Kelroy

Is that banner still showing up? I can't see it from here.

My favorite part was always the trade show- bumping into folks like Hank Parker, Bill Dance, Skeet Reese and so on. Plus, tons of new stuff to buy.

If you have a state bio sampling/collecting permit, you might inquire about the spring branches below Greer, Alley, or Big Spring. They each have a nice isolated reach before they dump into their respective rivers. Of course, if your study is confined to Big Piney, this doesn't help at all....

The 'sit-down cable car' is still used by the USGS for making monthly discharge measurements; it is one of the last ones in the state, as they have been phased out by safer methods. It may someday be replaced by a simpler unmanned pulley setup, as we tend to be a little nervous, liability-wise, about dangling our personnel over the water. Greer is a wonderful place to work. I used to hike down quarterly to get water-quality samples. It's always a thrill to see what's lurking around every bend in the trail. I especially enjoy seeing it in the winter, with a fresh blanket of snow.

Here's a new press release on the BB1 / BB1Z. Available in 5.1:1, 6.4:1 and 7.1:1, all in left-hand versions for us right-hand-dominant anglers. http://www.conservationcafe.com/Fishing/article_detail.asp?iArticleID=9724

A lot of it depends on the attitude of the guy in front! If they don't want you to catch anything, they can sure make it tough. Looking at scores from different tournaments (where 'anglers' and 'co-anglers' had their own divisions) it seems the front end out-catches the back end by about 3-to-1. It's uncommon to see anglers and co-anglers competing in the same category.

I haven't noticed any either, but I haven't been looking specifically for them. I do know I didn't get squat for blackberries this year.

How long were those leaves? Looks an awful lot like asimina triloba, our beloved paw paw.

Very nice, Brian. I used to fish for gar on the Gasconade with my 9 foot #9 Shakespeare Ugly Stik. Great fun. Is this a GoPro video? What editing software do you use?

If you are wading, walk down the middle (private property both sides) from the cowskin access at 43. Right now it's not very deep at all. There is a deep pool down there up against the bluff, with a nice gravel bar across from it. I used to do some riparian habitat surveys from the bridge down to the bluff, and I've seen some nice ones in there. Biggest longnose I've ever seen was in there a couple of years ago. And yes, they're a blast. Good luck!

I always take my Petzl Tikka, and a 5-LED 'black light' that clips onto a hat. I also use 'clear blue fluorescent' mono line, the UV light makes it glow white. I only use the light on it when I'm making a difficult cast and need to see where it goes, if I'm working a worm or jig fairly deep and want to watch my line, and especially when it's time to re-tie. Otherwise, I leave it off. On LOZ, there is enough ambient light from the docks that it really isn't necessary to have one on all the time. If it's really dark, I'll throw one of those cheap chem lights in my tackle box just to save battery juice while rummaging around in there. One interesting thing about the UV/mono setup- it's a really cool way to check out your reel when you're casting, and refine your technique. The first few times I watched the line spooling off, it was amazing to see how it struggles to make it out of the reel and through the guides. Interesting physics lesson.

Hi Jake, welcome to Missouri. What part of the state are you in? Have you checked out the MO BASS website? You could look up some local clubs and see if they need a 'guest.'

Impulse shopper's nightmare. Once I got mine, I couldn't stop buying mounts and gadgets for it. I mainly use it as a helmet cam on my bike rides. File sizes are much bigger than I am accustomed to, but that's the norm with high-def. Love it. Thinking about getting a second one, and possibly flirting with the 3D setup.

The C3 is a 3-bearing model, while the C4 has 4. Both are good reels, still made in Sweden (beware the Chinese BCX). The C3 has a slower retrieve ratio (5.3:1 i think) while the C4 is a little faster (6.3:1 ?) which may make a difference when reeling in a big one. The Kalex series is a 4-bearing model that splits the difference with a 5.9:1 ratio. I have a 5501, 5501 C4, and a Kalex 51, and they have all been great. I think the biggest difference is going to be the gear ratio.

