fozzie.

More room for me Maybe THAT was the reason behind it- crowd control.

For better or for worse, DNR is a political agency, and many of those jobs are dependent upon the whims of the legislature. How politically popular would it be for them to suggest shutting down beaches/coves at LOZ, or capping the number of summer floaters? My opinion is, if you're looking for someone to blame, look at the people who are creating a culture of fear that you'll lose your job at DNR simply for performing your duties. I can't speak from personal experience on the Elk River, but there are a number of Ozark streams where I'd like to see the number of canoes/kayaks/rafts/tubes capped. But I wonder what the nutrient/disease contribution and environmental damage is of livestock which have stream access. That's an issue I'd definitely love to see tackled. I personally think the water quality and stream habitat degredation as result of cows in streams is at least as detrimental as floaters.

Good catch- did you by chance notify the folks at the Rolla MDC office?

Great photos, though I'd rather not see fish laying in dead dry leaves. Thanks for sharing, though, I'd love to get down there sometime soon.

I'm by no means an expert, but the upper Lake of the Ozarks near Warsaw seems pretty steady throughout midseason. It can get a little congested, but it's a lot of fun. Getting an early start seems to be important, they seem to spread out as the day progresses. You may want to check out The Old Oar House, lots of folks put in/stay the night/eat there.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find live sculpins at a local bait dealer, they're pretty tough to keep alive in aquariums. You'd be better off catching your own.

It may sound like a copout, but the folks out installing brush piles aren't the folks making the maps, or the people running/updating the MDC website. It just takes a while for the information to get from one division to another, and for the changes to show up on the website.

Another vote for Simms, far and away the toughest wading boots I've used, and well worth the investment. I have a pair of Freestone boots I bought...six years ago, I guess. Three seasons of heavy use, when I spent 3-4 days of the week on the water during the summer months, and another three of moderate use, fishing 50-80 days a year. Biggest repair was reattaching the metal screen which popped off one of the grommets. Otherwise, I've never had to replace so much as the boot laces. Felt needs replaced, but I bet I could get another season or two of good use from them- just can't say enough good about them.

I agree, she was a lot less informed on this subject than others I've listened to her tackle. In a sense, it helped me put into perspective just how little the public at large may know about our nation's fisheries (and natural resources in general), their history, and management. I guess I partially bought the guys' argument that the Great Lakes may be poor habitat for asian carp, but their cavalier attitude made me a little nervous. Underestimating the potential consequences of species introductions is what set the stage for the asian carp introduction in the first place.

Can it hem up a deer? But seriously...if I saw that gremlin-lookin' thing running around in the woods, I'd probably put a cap in it too.

Glad to hear it sounds like the Conservation Federation is behind you guys on this one, and that MDC is at least willing to listen and perhaps make changes. I certainly think these regs could produce higher quality smallmouth fisheries in the Ozarks, and broaden the diversity of smallmouth angling options in the region. Good luck, and I hope to hear more positive news in the future!

Eh, I don't see anything too sinister about it. If someone gets their rocks off watching me fish over the internets, so be it- it's not as though I'm smoking dope or burying bodies. Sometimes other anglers wind up in the pictures I take of the stream or of a fishing partner's catch- does that constitute "surveilance?" Honestly, if I'm out fishing, I'm usually not thinking about much of anything else, much less where the cameras are. And Bennett is a pretty popular, very public spot. And look at the bright side- it may even make people think twice about playing hookie from work, thereby lessening weekday crowds. If they needed the additional labor then sure, I wouldn't mind seeing more folks employed there as opposed to them investing in a webcam. But if it came down to it, I guess I'd rather have a live stream feed more than a guy being paid by DNR to sit in a shop and drink coffee half the day. Just my opinion though.

I guess to me it's a non-issue, it probably costs a whole lot less to put up and maintain a webcam than it does to put up and maintain a fish cleaning station. I wonder if Trout Unlimited, Federation of Fly Fishers, or just a group of interested anglers could take up a collection to get a cleaning station built. Donate the funds to DNR with the stipulation they're used to construct the station. Perhaps even do an auction or some other fundraiser.

