MOPanfisher

I emailed our water control section in Kansas City and this is what she sent me. Storage Utilized: The amount of water in the lake that is above the multipurpose pool (mpp) elevation. If the pool is below the mpp, there is no storage. Sometimes we report this as a percent of possible storage and sometimes we report it as acre-feet of water (volume). Percent is probably easier to understand. Seasonal Rule Curve: I'm sure there's a concise, well worded definition but I can't put my hands on it at the moment. Basically, we have target pool elevations for the lake base on seasons. For example, we tend to draw down lakes in the spring in anticipation of the spring rains; that allows for a slow rise to accommodate the fish spawn. Each lake's plan is a little different. The plan is a result of the efforts of Federal, State, and local share holders. We like to call them the Water Level Management Plan (WLMP). But Seasonal Rule Curve is the same thing.

Storage Utilized is going to be expressed either in a % or acre feet. It simply relates the amount "full" the lake is in relation to capacity. Normally expressed as XYZ lake is currently at 75% of storage capacity or 45,00 acre/feet. Acre feet is simply one acre of surface (43,560 Sq feet) one foot deep. Seasonal Rule Curve. While not have heard that specific term before I assume it refers to what would "Normally" be expected to be present i.e. 70% capacity, or x acre feet. Other possibility depending upon the lake is how much is normally released (not counting power generation) to the river, depends on lake level and time of year. If you want specifics I can get an actual definition pretty easily. Example Table Rock Lake might currently be at 75% of its storage capacity and in a "normal" year it would be at 84%.

The most important thing, to me, is accepting responsibility for the choices you've made. Quite possibly the best single sentence of the entire 17 page topic.

But if Clint Eastwood were going hiking or fishing in the backwoods of the Ozarks would he be carrying a firearms? Of course! Possibly either his old S&W Model 29 in .44 Mag (Dirty Harry) or one of the many varieties of single action handguns from the westerns, or maybe the Sharps rifle from Outlaw Josey Wales or he might just beat them half to death (any which way but loose series).

(Steve Lee "I Like Guns") Hopefully the rain will wash some of the craziness out of the air the last few days.

I thought I was the only one who had that problem with Shimanos. The only Shimano I've owned that didn't happen to was a Stradic, every one cheaper went the same way. Now mostly Pfleugers with a couple Cardinals and no more problems.

I've only had one firearm intentionally pointed at me. An AR-15 type rilfe in the hands of a US Marshall at a roadblock while they were searching for an escaped convict from a county jail. I pulled up and stopped when he pointed and went to roll me window down. (old style crank window) as soon as my hand went out of sight the rifle snapped to his shoulder and was perfectly steady. I very slowly returned both hands to the top of the steering wheel and waited for him to approach me. He was very polite and professional, never felt like he was going to accidentally shoot me. I have killed 3 deer on the roads (only two did I have a pow gun) and one obviously sick raccoon. Firearms are simply tools, and like all tools some are handier to have than others.

Looks Beary Beary suspicious.

As for the original question, yes sometimes I do carry and sometimes I don't, it depends on where I am going and for how long. Anyone who thinks that the average person who is legally carrying a concealed firearm is a threat to the general public is as deluded as someone who thinks that they are going to be the guy who stops a bank robbery. If you are carrying legally have at it, I doubt you and me are going to get into a shootout over who's turn it is at the ramp or because you are fishing "MY" spot.

Pomme can be very crowded, but nothing like TR or LOZ. Holidays are normally very very busy, during "normal" summer from Friday at about 6:00 p,m. to Sunday at about 6:00 p.m. it is still pretty busy. Otherwise it is pretty easy to find space to fish and get away from pleasure boaters. We are getting more "refugee" boaters from LOZ (25' ski boats etc.) but still easily fishable during week and early in morning.

Having seen the aftermath of a bass boat colliding with an unlighted pontoon boat and the two young bodies that resulted I have no problem with LE writing the tickets.

