Kelroy

Referring back to the bitsy bug jigs, I was quite amused at Academy in Cape G when I saw that they are now making "bitsy chunks" especially for them.

I must admit this was a new one on me too. It looks to be a very handy size, and the one-piece machined aluminum frame speaks of robust, precision construction. The only modern A/G reel comparable seems to be the new Morrum, which approaches $300 retail.

Thanks! ;-) I love Ambassadeurs, especially the old red 5000's. My earliest memories of fishing are with my dad, and his big red 5000 mounted on a white fiberglass rod (with red wrapping on the guides, no less. What a beautiful setup) We're talking early 70's here, so it was old-school hula poppers, jitterbugs, crazy crawlers, hellbenders, lucky 13's, spooks, runts, lazy ikes, silver minnow spoon (with requisite uncle josh porkrind!) and an occasional zorro spinnerbait. As soon as he would hook one, he would hand that rod over to me while he got the net, and all was right with the world. Fish on....

Ambassadeur TC36 (T3600 C) Tournament 75th anniversary Edition?

I just picked up a Lazer Pro Speed Spool 10-bearing at cabela's for $80. They had a whole pile of leftys. If you're trying to transition from a spinning reel to a baitcaster, my suggestion is to get a reel with the handle on the same side as your spinning reel. It will seem much more natural than having to learn how to juggle your rod around and reel with the other hand. You don't cast-n-switch with a spinning reel, do you? Why do it with a baitcaster? It's a model LP1SHL and appears to be a Cabela's exclusive.

My favorite river rod is my Abu Garcia Vengeance 6'3" medium. Works great as a finesse rod at the lake. Usually around $70 but can be hard to find. From the kayak I like a Berkeley 5'6" Lightning Rod. Very handy, $40 at wally world.

I only know it as Blanchette Landing, the one with a parking lot, circle drive, etc. Usually there first Thursday morning of each month to measure.

Welcome aboard

I get up to St Charles once a month, launching out of Blanchette. No trip is truly complete without a stop at Graf & sons and Bass Pro. Always wanted to wet a line at Busch but haven't had the time yet. Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum. I love that drive down to Roaring River, I used to stop by there and Shelvin Rock near Boaz several times a year. You'll find several great rod-builders on here, too. Glad to have you on board.

BTW- if you like the Zara puppy, most WalMarts have them in bargain boxes right now for $1.50. I grabbed four more bone white on monday.

Welcome to the group!

I have seen three Megabass break their lip off quite easily. One was brand new, and bumped off the rubber skirting on the side of a dock on its first cast. Some of the guys have tried epoxy or super glue, but neither seem to hold up. If anyone knows of a successful repair technique, please clue us in. I have both megabass and RC, and I find the RC finish tends to chip and flake off easily. That being said, I'd still rather pay $8 than $28.

My goodness, Wrench, how could you overlook the most efficient labor-saving device ever, the classic reel-on-a-dipnet combo?

Sorry if this is old news by now, I just found out about it yesterday. I think it still makes for an interesting read, especially some of the responses afterward. http://www.floatmissouri.com/dismay/

Sounds like you hang out in a nice neighborhood. Welcome to the site

It all depends on your definition of "are" ;-)

Several of the guys in my club like VMC Barbarian trebles. I think they have a little bit lighter wire too, which would help with maintaining neutral bouyancy. Welcome to the site!

Hi Smallie- my workboat is a 26' Workskiff; self-righting, self-bailing, sealed hull, made in Washington state back in '98-'99. It's a replacement for the 17' MonArk that went down at Thebes in July of '98. The entire hull is shot full of foam, then welded shut, so even if it gets a hole in it (!) it's not supposed to take on water. I'm in no hurry to prove any of that myself. Even at 26 feet, it's not too big for what we do, but it's at the practical limit for what we can haul around. If you see us on the riverfront, stop and say hi, it's always nice to meet friendly folk :-) ~Kel

Actually, there is a very nice blacktop ramp just downstream of the Becky Thatcher, it was laid down last summer. At low stages like now, it is still necessary to launch from the cobblestones however. Getting down to there is tricky, as you must navigate through the parking tollbooths (and pay $4/truck + $4/trailer) and you can expect some turd to block you in after you park. Getting in and getting launched aren't the end of the story, however. This is one of the busiest stretches on the entire river, and you can expect to take quite a beating. 4 to 6 ft barge wakes are the norm. And the people around there (on the water and off) are some of the rudest, most self-centered @$$wipes I have ever encountered. Just sayin. By the way, right now Lenor K Sullivan is blocked off at all but the north end (under Eads), due to the arch grounds renovation project. With all the barricades, one can barely get through with a car. Good luck.

