Pond Boss Forums INTRO Bob Lusk's blog It's Already Late July?

Well, folks...it has been the most exhilirating, fun, fulfilling and exhausting spring and early summer ever. I've probably done 25 electrofishing surveys since March, 20 consulting jobs and made regular trips to North Carolina and east Texas for my regular retainer clients, as well as producing the latest Pond Boss magazine.

Speaking of Pond Boss...go to the home page at www.pondboss.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll see a number of brand new audio podcasts...free for the taking. They are quite interesting and informative, too.

What have I been up to, you might ask? Well, between airports and the manly Dodge truck, quite a bit. Here...I'll share a few tidbits of the Pond Boss' life.



We got to host some youngsters, mostly young girls, at LL,2 for a "learn to fish" trip one Sunday afternoon. They had blast and the leader, James Stokes, from McKinney, cleaned about 30 large bluegill and two or three giant channel catfish the kids caught. It was a great trip for them and we enjoyed it immensely.



Lots of bluegill.



This father and son had never caught a fish before...either of them.



Big fish on!



And the winner is....!



Of course, as hot as it is...we must swim! Here, Grandson Nolan gives the zip line a go. If you don't have a zip line, get one!

Got to go to Alabama and survey all three of Ray Scott's key lakes. Here, he takes a photo of our buddy ewest, Eric West, with a bass caught off the dock behind Ray's house.



Ray's right hand man, Jim Kientz, shows a nice bass caught as Ray was taking Eric's picture.



There's some nice bluegill in Ray's President's Lake, too. If you haven't heard, Ray has opened his lake to the public for fishing and his prices are pretty reasonable. If you want to fish there, go to www.rayscottoutdoors.com and take a look.



More than anything, I enjoy the friendship with Ray. The man is a legend and I could sit and talk with him for hours.



Ray and Eric, dipping fish as we electrofished his President's Lake.







In the middle of our always-hectic schedule, we got to watch Debbie's youngest, Taylor, graduate from high school. It was a good day.



Debbie, Taylor and his sister, Ashley revel in the moment.



But, as you all know, fish are never far from my mind. Know what this is? A silversides minnow...anglers call them "ghost minnow".

Ever seen duckweed? Here it is...in a small lake in east Texas.



In early June, Otto and I made a road trip to Nebraska to visit with TJ Hudson, our good buddy who is spearheading the PB website renovation.



Beautiful Texas Hill Country lake south of Kerrville, Texas.



Recognize this fish? Gizzard shad...from said lake south of Kerrville.



What about this plant? Hydrilla...in a private lake. I rarely see this monstrous plant in private waters. It sent a shiver down my spine.



Here's my sweet little "girlie girl" Jentry, just before her 2nd birthday. She was playing dress up with Ashley.



I get to see some pretty cool stuff out their in nature. Here, a kildeer pursuades me away from her nest. It had four eggs in it. She acted as though she was hurt....beautiful.



What a cool playhouse!



Be sure to read the article on water snakes in this issue of PB.



Also took delivery of several big loads of fish this spring and summer. This is a state of the art fish truck owned by Mr. Fish, Roger Coffman of Arkansas.

Outdoor Water Solutions George Moss came to Texas last week and we got to spend some great time with him. My OWS windmill needed a checkup, so George, Texoma Hatchery biologists Chad Fikes and Josh Flowers teamed with my son Cameron to bring the windmill down and give it a look.





George checks the bearings and umbrella valve on the unit.



My sweet baby granddaughter turned 2 July 15. I love those grandbabies. It makes me glad I didn't kill their mother when I had the chance.

It's Sunday night and the Queen and I are awaiting the arrival of TJ Greaney and his Kid's Outdoor Zone Pink campers. We just has a nice rain shower, the temperature dropped about 25 degrees. Nine girls, two women chaperones and TJ should be here in another hour or so for three days of "Fish Camp." These girls, from a variety of backgrounds, will hang out with us here at LL,2 and learn boating on Lake Texoma tomorrow, then a variety of techniques how to fish on Tuesday. I think we'll have a special appearance from Dan VanSchaik to talk about wildlife management. My neighbor, Marc Edwards, will stop by for an impromptu lesson in turkey calling. I've invited Temple Fork Outfitter's fisheries biologist, guide and instructor extraordinaire, Brandon Powers, to come Tuesday and give flyfishing lessons. He hasn't confirmed, but I bet he'll be here. Then, on Wednesday, we'll dig into the fisheries management business and break out the electrofishing boat, seines, water test equipment and teach these girls about fish identification, aquatic plants, water quality and way more than they ever knew about water.
Oh, and yes, they'll have plenty of time to swim, go off the zip line, catch fish, watch movies and spend time in the Bible. Part of the mission is to impart God's word in the girls in an outdoor environment. That's a big reason we built LL,2...to share.

Fish on!

By the way...stay tuned...I have other announcements that will surely pique your interest. I'll be back in a few days...now that I'm caught up.