Hunting this past week has been hit or miss. Some nice birds are reportedly being taken but gobbling is not consistent and plenty of birds are walking off without making much fuss. I personally had three gobblers within range but out of sight that began fighting. They had been triple gobbling and carrying on like crazy but after the violent fight the gobbling stopped and they disappeared.
Fishing is pretty good, or it was until the rain came on. Shad are hot in the Rappahannock River and so are white perch. Reports of rockfishing are slow but when you get on them, they are big fish. Some 40+ inch fish are reportedly in both rivers. Catfishing is ramping up.
Bass fishing in ponds came on until the cooler weather. Look out this coming weekend when it warms back up again. Crappie are tailing off now the spawn is over. Bream fishing will be quite good though. Look for the snakehead bite to improve.
I welcome any pictures of anglers that want to have it posted for the outdoor report. Simply email it to me! Give me the details on the names, fish size and where in general it/they were caught. Same goes for turkey pics. I love to see women and youth outdoors so those pics get priority.
Bent rods and empty shells to you!

Spring is definitely here.  The fishing report is as follows:
Shad are hitting feverishly in the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg. Brightly colored jigs, Sabiki Rigs and spoons are taking fish early and late. Herring and American shad are also hitting. Those have to be released. White perch are feeding in a frenzy and are full of roe in the same area.
Catfish are hitting cut baits, livers, worms and so on in the river. Bass are hitting minnows and plastics. It won't be long before topwater will get them too. Crappie are hitting minnows in the river too.
Pond action is stellar for bass, crappie and sunfish. Live hoppers and worms are the deal for sunfish. Minnows, small cranks or spinnerbaits are the best for the bass. Minnows and jigs are the baits of choice for crappie.
The rockfish are hitting well in the Potomac. This Saturday is opening day. Bucktails and parachute rigs are great. Mann's Stretch lures are good too. Rattle Traps will take smaller fish. White perch are area as well.
Striper are hitting at Lake Anna. Go uplake for the better action and use topwater early or jerkbaits later. Go deeper as the sun bears down.

Hunting--Gobbling has been sparse in some areas and the hens up until today have not seemed too interested. However, if you can get a gobbler to answer and you sound like a willing hen, you may close the deal. The gobbling or lack thereof is frustrating.

Hunt Tests Begin
My daughter is working with her yellow lab, Liberty Baily, to have her certified through hunt tests and the AKC. She will be starting her own kennel in the next year or two. In order to increase the marketability of her pups and dogs, she wants good breeding stock. Last weekend was her first Junior test. She did the water test first. During the Junior water test, two single ducks are thrown out one at a time. A gun is fired and then dog is sent to get them. The first duck was simply tossed into the pond. The second duck was tossed on land but could roll into the water over the edge of a steep bank. Baily found the first duck no problem but had to be told to pick it up and deliver it to Kristy’s hand once she got back to Kristy with it. The second duck retrieve was a bit more nerve racking. Baily hunted for it but got a poor mark when it was tossed out. However, her nose came through and she found it and brought it back, but again, dropped it and had to be told to pick it up.
We waited anxiously for the judges to decide Baily’s fate. The dog is supposed to keep the bird in her mouth until the handler takes it. Thankfully, Kristy was able to get the bird from Baily although not in perfect form. After some anxious minutes we got the word that Baily would move on.
They passed her for the second portion, land retrieves. There were two single retrieves through rows of thick sorghum to accomplish. Baily seemed to be settling in a rhythm.  The duck call was hailed, the duck thrown into the clear blue spring air, and then the shot fired. The first duck took a few seconds for Baily to find but she did well. Her little round butt and wagging tail could be seen waving above the sorghum for a bit and then when Kristy blew the whistle, Baily obediently headed back to her and snagged the duck as she passed it.  
The second retrieve made me nervous. A lot of depth perception was needed and that is hard to train a dog to deal with.  Missy and I were sitting on a bank overlooking the field. The duck call was blown, the duck heaved into the sky some 150 yards away and then the gun blast sounded. Baily clearly marked it and wanted to go right away. Kristy directed her, which was totally unnecessary it appeared, and sent her. Missy and I felt our hearts swell with pride as that little yellow tornado streaked like a bullet straight to the duck and raced back with it. The judges were apparently impressed with her mark of the bird as well. A small crowd of fellow retriever enthusiasts were behind us and clapped upon her completion. These retriever owners saw the frustration and apprehension on Kristy’s face when she was upset with Baily’s performance during the first segment, so they were happy to see her do so well on the second segment. What a supportive group!
Baily performs very well at home but as all dog owners know, the dogs act totally different in the field with other dogs and people around.
When we headed back to see if Kristy would get her ribbon, the crowd stacked up in the dirt/gravel lot of Shady Grove Shooting Preserve. After a half hour or so of waiting in the warm sun, the judges came out and began calling names. Kristy was soon called and she walked through the line to shake the judges’ hands and be congratulated. The judges noticed her young age, devotion to training her dog and her determination. One of the judges pulled Kristy back and gave a speech about those attributes and young people being the future of the sport. He used Kristy as an example of the kinds of new members they wanted to recruit. Another proud moment for Mom and Dad!
Baily and Kristy promptly went to sleep in the truck on the way home only waking up long enough to swing through a fast food place to get a quick burger. Kristy actually let me reward Baily with a burger. Kristy is very tight on what the dog is permitted to eat or snack on so that was a big moment that Baily got to enjoy. We will be headed for more tests later this month!