Kelroy

As you noted, none of the Browning serial number schemes for Citori O/U's come anywhere close. Are you sure it is a Citori? The "S7" suffix is a valid date/gauge code for a 1967 12ga Superposed.

For the curious... ~K Why does the USGS use the spelling "gage" instead of "gauge"?

A word of caution to anyone taking pictures of pit vipers; if your camera uses an infrared light source for auto-focus, the infrared light will overwhelm their sensory pits and they will not be happy at all. Give them some extra room in case they freak out. ~K

https://www.snopes.com/mississippi-river-going-dry/ The John Schumacher interviewed is the Data Chief in charge of the Ground Water and Water Quality sections at the Missouri Water Science Center (USGS), the folks who are responsible for the monthly discharge measurements and sediment/water quality sampling at Grafton, St Louis, Chester, Thebes, and New Madrid. If anyone cares to see for themselves, they can pull up the web pages for Thebes and Memphis and see how the discharge over the last couple months compares to the historical daily mean. There is not much data from the New Madrid gage, as it was only recently renewed for study and an accurate stage/Q rating is still in development. As Al pointed out in an earlier post, channel morphology plays a key role in determining the stage/discharge relationship in any river. Flood events can radically affect the channel on both the rising limb (scour) and the falling limb (deposition) of the hydrograph. In the case of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the bottom is almost entirely sand which, above velocities of a couple feet per second, is constantly shifting. This 'moving bed' results in the building, migration, and collapse of sand dunes along the river bed. It is the action of these dunes (most notably when they collapse) that causes the occasional 'boils' or 'swells' one sees on otherwise smooth water. It is this dramatic and constant changing of the bottom which necessitates the monthly measurements on our larger rivers, in order to keep their gage height/discharge rating formulas as accurate as possible. ~K

Having had much occupational exposure to inflatables, I would suggest that if you do decide to go that route, get one that has a pressure-activated inflator vs the infamous 'dissolving pill' design. While I appreciate the advantages an inflatable has to offer, I must also point out that one is basically taking an automotive-style airbag and wrapping it around their neck. Deployment can be sudden, loud, and abrupt, almost violent in nature; not the sort of thing I would recommend for someone near 90 years old, unless their heart is in very good health. Not much good if the PFD itself causes a heart attack.

What part of Big P are you interested in?

To the best of my knowledge, only 9 gages went down due to submersion failure, this time around anyway. Most of those are already up and running. A few (Hazelgreen, Rich Fountain et al) had temporary portable gages installed until the stage dropped enough to access/replace drowned equipment.

I have not heard anything, but from the looks of it, I'd speculate they got hit pretty hard. The bridge was totally submerged, just starting to hang drift on the guardrails after the peak. The powerlines were close enough to the water we couldn't get under them safely. Had to back a mile down White Oak road to launch, measurement x-sec about 1/2 mile above bridge. Measured discharge 86,000cfs which exceeds level for 500 yr event. Measured 89,000cfs below East Gate. Both measurements estimated to be near half-foot below the peak. I pray everyone got out ok.

The gages at Ross Bridge and East Gate have ceased to function due to submersion failure. Both bridges are completely submerged at this time. Crews will begin replacing equipment as soon as the water recedes far enough to allow access to the gage structures. A crew measured 89,000cfs this afternoon below East Gate.

Reports from the field indicating the Hwy PP bridge has collapsed, fyi.

Break Out Another Thousand...

Here is a brief 'fact-sheet' pertaining to streamgage operation/maintenance cost evaluation: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3025/pdf/fs2010-3025.pdf USGS Water Science operations are unique in that they are only 20% funded by Federal money- the other 80% of operating funds must come from cooperators such as DNR, MDC, EPA, USACE, NPS, etc. Of course, when many of the cooperators themselves rely on Federal funding, any time there is a political p*g match and funding gets cut, the budgetary s*t sandwich goes around, and everyone gets to take a bite.

I prefer pale pastels in blue, green, gray, or tan hues. I figure they might not be as visible, but for sure they don't heat up like a darker color.

You are right MO, Magellan is Academy's house brand. They offer some great shirts for the price. I especially like the fact that the rear vent is actually open all the way across the back, so a fella has a chance at getting some air flow through there. I have tried BPS, a few Columbias, I refuse to pay extortionist prices for Under Armor. I have no regrets with Magellan.

