Riverwhy

Great report. Thank you for sharing.

You forgot CPR vs catch and keep and surely you need to include gigging and jet boats!

I sure hope he leaves.

I almost never laugh out loud but the banana picture was priceless

I also have many decades under my belt fishing our Ozark creeks. Al and Tim are right on target about the shiners and the chubs. I actually have a harder time figuring out for sure if I have a spotted bass rather than a largemouth. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes I am just not quite sure.

I fished out of the Panther Bay access on Saturday and found very tough fishing. I could graph a few fish in 20 to 25 foot of water but they sure did not like my lure selection. The large amount of dead and dying shad will hopefully disapear in the next couple of weeks.

I'm interested if it is not already sold.

Speaking of stripers, are there any new discussions concerning the Dawt Mill dam? I have heard the mill owner has no interest in repairing the breach.

I have never been to the Bassin Bob site but I have often considered giving it a shot. I only get to fish LOZ three or four times a year and without a little timely information it is pretty tough sometimes. Granted, sometimes it is just fantastic without any information. I have no problem with paying for a fishing report. I pay In Fisherman, the local baitshops, the small resort owners and others for information. I think this is a misunderstanding between several good guys on both sides of this debate.

I believe the gentleman who shot the wolf should be issued a citation and should pay a fine. I also believe every mountain lion shooting incident should result in a fine. I do not know whether the fellow knew he was shooting a wolf or not. I suspect he did but maybe he can not identify game. I am not being harsh or hateful. I simply believe the conservation department needs to start sending the message to our fellow hunters that killing rare game is not acceptable. If I go to the lake a keep a bunch of largemouth bass under 15 inches because I thought they were kentucky bass then I deserve a ticket. I might not be willfully breaking the law but I chose to kill game that I could not identify. Lastly, the whole they might kill my steer argument is so silly. How many cattle have been killed in Missouri by wolves, lions or bears in your lifetime? Pretty easy answer. I have cattle in Ozark county and I'm not exactly shivering in fear that some predator other than man is going to eat them. However, I am a teaparty "wingnut" so my opinions are generally without merit.

I literally laughed out loud at that last picture of that heron trying to down that pike. I sure hope those things stick to trout and leave my smallmouth alone. Thanks for the great pics.

Now don't be confused. I have no problem shooting the herons to control the population but with the exception of a few fur bearing animals the public expects hunters to at least eat what they shoot. I don't think a bunch of dead herons on the bank would earn us fishermem many brownie points witrh the public.

i have read that herons consume around 13 ounces per day unless they are feeding young when their consumption of fish doubles. I personally think herons largely prey on pretty small fish and have minimal impact on a large body of water. However, as a society we have eliminated or reduced most predators that would keep herons, otters, etc. in check and it is politically incorrect to suggest shooting as a method of control.

Fished the mid lake area Sunday hoping for a few bass. The morning was beautiful but it was difficult to find the fish. We caught a couple of shorts on a white spinnerbait and finally got a keeper on a fluke thrown next to a tree in the water. The wind picked up and we moved out to a main lake point and managed a couple more shorts. We finally decided to target whites to save the day and they cooperated once we found the pattern. Most of our sucess was in the main lake channel throwing anything silver or white up against the windy banks. The wind was really pretty brutal but if you could stand the white caps the fishing was fairly fast. The vast majority of the whites were smaller but we did catch enough of the big whites to make for a good fish fry.

Thanks Phil. I'm overt 50 so I really could use a lawn chair. I know it's heavy but a cast iron dutch oven makes all food taste better. The last item I suppose would be a soccer ball so that I could make my own "Mr. Wilson" to talk to on those long winter nights.

1. Fillet knife 2. Exchange paper towels for cloth that can be rinsed and dryed and reused 3. Exchange plastic dishes for metal that could be used to cook or reheat in a pinch

As Bill Dance would say "The best way to prevent that is to make sure your lure is tied on." I've been there more times than I would like to admit.

I appreciate the report. I will not get back down until next April but it is nice to someone enjoying the lake this fall. Tim

It is not a stupid question at all but it is certainly an emotional one for many of our OA members. Removal of excess gravel from our stream beds can be a positive influence on the fishery. We all wish that the land clearing would have stopped long ago and that erosion into our streamas was less but the reality is that there is way too much gravel in the streams today. If the operation to remove the gravel was accomplished with minimal bank degradation and was done over a realitively short period of tiome the effects could be positive. However, continuous mining creates downstream sedimentation that could be very destructive. Just my opinion.

I am assuming this is reasonably close to the events of that day: 1. A large group of floaters/partiers hit the river and begin drinking heavily. 2. They stop at the gravel bar to pee, grab more drinks out of the cooler and to visit with fellow partiers 3. They are probably oblivious to near by homes and simply do not care if they create a raucous commotion 4. At this point they are not meaning for any harm to anyone or their property. Just being a bit obnoxious. 5. Landowner is fed up with the loud drunks taking over what he feels is his private property during the summer weekends. 6. Landowner goes down to the gravel bar to run the floaters/partiers off " his gravel bar". 7. The patiers at this point allow alcohol and male hormones to interfer with judgement. 8. Rather than moving down to the next patch of gravel they decide to become beligerent. 9. They began to approach the landowner with rocks in hand and shout that they are going to show him who has the power. 10. Landowner becomes frightened by the crowd but the gun and his belief he has the right to protect his land keep him from fleeing. 11. Well meaning but drunk and with poor judgement a floater grabs the gun arm of the landowner. 12. In a split second response the landowner shoots the guy that grabbed his arm out of fear of being overpowered by the crowd. In MY opinion: The floaters are at fault for being drunk and rowdy on the river. The floaters are not at fault for stopping on a gravel bar to take a break. The landowner is at fault for bringing a gun to the situation. This is a really big unforgiveable fault. The floaters are at fault for not leaving when they were asked The floaters are at fault for approaching the landowner with rocks and threats -- really at fault on this one. The floater who grabbed the arm of the landowner was insanely at fault for physical contact. The landowner AT THIS POINT may well have been seriously beaten if he did not react. The landowner shot the guy in the face rather than an attempt at a non fatal shot - landowner is at fault BOTH landowner and floaters are at fault. They both need punished by the law. I come from the perspective of someone who has floated and stopped and even camped on gravel bars all my life. I have my conceal carry but I NEVER carry. I believe the public should have unrestricted use of our waterways and I believe private property owners should never required to retreat from their own property because of houligans. We sure could use a common sense clarification of the law.

I am sorry to hear that you were hurt going thru the opening. I am surprised that there are not warning signs alerting new folks to the danger. I think most people agree that the present situation is not best. The different points of view generally are whether to close the opening in the dam or to significantly widen or remove the dam. Interspersed are the folks that want a canoe portage and/or an opening that would allow migration of fish.

I admit to an addiction on the $200 Shimano reels and the Megabass jerk baits. I'm too poor for a nice bass boat but I applaud those fishermen that have worked hard to deserve those nice rigs.

I do not want to see the dam repaired. A trackhoe could remove this barrier in short order. The folks that own Dawt Mill could have allowed safe passage all along. They chose the path of attempting to obstruct passage down the river. My great grandfathers helped construct the dam with public money. They did not build it for the sole use of a rich guy.

It sounds like pretty good news for both types of river users. The trophy trout folks are fairly protected from those hungry stripers and the floaters have a chance for a little fun at the end of their ride. Thanks for the comments.

I have heard the hole in the Dawt Dam is about 12 feet wide but I have not seen a recent picture. I am curious to see if the flow through the gap will allow fish to move upstream into the river and whether you could now float a canoe through the gap.