MOPanfisher

Spoondog, the part I think you are missing is that the limit in most streams is 12 inches so there would have to be science based evidence to show that changing it would benefit. I believe most of the real catch and keep anglers do go to the river prepared to keep fish, that's why they went, it's the casual fishing crowd and the "hey I caught a nice one, ima gonna string it and show my buddies" crowd that are not prepared to keep fish. In the end habitat will Trump the fisherman, gravel choked streams, loss of riparian habitat, erosion, etc. will do more damage than all the catch and keep fisherman ever dreamed of.

I like bacon, cucumber & tomato sammich's. Espcially if the cucumber slices have been marinating in some vinegar and sugar for a day or so.

I dont agree, I don't think MDC is more concerned with creating reasons for their existence, they already have plenty of reasons for existence. just because the decision they have reached does not jive with what we/you/I may want doesn't make them a bad agency. The agency has moved more and more over the years from, "that sounds like a good idea" to "OK show us some data", the data and studies they have doesn't show the justification for some of the wide ranging solutions some of us may want. I know too many of the MDC biologist types, and to a person they are way more concerned with the resource than with their agency, however as you move up the chain the supervisors etc. know that in order to go to the Commission to request a change you have got to have some data, biological data to show to support why. Simply because a lot of people want to do something and are loud about it, simply doesn't cut it anymore. What if a larger, more vocal group of citizens were to petition the MDC and say we want the MLL dropped to 10" everywhere and the number increased to 10 fish, heck might a huge number of people in favor of it, with no biological backing its not going to happen, regardless of the political pressure. MDC's primary goal is NOT growing the largest smallmouth bass, or even the largest population of smallmouth bass possible. It is to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy those resources.

My tomato plants were awesome for a while but just barely produce enough to eat. Peppers never amounted to anything, still a few cukes and squash. Best plant I have is a volunteer acorn squash growing from my compost pile. Abut time to plant some fall garden in the form of turnips mostly, maybe with a mix of spinach and other greens as well. Might even plant some winter wheat, except that just draws in deer. My gardens need a lot of organic matter or a year or two of repeated planting green manure crops and turning it under.

RPS your left over are better than many of my meals, why just yesterday I had a reheated pizza from the gas station, served with ranch dressing and vintage (probably at least a month old) lime-a-rita over ice, yeah that was the best part.

Good choice Vernon. I would like to say I am too cheap, but with the price of some of the models being fairly cheap, at less than $100 and having some $$ on my BPS card, I have no good reason. I wear the mustangs anytime I am out in a boat at work, and after about a minute I simply forget they are there.

I agree with some of what everyone has said. To me overlaying the SM Management area over the trout area makes perfect sense, that way you don't have 2 different boundaries to try to keep up with. And while SMB are a "thing" for me, (I personally would love to see a 2 fish 15" MLL statewide), a good percentage of the folks fishing the steams and rivers don't have that outlook. Very much agree with FW on concentrating on the habitat, but it gets "sticky" when dealing with private land, there is lots of assistance and help for the private landowner if they are willing to go that route, but for many who say graze cattle, taking 100 feet from the river edge and making it a riparian corridor affects their bottom line financially. I like the idea of a Goggle eye MLL as well, have seen LOTS of little gogglers on stringers over the years. Habitat and enforcement are important and neither is cheap or easy.

Heck at 50 I notice those things, being a non-swimmer I m not going in intentially without a pfd, and you would think that I would be better about wearing the thing all the time, running yep, fishing nope. The balance thing is big for me, one of the only things I ever had in my favor was balance and agility, but they go too, little things like stacking square bales on a trailer, one little bump and its down across the fender and a big bruise (both to body and pride) to carry for a while, I think the fabled wisdom in growing old is more about understanding the things you can't do any more due to time and changes.

Great stor and glad you remembered the cavitation plate method. It might not be graceful but it will get you back in the boat. Ladders are great, if properly designed and installed.

MOGUY, that was exactly the thought that went through my mind. I have also seen what amount to headlights on some boats of guys who fish a lot of nights.

Dang nice smallie Sir.

Stillfisher, I am pretty sure we have ALL been there. If the snoopy type poles ever re-produced you couldn't drive through the lakes there would be so many out there, they would be an invasive species.

