Got out about 2pm and fished until dark. Wouldnt say they where jumping in the boat. Got 4 nice ones off the 1st spot. 24 to 26″s. Managed about a dozen by the end of the day.
After the slow morning I was wondering if the afternoon/evening might have been better. I’d be happy with a dozen fish most days on pool 2. It had to feel a little better out there when the clouds starting blocking some of that hot old sun.
Saturday morning was slow for me. I managed two smaller walleyes off two different wingdams and the usual assortment of smallies, whities, and sheeps. Friday morning went pretty well as you will see when Mike finds his camera.
dd
These are a couple of noteable pics from two weeks ago.I have a 27 and a 28.5, my buddy Rick with his biggest, a 26 and a nice flathead. My normal crawler bite just didn’t happen, most of our fish were on crankbaits. The size has benn good but the numbers have been low for me.
I was out Saturday 6pm-9pm. There was a boat, maybe I should call it a ship, anchored at the confluence that must have been 50′ long. Plenty of other traffic too, including big wake cruisers. 
I just threw cranks to shoreline rocks and did some trolling, kind of a low effort outing. Landed 5 smallies, two smaller eyes, a 30″ pike, and a couple sheepies. This was all above the confluence.
I was also out sunday.
Lots of boats and people out around Hidden Falls.
Picked up a couple of smallies and a sheepy pulling cranks.
Was off the water by 2:30.
Way to warm out there for me.
Being I just moved down to the area the river is new to me. I am enjoying it. 
I did check the distance from my driveway to the 494 launch…4 miles…sweet! 
Hey Kraig!
When you get some more river time in you won’t be missing Mille Lacs as much. It is a real good time now to be checking out wingdams with some flow on them. 
dd
Nice fish Sippi! Good to see you’re getting out on the river.
dd
Took me 5 days, but found the one I wanted.
Passed up on a few smaller ones and couldn’t get close enough to the size I wanted till day 5.
I’ll take her as my first bird, on my first turkey hunt.
24lbs
10″ beard (with a few strands stretching pass the 10″ mark)
1.375″ spurs (if I measured right????)
Brought him in from 1/4 mile away, across a plowed field and picked soybean field to hen and jake decoy.
Got to give a thumbs up to the Quaker Boy Trifecta slate call.
WTG Gary!!! Always a good feeling.
Mark
Congrats 
nice job gary!!!
Congrats awesome bird!!!
Well done Gary! Great looking bird!! 
Atta boy Gary!!
Congrats on a great Bird
That’s awesome! Way to set yourself a goal and work until you complete it Good job and nice picture
Congrats on your bird…..for your first, I don’t think you realize how big that really is! Good work, I’m sure it’ll taste great and get you fired up for next season!
Joel
Great first Bird! It will be hard to beat that one!
big congrats on a trophy for your first bird.
Congrats Gary! I hope it’s the first of many more to come!
Congrats Gary on your first bird.
It was truly a great hunting experience.
I’m quite fortunate in that where I deer hunt, the turkeys have “infested” the area. Infested the area to the point where the deer are starting to leave the woods. So, I have a bit of vengence against these birds and really kinda want them gone. I’ve been cursing them for about 2 years now, as it has been effecting my deer hunting, as about 40+ birds have decided to roost right in my primo zone.
I’ve also been talking for several years about turkey hunting, but just never seemed to quite pull it off. Always getting side tracked, forgetting to apply for license, and just having other priorities of a busy family life.
Well, last fall was the last straw. With not a deer in site of my primo area and watching trophy bucks only “pass through” and not parking in my area, I jsut couldn’t take it any longer……But, forgot to apply for spring turkey tag in time! DOAH!!! 
Being fortunate enough that my area has extra tags for season G and H, I purchased a tag.
Now,
This is my first chase for a turkey. Not knowing where to start, Joel Nelson hooked me up with a bunch of Quaker Boy calls. I got a water proof box call, a Trifecta Slate, Mouth call, and a Plunger Box call. With a couple of movies in hand, I watched and read and watched and read, and practiced, practiced, and practiced.
