Show f G By JIM RHODY s Northern Ducks TM IM GOING to wait for the northern flights to come com c o m e through before I go after ducks Familiar words to waterfowl hunters hunt hunt- hunters hunters ers But the sportsman that de de- depends depends depends on the northern flights is is likely to get left at the end of the season without any In the first place what is a north north- northern northern northern ern duck For a person living on the Gulf of Mexico probably most ducks are northern ducks The North Dakotan presumably thinks of birds reared in Canada But ducks in the north central por por- portion portion portion tion of the state are still northern ducks to someone living in the southern part of the state Doubt Doubt- Doubtless Doubtless Doubtless less if one gets very far north in Canada there is no such animal So the term northern duck is quite an indefinite one and mostly a matter mat- mat mater matter ter er of location In the second place unless a hunt hunt- hunter er has bagged a banded bird he is unable to tell whether his bird was raised locally a duck that had moved north or one migrating south Biologists believe that after the nesting season is over ducks may wander north as well as south until cold weather forces them south for good I Of course during the fall months i ia a large number of ducks will move south but hunters still should not rely on big northern flights Duck movement and weather go pretty much hand in hand When the weather er is nice the ducks are likely to stay put providing food and water conditions are right On the other hand land as duck hunters well know v when weather w ather is rainy and stormy there is considerable movement and greatly improves A A A Spinning Secrets The secrets of the spinning outfit Is the spool fixed-spool reel and the extremely ex ex- extremely extremely line light-line testing from two to six pounds which are recommended recommended recommended mended for spinning These lines are made from either braided silk or nylon or from clear single fil m. filament filament ament nylon leader material The fixed spool of the reel does not turn but allows the line to feed off the end of the spool without the slightest resistance No backlashes are possible with a spinning outfit because the cause of has been eliminated Since the spool does not slot turn as on an orthodox reel it cannot outrun the outgoing line and snarl it up On a spinning reel the line stops paying out when the lure stops its forward motion No thumbing of the reel is either necessary or possible as on most reels the line feeds out under con con- control control control of the index finger held against the grip of the rod Even if the line were not checked by the finger it would stop when the lure stops The first spinning reels operated ed with a fixed spool were brought over here from England In these reels the axis of the spool is set horizontally with the rod so the theline theline theline line feeds out of the end of the spool The retrieve is made by a revolving fork which picks up theline the theline theline line and replaces it on the spool However since the introduction of spinning American reel manu manu- manufacturers manufacturers manufacturers have perfected an enclosed en en- enclosed enclosed closed reel many with the spool axis set at right angles to the rod which makes for less bulk and more convenience in handling On these reels the line is played out through a tiny hole in the reel cover cover The pickup mechanism is a single plate with a notch cut in the side of it and the crank on the right hand side of the reel A A A Know Your Water It may sound trite trite and and certain certain- certainly ly its it's axiomatic axiomatic to to admonish fish fish- fishermen fishermen fishermen ermen everywhere to know your water before beginning to fish it That means of course knowing the rocks and ledges in lakes or along the stream and such other cover points at which fish may hide or rest However that information certainly certainly certainly should have been dinned in into in- in into into to a fishing crony who had this experience He and a party of friends set out outto outto outto to fish a spot on the creek They planned to fish all night Saturday and throughout Sunday before re returning re re- returning returning turning home Well they got all set up made a fire and cast their bait out in what seemed to be a avery avery avery very likely stretch of water They had arrived at the creek after dark but were certain the spot they had chosen was a good one However hour after hour passed with no action Each angler would haul in his line examine the bait often oUen re-bait re and then throw lout lo out t again But still nothing happened A A A Tips On Tents One of the most popular tent ma ma- materials materials materials is waterproofed cotton drill It has the advantages of being light- light ter tel less bulky therefore easier to transport does not shrink and will not mildew It is simpler to erect as there is no fly to manage and less leS'S expensive It is not suited how how- however however however ever for large tents Medium weight cloth is for gen gen- general general general eral camping where weight is not such an important factor and is well suited for tents up to 9 ft x 12 ft |