Any slight sight misalignment is easier to see with a longer sight radius. Pocket pistols typically have smaller sights and less distance between them, making it harder to tell if they are truly lined up just right. A tiny error with a short sight radius will have a more pronounced effect on accuracy than a tiny error with a long sight radius. I consider longer ones to be 'more forgiving.'

Have you tried more than one type of ammo? Remington 'yellow box' or Winchester 'white box' are as cheap as I'll go anymore. I've tried various brands of that cheap commie hardball and they all sucked. It could be that it simply doesn't like what you're feeding it. And don't forget, your M9 has about twice the bbl and sight radius, and probably better trigger pull- kind of a big apple to compare to a bellygun orange.

Sure thing, guys. Each gage webpage usually lists the cooperators up at the top, such as EPA, NWS, USACOE, NPS, etc. Some gages have multiple cooperators as well. You're right Al, the Bonne Terre gage was a bit redundant, but the EPA wanted it there for their two-year study. It doesn't have the type of historical record as the others, so its loss won't have too much impact. Still, i hate to see any of them go away. The NPS decision to de-fund Akers and upper Jack's Fork still has me scratching my head. It almost seems as if they want to stir up some public outcry, to help drive home the importance of these gages and the critical need for adequate funding. But, i need to stress, that is just my opinion and has no basis in fact.

There is another post about it on the Jack's Fork forum, which you may find interesting. And just for entertainment, here is a channel 5 news blurb on river gages. It's interesting to note that they interviewed a National Weather Service hydrologist, and he does a fairly good job showing off some USGS equipment, but USGS was never contacted for this story or for permission for him to piddle around inside USGS-owned structures. In fact, USGS isn't even mentioned. No respect, I tell ya. http://www.ksdk.com/story/local/2013/06/20/3122633/

An important point to consider; the USGS Water Resources is unique among Federal agencies in that it is only partially funded by the Fed govt, and must therefore rely on funding from its cooperators- i.e. the various entities that fund the installation and operation of river gages. These cooperators are usually state or other federal agencies who must, in turn, secure their operational funding from higher up the food chain as well. Every year USGS and the Department of the Interior send a delegation of top officials to Washington to justify and explain their needs for funding, and to explain the value and importance of the services they provide to the public. And every year, they get a fraction of what they ask for. Funding has been flat or reduced for the last four years in a row. The National Park Service (Dept of Agriculture) has taken some hits too. The gages at Akers and on Hwy 17 are both funded by NPS. They are the ones who must decide where to make cuts in their spending, to balance their shrinking budget. USGS does not decide when or where to cut funding for their cooperators' gages, that decision comes directly from the cooperator. While you are of course welcome to respectfully express your displeasure to USGS for these gage closures, please do so with the knowledge that it was the decision of the NPS, and not USGS, that has lead to their discontiunance, and they alone can provide justification for their choice of those two sites. As for the gage on Big River, it was funded by the EPA. It was used in conjunction with gages at Byrnesville, Irondale, and Richwoods, as part of a two-year basin-specific study of runoff and sediment transport. On the Bonne Terre gage website, if you select the 'summary of all available data' option, you will see that no data exist for this site before 2011. The gage was constructed and operated (via EPA funding) strictly to support their research project, and since they have collected the data they needed, it is no longer a mission-critical priority for them to keep it in service. I hope this adds a bit of clarity. The USGS takes great pride in their gaging stations and the valuable services the network provides to the public. The USGS doesn't like to see their work 'go away' either.