Outside Bend

Just in my neighborhood? Collared dove, starling, English sparrow, feral cat, house mouse, pigeon, western mosquitofish, common carp, grass carp, cabbage butterflies, honeybee, Norway maple, bush honeysuckle, crown vetch, multiflora rose, zoysia, periwinkle, ground ivy, henbit, Chinese mantis, autumn olive, various other forbs. You could probably include Osage orange in that list, too.

I haven't had the time to dissect the whole thing, but my two biggest beefs so far are: Cutting federal funding to even study dam removal- IMO a dam is like any other infrastructure, and can outlive its usefulness. If a dam is no longer generates as much benefit to society as it costs to maintain, I think we should take a hard look at either rehabbing that dam, or demolishing it. I just don't see the value in having the public continuing to pay for maintenance and safety inspections of dams which are no longer economically viable. And to me, measures like this seem like maintaining the status quo, as opposed to actually moving toward some real reforms in efficiency. Eliminating federal funds for NGOs which have advocated or participated in dam removal seems downright punitive to me. Federal Sportfish Restoration funds are used by lots of state agencies, in conjunction with groups like TU, to do all sorts of projects not related to dam removal- habitat restoration and enhancement, fish stocking, acquiring public fishing accesses, etc. If that funding source were to be eliminated I think a lot of these groups would be much less effective at completing their goals, and providing increased fishing and recreational opportunities for the public. If hydro were the boon some folks believe it is, I would think it could stand on its own- it wouldn't need measures like these as an attempt to silence any opposition.

Lots of old strip pits to explore at Finger Lakes and Rocky Fork, Lick Creek has a pretty good impoundment with bass, bluegill, channel catfish and a few crappie. Little Dixie is 20 or so minutes east of town and can have some pretty good fishing, it gets a fair amount of pressure from both Columbia and Fulton, though.

I don't think either has much direct influence on our fishing. But I think each candidates views on public lands and natural resource exploration/exploitation could have a big impact on the future of stream access and other fishing conservation issues.

I just got back into town, my package was in the mailbox. Not a bad fly in the group, it's an excellent pile of bugs, and I'm gonna need a bigger box. Thanks to all, especially lancer for taking the time to host this swap right. Great effort guys!

Nice video, really goes to show we're not always fighting a losing battle with stream conservation.

No worries Laker. It was in jest, it went over my head, and no offense taken. I guess, to me, it sometimes seems the folks dogging MDC the most then turn around and wonder why those biologists aren't knocking down the door for their input. Don't get me wrong- I think it's important for the public to be involved in management decisions, and I definitely think a lot of criticism of MDC and other management agencies is justified. But I also think that both the state and the anglers need to step back from time to time and remember they're on the same side. But anyway, I think it'll be pretty interesting to see what MDC's learned in the past couple years regarding smallmouth harvest and movements...and hopefully it'll translate into better management in the future.

I've been a little nervous around cottonmouths, especially the breeding pair that swam across the stream to check me out a few weeks ago. But never to the point where I felt threatened by one. That's just me though. I don't carry out on the stream, I've never really seen a need to. I've never been in a situation where I thought firing a gun was going to save my life, and I don't think I've spent much if any time wondering whether the guy up or downstream of me is packing. But I think I get it. I have no more faith in a gun saving me than I did with the can of bear spray I lug around out west- but I'd still rather have it than not. It's a personal choice, and if carrying a gun is what you need to feel secure and at ease while enjoying the outdoors, by all means go for it. The most important thing, to me, is accepting responsibility for the choices you've made.

Let the preemptive whining begin! And you wonder why MDC doesn't seem to take public input seriously.....

Dropped version 2.0 in the mail about noon, should be there Tuesday!

Hm, I sent them out last Tuesday. I was at a hotel though, dropped them off at the front desk. I'll give 'em a call and make sure they weren't left in a corner and forgotten. Sorry for the delay, guys. EDIT: Just talked to the front desk lady, she said she made a run yesterday, so they should be on their way. I don't have much faith in that, so I'm going to crank out another set and get them out to Lancer by Saturday. If either of my sets get there by early next week, we should send everything off. If both of my sets get there by early next week, we should send everything off- everyone will just get duplicate Murdich Minnows. If neither of my sets get there by early next week, it wasn't meant to be. I'd say send everything out by the middle of next week, regardless of whether mine show up. Sound good?

I couldn't say with any certainty, it was just a thought. They're pretty common in the state, although they're pretty secretive. They spend a lot of time hanging out in brushy/overgrown areas, and they spend a lot of their time up in the trees. They do eat their fare share of small mammals and birds, but a lot of their diet is made up of fruit, berries, plant matter, and insects. I'm not positive that's what it is, especially given the size you're describing. I'm not sure they eat peaches, and I'm not sure they could pass peach stones, but I've been regularly surprised at how many pawpaw and persimmon seeds can be passed by much smaller critters in a sitting. Just some food for thought

Could it be from a gray fox?

Here's mine...the Murdich Minnow. It was a pattern originally tied for stripers, but has caught on up north for smallmouth, trout, salmon...basically anything that'll make a meal out of a smaller baitfish. I tied mine in tan/olive, but they work well in a variety of baitfish and attractor colors. I left the tails long and figured you guys could cut them as short as you wish. Hook: I used a Gamakatsu B10S, size 1- but use the streamer hook of your choice. Thread: 210 denier Eyes: Wapsi rattle eyes w/ dome eyes glued into place Tail: some sparse bucktail as the base, overlaid with synthetics (I used EP fibers and Angel Hair). Collar: Palmer Chenille- I added some olive schlappen as well. Body/head: palmered estaz. A pile of 'em..

Looks like you've been busy!

I would much rather see gov't spend money researching the cheapest, most effective ways of combating these species. It seems more responsible than attacking the problem without any information, just playing roulette and seeing what happens. And while research may seem expensive, there's a cost to doing nothing, too. These invasive carp alter recreational and sport fisheries, cause personal injury and property damage to boats and nets, they alter tourism and recreational boating activities. Dealing with the issue now may be smarter and cheaper than kicking the can down the road, letting them breed indiscriminately and seeing how that turns out.

That should be doable, I may wind up spending a week or so in Wisconsin/Michigan's UP a month from now...if so, I promise to test 'em out

The same culture spends millions annually propagating and pampering koi...cosmically, it probably all works out.

Nice! Lots of fun places to fish on the west side of the Bighorns, especially if you're up for a little walking Keep us posted!

Mine are gonna be a bit delayed as well, had a heckuva time sourcing a couple materials, had to wind up using some craft-store yarn in lieu of polar chenille for the body/collar. Such is life But they're done, they look alright, and they're in the mail.

Not sure about the whole US, but most of the earthworms found in northern areas of the country are introduced (not enough time since the last glaciation for native worms to recolonize the area). And they're having a pretty pronounced effect on forest communities up there.

Bait dealers may only sell species approved by the state (http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/resources/2010/06/2012_bait_dealer_registration_form_2.pdf). Most, if not all of those species pose little risk of becoming invasive in the state.

You can find contact information for any MDC agent on the department's website. Go to the main page (www.mdc.mo.gov) and check out the "Who's My Local Contact?" feature on the right sidebar.

Looks to me like a black gum.

The 20th would make my life a bit easier for me, too- had trouble sourcing a couple materials and just put the order in last night. I'm still gonna try to make the current deadline, but another week or two would really help. Hopefully that doesn't put a wrench in anyone's plans.