# Alabama river - loaded the boat!!



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Hit the river at about 5:45am trying to beat the heat! Targeted bass the first hour - caught 2 + a gar, decided to switch over 2 the popping bug. Bite was decent - released a decent mess. Noticed some crappie on the bottom machine, dropped down 12' with a jig but probably needed a minner. About nine I couldn't get out of the sun, noticed a tree full of hedge apples, wife likes to decorate with them so I filled a 5 gallon bucket, noticed a vine hanging near the water that was full of wild scuppernongs so I ate my fill and filled a big water bottle full for later. Loaded up a couple cool pieces of driftwood and since the river was low I grabbed a couple of broke off slabs of limestone to decorate around a tree at the cabin. Made an attempt to dig up some elephant ears to plant around the dock but needed a shovel. Watched an eagle - farted around with a little gator....just had fun Ended up loading the boat - but not with fish - to hot to fish!


----------



## Murphy's Law (Sep 27, 2007)

Sounds like a good relaxing day to me .

sent from S5 using tapatalk


----------



## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

That's what it's all about, just find you a creek and dive in next time when it gets hot. This time of year we spend half the time fishing, the other half in the river cooling off. What's hedge apples?


----------



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

jcoss15 said:


> that's what it's all about, just find you a creek and dive in next time when it gets hot. This time of year we spend half the time fishing, the other half in the river cooling off. What's hedge apples?


----------



## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Sounds like you had a right nice little adventure !


----------



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

GROUPERKING said:


> Sounds like you had a right nice little adventure !



Always!!


----------



## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

I picked and ate a bunch of scuppernongs yesterday. I had every intention on picking some more today but I forgot. Dang it !


----------



## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> View attachment 563122


We always called them Mock Oranges.


----------



## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Let me check my phone.....I didn't get a call w/ an invite so I think I need to call Verizon to see whats up w/ my phone!!!


----------



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

jason said:


> let me check my phone.....i didn't get a call w/ an invite so i think i need to call verizon to see whats up w/ my phone!!!


dang phone!!


----------



## H2OMARK (Oct 2, 2007)

Take those mock oranges and put them on a piece of aluminum foil. They work well for keeping any spiders at bay in your house.


----------



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

We used to call days like you had as "knocking around". No agenda, just do as you please and see what's around the next bend in the road. Very relaxing and enjoyable, but then, I'm easily amused.

Hedge apples, mock oranges, monkey balls, are the fruit of the osage orange tree. Deer eat them by stomping through the tough outer part to get at the softer, sticky insides. I'll keep several for deer season and stomp them for cover scent when I walk to my stand.


----------



## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

My grandmother swears by them for keeping spiders out. She hates spiders. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Spiders get something a little stronger around here!


----------



## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Man, that sounds like the best day a fella could have.


----------



## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

Bodock tree. Hardest wood there is. You want to tear a chainsaw blade up try it out. If you can cut it it will make a fence post that will be there forever.


----------



## raptor45 (May 7, 2015)

Those things go by a lot of different local names but it's from a Bois d'arc tree also called an Osage Orange. We called the fruit a horse apple when I was growing up but my horses never were fond of them.

The wood from that tree is very tough and if it is cut, dried and shaped correctly it can be fashioned into a great hunting bow....self bow, longbow or recurve....by a bowyer who knows how to manage the wood.


----------



## FlFrayedKnot (Feb 15, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> View attachment 563122


Raptor beat me to it, great bow wood!


----------



## Hopin4aboat (Jul 5, 2009)

Take one of them scuppernongs off the vine throw it on a hook and drop it in the water under the vine while your havin your fill, you may just fill you cooler with cats while your at it. My grandady swore it was bulletproof but I was never here this time of year to try it out.


----------



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Hopin4aboat said:


> Take one of them scuppernongs off the vine throw it on a hook and drop it in the water under the vine while your havin your fill, you may just fill you cooler with cats while your at it. My grandady swore it was bulletproof but I was never here this time of year to try it out.



Hmmmmmm..... I think they float?


----------



## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Hopin4aboat said:


> Take one of them scuppernongs off the vine throw it on a hook and drop it in the water under the vine while your havin your fill, you may just fill you cooler with cats while your at it. My grandady swore it was bulletproof but I was never here this time of year to try it out.


Years ago I got on a good bite from a bunch of bullheads under some foxgrapes. I caught a bunch of them and they were full of grapes.


----------



## willie mckoy (Oct 20, 2010)

Learn something new every day - I had never heard that about using hedge apples to keep spiders away. The muscadines ripening are one of the few positives about the dog days of summer. I have 5 lbs cooking away in the laundry room.


----------

