MOPanfisher

Heck yeah!!! Now that's what a good day looks like.

Worked at Bolivar Landing most of the day cutting cedars to sink next week. Saw one boat launch and they were just checking to see if the boat ran. Checked Nemo on the way back to the office, ICE FREE. One vehicle and trailer there, let it begin.

Update, just about everything is open except PP Bridge and Nemo Park. Nemo park boat ramp cove still has some ice in it, I suspect if you really really wanted to you could force your way through it, but otherwise open and dang windy.

Still getting a final tally, but the ice has been disappearing at an amazing rate today. 48 hrs ago almost 100% ice cover, by this afternoon nearly all gone. I know the Harbor is open for sure, main lake ice gone. Will try to get a full list put together asap. Also heard that Stockton is essentially ice free, some coves still with ice but wow what a change.

The strong south wind and warm temps is working on the ice. Main lake from dam back to the mouth of lindley and pomme is open, south facing coves like the one with the two fishing docks in it is taking a beating, at least 50 yards of curshed iced and the waves are going all the way through to the back of the cove, up close it is very noisy and the wind coming off the ice is several degrees cooler. Still no ramps open that I am aware of.

I went to Nemo and checked by the dock, its gonna be a while fellers. Hopefully when it thaws loose around the edges and the big chunks of ice start to move we don't have too many docks damaged, however there will be some for sure.

You will never look back and say, I sure wish I hadn't drained that old gas out. I always put stabil/seafoam or something in my gas and always siphon whatever is in the tank out at the beginning of the year. I usually burn in in my lawnmower, since if it quits running, heck more time to fish.

I will keep checking but if it gets warm and windy it can change quickly, I suspect that while some of the main lake will thaw, the coves where most of the ramps are will take a while. But heck it is Missouri, might be 80 next week.

Yes.

I use braid, mostly Berkley Fireline, although I do have Nanofil on one of my crappie reels and absolutely love it. I also tie directly with no leader.

A few wraps of Teflon tape, tighten and forget.

The last severe cold snap the ice was full of shad, little ones mostly but some larger ones.

I just have the advantage of working at a lake small enough I can check more easily, that and not being a very good manager who will abandon his desk and work at any opportunity to go out. Boat Ramp and Ice Report for Monday Jan 27th The Harbor = Open Outlet (River) = Open Hermitage State Park = Open Nemo Park = Iced in (Main lake ice above Nemo, patchy but frozen all way across in places) Pittsburg Landing = Iced in Bolivar = Open (main lake frozen from point upstream past fishing docks) McCracken Bridge/PP access = Iced in Lightfoot = Open. Main lake frozen above 83 Marina in places. Wheatland = Open. Boat Ramp and Ice Report for Monday Jan 27th The Harbor = Open Outlet (River) = Open Hermitage State Park = Open Nemo Park = Iced in (Main lake ice above Nemo, patchy but frozen all way across in places) Pittsburg Landing = Iced in Bolivar = Open (main lake frozen from point upstream past fishing docks) McCracken Bridge/PP access = Iced in Lightfoot = Open. Main lake frozen above 83 Marina in places. Wheatland = Open.

JD, then they must have come from Kentucky!

I used to have a big light tan German Shepard who had a coyote "girlfriend" that hung around. He met his match one day at the front end of a pick-up truck but a year or so later I thought I was seeing a ghost when I spotted "him" with another coyote in a field a LONG way off. Looking at him through binoculars I don't believe it was quite as big as he was (he was 80#+) but the exact same coloring and still a dang big coyote, never did get a shot at the coyote/hybrid in question but was never a doubt that he was the sire. I believe we will continue to see occasional wolves in MO, likely will only know for sure that's what they are when they are shot, trapped or road killed. As the wolf population in other states grows the younger adventurous ones will roam. I don't expect to see a viable population of wolves anytime soon if ever. However they are certainly adaptable critters so who knows, I've never had the opportunity to hear one howl in the wild, but if had a bucket list that would certainly be on it.

http://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/hunter-shoots-unusually-large-coyote-northwest-Missouri There are always a few genetic oddballs.

