The annual bluegill fishing tournament...events such as these serve so many purposes its hard to describe em all here. First off just plain good fun to have a bunch of family and friends out to fish. Second its just awesome way to help manage the lake by selective harvesting the right fish and by observing the overall health of the fishery. Third the following fish fry is just an awesome way to enjoy eating the fruits of the land...nothing cooler than producing your own food...And the last main point is a little friendly competition- to the winner goes the spoils....
Here is a pic of everyone helping to clean the fish:
I have helped set up and organize 100's of lake management themed fishing tournaments, but rarely do I ever get the opportunity to actually partake in them. (Especially on a Saturday during our busy season). It was a blast and a great opportunity for everyone involved. Chef Todd and I actually won the tournament which was pretty cool. The winning weight was 13.29 lbs for 15 bluegills....not bad at all for a .9lb average on bluegills.....
So anyhow Mothers Day was spent at church in the morning and then wildlife prairie park and yard work for the afternoon...I only live .25 miles from wildlife prairie park and have an annual family pass so any chance me and kids get we head over there to kill time. We absolutely love it!! Eventually we will find the time to do more volunteering over there as well!
Monday I was out the door by 5 am and headed towards Geneseo to investigate a fish kill and teach a client how to treat his lake for watermeal...the fish kill was 99% crappie, we scooped up 100's of them....
Then off to an 11:30 consultation in Alpha, IL. There my client is building a 10 acre lake...not just any 10 acre lake, but perhaps the coolest 10 acre lake on the planet....The entire perimeter of the whole lake will be lined with a concrete seawall.
Yep, several thousand feet of footing, concrete pad and then mega seawall...The shallowest depths in the pond will be 4' deep...This actually isnt ideal for the best ecosystem, but we are figuring out ways to overcome that.... Completion is scheduled for fall 2014, you will definitely be seeing more pics of this project as they progress...
So from Alpha I drive across the state to pick up Mae from School in Peoria and then on to Henry, IL to layout a 150' waterslide and 400' zipline.... we will start building that next week. I cant wait to get rolling on that project, it is gonna be AWESOME!! Then while filling the feeders on that 7 acre lake Mae, Steve, and I are driving on a trail through the woods and stumble upon a really nice mess of morel mushrooms.....
Speaking of mushrooms, many folks are having their best year ever!! I get pics and texts daily of awesome mushrooms being found all over the place....
While Im out driving around like a chicken with my head cut off, the guys are also out working like crazy getting food plots in the ground, building docks, stocking fish, and maintaining ponds...
I met up with them at 4 pm today to start this mega floating boat house dock. For the next 30 days we are pretty much working around the clock...these are just some of the floats that will be holding up this awesome dock:
Oh yeah, not only are the big morel mushrooms popping out like crazy, so are the big fish! These are just some of the pics I have been sent by clients and friends this week:
I have a hunch that this weekend the fish will be absolutely on FIRE!!!! Also mushrooms will still actually be around so If I were you I would hit the woods and the water!!!!
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