For all of you who will be on the river, lakes or even just at home please take a moment to think safety. 1. Fire. Hot dry weather makes for high fire danger, an errant roman candle can start a fire that takes out a house, barn or rock of hay bales. use them responsibly. 2. Heat. If you are going to be working or playing be sure to drink a lot of water, with the occasional Gatorade but drink a lot, take breaks and cool off if shade if possible. 3. At the Lake. Remember PFD's can save your life, but only if you use them. Water and alcahol do not mix well in a recreational setting. The hot weather, lots of sun, and wind will wear you down quickly. If you drink do so responsibly. 4. Watch out for the other guy, they may not be as careful, or responsible as you. Hopefully everyone will be able to enjoy a safe holiday weekend, whether you celebrate this weekend, next weekend or both.

If they are operating a motor vessel and they are intoxicated or impaired then arrest them, ticket them and prosecute them. I have seen too many accidents and injuries to say anything else. If they are floaters on a river and do something illegal, whether it be drugs, littering, indecent exposure or whatever, ticket them and send them on their way maybe after an 8 hour sobering up stay at the local crossbar motel. Enforcement does indeed make a difference it takes a little while but it does work.

Actually the shingle color is an interesting one. While working in Florida after Hurricane Charley I noticed a shingled roof that had been painted with the silver slurry/sealer stuff. The owner was there and he commented on the fact that it did indeed make quite a difference in his cost for AC. Don't know if he had any data to back it up but always thought it made sense.

While difficult for many people to grasp our ecosystem didn't evolve in a smoothe easy way, what is here now was not always here, what was for 50 100 years a beautiful stand of mature timber has almost certain been decimated by fire more than once in history. The only thing really consistent about nature is that is hates a status quo. It will always be trying to move a river channel, erode down a mountain range, raising or lowering the average temperature, or trying to burn or drown, or cover with snow something. What we as humans try to do is to exist as best we can, while trying to bend nature to our will, sometimes we think we are winning or have won (1993 flods) then we are reminded that we are not really in control, sort of like a little kid wrestling with his dad, seldom does "dad" ever use the full strength, but if he does nothing the kid can do will really matter. How did we get way out here anyway, yep it is hot and dry in some places and wet in others that is nature. So far this year it hasn't been all that bad at my house, in the last 3 weeks I have gotten 2 different 1" rains, sure helps to make the cut hayfield green up, but not enough to make the creeks run or put much moisture deep into the soil. As my grandmother said you just as well like the weather you have, you certainly can't change it. Mother nature will always have the big guns in our battles.

Paint fillets with some melted butter, shake on a seasoning of choice, greek, cajun or make your own ( the butter helps the seasoning to stick to the fillets. Line a sheet cake pan with aluminum foil, lay the buttered seasoned fillets in the pan, pour rest of buttery, seasony goodness around the fillets and place on your barbeque grill. Cook until fish is flaky, gently lift the fillets off the foil lined pan and place on a platter. Carefully lift the pan and pour all that fishy, buttery, seasony goodness into a cup, add a little lemon juice and use it as a sauce or topping for the fish when served or even pour a little on some fried taters mmmmmmmm. I have found out my family can eat almost twice as much fish when grilled as compared to fried and its just dang delicious.

Sapps can be a tricky place to launch, short very steep ramp. If Truman is really low like last year if you back too far down the ramp suddenly your trailer tires fall off the end and the trailer is hung, saw a couple trailers that had been badly damaged trying to use more horsepower to pull them up and over the edge of the ramp. There can be some fantastic fishing in the area at the right times though, I'll be back many more times to that ramp. I make sure anymore that my reels are bagged and often iside a rod box also on the trip down the gravel road, that dust gets into every tiny nook and cranny.