I suspect it is more of that they know if they write a citation and it goes to the judge who asks, "Sir why did you shoot that wolf/mountain lion", and the person answers "Judge it was after my chickens/sheep/dog/cat etc.,", whereupon the Judge asks the MDC Agent if he has any evidence to prove that is not the case, and when none is given the citation gets thrown out. Since they know they aren't going to win in court, they choose to be a little more gentle with the handling of the person who has done the shooting, and thus not drive them underground to the shoot/shove/shut up mentality. As long as the shooter reports the kill, and has some reason for it, at least the information and biological data is available to the MDC to track and study. I seem to recall a coon hunter who treed a mountain lion a couple years ago, if my memory is even close I believe he shot it out of the tree, tried to hide what had happened, but had told too many people. MDC investigated and cited him for shooting it.

Again I haven't heard anything about MDC issuing a citation for the killing of the wolf, so I am going to assume they investigated it and decided it was a legitimate shooting or perhaps they simply decided to use some common sense. The individual did not try to hide it, brag it up or anything, he realized he had made a mistake and called MDC. Exactly as he should have. Since I was not there and know nothing beyond what was in that short story I am gonna trust in the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which have, as far as I know, declined to prosecute. Honestly I am not sure if the Grey Wolf is a protected species by USF&W or not, so they may not have the option. Generally the MDC is not shy about issuing citations so they maybe they know more than we do? YMMV

I try to never flame anyone for shooting something when I don't know the circumstances. I like wolves, I used to "sponsor" is that is the correct term a pack of wolves, they send pictures and updates and you send them money, The Sawtooth Pack if I remember correctly, but that was several years ago. Having hunted and shot coyotes you don't always have the option of glassing them over and analyzing their appearance, sometimes its simply there he is "bang". Also size is not always apparent until you are close either or have something to compare it to. Bottom Line is he shot it, he apparently hasn't been charged by the MDC for shooting it, so I guess I would tend to give him a pass.

I've had stren line in bulk spools that was 20 years old and as strong as it was when bought. It was always kept in dark. I have long since switched to braid. Mono it seemed to depend on what line I was using, how I was using it etc. how often I needed to change it. Cheap line like Mr. Crappie, or Cajun Red got twisted and "kinky" pretty quick, but it was cheap to strip off and throw away. Stren was much better, and while I loved P-Line it was pretty stiff and had a lot of memory. I much prefer braid, but there are places where mono works better, or at least a mono or fluoro leader, such as fishing a lot of rocks, braid wears quickly on the rocks, seems to handle wood fine but don't like rocks. I have some braid that has been on the reel for more than 5 years, only thing I did was once I turned it around so it was a pretty neon yellow again.

1/22/2014 As of this morning: Nemo Park = Iced in (not very thick but not gonna thaw for a few days probably) The Harbor = Open. Although a thin ice is beginning to form so likely will ice in the next couple days. Wheatland = open. Looks really cold out there but ramp is open. Will add more as I get around to check them.

Water temp by the dam was 37 yesterday morning. No wind and single digits will build an ice layer quickly with the water already that cold. We were going to go to LOZ on monday but thinking the wind was going to switch to the north earlier we wimped out.

Don't know about Pittsburg Landing or Bolivar, but everything else should be fine. Hasn't been cold since they thawed out, and the wind will hinder ice formation witht he cold this week. If I make it to upper end this week I'll post the conditions.

Just about all ramps are open. As of yesterday Pittsburg Landing was iced in, didn't get to Bolivar Landing, but I wouldn't count on it being open yet. Updated. Lightfoot and Wheatland are open, Bolivar is still iced in. You can see open water about where the long shallow point I know as Watkins Point is. Looked to be a little skim or floating ice above 83 marina, wouldn't want to hit it at 60MPH but wouldn't scare me away if I wanted to fish the area. Lots of little shad doing the "I'm dying please eat me dance" out there.

As of yesterday you could find open water from about Wheatland Park to the dam, however finding a place to launch wasn't gonna happen, would have needed a helicopter. Warm weather and wind will help but when the lake gets this cold it takes a while.