Turkey and Mushroom Hunting Report

Well it is April 25th and here is the only local mushroom hunting report I have seen so far:



Also for me turkey season has come and gone....I just couldnt justify taking off during busy season to go sit in the rain or mud. Oh well, I have heard mixed reports so far from all my turkey hunting buddies and clients.

Chuck Hart just got back from Ice fishing up in Wisconsin still:


Speaking of ice up north, my yellow perch and forage minnow producers are still have 2' of ice on their hatchery ponds...unbelievable, all we can do is wait for it to finally thaw out up there....

Speaking of hatchery ponds and fish, this week we delivered tens of thousands of hybrid bluegill and regular bluegill to lakes and ponds across the state! Also we stocked lots of big largemouth bass and albino catfish...Look how happy Jared is to be stocking fish:


Oh yeah we also delivered lots of fish food as well. Our warehouse was completely full double stacked pallets, but now we are down to just a couple pallets left.... The best way to give your fish a little jumpstart before, during, and after spawning season is by feeding them some Aquamax fish food. Aquamax is a complete diet that includes many essential vitamins and minerals for your fishes to thrive. This is a big key to produce lots of extra forage for your predators to gobble up all year long....


Normally I like to get my fish structure out on the ice, but since we were robbed of safe ice this winter, we have been placing our stack of 300 christmas trees every chance we get. Boy does it take alot longer to do on the open water, but despite the extra effort it is so worth it.....every year I add a new fishing reef or two to our lake....


If you look closely in the pic you can see my deer hunting tower. It sits on a 12' stand....This winter I will post this picture along with the future picture of me (or one of my kids) next to a freshly harvested whitetail deer...The spoon river bottom ground floods (not usually this bad), but it also is home to perhaps the greatest population of deer in the midwest....


Sunday we sandbagged at the fishing park in East Peoria, but once the levee breached we lost the battle very quickly. Once the flood waters recede we are gonna need some help getting this place whooped back into shape for the fast approaching fishing season!


Here is another big fish from a client. This lake is big, and the fish are getting BIG as well...the next couple years at this lake are going to produce some amazing fish....


Earlier this week on Facebook I was made fun of in this pic for looking so young....Baby Nate, etc...But anyhow, I didnt catch this fish, my wife did back 8 or 9 years ago. To this day I still havent caught a bigger fish than her.....but I will, even if it takes another 30 years....


Speaking of Facebook, the guys started up a Herman Brothers facebook account, check it out and add it to your friend list feed.. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Herman-Brothers-Lake-and-Land-Management/184591361592681
Ever since this pic popped up I have been day dreaming of fishing in Alaska.....Alaska, some day I will be back!!!

So anyhow I couldnt sleep this morning, my mind kicked on a little early...I have to be in St. Louis tomorrow, then from there a little getaway in Branson with Brook, then designing some trout ponds out of a large set of springs in Springfield, Missouri for Dr. Quinn (not the medicine woman). Then Monday morning at 5 am I head out to Cedar Rapids to install some aeration, plan some food plots, meet with BandB farm store about speaking at their big pond and lake seminar this summer, and then have some consultations lined up for the trip back on Tuesday....

But speaking of B and B farm store, we also will be setting up our Herman Brothers Lake and Pond Management supply rack there! Over the last 5 years we have created our own line of lake and pond supplies and are just now starting to get them into farm and ranch type stores along with some sporting good/outdoor stores!!! In about 2 weeks we will have our resource center up and rolling locally at Presley's Outdoors in Bartonville. You will be able to walk in to Presley's and buy our HB lake dye, pond bacteria, algaecides, shoreline herbicides, and lakeweed herbicides, and even FISH for your pond. Yep, northern pike, muskie, perch, bass, bluegill, crappie, smallmouth, the whole nine yards...The fish won't be in the store live, but rather there will be a pickup day there this fall!!

So anyhow, now the sun is peaking through and its time for work!