Shore Camp

[John H]

I did a shore camp this week. Put all you stuff in the boat and find a flat spot next to the water to camp. It is pretty peaceful until 6:30 AM when you hear the first boat of the day thundering across the lake. The bass are not on the shoreline in the numbers I would expect. I have this idea that some years the spawn is heavy and some years it is light. Seems like that would happen with bass the same as salmon and other fish and animals. Maybe the bait population is cyclic and the bass health and ability to spawn follows it.
Who knows. 2022 was kind of like this year - you are waiting for them to show up in big numbers and one day you see them chasing schools of shad and you realize it is over, and they are not coming.

I have been getting rock wren pictures for a few years, and I think maybe these are the best. Wait until the sun is not too high in the sky, find some active birds, sit in your boat next to the shore, call them in and hope he gives you a good pose, a good perch and a good background at eye level. It takes a lot of chances for it all to come together but it can work. We saw a Lewis' woodpecker which I would really like to shoot but that is not going to be easy. I probably have to find a nest and stake it out. I got a good loon picture but it was ruined by the reflection off of our boat wake. Bummer but I can try again.

[DLJeff]

Those rock wren pics are really clean and sharp, nice.

Are you using your phone to broadcast bird calls or do you have a special recorder/speaker?

[John H]

Phone. I tried a little Bluetooth speaker but it didn’t sound good and the phone seemed to work better.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

John, that first photo of boat camping is so inspiring.


I think the Lowe Boat Company would like to use that photo in their catalog and/or website.

Never did a boat camping trip on a lake or reservoir.

That photo is timeless.

It reminds me of photos, many years ago, on old calendars and old outdoor magazine covers.