Looking for some open water gunning tips

Matt Most

Matt Most

New member
A little background first. Last year I purchased a Fatboy DP and got 'er grassed up and ready to go. I usually hunt in Nevada and California on the various public marshes. During my hunts last year, I kept the boat grassed up and tucked away in the various holes and sloughs on the bigger bodies of water I hunted. Later in the season the birds started to move further out into the water and stayed away from the shoreline...just what I expected.

My question is this - For these small lakes (300-1000 acres), would it be alright to move the boat out off the shoreline and keep it grassed up? I am not sure I want to have it floating out there without cover. Some of these lakes have small islands of grass dotted throughout them. I am a little hesitant to leave it grassed because everytime I see someone hunting open water, they have a clean layout boat.
Second, usually how far off the shoreline should I place the boat? I do not normally get to see where the ducks are in the AM as I put it in position, so I have to take a swag 90% of the time.
Third, how should I set the anchor and where should I place the decoys so I can get a clean kill hole for my limited shooting mobility in the boat.

I know this is a lot to ask in one e-mail, but my hunting time is usually limited and I want to maximize the fun of working the birds. Thanks in advance.
 
I would leave it grassed, wont hurt. We hunt open water down here on Mobile Bay out of boat blinds, sometimes we are a mile from the nearest vegetation. We'll stick some cane in to make a temp blind & then pop up the boat blind. Works well on the puddlers as long as the gadwalls arent too "stale", and almost always really well with the divers. With a low profile boat (vss. our high profile boat blinds), like the DP, it should work great for you.

[inline BoatBlind1.jpg ]


Where to set up? Scout the day before if you can and see where the birds are, then set up there in the am. Are they feeding on grassbeds or just loafing? If they are just loafing, then it is a crap shoot either way.

I anchor by the bow and use the cane to hold the boat in place, keep from swinging on anchor. You can also use a couple of poles stuck in the bottom for the same purpose, just depends on how deep you are set up. We are normally in 6" to 3'. Assuming you are right handed, put the dekes on the left side.
[inline LayoutSpread11032003.jpg ]

View attachment BoatBlind1.jpg
View attachment LayoutSpread11032003.jpg
 
Matt,
It shouldn't matter how far out you go. and either way on the grassing. But I'd lean toward leaving some camo on. For puddlers set the decoys like you would along the shore except a little more upwind of the boat and hooking around in front. Divers may rtend to hop over there brethren so I'd place them about amidship.

Rig a quick release system for the anchor line. That way you won't have to keep pulling the anchor up to chase birds. If you don't use a retriever, carry a dip net.

Sometimes you can't go wrong no matter how hard you try. I once contribuited to a 3 gun limit in Louisiana just sitting in a jon boat with decpoys and painted coke jugs thrown haphazardly around. It was so easy one hunter left his house blind and motored over saying he worked for 2 months getting things ready, and Ïdon't appreciate you killing ducks this easy". That one day made our season.

Have a good one. BTW, where are you hunting in Nev? I've shot Humbolt sink and stillwater. Love them both.
 
Carl;

Thanks much for the very useful info. I'm pretty sure that most of the places I hunt, birds are just loafing for the day. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to get me a little smarter.
 
Kevin,

I have two layout boats, a Kara and a Fat Boy. The Fat Boy is grassed and the Kara is not. I hunt both of them in open water and have had good success. The hardest thing for me is setting up so the birds land where I can get a good swing on them. Do not get it right every time, but when I do shooting is fun and easy. Where are you located? I hunt Tule and the eastern Sierra. One of these days I'm going to get up to Nevada.

Tight Lines ... Fred
 
Fred,
I live in Richland WA. and hunt the Columbia and Snake rivers, some pothole lakes etc.

Next season I hope to do and waterfowling "safari" by starting in Montana, swing down into Utah and finish in Nevada. I'm just now getting close to a home build of a sneak type boat in the back yard. It'd be fun in the tules and open water. 13 feet long and 44inches wide.
Hope you have a great season down there.
 
