Well...I can't believe the last six weeks. So sorry for not posting. I just simply haven't had time. It's been utterly consuming, with lots of things happening. I usually wake up when I must, throw on some clothes, brush the pearlies and hit it...then quit when I must (depending on where I am and what I am doing). It's been a giant balancing act. Thank goodness Queen Debbie has traveled with me a bit. That's helped balance family time. So, for this thread, I'll show some photos of the remainder of the Shock and Jaw Tour and then start a new one.
From the photos above, shot during the first half of the trip, I'll pick up the trip and roll on.
From King Fisher Society, I rolled west and met up with NASCAR driver Ryan Newman and electrofished his lake. He has a beautiful setting outside Statesville, North Carolina.
Ryan Newman and one of his ranch managers, "June Bug", admire a fish.
As we finished electrofishing, a young osprey hovered above. I shot some photos and then watched as it repeatedly dove into the water, trying to catch one of the floating fish that had been jolted with a few volts. This photo shows the bird coming out of the water, after being totally submersed. Very cool to watch.
I left Ryan's and headed to June Bug's house to visit with him about his lake. It was a 40 minute run westward on I-40 in NC. Visited with Bug and his family for about an hour, couldn't launch the boat because there's no way to get it out, as heavy as it is. Headed back east and northward, finding a motel room in Fancy Gap, Virginia. Up early the next morning, I drove to Louisville, Kentucky, to meet up with long time client and good friends, Bill and Ann Boone. They have a cool story. It's in the July-August issue of Pond Boss, "Pond to Plate."
Electrofishing Bill and Ann Boone's lake.
We harvested 75 bass from their 5 acre lake. Filleted every one of the little guys.
Spent the night with the Boones, left at 4 a.m. and rolled due west. Went through St. Louis about rush hour, headed toward Johnny Morris' ranch north of Springfield, Missouri.
Ranch manager Josh Braun helps net a big buffalo (never thought I would go buffalo hunting with Johnny Morris) that Johnny grabbed. He has some pretty cool lakes, many of which are reclaimed strip mines.
Johnny and his son, John Paul, with a nice tiger musky.
Had trouble with the shift linkage in my outboard motor, so Josh called the local Tracker manufacturer. Those guys were kind enough to stop what they were doing and take a look at it for us.
As we were electrofishing a large tailings pit, I saw two little wood ducks swimming in the middle of the lake. Got close enough to take a look. They couldn't be more than a day old, and were alone in the middle of the lake. They probably hatched late and missed the big jump. I didn't want to think of their fate. I told Debbie about them and showed her the photo. She asked why I didn't bring them home. That's Debbie.
I stayed at Morris' ranch for four days, electrofishing often and many hours each day.
There's a bald eagle's nest in a tall tree on the largest lake. We kept a fair distance, but here's a long shot, cropped, of the two young eagles we saw in the nest. Parents weren't far away.
From there, I headed to Tulsa. Met up with Darwin James and his entourage, where we are looking to help him revive an old Tulsa landmark fishing club lake, Fin and Feather. Lots of history on this old lake, but it's in dire need of some love. Darwin plans to use the lake to entertain family, friends and clients with a long term lease.
Darwin James and his group. Boy, we had a fun evening of electrofishing and frolic. Darwin brought me up to date on some intriguing history of fishing. Tulsa, Oklahoma, has played a significant role in the bass fishing industry. The first life member (and dear, dear friend of Ray Scott), Don Butler, was from Tulsa. He made the "Okie Bug" spinner baits. Darwin had a contract with Zebco for years. Zebco was named the "Zero Bomb Company". Something to do with the times and funding. Banks wouldn't loan money to a fishing reel company, but would loan to a defense contractor. Darwin made all the screws and other parts of Zebco reels for a long time. He also told me some of the inside stories about Carl Lowrance and how his company evolved. Lowrance Electronics are still key players on the fishing business, all over the world, plus some things we don't even know about.
After finishing with Darwin's, I headed over to meet up with "Cheezy" a Pond Boss forum member and leaky pond expert. His name is Darrel Pearson and I got to meet his family and hang out with them for a few hours before heading south to tour another ranch and then back to Fin and Feather to sleep a few hours.
Next morning, I met up with Mike Peyton and his business partner, Roy Bliss to electrofish their lake near Kellyville, west of Tulsa.
Roy Bliss, (left) and Mike Peyton admire one of their nicest bass.
I looked up from weighing and measuring fish to see this red-wing black bird sitting on a snag in the lake.
After finishing with Peyton's lake, it was time to head home. I loaded up and after 17 days on the road, headed home.