Stoneroller

quit talking about it and LETS DO IT!!!!!

I have a gps/sonar on my kayak and just paddle at a nice slow mostly consistant 1mph. also, use a floating crankbait, not a sinking one, that way your baits float to the surface if you have to stop and don't get tangled up. ie dont use a rapala countdown type of crank. note that some waters allow only 2 pole and line fishing, make sure you know the local regulations before setting up a spread of rods.

the group i saw the first time i was down there was busted for smoking a joint on a sandbar. not a single other person in sight, the cops were in the bushes watching, called their buddies down stream who came up in the boat, the group tossed the roach in the gravel, when they heard the boat, and stomped it in, which the lurker saw. when his crew showed up they searched the gravel for a full hour just to find .0003grams of weed. sorry, but that's ridiculous. 2nd group I saw got busted for similar consumption, again, by themselves, not like they were on a crowded gravel bar or drunk as hell and screaming and yelling and generally causing havoc. Clearly just a money making effort by the local constables. just a word of warning, that area is economically depressed and this is one of the ways those areas make money. bust people for nonsense, fine them, get the money, rinse, repeat. I'd really like to see law enforcement bust people for littering more than personal consumption that isnt' harming or otherwise taking away from anyone else's experience on the water.

greer to riverton is a nice 2 day float. there are float-in campgrounds around horseshoe bend to camp at, or you could just camp on the bend. mostly a trout stream in that section, but really beautiful. beware of the river patrol though, they are hot and heavy down there and use the typical, hide in the bushes and watch gravel bars then come blasting up river in their jet boat to rain on your parade. "officers will be waiting for you at the takeout" has ruined many a people's float on that stretch. I've never had an issue with them, but everytime i've been there i've seen multiple groups get popped. unfortunately that kind of overbearing, draconian pressure on floaters doesn't do a single good thing for the reputation of the river or the area.

are you just sitting in a spot and cranking or are you trolling? i'm going to share my summer secret for suspended crappie... Troll for them at about 1mph with a 10 foot diving crank less than 2.5 inches in length. set your drag very light so that it's almost pulling drag just from the lures action and make passes over areas you think they might be. I actually have really good luck trolling open water, I was catching 12-15 crappie 10 feet deep in 30-40 water last week with this technique. i think it was on a rapala dt thug lime colored if i remember correctly. beetle spins will work too, but you'll have to go a bit slower to get them down, or use a bigger jig head.

frankly I hope this completely destroys the property values of the 'houses' around that lake. it's the homeowners and their old, failing, illegal, etc septic systems or lack there of, that causes this problem. Regulations are only effective if you have enforcement agencies who actually do their jobs, which seems to be rarer and rarer these days.

get a jackson kayak Coosa. the first and only purpose built river fishing kayak. i have an ocean kayak trident 13 (open water boat) and a Native ultimate 9.5 for rivers, neither are ideal for rivers, but both work. the more purpose built your boat, the easier you will find it to fish from. you definately want a SOT as opposed to a Sit in. a sit on top virtually eliminates the chances of your kayak getting submerged and pinned, it's also infinately easier to board, the Coosa hs extremely stable and has tons of features perfect for river/stream fishing. if I could do it over again i'd save my $ for a Coosa as my river yak.

gasconade and i have a camping trip the 22-24th of july so I won't be able to make it if it's that weekend.

got mine for $5 at the Alpine Shop

check MDC's website, I think they have some pretty detailed stuff about where the problem hogs are. you dont need a hunting license to shoot them either, kill on sight order is in effect. just make sure you are otherwise legal for hunting, ie, plugs in shotguns, legal calibers, not tresspassing, etc etc.

Your limb lines MUST be CLEARLY labled with your name and conservation number or address. Your limb lines must also be checked at least once every 24 hrs and please remove ALL of your lines when you leave. failure to do either is a violation of the wildlife code. also, please remove all and your entire limb lines when you leave.

sounds like the beginning of RAMBO...

yeah classic ozark bass. such an understated fish, but quite striking.

as long as they place you buy has an old abandoned mine shaft on it where i can hide a couple of bodies, it doesn't matter what the river looks like...

you would be a millionaire if you could solve your issue. low cost batteries with that kind amperage over the long haul, simply do not exist. now if you change just one parameter of your search, instead of 'low' use the term 'high' and your problem is solved! there is a german company, of course, which makes super efficient, super high tech, super expensive deep cycle batteries that are small. they are the company that makes the batteries for the torqueedo motor, they also make batteries for extra planetary excursions, which is where the technology comes from. you might consider hooking up as big an array of solar panels as you can to help the battery(s) last longer. I've seen numerous small solar panels available, most are used for charging cell phones and such. although they won't put out enough amperage to actually charge a deep cycle battery, they will help to make it's charge last longer. frankly I think the weight of the battery and motor completely offset the bonus you could get from the extended range. but that's my opinion, and sometimes its fun to play around with things just to see.

you have three images one says 'too fast' the next is 'still too fast' the final is just right. first picture boat speed is 3.4 mph, 2nd is 3.1mph 3rd is 3.4 mph.... are you talking about chart speed in those instances? frankly it doesn't really matter what your chart speed is set to, as long as it's not in the lower half of the setting range. unless you run over the same area, again and again, while messing with the chart speed/boat speed the entire time, you won't really know what the proper speed is for the depth of water you are fishing. water density and depth can have a major effect on sonar returns. best technique i've found for catching fish is to keep your lure in the water. people get too tied up trying to use their sonar to 'find fish'.