It sounds like you are doing a bit of a hybrid hunt (divers and puddlers). I'd recommend staying with the grass/camop for the puddlers since they will get an overhead view of your setup, whereas the divers will see it more from the side.

That being said, if you are going to set up before daylight, try to do so where you've seen birds work before....if they go to a spot, its for a reason (feeding, loafing, etc).

I agree with a lot of the other advice on here (quick release and FLOAT for anchor, etc). I would also remind you that the divers will likely come from downwind, so you should keep that in mind when you set up your decoys. The decoy spread pictured above will work fine, but you can modify it by canting your boat, particularly if you use a bridle to attach both the bow and stern to the anchor line. Or you can use two anchors. That will also enable yo to try to get a setup where you are not looking directly into the sun.

Put some decoys downwind of your boat as well. WHen the divers come in, you want them looking at the decoys, not at your boat.

Last thing I'd say is to keep a serious eye on the wind & weather...if you have no motor and no support vessel, you will need to play it safe. Remember that you can go back later for stuff, but you can't go back in time and undrown yourself.

Have fun and good luck.

-Ivan
 
Kevin;

Thanks much for the tips. I have hunted Stillwater the past couple years. I usually get to go up there for a long weekend and that's about it. Last year was a very tough season and I did not get there until December. Even then, had some good gunning. This year I might try Mason Valley for a few days in addition to Stillwater. Best of luck this season and thanks again.
 
Kevin;

Thanks much for the tips. I have hunted Stillwater the past couple years. I usually get to go up there for a long weekend and that's about it. Last year was a very tough season and I did not get there until December. Even then, had some good gunning. This year I might try Mason Valley for a few days in addition to Stillwater. Best of luck this season and thanks again.
Click to expand...


On your way out to Stillwater ever stop and checked out the Harmon Pasture reservoir? Just off US50 when you hit the first hard left on the main road to Stillwater, just go straight and about a mile down the road it will be on the right. Shows up really well on Google Earth/Maps.

My childhood stomping grounds. Shallow enough most of the time to wade around in hip boots when in the back end. Just watch out for the catfish and muskrat holes. It gets a lot of weekend pressure since it is right near town. There are a lot of little "islands" on the pond with little woven willow blinds on them. I never ran into anyone using them when I was a kid.
 
Ray,
I have never heard of Harmon Pasture. I guess the locals want to keep something for themselves. Will have to remember that one for next season.
Did you ever shoot on that res. southwest of town. Don't remember the name, it straddles two counties and looks real promising.
 
Ray,
I have never heard of Harmon Pasture. I guess the locals want to keep something for themselves. Will have to remember that one for next season.
Did you ever shoot on that res. southwest of town. Don't remember the name, it straddles two counties and looks real promising.
Click to expand...

Kevin, I think you are talking about Lahontan. Its pretty large and does not have a lot of habitat. We never hunted it, but did a lot of fishing there. When the water is high in the summer there are a lot of flooded willows in the back coves and bays. In the winter the water is drawn down and you will have a lot of exposed rocky shore line. Might hold some divers. I have heard that guys hunt the top end where the river dumps in near the town of Silver Springs.

Southeast of town is the Carson Sink where there used to be a private club, but since they started to recieve public funding for water they had to open it up to the public. The Greenhead club still exists and you can buy into a cabin/camping site, but most of the marsh is now public I believe. There used to be a guy on this site that hunted that but due to family issues he has not been around for the last year or two. He might have moved out of Reno.

North of town there are the Indian Lakes which can have birds in them. However, they are just west of Stillwater and it does not take a lot of pressure to push them out. To the west of the Indian Lakes area there is the remains of the Carson River and there can be some surface water out there. However, the roads are pretty poor as I remember them and the whole place is alkali mud so we never spent much time there in the winter due to that. Ever been stuck in 2 inches of mud on a flat surface? Not fun.

You ever plan on going all the way up to Ruby? That is supposed to be pretty cool for fishing and hunting in the fall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top