Rails: Ebb and Flow, life on the tide

Your welcome Brad. Thanks for the insight into the harvest numbers. This is something I'll be dreaming of til next year.
 
Danggggg ... Almost missed this addition....neat boats..... And how cool to see three of them poling along together.....

Told Dani this morning that it sure would be neat to be able to hunt the flood tides in the Jacksonville area that will accompany the hurricane for rails and tailing Reds and Sheepshead...those marshes, like Carl's, are spartina and it takes a truly high tide to be able to pole....they'll have those for the next few daytime highs.....

Good stuff this "side bar to duck hunting" posting.....truly good stuff...

Steve
 
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Great photos, Jode. It's interesting in your photos and description and in some videos I've seen of NJ rail hunters to see several boats working together--almost a "driven pheasant" style of hunting. I've always hunted rails with a single boat. I've got to imagine the group approach is a lot more effective at spotting and flushing birds.

Those boats are DEFINITELY better suited for pushing the rice than anything I've rail hunted from.
 
Jeff, yes exactly. The sora's are crafty little birds. They will run around a single boat and never flush. Especially if they have been hunted. Several boats working together is more effective at pushing birds to the edge for better more recoverable shots over open water.
 
Any idea how much those railboats weigh. Looks like they,ll pole on a heavy dew! Kind of reminds me of a pirough but maybe a little beamier.
 
Yes I moved them all . Rick glass boat is the lightest. 150 or less. The wood boat are all around 200-225. Nothing two guys can't handle
 
Any idea how much those railboats weigh. Looks like they,ll pole on a heavy dew! Kind of reminds me of a pirough but maybe a little beamier.
Click to expand...

Yes a little wider and the deck arrangements are different , but same basic idea
 
first time i saw that jode , goes along with everything i have been told . very good read and accurate in my opinion . other family names come to mind - reeves - bradfords - and us of coarse henderson . learned alot from old man albert reeves who lived a few blocks from us in mauricetown . i would go there to take his trash out for a buck and end up drinking ginger al with him as he told me stories , of course his had 7&7 in it mostly . he would talk about his father and grandfather guiding gunners , and the tricks they did to look good . some of the big shot people , as he called them , would paper you up pretty good if they thought you were good . he had a house right on the river were he rented row boats and even had gunners stay at his house during there hunt . my first client was one of his old ones . he actually gave my father the lead to contact him . he warned us ahead of time that hes not going to answer the phone , his butler always answers . he then laughed and begane to tell me how he used to stay there for days at a time to hunt . albert would tell me all the time about how he would cook his birds when he stayed , his eyes would get real big and tell me he barley got the birds hot . cut into them and pink juice would fill the plate . albert was in his 90s then in 84-85 . seweard brisbain from long island , funny how you never forget your first .
 
roy its personel prefrence but they usally are 16 feet . just hard to find good inch and five eight banister rail thats not all bent up or split . hey used to go cut cedar poles to use but some things have evolved .
 
And white cedar, what locally we call cedar cypress is , is very hard to find growing wild . Or at least thats the case in our area. I use to have a few special spots to cut good stock for push poles but now whats left is just to large. Looks like one of those pricey synthetic flats push poles would come in handy especially useing it for extended periods.
 
Up here in canoe poling country, ash and black spruce are preferred woods for poles. Ash used to be available from Peavey manufacturing in lengths up to 16'. It may still be, but I think would be a special order item.

Every black spruce pole I ever saw was cut, limbed and peeled by the owner. It's a common commodity in bog country.

Anyone looking for an ash pole could contact Peavey. http://peaveymfg.com/ I see octagonal poles up to abo...ou are going to drive through Eddington, ME.
 
i have a source for good pole material but it is special ordered , problem is you order it your stuck with what you get . usually there is no problem but once in a while you eat one . i cut those down for duck boat poles which are shorter . cant even tell you how many poles ive had ordered from local hunters who see one of mine . very handy in a sneak box and alot stronger then what people normally carry .
 
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