OUTDOORS & REC
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2022
RODS
TURKEYS
Continued from Page B1
Continued from Page B1
There was the tenkara
rod I use for salmon that
landed a legitimate 28-inch
pink salmon buck in south-
east Alaska in 2019. And
those aren’t even the book
ends. How is one expected
to part with functional art
that carries a backstory
like that?
Deciding upon an old
American Tackle fi ve-
weight and a six-weight
switch rod, I moved on to
the fl y selection to fi nd a
similar situation. Volumi-
nous boxes and fl y types
that once were organized to
a particular structure had
fallen into disarray. Boxes
were dispersed among the
various backpacks and duf-
fels devoted to fi eld time
and travel. Nymphs and
streamers were the only
fl ies I needed for this par-
ticular trip, but which of
four streamer boxes held
the small laser-dubbed bug-
ger-type fl ies I sought, and
where in the hell was it?
Grabbing each bag and
emptying its contents on
the couch littered blue,
green, and white foam
boxes, gray plastic fl ip-
sided boxes, giant “meat
lockers” packed with
blue, orange, and purple
“intruders” capable of
spooking a shark, and
the one aluminum box
of meticulously sepa-
rated nymphs. At least
the nymphs are kept with
some order, but the lid of
that box was stuff ed with
various dry fl y patterns.
Grabbing the nymph box
and small foam box of
streamers provided enough
ammunition to be dan-
gerous, so I moved on to
the reel selection.
which employs a forward
mounted wheel that allows
use of four striking rails.
So I love box calls, but
they keep your hands tied
up, so you’ve got to learn
how to use a reed. That
way you can have your
gun up and still be calling.
The push box call is so
simple that a kid can use
it to call turkeys. And you
can tape it to the forestock
of your shotgun so you can
be calling right up until
you shoot.
You’ll for sure want to
carry a locator call. For
whatever reason if you hit
a locator call it will prompt
a turkey to gobble which
helps you locate them. I like
a coyote howl, but crow or
peacock calls are also pop-
ular locator calls.
SHELLS & CHOKES
Sixty years ago we used
our leftover lead 2-shot
duck shells but now there
are turkey loads that are
super-effi cient. HEVI-Shot,
Kent and nearly all of the
big boys make turkey loads.
You need to use a
turkey choke which are
super tight chokes. Aim
at the neck, about 3 to 4
inches below the head. If
you aim at the head half
of the BBs go whistling
harmlessly overhead.
Well, I could go on for
another 500 words but we’re
out of room so let’s end on
a note of safety. Everyone
tells you to set with your
back against a tree so a
hunter sneaking in doesn’t
shoot you. Also don’t sit on
a fl at spot level with your
decoys or another hunter
may come sneaking in and
shoot your decoy with you
in line behind it.
Brad Trumbo/Contributed Photo
Rods, reels, nymphs, and streamers selected for a day on a desert lake.
Throwing the lid open
on the reel case revealed
a dozen reels to fi t the
rods of all sizes. I was
looking specifi cally for
the big Ross reel with
full-sinking line for the
switch-rod and an Okuma
with the fl oating line for
the fi ve-weight. “Where
is that Okuma reel with
the white line?” I thought,
before realizing that reel
was attached to the Sage
rod that found a new home
last year. An Orvis Bat-
tenkill with a weight-for-
ward fl oating line would be
the replacement.
The Ross was an easy
fi nd as the sinking line was
striped blue and orange,
but I could not specifi -
cally recall the other line
and reel I was seeking.
The deep green line was
another sinking line. The
bright orange lines were
for a three-weight or the
shooting heads for steel-
head fi shing. The bright
green line was a dou-
ble-taper fl oating fi ve-
weight that would not cut
it on the lake. Finally, I
recalled the reel was actu-
ally on a diff erent rod in
another case, but was an
easy fi nd since the case was
too big to fi t in the cabinet.
With the most
important gear gathered,
my attention turned to
the various other neces-
sities like leader wallets,
split-shot, the multi-tool,
snacks, fi shing license, and
camera and accessories.
Luckily, I had only one
set of waders and boots to
match up.
A week following
the epic outing for feisty
spring trout, my truck was
loaded for a trip to Good-
will. A single fl y rod found
its way into the cab – a
14-foot, nine-weight spey
rod that I had owned for a
decade and never used. A
modest “downsizing,” and
temporary at that.
I could use another
10-foot, fi ve-weight to
replace that Sage, I thought,
when pulling away from
Goodwill. After all, I had
made room in the cabinet.
█
Brad Trumbo is a fish and wildlife
biologist and outdoor writer in
Waitsburg, Washington. For tips
and tales of outdoor pursuits
and conservation, visit www.
bradtrumbo.com.
Tom Claycomb/Contributed Photo
You can see how tight of a pattern you can get with good turkey loads
shot through a good choke.
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