Bill B.

I've been reading horror stories about marina theft at Truman for years, and I've really been reluctant to get a boat and put it there. Are things any better on the LOZ side of the dam? At the Old Oar House?

Ah, batteries, yeah. Thanks.

How secure are boats left permanently at marinas? I am thinking about buying a used aluminum boat/motor and leasing a slip by the year at a Truman marina. When I leave the boat unattended, how safe will it be? Should I remove the depth finder and trolling motor, etc., every time I leave? Can I insure the boat, motor and contents against theft?

Take a look through the trout cam. High and muddy: http://mostateparks.com/content/trout-cam

Hybrid stripers are in every river and significant lake in the state, if for no other reason than that they are a popular fish for stocking in ponds, and they leave those ponds and head downstream whenever there's enough rain to get them over a pond spillway. I have hybrid stripers in my pond--and a good number of them have ended up swimming in Perche Creek. From Perche Creek, they can roam over most of the continental United States.

I use a Thule rack on a Toyota Corolla and like it just fine. I also bought one of the Thule pullout bars that fits inside one of the rack bars. When you want to load a heavier canoe or kayak, just unlock and pull out the bar. Lift one end of the kayak over the bar. Pick up the other end and swing it over the rack on top of the car. Then scoot the first end over onto the car, and you're done. Easy as pie.

Once you remove Powersite, whatever muck has accumulated on the bottom of Taneycomo will quickly erode downstream. Most will settle in upper Bull Shoals, helping to fill in the White River holes faster than they already are filling.

I kayak at Thomas Hill in the winter and fish for hybrids and largemouths. The lake is muddy right now. Maybe it will clear up a bit by December or January.

That is a beautiful bass. What a pig!

Try fishing during the first 30-60 minutes after the whistle blows in the morning. The fish that got dumped into the stream overnight haven't yet gotten hook-wise. Plus, there usually is a natural, early morning feeding frenzy. I know more than one person who can catch an easy limit during the first hour but only a couple more fish the entire rest of the day, especially in the summer.

Expect to do a lot of dragging. A LOT.

Closed, in the sense that they are going out of business and are not adding new inventory. At least, that's my understanding. I don't think they have the FX in stock. According to their website, they have very little inventory left.

Thanks for the review! I've been wanting to look at one in person, but with KC Paddler closed, I'm not sure who else might carry them within reasonable driving distance. If the Trading Company has them in Ozark, I could justify that drive easily enough.

I'm leaning toward getting an Ultimate 12 FX this fall. The hi-lo seat sounds useful to me. Glad to hear that you like the 12.

He fished it slowly over the grass at the edge of the lake. Gave it a couple of short pulls when it reached open water, then burned it back for the next cast.

Saw this on the news wire this morning: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MO_CHEMICAL_SPILL_FISH_KILL_MOOL-?SITE=MOCOD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Plenty of spots in Stockton. I think they were the predominant bass in the Sac before the lake filled.

From the looks of your kayak, the striper took you on a Slayer ride... Beautiful fish!

I picked 43 nice yellows in two hours on Saturday afternoon, within 25 miles of Columbia. For central and north Missouri, now is the time.

Try simmering a skilletful in butter, with no breading. When they are done, pile them on top of a thick ribeye steak.

Some people just don't like fish. My uncle says crappie are OK, as long as you cut all the red meat out of them and soak them overnight in buttermilk. Then, they're just tolerable.

We used to occasionally catch them below Truman Dam. There was a spot along the wall on the generator side where stripers and hybrids used to congregate (and probably still do) after the Corps banned fishing along the wall. You could lie down and look over the edge when water was running, and watch the big stripers come up and bust shad. Some of those fish were monstrous, much bigger than the 8-15 pound hybrids that were fairly common. And they were beautiful--when they rolled, you could see every detail on their sides. Definitely stripers. But that entire area has been closed off to foot traffic for years.

I'm also looking forward to taking a test paddle in an Ultimate FX. The MSRP on the 12-footer is supposed to be about $1,300. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGL7_Y68PiA

That was nice. What a fish.