Terrierman

Crystal Bridges is a very and I mean VERY rewarding day trip. A world class collection in an incredible setting. It takes a full day to do it close to justice.

If BASS and all the rest of the bass tournaments would go C&R that would go a long way to make me feel better about tournaments in general. And no problem about blowing holes in my idea, I'm sure it's not mine in the first place anyway.

You got the point though, there's no need to drag fish anywhere to have a tournament, other than to have a public weigh in spectacle ala BASS et al.

I'd like to be in charge of that tournament. I'd make a few changes to the rules CATCH AND RELEASE TOURNAMENT, ARTIFICIAL LURES ONLY. 1. Submit 3 date and time stamped photos of longest fish. 2. Artificials only. Photo 1 must show fish in water with lure visible. 3. Photo 2 must show fish and measuring device 4. Photo 3 must show fish being released unharmed

Chart blade and blue skirt is a go to color for me

Depends on: 1. how close you want to live to the water. LOZ - dead lakefront. Table Rock - COE owned setback to elevation 929, minimal vegetation management (permit require to remove any trees live or dead etc.) to elevation 936 2. dock slips are limited and pretty valuable on Table Rock if you feel the need to keep a boat on the water 3. LOZ is more fertile and will produce more fish per acre and is easier (debatable I know) to fish than TR. 4. TR is far and away prettier and has less pressure in every way - though it certainly has enough 5. How bad do you hate yahoos from KC and STL that want to get drunk and show off? LOZ is worse for that than TR

I prefer sand / gravelbar camping and a lot fewer miles in a day.

Another blast from the past that still works: Humpback Rebel. Partial to the chrome/blue one.

I'd go somewhere that falls a little ahead of the James. You have options.

All the people that are down on scouting should read this thread. Excellent sir, just excellent.

With all the rain In Arkansas, I'll be surprised if gates stay closed.

It's been tough on a lot of people. It does seem like more either drought or flood lately. Snow in May or jonquils in January. We were talking at work this morning about how people would drive on the ice from Hollister to Branson in Model T's before Table Rock went in. Those days are long past.

If you're in Jefferson City around lunchtime, I'd go to Zesto. It's on Jefferson Street which is basically the North outer road of Hwy 54 close to the Ellis Boulevard exit. Order a polish sausage with sauerkraut, swiss cheese and hot mustard with a side of baked beans. You can thank me later.

Count on it.

It's Finley River today for certain.

So. Are you happy now?

Funny, you don't look that cold to me. Great report and thanks.

Those little speckled deer are just way too cute. There's a set of twins down the road from here that we love to see playing. Nice fish. I'm slowly but now at least a little bit surely learning how to use a fly rod to catch fish. Thanks for posting the motivation.

That reminds me of this one time when me and lovey got kicked out of the grocery store.

Same here.

Good video. I used to live in Jefferson City and we would set lines on the Missouri. We would do throw lines - one end tied to a tree or something on the bank, about 35 feet or so of main line, five droppers about five feet apart. Live bait - carp minnows four or five inches long if we could get them, goldfish if we couldn't. Where was your bait tank? Mine was homemade from a plastic 55 gallon barrell that I cut down and re used the lid to keep the bait from jumping out. Rigged up a spray bar that I made with a bilge pump and some garden hose. Made changing the water on the bait super easy. Brought back some good times that I am afraid are now gone for good. My main fishing partner died just about a year ago, my other one is retired and has other interests now and I sold the big jon boat too. Oh well, nothing lasts forever and now I spend a lot of time on smaller waters.

Great story.

I had a meeting get over way ahead of schedule on Wednesday and decided to put the afternoon to good use. Went wading on one of our small clear little streams. Started out fly fishing - I'm pretty much a rookie there but caught several sunfish and a couple of smallmouth before deciding that spending most of my time untangling, retying and trying to get the business end where it needed to be was going to have to wait for another day. Got the spinning rig back out and fished spinnerbait (no luck) tiny torpedo (no luck) blue twin twister tail on chart jig head (no luck) crawdad colored tube jig (that's what they wanted). Went to two different spots and waded about a mile mabe mile and a half downstream at both. The second place is where I finally found what they wanted. The wading was tough as this particular stream bottom is more rocks the size of watermelons or slick bare rock than gravel. But worth it. Anywhere there was a little deeper than usual water with current along the grass there was a fish or two. The last place I hit was a little deeper hole with current and the biggish rock bottom. I think there was a fish every cast in that hole for the first ten casts or so. Nothing big, but still a very fine afternoon out. Probably had 20 or so all told. Not one goggle eye though, which surprised me. Green sunfish are still bedding. Hot and humid, good time to be knee deep to waist deep in a creek. What topped it off was finding a field road alongside the creek that saved me from having to wade back up. Good times.

Chiggers are already gone by the time you start to itch. The itching is a reaction to their saliva which dissolves a little bit of your skin for them to feed on. Itching tick bites are also reaction to tick saliva.

How 'bout them Birds? Fan, not a sarcastic comment about the last two series.