MOPanfisher

Pflueger President reel and the best St. Croix you can get for the rest of the $$, I also am done with Shimano. Last reel I bought was a Diawa, and it is a hoss, little bigger than what I normally use but for hybrids, walleye etc. it is nice.

Many years ago when headed to Wyoming to go on an Antelope hunt I decided to build my own large cooler. Essentially it is a 4' x2' x2' with a hinged lid. The walls are nothing more than little stud walls build out of 2x2 "studs". The outside skin is 1/4 inch plywood, and in between the studs are 1 1/2 inch pieces of styrofoam board, the inside skin is another pieces of 1/4 plywood. Inside is sealed with waterseal, outside was stained. Lid is insulated and build much the same way as the walls. Add a couple handles and some hinges and viola' and huge cooler that will hold ice for days and days, hold at least 6 quartered antelope (all we had) plus ice. Cost me way less than the price of a Yeti. However it is NOT a canoe cooler, but load it in the back of a truck or into a trailer and it will work for antelope, deer, hogs, beef you name it. I have stored a LOT of meat in it over the years, takes to people to load empty, and would require a forklift to move full of meat, but I've never needed to move it when loaded.

I believe the training is in September, so the lake should be pretty stable. The MSHP tries to do at least 2 trainings a year spring and fall, depending upon availability of outflow increases, sometimes they have to cancel it because we simply don't have the water to spare, was headed that way this year until the first week of august. And even though its MSHP that puts on the training there are students from MDC, counties, cities, and various other agencies including a couple from the COE ( NOT ME THANK YOU VERY MUCH). I would happily do the boating part, but the concept of donning a wet suit, flippers, crash helmet, and a life vest then jumping into the stilling basing at 2000 CFS then swimming to a few points and finally walking back to do it all over again, well I'll leave it to the younger and tougher guys than me.

There are a couple of different things at work here. We try to bring the lake back down quickly until we get within a foot or two of conservation pool or the established "normal" for that time period. As we get close generally it gets slowed down to a more gentle drop. This time we also have a request which we granted from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to hold another swift water rescue training class in the outlet, to do that they need about 2000 CFS for 3-4 days or roughly 1.5 - 2.0 feet of lake water so we are holding some water for that. Normally this time of year rain, and especially run off rain is rare to non-existent so expecting additional water to inflow is not reliable. In the spring during any of the various spawns we try to draw the lake down fairly quickly so that any fish that are thinking about spawning will pull back, then as it nears the target elevation, we slow it down so that while still lowering the lake toward that magic target it does so slowly, giving the fish time to spawn, eggs to hatch, and the fry to move into the cover of the flooded brush/grass/weeds. Obviously it is not a perfect science. Seems that after the big rains/floods there is more interest from counties and cities to have some folks capable of operating in a swift water rescue situation and the MSHP is the go to place for it. In the 20 plus years I've been at Pomme I couldn't even begin to count the number of boaters I have seen skiing tubing jet skiing in places like haverstick, or cooper cove knowing what is just below them I marvel that more don't crash. No matter the lake level there will be some hazards, haven't figured out a way around that yet. In years to come I expect to see more rapid rises at all times of the year, I don't believe global warming will turn us into a desert, I believe the extra water vapor in the atmosphere will provide extra energy which will trigger worse torrential rainstorms, very heavy and maybe stalling out in certain areas to produce staggering amounts of rain in a short time, but I am not metereologist, weather person and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so take that prediction for what it is worse.

Hve been reducing outflow most of the morning. This morning we were at 2500 CFS, at 1:00 p.m. will make final drop to 100 CFS. Lake will stabilize so somebody please go get me some good reports. My boat is dry rotting and my fishing gear hates me.

I can go into more detail should you want, however the basic gist is mowing grass is a very expensive proposition. It is a balancing act between $, need, and other needs. We issue a contract to mow either and area, or the entire lake, and the contractor is responsible for mowing it within a certain time period, a lake as big as Table Rock likely has at least two mowing contracts. A desiginated person at the Project office contacts the contractor and "orders" the mowing, usually there is a minimum number of mowings and a maximum according to the contract. Volunteers can be utilized to mow areas that are not under contract, however if it is contracted out you can't mow it yourself or by volunteer lest the contractor file a claim and likely get paid, because it was his job to do. In the contractors defense he has a fair number of employees and a considerable investment in equipment that he has to pay for, he needs some security in knowing what his minimum payment will be in order to determine what he can do the job for. Also we can't just hire minimum wage kdis to mow as there are many personnel rules about what we have to pay and provide for benefits.

