Believe it or not, as hot as it is, the hunting seasons are just around the corner. As I have mentioned before, squirrel season opens in just a few weeks, followed by the dove season over the Labor Day weekend.

It's hard to think about duck and goose hunting in August when the weather is still hot, typically dry, and the only waterfowl we see in the area are the resident ducks and geese.

I am not a waterfowl hunter, most of you know that. In fact, most of you know that once the trapping season opens, all the hunting gear gets put away for the season, and my main focus is on the traps and fur. However, in just a couple of weeks, there will be an event in Big Sandy, Tenn., that most of you (who hunt waterfowl) really shouldn't miss.

The Annual Waterfowl Festival in Big Sandy takes place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the 2nd of August. Every major equipment manufacturer will have booths set up there with everything from the newest in calls to boats and ATVs. The Tennessee Wildlife Agency also holds it's annual draw for duck blinds in the Big Sandy area of Land Between the Lakes. Nationally recognized outdoor writer and guide Sam MacCadams will also be in attendance. Sam writes for a number of national outdoor magazines including The In Fisherman, Outdoor Life, and Field & Stream. Additionally he guides fishermen and hunters in the LBL area around Paris Tennessee where he resides.

Kathy and I are in the process of getting a booth for that show by the way, so if you come down look us up for a sample of cider or one of our many sauces or salsas.

From what I am hearing the catfish bite is still going strong, and most game fish are hitting at night and early morning. Dave Stewart from over on Kentucky and Barkley Lake says the patterns have pretty much remained the same over the past couple of weeks in the dam areas.

He further states that both lakes are currently slightly under Summer Pool, but he doesn't think it has had any effect on where he is finding the fish. He goes on to say that the larger fish are still hanging around the ledges, channels and drop offs during the morning and moving into the gravel and flats after dark to feed. Chances are though, you are going to catch about as many catfish as you do bass fishing this pattern at night, as this is the spawning grounds of those bigger flatheads and channels.

Patterns on our smaller local lakes are pretty much a mirror image of what is going on at LBL. Fish the channels and drop offs during the early morning hours, and flats during the night.

Trout stocking took place over in Simpson County on Wednesday with a total of 1,750 fish in total. Folks these are not huge fish, but they aren't little either. Generally speaking they are about 12 to 14 inches long, and best eaten the same day you catch them. The fishing should be pretty hot over there for about a week and then begin to taper off until the next stocking takes place.