Gavin

Theres a portion of the Ozark Trail near the NFoW...but it doesnt provide much river access. Yep. Poison Ivy doesnt go away...but the likelyhood of contact is allot less when the leaves are gone. A buddy of mine got a horrible case of PI in the winter...but it was from contact with smoke...No vines in the fire!

Great Idea...Why spend $40 on a repurposed screwdriver box with a bit of foam in it.

That Perception Pescador looks like a great deal..Under $600 for brand new (old model) Tarpon 120.Your not gonna be able to stand in it like the newer fishing hulls.but you can buy two for the price of a Jackson Coosa or Wilderness System Ride.

Not much public access in St. Louis county...Gravious creek has some...but its a sewer....look up Geoff...he brownlines down there a bit.

Theres some Ozark Trail down south of Sam Baker...runs along the St. Francis a bit.and the Mudlick Mountain trail in Sam Baker is nice...not a walk in the park...but some cool views..A nice bit of the Ozark Trail runs along the 11pt too....thinking Mid October-Mid November would be a good time frame..Cooler temps..usually.no poison ivy or bugs to deal with.

Thats pretty cool...my neighbor has a hive...not sure how well its doing though.

Good for you!

Good for you!...Havent fished the G. Nade enough...need to get down there in August.

There is some runoff from cattle operations in the area...I'd run it through a pump purifier then use a tablet. I use a pump purifier....and never an issue...but with a group of scouts its better to be safe than sorry. Have a great trip.

Canoe rentals only make their real money in a 3-4 month span..A surchage on renters would make more sense....charge them and extra buck or several to fund XYZ everytime they rent a boat. Demand is elastic in that area...Renters want boats and they dont have them...an extra buck or several would not be an issue...give the outfitters a cut of the take to finance the extra compliance costs. Reports to do, possible report audit costs, and another check to write on a regular basis. Plus the governmemt will incur more costs... More gov't people to do XYZ, adminster the tax, audit the tax. Increased Pension costs and OPEB's....It's really cheap and simple, LOL!

Our neighbor has made a mess of his..Scraped his old house and built a Mansionette his 2/3rds of an acre. And he's been a nickle cheap and a dime shot with his lanscaping. He's been trying to grow grass from seed on red clay and rocks for the last 3 years....taint working. Get the soil tests first....fix that.....sod...probably not this year..tough year for grass....sod is your best option......but sod or seed wont grow if the soil is all jacked up. Congrats on the new place and your future bride!

Its flowing 140cfs or so at Ross...and 160cfs down below the Fort....Should be fine..I'd go Slab to Ross...or fish the Gasconade. Have fun.

The small knob is the spool tension..adjust that first like Jerry suggested...The second dial knob is probably a magnetic brake of some sort...crank that to full on, and back it off slowly when your practicing...if you still backlash after that..tighten your spool tension...and start over. Good luck with it.

Buy whatever color you have confidence in ...I like minnow colors with a white belly on topwaters......some flashy some not. My Roumba is in Bluegill. Think the Ziggy walks better than a stock Sammy 85.... The hooks on the Dawg Jr...seem to be decent...They arent Daichi Death Traps, but good enough for now. Will see if it can rival the Sammy 100..and it just might. .

Change those hooks on that Zip'n Ziggy...The factory hooks are a #8 and they bend easilly...I replaced mine with the KVD Elite Short Shanks in #6 and they work well. Zip'n Ziggy http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Cultiva_Zipn_Ziggy_325_1_3_oz/descpage-OCZNZ.html Sexy Dawg Jr. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_KVD_Sexy_Dawg_/descpage-SKKVDSD.html River2Sea Bubble Walker http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/River2Sea_Bubble_Walker/descpage-R2SBUB.html IMA Roumba http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Ima_Roumba_Crankbait/descpage-IRC.html

Glad you had fun! We had similar results..The day started off great, 3 12-13" within site of the boat ramp on a big white spinnerbait...then a nice white bass, and an 8" goggle eye on the same bait. Played around with my new Strike King Dawg Jr...walks great, but more blowups than hookups. Switched it out for a Zip'n Ziggy which is slightly smaller and my hookup ratio went way up. Coldwater stuck with his usual buzzer most of the day, and Hoff was having alot of fun fishing a buzzer and a Pop-R. Most of my catch was smallmouth, 3-4 spotted bass, and a couple of LMB. Fishing wasnt great...but steady...probably 8-12 a mile between the 3 of us. No fun to find a dead battery and breaking into your own vehicle......but things happen.Thought about changing the battery out in Sullivan...but started thinking tow bill and hotel bill if something else was wrong..Limped back to town and the battery was thouroughly cooked. Changed it out and all is well. Just need to line up an auto glass guy. A couple pics...didnt snap any fish pictures, cuz none were memorable.

Good luck with Missouri liquor law reform...The folks down on Pestalozzi Street wont like that (AB Inbev).

I'm thinking two sit on top kayaks...

A 12-14" on that creek is a good day! Good for you!

Thursday or Friday....lets go.

Guess you cant please everyone all the time...I get great service at both shops but I've spent the time to develop relationships with many of the folks who work there, and I know lots of their customers. It's hard to run in and out of either because I usually run into a conversation or several. Go when they arent busy...introduce yourself...ask questions and hang out for awhile...pretty simple really.

The Tacklewarehouse fairy landed on the doorstep today and I had some new candy to try. First up...Strike King Sexy Dawg Jr....1/2oz...tad shorter and a bit fatter than a Sammy 100...walks super easy...sits about 30 degrees tail down at rest and it walks easier than a Sammy 100..great action...cant wait to get it on some fish..stock colors suck....may need some adjustment with the spray can. Next...IMA Rouba....dont know what to make of this bait...radical side to side..Havent tried anything like it...will see. Next..River2Sea Bubble Walker 80...wanted something bigger than a LC G-Splash...this one walks easy, spits and bubbles...lots of roll...very aggressive bait...Wish I had a Mega Pop Max to compare it too... That is all.

Jack was a friend...but his Gurgler has never produced fish for me. Tim Holschlag is a blockhead...but his blockhead popper slays...dead drift it.

Define Giants!

Depends on the day...but I usually do better with hardware. Water is low, clear, and hot. Conditions are perfect for some dusk/evening bass bugging.