I have always been amazed at the COE's Public Affairs. They have for the most part fantastic people, but when it comes to getting the word out for something done well/right it just doesn't happen. But let something bad happen, say a flood, or hurricane and the Corps will happily stand up and let the rocks/stick/pichforks be aimed at them, they just as happily after the hype is over move it to begin clean up and or recovery operations. I guess its a typical military operation when if it goes wrong, we accept the blame, if it goes right we just go along looking for the next thing. Later gentlemen.

Wayne definitely speak with the Table Rock Office, it would end up going through the Real Estate Division as a Lease most likely, although different Districts sometimes handle it differently. The simplest lease option could be the same as the dozens of Resorts and road licenses around the lake, more complex most likely but unless the organization wants to do more than maintain the access it shouldn't be too difficult. The Liability issue is probably best discussed with a lawyer, but for the most part if you are not charging folks to use it, it changes the liability to something pretty basic such as gross negligence. The next time you are headed up to Pomme holler at me, I'll bring a hot dog, a stick and cup of coffee and come visit you. I hope you or the group around Joe Bald can get it worked through, hate to see that quiet little area go the way of Coombs Ferry, Big Indian, or Kings River parks. Vernon, if you get back up to Pomme let me know, we will swap COE stories over a campfire & Coffee, or while crappie fishing.

I would assume there is a lot of debris in the rivers, from driftwood to big hay bales. Never know what you will see.

My first advice is to stop by the COE office and talk with them, they can probably give you some direction. Otherwise I would think something along the lines of "Friends of Joe Bald" group, would probably need to be incorporated as a Not for Profit organization with the State of Missouri and have some sort of organization. Develop a plan such as to maintain the main entrance road, parking lot and boat ramp, block off the rest and simply keep it as an access point. I would reccomend against trying to run it as a campground, however you might eek out a living with a small niche group of campers who want more solitude and only the most basic amenities. Float the idea to the COE and see if you get any interest.

You are correct wayne I have seen many changes/upgrades etc. over the last 25 years. Unfortunately in todays world taking a campground that has water and electric sites and turning off the water and electricity is essentially signing its death warrant, utilization drops to the point that it falls well into the category where it is slated for full closure. We still try to maintain some at least some areas where more primitive camping is available, sadly it also becomes a battle with various sectors of society that like those areas to sell and or produce drugs, etc. etc. The various LE agencies are fantastic in helping with that aspect but cannot be everywhere all the time. I will give a big THANK YOU to all the LE agencies on their support though, I have never called for their assistance and been ignored, sometimes you end up with a deputy, a Trooper and or a MDC agent who heard the call, sometimes coming up by boat sometimes by road, I can say with complete confidence that it is a good feeling to see the show up. Back to the original topic, for those that want to see Joe Bald stay open in some form or another, don't just voice your opinions, get involved, work to establish an organization that can take over the area within the guidelines that the COE will require, and be willing to put in the time, effort and $ that it will take. You might be surprised just how much the COE will work to make it happen in the support is there.

Well looks like the lake level rise is beginning to slow down, of course mother nature is still in charge in the long run. Localized flooding concerns and conditions further downstream from Truman, LOZ, and the Osage river are also driving the train. Looks like we will be sticking at 2000 CFS outflow for now, hopefully it will catch the rise and begin to lower the level slowly. We do keep an eye on local conditions when outflows are increased, there is a location near hermitage that can flood during localized heavy rains and actually back up the river more than we can do during heavy releases. Monday the river was backed up more than we can even come close to at 3500 CFS and we were only spilling 100 CFS, however when we get into larger releases we watch it closely to try to prevent flooding private property. Any drop in outflow generally takes about 3 hours to take effect at Hermitage, but we do what is physically within our control, wish I could say we are always sucessful but sometimes a heavy rain develops and stalls out and we just can't get the changes done in time to prevent some flooding downstream. On the lake side, while we would like to keep all our campsites and launch ramps accessible all the time, it just can't be done, the lakes major purpose is flood control, so we catch it and hold it until we can safely release. Not always conducive to boating, camping, fishing etc. but higher purposes come into play. Sorry if this is re-hasing old information for anyone.

