I must say, I've never been more excited about the start of a new pond management season. There's no doubt in my mind this will be the most fun year ever.
There's an excitement in the air that I don't quite understand, but I feel it.
I last left you as I finished up in Arizona. Had a great show with Purina Mills.
Then, got home just in time to head to the airport and pick up our great Pond Boss friend, TJ Hudson and bride, Amy, from Lincoln, Nebraska. TJ wants to assist Pond Boss in the growth of the business and we spent the weekend talking and planning and trying to figure out how he can help. The many is loaded with passion and we think he will be a great asset to the Pond Boss team. We're working with him to figure out how he can help develop the business side of Pond Boss. We're almost there and will have an announcement soon.
In the meantime, we've been planning how to expand the content of our website. We've got it working and looks like TJ will play a vital role.
More as it develops.
Next, the Queen Debbie and I headed down to Kerrville, Texas for the annual Texas Outdoor Writer's Association Conference and annual meeting. Pond Boss won two awards...no firsts, but we did well considering the stout competition. We won a second place for cover photography with a cover shot called "Three Minutes of Perfect Light."
Here's that image.



Then, I was elected President of the organization! We have an outstanding board of directors and some new energy. This group is excited and I'm looking forward to a great year of growth.

Got back from the conference just in time to learn that my 21 year old son accidently set the manly Dodge truck on its left side by backing down an embankment. Thank goodness it was a slow roll and no one was hurt. A few dents...no photos necessary.

Then, I headed down to Houston to visit with a group of guys wanting to develop a property into a family membership opportunity where fishing will play a key role. It was a good trip and we'll see where it goes.

On the way back from Houston, I popped in to College Station for a quick date with (step)daughter Ashley. I had a couple of hours to spend before our date, so I headed over the Messina Hof Winery to see what they are about. What a fun place. I made a new best friend there with Doug. I've not met anyone with more passion about the history of wine than Doug. He'll be visiting LL,2 sometime this summer to enchant our buddies.

Then, I headed home...I think it was after midnight Wednesday when I got home. Up early the next day to greet fisheries biologist Dave Beasley, from Virginia Lake Management Company. I hired Beasley back in 2004 as an intern, when he was studying at SUNY-Cobleskill, under Mark Cornwell, one of our best writers at Pond Boss. Beasley was hired to run the hatchery program at Savannah Dhu and stayed on for almost five years. Then, about a year ago, he headed to Virginia, where he started a fisheries management consultation program for VLM.

He just wanted to come hang out with the Pond Boss. So, we did. On Thursday, we met up with a new potential client who has more than 100 acres of water and wants to develop some higher-than-average fishing. I believe we can do that.

Then, we headed over to Eagle's Nest Ranch, a premier property we have been able to work with for almost two years.

Here's a couple of photos of Beasley and his experience.



Here, Beasley (right) shows off a 14 inch black crappie. Ranch Manager Jarrod Baum captains the boat.



Beasley had his best bass fishing day ever, with 5 bass over 5 pounds and his personal best, 7 lbs and change.

We stayed overnight at Eagle's Nest and then headed north, to Red River County, where we met up with long time client Stan Graff. Stan had a special surprise. Stan is an outstanding steward of his land, especially the fisheries and wildlife. Part of his efforts includes predator control. We got to tag along on a high-tech predator hunt.

If you want to get an idea what we were in for, go to http://www.ultimatepredatortv.com and look at the video. That's what we did.

There was a specially designed, proprietary hunting blind mounted on top of the bed of a Dodge pickup truck and the two young men, Chris Robinson from Sherman, Texas and Seth Skinner, from Clifton, Texas, gave us a lesson in varmint hunting.




The had scouted several areas weeks before and knew what they wanted to do. They pulled into the ranch at 11 pm and by 11:30 we were in the field, set up downwind of the target zone. Seth pulled out his mouth calls and he rotated clockwise in a circle, bleating on a call that sounded like someone stomping a cottontail rabbit (not that I've ever heard that noise). He blew the call, simulating different animals in distress, for about ten minutes. Then, with a rotating Q-Beam light, the guys spotted eyes in the near distance...maybe two hundred yards away. The creature became wary...then bolted. Within minutes another coyote came into sight, this one downwind. The two pros squeaked and barked enough to cause the critter to stop long enough for a shot, about 75 yards away. Down. By 1 a.m. I was done, but they weren't. We had seen 6 coyotes and they shot two of them. The moon was soon high in the sky and the younger guys stayed out until daybreak, harvesting one more coyote from Graff Ranch.



Buckshot for short shots.



Stan Graff and his five year old son, Reed. That boy loves the outdoors. He couldn't have chosen a better father.



Chris Robinson (l) and his buddy, Seth Skinner, part owner of Skinner Taxidermy. (Great name for a taxidermy company, isn't it?)


On Saturday morning, we checked out the ponds and lakes to make plans for our spring pond management strategy.



We got home in time to host a dinner party for our friends. We tasted several wines, ate some good food and enjoyed the puppy. Dakota is now 8 months old and pushing 100 pounds. Geez, he's a big dog.

Yesterday, we rested...well, sort of. I edited six stories for the May-June issue of Pond Boss.

I love our lives....


Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...