Invasive Fish I think you can listen to it there. Pretty interesting stuff, talking abou thow rainbow trout have been stocked outside their original range to the detriment of native species. Also talked about asian carp, and the effects they may have on the Great Lakes. Apparently the two folks interviewed feel the asian carp issue may not be as doom-and-gloom a scenario for the Great Lakes as predicted, due to the lower water temperatures there compared to the streams they've invaded in the Mississippi Valley.

That seems like an awful lot of conjecture. I don't mean to sound cold, but: Will a beagle, even one ten inches high, chase deer? Yes. Does a dog chasing deer constitute harassment of wildlife? Yes. Can a ranger destroy a dog for harrassing wildlife? Yes. I don't necessarily agree with it, and if it had been my dog that was shot I'd be mad too..but I'm not sure the ranger was doing anything more sinister than performing his job.

Is it still for sale? Do you know what model the reel is, and what line is on it?

To me it just sounds like the agent didn't expect to be caught. I don't think he was in the right shooting a collared/tagged dog, but I'm not certain the dog's owner was in the right, either. At some point, personal responsibility comes into play- there are consequences for the decisions you make.

I'll be around the Clearwater Lake area this April, and was wondering if anyone knows anything about the lake's white bass runs- specifically if they go up Black River as far as the K Bridge. Anyone ever fished the white bass run on the tributaries of this lake? Thanks.

There's a ton of waste in the private sector too, so I think it's kind of a moot point. Just like businesses, some state agencies are better with their mother than others. I feel DNR does an awful lot considering their budget has been slashed and ransacked in the past few years to make up for funds in other places. I guess the two things which struck me most were: 1.) They seemed to be advocating both services/recreation opportunities, and fees. It certainly makes sense, I just think their timing is a bit off. I'd rather see them using their funds to maintain current facilities and recreational opportunities, as opposed to them trying to expand opportunities and further extend themselves during a period of economic stagnation. 2.) Regarding the trout parks rule (they wanted to add $1 to the cost of a daily trout tag). I'm not completely opposed, but I'd need to have more information on the arrangement between MDC and DNR. Who pays for maintenance of hatcheries, whether MDC must pay DNR rent for the facilities, who pays for instream habitat management, bank erosion control, etc. I wouldn't even be opposed if it were going into capital improvements, road maintenance, etc. I'd rather see my trout fishing money going directly back into the state's trout fishing opportunities as opposed to other DNR expenses.

Boxes are the toughest thing to lose. A rod is expensive but can be replaced in a few minutes at a shop. It takes a while to build up a good selection of flies. I wish your buddy the best. I've taken to engraving my phone number on all my boxes, as well as slapping bright stickers on the drab olive and black ones. Easier to pick out in the brush and amongst rocks.

I've been assaulting my shrubberies- a Japanese maple that got too big for its spot, some Rose of Sharons which sprouted up from root suckers, and plenty of bush honeysuckles along the creek which need to grow. Putting in some new stuff, witch hazel, redbud, spicebush, and perhaps a crabapple or serviceberry. I need to get on the vegetable garden, plan this year is plenty of tomatoes and peppers, summer squash, chilies, some spinach and herbs.

Done. Looks like they're hurting for funds...

Sounds like you guys are headed in a positive direction, I wish you the best of luck. I'm planning on contributing monetarily once I have the funds, if there's anything else I can do from 4 hours away, please let me know!

Hey folks I'm Tom, just found this site and I'm looking forward to being a contributing member. I love fly fishing, tying flies, and building rods, as well as hunting, fishing, trapping, backpacking, canoeing, photography, writing, and just generally enjoying the outdoors. I typically frequent the Current, North Fork of the White, Meramec, St. Francois, and Castor drainages, fishing for trout, smallmouth, and whatever else may come along. Hope you guys have an excellent 2010 season, and look forward to hearing your stories!