fishinwrench

Ham, they are equipped with a self sealing fuel tank, the news report I read stated that there was "no significant loss of fuel or oil into the water"...but who knows. According to wikipedia the O-H 58 Kiowa Scout's are no stranger to... falling out of the sky. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OH-58_Kiowa I'll never board a helicopter of any kind.....just looking at one makes me nervous. My first thought was that it was kinda early in the season to be detecting a patch of weed.

St.Croix "had" a 6ft. 2pc. SCII casting blank in a med.lt. action. I had a rod built on one that I was real happy with....until it got eaten by a F2 tornado. I built mine with a slightly long handle, so the actual length of rod above your hand was similar to what you'd have with a 5.6 short handle rod. If you wanted a short handle, or pistol grip you could cut some off the butt. I only have need for casting gear when throwing buzzbaits and crankbaits on rivers/streams (which is not often, for me).....everything else "riverwise" I do with either a flyrod or spinning gear.

It was a good morning for it...nice and cool. Good job ! Nice little scattergun too.

Right on Bro, glad you're gettin' out. That first pic brings back memories.....you did that on purpose, didn't ya ?

Not that it really matters to me, but......How do you accurately identify a hatchery reared fish, vs., a stream born fish ? I personally don't buy into the philosophy that all hatchery fish are dull in color and have damaged fins. I catch some really beautiful fish on the Niangua and I know they were most likely reared in a hatchery. Some bows in the Niangua even have the "tell tale" orange tips (that I've heard are supposed to be the markings of streambred NFOW fish). Even in the Trout parks fish often have excellent color, spots, ect., and no noticable fin damage. Browns and Bows included. Just curious.

They must be Redear, especially if they were rooting on the bottom (for crawdads or snails). Some hybrid Redear I've seen don't have the RED "ear-mark"....it's more of a thin white half-circle. I've never found a "school" of them though, just one here and one there. They don't seem to bite flys or mini-jigs as readily as Gills do, and I don't think I've ever caught one on a surface bug.

I haven't been on the lake myself, but the reports I'm hearing in the Gravois Mills and Laurie area... are outstanding. Bass: Good carolina rig, and/or drop-shot bite on the points. And a killer Frog bite in the backs of coves. Topwater bite is consistent early and late. And swimming worms (1/4oz., 6" Culprit's or similar) steadily through 10-12ft. brush will get you bit all day long. Channel cats: are ON FIRE ! it seems everywhere. Crappie: limits of keepers are apparently no problem, once you find them....but big Slabs are getting scarce.

I think they are a Redear/Gill hybrid. We catch those "black bellied freaks of nature" (what we call them) from a certain strip pit up north....they look just like that. They have the blue cheeks like a green sunfish, a dark breast, and a really thin white border on the "ear". That's a nice one !

Man that's awesome ! I'm sure there are several big-browns living out their lives in that hole. It's a definate sanctuary (nearly impossible to fish it thoroughly, from any angle). He must have hit it when they were cruisin' the pool for a snack... perfect timing. What A sh!thooker !!! Meanwhile I'm struggling up here.... Whites are gone, Gills got small, and the creek-bass are scattered and skittish.... it took me 3 hours to catch 5 little dink Smallies this evening.

Poor kids Strainers are the worst thing ever. I'd rather 'round a bend' and be confronted by a dozen hungry crocodiles than to get swept into a wicked strainer in heavy water. I almost got sucked into one upstream from Bird island on the Niangua, during a solo trip , ,(had a rod in my hand instead of the paddle, at the wrong time),, It shook me up pretty good, caught me off-guard, with no PFD, and one paddle stroke away from certain death.

Those are great, thanks. Do we get extra points for identifying that plug attached to the old casting rig ? Looks like it might be a 'Oreno type plug (hanging about 2 guides down from the tip) or is that something else that I'm seeing on the piece of tin ? You've really started something here....I gotta do some digging And I hope others do too.

Hit all my best spots yesterday evening and tried every trick I know, I caught plenty of 8 inchers (which are big enough to be fun) but didn't get so much as a sniff from the bigger ones(9 to 11 inchers)....and I know they are in there, somewhere. This is the way it goes for me every year (catch the big ones for several weeks...then they disappear until next spring). Anybody know the trick to staying on the bigger ones ? You ever notice that Gills always seem to get hooked in such a way that when unhooking them they ALWAYS have a chance to piss on your shirt

29 years....Wow, sorry dude. Things like this happen for a reason though, and I have faith that it will play out in your favor. Enjoy the vacation and hopefully we'll bump into one another on the river.

huh...what? LOL

Yeah it's pretty nuts in the mid-lake area, and around the tourist hotspots.....but away from that fish are being caught, and plenty of them !