Vernon is correct that the COE is restricted in what it can and can't do in terms of development. The development you are talking about would have to be privately done, which is not impossible, they would have to lease a park or area and submit development plans etc. for approval, think Branson Belle, and Big Cedar. Actually the administration right now would be VERY receptive to a private entity taking over and developing an area, removing the cost to the Government and benefitting the area. I don't believe there has been an actual budget passed for several years, the budgeting process in all of the Federal Government is well confusing at the least. When there is no budget we work on a CRA (Continuing Resolution Authority), basically you get enough money to survive at the lowest possible level, month to month and sometimes week to week. Then when you finally get the final part of the money you are restricted in what you can do or how you do it. It is a bizarre system that we have imposed on ourselves for purchasing materials and supplies and gets more restrictive each year. Some things simply cannot be stopped in mid work, such as multi million dollar levee work etc, lives and property are at risk and lots of dollars to contractors, so money get moved around and the colors changed to fund work that is more important in the overall big picture. Congessional reps are certainly interested and supportive but very matter of fact that there just isn't the money to give out. Will things change, probably the only thing that is consistent is change in the Federal Government. Some will be positive some will be negative, unfortunately things that are intended as a good thing, in fact turn out to cause more problems than it solves. The old say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions is very true sometimes.

Fins & Feathers, I fully understand what you are saying, COE parks are not handled like private parks and intentionally so. The intent is to maintain the area as naturally as possible, understanding that there are accomodations for campsites, roads restrooms etc, but the decisions to not create theme parks out of public lands has been enforced pretty well over the decades. In reality would you want a "White Water" or "Worlds of fun" type atmosphere in the COE Parks. Part of it is an attempt to protect the resources (land and water), since COE parks are right on the lakeshore, partly to attempt to protect private business.

Who would have expected this in August of all months. Looks like we are going up again, the last round of rain missed most of the lake but quite a bit fell in the drainage area so upward again until the inflow drops off. As for the lake man its gonna be muddy and "chunky", with us releasing and lots of muddy water running in it will likely move further down. Fortunately it seldom gets real muddy all the way to the dam, sometimes stained but usually not chocolate milk. Will just wait and see what mother nature gives us. Never thought I would lose a garden to drowning in August.

You are correct about the two full time volunteers in Outlet Park. They are required to work 20 hrs a week in exchange for a free campsite, you would be surprised at how difficult it is to get and keep a good volunteer, and as much as I like to harass them they are hard workers, doing things we often don't get the time to do. I will add that the COE at the district levels don't consider recreation as a pain but as a primary duty, its when it goes above that level that it gets tougher to sell to the men and women who wear camoflauge. Don't get me wrong they are by and large a great group of people, very professional but its tough to get them to see the up side of the recreation world when it is compared to more military projects, or levees, locks, flood fights, channel dredging etc. There are those in the higher echelon who would love to give away or lease out all recreation areas, however most are not profitable for the private sector, and who wants to lease a money pit. There are also those old guys like me who simply don't want to let go of anything and continue to "eat" the budget cuts, manpower cuts, increasing regulation and oversight and march along trying to do the same things with less and less. I'm not complaining and banging the "more money bell", as a taxpayer it hurts me to see what is being done to the organization. I know many of the folks in the Little Rock District (and others) and believe me when I say they are all fighting to keep as much as possible open and useable, finding new ways of funding things and doing business that in many ways are cutting edge. The White River Heritage Foundation or whatever might be the correct name is one of those ways. The folks in LR District stepped out on a very wobbly limb to find a way to keep most of the parks open, and they are doing it. Honestly comparing Table Rock to most other COE areas is unfair, the area there is so much different that it is difficult to describe to someone who hasn't seen it firsthand. But trust me they are great stewards in a VERY tough area. Saying they aren't getting much done is kind of like saying "man that canoe didn't do very well in the race", then realizing that canoe was being paddled by a single one armed man. The time of big budgets are over for most of the COE, now you had better have a darn good program, and be willing to defend it to keep a portion of what you had. Many districts had already closed their "Joe Balds" some years back, Little Rock was able to keep them open longer than the rest of us, now they are finally having to give up some things to save others. I wish it wasn't that way but it is and getting more so every year. Each and every one of the COE employees lives, works and plays there, they all want to keep it as welcoming to the public as possible, some things simply can't be done. Sorry didn't mean to become the COE's defender but maybe just sometimes I get up on a little soapbox, probably fall off one day.