This is a subject which has puzzled me for some time. In my opinion, a fish (or lure) can only be controlled effectively by your line, and your line is controlled not by a tiny crank on the side of a reel, but with the rod itself. It seems logical to me that the greater strength, accuracy, dexterity, sensitivity, endurance, and fine motor skills of the dominant hand would be better utilized in the manipulation of the rod, rather than squandered on turning a tiny crank to reel in slack line. It is also easy to stop the spool and engage the reel just as your lure hits the water, which is important with buzzbaits, flipping for a reaction bite, or when the fish are biting aggressively. When you spend less time fumbling and more time fishing, you easily make more casts per hour, which can be an important factor in a tournament setting. Several pros who rely heavily on flipping have made a switch to left-hand-retrieve reels on their flipping rods (or even learned to flip left-handed) in order to capitalize on these advantages. What baffles me even more is that many still use the juggling routine with the rest of their rods. Seems to me, either you get it, or you don't. How did this whole right-hand-retrieve thing get started? Just my guess, but I think it probably dates back to the earliest direct-drive reels. Given the lack of gears, drag systems, and anti-reverse, it may well have been necessary to 'reel' a fish in with the dominant hand. Sometimes the 'Old Way' is not always the best way- "centuries of tradition, unhampered by progress." As for me, I will gladly leave the juggling antics to performers more talented than I.

Hi Chief- I've got about two dozen Abu G's, so I'm not really looking for more, unless of course they are fairly cheap. I also collect old automatic fly reels

If you are in the Salem area, Cousin's pawn shop had a couple of black Abu's on rods for about $20 each. I didn't snap them up as i only use left-handers.

I have yet to buy one. Oddly enough, every one I have examined has had one or more of the guides mounted just a little bit crooked.

Welcome to the DARK SIDE.......

You can get a brand-new Pfleuger automatic for around $40. It is made on the old Shakespeare 'vertical spool' pattern. I have used automatics for forty years now, and have never had a major problem with one. However, I am quite meticulous about maintenance issues on these reels, so please don't think you are going to buy some crusty old relic out of somebody's garage and take it straight to the water without problems. Any older reel should be stripped and cleaned first. If you've ever worked on the recoil-start spring on a lawnmower or chainsaw, then you kinda know what to expect in there. If you like to tinker on stuff, go for it. Just remember, as you may find out here soon- fly-fishing puritans consider automatics a form of blasphemy. As a fly-fishing heretic, I enjoy my freedom of reel-igion. K

Sorry 'bout that! I replied under the other post. Yes, I guess it is a bit extreme, but goes to show, you can make just about any of them 'portable!'

Sorry about that! The 998 is a unit for my work boat- Uncle Sam bought it. I just don't have it mounted yet. I specifically wanted it for the down-imaging and external gps antenna. My personal unit will be in the 500 series, like a 587ci HD around $500. If you don't need gps, check out the 570 DI, which comes in a portable version, and is about $350. You get a gel-cell battery/charger and a nice carry case for a $50 difference- not bad. The 570 version (no down-imaging) is only around $250. A standard 560 is about $150, and is also a good candidate for the milk-crate treatment. Nice thing is, you can do it to about any of them.. http://store.humminbird.com/products/410764/570_DI_Portable

What I have done in the past is buy a decent 'boat-mount' unit (usually a Humminbird, as I am more familiar with them) and mount it on a milk crate, and power it with a small battery (motorcycle, lawnmower, etc) which sits in the crate for ballast. I mount the transducer on a 1x3 board and use a c-clamp to mount it on the transom. This setup retains all the portability of a 'portable' unit, but packs in all the big-unit features you care to pay for. When you buy a 'portable' unit, you trade features and performance for the portability. I prefer to spend the money on the features and performance, and build in my own 'portability.' My current 'portable' unit is a Humminbird 998c SI side-looker. So far, I have used it on a 12' jon boat, a canoe, and a 26' Workskiff. Very happy with it. Hope this gives you some food for thought.

I just won our tiny club night tourny on the 16th-17th. I put in at Shawnee Bend and we fished from there down to Coffman area. I boated 10 fish (7 over 15") but bear in mind this was over a 12-hour period. Several others only had 2 or 3 fish, and they were out of Larry Gale. To say the bite has slowed down is to put it mildly. Most of my fish came on 5" Chompers hula grub (either Texas rigged or on a football head, black w/ blue flake) or on 7" Power worms (black / blue flake or electric grape). My partner caught several on blk / blue Jewell jig. Some of our fish were out in 10 - 15 feet off main-lake points and into the first 1/3 back, although others were in 2-5 feet in the backs of coves. Bites were few and far between, so don't get your hopes up. My biggest (19.5 inches) came off the side of a dock around 7AM. Good luck, hope this helps.

Greer is always a lovely sight, we sample it four times a year- nice hike, too. Haven't been to Turner for maybe six years now- glad to see the old wheel is still standing. there is a brief video clip of Turner from a home movie @ http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/tv/video.asp?mediaID=i__19984392_1636