Redfish and Wood Ducks!

Howdy friends! 

Michael Sims here, CoFounder and President of Hook + Gaff.  We've had an action packed holiday season and new year.  Many folks pre-ordered our brand new Field Watch, and we spent the last week before Christmas trying to ship dozens of orders out so that they'd arrive in time. Talk about cutting it close! Whew! Unfortunately, long lead times on parts have been the norm in our industry for 2 years, and we know many of you can relate with your own businesses.

We'll let you in on a project we've been working on for a few months. We have a new watch coming out the second week of February that we made specifically for the NWTF to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their existence.  Unlike other custom watches we do for non-profits, this one will actually be sold on our website, with a portion of proceeds going back to the NWTF.  With turkey season coming up in just 61 days, 13hrs and 50min as of the writing of this blog, we figured fellow turkey hunters would be as excited as we are about the the upcoming season and these cool watches! Be sure to check them out in a few weeks.  If you're on our email list, you'll be notified when they're available. 

Anyway, we hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed some time off.  Like so many folks providing goods or services during the holidays, we don't get a breather until the first or second week of January.  I personally took time to go to our farm in Orangeburg and shoot a few woodies.  I had some good luck hunting solo on our pond down there.  We have a low-lying swampy area on our lower pond with cypress and high grass, and we have a decent amount of wood ducks that come in at first light.  I was able to shoot a double one day and a few singles.  Generally with our birds, once the shooting starts, there won't be another opportunity!  

We had some great family time in Charleston last weekend, and I was able to pull my 18' lappy hull Hewes down for a few days of fishing (I love this boat!).  The weather was cold in the morning but clear and calm, so I was able to get my whole family on the boat and we got into the redfish.  It was one of those rare days where they were chewing a soon as it hit the water and we could've stayed all day and caught 100. I know some of you professionals out there have days like this frequently, but this one was particularly special because the whole family was able to experience it.  My kids all caught the biggest reds they'd ever caught.  In fact, they're just now at an age where they're strong enough to reel in a large over-slot redfish.  We also stopped one day and picked up sharks teeth, which is always a fun activity for the kids.  

Lastly, I want to let everyone know we are planning to once again be at the SouthEastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston in February.  We've already begun preparations for our 9th appearance!  We will be located in our normal spot at the Gaillard Center off Calhoun Street.  If you'd like to check out the new Field Watch in person, or even the new NWTF watch, we'll have both of these available as well as the rest of our models at our booth setup.  We are also doing an awesome giveaway with Madison Creek Outfitters and Williams Knife, so be sure to stop by to enter!  As always, thank you for your support of our brand and business!

Michael Sims

CoFounder/President