Greasy B

Common Carp, January Wabash Lake, Ferguson Missouri

I couldn’t agree more. The Clearwater/Black River relationship is unique in the Ozarks, these fish deserve special protection.

I have some fond memories of Big and MF trips, especially overnighters.

Welcome, do you fish Big River?

Fantastic fish.

We fished hard and when the wind wasn't howling we fished effectively. It was just one of those days. I had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat. It can only get better.

Good advice, major understatement.

Some darn fine fish, thanks for the report.

That's the way I like it. If there were another two foot of water and six inches of visibility, all the better.

See you guys there.

yep, Can you imagine if the average Bow had two months in the river to grow instead of two weeks.

yeah, Snake River Fine Spotted. For the longest time I caught none longer than 6-8 inches, it looks like some managed to survive long enough to put on a few inches. As soon as they were hooked it was obvious they were not production fish, excellent fighters. I was hoping to catch one of the newly planted Bonneville Cutthroat, no luck. On this most recent trip the Rainbows were an inch or two bigger than a couple of months ago, though I still couldn't find one pretty enough to be picture worthy. I'm looking forward to another trip or two this winter, maybe the Bows will be able to get in a little grow between the put and the take.

A book called Passages of a Stream by James P Jackson cronicles the pro, anti dam battle. It's an interesting story.

Some White River fish we caught a couple of weeks ago had color.

Yep,

PM sent

Can it be set up for left hand retrieve?

Wonderful, that’s the way it really is.

I much prefer long sleeved UPF shirts to sun screen even in very hot weather. My last batch of shirts are Columbia, they aren't bad for the price. During the hottest weather I repeatedly soak my shirts in the water so I can get the cooling effect of evaporation. When dripping wet the long sleeves tend to sag and often catch my rod handles when I cast, its terribly irritating. I'm due for an upgrade this year but I need tighter fitting sleeves.

No doubt the MDC is a wasteful cash cow, I'm sure we could all think of better things to throw money at. The state legislature does not have a say in how MDC is funded or managed and it ranks as one of the top of agencies of its kind in the country. It would interesting to compare the ranking of other state responsibilities that the legislature does have control of funding and management. Where does Missouri rank in health, education and infrastructure?

The golf swing analogy is a good one. Fortunately I took up fly fishing when I was a young man, unfortunately I took up golf much later, it shows. You can take the golf/fly fishing analogy further. My golf swing varies from crude to down right terrible but I still play and I have a blast. The trick is to pair up with friends who are at a similar skill level, go with a good attitude and bring plenty of balls. Many fly fishing situations only require modest casting skills. Find some bedding Bluegill in early summer, if you can cast 20 ft you can catch the heck out them. Another simple method is swinging buggers and soft hackles to trout in a stream with a modest current. If you can cast 20 ft then pay out another 10 or 15 ft of line you can fish very effectively. When you start getting into fish you'll find that the actual cast is no big deal and you can start working on other necessary skills like hook setting and line control. Good luck and don't give up.

$5 bucks? Count me in. It’s time to plot out the full moon cycles and nearest weekends on my 2015 calendar.

I have my calender marked.

looks like an example of a wildlife management decision based on emotion and politics rather than science, lame