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Joined: Apr 2002
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Folks, I have the coolest life of anyone on the planet...well, at least it feels like it.
First, it's been almost two months since the last blog. Geez, when I get this busy, there's not much way to stop and take the time to select and load photos to photobucket, post and write.
Not kidding...up and running full bore at or before daylight, then non-stop, with the stage lights on and usually with someone until bedtime. Between spates of doing what I do, there's travel time.
But, I have some nice photos and short explanations to share. I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoy being there to shoot them.



Of course, I must start with a photo of at least one grandchild. Jentry is a living doll and a good reason I want to get up and go every day.



Early in April, I headed to Lake Vilbig to electrofish. It's an urban lake in Irving, Texas, and the landowners are salt-of-the-Earth people. I love hanging out with them. Those guys are solid gold. We shocked up lots of bass, bluegill, threadfin shad, gizzard shad, some redear sunfish, a few yellow bass, carp, gar and an occasional flathead catfish like the one in the photo.



One of the cool things about working on an urban like such as Vilbig is that you are privy to things in backyards...stuff you can't see from the street. Some folks are pretty creative with what they do...like this dragon next to the water.



On the way back home from Vilbig, I shot a photo of Texas Stadium, the day before it was imploded. Next time I head to the area, I'll try to get a shot of what's left.

After that, April 15, I helped teach a pond management field day for Grayson County in Sherman. Then, it was off to Rockport for Spring Fling and Texas Outdoor Writers Association board meeting. Debbie was able to tag along and turn it into a mini-vacation for her as well.

Then, the actual whirlwind started...lots to do in a short time. My electrofishing boat outboard motor's power pack died and it took two days to repair it. I was able to push up three electrofishing surveys and get them done before heading off on a vacation. That's right, a vacation. My entire life seems to be a vacation and I truly don't know how to act on a real one. Debbie had planned this for several months and I didn't think much about it...until it was time to go. What was I thinking? A vacation in April? I'd lost my mind. That's the peak of fisheries management season. But, I pushed everything either in front of the trip or right behind it...and we headed to Marco Island.

As you suspect, I travel quite a bit. I have some travel tips to live by...and I broke a key one on this adventure. To save $250, I booked a connecting flight. Never book a connecting flight in the spring months if you can avoid it. But, since I could save a good amount of money and catch an early flight, I thought it was a good idea. It wasn't. We sat in the plane at the gate at DFW for 2 hours, from 5:30-7:30 a.m. and missed our connection in Atlanta. We arrived Atlanta at noon. Next flight to Fort Myers? 5 pm that evening. There's only so much you can do at the Atlanta Airport for 5 hours and it's too short to leave the airport and go to the zoo. So, we ate, talked, watched people and slept.

But we got to Marco Island, checked into our accomodations next door to the Snook Inn and called it a day. Here are a few images from the week at Marco Island, Florida.



The Queen and I rode jet skis with a tour guide, looking for dolphins. When we saw a pod, we were instructed to idle up from behind and we could get pretty close. We did and they did.







Debbie and I made new friends, Jarmo and Jacque. These great folks live about an hour and a half north of Marco and spend some time there. Jarmo (pronounced "Yarmo") is a furniture detail specialist. He works with fine wood furniture and has been at it for many years. Jacque, his bride of more than 30 years, is an artist. They come to the area, take lots of pictures and she uses those images as well as what she sees along the saltways of coastal Florida for inspiration for her art.



Jarmo and Jacque have a boat and invited us to tag along to some of their favorite local beaches and hideaways. It was spectacular, refreshing and relaxing. And, the shelling was outstanding. We had to go to the FedEx store, buy a box, bubble-wrap and tape to ship all our shells and goodies from the beach to home base in Texas. Debbie picked up three coconuts to go with all the shells, starfish, sand-dollars and stuff we found. It was pretty cool.

Along our day trip with Jarmo and Jacque, I was able to capture some of the local setting and flavor with my camera. These next few images help tell that tale.



A local, cast-netting for bait in a backwater area.



Last edited by Bob Lusk; 05/21/10 11:26 AM.

Teach a man to grow fish...
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A very cool sloop we passed in the river near Snook Inn.



The shelling was great. All living things were left to continue living. That crab was a bit large for his shell.



Preparing to dock, next to the famous Snook Inn. We ate some great seafood, rode the waverunners, had a sunset dinner cruise and shopping...lots of shopping. We also were able to cook out at the small condo where we stayed. It was cozy, inexpensive and the people were fun. They were on vacation, too. The guy running the condo grew up in Lubbock, Texas. He was an interesting fellow.

