Rookie Mistake and a spoiled day.

[AWS]

I'm hunting this year for the first time in a long time without a dog.  His hips are shot and he can only do a few retrieves and he's laid up for a few days.

Today I went dogless and thought I had a great spot only the tide was bigger than I expected.  I ended up sitting on a log watching ducks sit in my decoys, some as close as 10ft and couldn't shoot any because the water got too deep for me wade out for them.  I'm glad I picked a very large log that had been there a long time, I got pretty nevous when it started floating and moving.  At least I had duck breast on rye  sandwiches and a thermos of coffee.  I gave up and went home when it got shallow enough to walk bak to where I had the boat stashed.

I'm going to have to use the Rat as a layout next time.

[McCRIZZLEY]

I only brought a handful of shells on a trip sunday because I told myself I was just scouting out a new area, and got out after first shooting light anyways. Long story short, let a few flocks of low flying geese cruise right by....

Learned that lesson real good.

[AWS]

With the new changes to the goose season on the coast I didn't get a permit and have had geese cruising all around me.  I even had a wounded bird cruise in right over my head and land about twenty yards away and just swim around in the shallows.  I had to yell at the guys in the next blind to see if they had a tag and they hot footed over and collected it.  I don't target geese but they were a nice bonus sometimes.

[Stein]

Would one of those extendable poles for retrieving decoys have worked?  I picked up an 18' long, six section one for under $30 shipped.

[Bill W]

asmith and I made ours from painters poles bought at Home Depot.  A paint roller was bent for the hook.

[AWS]

The odds of having one land within  18 ft of the log is pretty slim , even if sluicing one on the water at 10 ft the odds of getting it by the time the pole is retrieved and is extended get pretty slim when you combine wind drift and tidal drift.  I never needed to kill a duck bad enough to take a shot where there is a good chance I can't retrieve it.  I did have a decoy hook laying on the log with me by the way.

[Bill W]

spinning rod and a bass plug should work.

[AWS]

Not getting stranded on a log for three hours wondering if the tide is going to take it out in the bay or roll it over makes sense. Setting up a hundred yards away where I could access the boat when the water started getting too deep makes sense(I killed five ducks at this spot on Sunday but thought the log would make a better blind).  Setting up the same spot using my Marshrat as a lay out boat makes sense. 

Intentionally stranding yourself where you could die and taking a fishing pole or decoy retriever so you could possibly retrieve  ducks is really stupid.

[RadSav]

There was a few years when I didn't have a water dog for tidal work.  I bought a good remote control boat and would push my ducks to the shore.  It worked great!  Not sure if WA allows it, but it might be worth checking into.

[kodiak 907]

spinning rod and a bass plug should work.

Exactly what I use on tidal water, works great.