Wayne, what park are you referreing to at Pomme. At site trash pick up stopped over 20 years ago, and we haven't stopped cutting grass, some places we have pulled back the mowing area, closed some poorly utilized areas and mow less frequently. Mowing grass is one of the more expensive items on our list. I can explain that the proposed closing of Joe Bald area is related to a set of measurements including effeciency and usage, when both are low, its hard to score well. The Federal Government is looking hard at moving to a more efficient way of doing business, and the DOD has saluted and said yes sir, as they should. Now 20+ years of "getting by" and keeping places like Joe Bald open with little usage and little $ spend are just not going to fly. Definitely contact the Public Affairs about it, and get a homeowners association together that is willing to enter into a binding agreement to keep open and maintain the access road and ramp at Joe Bald, I bet you can get their interest.

Its been a lot of years since I worked at Table Rock but I well remember Joe Bald Park, quiet out of the way campground at the end of the road, lots of shady sites and almost no campers. The combination of distance from the "main" areas, rustic nature etc. of the park led to abysmal visitation. There is always a cost to keeping something open. If its open you have to care for it, period, there is not an option of simply abandoning it as it, roads, trash, water, security, etc. etc.. Hopefully the ramp will be able to be kept open, even if it means diverting the current traffic patterns and physically blocking other roads in the park. There is also a big push right now among the "higher ups" in DC to close and or modify areas that are designated as "poor performers". They get that designation by a combination of low usage, and upkeep/maintenance costs. Simply doesn't make economic sense to spend dollars and time on an area that doesn't put much back into the economy. During a time of shrinking budget $ and the sequestration cuts, every $ is going to be scrutinized, if closing a couple of low use area allows them to keep oven an area that gets 10 times the usage, as a taxpayer its hard not to support it. If I lived nearby and used is as an easy access to the lake, it would be bitter pill to swallow. I suspect that the COE would love to see the county, state or some other entity come foreward and say we would like to lease that area so it could still be used but not taking the ever more scarce budget $..

Well Mother Nature saw fit to give us some unusual August weather, as a result the Lake Level jumped we are currently at 844.4 or so and still rising. We were unable to increase the outflows yesterday do to down stream conditions,l however this morning the river and tributaries are back in the banks and we are beginning to step up the outflow. Just bumped it to 500 CFS, next step 1000 CFS and finally to 2000 CFS before noon. We plan to hold at 2000 CFS probably until Thursday at least to see what the next round of storms brings in, if we don't get inundted again I would expect another increase to 2500 or 2800 CFS. The lake will continue to rise albeit at a slower rate once we get the outflows up to 2000 CFS, and then begin to drop slowly as the inflows decline. I am sure the upper ends of the lake to at lease midway will be muddy and expect to see floating logs and debris. If you are going out PLEASE use extra caution.

You would think that the companies would invest a little R&D money to find a beneficial use for the ash, if it is possible to make a profit from it they are more willing to play. Does it have any benefit for concrete, i.e. some things added to concrete make it stronger and more durable. As for DNR inspectors they are for the most part a great group of folks, primarily they are complaint driven but if "business" slows down they have a tendency to show up at places they have had complaints on in the past just to check up on them.

I have found with that I have to modify the casting method with that type of set up, use more of a long lobbing motion rather than a normal cast, and often loosen up the brake just a little, and even let my old thumb worry about applying just the right amount of extra brake, if I think about it, I will mess it up but my thumb knows the right amount.

If you opt for the all plastic bunks or the plastic layered on top be careful when unloading. The plastic will make the possibility of an unintended slide off more likely. I know folks who used to stop at the top of the ramp unhook the bow eye and back it it. Do that with the plastic bunks and you may find your boat lying on the concrete ramp. Don't unhook it until it would at least fall into shallow water. Otherwise the plastic bunks work pretty well.

After reading the 13 or 14 pages so far my take of the shooting is: 2 different individual/groups met, both made very very poor choices, either could have ended it peacefully at any point, and it escalated and ended with someone killed. Whether or not it will be determined to be justifiable or not is a jury's job not mine. It seems like a perfect storm of bad decisions. As in most things responsibility is the key, folks who choose to carry concealed or open carry even and do so with responsibility and skill are not a problem, its those who don't have the responsibility, wisdom etc. There are some things in my house or maybe my car/truck that I would be willing to take a life, but they all have names, coincidentally the same last name as me.

Looks like a basic fungal infection, but could be even a protozoan. Either way there is nothing you can do. Pretty common when creeks get warm and stagnant.

I find Fels-Naptha soap in wal-mart without any problems, look in the laundry section. Chiggers are a irritating little critter, some of the Hydrocortizone creams help. Fels Naptha works better on Poison Ivy as it is very good at removing the oil and drying up the itchy places.