Next, we jetted from South Florida to upstate New York to attend the wedding of good friends Bucky Lainhart and Mary Durosko...Bucky was the preserve manager of Savannah Dhu for many years and was instrumental in bringing me there six years ago to help establish a world class fishing program for their many lakes and ponds. Bucky became a dear friend and Debbie and I want to attend their wedding. I'm so glad we did. I've never been to a wedding like this one. Bucky is an avid hunter (as is Mary) and Mary loves animals, especially her horses and mules. She and Buck have lots in common...but they (she) decided to be married on opening day of turkey hunting season in New York. Bucky negotiated the time...1 pm...so he could get in a morning hunt. Yes, he bagged a bird. The wedding was in a round pen, next to the horse barn. All their mules and horses attending the wedding, tied in a corral next to the round pen. The theme was hunting and horses, the colors were green, brown and camo. It worked quite well. Here are some photos of this experience.



Debbie helped decorate the posts inside the round pen. Bucky and his boys cut a number of cedar branches and attached them to the posts. Then, we found a big cherry tree loaded with blossoms and decided it needed trimming. The boughs were added to the cedar to complete the decorations.



Bucky took a minute to pose with Debbie and I while he awaited the arrival of his bride to start the wedding.



I got this shot of Mary as she escaped the vehicle and headed inside the horse barn to finish getting ready for the big event.



She's headed down the aisle.



Almost hitched.



The animals show their approval



Afterward, we were able to share some time with Bob & Sue Congel, owners of Savannah Dhu...Bob is the man who introduced me to Johnny Morris, founder of BassPro Shops. I'll always be grateful to Bob & Sue Congel.



Last edited by Bob Lusk; 05/21/10 11:29 AM.

Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...
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Bucky's buddy, Tim Green, was there, too. Tim is a former NFL football star with the Falcons. He's also an attorney and accomplished novelist we several best sellers on the list.



Debbie and I stayed at the Highfield House, where I stayed much of the time as I worked at Savannah Dhu. I got several photos of deer playing in the back yard. This one is pretty cool.

We headed home Sunday, May 2. Bright and early on May 3, I headed to Brownwood to harvest some fish from a lake where they are becoming overcrowded. The mission was to collect fish inside a slot, load them up and bring them to Van Alstyne, Texas and stock them into former Dallas Star's goalie, Ed Belfour's lake. On the way back, I noticed issues with the electrofishing boat trailer and left it with a mechanic to repair...3.5 hours from home in Cisco. I rang my cousin, Bubba, from Mineral Wells. He spearheaded the repair and got the boat back to me in record time. But, not before I had to make a few more last minute schedule changes due to not having the boat.

I had planned to electrofish several lakes in Oklahoma the next two days and nestle in a pond management seminar in the middle. Alas, with no electroboat, I couldn't shock...so I called the landowner and headed that way to meet up with him and then go on to do the seminar...35 miles from the Kansas border in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.



Here I am...holding court at Allen Bros. Feed Store in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. I got home at 1 a.m.

The next day, May 5, I headed to Wichita Falls to meet Bubba and get the boat. Then, May 6, I headed near Athens for an electrofishing excursion where we shocked up a few pretty cool looking fish.



Here's a baby chain pickerel.



And, a silversides minnow. Some people call them "ghost minnows"

When I finished that gig, it was time to head to Waxahachie, to the Ark Country Store, to teach another pond management seminar. It started at 6 pm and ended at 9...another long day. Got home about midnight.

(you're seeing why I haven't blogged much in the last two months...and I'm leaving out a number of other things I've done during that span...this is just the highlights)

The next morning, north of Tyler to electrofish a lake I helped design several years ago. I may write about it in Pond Boss. It's truly an interesting story.

Mother's Day was dedicated to Debbie. We went to church and an outstanding brunch. And, we rested....

On May 10, I headed to Dallas to meet up with webmaster Doug Layton to give some guidance to content for Eagle's Nest's new website. I have lots of pictures and we spent most of the day working on that project. But, I did get to spend some time with Lee Roy Mitchell, my friend and client who is also the founder of Cinemark Theatres. Most of all, he's a strong Christian brother and kind soul.

That evening, Debbie and I hosted our advertising director, Gayle Allston and audio consultant David Wyatt, our podcast consultant for www.pondboss.com podcasts. He was preparing me to get some good podcasts for the website on my next adventure in North Carolina.

On May 11, I electrofished another lake I was fortunate to design near Emory, Texas and the next day I was near Possum Kingdom Lake, working on a private lake on the Kimberlin Ranch. Here are a few images.



Shad popped up like popcorn all over this lake.



Some nice habitat for different species of fish.



Just a sample of the fish from Kimberlin's ranch.

Then, I hustled home to prepare for the next adventure. The vortex speed of life increased four-fold.

I headed off to the King Fisher Society at Richmond Mill Lake in Laurel Hill, North Carolina. This adventure deserves its own thread, so I'll post it in a separate thread. The last eight days have been the fastest paced days I've had this year.


Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,346
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine
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Gotta run some errands...I'll try to post the next batch later today...please stay tuned.


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

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