Fox Collectors

Our 2nd trip right after New Years was more productive than our December Hunt. The lake had thawed and temps rose into the 50s with heavy rains overnight. We shot mostly mallards and GWT. There were a lot of pintails and gadwalls in the sky, but they never came in. Lucky for them!

Frank

IMG_0208 by FGP1154, on Flickr

Untitled by FGP1154, on Flickr

Tell us more about your hunt! Were you using a guide? What were you shooting? I am on the other end of the State and always wanted to hunt Reelfoot!

Holy Red Legs, Batman. That looks like an LCI heading into Guadalcanal!!

I hunted Reelfoot on the opening of teal season in September about four years ago. We had a great time and killed lots of teal. Shot teal in flip-flops.

The guides were a hoot. Billy Blakley and team. Would love to go back there again. Stayed at the Blue Bank Resort. Very nice accommodations and good food in the restaurant there. No downside at all.

This is a place that I'd love to see a "get together hunt" of Fox enthusiasts. We did that some years ago at Beaver Dam Lake near Tunica, MS. Reelfoot is a unique place, and would be a great venue for such a get-together.

Are you guys in a Higgins boat?

We hunt with Ronnie and Kelly Capps who have been guiding for a long time in Reelfoot. There is a lot of info in the article for the Fall 21 Newletter about our annual duck hunts. I don't know what kind of boat that is, but any boat in Reelfoot has to have a shallow draft due to the numerous Cypress stumps just beneath the water. The Lake is more of a swamp, never much more than 6 ft deep and a lot shallower in places. Those hidden stumps make for great Crappie fishing.

I'll take my HE and a heavy Browning O/U and shoot with both depending on the weather and how the birds are flying in. If its a teal day, open chokes work a lot better, at least for me.

Thanks, Frank (Spyder). Jim

IMO, the worst hazard in Reelfoot are those dang jumping Asian carp. I barely avoided getting hit in the head by one as we sped along in a big outboard powered aluminum boat. Sure glad we don't have them in the waters here where we run our speedboats.

Great pictures!

Stan Hillis wrote: ↑Fri Jan 13, 2023 7:39 am IMO, the worst hazard in Reelfoot are those dang jumping Asian carp. I barely avoided getting hit in the head by one as we sped along in a big outboard powered aluminum boat. Sure glad we don't have them in the waters here where we run our speedboats.

Our guide caught one in midair while driving the boat! It was on the Mississippi though. I've not seen any on Reelfoot yet. There are a lot more Bald Eagles patrolling the skies now. Maybe that's why.

That’s one heck of a boat. Looks like you’re about to land at Normandy.

spyder wrote: ↑Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:53 am

Stan Hillis wrote: ↑Fri Jan 13, 2023 7:39 am IMO, the worst hazard in Reelfoot are those dang jumping Asian carp. I barely avoided getting hit in the head by one as we sped along in a big outboard powered aluminum boat. Sure glad we don't have them in the waters here where we run our speedboats.

Our guide caught one in midair while driving the boat! It was on the Mississippi though. I've not seen any on Reelfoot yet. There are a lot more Bald Eagles patrolling the skies now. Maybe that's why.

Billy Blakley and Company use a couple "duck style" aluminum boats to transport to and from the blind. Once he's out of the No Wake Zone he roars across the lake with the outboard singing a tune. That drives those carp nuts and they start their stuff. If they ever make it into the Savannah River here I'm selling my Allison. I cannot even imagine getting hit by a 10-20 pound carp at 90 mph. I do remember seeing several Bald Eagles when I was there a few years ago.