4/19/07

April is a very busy month for outdoors enthusiasts
By Terry Madewell

Terry Madewell Photo

Clarendon’s own Inky Davis knows what his April priorities are. If it’s April, its fishing. For writer Terry Madewell, which outdoor activity to enjoy is not so clear.

There’s just so much to do in April I can’t get it all done. Of course, turkey hunting is my number one activity during April … but the past few years I have been more motivated to pursue other outdoor opportunities as well. This year, from a fishing standpoint, I have fished for big catfish, largemouth bass, crappie and bream during turkey hunting season. Plus, I’ve managed to get in several days of turkey hunting. Sometimes the day will begin with a turkey hunt and end with a fishing trip.

Go ahead say it … life is tough.

One recent day started like this: it was still dark when the boat slipped off my trailer into the water, creating ripples on the slick, calm water’s surface. Looking out over the broad expanse of water, it was clear that nary a breath of wind stirred. Smooth sailing today I figured.

Once in the boat and slow motoring out of the cove into the big body of water, I quickly analyzed the prospects for the morning. I could bass fish; I had my gear rigged and ready. Or I could dip some minnows around shallow cover for crappie; I had that stuff in the boat as well.

Or, I could be lazy and take in a couple of hours of catfishing, watching the sun slip over the horizon with a cup of coffee in my hands. Then, I could take on the bass and crappie later in the day. The third one sounded like a good plan to me.

I motored to a point that I had not fished before, but one I had spotted on a trip to this area last summer. It had catfish written all over it, with a nice shallow flat which gently sloped down until it dropped off into the river on one side and the feeder creek on the other. Plenty of good shallow water with direct access to the deep I recall thinking.

Once I arrived, I anchored and cast out about six lines; some baited with Doc’s Catfish Bait, others with live offerings. I sat back, poured a cup of coffee and waited for the catfish to bite. Two sips into the cup of coffee, I was interrupted by a catfish. I never did finish that cup of coffee.

Sounds like a picture-perfect way to begin the day, doesn’t it? But even as I enjoyed the catfish action, and a few largemouths that were later added to the list, something was amiss.

It was mid-April and I was fishing, not turkey hunting. It was an enjoyable experience, but one I found quite strange since I seldom miss any opportunity to chase gobblers.

I think deep inside I was feeling guilty, that I had somehow betrayed something inherently important. But with each hook set and fighting fish, I felt less and less guilty.

By the time I left the lake that day I was making plans on a quick return trip.

Don’t get me wrong ... I have already hunted turkeys after this fishing trip. But I also began to re-learn that there is room for fishing during April, interspersed with the gobbler hunting. And after some reflection, it makes me appreciate both aspects of the outdoor world even more.

Those of you who do not turkey hunt and sometimes grow weary of reading the springtime trials and tribulations of turkey talking, have no need to feel any great sense of joy. There is no lost passion for chasing gobblers.

We turkey hunters hunt because they we are compelled to do so. Once the fever gets in your spirit, you cannot extinguish or ignore it. It is something you simply must do and being deprived of sleep, walking miles through the woods and making weird sounds with various calls are things we take pride in, whether we harvest a bird or not.

But I think back to a time known as BT (Before Turkeys). If I thought about turkey hunting at all 25 years ago, I figured it was a big zero. I used the month of April to load up on largemouth bass and crappie. That was my outdoor mission in life. There were no choices to make. The boat basically stayed hooked to my truck all spring, just in case I passed a puddle of water.

But after I sampled turkey hunting, I became fanatical – I stall am to a point. I went for many years without thinking about fishing during the month of April. A couple of my close friends were converted to gobbler chasers and we hunt together regularly. A couple others did not and from mid-March to early May there was essentially no communication with non-gobbler hunters.

But change can be good or bad, depending on how you use it. I feel another change coming on this season and I have every reason to believe it is a good one. It seems that there may actually be a time and place for both turkey hunting and fishing during April. I’ve spent several days fishing during March and April this year and can now remember why I used to cherish this month for the fishing opportunities.

As outdoorsmen mature, I think we’re supposed to learn how to make changes for the good and re-direct priorities for the better.
But, I am also compelled to spend a maximum number of days in the woods chasing the monarch of the swamps, those long-bearded, gravelly-voiced, gregarious gobblers.

So I am hereby putting all those who rely on me for work issues on notice that I am compelled to hunt and fish all next April in order to do justice to both sports. It is the only sane thing to do. I simply can’t afford to spend time earning paychecks when there are gobblers gobbling and largemouth bass exploding on top waters.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.