If memory serves me the big fires in yellowstone were not caused nor assisted by years of fire suppression, I believe the NPS had many years of history of not fighting wildland fires unless they were threatening man made structures, the rest were left to burn themselves out like nature had always done. The size and scope of the big yellowstone fires made such an impression in the media that pressure was placed upon the NPS to fight that one, honestly I am not sure of the current policy. I was in yellowstone a few years after the big fires, large parts of the burned areas were standing fire killed timber, with a tremendous amount of undergrowth due to the opened canopy after the fire. It seemed like every elk in the park was in those burned areas feasting on the new growth. Fire like so many things in like is both good and bad depending upon how it is used (or abused). USFS is a different creature, they will fight the fires as the standing timber crop represents a large amount of $$ of lumber going up in flames and the nature of people to want to build their homes next to the National Forests and enjoy mother nature, (except for bears, mountain lions, snakes, deer eating their shrubs and the occasional devastating fire). When the conditions are all right for a devastating fire, drought, fuel, humidity, and wind, once it starts containment is a very very expensive and often elusive goal. Many times it only buys some time or changes the direction of the fire somewhat, through some fantastic work by the firefighters. When the wind is whipping those hot dry flames through the crowns usually it takes a weather change to be able to control the fire, rain, loss of wind, higher humidity etc., even the attempts to set backfires and burn off a large black line often fail when a 50 MPH wind is blowing hot cinders for thousands of yards into more dry fuel just waiting to go up in flames. The people that put their lives on the line day in and day out, from the smoke jumpers, to heavy equipment operators, to pilots to local fire departments trying to save a neighborhood for the all consuming beast of a hot, wind driven fire are heroes!

There are ramps at Hermitage (south Bridge), rough hollow, slick rock and sapps landing. But they are all river accesses except for Sapps Landing which can be sort of a hybrid at times. Except for sapps the others really don't give access to the rest of the Pomme Arm unless the river is up an running and you better know where you are going if that is the case because you don't have much time to decide in the current.

From your house yeah it would be quicker to go to fairfield. I don't launch at Fristoe a lot as I come from Humansville, unless I leave from work. I dislike the Avery side ramp, one person parks wrong and everyone is screwed. I have been stuck in the mud trying to park, banged off of stumps trying to get out and back from the channell, and you normally have to launch sort of off kilter from the ramp. But there sure are plenty of crappie in that country at times.

There is one located near Fristoe MO. If you go up 65 north of Preston, just before you get to Fristoe you will pass a rock house on your left, also has the log name thingys out in front. Turn left (west) on that road. Can't remember the number on it?? Follow it for what seems like forever and you will get to a 3 way split. Turn right and you go another 100 miles or so it seems and will come to a gravel/mud ramp at the mouth of I believe Prairie Creek, you can see 83 hwy bridge from there. Go straight and you will dead end (DON"T go straight), take the left and follow it and you will come to a gravel launch/parking area. I have caught a lot of crappie within a mile of that spot. It is further from my house that the Avery ramp but a lot easier to launch and park at, without nearly as many stumps etc. in the way.

my mom used to go with us, she sould read the paper, sometimes a book, etc. for a long time, then eventually she would fish a little, never failed to catch the biggest crappie in the boat. Take to Sapps and get her into some of the whites or hybrids and she will come around quick enough. If not that worm under a bobby will catch enough bluegill to make a tasty supper.

I strongly suspect that most of us have been "checked" or rather observed more often than we know. I have watched CA's observing folks fishing and unless they see something that needs addressing not reveal themselves so they can watch other folks. I truly love smallmouth fishing, but until the MDC starts raising and stocking them the idea of a separate fee is nothing more than something to stir us up. I like the trophy areas etc., love catching even smaller smallies, but don't keep them, too easy to pick up enough goggle eye or green sunfish to fill a skillet instead.

We will begin a slow drop starting Friday. We will open the gates up to 250 CFS. I would guess a drop of 0.10 ft. per day, so it will be a slow one.

Shaker I might take you up on the offer. I have been gone a few days and will be gone most of next week, but when things settle down a little I'll post up again. Keep in mind that the Corps (Warsaw Office) doesn't have a lot of control over the water levels. Those decisions are made way way up the line and have to do with agreements with SWPA, some regulations regarding water levels and what is to be released/generated with at certain lake levels, its enough to make you drink warm beer. (almost)