The fill hose is reasonably safe since fuel only passes over it momentarily, same with the vent hose. The fuel supply hose (to the engine) can obviously be inspected from where it connects to the engine fuel pump and forward as far as it can be reached. Most boats have a removable floor plate that allows access to the fuel level sensor (sender) ....inspect that rubber gasket ! Keep your bilge area clean and tidy. Neatly tack up all loose wires and any butt connector splices laying in the bilge area (wires that go to the bilge pump, blower, ect.) and inspect the bilge often for signs of any obvious leaks or accumulating residue from slow seeping leaks. Keep batterys in battery boxes and keep battery connections clean and tight, and the battery boxes strapped down good and solid. Can't begin to tell you how many boats I see with batterys sliding around in the bilge area...or setting unstrapped in those cheesy little plastic battery trays with loose and corroded terminals. Common sense should tell you not to install batterys like that.... not in your truck, not in your lawn tractor, and certainly not in your boat. Secure battery(s) so that even if the boat flips upside down the batterys will stay put and stay connected. Marine designed starters, solenoids, relays, alternators, pumps, ect. are all sealed from emitting sparks, so if you keep all other electrical connections clean, tight, protected and out of harms way..... there should be nothing to ignite any potential vapors. Boat fires are 99.9% the result of improper maintenance, or shoddy mechanical work. This is one of the many areas where marine mechanics, and aviation mechanics are trained differently than auto mechanics....Attention to detail.

Oh, ok I'm with ya. I guess I just saw the Zoom bag and crappie jig and assumed you had spin tackle in the boat. You should check out Greg Coffey's "Coffey Grinder", it's a weedless foam cylinder version of the Torpedo...pretty awesome. The smaller ones pick up and cast pretty good on a 6wt. and REAL good on a 7wt. Plus, if you get one tuned just right you can walk the dog with it.

That Sunny on the paddle is a honker. Nice one ! Why the Teeny T on a 5wt. when a UL spinning rod is handy ? (I mean, if you don't mind me asking)

Like I stated earlier, media brainwash takes some conscience to avoid. The key word in this discussion is "ethanol". Stating that a fuel source is free of ethanol does not mean that it is also free of methanol, or Alcohol (as an additive to raise octane,.... as an additive to meet regulation,.....or as a detergent ingredient). I'd be willing to bet heavily that ethanol, methanol, and/or alcohol free fuel is very very rare now. Alcoh'ol (emphasis on the suffix 'ol) ...in any of its many forms is the corrosive agent most are concerned about. So I don't think it pays to run around wasting your time and money looking for ______'ol-free fuel.

I wanted to make it down for Charlie's shindig....and to do a little fishing, but I can't get away until Mon. or Tues. I really am anxious to experiment with the "snipping" for trout... But these warm (wet-wading) days are giving me Smallmouth fever...BAD ! It seems that I've had a good dose of Blues, a heapin' helping of Whites...but I'm lacking in Bronze so far this Spring

Yeah Thanks Laker, sounds like a great way to cover a steady run, or even a backwater eddy when the fish are hugging the bottom. Is there any reason not to use a bigger shot (like a 1 or a BB) to really anchor it ? I'll have to get down there before it falls out....and try some snipping, it will be a nice change of pace from my usual high water thing... of deep leech swingin' or slingshottin' the bank pockets. Ever try "snipping" an unweighted leech ? Hmmm.... you've stirred the brain juice, now, to the vise...

FYI....The foam inserts that Cabela's has are short lived and tear easily

Cricket, A sowbug is a little crustacean that lives amongst the rocks and weeds in the streambed, looks like a miniature Rolly-polly (or what some call wood lice). You've probably seen them in the laces of your wading boots at the end of the day... Google it and you'll find pics of them. A sowbug pattern fly is usually dark grey or brown, weighted and flattened with a shellback, fuzzy bottom to suggest legs, and exaggerated antennaes. Trout love'em, and they supposably promote fast growth of fish if they can find plenty of them to eat. Here ya go: http://www.westfly.com/feature-article/0406/feature_783.php

No Sir I'm not. Furthermore, I'm not convinced that getting fuel ANYWHERE guarantees no blending. I find it really odd that nobody speaks, or seems concerned about the price of crude (per/bbl) anymore (like they were this time last year)....Why do you think that is ?

Guess you could squeeze some salt out of the plastic bait you caught him on. Or make a stew with wild onions or acorns...Oh wait, you don't have a pot to make stew in, hmmmm. Unseasoned fish cooked on a stick or hot rock is a survival meal....and probably not going to be all that tasty. Might as well go for high protien value and chase a handfull of earthworms down fast with some river water. Depending on the river you might be able to find a beer can to boil it in.