Early Start To Winter

Hi All

Well Winter is back. YUCK...I have been out fishing in it and plowing already..FUN FUN...The fish were not yet accumulated to the sudden cool down. So it has been a little slow. It is pretty for the first hour then it's just cold...Having the right gear is KEY to comfort and survival... For me it starts with Simms extrem wading socks($25), then Simms fleece wading pant( $100), in a pair of Cabelas 1600mg. boot foot 5 mil. waders( $225) is my lower half..Top half is T- shirt, Simms long sleeve poly turtleneck($75), Simms windproof fleece jacket($225), Patagonia Arctic water proof down filled puff coat with the hood($450), on my head is the one and only Leather Waterproof Bommer Rabbit Eared Crowncap from Winnipeg ,Canada($75)..On my hands are waterproof snowmobile style Ice Armor Ice fishing gloves($100) or Keni fleece/ neoprene fingerless gloves($20) while fishing..Add it all up and I wear about $1200--$1300 + or -  of stuff..Worth every single penny!! This gear is for snow flys till snow is gone..November --Early April...Yea it's a lot of gear and $$ but I laugh at the cold while wearing it..Hope you find some of these items way under your Christmas Tree...No peeking...


Jeff and I hit the water for a couple hours before the crap hit the fan and there was some good color to the water that day right after a recent rain..Jeff hit his male on the swing and I served up a egg fly to a hen..Had brave clients for Sunday and Monday 16th./17th. in the first real cold snap of the year..Thanks for hanging in there Phil and John, we were rewarded with a 30"+ Lake Run Brown..Good Luck Deer Hunting and Fishing also Happy Thanksgiving everyone..

Tight Lines
Clint

Mo. Hunt Was Short

Hi All

Been a while..October wound down with some great Brown Trout fishing and a few Steelhead around.. Salmon season was pretty tough this year. So after I got caught up with all my guide trips I went for my annual Missouri bow hunt. I usually leave before Halloween and get stands set up the first couple days. I hunted a evening on Oct. 30 th. after I set 3 stands and saw nothing but the good rubs I was looking at 15 yards away. Oct. 31st. I  hunted another evening in a stand set on the drive in and could have got a doe at 5-10 yards but passed looking for the buck following her. On November 1 st. passed on a young 10 pt. at 5 yards, saw a couple does getting chased by a nice buck and they ran off up the hill..45 min later a super loud grunt and 2 does ran behind my stand. Then the buck popped out. He was nice with good brow tines..I said shooter..He walked by at 5 yards on my trail and I drew back and shot at 10 yards. He jumped my string a little and my shot was high and back more than I wanted, 50 yards later he fell..I was shocked..I stayed in my stand a hour for good measure and went to where I saw him last..Another great Mo. bow hunt in the books..

This was the quickest hunt I had done..Last season I hunted 12-13 days on and off with the big wind days off..The 2 evenings I hunted this season were mostly wind related shortened days. Nov. 1 st. the weather was perfect 22 deg. in the a.m. calm..Perfect weather..I stayed and took my time removing my stands because the youth gun season was going on. So I waited to pull a couple stands. Took my Deer into the processor and they rushed it to get it done before I had to leave. Rode around on a combine with my cousin Mark who was busy harvesting soy beans. He planted my food plots this year in Milo. All in all I'm back and thinking of going Steelheading soon...

I have heard reports the Steelhead are around but conditions are a little tough..We are in bad need of rain to increase #'s of fish and get some much needed color to the water..We had a sprinkle today but it wasn't much..I may go out for a walk tomorrow in the back yard or down the street to see what's happening. All my trips are scheduled with other guides because I was planning on around a 2 week hunt. I kinda wish I knew if there was some bigger bucks around but this one was better than last years buck and I hunted hard last year. If you would shoot it on the last day you should shoot it on the first day, was what was in the back of my mind..I would diffiently shoot this one on the last day with my bow.. Seeing big bucks in daylight is hard enough getting them at 10 yards you need some good luck and good weather too..

Tight Lines
Clint

Give me a call if your intrested in a Fall/ Winter Steelhead/ Trout guide trip..Lots of good dates open..