Got a hen/jake decoy and nice single-man blind from Cabelas, got a XXFull turkey choke. I’m set!
Opening morning, I picked up my 14 yr old Godson and off we went. Set up the decoys at the edge of the woods, in an open soybean field. Worked the box call and got IMMEDIATE RESPONSE! Off about 400 yards away, was a big tom who was all fluffed up and pissed off there was a jake with a hen. I made the poor soul run the whole way, with my yelping and his gobbling, by the time he got to the decoys, I think he was out of breath.
Unfortunately, he had about a 6-8″ beard. I asked my nephew if he wanted him, and he said “nope, want bigger”. So we let him slip off into the woods and sure as hell, a BIG BIG Tom comes out with 4 hens and 2 jakes. Here was our trophy bird. He too, was all fluffed up with the decoys and calling, but there was no way in hell he was going to leave the hot hens at his side. It was a lot of fun watching the 2 jakes trying to sneak in on the hens, while the big Tom chased them off. They too, slipped off into the yonder, only coming within 75 yards at best.
Things got quiet and so you read, it is “dead time”. We moved and came up on 4 BIG Toms and a jake and hen in another field. I belly crawled and staked the hen decoy out and we laid in a TICK INFESTED tall grass. We got the jake to come in, but the 4 big toms only got about 50 yards out. They were in range, but the wind was blowing pretty good and would screw up the shot pattern. So, while we watched in disappointment, our trophys walked away. Would have been a great “double-banger” for my Godson and I to both have taken our birds, but we just couldn’t pull it off.
Then the wind,
Then the rain,
Then a lot of “goof ups” in not staging right, not calling right, screwing up a call, calling too much, not calling enough and watching a ton of birds “just out of range”, we fast forward to the 5th day.
We set up in the spot where 4 big toms are hanging. Fast forward 2 hours of only distant gobbling responses, nothing was happening.
So we relocated to the “primo spot”, where the BIG-BIG Tom was hanging. As we sneaked up on the area, in the distance, I see a bunch of birds running like hell to the next valley, about 1/4 mile away. How they saw us in unknown, but we were busted!!!
With patience in mind, we set up. Placing the jake about 4 feet behind the hen and I start gently working the Box call. I get a response, but not much.
Patience…..
Sure as hell, here comes the Big Tom. This time, he has 2 more NICE Toms with him.
He slooooooowly worked his way torwards us.
As I worked a gentle series of clucks-purrs on the slate, he just slooooowly walked towards us. Never making a peep.
As he closed the gap about 40 yards out, he was directly on the other side of the jake decoy, looking right at me. I thought sure as hell, I’m busted!!!!
Yet, he got madder than a wet hen, fluffed up, strutted towards the jake….
I clucked……
He gobbled……..
Neck stretched out……
TURKEY ON THE GROUND!!!!!!!!!
What a rush!
I think I’m hooked.
As the season went along, I wasn’t just quite too sold on this turkey hunting. While it was fun, it wasn’t “doing it for me”. Until I sat in a 5 minute anticipation of that bird working his way, 1/4 mile, right to my setup.
The heart was racing as I had the bead on him the last 30 seconds, right till I pulled the trigger. What a rush!
I’m hooked.
Joel,
Thanks for hooking me up with the calls!
I GREATLY APPRECIATE IT!!!!
Call me in the fall, I’ll take one out of the gene pool for you.
Awesome story Gary. The last few minutes/seconds, when you know it’s all going to go down, you start coming in and out of consciousness, see funny spots, and double vision…..man that excitement is what it’s all about! Thanks so much for sharing the story of an incredible hunt. You guys passed on a longbeard?!?! I’ll have you know it took me 3 long seasons before I bagged my first bird, and I would’ve been satisfied with a jake. Not fair!
I’m glad to see you had a positive experience with it, and getting hooked on the sport is what it’s all about. Kudos to you for sharing it with your godson, and you hunted hard to boot. Sounds perfect.
Joel
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