I have never really had a problem cooking pork chops or pork steak on the grill, and it being dry. I usually take it off early and let it coast. I have more of an issue doing beef steaks than pork. I do like to keep a cup of home made marinade and brush the pork chops it occasionally with it. The corn in the microwave thing has never worked that well for me, I am sure I always over heat it and burn my hands. Shucked so much corn in my life I just do it and forget it, besides quite often my sweet corn is shared with the worms and I have to do a little trimming of the wormy parts, don't know how well that would go in the microwave. I have cooked a lot of corn in the microwave after shucked, fairly quick and easy, all it really has to be is hot enough to melt the butter.

NICE pile of wallys

Sometimes I think all the notches and divots in my shinbone are from trailer hitches. Nothing like being at work dressed fairly nice and walking past the back of the truck with you boss next to you and take a full on "thunk" from the hitch. Wondering if you have gotten one of your few good pairs of pants greasy, wondering if you said any of the words running through mind out loud, wondering why he is laughing so hard!!

Actually here is a better location. you can select the water shed drainage you want to see. http://www.mowin.org/Watersheds/

If I remember right over around Strafford is a dividing point where all 3 river systems (James, Sac, and Pomme) are pretty close together. Here is the drainage for Pomme, just for reference.

think the little ones are bad, throw a $10 or more crankbait and see what the big ones will do to it, usually you don't get to see the result, just tie a new one on a cuss a little. We used to wade around the back ends of coves that were open to the south, picking up lures, the amount of wiggle warts and such we found that looked like they have been chewed on were amazing.

I doubt that the trains stopped much except at scheduled stops, like FW said, they were even more of a pain to stop and start back during the coal/wood/steam days. Way back in my college days we went somewhere down in that country to seine a piece of river, professor said it was not unusual to catch a trout of two because of a small trout park that they would escape from. I keep thinking it may have been the spring river though? Only been about 30 years since then, and memory well not my strongest suit.

The Fish-n-fool know is a great one, the one I almost always use when tying braid direct to a jig or lure. Took me a little while to get used to it after a lifetime of tying the palomar but now its just second nature.

I once got questioned when I came home from a "fishing trip" smelling like diesel fuel. Was going to meet a friend at his house and go on fishing. He was trying to finish working on his tractor, one thing led to another and pretty soon we had it fixed, and diesel fuel all over me. never even made it to the lake. When my dad was alive, if I came home from a fishing trip telling about how many fish I caught he would make me show him my thumb, if it was all sandpapered up looking he would believe me.

I enjoy watching them, as several of them I have experienced. The one where the geese chase him off is a classic that I have experienced. The most painful one is the shins to the trailer hitch, can't count the number of times I have done that one, think I would learn eventually.

Pomme is the "good girl" you have to get to know and make a commitment to before she gives it up. Come back this fall and crappie will be happening and if the white bass return is as strong as it appears it can be tough to get a white jig past them to catch a crappie. Last fall when I was finally allowed to go back to fishing the little whites were like roving schools of piranah.

I am gonna have to step up my culinary game, but too many other thinga i am behind on. RPS, hard to say anything bad about a woman who brings fresh lobsters home from a trip, my wife briufh credit card receipts. I have been batching it for almost a week (wife made it back yesterday), and as a result of my wife being gone I was on grandson watching duty Mon, Fri & Sat. And have been fixing hillbilly gourmet for daughter and family on a couple days. Friday was a nice garlic pork loin that I extra slow pan roasted, extra slow because the power went out at daughter and SIL house for about 40 minutes. I paired the pork loin with a light gravy from the drippings in the skillet. And a skillet of fried apples with plenty of cinnamon and sugar, grandson would have happily eaten all my fuji apples during the prep if I had let him. Also had a nice large purple cherokee tomato sliced up for them. It was dang tasty if I do say so my self. Tonight since my wife was back was a pile of dead cow slices, specifically some decent looking sirloin steaks that were on sale at a local butcher shop. A little butter some seasoning a few minutes on a hot grill, serve them a little bloody with some sautéed Brussel Sprouts and some acorn squash. The squash are volunteers growing out of my compost pile, not sure how many are there but several. Sometimes you just get the perfect rare/medium rare finish, and tonight was that time. Sadly the only pictures I took were of my grandson at Bass Pro with a fishing pole that he didn't want to give up, soon little buddy soon.

I resisted the urge, very unlike me.