Thirty-one teams fished Sunday’s Angler’s Choice tournament on Wappapello Lake, and all but one weighed fish.
Jamie Toon and Brian House led the field with a five-fish stringer weighing 19.3 pounds, which earned them $1,620 in prize money.
Second place went to Randy Pierce and Keith Carroll with 16.18 pounds, worth $1,330. The pair also caught the biggest bass of the day, weighing in at 5.65 pounds.
Terry Young and Terry Holmes earned the third spot with a weight of 13.78 pounds, winning $585, while the fourth position went to Don Lynn and Larry Thurman with 13.72 pounds. They took home $360 in winnings.
The final paying position, fifth, went to Steve Seiter and Steve Hardin with 12.99 pounds, and they earned $215.
The Angler’s Choice circuit’s next event will be held July 14.
Big Turnout
A whopping 83 teams fished Saturday’s Wappapello bass Circuit tournament, with the team of Hulsey and Conway coming out on top. The pair had a winning weight of 21.35 pounds, aided by the biggest bass of the day, which weighed 7.16 pounds.
Second place went to Seiter and Meyers with 15.56 pounds. They had the second-largest bass, a 5.19-pounder, which ended up being a tie-breaker fish.
Third place was earned by Breckenridge and Cheatham with 15.56 pounds, while Selvidge and Selvidge captured fourth place with 14.53 pounds.
Fifth place went to Hutson and Gray with 14.45 pounds, and sixth was taken by Enderle and Noel with 11.63 pounds.
Fowler and Magnell took the seventh position with a stringer weighing 11.60 pounds, and the final paying spot, eighth, went to Owens and Buchanan with 11.40 pounds.
The Wappapello Bass Circuit will fish next on July 27.
River Winners
Nineteen teams fished Saturday’s Current River Smallmouth Association tournament at Doniphan, the first event held on the lower river this year, and there were some new names on the leaderboard at the end of the day.
The top anglers were Hoffman and Williams with 12.97 pounds, and they had the day’s biggest bass as well, weighing in at 3.02 pounds.
Second place was earned by Burke and Ramsey with 9.68 pounds, while third place went to Joachim and Joachim with 9.42 pounds.
Taking the fourth position was Leach and Powell with 9.30 pounds, and the top five was rounded out by Smith and Stoker, who had 8.95 pounds.
The Current River Smallmouth Association’s next event will be its King of the River tournament at Van Buren on July 13.
Frogging Season
For those looking for an alternative outdoor activity, Missouri’s frogging season opens at sunset Sunday.
Only bullfrogs and green frogs are legal, and you can take them using either a hunting or fishing permit.
With a hunting permit, frogs can be taken with a .22 or smaller rimfire weapon, air gun, bow, crossbow, atlatl or by hand or net.
With a fishing permit, frogs can be taken by hand, net, atlatl, gig, bow, trotline, throw line, limb line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing or by pole and line.
Regardless of the method used, the daily limit on frogs is eight, which can be any combination of both species.
Turtle Season
For something really different, Missouri’s turtle season opens Monday. Actually, snapping turtles can be taken all year, but the season for soft-shelled variants runs July through December.
A fishing license is required to take turtles, and the only legal species are common snapping turtles and smooth or spiny soft-shelled turtles.
All three species can have an unpleasant disposition and won’t hesitate to bite, so be careful when handling them.
Turtles can be taken by hand, net, bow, crossbow, trotline, throw line, limb line, bank line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing or with pole and line.
Shooting turtles specifically is prohibited.
Berry Picking
Blackberries should be getting ripe soon, if they’re on schedule.
Typically, the first week of July has been the best for picking berries in our region, though it can vary from year to year. If our wet trend continues, good berry picking could be extended well into July.
With all the rain we’ve had lately, I’d expect a bumper crop of blackberries, but I haven’t really been out to look around yet.
If you find a good berry patch, you should be able to hit it a few times before the berries eventually dry up.
Only a few things are needed for berry picking - a bucket or container of some kind to put them in, durable clothing to fend off all the briars, good footwear and plenty of bug spray.
Application Period
Beginning Monday, hunters in Missouri will be able to apply for one of 112 managed deer hunts to be held this fall across the state.
Specific hunts are available for youths, muzzleloaders, archery, centerfire firearms, military personnel and people with disabilities.
Locally, there are five archery hunts scheduled over the season at the Otter Slough Conservation Area in Stoddard County and one at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County on Oct. 26-28. Most other available archery hunts are in the St. Louis, Kansas City and other regions of the state.
Local muzzleloader options include the very popular Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Peck Ranch hunts, both on Dec. 7-8.
Mingo also will host a special hunt for four recovering soldiers on Nov. 5-6.
Three local hunts for youths with centerfire weapons are scheduled, including Oct. 5-6 at Peck Ranch, Oct. 26-27 at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Nov. 2-3 at Mingo.
Local hunts for those with disabilities include Wappapello Lake on Oct. 19-20, Ozark National Scenic Riverways on Nov. 9-10, Clearwater Lake on Nov. 9-10 and Mingo on Dec. 7-8.
The application period for managed hunts runs throughout the month of July, and you can apply with up to three other hunters for a hunt.
Applications must be completed online at mdc.mo.gov.
The results of the computerized drawing will be posted to MDC’s website beginning Sept. 1.
Duck Stamp
Finally, if you’re a waterfowl hunter or wildlife watcher, it’s almost time to buy your new 2019 Federal Duck Stamp. The 2018 version expires Sunday.
The stamp costs $25 and should be available at many post offices and online at www.fws.gov.
Of course the stamp is required to hunt waterfowl in all states, but it also serves as an annual entrance fee to any national wildlife refuge across the country.
If you didn’t know, the duck stamp program is what funded the purchase of lands for the national wildlife refuge program, starting in 1934.