Stoneroller

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-sightings/mountain-lions

some men farm sheep, other men fish...

the tracks look like those of a canine to me. I'm not an expert though. I googled some mt lion tracks and you rarely see the clear claw marks that are visible in these photos. also a feline's toe pads tend to be a bit more teardrop and in front of their central pad. most telling is that the front two toes are equal length. (see the last photo on this link) they do a better job of describing the characteristics. http://www.bear-tracker.com/mountainliontracks.html

http://www.fishusa.com/Frogg-Toggs-Hellbender-Breathable-Stockingfoot-Guide-Pant_p.html?source=googleps found these too as a cheaper alternative to the dry pants I linked above.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/scrap-iron-chefs-bacon-recipe/index.html here is a link to alton brown's instructions. you could obviously change around the brine ingredients to whatever you'd like, the procedure is what's important.

caught a couple of 12 inchers both times I fished LOZ this year. both on a white crappie spinner bait. they fight really hard for their size. never eaten one though.

the bps johnny morris series are built by quantum if i'm not mistaken. someone may be able to confirm or deny that for me. I just recently picked up a couple of okuma spinning reels, haven't used them yet, cause someone keeps flaking out on me when I ask him to go fishing.... ahem... anyway, christmas has allowed me to replace and expand my rod/reel collection too. looks like it was a good christmas for most everyone.

you'll get a 15% discount code when you get your vest. for 23$ you could get a scotty rod holder. nice choice in PFD's btw. I'm spending my ACK gift cards on a rudder for my trident.

you may as well start smoking crack. DON"T DO IT MAN!

suprised you could hear that tone, they say old people loose the ability to hear the higher frequencies. Never occured to you that it might have been your hearing aid or pacemaker? i did laugh my butt off when i read your story though. that is some seriously funny stuff. (especially because i just had to turn an old cell phone that was beeping from the other room just last week.)

during the warmer months that entire length of creek by the ranch can be full of people, which makes fishing really, really tough.

We will definately have multiple spotted bass roundups and there WILL be some kind of a trail this spring/summer. (seems to be far more interest for that period) I'm currently working on a couple of sponsors, won't be anything huge, but it'll be something. If you are interested in helping or want more info, drop me a line.

you can also check campmor.com and sierratradingpost.com both have closeouts on camping/paddling/biking/climbing gear all the time. you should be able to find a good PFD for 90$. get a high back on though or you'll be sitting against the vest's floatation while in your seat.

anyone needs a capable co-angler, drop me a line. I have my video fishing resume on you tube if you need a reference.

you can't fix stupid

use coupon code 'holiday10' to get 15% off ALL accessory items at austinkayak.com during december. (they'll send you another code for 15% off one accessory item each time you order, codes are good for about 45 days)

oh, and I got the Univesal Fit vest. that way I could make it bigger if I want to wear it over a jacket when it's cold, or make it smaller to fit properly in the summer. Keep that in mind.

Sorry to hear about your father's friend's accident. Panic is most likely the cause of his drowning though. It's a common misconception that falling in water with waders will pull you under, while this may be more likely in moving water, it is very unlikely in flat water. what is nearly impossible to do with waders full of water is pull yourself up onto ice or a boat. then of course hypothermia is an issue. You are much better off getting a wet or dry suit to wear when the weather is cold. Immersion Research makes a really sweet pair of kayak fishing pants. neoprene booties, ready for wader boots and a neoprene waist that WILL keep out water. http://www.immersionresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/dry_pants.jpg i'm not gonna lie, they are pricey, but well worth the extra cost. They have a cheaper pair without the booties if you want to go that route. now as far as PFD's go... (sorry I got sidetracked it's the A.D.D.) Check Austinkayak.com http://www.austinkayak.com/products/814/Stohlquist-Fisherman-High-Back-Life-Vest.html they have a ton of choices on there. I got the Stohlquist Fisherman Highback vest. it has pockets on the front for lure boxes, a rod holder (like a fishing vest) and some other cool features. the back is high enough that it doesn't hit the top of my high back fishing seat. It should be floaty enough to hold you above water, even if you waders were full. (although full waders wouldn't actually add weight to you if you were floating, again it's getting out of the water with full waders that will be the tough part) I've been considering the wader/dry suit debate for some time now and I'm going with the pro's on this one, although waders, two wading belts and a good pfd, "shouldn't" be an issue. it's probably best to err on the side of safety and wear a wet suit or dry suit/pants and a good PFD. You might only get one chance to test theories, best to use others' experience as a sounding board.

http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-reward-offered-stolen-guns-case-121710,0,6461763.story

yeah that is some of the craziest stuff i've ever seen. both were really, really nice bucks too. one looked to ba at least an 8 point and the other was at least a 10. both were in great shape when the battle started. not so much towards the end.

For those of you who haven't heard, the gates have been closed, most likely forever on GIR in Madison, IL. Seems the tax breaks ended this year and the group in Dover can't milk GIR for anymore $$ so they have closed it. It is very unlikely that anyone will be able to outbid Waste Management when the track goes up for sale. WM wants to turn the track into another mountain of stinking garbage. No more racetrack to go run my car around on the weekends. No more corner work fun. Sucks when greedy people get involved and are only interested in what can make them $$ today and are to short sighted to see the long term big picture. With a boat load of luck, maybe the road track planned for the arnold, mo area will find some serious investors and get built. if only I could win the lottery...

found this on one of my fishing trips to my favorite illinois lake a couple of months ago. Heard about this kind of thing, but have never seen it in person.

well we might have an issue. most tourney's require us to have a livewell capable of keeping two limits of fish. I guess we could use an over the side floating net to keep them in, just have to watch for otters. =)

personally I think you can catch more from a plastic canoe or kayak than you can a boat, especially an aluminum one. the profile from below is much, much smaller on a canoe or kayak and the aluminum makes more noise as the water slaps against it. I think canoe and kayak anglers tend to spend more time in a given area, therefor presenting a bait for longer or to more fish (potentially) than a boater might. I'd contribute this to the mobility factor. it's easy in boat with a motor to do the "that looks like a good spot" shuffle. unless you really want a workout it's not as easy in a canoe or kayak. so from a noise, profile perspective and factoring in time spent in a given area, I personally think the plastic canoe/kayak outperforms the aluminum jon boat, all other factors being equal. I will say that some presentations are more difficult from a canoe/kayak. i.e. when you need to keep your rod tip down, like with a jerk bait. hard to do that sitting at water level.

I'm in, I've been looking for someone to go pro with. My uncle has fished various bass tourney's since he was a whippersnapper including B.A.S.S. so we can milk his experience for insight. Hurdle #1, do you have a boat, cause I dont think we can both fish out of my kayak. I mean, we can try but the going may be slow.