Earlier this week Betsy and I drove to Mitchell to visit with some dear friends. We met in their backyard, maintained a safe distance, and enjoyed a splendid reunion. We ordered a carryout pizza from Little Caesar’s for lunch. Among the many topics of conversation was a pair of wood ducks that visited their backyard in search of a possible nesting site. Another topic was a newly discovered fishing hole.

Wood ducks in the town of Mitchell? Hard to believe. Anyway, while he, the male, inspected a bird house, she, the female, looked over a backyard tree. They quacked back and forth, at times like a mate’s opinion agitated the other, and finally decided together to move on with their search. I’m glad they did. I know there’s a time when the young plop down out of the nest and into the water below. A paved driveway would make for a hard landing. Was this a wood duck consideration?

This wood duck thing got me to wondering. Do wood ducks possess the ability to argue with one another? Is there actually a language, or a tone inflection, that makes up duck conversation? Which duck most commonly wins the argument – the male or the female? Ducks generally mate for life. Do ducks ever part because of irreconcilable differences? Hmm.

Now for the fishing hole. I must compliment SD Game, Fish, & Parks. After lunch, Don and I drove out to Don’s newly discovered fishing hole. It was six miles east on Hwy 38. This lake was created when soil was removed to make an I-90 overpass. This lake, I believe it is known as Millers, was stocked with perch and rainbow trout according to a visiting angler. What surprised me the most was two kayaks complete with life jackets and paddles that were chained to a nearby fence. To use one of the kayaks, one had to phone the local conservation officer for the lock combination. Good show SDGF&P!

Mitchell has its fishing assets with the lake and the James River, but my favorite fishing lies in the Pickstown area 12 miles west of my home. This fishing reaches a peak when lilacs are in full bloom, which is right around the corner. I’ll be pursuing smallmouth bass, my favorite fish. My weapon of choice will be a spinning rod with an open face reel loaded with sixpound test monofilament line. I’ll be in the bow of my boat jigging tube jigs right off of the bottom. My trolling speed will be one to one-and-a-half miles per hour.

Everyone knows that bottom bouncers rigged with a spinner-night crawler combination work well on walleyes, but this same combination fished off of the bottom is also pure poison on smallmouths. However, I still prefer the intimate touch offered by vertical jigging. One can feel them through the rod as they mouth the bait.

Smallmouth bass fight like there’s no tomorrow, jump two feet into the air, and are every bit as good as walleye on the table. They are also abundant in Francis Case, Sharpe, and Oahe. Walleyes and occasional channel cats will add to the excitement. Tubes of most any color work well, but I prefer amber as they probably resemble crawfish. These smallies turn on and off like a light switch, so don’t quit too soon if they’re not hitting. Stay with it.

This incredible fishing lies in close proximity to the North Point boat ramps at St. Francis, Prairie Dog, and North Point. My favorite spots are the rip-rap along the face of the dam, the rip-rap along the North Point camp ground, the entire Pease Creek area, and the White Swan area – especially the stretch south of White Swan to the point along the east bank.

Without farmers and ranchers, I’m well aware of the fact that I would have no hunting. I received an email the other day from a rancher friend. He asked me to sign a petition that urged the president as well as Congress to implement MCOOL or Mandatory Country of Origin labeling on beef, pork, and poultry. Our farmers and ranchers are heading into a tough year. Imported meat increases the supply in a market driven by supply and demand. While our farmers/ranchers are getting about $95 a hundred weight for their cattle, the packers are getting twice that. MCOOL will help. Let our Congressmen know how you feel.

See you next week.