Well, you know what happens when you start to feel like their is just no way you can miss, right ? I've just been getting so spoiled with nice Stripers, that I had no reason to believe yesterday would be any different. Wrong !

Caught my live Split Tails no problem. Then, since I had about 3 hours before the outgoing tide started, I went on and did some Sturgeon fishing.... Using the smallest Split Tail in the Sturgeon spot. (heck, I'm more confident using Split Tails for Sturgeon, than any other bait anyway.... Another one of those whacky, totally out-of-the-box Fish Chris things)

And what do you know ?!?! After about 15 minutes, I had a for sure Sturgeon pump on my Splitty ! Let it take it too.... Swung... a little weight.... thunk.... off :(

Darnit that hurt

Never had another Sturgeon bite

But that's okay, I just know I'm going to stick some nice Stripers !

However, I fished until dark... perfect bait, perfect weather, nice strong tide..... not even a bite

What could be worse ?

Uhhhhh..... I think I can answer that. I have to go back to work today, and my work just called me in early

Oh well.

Hey, here's a photo for you though. Technically, not great. It was low light, so I had to use a high ISO... and the focus fell to the back (the female) but none the less, I love the pose

Peace,

Fish

That stinks Chris but dang that a cool pic. I love it.

  However, I fished until dark... perfect bait, perfect weather, nice strong tide..... not even a bite

What could be worse ?

What could be worse... :

However, I fished until dark... perfect bait, perfect weather, nice strong tide..... not even a bite

What could be worse ?

What could be worse... :

Hilarious! ;D

Yea   Don't know why I worded it that way......

Just meant to say, I missed a Sturgy, then got skunked on the Stripers, and what's worse, is that today was my "Monday".....

Lord knows I've been skunked a BUNCH ! .....just not lately.

Peace,

Fish

Yea Don't know why I worded it that way......

Just meant to say, I missed a Sturgy, then got skunked on the Stripers, and what's worse, is that today was my "Monday".....

Lord knows I've been skunked a BUNCH ! .....just not lately.

Peace,

Fish

Sorry - I had to throw that pic in

It's never fun to be skunked - that's for sure. Enjoy that soft water - you'll get 'em next time!   And that was a nice photo you posted - you didn't get any fish - but you were on the water and enjoying nature - that's a lot of what it's about for me (after working in an office for many years!).

I actually got in about an hour of fishing today - had the ice recede away from the bank a bit at one lake - water temp was 37 degrees - so, I mostly got some casting practice...but not any catching... ;D

Sorry about your luck fishing Chris,but that is an awesome picture.

We can score big 10 trips in a row and that 11th trip when we get skunked is the one we'll remember.  Ah, c'est la vie.

Nice photo.  What species of waterfowl are those?  I don't think we ever see these in Central Illinois.  Or do we?

I got skunked today too, been catching some decent snook and jacks.  Went to a spot I know, long drive, where 40# jacks regularly show up, they didn't today. One little bump and that was it.

Hey Bassfisher, those are Cinnamon Teal. Very beautiful ducks, but then most ducks are, IMPO. Very challenging to catch in-flight also > FAST ! 

Peace,

Fish

Those are either cinnamon teal or blue-winged teal, which look almost identical except for their breeding plumage.

Great pic.  That's one creepy looking red eye!

Hey Bassthumb, Cinnamon's for sure...

But you wanna' see something weird ? Check out this shot of a hybrid Cinnamon X Bluewing Teal that I took last Spring (confirmed by at least two wildlife biologists). In fact, one of them asked if he could use my photo to show an example of such. Very rare I guess.

Cinnamons are not supposed to have purple heads, nor a face bar....

I just wonder if he is viable ? The biologists said that could go either way.

Peace,

Fish

The drake in your photo depicts a blue-winged teal except for one weird anomaly.

Blue-winged teals do not have red eyes (as do cinnamon teals)

Roger

Bassthumb and ROLO, Bluewing Teals do not (or are not supposed to) have any Cinnamon Red color whatsoever.

I think the only similarity between the two, is the blue wing patch.

Here's a Blue Wing on the water > (not my photo)

And here's one in-flight>

Peace,

Fish

You're absolutely right Chris (and kudos to those super shots)

When living in Jersey, I've done a good deal of waterfowling (puttin' it mildly).

The Brigantine salt marsh was my favorite by far, but for green-winged teal

& blue-winged teal, I traveled inland to freshwater rivers.

As you point out, the underside of the drake cinnamon teal is deep cinnamon-brown.

In contrast, the underside of the drake blue-winged teal is 'normally'

pale washed-out cinnamon that's checked with black (cinnamon teals are unchecked).

As you well know, both blue-winged and cinnamon teal have blue wings

and green speculums. But the field mark that sets the drake 'blue-winged teal' apart

is his white "forehead crescent".

Getting back to your photo: I've taken blue-winged teals with deeper that usual

undersides but that's the first one I've seen with 'red eyes' (field mark of cinnamon teal).

:o

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PfszcwDN4pk/SVjWOdYnUPI/AAAAAAAABMs/_bqR3bmtgOM/s400/blue-winged%2Bteal%2Bmale.jpg&imgrefurl=http://birdsofmexico.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html&usg=__mMgR5T63S8_6Px6fM4UjF43N1nw=&h=300&w=400&sz=30&hl=en&start=40&zoom=1&tbnid=4BUNxuMdk8mcBM:&tbnh=151&tbnw=203&ei=0_Y-TY2ZG4OClAe7gInKAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblue-winged%2Bteal%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D823%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1249&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=350&vpy=450&dur=5813&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=186&ty=119&oei=xPY-TcSOHo3pgAeDmvS2CA&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:40&biw=1259&bih=823

Roger

Very cool pics

If you wanna take duck photos you need to move here my friend.