I'm happy to see that MDC has ALSO issued an article talking about what to do if you were to encounter a Mt Lion. I do think their last tip, should be the first one on the list.

JEFFERSON CITY– According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the chances of encountering a mountain lion in Missouri is very, very small—almost nonexistent. People, pets and livestock are at much greater risk from automobiles, stray dogs and lightning strikes than they are from mountain lions. However, if you do encounter a mountain lion in the wild, take the following actions. These tips also could be useful to Missourians who travel to states with breeding populations of mountain lions. • STOP. Back away slowly if you can do so safely. Running may stimulate a cougar’s instinct to chase and attack. Face the animal, stand upright and maintain eye contact. • DO NOT APPROACH A MOUNTAIN LION, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions try to avoid confrontations. Give them a way to escape. • STAY CALM. Talk to the cat in a calm, but firm voice. • DO ALL YOU CAN TO APPEAR LARGER. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you’re wearing one. • THROW STONES, branches, or whatever you can get your hands on if the cougar behaves aggressively. • DO NOT CROUCH DOWN or turn your back on the mountain lion. • WAVE YOUR ARMS slowly and speak firmly. You want to convince the lion that you are not prey and that you may, in fact, be a danger to it. • FIGHT BACK if a lion attacks. Mountain lions have been driven away by people who fought back with rocks, sticks, caps or jackets, garden tools and bare hands. A sturdy walking stick can be used to ward off a mountain lion. • REMAIN STANDING or try to get back up if you are attacked. • GO IN GROUPS when you walk, hike or bike in states with established mountain lion populations. • MAKE PLENTY OF NOISE to reduce your chances of surprising a lion. • KEEP CHILDREN CLOSE and within sight at all times and pick up small children so they won’t panic and run. • TALK WITH CHILDREN about lions and teach them what to do if they see one.

ATLANTA, Mo.–The Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed the presence of a mountain lion in northern Macon County, based on photos of tracks taken by a landowner. Rex Martensen, a member of the Conservation Department’s Mountain Lion Response Team (MLRT), said the landowner found large, cat-like tracks in a muddy creek bed while hunting mushrooms. He was near the town of Economy, northeast of Long Branch Lake, on April 20. The man took photos of the tracks and sent them to Private Land Conservationist Ted Seiler. Rain washed away the tracks before a member of the MLRT could visit the site. However, Martensen said the tracks in the photo closely match the characteristics of mountain lion tracks. He said the MLRT needed no further evidence to confirm the presence of a mountain lion. Martensen said one thing that stood out in the photos was the lack of claw marks. “Even if a dog has well-worn toenails, as deep as these tracks went into the mud, you would have seen those pretty clear.” Martensen said the Conservation Department is not trying to find the mountain lion that left the tracks. However, he said the MLRT wants to know when and where mountain lions appear in Missouri and is particularly interested in reports that involve photos, tracks, hair or other physical evidence. Evidence from other confirmed mountain lion sightings in the past 20 years suggests that the big cats are coming to Missouri from other states where mountain lion populations have been growing. Martensen said mountain lions might show up in Missouri with increasing frequency as populations in northwest Nebraska and other western states continue to grow and expand. Many unanswered questions remain about mountain lions in Missouri. In an attempt to answer these questions, the Conservation Department established the MLRT to review citizen reports thoroughly. “We don’t know what mountain lions do or where they go when they get here,” said Martensen, “so pieces of the puzzle like this report are interesting and very helpful to us.” For more information about mountain lions in Missouri, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/node/3505. To contact the MLRT send an email to mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov. You can send photos, video or physical evidence to Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer, 573-882-9909, ext. 3211; Private Land Services Supervisor Rex Martensen, 573-522-4115, ext. 3147; or Wildlife Programs Supervisor Shawn Gruber, 573-522-4115, ext. 3262.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1189 probably the best source online for information about birds.

fluoro twists like crazy on a spinning reel. i used to deny this, but the reality is that it does. I used to only throw fluoro, then I tried braid one day and was sold. still get wind knots from time to time, but no more of those nasty blowups on the reel from the line being twisted like crazy. I still use fluoro on my setups that I use for clear water though.

you people who think you know everything really annoy those of us who do... r

that's such nonsense...

try the suffix 832 line. i've been using it for grubs/shakeyhead and on my crankbait rods. it sinks and it seems to have better feel than the normal braids.

crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of their women. -Conan the Barbarian on 'what is good in life'