's because he's with hens, until he has taken care of business and the hens leave him he's not going to budge. This is where patience pays off: you've called to the bird, and you're set up in a good open area that allows the Tom to strut, sit tight he knows where you are and as soon as he gets lonely you're next on his dance card.

Let's talk about calling, you can do it right or you can just make noise. That Boss Gobbler has one thing on his mind...making little turkeys, it's his sole purpose on this planet, other than gracing your dinner table and wall, capitalize on that. Soft, seductive calling kills birds, not hammering the call all morning because you think you should be making noise. Think of it this way, you're in a bar and see a really attractive women, she takes another sip of her drink, opens her mouth and turns into a raving lunatic. Flashbacks of "Fatal Attraction" go through your mind and you run the other way, out the door, across the parking lot, jump in your car locking the doors for safety. If that same woman took that same sip of her drink and then casually glanced over her shoulder making seductive eye contact with you...well now it's a different ball game. She just set the hook and is ready to start cranking.

A turkey hunter's arsenal is not the gun and shells, it's the calls in their vest and having the ability to use them confidently. There is no perfect call, but there is a call perfect for a given situation. Be equipped...slate, glass, mouth and box calls will work at the right time and place, some are better for attention getting and some are for seduction. Practice, learn how to use them with confidence.

A good call does not make a good caller,

A good call makes a good caller better.

Call to get a bird's attention, call softly and seductively to kill the bird. Always remember that less is better than more when it comes to scoring on that Tom.

Keeping it sexy in the turkey woods can bring that big boy home with you.

Mark Nethery

www.bluegrassgamecalls.com