fishinwrench

Fish don't just float to the surface when they quit swimming. Any fish that dies an hour after being released is probably not gonna float. Fish that die while you are digging a hook out of his gills float because the last thing it did was take a gulp of air. Stick him under water, squeeze that air bubble out of him, and he won't float anymore. A fish either has to have air or a buildup of gas inside him in order to float.

Just take Chuck's book and present it to the prosecutor. Tell them you wouldn't have been there.... but this HIGHLY RESPECTED guy published a book saying it was a potential access. They'll probably throw your summons out of court.

These weather people are such sensationalists 🙄 My neighbor is one of those guys that every snake he sees is a copper headed rattle moccasin, every spider is a tarantula, and every buck deer is a non-typical Pope and Young. He should be a weather man, he'd fit right in. I'm sure he would have seen rotation today.

Fishing tournaments are pretty cool, lots of fun, but for crying out loud....it shouldn't be something that thousands of guys should be doing 6-10 times per month on the same body of water. I mean good God....get a friggin life! If competition is what you need, and it needs to be fishing related.... then have a 5000.00 winner take all casting contest every day (there's probably guys out there that don't even own a boat that could kick your butt!) Or see who can tie the fastest/strongest knot. You should all know by now that there's plenty more to fishin' than catching fish. Do something that requires some extreme skill. Trolling motor Bumper Boats on a Saturday afternoon at Lake O would be fun ! Or wait, how about a trolling motor race from Shady Gators to Millstone on a Saturday afternoon? No seats, you must be standing.

If every day, guys went out all over the state and caught racoons, and took them all to Jeff City. Every day Jeff City gets a load of coon's dumped on it. Some days 200, other days a thousand. Eventually the coon's are gonna be harder to find north of the Missouri River, and thicker than they should be between the big muddy and Hwy 60. The life span of a coon is probably pretty close to the lifespan of the average LM Bass. Why is it against the wildlife code to have a coon tournament ?

I am actually of the thinking that if there were no bass tournaments (or only 5-6 per year) and guys that wanted to kept 6 per day/ 12 possession (and ate them)...... that the bass fishing as a whole would be much better than it is now. I truly believe that. C&R (unless it is immediate) can't be good for ANY section of the lake, at the rate it is being done now.

I would definitely argue that. I think there are probably darn few LM Bass in our impoundments that grow old never-ever experiencing a hook. I'd say that most get caught at least a couple times before they reach 3 lbs. Otherwise they'd be MORE likely to get caught as they got older/bigger.

Naw he's taller than I am, and I'm 5'11 I actually saw it laying across the tailgate. It was between 4'5" and 4'8" by my calculations. Very big bodied copperhead with a not so big head. Female full of babies I think.

Nothing but a sprinkle here in the Gravois. We need a gully washer bad!

He made it dead, which is pretty cool. Plenty of black snakes and others around to keep nature in balance. One less huge pit viper is good news AFAIC

I've got my pencil !

They act like them, do they not?

IMO they either need to change their scoring format, or allow way fewer tournaments. I don't believe that 40% are being killed but I do think it is relocating too much, and causing bass to change their habits. In a lake with plentiful shoreline cover there shouldn't be so many lost bass out roaming the open water with the whites and stripers. Constant relocation is what is causing that I think.

I once worked as a delivery driver, moving foil, cups, plastic wrap and foam meat trays to grocery stores. Logged between 400-600 miles every stinking day, 6 days a week, then had a 45 minute drive to and from home every day. That crap burnt me out big-time. Before that I used to love driving. I have 2 friends that are retired from UPS and they hate driving even more than I do. Big truck drivers snort when I say that, but they get to just kick back and watch the miles go by at 70 on the Interstate. Huge difference.

HVO I guess, since the stocking happens right across the river. The fishing is usually pretty good around Maggard's and Ho Humm also. The dude that is left in charge at Ho Humm is a gun toting creeper that I'd advise keeping a close eye on.

Everything is on a slant here at my place. I actually am looking at buying a wonderful piece of level property within a half mile of here, but I just don't know if I want to bite it off. Excellent deal, but I've been all paid off with no mortgage for 6 years now.....and man that sure is nice. Thinking I can deal with slanted badminton for a little while longer.

Good grief. That means you spend an average of 2 hours every single day of your life in a vehicle. You should move closer to where you like to spend your time. I don't understand people that always have to be traveling back and forth across the state. If there's nothing to do within an hour of where they live then why on earth do they live there? My daughter will travel 3 hours+ to buy a pair of shoes. 🛵

Backup camera's work great if you are hooking up on flat ground, but they aren't all that helpful when hooking up on a hillside (like I am always having to do). I had a guy give me one and it really didn't save me any steps. If it's on flat ground you can just get real close and pull/push the boat trailer the rest of the way.

A guy pulled in today with a 2018 Dodge. Beautiful brand new truck and loaded, I think, with every option available. Well things are kinda tight around here, boats everywhere, fresh gravel, and he was having a heck of a time getting his boat backed into where I told him to park it. So I go out to see if he wanted me to back it in there. Please, he says. So I hop in this truck, full of confidence...I mean, I can stick a trailer anywhere, right? Well it was the worst experience I've ever had! Things are beeping, lights on the dash are flashing, the steering wheel is resisting what I'm trying to do, the side mirrors are flapping around on their own like rudders on a possessed airplane.....WHAT IN THE SAMHELL ??.. I turned the knob on the dash to PARK, hopped out and said, "Is there a way to over-ride all this automatic nonsense?" And he says, if there is I haven't figured it out yet. So with me not wanting to mess up his brand new truck I just unhooked it in the middle of the driveway, hitched up the ol'fishwagon to it and stuck it right in there. So, you guys with new trucks....How do you operate these SOB's ? I wouldn't have that crap if I was a multimillionaire. Good grief! Automotive technology has lapped itself, and is now stupider than it has ever been.

Yeah, it's road base with clay in it. Gonna be like driving over a sand bar until we get a decent rain.....so they say.

I live right next to my shop. People come and go at all hours. Treat the place like you own it. If the dog looks hungry feed him.

Drop it off at your convenience, I'll work it in ASAP. Not today though...... I'm having gravel spread today and don't have room for anymore boats until that's done. 😉

Be happy to. I'd prefer to just test everything myself though, doesn't take long, and that way I have no doubts about what I'm doing.

One thing that helps to keep in mind is that even though all these tournament guys try to look "professional", they are 98% amateurs. So by demanding them to act professional is simply asking too much. It is like an auditorium full of children, drinks are gonna get spilled, a bunch will pee their pants, and the place will be a total mess afterwards. It's just the way it is.

Believe it or not, that ol'boy has got more money than all of us put together. To say "He doesn't care" is an understatement. 😉