This time of year a lot outdoorsmen are gearing up for the upcoming hunting season hoping to bag that big buck that visits them in their dreams every night. This is also the time when crappie anglers get real itchy to set the hook and bring back memories from this past year’s spring crappie season. This is one of my favorite times of year to be on Weiss. When the heat and humidity from the dog days of summer are gone and when foggy mornings and fall foliage signals that transition time has arrived. Crappie behavior is about to go from sluggish mode to one of aggression. The feeding frenzy is about to begin. Fueled on by cooler water temps and an appetite of a newborn baby, for crappie anglers this means one thing, good times are on there way!

  During this time of year most of your crappie are going to be found holding tight to cover right on the channel ledges of the old Coosa River waiting to ambush their prey as they seek shelter on underwater stumps that are dotted up and down the old river bed. This pattern will hold true from October all the way thru mid November.

  The most popular technique for going after fall crappie here on Weiss Lake is a simple technique called Bottom Bumping. If there ever was a finesse fishing technique for slab crappie this is it. It is a simple rig to tie and is deadly when fished correctly. I like to start out with my reel spooled with 12 lb Sufix line using an eight foot B n’ M Pro Staff rod. You may ask why 12 lb line for crappie? Well you are going to be in contact with the bottom of the lake 99% of the time and hang-ups are a guarantee. Using this heavy line allows you to pull free from hang-ups and save your rig every time. All we need to complete our bottom bumping rig is a simple 1/2 oz. weight on the bottom, a # 2 Eagle Claw snelled hook baited with a minnow tied 18 inches up from the bottom and you’re ready to go after them. All of this tackle is nothing special and all can be bought here locally.

  We now have our rig setup, so where do we start? There are miles of channel ledges marked on Weiss Lake with markers on both the upstream and downstream side of the lake. I can tell you this. From Bay Springs all the way up to Sand Valley has always produced slab-sized crappie. The most important part of this technique is being able to find structure on these ledges. There is no use in fishing a section of ledge that doesn't have some type of structure. Most of the structure on these ledges will be found in 10 to 14 feet of water with the lake down at winter level. This will give you a good starting point on your search for these paper mouth beauties.

  One last thing about Bottom Bumping, when you think you are going slow working the ledge you need to slow down even more. It should take about hour and half to work a hundred yard stretch of ledge.

  Fall fishing on Weiss is underrated and overlooked sometimes but to me it is one of the best times to be on the water. So if you get an itch to cure those summertime blues and get into a cooler full of line stretching slabs and you'll see what I mean. Thanks and Good Fishin’ - Kelly Matthews

  For more information on fishing Weiss Lake or to book a day or two of fishing visit Kelly’s site at www.weisslakeguides.com or e-mail him at kelly@weisslakeguides.com.

  In the great state of Texas dove hunters have the opportunity to hunt on over 1 million acres of public land. I have been participating with public land hunting for over 10 years and consider myself somewhat of an expert. I'm going to give you a few tips that should help your next public land hunting trip be more successful.

  Dove hunting across the country is growing and every year more hunters are participating with outdoor activities. I have found that when planning a public land hunt it is important to do a little homework before you decide on which area you would like to choose to hunt. Texas is good about putting up statistics about how many birds were killed at specific public lands units. Also, most areas allow for pre-season scouting to monitor bird flight patterns or look for units that have quality bird habitat. I personally look for sunflowers, grain and roosting trees.

  When you do find an area you are going to hunt it is important to make sure you arrive early at the hunting unit. I have found that choice areas attract many hunters and it is critical to stake out good spots early before the crowd arrives. I recommend on afternoon hunts to enter a field before 3pm, find a good shade tree and wait for the bird flight to begin. Great locations will have bird flights as early as noon time! Arriving early also allows you an opportunity to talk to other hunters about bird flight patterns and let each other know where you will be hunting in the field. It is important to let others know where you are sitting so you would try and prevent any accidents from occurring. Veteran hunters will appreciate and utilize any information on how to strategically set up on a dove field with hunters.

  Finally, once the birds begin flying it is necessary to monitor the movements of other hunters who may be arriving late into a field and decide to position themselves near the sound of shotgun blast. I can't tell you how many times I've been blasting away at birds and hunters creep up nearby to catch left over birds that get away from my bad shooting. Normally I would not have a problem with this if they just take the time to check with me to let me know where they will be sitting and in which direction they plan to shoot. It is extremely rude to sneak up on a dove hunter without asking him if he can shoot nearby. Not to mention this is dangerous and irresponsible on the hunter's part that is willing to disregard safety for a chance to down a few birds.

  On one of my most recent hunting trip to an area just north of San Antonio, I came across two individuals that nearly ended my day in a very bad way. I will call the first hunter "Bubba" to forever hide his identity from shame in the dove hunting community.

  Bubba arrived early at the dove field and decided to walk the entire perimeter of the unit while stalking monster dragonflies. After about two boxes worth of shotgun blasts, Bubba continued to circle back towards my position under a tree in the middle of the dove field. He was unaware of my position and could not see me due to thick cover. The next few moments for me were very nervous because I knew he would eventually fire a shot in my direction if the elusive dragonflies continued to provide a form of entertainment for Bubba.

  Well would you know it Bubba did the unthinkable, he fire a low shot into the horizon straight in my direction from 50 - 60 yards away. Luckily for me the thick Texas brush prevented the next "Dick Cheney" from occurring. Needless to say, Bubba limited out on dragonflies and left the public lands to finish off his twelve pack of beer. The rest of the afternoon was peaceful and I was very thankful that I lived to hunt another day! Until next time, shoot straight and lead those birds.