Most of you know that I am all fishing, all the time, but I love to hunt and trap too. I seldom go more than a few days without drying off a fish or two, but in the spring when the turkeys are gobbling, I get distracted. This spring has been no exception. I spent as much time as possible listening to my favorite birds gobble from ridge tops, fields, and canyon bottoms. When the time is right, often in conjunction with a turkey hunt, I like to wander around picking a few morels as well.
My mushroom season this year was the longest, without traveling around the state, that I can remember. I am pretty sure that was weather-related. However, although it was long, my morel picking never was very intense this year. I never did pick a lot at any one time, only ever found one here, another there, and ended up spending a lot of time for every one I picked.
Eventually the mushrooms mature and rot and spring turkey season closes. Then it is time to get back to the fish I have been neglecting. But, I have to confess, I suffer from spring turkey and mushroom withdrawal; that still is all I have on my mind. So, where do I find my motivation to get back on the water? Usually, I get back in the groove by going back to where most of us started fishing–dropping a bobber in the water, waiting for a bluegill to pull it under! Does anyone ever tire of watching a bobber dip below the surface?
Best of all, about the end of spring turkey season every year, the bluegills are shallow getting ready to spawn, so it is a great time to dry off some big ones! In this case, some big hybrid sunfish, redear X bluegill hybrids.
Just how big? Maybe this will put it in a little better perspective:
Yes, that big, 10-inch+ big. And they all went back in the water, it is crucial to keep those big male sunfish in the population, NOT in a frying pan! (Bed Time for ‘Gill)
Pretty sure it is like riding a bike; I am betting I can find some more fish to catch and release here in the coming weeks. “Stay tuned”.
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