No problem. It sounds good, but I am certainly not in any hurry to find out how well it works :-/

I am fairly certain this was the case back when I took my certification course, but "Castle Doctrine" and "Stand Your Ground" have changed the game. Current MO Revised Statutes regarding justifiable use of force- if your use of force was legally justified, such justification provides an absolute defense from civil liability. "Justification as an absolute defense, when. 563.074. 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 563.016, a person who uses force as described in sections 563.031, 563.041, 563.046, 563.051, 563.056, and 563.061 is justified in using such force and such fact shall be an absolute defense to criminal prosecution or civil liability. 2. The court shall award attorney's fees, court costs, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff if the court finds that the defendant has an absolute defense as provided in subsection 1 of this section." It looks good on paper, I pray I never have to find out how well it works.

I like the Outward Hound PupSaver series. The extra floatation in the neck closure helps keep their nose out of the water if they tire themselves out, and the carry handles on the back make it much easier to haul a wet, flailing dog back into the boat.

Strictly other govt agencies. As an earth science agency, the USGS must maintain a strict standard of neutrality and impartiality to avoid even the slightest suspicion of impropriety. Even though they are strictly non-regulatory, they cannot afford to risk the appearance of private investors holding sway over the collection or interpretation of scientific data. That is one reason why USGS employees (even those studying volcanoes, glaciers, earthquakes, water resources etc) are not allowed to hold any stock in any mineral, precious metal, or petroleum-based entities, or any other business which could benefit from any USGS earth-science research. On the flip side, how much faith would you have in a Jack's Fork fecal contamination study funded by Cross Country Trail Ride Inc? Or maybe a report on Big River dissolved-lead levels financed by Doe Run? By design, USGS' earth science information is publicly-funded, published in the public domain for the public good, and must therefore be isolated from the possibility of private influence.

MoPan, you seem to have a pretty good handle on this. For those who would like to learn more about gage installation and operation activities, there is a downloadable PDF at this site: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3025/ USGS is one of the only Gov't agencies that is not fully funded- they must find cooperators to help fund everything they do, which is why you see all those other agencies' banners and logos listed. They have had to work with a flat or reduced budget for the past few years, but it is not a lack of USGS money that causes gage closures, it is a lack of cooperator funding. Now that there is a short-term CR in place, maybe this situation will be resolved quickly. The USGS fiscal year runs from October-September. If this was a matter of USGS funding, they would have been shut down October 1.

Hey thanks, Smallie. As you may know I have a boat, but it is not really ideal as a fishing platform, aye, that's a whole other can of worms I wish to avoid. As it is, I will be limiting myself to fishing from the bank or an occasional wing dike. Low-light would also be the norm, as my fish-chasing opportunities would all be limited to 'before work' and 'after work' periods. I have no desire to attempt explaining 'bona fide 15 minute rest period' to a casual observer. I have the usual assortment of big Spooks, but it won't take much arm-twisting to get me to invest in a few big Dawgs as well. I have always enjoyed topwater action too, so this may be an adventure that suits me well. Thanks for the background bio info too. I'll admit, the 'true' basses have always been sort of a mystery to me, just never had any exposure to them. Lately though, I've had a couple invites to chase them (at Norfork and Bull, haven't gone yet) and find the prospects intriguing to say the least. I enjoy the Binksy-spoon posts too- sounds like a blast- but river fishing is too deeply ingrained for me to pass up the opportunities I have been ignoring. Thank you sir, for the fine encouragement.

That looks like loads of fun, and quite frankly, I've been wanting to try that for some time now. I spend a bit of time on the Miss, and I suppose it's a natural response to want to chunk something in there and see what bites. Not asking for any 'trade secrets,' but if anyone could steer me in the right direction I would be most appreciative. A few questions: What type/size of line do you use? Do you use any kind of steel leader? What types of lures work well? I have some 1-1.5oz spinnerbaits, a few big lipless cranks, big swimbaits, whopper ploppers, mop jigs, 12-15" worms, etc. Do any of these sound reasonable? If the fall bite is getting started, how long can one reasonably expect it to last? Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

If you want "same frame" compatibility between a rimfire and a defensive revolver, check into the Ruger SP101 family (compact .22, 5-shot .357) or the full-size GP100 series, with their new 10-shot .22. If a semi-auto will do, check out the Ruger SR-22 and its bigger brothers in 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP. Same thing with Smith and Wesson M&P series- .22LR, 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP. If you'd like something more traditional, maybe consider a quality 1911 .45 with a Kimber or Marvel .22LR conversion top end.

You might also check into the unmanned shotgun range at Fort Crowder CA.

Next time you go to pick up some clay, look for "biodegradable" birds. They are almost all clay, and have NO petroleum products, which makes them safe around livestock. Wal Mart usually carries them, around $6-$7 for a box of 90.